on liberty-第13章

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permitted　to　receive　its　doctrines　on　conviction；　and　those　who　must



accept　them　on　trust。　Neither；　indeed；　are　allowed　any　choice　as　to



what　they　will　accept；　but　the　clergy；　such　at　least　as　can　be　fully



confided　in；　may　admissibly　and　meritoriously　make　themselves



acquainted　with　the　arguments　of　opponents；　in　order　to　answer　them；



and　may；　therefore；　read　heretical　books；　the　laity；　not　unless　by



special　permission；　hard　to　be　obtained。　This　discipline　recognises



a　knowledge　of　the　enemy's　case　as　beneficial　to　the　teachers；　but



finds　means；　consistent　with　this；　of　denying　it　to　the　rest　of　the



world：　thus　giving　to　the　elite　more　mental　culture；　though　not　more



mental　freedom；　than　it　allows　to　the　mass。　By　this　device　it　succeeds



in　obtaining　the　kind　of　mental　superiority　which　its　purposes



require；　for　though　culture　without　freedom　never　made　a　large　and



liberal　mind；　it　can　make　a　clever　nisi　prius　advocate　of　a　cause。　But



in　countries　professing　Protestantism；　this　resource　is　denied；



since　Protestants　hold；　at　least　in　theory；　that　the　responsibility



for　the　choice　of　a　religion　must　be　borne　by　each　for　himself；　and



cannot　be　thrown　off　upon　teachers。　Besides；　in　the　present　state　of



the　world；　it　is　practically　impossible　that　writings　which　are　read



by　the　instructed　can　be　kept　from　the　uninstructed。　If　the　teachers



of　mankind　are　to　be　cognisant　of　all　that　they　ought　to　know；



everything　must　be　free　to　be　written　and　published　without　restraint。



　　If；　however；　the　mischievous　operation　of　the　absence　of　free



discussion；　when　the　received　opinions　are　true；　were　confined　to



leaving　men　ignorant　of　the　grounds　of　those　opinions；　it　might　be



thought　that　this；　if　an　intellectual；　is　no　moral　evil；　and　does



not　affect　the　worth　of　the　opinions；　regarded　in　their　influence　on



the　character。　The　fact；　however；　is；　that　not　only　the　grounds　of　the



opinion　are　forgotten　in　the　absence　of　discussion；　but　too　often



the　meaning　of　the　opinion　itself。　The　words　which　convey　it　cease



to　suggest　ideas；　or　suggest　only　a　small　portion　of　those　they　were



originally　employed　to　communicate。　Instead　of　a　vivid　conception



and　a　living　belief；　there　remain　only　a　few　phrases　retained　by　rote；



or；　if　any　part；　the　shell　and　husk　only　of　the　meaning　is　retained；



the　finer　essence　being　lost。　The　great　chapter　in　human　history　which



this　fact　occupies　and　fills；　cannot　be　too　earnestly　studied　and



meditated　on。



　　It　is　illustrated　in　the　experience　of　almost　all　ethical



doctrines　and　religious　creeds。　They　are　all　full　of　meaning　and



vitality　to　those　who　originate　them；　and　to　the　direct　disciples　of



the　originators。　Their　meaning　continues　to　be　felt　in　undiminished



strength；　and　is　perhaps　brought　out　into　even　fuller　consciousness；



so　long　as　the　struggle　lasts　to　give　the　doctrine　or　creed　an



ascendancy　over　other　creeds。　At　last　it　either　prevails；　and



becomes　the　general　opinion；　or　its　progress　stops；　it　keeps



possession　of　the　ground　it　has　gained；　but　ceases　to　spread



further。　When　either　of　these　results　has　become　apparent；　controversy



on　the　subject　flags；　and　gradually　dies　away。　The　doctrine　has



taken　its　place；　if　not　as　a　received　opinion；　as　one　of　the



admitted　sects　or　divisions　of　opinion：　those　who　hold　it　have



generally　inherited；　not　adopted　it；　and　conversion　from　one　of



these　doctrines　to　another；　being　now　an　exceptional　fact；　occupies



little　place　in　the　thoughts　of　their　professors。　Instead　of　being；　as



at　first；　constantly　on　the　alert　either　to　defend　themselves



against　the　world；　or　to　bring　the　world　over　to　them；　they　have



subsided　into　acquiescence；　and　neither　listen；　when　they　can　help　it；



to　arguments　against　their　creed；　nor　trouble　dissentients　（if　there



