Page:Our Neighbor-Mexico.djvu/468

 456 holy apostles, Peter and Paul, and the expressed doctrines which are evident in their canonical epistles, has been the first to teach obedience to the people, respect and submission to the authorities and civil laws, not only through fear, but for conscience' sake, non sohun propter iram, scd itiam propter concientiam, and still more through the disjunctive of obeying God and obeying man, and has incessantly proclaimed the maxim of the prince of the apostles, Peter, 'obediro oportet Deo magis quam hominibus' (it is necessary to obey God rather than man), and in such an extreme the answer of a Catholic ought to be that of the same apostle when before the Sanhedrim, 'Non possumus' (we can not, it is not lawful); and a man can not do these things without showing that he acts contrary to the authorities who respect the authority of God, according to the judgment of St. Paul: 'Non est potestas nisi a Deo' (There is no power but of God).

"We exhort, therefore, our faithful diocesans, and admonish them, and even supplicate them, 'in vinculis Cristi,' to enliven their faith, and remember the precept of our Lord Jesus Christ, which to-day urges us in a special manner to confess before men, in order that they may prove us in the name of their Heavenly Father, and that we might flee resolutely from the risk of incurring that terrible sentence which the same Jesus Christ adds, 'He that denieth me before men, him will I also deny before my Father and his angels.'

"And, in order that this notice might reach all, we command all the rectors of our diocesans that the first religious act after the reception of this be, in order that all may read, to fix it on the doors of the chancels.

"Given in the Santa Visita de Silao, on the 14th of October, signed by my hand, and countersigned by our Secretary of Visita.

", Bishop of Leon.

", Secretary of Visita.

The following letter of Manuel Aguas, written only six months before his death, illustrates his spirit and the soundness of his conversion. It is a touching cry from the chief of the fathers of this better faith. It should yet be heard.

"Mexico, October, 1871.

"I have learned that you take a sincere and practical interest in the propagation of the Gospel in this Republic of Mexico—a nation until now sadly unfortunate—unfortunate because it has not enjoyed the blessings of true religion.

"The Lord has, most clearly and signally, blessed the Christian efforts that you have made in our behalf. Let me tell you how: You contributed funds in