"
"Groping after lost Christianity!" echoed the Cardinal, "Those words
are a terrible indictment, Mr. Leigh!"
"Yet in your own soul your Eminence admits it to be true," returned
Leigh quickly,--"I can see the admission in your eyes,--in the very
expression of your face! You feel in yourself that the true spirit
of Christ is lacking in all the churches of the present day,--that
the sheep are straying for lack of the shepherd, and that the wolf
is in the fold! You know it,--you feel it,--you see it!"
Cardinal Bonpre's head drooped.
"God help me and forgive me, I am afraid I do!" he said sorrowfully.
"I see the shadow of the storm before it draws nigh,--I feel the
terror of the earthquake before it shakes down the edifice! No, the
world is not with Christ to-day!--and unhappily it is a fact that
Christ's ministers in recent years have done more to sever Him from
Humanity than any other power could ever have succeeded in doing.
Not by action, but by inertia!--dumbness--lack of protest,--lack of
courage! Only a few stray souls stand out firm and fair in the
chaos,--only a few!"
"'I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot,--I would
thou wert cold or hot! So because thou art lukewarm and neither cold
nor hot I will spew thee out of my mouth!'" quoted Leigh, his eyes
flashing and his voice trembling with repressed earnestness, "That
is the trouble all through! Apathy,--dead, unproductive apathy and
laissez-faire!--Ah, I believe there are some of us living now who
are destined to see strange and terrible things in this new
century!"
"For myself," said the Cardinal slowly, "I think there is not much
time left us! I feel a premonition of Divine wrath threatening the
world, and when I study the aspect of the times and see the pride,
licentiousness, and wealth-worship of men, I cannot but think the
days are drawing near when our Master will demand of us account of
our service.
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