"It is not upon abstract ideas that you ought to fix the attention of the faithful; it is by judiciously employing sensual ideas, and combining them so as to procure for the human race the highest degree of happiness of which it is susceptible during its earthly existence, that you can succeed in rendering the Christian religion generally universal; in fine, the sole religion of the world.
"You must no longer confine yourselves merely to preaching to the faithful that the poor are the favourite children of God. You ought freely and energetically to employ all the means acquired by the church militant to ameliorate promptly the moral and physical condition of the most numerous class. The preliminary and preparatory labours of Christianity are ended. You have a task to perform, much more satisfactory than that which your predecessors have achieved. This task consists in the establishment of a general and definitive Christianity; it consists of the organization of the human race upon the fundamental principle of divine morality.
"To accomplish this task, you must make this principle the foundation and the purpose of all the social institutions.
"The apostles were obliged to acknowledge the power of Cæsar; they were obliged to say, 'Render unto Cæsar that which is Cæsar's;' because, not being able to dispose of a force sufficient to strive against it, they were obliged to avoid making it an enemy.
"But now the respective position of the spiritual and temporal powers being totally changed (thanks to the labours of the church militant), you ought to declare to the successors of Cæsar that Christianity no longer acknowledges their right of command over men—a right founded upon conquest; that is to say, upon the law of the strongest.
"You ought to declare to all kings that the only means of rendering royalty legitimate are, to consider it as an institution whose object is to prevent the wealthy and the powerful from oppressing the poor.
