The Divine word is the foremost power in the world. It has withstood and overcome every other power. ... It has uttered its voice everywhere: in the catacombs, at the foot of the scaffold, under the axe of the executioner, and within the jaws of wild beasts. It has spoken while the feet of the speakers have been drenched in blood. ... During the middle ages, mighty barons, sheltered behind impregnable strongholds, had cast the network of their sway over the whole of France, and silence was imposed on all lips. Nevertheless, on more than one occasion did the Divine word, in the guise of a priest or monk, venture to ascend the steps of those redoubtable fortresses; and its voice alone sufficed to inspire fear in the breasts of men clad in armor of steel. There was a king in whom power seemed incarnate. That king was Louis XIV. He dared to say:--"L'état, la France, c'est moi." Under his inspiring look, military genius triumphed in war; poetry begat the sublimest conceptions; canvas spoke; marble was animated; and the arts replenished even the gardens of his royal abode with master-piece s of skill. {245} One Sunday, Louis XIV., surrounded by his court, took his seat in the chapel at Versailles, when the preacher boldly uttered from the pulpit those terrible words: "Woe to the rich! Woe to the great!" whereat the monarch lowered his eyes and the courtiers murmured. ... After the sermon, there was some talk of reprimanding the priest for his temerity; but the King remarked, with a justice which does him honor:--"Gentlemen, the preacher has done his duty; it behoves us now to do ours." We may recognize herein the power of the Divine word; and it is that same word which is on our lips. What, indeed, is the word of man even in the mouth of the boldest orator, even when set forth in all the brilliancy of its power, when compared with the Divine word? ... Much has been said of the force of Mirabeau's famous apostrophe:--"The communes of France have decided on deliberating. We have heard of the designs which have been suggested to the King; and you, who are not allowed to be his organ with the National Assembly--you who possess neither the standing nor the option, nor the right of speaking--go and tell your master that we are here by the power of the people, and that it shall not be wrested from us except at the point of the bayonet." [Footnote 19] [Footnote 19: The authenticity of this statement has been questioned.] {246} This speech has been eulogized as grand, bold, and even audacious; but, what does it amount to? Any priest might do as much, and say something far better, with greater truth and less arrogance; for there is no priest, however poor and humble he may be, who might not say:--"We are here in God's name, and here we intend to remain, and we will speak in spite of guns and bayonets." ...