But "everyone that is of the truth" shall attach himself to me with
a love which will brave rack and stake. All your power cannot give a
grain of new life. I can and will infuse my own divine life, my own
divine _self_, into men. And this new life is invincible, immortal,
all-conquering. I have infused myself into a few fishermen, and they
will infuse _me_ into a host of other men. Thus I will transfigure
into my own character every man in the world, who is of the truth,
and therefore will hear my voice. All the power of Rome cannot
prevent it, and whatever opposes it must go down before it.
Christianity is the contagion of a divine life. Society is the
medium through which it could and was to work. Greece had prepared
the language necessary for its spread. Roman power had built its
highways and levelled all obstructions.
"A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." "Not by might, nor by
power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts."
But, you will object, the grandest kings have had, as a rule, the
fewest loyal subjects. The prophets and seers are stoned. Elijah
stands alone on Carmel and opposed to him are more than a thousand
prophets of Baal, with court and king at their head. Heroism does
not pay, and heroes are few. Right is always in a hopeless minority.
Let us look into this matter carefully, for the objection, even if
overstated, certainly contains a large amount of truth.
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