Page:The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII.djvu/129



CHRISTIAN CONSTITUTION OF STATES. 123

Now, natural reason itself proves convincingly that such concepts of the government of a State are wholly at variance vnth the truth. Nature itself bears witness that all power, of every kind, has its origin from God, who is its chief and most august source.

The sovereignty of the people, however, and this without any reference to God, is held to reside in the multitude; which is doubtless a doctrine exceedingly well calcu- lated to flatter and to inflame many passions, but which lacks all reasonable proof, and all power of insuring pubhc safety and preserving order. Indeed from the prevalence of this teaching, things have come to such a pass that many hold as an axiom of civil jurisprudence that seditions may be rightfully fostered. For the opinion prevails that princes are nothing more than delegates chosen to carr}-- out the ^\^ll of the people; whence it necessarily follows that all things are as changeable as the \\all of the people, so that risk of public disturbance is ever hanging over our heads.

To hold therefore that there is no difference in matters of religion between forms that are unlike each other, and even contrary to each other, most clearly leads in the end to the rejection of all religion in both theory and practice. And this is the same thing as atheism, however it may differ from it in name. Men who really believe in the existence of God must, in order to be consistent with themselves and to avoid absurd conclusions, under- stand that differing modes of divine worship involving dissimilarity and conflict even on most important points, cannot all be equally probable, equally good, and equally acceptable to God.

So, too, the liberty of thinking, and of publishing, whatsoever each one likes, without any hindrance, is not in itself an advantage over which society can 'wisely rejoice. On the contrary, it is the fountain-head and origin of many evils. liber ty is a pow ^r perf ecting man , and henp ^ should have tnith an d goodness for its objer^.t.