Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 2.djvu/299

 CHRISTIAN SOCIOLOGY 285

V.

If now we look somewhat more closely at this new social force which is the dynamic side of the apprehension of brother- hood (which it must not be forgotten is itself the outcome of the new and divine life in man made possible by Jesus), it will be evident that it is in itself composed of something more than mere emotional elements, and that Jesus regarded it as involving to an equal extent the will. 1 Were it otherwise it would be impos- sible to see how one whose love was thus the outgrowth of the sense of a new reality could ever be expected to love a person in whose case the reality was not appreciable. Such a love, it would be urged, is perhaps understandable in the case of two persons who answer Jesus' conception of brothers, but would be inconceivable between one man who was a member of the king- dom, and another man who was not. How then could there be progress, or how could the kingdom fail to become a close corpo- ration? But if the full sweep of Jesus' teaching be considered it will be seen that this spontaneous love that arises from the sense of kinship may be directed towards one's enemies. It may, perhaps, not always be possible for one to feel the affection for one's opponents that seems to have been felt by Jesus, 2 but one can always treat one's enemies as if they were brothers. In such a case the conduct inspired by loving affection, outlines the way for duty. The same kindness that was done spontaneously for a lover, is now to be done from the sense of obligation for a persecutor.

And what will these acts be? Jesus does not specifically bid the member of the kingdom to do much else than pray for and bless those who are planning his harm ; 3 but after all his meaning is not hard to find. Both the spontaneous love and the controlled love will seek the accomplishment of those conditions which go

1 It is not necessary for such a view to strain the difference between d-yairdw and 0iX^w with their cognate forms (TRENCH, AVtv Testament Synonyms). Even if it be granted that the two words were used in the later Greek somewhat indiscriminately, the thought of Jesus is made clear fr ,:cxt.

Matt, j ;