thousands of churches, some of which were magnificent monuments of Christian art. England also suffered severely for her apostasy, begun by King Henry VIII., who abandoned the Catholic Church because the Pope would not allow him to repudiate his lawful wife, Catharine, and marry Anne Boleyn. From that time, the country was drenched in human blood; even King Charles I., a successor of the tyrannical Henry, was beheaded by rebels who boasted of professing and practising the purest of all Christian Doctrines.
45. [1]The loss which the Church had suffered from the apostasy in Europe was to be compensated by the conversion of innumerable heathens in other parts of the globe. Missionaries went forth in every direction, and announced the salutary doctrines of the Gospel with wonderful success. It is truly astonishing what St. Francis Xavier, the Apostle of the Indies, who was so eminently favored by Heaven, alone accomplished. Glowing with zeal for the salvation of the pagans, he crossed the vast ocean, and landing at Goa, in the year 1542, he began his mission by walking through the streets with a bell in his hand, and calling the children to come and be instructed. They joyfully attended and
- ↑ How was the Church compensated for her loss in Europe? How was this effected? What is the name of the Apostle of the Indies? Where did he land, and in what year? How did he begin his mission? What did the children do? How did God reward and assist his zeal? In what countries did he work, and how long? What was the result of his labors? How many heathens did he christen or baptize in one month? Was Christianity also introduced into China? How was the sincerity of the new Christians, especially in Japan, proved? How many were martyred in Japan? Does the hatred against the Christians still continue there? What can you relate of America in general, and of Mexico in particular? Was the work of the missionaries easy there? What particular obstacles did they encounter? Did they succeed the less for all that? How did the savages of Paraguay live? What did they become after their conversion to Christianity?
