Part 6 (1/2)

WHAT DID JESUS TEACH?

The doctrines of Jesus may be sought for and found in a small compa.s.s.

Four thin gospels are alleged to contain nearly the entirety of his sayings, and as most Englishmen are professedly Christians, it might be fairly supposed that the general public were conversant with Christ's teachings. This, however, is not the case. The bulk of professors believe from custom rather than from reading. They profess a faith as they follow a fas.h.i.+on--because others have done so before them. What did Jesus teach? Manly self-reliant resistance of wrong, and practice of right? No; the key-stone of his whole teaching may be found in the text, ”Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”*

* Matthew v, 3.

Is poverty of spirit the chief among virtues, that Jesus gives it the prime place in his teaching? Is poverty of spirit a virtue at all?

Surely not. Manliness of spirit, honesty of spirit, fullness of rightful purpose, these are virtues; but poverty of spirit is a crime. When men are poor in spirit, then do the proud and haughty in spirit oppress and trample upon them, but when men are true in spirit and determined (as true men should be) to resist and prevent evil, wrong, and injustice whenever they can, then is their greater opportunity for happiness here, and no lesser fitness for the enjoyment of further happiness, in some may-be heaven, hereafter. Are you poor in spirit, and are you smitten; in such case what did Jesus teach? ”Unto whom that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other.”* 'Twere better far to teach that ”he who courts oppression shares the crime.” Rather say, if smitten once, take careful measure to prevent a future smiting. I have heard men preach pa.s.sive resistance, but this teaches actual invitation of injury, a course degrading in the extreme.

Sh.e.l.ley breathed higher humanity in his n.o.ble advice:

”Stand ye calm and resolute, Like a forest close and mute, With folded arms and looks, which are Weapons of an unvanquished war.”

There is a wide distinction between the pa.s.sive resistance to wrong and the courting of further injury at the hands of the wrongdoer. I have in no case seen this better ill.u.s.trated than in Mr. George Jacob Holyoake's history of his imprisonment in Gloucester Jail,** where pa.s.sive resistance saved him from the indignity of a prison dress, and also from compulsory attendance at morning prayer in the prison chapel, which in his case would have been to him an additional insult. But the teaching of Jesus goes much beyond this kind of conduct; the poverty of spirit principle is enforced to the fullest extent--”Him that taketh away thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee, and from him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again.”*** Poverty of person is the only possible sequence to this extraordinary manifestation of poverty of spirit.

* Luke vi, 29.

** ”Last trail by Jury for Atheism.”

*** Luke vi, 29, 30.

Poverty of person is attended with many unpleasantnesses; and if Jesus knew that poverty of goods would result from his teaching, we might expect some notice of this. And so there is--as if he wished to keep the poor content through their lives with poverty, he says, ”Blessed be ye poor for yours is the kingdom of G.o.d.”* ”But woe unto you that are rich, for you have received your consolation.”** He pictures one in h.e.l.l, whose only related vice is that in life he was rich; and another in heaven, whose only related virtue is that in life he was poor.*** He at another time tells his hearers that it is as difficult for a rich man to get into heaven as for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.****

The only intent of such teaching could be to induce the poor to remain content with the want and misery attendant on their wretched state in this life, in the hope of a higher recompense in some future life. Is it good to be content with poverty? Nay, 'tis better far to investigate the cause of such poverty, with a view to its cure and prevention. The doctrine is a most horrid one which declares that the poor shall not cease from the face of the earth. Poor in spirit and poor in pocket.

With no courage to work for food, or money to purchase it! We might well expect to find the man who held these doctrines with empty stomach also; and what does Jesus teach?--”Blessed are ye that hunger now, for ye shall be filled.”***** He does not say when the filling shall take place, but the date is evidently postponed until the time when you will have no stomachs to replenish. It is not in this life that the hunger is to be sated. Do you doubt me, turn again to your Testament and read, ”Woe unto you that are full, for ye shall hunger.”****** This must surely settle the point.

* Luke vi, 20.

** Luke vi, 24.

*** Luke xvi, 19--81.

**** Luke xviii, 25.

***** Luke vi, 21.

****** Luke vi, 25.

It would be but little vantage to the hungry man to bless him by filling him, if, when he had satisfied his appet.i.te, he were met by a curse which had awaited the completion of his repast. Craven in spirit, with an empty purse and hungry mouth--what next? The man who has not manliness enough to prevent wrong will probably bemoan his hard fate, and cry bitterly that so sore are the misfortunes he endures. And what does Jesus teach?--”Blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh.”*

Is this true, and if true, when? ”Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.”** Aye, but when? Not while they mourn and weep.

Weeping for the past is vain; 'tis past, and a deluge of tears will never wash away its history. Weeping for the present is worse than vain--it obstructs your sight. In each minute of your life the aforetime future is present-born, and you need dry and keen eyes to give it and yourself a safe and happy deliverance. When shall they that mourn be comforted? Are slaves that weep salt teardrops on their steel shackles comforted in their weeping? Nay, but each pearly overflow, as it falls, rusts mind as well as fetter. Ye who are slaves and weep, will never be comforted until ye dry your eyes and nerve your arms, and, in the plenitude of your manliness,

”Shake your chains to earth like dew, Which in sleep have fallen on you.”

Jesus teaches that the poor, the hungry and the wretched shall be blessed? This is not so. The blessing only comes when they have ceased to be poor, hungry and wretched. Contentment under poverty, hunger and misery is high treason, not to yourself alone, but to your fellows.

These three, like foul diseases, spread quickly wherever humanity is stagnant and content with wrong.

* Luke vi, 31.