ful enough to overthrow a society established and defended by God. Of this Christ himself assures us in the wellknown words: "And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

"*

If the Church were human it would have long since ceased to exist; it would have fallen before the power and machinations of its enemies. Like all merely human institutions, it would have existed for a time and have ceased to be. It would have had its infancy, its youth, maturity and old age. It would have arisen, developed, decayed and disappeared. But being divine, it is not subject to the vicissitudes of time or the casualties common to all that is human. The difference between the Church and the sects is, that the former is of God and the latter of man; the one is the creation of the Almighty, and the other the product of the human mind.

In common with all that is earthly the sects have a period of infancy, maturity and old age; they grow, they develop and decay. They are here to-day and away tomorrow. As the meteors that flash through the heavens and appear attractive for a moment, they appear and disappear in rapid and dazzling succession. They are in the moral world what variety is in the fashionable. They attract for a time, they captivate and are followed by the vain, the frivolous and the irreligious, but even by these they are discarded after a time. Their period of existence is never extensive. A couple of centuries at most, and the world is tired of them. Others more attractive are then adopted in their stead, for which in due course the same destiny is reserved, and so, age after age and century sɔ, after century, the sects and the sectaries go on changing and varying after the manner of the ancient philosophical schools of Athens and Rome.

* Math., chap. xxvi., v. 18.

:

Different entirely is the Catholic Church; the same to-day, yesterday, and forever: weakness, variation and decay are unknown to her history. A wrinkle has never appeared on her brow. "A glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle."* Though the snows of centuries are on her head, the bloom of youth is upon her cheek. She is old, yet young; aged, yet strong; of the past, yet of the present. Taught by God and not by man, sustained and guided by his Holy Spirit she has never affirmed to-day what she denied to-morrow. She has never withdrawn in the hour of persecution what she put forth in the tranquillity of peace. Like the Apostles, the Church is ready to suffer and to die for the doctrine she teaches, nor is it in her power to abstain from proclaiming it. For it is not she but the Spirit of God that is with her, that uttereth the truth: "Lay it up, therefore, in your hearts not to meditate before how you shall answer. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able to resist and gainsay." And again: "But when they shall deliver you up take no thought how or what to speak, for it shall be given you in that hour what to speak. For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you." Would that the world would recognize so simple a truth and become conscious accordingly of the inutility of persecuting the Church for her doctrine! But the world knoweth not the things of God: it is the carnal man mentioned by the Apostle. It hath eyes and seeth not, ears and heareth not, and so the spirit of violence and oppression continueth and shall endure even unto the end.

*

Ephesians, chap. v., v.xxvii.-Canticles, chap. iv., v. 7. + Luke, chap. xxi., v. 14-15.

Math., chap. x., v. 19.

CHAPTER VIII.

FIRST PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH-ST. STEPHEN'S MARTYRDOM-PERSECUTION IN JUDEA-THE CHRISTIANS SCATTERED-THE

EMPEROR

TIBERIUS ESPOUSES THE CAUSE OF THE CHRISTIANS-PROFOUND PEACF ENSUES THE JEWS COMMENCE ANOTHER PERSECUTION-CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS PERSECUTION-IMPRISONMENT OF ST. PETER-HOW THE APOSTLES DISCHARGED THEIR COMMISSION AT THAT PERIOD—ST. PAUL'S LABORS-HIS SUFFERINGS AND IMPRISONMENT.

The first persecution of the Church was inaugurated by the Jews at Jerusalem. It was religious in its nature and originated in the same cause that led to the death of the Son of God. It was prompted by a blind, intolerant zeal, and evoked some of the worst passions of which the human heart is the seat. For the first few months after the crucifixion the hostility of the Jews confined itself to threats, imprisonments and scourgings.* It was thought by this means to silence the Apostles, to terrify the people, and

But, finding their ef

thus to extinguish the religion. forts unavailing, and the number of the faithful rapidly increasing, the fury of the authorities grew beyond bounds and hurried them to the commission of those excesses which may be properly said to have inaugurated the first persecution. These were the deeds of blood which immediately followed and to which the martyrdom of St. Stephen was the prelude. St. Stephen, one of the first deacons or

Acts, chap. iv, v. 3.-"And they laid hands upon them and put them in hold till the next day: "-ibid, v. 21.-" But they threatening sent them away not finding how they might punish them because of the people: "-ibid, chap. 5, v. 40.-"And calling in the Apostles after they had scourged them they charged them that they should not speak at all in the name of Jesus and they dismissed them."

dained by the Apostles, was a man of much learning, of high repute and great importance among his countrymen. He was the first to give his life in the cause of divine truth. The religious education he had received, fitted him admirably for the role of a disputant and caused him to be regarded as a powerful opponent worthy to enter the lists with the most learned of the day. This coupled with his great fortitude and zeal* drew upon him the attention of the Rabbins and led to a controversy in which the chiefs of the synagogue † joined, but vainly sought for a victory, for they were "unable to resist the wisdom and the spirit that spoke." +

Overthrown in argument the holy deacon's opponents had recourse to those means ever employed by the world against divine truth; they attempted to silence by violence what they were unable to do by reason. But in order to give a coloring of justice to their acts, they suborned false testimony and charged Stephen with blasphemy. "And they set up false witnesses who said: This man ceaseth not to speak words against the holy place and the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place and shall change the traditions which Moses delivered unto us."S

When asked by the high-priest what he had to answer to these allegations, the holy deacon replied in that luminous defence which constitutes the chief part of the seventh chapter of the Acts. In that admirable discourse replete with divine wisdom he answers indirectly the charge

Acts, chap. vi, v. 5.-" And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost: v. 8.—"And Stephen full of grace and fortitude did great wonders and signs among the people."

Acts, chap. vi, v. 9.—" Now there arose some of that which is called the synagogue of the Libertines and of the Cyrenians and of the Alexandrians and of them that were of Cilicia and Asia disputing with Stephen."

+ Ibid, v. 10.

Acts chap. vi, v. 13.

brought by his accusers by showing his reverence for the law and the prophets. At the same time he proved from the history of the people how the worship of the Almighty is not necessarily confined to a temple. Then turning upon his accusers, after reminding them how their forefathers had been rebellious to Moses and disobedient to the prophets, he boldly accused them of resisting the Spirit of God and of being the murderers of the Redeemer: "Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do you also. Which of the prophets have not your fathers perescuted? And they have slain them who have foretold of the comming of the Just One of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers."* This fearless energetic protest against the crimes and impieties perpetrated by that people in the name and under the garb of religion, so angered his hearers that, losing all patience and control over themselves, they rushed incontinently upon him, dragged him from the tribunal of justice and stoned him to death without the city. His last words like those of his divi ne Master were a prayer for his murderers: "Lord lay not this sin to their charge." Thus died in the most perfect sentiments of Christian charity, on the 26th of December, A. D. 33, the first Christian martyr, and from that day to this the blood of the faithful has never ceased to flow in testimony of divine truth.

The death of Stephen was followed by a general persecution of the faithful in Jerusalem and the provinces. It would be impossible, in the absence of historic accounts, to form an adequate idea of the sufferings of the brethren at this period, or of the numbers that perished in this first outburst of violence. But of the fierce character of the persecution we cannot have a doubt from what is related

*Acts vii. v. 51--52