For  the  truth  is  that  the  ordinary  church-goer
does   not  really  mean  what  he   says  in  church

133


Christianity  and  the  Social  Order

about  sin. He  thinks  he  does  at  the  time,  but
the  moment  he  turns  back  to  his  ordinary  rela-
Meaning-  tions  with  his  fellows  he  insists  to  the
lessnessof  full  upon  the  recognition  of  what  he
fessionsof  '  Considers  to  be  his  true  value  to
si"'  society. He  has  two  standards,  one

for  the  altar  and  one  for  the  market-place. He  tells
God  how  desperately  wicked  he  is,  but  if  any
one  else  says  the  same  thing  about  him  he  wants
to  know  precisely  what  he  means,  and  if  the
accuser  is  foolish  enough  to  particularise,  and
cannot  justify  his  charge,  probably  the  Christian
will  bring  an  action  against  him  for  defamation
of  character. Then,  too,  we  all  know  quite  well
that  we  cannot,  as  a  rule,  distinguish  in  business
between  the  Christian  who  has  had  his  theo-
retical sins  forgiven  for  Jesus'  sake,  and  the  man
of  the  world  who,  presumably,  has  not. In  fact,
it  is  conceivable  that  the  latter  may  be  the  kinder
and  better  friend  of  the  two. If  so,  we  say  so,
and,  in  all  our  dealings  with  the  particular  circle
in  which  we  move,  we  learn  to  estimate  and
speak  of  men  by  what  we  are  able  to  see  of  their
uprightness  and  kindness  of  heart. The  plain
and  simple  truth  is  that  no  man  knows  what  he
really  means  when  he  confesses  his  foulness  in
the  sight  of  God. No  intelligible  answer  could
ever  be  given  to  the  question. What  do  you  mean
by  God's  holiness  and  man's  sinfulness  ?  other
than  to  say,  God's  holiness  is  love,  and  nothing
but  love  ;  human  sinfulness  is  human  selfishness,
and  nothing  else. It  is  absolutely  nonsensical

134


The  Kingdom  of  God


to  talk  either  about  a  righteousness  or  a  blame-
worthiness in  the  sight  of  God  which  has  a
purely  individual  significance. Righteousness
implies  right  relations  with  human  society,  just
as  sin  implies  adding  to  the  common  ill  or  taking
from  the  common  good. No  man  can  be  either
good  or  bad  in  and  by  himself  alone ;  his  good-
ness and  badness  have  all  the  time  a  social  back-
ground. No  crime  of  his  can  do  any  harm  to
God  otherwise  than  as  an  injury  inflicted  upon
man. 