Page:Essays on Catholicism, Liberalism, and Socialism.djvu/73

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LIBERALISM, AND SOCIALISM.
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CHAPTER VI.

That our Lord Jesus Christ has triumphed over the world exclusively by supernatural means.

When I shall be raised on high, that is to say, on the cross, then will I draw all things unto me; or, in other words, then will my dominion and my victory over the world be assured. Our Lord revealed to his disciples, in these solemnly prophetical words, how little availed for the conversion of the world the prophecies which announced his coming, the miracles which manifested his omnipotence, the sanctity of his doctrine, the testimony of his glory; and how powerful in effecting that object would be his immense love, as made known to the world by his crucifixion and death.

"Ego veni in nomine Patris mei, et non accipitis me: si alius venerit in nomine suo, illum accipietis."[1] In these words our Lord announced the natural triumph of error over truth, of evil over good. They contain the secret of the universal forgetfulness of God, of the terrible propagation of pagan superstitions, and of the gloomy darkness prevailing over the world. They also foretell the spread of error among men, the tribulations of the Church, the persecutions of the just, the victories of the sophists, and the popularity of blasphemers. These words are a summary of history, with all its scandals, all its heresies, and all its revolutions. They

  1. ↑ John, v. 4, 3.
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