lectures14+15-第8节

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enemies；〃　these　are　saintly　maxims　of　which　men　of　this　world



find　it　hard　to　speak　without　impatience。　Are　the　men　of　this



world　right；　or　are　the　saints　in　possession　of　the　deeper　range



of　truth？







No　simple　answer　is　possible。　　Here；　if　anywhere；　one　feels　the



complexity　of　the　moral　life；　and　the　mysteriousness　of　the　way



in　which　facts　and　ideals　are　interwoven。







Perfect　conduct　is　a　relation　between　three　terms：　　the　actor；



the　objects　for　which　he　acts；　and　the　recipients　of　the　action。　



In　order　that　conduct　should　be　abstractly　perfect；　all　three



terms；　intention；　execution；　and　reception；　should　be　suited　to



one　another。　　The　best　intention　will　fail　if　it　either　work　by



false　means　or　address　itself　to　the　wrong　recipient。　　Thus　no



critic　or　estimator　of　the　value　of　conduct　can　confine　himself



to　the　actor's　animus　alone；　apart　from　the　other　elements　of　the



performance。　　As　there　is　no　worse　lie　than　a　truth　misunderstood



by　those　who　hear　it；　so　reasonable　arguments；　challenges　to



magnanimity；　and　appeals　to　sympathy　or　justice；　are　folly　when



we　are　dealing　with　human　crocodiles　and　boa…constrictors。　　The



saint　may　simply　give　the　universe　into　the　hands　of　the　enemy　by



his　trustfulness。　　He　may　by　non…resistance　cut　off　his　own



survival。







Herbert　Spencer　tells　us　that　the　perfect　man's　conduct　will



appear　perfect　only　when　the　environment　is　perfect：　　to　no



inferior　environment　is　it　suitably　adapted。　　We　may　paraphrase



this　by　cordially　admitting　that　saintly　conduct　would　be　the



most　perfect　conduct　conceivable　in　an　environment　where　all　were



saints　already；　but　by　adding　that　in　an　environment　where　few



are　saints；　and　many　the　exact　reverse　of　saints；　it　must　be　ill



adapted。　　We　must　frankly　confess；　then；　using　our　empirical



common　sense　and　ordinary　practical　prejudices；　that　in　the　world



that　actually　is；　the　virtues　of　sympathy；　charity；　and



non…resistance　may　be；　and　often　have　been；　manifested　in　excess。







The　powers　of　darkness　have　systematically　taken　advantage　of



them。　　The　whole　modern　scientific　organization　of　charity　is　a



consequence　of　the　failure　of　simply　giving　alms。　　The　whole



history　of　constitutional　government　is　a　commentary　on　the



excellence　of　resisting　evil；　and　when　one　cheek　is　smitten；　of



smiting　back　and　not　turning　the　other　cheek　also。







You　will　agree　to　this　in　general；　for　in　spite　of　the　Gospel；　in



spite　of　Quakerism；　in　spite　of　Tolstoi；　you　believe　in　fighting



fire　with　fire；　in　shooting　down　usurpers；　locking　up　thieves；



and　freezing　out　vagabonds　and　swindlers。







And　yet　you　are　sure；　as　I　am　sure；　that　were　the　world　confined



to　these　hard…headed；　hard…hearted；　and　hard…fisted　methods



exclusively；　were　there　no　one　prompt　to　help　a　brother　first；



and　find　out　afterwards　whether　he　were　worthy；　no　one　willing　to



drown　his　private　wrongs　in　pity　for　the　wronger's　person；　no　one



ready　to　be　duped　many　a　time　rather　than　live　always　on



suspicion；　no　one　glad　to　treat　individuals　passionately　and



impulsively　rather　than　by　general　rules　of　prudence；　the　world



would　be　an　infinitely　worse　place　than　it　is　now　to　live　in。　



The　tender　grace；　not　of　a　day　that　is　dead；　but　of　a　day　yet　to



be　born　somehow；　with　the　golden　rule　grown　natural；　would　be　cut



out　from　the　perspective　of　our　imaginations。







The　saints；　existing　in　this　way；　may；　with　their　extravagances



of　human　tenderness；　be　prophetic。　　Nay；　innumerable　times　they



have　proved　themselves　prophetic。　　Treating　those　whom　they　met；



in　spite　of　the　past；　in　spite　of　all　appearances；　as　worthy；



they　have　stimulated　them　to　BE　worthy；　miraculously　transformed



them　by　their　radiant　example　and　by　the　challenge　of　their



expectation。







From　this　point　of　view　we　may　admit　the　human　charity　which　we



find　in　all　saints；　and　the　great　excess　of　it　which　we　find　in



some　saints；　to　be　a　genuinely　creative　social　force；　tending　to



make　real　a　degree　of　virtue　which　it　alone　is　ready　to　assume　as



possible。　　The　saints　are　authors；　auctores；　increasers；　of



goodness。　　The　potentialities　of　development　in　human　souls　are



