Jesus, now confirm its truth and draw me into its service. Jesus said,
"_When you have lifted up the son of man, then shall you know that I am
he_,"--then shall you be drawn into my service,--and I feel that I am
irresistibly drawn to him by the influence of his doctrine. "_The
truth_," he says again, "_The truth shall make you free_," and I know
that I am in perfect liberty.
I once thought that if a foreign invasion occurred, or even if
evil-minded persons attacked me, and I did not defend myself, I should
be robbed and beaten and tortured and killed with those whom I felt
bound to protect, and this possibility troubled me. But this that once
troubled me now seems desirable and in conformity with the truth. I know
now that the foreign enemy and the malefactors or brigands are all men
like myself; that, like myself, they love good and hate evil; that they
live as I live, on the borders of death; and that, with me, they seek
for salvation, and will find it in the doctrine of Jesus. The evil that
they do to me will be evil to them, and so can be nothing but good for
me. But if truth is unknown to them, and they do evil thinking that they
do good, I, who know the truth, am bound to reveal it to them, and this
I can do only by refusing to participate in evil, and thereby confessing
the truth by my example.
"But hither come the enemy,--Germans, Turks, savages; if you do not make
war on them, they will exterminate you!" They will do nothing of the
sort. If there were a society of Christian men that did evil to none and
gave of their labor for the good of others, such a society would have no
enemies to kill or to torture them. The foreigners would take only what
the members of this society voluntarily gave, making no distinction
between Russians, or Turks, or Germans. But when Christians live in the
midst of a non-Christian society which defends itself by force of arm,
and calls upon the Christians to join in waging war, then the Christians
have an opportunity for revealing the truth to them who know it not. A
Christian knowing the truth bears witness of the truth before others,
and this testimony can be made manifest only by example. He must
renounce war and do good to all men, whether they are foreigners or
compatriots.
"But there are wicked men among compatriots; they will attack a
Christian, and if the latter do not defend himself, will pillage and
massacre him and his family." No; they will not do so. If all the
members of this family are Christians, and consequently hold their lives
only for the service of others, no man will be found insane enough to
deprive such people of the necessaries of life or to kill them. The
famous Maclay lived among the most bloodthirsty of savages; they did not
kill him, they reverenced him and followed his teachings, simply because
he did not fear them, exacted nothing from them, and treated them always
with kindness.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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