But if by the world you mean the world of
man, the society in which we live--dare you compare a Christian and
civilized country like England with that detestable Roman world, sunk in
all abominable vices, against which St John and St Paul prophesied? Are
not such thoughts unjust and uncharitable to your neighbours, to your
country, to all mankind? Then the first party will say, But you do away
with all devoutness; and the second party will answer, And you do away
with all morality, for you tell people that the only way to please God is
to feel about Him in a way which not one person in a thousand can feel;
and therefore what will come, and does come, of your binding heavy
burdens and grievous to be borne and laying them on men's shoulders is
this,--that the generality of people will care nothing about being good
or doing right, because you teach them that it will not please God, and
will leave all religion to a few who have these peculiar fancies and
feelings.
And so they may argue on for ever, unless they will take honestly the
plain words of St John, and see that to love their neighbour is to love
God, and to love God is to love their neighbour.
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