登陆注册
5237300000137

第137章 Lectures XI, XII, and XIII(9)

I never before felt so far from a disposition to judge and censure others, as I did that morning. I realized also, in an unusual and very lively manner, how great a part of Christianity lies in the performance of our social and relative duties to one another. The same joyful sense continued throughout the day--a sweet love to God and all mankind."

Whatever be the explanation of the charity, it may efface all usual human barriers.[166]

[166] The barrier between men and animals also. We read of Towianski, an eminent Polish patriot and mystic, that "one day one of his friends met him in the rain, caressing a big dog which was jumping upon him and covering him horribly with mud. On being asked why he permitted the animal thus to dirty his clothes, Towianski replied: 'This dog, whom I am now meeting for the first time, has shown a great fellow-feeling for me, and a great joy in my recognition and acceptance of his greetings.

Were I to drive him off, I should wound his feelings and do him a moral injury. It would be an offense not only to him, but to all the spirits of the other world who are on the same level with him. The damage which he does to my coat is as nothing in comparison with the wrong which I should inflict upon him, in case I were to remain indifferent to the manifestations of his friendship. We ought,' he added, 'both to lighten the condition of animals, whenever we can, and at the same time to facilitate in ourselves that union of the world of all spirits, which the sacrifice of Christ has made possible.'" Andre Towianski, Traduction de l'Italien, Turin, 1897 (privately printed). I owe my knowledge of this book and of Towianski to my friend Professor W. Lutoslawski, author of "Plato's Logic."

Here, for instance, is an example of Christian non-resistance from Richard Weaver's autobiography. Weaver was a collier, a semi-professional pugilist in his younger days, who became a much beloved evangelist. Fighting, after drinking, seems to have been the sin to which he originally felt his flesh most perversely inclined. After his first conversion he had a backsliding, which consisted in pounding a man who had insulted a girl. Feeling that, having once fallen, he might as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb, he got drunk and went and broke the jaw of another man who had lately challenged him to fight and taunted him with cowardice for refusing as a Christian man;--I mention these incidents to show how genuine a change of heart is implied in the later conduct which he describes as follows:--

"I went down the drift and found the boy crying because a fellow-workman was trying to take the wagon from him by force. I said to him:--

"'Tom, you mustn't take that wagon.'

"He swore at me, and called me a Methodist devil. I told him that God did not tell me to let him rob me. He cursed again, and said he would push the wagon over me.

"'Well,' I said, 'let us see whether the devil and thee are stronger than the Lord and me.'

"And the Lord and I proving stronger than the devil and he, he had to get out of the way, or the wagon would have gone over him.

So I gave the wagon to the boy. Then said Tom:--

"'I've a good mind to smack thee on the face.'

"'Well,' I said, 'if that will do thee any good, thou canst do it.' So he struck me on the face.

"I turned the other cheek to him, and said, 'Strike again.'

"He struck again and again, till he had struck me five times. I turned my cheek for the sixth stroke; but he turned away cursing.

I shouted after him: 'The Lord forgive thee, for I do, and the Lord save thee.'

"This was on a Saturday; and when I went home from the coal-pit my wife saw my face was swollen, and asked what was the matter with it. I said: 'I've been fighting, and I've given a man a good thrashing.'

"She burst out weeping, and said, 'O Richard, what made you fight?' Then I told her all about it; and she thanked the Lord I had not struck back.

"But the Lord had struck, and his blows have more effect than man's. Monday came. The devil began to tempt me, saying: 'The other men will laugh at thee for allowing Tom to treat thee as he did on Saturday.' I cried, 'Get thee behind me, Satan;'--and went on my way to the coal-pit.

"Tom was the first man I saw. I said 'Good-morning,' but got no reply.

"He went down first. When I got down, I was surprised to see him sitting on the wagon-road waiting for me. When I came to him he burst into tears and said: 'Richard, will you forgive me for striking you?'

"'I have forgiven thee,' said I; 'ask God to forgive thee. The Lord bless thee.' I gave him my hand, and we went each to his work."[167]

[167] J. Patterson's Life of Richard Weaver, pp. 66-68, abridged.

"Love your enemies!" Mark you, not simply those who happen not to be your friends, but your ENEMIES, your positive and active enemies. Either this is a mere Oriental hyperbole, a bit of verbal extravagance, meaning only that we should, as far as we can, abate our animosities, or else it is sincere and literal.