unfathomable。　　So　many　who　seemed　irretrievably　hardened　have　in



point　of　fact　been　softened；　converted；　regenerated；　in　ways　that



amazed　the　subjects　even　more　than　they　surprised　the　spectators；



that　we　never　can　be　sure　in　advance　of　any　man　that　his



salvation　by　the　way　of　love　is　hopeless。　　We　have　no　right　to



speak　of　human　crocodiles　and　boa…constrictors　as　of　fixedly



incurable　beings。　　We　know　not　the　complexities　of　personality；



the　smouldering　emotional　fires；　the　other　facets　of　the



character…polyhedron；　the　resources　of　the　subliminal　region。　



St。　Paul　long　ago　made　our　ancestors　familiar　with　the　idea　that



every　soul　is　virtually　sacred。　　Since　Christ　died　for　us　all



without　exception；　St。　Paul　said；　we　must　despair　of　no　one。　



This　belief　in　the　essential　sacredness　of　every　one　expresses



itself　to…day　in　all　sorts　of　humane　customs　and　reformatory



institutions；　and　in　a　growing　aversion　to　the　death　penalty　and



to　brutality　in　punishment。　　The　saints；　with　their　extravagance



of　human　tenderness；　are　the　great　torch…bearers　of　this　belief；



the　tip　of　the　wedge；　the　clearers　of　the　darkness。　　Like　the



single　drops　which　sparkle　in　the　sun　as　they　are　flung　far　ahead



of　the　advancing　edge　of　a　wave…crest　or　of　a　flood；　they　show



the　way　and　are　forerunners。　　The　world　is　not　yet　with　them；　so



they　often　seem　in　the　midst　of　the　world's　affairs　to　be



preposterous。　　Yet　they　are　impregnators　of　the　world；　vivifiers



and　animaters　of　potentialities　of　goodness　which　but　for　them



would　lie　forever　dormant。　　It　is　not　possible　to　be　quite　as



mean　as　we　naturally　are；　when　they　have　passed　before　us。　　One



fire　kindles　another；　and　without　that　over…trust　in　human　worth



which　they　show；　the　rest　of　us　would　lie　in　spiritual　stagnancy。







Momentarily　considered；　then；　the　saint　may　waste　his　tenderness



and　be　the　dupe　and　victim　of　his　charitable　fever；　but　the



general　function　of　his　charity　in　social　evolution　is　vital　and



essential。　　If　things　are　ever　to　move　upward；　some　one　must　be



ready　to　take　the　first　step；　and　assume　the　risk　of　it。　　No　one



who　is　not　willing　to　try　charity；　to　try　non…resistance　as　the



saint　is　always　willing；　can　tell　whether　these　methods　will　or



will　not　succeed。　　When　they　do　succeed；　they　are　far　more



powerfully　successful　than　force　or　worldly　prudence。　　Force



destroys　enemies；　and　the　best　that　can　be　said　of　prudence　is



that　it　keeps　what　we　already　have　in　safety。　　But



non…resistance；　when　successful；　turns　enemies　into　friends；　and



charity　regenerates　its　objects。　　These　saintly　methods　are；　as　I



said；　creative　energies；　and　genuine　saints　find　in　the　elevated



excitement　with　which　their　faith　endows　them　an　authority　and



impressiveness　which　makes　them　irresistible　in　situations　where



men　of　shallower　nature　cannot　get　on　at　all　without　the　use　of



worldly　prudence。　　This　practical　proof　that　worldly　wisdom　may



be　safely　transcended　is　the　saint's　magic　gift　to　mankind。＇215＇



Not　only　does　his　vision　of　a　better　world　console　us　for　the



generally　prevailing　prose　and　barrenness；　but　even　when　on　the



whole　we　have　to　confess　him　ill　adapted；　he　makes　some　converts；



and　the　environment　gets　better　for　his　ministry。　　He　is　an



effective　ferment　of　goodness；　a　slow　transmuter　of　the　earthly



into　a　more　heavenly　order。







＇215＇　　The　best　missionary　lives　abound　in　the　victorious



combination　of　non…resistance　with　personal　authority。　　John　G。　



Paton；　for　example；　in　the　New　Hebrides；　among　brutish　Melanesian



cannibals；　preserves　a　charmed　life　by　dint　of　it。　　When　it　comes



to　the　point；　no　one　ever　dares　actually　to　strike　him。　　Native



converts；　inspired　by　him；　showed　analogous　virtue。　　〃One　of　our



chiefs；　full　of　the　Christ…kindled　desire　to　seek　and　to　save；



sent　a　message　to　an　inland　chief；　that　he　and　four　attendants



would　come　on　Sabbath　and　tell　them　the　gospel　of　Jehovah　God。　



The　reply　came　back　sternly　forbidding　their　visit；　and



threatening　with　death　any　Christian　that　approached　their



village。　　Our　chief　sent　in　response　a　loving　message；　telling



them　that　Jehovah　had　taught　the　Christians　to　return　good　for



evil；　and　that　they　would　come　unarmed　to　tell　them　the　story　of



how　the　Son　of　G