have been dashed to pieces against that earth which Thou didst come to save. And the wise spirit that
tempted Thee would have rejoiced. But I ask again, are there many like Thee? And couldst Thou believe
for one moment that men, too, could face such a temptation? Is the nature of men such, that they can
reject miracle, and at the great moments of their life, the moments of their deepest, most agonising spiritual
difficulties, cling only to the free verdict of the heart? Oh, Thou didst know that Thy deed would be recorded
in books, would be handed down to remote times and the utmost ends of the earth, and Thou didst
hope that man, following Thee, would cling to God and not ask for a miracle. But Thou didst not know
that when man rejects miracle he rejects God too; for man seeks not so much God as the miraculous.
And as man cannot bear to be without the miraculous, he will create new miracles of his own for himself,
and will worship deeds of sorcery and witchcraft, though he might be a hundred times over a rebel,
heretic and infidel. Thou didst not come down from the Cross when they shouted to Thee, mocking
and reviling Thee, Come down from the cross and we will believe that Thou art He. Thou didst not
come down, for again Thou wouldst not enslave man by a miracle, and didst crave faith given freely, not
based on miracle. Thou didst crave for free love and not the base raptures of the slave before the might
that has overawed him for ever. But Thou didst think too highly of men therein, for they are slaves, of
course, though rebellious by nature. Look round and judge; fifteen centuries have passed, look upon
them. Whom hast Thou raised up to Thyself? I swear, man is weaker and baser by nature than Thou
hast believed him! Can he, can he do what Thou didst? By showing him so much respect, Thou didst,
as it were, cease to feel for him, for Thou didst ask far too much from himThou who hast loved him
more than Thyself! Respecting him less, Thou wouldst have asked less of him. That would have been
more like love, for his burden would have been lighter. He is weak and vile. What though he is everywhere
now rebelling against our power, and proud of his rebellion? It is the pride of a child and a schoolboy.
They are little children rioting and barring out the teacher at school. But their childish delight will end; it
will cost them dear. They will cast down temples and drench the earth with blood. But they will see
at last, the foolish children, that, though they are rebels, they are impotent rebels, unable to keep up
their own rebellion. Bathed in their foolish tears, they will recognise at last that He who created them
rebels must have meant to mock at them. They will say this in despair, and their utterance will be a
blasphemy which will make them more unhappy still, for mans nature cannot bear blasphemy, and in
the end always avenges it on itself. And so unrest, confusion and unhappinessthat is the present lot
of man after Thou didst bear so much for their freedom! Thy great prophet tells in vision and in image,
that he saw all those who took part in the first resurrection and that there were of each tribe twelve thousand.
But if there were so many of them, they must have been not men but gods. They had borne Thy cross,
they had endured scores of years in the barren, hungry wilderness, living upon locusts and rootsand
Thou mayest indeed point with pride at those children of freedom, of free love, of free and splendid sacrifice
for Thy name. But remember that they were only some thousands; and what of the rest? And how are
the other weak ones to blame, because they could not endure what the strong have endured? How is
the weak soul to blame that it is unable to receive such terrible gifts? Canst Thou have simply come to
the elect and for the elect? But if so, it is a mystery and we cannot understand it. And if it is a mystery,
we too have a right to preach a mystery, and to teach them that its not the free judgment of their hearts,
not love that matters, but a mystery which they must follow blindly, even against their conscience. So
we have done. We have corrected Thy work and have founded it upon miracle, mystery and authority.
And men rejoiced that they were again led like sheep, and that the terrible gift that had brought them
such suffering, was, at last, lifted from their hearts. Were we right teaching them this? Speak! Did we
not love mankind, so meekly acknowledging their feebleness, lovingly lightening their burden, and permitting
their weak nature even sin with our sanction? Why hast Thou come now to hinder us? And why dost
Thou look silently and searchingly at me with Thy mild eyes? Be angry. I dont want Thy love, for I love
Thee not. And what use is it for me to hide anything from Thee? Dont I know to Whom I am speaking?
All that I can say is known to Thee already. And is it for me to conceal from Thee our mystery? Perhaps
it is Thy will to hear it from my lips. Listen, then. We are not working with Thee, but with himthat is
our mystery. Its longeight centuriessince we have been on his side and not on Thine. Just eight
centuries ago, we took from him what Thou didst reject with scorn, that last gift he offered Thee, showing
Thee all the kingdoms of the earth. We took from him Rome and the sword of Cæsar, and proclaimed
ourselves sole rulers of the earth, though hitherto we have not been able to complete our work. But