Course 3, Chapter 45: Christianity preserved and propagated. — Combat of the Church with Protestantism. — Sixteenth Century

1. What do you remark on the sixteenth century?

I remark that the church had a great combat to sustain in that age. She was attacked by Luther, Zuinglius, Calvin, and Henry VIII.

2. Who was Luther?

Luther was a German religious ot the Augustinian order, who violated Ms three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience; h'j apostatized, married a nun, andcommenceddeclaimingagainsttheCatholicChurch.

3. What did he wri',e previous to his condemnation?

Previous to his'.rndemnation he had written to the sovereign pontiff, that he would receive his decision as an oracle from the mouth of Jesus Christ, but scarcely had Leo X. condemned hiserrors when he gave vent to the most vile abuse against him, against the bishops and theologians, impudently pretending that he alone was more enlightened than the whole Chris-

328 CATECHISM OF PERSEVERANCE.

tian world. He persevered in preaching error, and after having led a scandalous life, died on leaving the table, where he had, as usual, gorged himself with wine and meats.

4. Who was Zuinglius V

Zuinglius was a curate of the church of Our Lady of the Hermits, in Switzerland, preached at Zurich the errors of Luther, permitted all kinds of disorders, had the effrontery to marry publicly, and was killed in a battle lost by his partisans, although he had promised them a victory.

5. Who was Calvin?

Calvin was an ecclesiastic of Noyon; but was never a priest. He went to Bourges, where he adopted the errors of Luther, to which he added his own; he settled in Geneva where he burnt to death Michael Servetus, who had the courage to differ from him, and finally died himself of a shameful disease.

6. Who was Henry VIII?

Henry VIII was king of England. A slave to his passions, he wished the pope to annul his lawful marriage, but the pope refused. Upon this the king declared himself the head of the church in England, drew his people into schism and soon after into heresy.

7. How do you show that Protestantism or the religion preached by Luther, Zuinglius, Calvin and Henry VIII, is not the true religion?

In order to show that Protestantism is a false religion, or rather no religion at all, it will be sufficient simply to bear in mind: 1 st, that it was established by four great libertines; 2d, that it owes its origin to the love of honors, covetousness of the goods of others, and the love of sensnal pleasures, three things forbidden by the gospel; 3d, that it permits you to believe whatever yofl please, and to do whatever you believe; 4th, that it has caused immense evils, deluged Germany, France, Switzerland and England with blood; it leads to impiety, and finally to indiffer-

ence, the source of all revolutions past and future. We must, therefore, be on our guard against those who preach it, and cherish a horror for the books which disseminate it.