ark apostolic either in their origin or
teaching.

But they say the Catholic Church fell into error and made mistakes, and
that God wished reformers to correct these errors. How could the Church
fall into error when Our Lord promised to remain always with it, and to
send the Holy Ghost to guide and teach it forever? And, secondly, if God
sent the Protestants to correct the mistakes of the Catholic Church,
what proof do they give us that they have such power from God? When, as
we have seen, God sends anyone to do a special work, He always gives him
power to prove his mission. When He sent Moses, He gave him signs--the
plagues of Egypt. When He sent His prophets, they called down fire and
rain from Heaven. (3 Kings 18). But Protestants have shown us no signs
and performed no miracles; therefore we cannot believe their assertion
that God sent them to correct the Catholic Church. Neither can we
believe that Our Lord broke His promise to stay with the Church. We
shall see the whole truth of the matter if we go back to the
establishment of the Protestant religion and consider the life of Luther
and the others who founded it.

Luther, then a young man, while out one day saw his friend killed at his
side by a stroke of lightning. Much affected by that sad event, Luther
became a priest in the order of the Augustinians. He was a learned man
and a great preacher, but very proud. The Holy Father was completing St.
Peter's Church in Rome, and about that time granted an indulgence to
those giving alms for the purpose, just as pastors now offer Masses for
those who contribute means to build a new church, or hospital, asylum,
etc.

The Holy Father sent Dominican priests to preach about this indulgence
and collect this money. Then Luther, when he found that he, a great
preacher, was not appointed, was probably jealous. He first began to
preach against the abuses of indulgences: but pride made him go further,
and soon he began to preach against the doctrine of indulgences, and
thus became a heretic. Then he was condemned by the Pope, and cut off
from the Church. Being proud, he would not submit, but began to form a
new religion, now called Protestant. But how did he get the people to
follow him? Oh, very easily. Then, as now, there were plenty of bad and
indifferent Catholics. At that time the Church was rich and had much
property and lands; because when rich Catholics died they often left to
the Church property for its own support an