CIUDAD to - the Catholic Kingdom!

THE CORONATION 313
up his seat in Jerusalem personally to erect his batteries
against the very stronghold of the faith and in order to
direct the operation of all the infernal squadrons; for
the demons preserve order among themselves only for the
purpose of warfare against men, while in all the rest
they are full of discord and confusion. The Most High
has never permitted full sway to their envy, for in one
moment they would overturn and destroy the whole
world; but He gave them a limited freedom, in order
that by affliction the Church might take deep roots in the
blood and the merits of the saints and so that in persecu
tion and torments might be manifested the wisdom and
power of the Pilot directing this little ship of the Church.
Immediately Lucifer commanded his satellites to scour
the whole earth in order to find out where the Apostles
and disciples were preaching the name of the Lord. The
dragon in Jerusalem sought the localities most remote
from the places consecrated by the mysteries and the blood
of the Lord; for he and all the demons dreaded these
spots and the nearer they approached, the more they
felt themselves weakened and oppressed by the divine
power. These effects they feel to this day, and will
feel to the end of the world. Sorrowful it is indeed,
that this sanctuary of the faithful, on account of the
sins of men, is now in the hands of pagans; and happy
are the few children of the Church who are within its
precincts, such as the sons of our great father and re
storer of the Church, saint Francis !
338. Through the information brought by his demons
Lucifer learnt the condition of the faithful in all the
places where the faith of Christ was being preached. He
issued new orders for the persecution of Christians,
assigning more or less powerful demons according as he
thought it necessary against the different Apostles, dis-
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