, 1873-03-30
selves to do good to the world and to our BROTH

ciollb election hereafter. l0n profess that your
God il God Of lore. and you attribute to HIM
would be ashamed. You think you arc to bo
sayod because Christ died on tho cross for you.
and aro not sure of it even thea. But with us
every one deserved 10 be tried OH his own
merits, and to expiate his own errors aud
crimes"
st is supposed by some that you we're half
Christian yourself. Is this so:"
''H you mean tlat reyereuced the life and
doctrines OF Christ, aud eaw in Him pure
man, certainly did. But in my principles was
that admired the character OF Christ You
think tile principles he preached were new they
were really as old as the world almost. His nfo
was blameless, and he sncriiiced his life for his
principles and for this reverence him, but no
further. His followers wcro, however, far less
pure and solf-denying, aud they sought power
and ondcayoccd to overthrow the State"
Was it for this you persecuted them?" l
eaid.
II did not porsecuto them," he answered
" As Christians they were perfectly free in Rome
ALI religions we're free, mud all admitted. No one
was interfered with merely for his religious
belief and worship whether it were that of Isis,
OF Mithrn or Of Jehovah, OF OF any other deity
It was only when the Christians endcayored to
attain to power and provoke disturbance in the
State, to abuse authority, md sci at defiance the
laws that i. became necessary-or, at all events,
wcs considered ueceseary-to stop them. When
they we're not content With @ worshpp.ng aieo1d
ing to thef own cteeu, nus aSloesets sh,e a us
sought to cast public contempt on all gods but
their own. they outraged the public sense as
much rs if any Que now should denounce Christ
as a yagabond, and seek by abuse to overthrow
your Church by all sorts OF blasphemous lan-
s11ago Nor would it matter in the least in your
own time that any person 80 outfnglug decency
should be absolutely honest in his intentions,
and assured in Ills own mind of the truth OF
his own doctrines. Suppose one step further,
that auy set OF mon should undertake not only to
turn Christ into ridicule publicly, but should
aI,o abuse tho government nnd cousprc to over
throw the monarchy You would then have q
caso similar to that Of the Christians III my dny
At all events, it WAS believed that it was
settled plan with them to overthrow the empire,
and it was for this that they were, you call it,
norsecutcd. For my own part WAS gorry for
t. deemiug in such matters it was better to tnke
no measures 30 severe but I personally had
nothing to do with it, It was tho fanatical zeal
Of the Government, who, acting without my com
mands, took advantage OF ancient laws to punigh
tho Chriatia,s aud this your own Tartu,lian
will prove to you. They undoubtedly supposed
,,o1;t;ca1 and snca, reyolutiou-tlat they Hero in
f.ct Comnunsts. as YOU would uow
call them. intent upon oyerthrowing the
State. I confess that there wns good
deal Of color given 70 sucn . luus-
mcnt by the conduct OF tha CHRISTIANS.
| Bat ns for myEelf as l said, was opposed 70
auy movement against them, believing 1hen ~
to 10 OF honest purpose, thongh perhaps soneT
what excited and funatical."
Why ala you th1nK 1nas unos ~ "s.u a',ft;ciant S
munistB ?" I asked. - Had you any sunc1ent
grounds for such 4 belief:
81 Surely the most ample grounds N tho very
teachings Of Christ himself. tiis system Ti.e M
essentially comnunE,lc' nnu netis W 1s4n,ata
| followers and disciples were al tolnl1unists @
they at lived in common hau couot p1a1
| and no ono was allowed to own ahysnlns- iHes 10y
wcre ordered by ehr1st MOI 10 lapor, ~ - ,o
from day 10 das anu taAo ~ nTou M 49, Va T ia nJ
aud lay up nothing. ous se1l ~ t1s nao aad
lire Ike the ravens cn1Iat ni7en @ - 1niea
riches constahtlghot tle "toI6 uao oi ~ - 49,
but tho mere possession u tn.l alu su ,,aae ~
eaeicr Tor camel TO 60 tue es1 ~ ucool
tnen lor lltn 1.a ad ~ r;, NV ol,scrvn hnt any
| heaven. Not pao flcn 1n1l, ouact ~ nus ~
| rich man. SO, tco, LIS story OF Lazarus auu
Dives turns on the same polnt' II ooes nos ~
| pear that Lazarus was 6oou; p4t onts tn1t -
was poor; nor aoes IL .nn; a,G rton m,yes IN
but only that he Wts r1ca aua "non ~ D1se5 ~ ~
| IIa1es prays for drop of water ne ls tolu tna'
he had the Eoo1 thnss n hla iellme, Nv anu la1
aT'1s tae e'iI tI1nt n.u .na n 40 -
''1ut, surely" I answered 1T WAS INTENDED
to mean that Dives ha1 no' u7eo LID ~ Ae' fA's.
erly =
| ''Aothlng IL aald OF the hlho, OF even tut'-
mated; for Ill thas appears, Dlses n NAY nase
been good man: aua La!a'us uI nGI. ane pa pnas
|
gar; the only fault OF Dives; thet he was flch.
DO you not remember, aso, the rch Young man s1
who desired to become one Of his followers ana ana
aaAel what he should DO to to be saved ,r,oa1" ana
Christ told him TINT doing the commanamoa1s, mi.
and being yirtnous and honest, was not enough
but tha. he must sell al that he had, ana give y
tho and then he coa and
away. Nhat does all this mean but Communism
the of sts a lie aG mGo IL Would G1 pss Ha como
| one to have possessions of his own: It vas TINS
which made his sGt ns so Bn or msse nsl had
never any hand in any prosecutions, either: OF
rseee or entse thst syp @
n,nsllel for political offenscs who happened to
Be Christiars aui that was ALL I think, that that
happened believe me- E SOU "aH ow asetSu oran NV
eneniea to be perHccuted, much lesy those e, who
merely differed from me on morn H. any are5 nnu
so4hical theses. Nay, may say they ailereo
little from me oven on these points. as you may
well if yon read that little dlats ol E,lno m ~ ~
! Pannonia, wherein was not go base Us to lo 20
myself" ~ ,, :; noa.