Page:The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII.djvu/205



CHIEF DUTIES OF CHRISTIANS AS CITIZENS. 199

are lying and promising them liberty, when they themselves are slaves of corruption} Nay, more, having made them- selves sharers in the divine virtue which resides in the Church, they will triumph over the craft of their adver- saries by wisdom, and over their violence by courage. This is not now the time and place to inquire whether and how far the inertness and internal dissensions of Catholics have contributed to the present condition of things; but it is certain at least that the perverse-minded would exhibit less boldness, and would not have brought about such an accumulation of ills, if the faith which worketh by charity^ had been generally more energetic and lively in the souls of men, and had there not been so universal a drifting away from the divinely established rule of morality throughout Christianity. May at least the lessons afforded by the memory of the past have the good result of leading to a wiser mode of acting in the future.

As to those who mean to take part in public affairs they should avoid with the very utmost care two criminal excesses: so-called prudence and false courage. Some there are, indeed, who maintain that it is not opportune boldly to attack evil-doing in its might and when in the ascendant, lest, as they say, opposition should exasperate minds already hostile. These make it a matter of guess- work as to whether they are for the Church or against her; since on the one hand they give themselves out as professing the Catholic faith, and yet wish that the Church should allow certain opinions, at variance with her teach- ing, to be spread abroad with impunity. They moan over the loss of faith and the perversion of morals, yet trouble themselves not to bring any remedy; nay, not seldom, even add to the intensity of the mischief through too much forbearance or harmful dissem.bling. These same individuals would not have any one entertain a doubt as to their good-will towards the Holy See; yet they have Â» 2 Peter ii. 1, 19. 2 Gal. v. 6.