Outside of certain cases of intimate individual relation, it seldom has been taken literally. Yet it makes one ask the question: Can there in general be a level of emotion so unifying, so obliterative of differences between man and man, that even enmity may come to be an irrelevant circumstance and fail to inhibit the friendlier interests aroused? If positive well-wishing could attain so supreme a degree of excitement, those who were swayed by it might well seem superhuman beings.

Their life would be morally discrete from the life of other men, and there is no saying, in the absence of positive experience of an authentic kind--for there are few active examples in our scriptures, and the Buddhistic examples are legendary,[168]--what the effects might be: they might conceivably transform the world.

[168] As where the future Buddha, incarnated as a hare, jumps into the fire to cook himself for a meal for a beggar--having previously shaken himself three times, so that none of the insects in his fur should perish with him.

同类推荐
  • 台湾文献丛刊清职贡图选

    台湾文献丛刊清职贡图选

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 安广县乡土志

    安广县乡土志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 异苑

    异苑

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 菩提心离相论

    菩提心离相论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 齐谐记

    齐谐记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 傲世总裁追妻记

    傲世总裁追妻记

    婚礼进行曲响起,所有的亲人朋友都已经到场,所有的媒体都已经在一旁焦急的等待,外面一片晴空,八门喜炮已经准备就绪。“妈啊,你们跟我开什么玩笑?不是说要我继续留学深造吗?要我结婚,难道你们不知道你们的女儿是单身主义者,再说了,人家陆总裁可好似有女朋友的,你们这是为什么?”萧晴已经要疯了,昨晚感觉脑袋昏昏沉沉的,再次醒来,竟然已经在某个化妆间。可笑的是,爸妈竟然要她嫁人,天啊,她的脑袋都要炸了,她从……
  • 宋时

    宋时

    长剑一杯酒,男儿方寸心。这是穿越宋朝的故事,征战疆场的热血故事!--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 百雀啼棪

    百雀啼棪

    雀灵山,传说盘古开天辟地后化其脾脏而成,混沌将尽时一金羽孔雀落栖与此,从此山中百雀啼鸣;女娲与伏羲游历至此诞下一女婴,恰逢共工怒触不周山,天柱折,万波倾,女娲托女于金羽孔雀,后女娲以身补天,伏羲匿迹。小剧场:雀南栖看看手里的屎布又看看盆里玩水玩的咯咯笑的娃娃,无奈的撇撇嘴,想着这娃娃长大了得多淘气,这般惹人怜爱,奈何又折了母君,失了父君。雀南栖洗着屎布时又想到这教育问题可得好好抓抓,咱们不抓别的,只抓功夫就好了,雀灵山的人可不能让别人欺负了!后来啊,雀南栖看着碧波潭里安静的红衣女子总是想那个在水里笑的咯咯的娃娃。
  • 财迷王爷败金妃

    财迷王爷败金妃

    ◆◆◆域炎大陆,强者为尊◆◆◆她从地球穿越而来,灵魂力量天生的强大造就了她天才之名,众人皆知,镜族有女名亦妖,九岁的新星斗者,耀眼夺目三年后,她是家族的废物,三年前体内斗气的莫名消失让她俨然成了家族的笑柄,嘲讽、白眼、侮辱、排挤,三年,尝尽世间冷暖,看尽世间白眼.一个偶然的机遇解开了她斗气消失之谜,本以为看到了希望,却遭遇定亲夫家的退婚的侮辱,仅存的尊严也被人无情地撕碎践踏在脚下!那一日,他说:“镜亦妖一介废物,与我不配,来此实为退婚”那一日,她说:“三年后,我让你连废物都做不成!”废物,真的如此么?一个赌约,三个人为她赌上自己的尊严,她必须赢,也输不起,人生本就不是一场公平的比赛,三年后的赴约,赢,洗刷耻辱,输,为婢为奴被践踏的尊严,三年的磨练,让她变得铁血狠辣,叱咤风云!当沉睡三年的雄狮再度睁眼,天地风云色变!三年前他对她尊严的践踏,背负着三人尊严的赌注,三年后,又当如何?赴三年之约后再回家族,不曾料到三年未归的家族已遭逢巨变,物是人非;镜非镜,她到底是谁?远古家族弃子之女?她从来不介意将天地翻转亦或毁灭,亲情是她的信念,友情是她的底限,腾龙尚有逆鳞,触之,山河变色!当她从昔日人人嘲笑的废物成长到大陆巅峰,横扫六合天,一怒天颜变,大陆从此少了一个天才,多了一个主宰!◆人说她狂傲,她笑人短浅,我自是年少,韶华轻负,自当芒耀九州,傲眼看天下更多精彩,尽在《妖尊御世》财迷王爷败金妃简介:◆◆◆◆他是火云国的火王爷,外号“抠门王爷”,只因他在权、名、色、利之中独独对“利”情有独钟!他不喜权,不好名,不近色,却惟独对赚钱有莫大的兴趣!所谓抠门,精髓全在一个“抠”字!◆◇◆赚钱与省钱◆◇◆为了赚钱,他无所不用其极,目的只有一个——赚钱!!为了省钱,他极尽之所能是,目的只有一个——省钱!!【片段一】“皇上,二皇子绑了贵妃!!”“什么?”“二皇子说要皇上用一百两去赎贵妃娘娘!”相对,无言,沉默,良久,爆发“云火,老子的贵妃就只值一百两吗!!!”【片段二】“王爷王爷王爷,大事不妙,丞相又来蹭饭了!!”管家连滚带爬地冲进账房!“什么!!这个老不死的又来蹭饭了?”某男呛水“这次还带了他的十八房小妾!!”“既然如此……管家,采用一级作战方针,一级人力接待,另外把咱家前两天吃剩的饭菜让厨房整理一下,今天中午就吃这个”
  • 翼人的悲伤

