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 and the support of its institutions.  Even during their lifetime kings and princes sometimes gave the Church large donations of lands and money.  The Church then was supported by these gifts and the income or rents of the lands, and did not need to look for collections from the people, as it has to do now.  Here, then, is how Luther got many to follow him.  He told greedy princes that if they came with him they could become rich by seizing the property of all the churches, and the greedy princes, glad of an excuse, went with him.  Then he told the people—­the bad Catholics—­that fasting was too severe; going to confession too hard; hearing Mass every Sunday too difficult; and if they renounced their faith and embraced his new religion he would do away with all these things:  so they also followed him.  He himself broke his solemn vows made to God, and the people easily followed his example.