oral consequences, without either
hesitancy or ambiguity, he speaks "as one having power" (Matt. vii.
29). And while, on the one hand, every true Catholic throughout the
world, who hears his voice, is intimately conscious that he is hearing
the voice of Christ Himself, "who heareth you, heareth Me" (Luke x.
16); so, on the other hand, every true Catholic likewise knows that
all who refuse to obey his ruling, and who despise his warnings, are
despising and disobeying Christ Himself. "Who despises you, despises
Me" (Luke x. 16). Thus, the Sovereign Pontiff, as the infallible
source of religious truth, becomes at the same time the strong bond of
religious unity: for, just as error divides men from one another, so
truth always and necessarily draws them together. In this way the Pope
becomes the connecting link which unites over 250,000,000 of men: and
the foundation stone (or petros--Peter) of the mystical building
erected by God-incarnate ("Upon this rock will I build My Church,"
Matt. xvi. 18). He is the foundation, that is to say, which supports
it, and keeps its various parts together, in one harmonious and
symmetrical whole, and against which the angry surges rise, and the
muddy waves of error for ever beat, yet ever beat in vain: for "the
gates of hell [Satan and his hosts] shall not prevail against it". Who
doubts this denies the most formal and unmistakable promises of the
Eternal Son of God, and makes of Him a liar.

Our non-Catholic friends close their eyes to these patent facts,
and--with great peril to their salvation--refuse to see even the
obvious. As the Jews of old were so blinded by their prejudice,
jealousy and hatred of Him, whom they contemptuously styled "the Son
of the Carpenter," that they steadily refused to consider the justice
of His claims, and could not (or would not?) bring themselves to
understand how clearly the Scriptures bore witness to His divinity,
and how marvellously the prophecies and predictions (the words of
which they accepted), were fulfilled in His Divine Person; so now
Protestants steadily refuse to consider the claims of Her whom they
contemptuously style "the Romish Church," and are so prejudiced and
full of suspicion, if not of hate, that they too cannot bring
themselves to understand how She, like her Divine Founder, bears upon
her immortal brow the distinctive and unmistakable impress of her
supernatural origin and destiny. The Incarnate Son of God, who never
asks, nor can