    翼人的悲伤

    翼人和人类富家女孩的相爱相恨,到最后释怀一切随风而去。不过,新的一切又开始了。
  • 茁壮成长的智慧(青少年励志成长丛书)

    茁壮成长的智慧(青少年励志成长丛书)

    本书内容包括:举止文明、有自立能力、不畏惧困难、有谦卑的品行、有良好的心理素质、善于与人合作、善于动脑筋、热爱劳动等。
  • 帝君你家医妃又逆天了

    帝君你家医妃又逆天了

    “爷,三皇子妃陷害云小姐,已被属下拿下。”“砍了。”“小王爷看上了云小姐,正在疯狂追求。”“阉了。”“爷,皇帝要将云小姐许配给太子,圣旨已下。”“看来这帝位该换人了。”上一世,云浅被亲妹妹和未婚夫剖腹挖心,死无葬身之地。重生归来,她不小心捡了一个神秘的大人物,从此开挂虐渣,揍得白莲花亲妈都不认识。但是,这个每晚准时进她房的男人是怎么回事?“帝君大人,请自重。”她拒绝得义正辞严。某帝君邪气一笑:“小浅。”
  • 斗破之马气大陆

    斗破之马气大陆

    本书原书名《斗破苍穹之马气大陆》这里是属于马气的世界,没有花俏艳丽的魔法,有的,仅仅是繁衍到巅峰的马气!“我是一个废物,正在被好几个斗帝追杀,但是我内心毫无波澜,甚至特么还有点想笑。”“因为,我的马儿比他们的马儿跑得快~~~”“小斗者!你给我站住!有本事下马一战!”“呵呵,老子就不下马,有本事你骑马追上我啊!”本书等级制度:马者,马师,大马师,马灵,马王,马皇,马宗,马尊,马圣,马帝。本书读者交流群,马气大陆总群:887328650(两千人群,快满了,少加这个。)马气大陆之马帝:894662774(五百人群,还空不少)马气大陆之马殿:897448914(五百人群,备用群)马气大陆之马宗:897689693(五百人群,备用群)
  • 现实一种

    现实一种

    《现实一种》是我从1986年到1998年的写作旅程,十多年的漫漫长夜和那些晴朗或者阴沉的白昼过去之后,岁月留下了什么?《现实一种》里的这些中短篇小说所记录下来的,就是我的另一条人生之路。与现实的人生之路不同的是,它有着还原的可能,而且准确无误。虽然岁月的流逝会使它纸张泛黄字迹不清,然而每一次的重新出版都让它焕然一新,重获鲜明的形象。
  • 冰川之父:施雅风传

    冰川之父:施雅风传

    《冰川之父:施雅风传》中“创”和“闯”是施雅风的妻子沈健对他的评价。她将她对他的了解和认识只用了这两个字加以概括。创!他创造性地在中国兴建了“冰川学”这门新学科,开辟了“冰川”这个新领域;闯!他不畏艰险勇闯高原山峰进行科学考察,也无所畏惧敢于挑战权威。