"'So that, in truth, Thou didst Thyself lay the foundation for the destruction of Thy kingdom, and no one is more to blame for it.Yet what was offered Thee? There are three powers, three powers alone, able to conquer and to hold captive for ever the conscience of these impotent rebels for their happiness those forces are miracle, mystery and authority.Thou hast rejected all three and hast set the example for doing so.When the wise and dread spirit set Thee on the pinnacle of the temple and said to Thee, "If Thou wouldst know whether Thou art the Son of God then cast Thyself down, for it is written: the angels shall hold him up lest he fall and bruise himself, and Thou shalt know then whether Thou art the Son of God and shalt prove then how great is Thy faith in Thy Father." But Thou didst refuse and wouldst not cast Thyself down.Oh, of course, Thou didst proudly and well, like God; but the weak, unruly race of men, are they gods? Oh, Thou didst know then that in taking one step, in making one movement to cast Thyself down, Thou wouldst be tempting God and have lost all Thy faith in Him, and wouldst 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 him- Thou 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.Mankind as a whole has always striven to organise a universal state.There have been many great nations with great histories, but the more highly they were developed the more unhappy they were, for they felt more acutely than other people the craving for world-wide union.The great conquerors, Timours and Ghenghis-Khans, whirled like hurricanes over the face of the earth striving to subdue its people, and they too were but the unconscious expression of the same craving for universal unity.Hadst Thou taken the world and Caesar's purple, Thou wouldst have founded the universal state and have given universal peace.For who can rule men if not he who holds their conscience and their bread in his hands? We have taken the sword of Caesar, and in taking it, of course, have rejected Thee and followed him.Oh, ages are yet to come of the confusion of free thought, of their science and cannibalism.For having begun to build their tower of Babel without us, they will end, of course, with cannibalism.But then the beast will crawl to us and lick our feet and spatter them with tears of blood.And we shall sit upon the beast and raise the cup, and on it will be written, "Mystery." But then, and only then, the reign of peace and happiness will come for men.Thou art proud of Thine elect, but Thou hast only the elect, while we give rest to all.And besides, how many of those elect, those mighty ones who could become elect, have grown weary waiting for Thee, and have transferred and will transfer the powers of their spirit and the warmth of their heart to the other camp, and end by raising their free banner against Thee.Thou didst Thyself lift up that banner.But with us all will be happy and will no more rebel nor destroy one another as under Thy freedom.Oh, we shall persuade them that they will only become free when they renounce their freedom to us and submit to us.And shall we be right or shall we be lying? They will be convinced that we are right, for they will remember the horrors of slavery and confusion to which Thy freedom brought them.
