The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-04-17
, of Christ's words: "The gates OF
hell shall not prevail against her!"
Church inde.truetabIe.

hell shall not prevail against her!
Church indestruetabIe.
We shall this day give only one
| more instance OF the church's strug-
gle with the worlds adherents:
| namely, the French revolution-one
of the most potent proofs OF the
church's indestructibility. This was
revolt OF a nation against its God.
1t broke in upon the world like ter
rible whirlwind, and laid everything
rebelled against God, their subjects
rebelled against Him. They who SOW
irreligion. reap revolution and blood
shed. What was. the consequence?
All! my friends. my weak words will
give you only a faint idea This rev
olution was followed by the most
appalling shame and cruel deeds-by
series of the most shocking and
horrible events, the mention Of which
would freeze your souls with terror.
1t would seem that the very flood
gates of hell were thrown open, and
that an inundauon Of demons had
| rushed forth to corrupt, to pollute the
| land.
! Converts and monasteries were
RACED to the ground. Kings and
queens were dragged to the block
Bishops and priests were murdered
in the shambies OF the guillotine.
The ashes Of the saints dug from the
ground and scattered to the four
winds, and the religion OF Christ
abolished by a solemn decree
They invented new deity, and set
F.! the same, mere creature, upon the
affairs OF the cathedral Of Notre Dame.
| to be worshipped as their God. while
! the image of Christ crucified was
dragged through the streets with
yells of scorn and derision.
| Could these prosecutors now an
initiate the church Of -God-the apos-
tolic see-their mission would pc
complete. They marched to Rome.
What did they do there? They drag
ged the aged pontiff, Pope Plus VI,
into exile; then rang forth from the
worlds capitals, Paris, London, Ber-
! lin, and Rome, the cry. that the
church was no more and that no 9TH
er pope would ever occupy the papal
| throne.
Oh! you powers OF the world, you
boast in vain To destroy the church
of God Is beyond your power; the
gates of hell did not prevail. Plus
WI passed to his reward The armies
guarded the papal throne and swore
/ no other vicar should occupy the
chair of Peter What happened? The
Austrians smote the garrisons who
were on duty and before they rallied
from the shock, Plus VII was in
stalled as vicar Of Christ.
Church Is Divine.
Who does not see the finger of God
in this? l ask again, who can &C
count for the church's preservation
during 1900 years Of such warfare,
without being convinced that she IS
divine, and that the hand Of the AL
mighty rules her destiny? The church
has overcome obstacles and Difficult
ties, she has conquered men and
space: she has survived the wear
and tear Of time which has swept
away states and empires. Kingdoms
and monarchies have fallen; thrones
have crumbled into. their native dust;
and regal crowns have dropped to the
earth-yet the church of God re-
mains. she lives on, she has come
to us from Christ; she Is still with
us today-she will be here tomorrow
shall I venture to say, to the end
of time? Yes; for Christ has said:
II am with you all days even to the
end of the world"
| The church is not like empires and
other human institutions; she is not
of one century or OF one nation; she
has the whole earth as her kingdom
and all time for her control. This Is
the church which God has promised
would overcome all obstacles; the
church which takes us back through
the mist of ages, backwards and
backwards through the corridors OF
time, until it brings us to the feet or
Jesus Christ, her founder. No other
institution as Macaulay says, carries
the mind back to the time when the
| smoke of sacrifice rose from the
Pantheon, and camelopards and tig-
ers leaped in the Flavian amphith-
eatre.
Add to Glory.
Do YOU wish them to know what
church or any society has been:
See-Has it been able to resist men,
space and time? If men have been
able to shake it; If 1t has grown weak
In any part Of the world; II time In
its course carries it away; 1t is moth
lfng-it is doomed to Diet will dis
appear as a mere shadow. But II all
these add only to its glory, then II
possesses life and power-there Is
strength in It. 1t Is self supporting
1t STANDS ike Tie Ply dlAiuo VI USyPN'
which the Arabian passing strikes
with his deadly spear, but their i'm
movable mass is not affected by the
blow-the desert brings against them,
its endless waves Of sand; 1t does
not even cover their feet. Time itself,
this old overthrower of walls and
mighty kingdoms, puts on their brow,
nothing but crown of glory and I'M
mortality. So it is with the church.
She has conquered men. space and
time. Yes the church has conquer
ed men. At the beginning Of chris
tianity, the emperors of the world,
one after another, disappeared, and
Rome alone was holding universal
sway; she had gathered into her
bosom all the vices OF conquered ma
tons for generations.
Her Pantheon or temple was dedi-
o,+od ~ oil tho false gods even the