Page:The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII.djvu/177



THE RIGHT ORDERING OF CHRISTIAN LIFE. 171

ing of the passions, nature is in a measure restored to its original dignity. For man has been born under a law that the soul should rule the body, and that the appetites should be restrained by mind and reason; and hence it follows that to restrain evil passions striving for the mastery over us is our noblest and greatest freedom. Moreover, it is difficult to see what can be expected of a man, even as a member of society, who is not thus dis- posed. Will any one be inchned to do right who has been accustomed to make self-love the sole rule of what he should do or avoid doing? No man can be high-souled, or kind, or merciful, or restrained who has not learned to conquer self, and to despise all worldly things when opposed to virtue.

Nor must We refrain from affirming that it seems to have been determined in the designs of God that there should be no salvation for men without struggle and pain. Indeed, when God gave to man pardon for sin, He gave it under the condition that His only-begotten Son should pay its just and due penalty; and though Jesus Christ might have satisfied divine justice in other ways, never- theless He preferred to satisfy it by the utmost suffering and the sacrifice of His fife. Therefore He has imposed it upon His followers as a law signed with His blood that their life should be an endless strife with the vices of their age, T\Tiat made the apostles unconquerable in their mission of teaching truth to the world? "WTiat strength- ened our countless martyrs in bearing witness by their blood to the Christian faith? Their more than readiness to obey fearlessly this law. All who have taken heed to live a Christian life and to seek after virtue have trodden the same path. We, too, must walk along this road if we desire to assure either our own salvation or that of others. Therefore, in the unbounded license that prevails, it is necessar}^ for every one to guard manfully against the allurements of luxury; and since on erery side there is so much pretentious display of enjoyment in wealth,