They do not control their
tempers; they can be full,--as they say,--of love and devotion to God one
minute, but why are they the next minute peevish, proud, self-willed,
harsh and cruel to those who differ from them? Their religion does not
make them love their neighbours. In old times (when persecution was
allowed), it made them, or at least allowed them, to persecute, torment,
and kill their neighbours, and fancy that by such conduct they did God
service; and now it tempts them to despise their neighbours--to look on
every one who has not these strange, intense feelings which they say they
have, as unconverted, and lost, and doomed to everlasting destruction.
Not, says the plain man, that we are more satisfied with the mere
philanthropist of modern times,--the man who professes to love the whole
human race without loving God, or indeed often believing that there is a
God to love. To us he seems as unloving a person as the mere fanatic.
Meanwhile, plain people say, we will have nothing to do with either
fanaticism or philanthropy,--we will try to do our duty where God has put
us, and to behave justly and charitably by our neighbours; but beyond
that we cannot go.
Pages:
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205