The impossibility
of piercing the Christian pharisee holding the traditions of the
elders, in any vital part--so pachydermatous is he to any spiritual
argument--is a sore trial to the old Adam still unslain in lovers of
the truth. At the same time nothing gives patience better
opportunity for her perfect work. And it is well they cannot be
reached by argument and so persuaded; they would but enter the
circles of the faithful to work fresh schisms and breed fresh
imposthumes.
But Donal had begun to think that he had been too forbearing towards
the hideous doctrines advocated by Miss Carmichael. It is one thing
where evil doctrines are quietly held, and the truth associated with
them assimilated by good people doing their best with what has been
taught them, and quite another thing where they are forced upon some
shrinking nature, weak to resist through the very reverence which is
its excellence. The finer nature, from inability to think another of
less pure intent than itself, is often at a great disadvantage in
the hands of the coarser. He made up his mind that, risk as it was
to enter into disputations with a worshipper of the letter, inasmuch
as for argument the letter is immeasurably more available than the
spirit--for while the spirit lies in the letter unperceived, it has
no force, and the letter-worshipper is incapable of seeing that God
could not possibly mean what he makes of it--notwithstanding the
risk, he resolved to hold himself ready, and if anything was given
him, to cry it out and not spare.
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