be　such）　with　arguments　in　its　favour。　From　this　time　may　usually　be



dated　the　decline　in　the　living　power　of　the　doctrine。



　　We　often　hear　the　teachers　of　all　creeds　lamenting　the　difficulty　of



keeping　up　in　the　minds　of　believers　a　lively　apprehension　of　the



truth　which　they　nominally　recognise；　so　that　it　may　penetrate　the



feelings；　and　acquire　a　real　mastery　over　the　conduct。　No　such



difficulty　is　complained　of　while　the　creed　is　still　fighting　for



its　existence：　even　the　weaker　combatants　then　know　and　feel　what　they



are　fighting　for；　and　the　difference　between　it　and　other　doctrines；



and　in　that　period　of　every　creed's　existence；　not　a　few　persons　may



be　found；　who　have　realised　its　fundamental　principles　in　all　the



forms　of　thought；　have　weighed　and　considered　them　in　all　their



important　bearings；　and　have　experienced　the　full　effect　on　the



character　which　belief　in　that　creed　ought　to　produce　in　a　mind



thoroughly　imbued　with　it。　But　when　it　has　come　to　be　an　hereditary



creed；　and　to　be　received　passively；　not　actively…　when　the　mind　is



no　longer　compelled；　in　the　same　degree　as　at　first；　to　exercise　its



vital　powers　on　the　questions　which　its　belief　presents　to　it；　there



is　a　progressive　tendency　to　forget　all　of　the　belief　except　the



formularies；　or　to　give　it　a　dull　and　torpid　assent；　as　if　accepting



it　on　trust　dispensed　with　the　necessity　of　realising　it　in



consciousness；　or　testing　it　by　personal　experience；　until　it　almost



ceases　to　connect　itself　at　all　with　the　inner　life　of　the　human



being。　Then　are　seen　the　cases；　so　frequent　in　this　age　of　the　world



as　almost　to　form　the　majority；　in　which　the　creed　remains　as　it



were　outside　the　mind；　incrusting　and　petrifying　it　against　all



other　influences　addressed　to　the　higher　parts　of　our　nature；



manifesting　its　power　by　not　suffering　any　fresh　and　living　conviction



to　get　in；　but　itself　doing　nothing　for　the　mind　or　heart；　except



standing　sentinel　over　them　to　keep　them　vacant。



　　To　what　an　extent　doctrines　intrinsically　fitted　to　make　the　deepest



impression　upon　the　mind　may　remain　in　it　as　dead　beliefs；　without



being　ever　realised　in　the　imagination；　the　feelings；　or　the



understanding；　is　exemplified　by　the　manner　in　which　the　majority　of



believers　hold　the　doctrines　of　Christianity。　By　Christianity　I　here



mean　what　is　accounted　such　by　all　churches　and　sects…　the　maxims　and



precepts　contained　in　the　New　Testament。　These　are　considered



sacred；　and　accepted　as　laws；　by　all　professing　Christians。　Yet　it



is　scarcely　too　much　to　say　that　not　one　Christian　in　a　thousand



guides　or　tests　his　individual　conduct　by　reference　to　those　laws。　The



standard　to　which　he　does　refer　it；　is　the　custom　of　his　nation；　his



class；　or　his　religious　profession。　He　has　thus；　on　the　one　hand；　a



collection　of　ethical　maxims；　which　he　believes　to　have　been



vouchsafed　to　him　by　infallible　wisdom　as　rules　for　his　government；



and　on　the　other　a　set　of　every…day　judgments　and　practices；　which



go　a　certain　length　with　some　of　those　maxims；　not　so　great　a　length



with　others；　stand　in　direct　opposition　to　some；　and　are；　on　the



whole；　a　compromise　between　the　Christian　creed　and　the　interests



and　suggestions　of　worldly　life。　To　the　first　of　these　standards　he



gives　his　homage；　to　the　other　his　real　allegiance。



　　All　Christians　believe　that　the　blessed　are　the　poor　and　humble；　and



those　who　are　ill…used　by　the　world；　that　it　is　easier　for　a　camel



to　pass　through　the　eye　of　a　needle　than　for　a　rich　man　to　enter　the



kingdom　of　heaven；　that　they　should　judge　not；　lest　they　be　judged；



that　they　should　swear　not　at　all；　that　they　should　love　their



neighbour　as　themselves；　that　if　one　take　their　cloak；　they　should



give　him　their　coat　also；　that　they　should　take　no　thought　for　the



morrow；　that　if　they　would　be　perfect　they　should　sell　all　that　they



have　and　give　it　to　the　poor。　They　are　not　insincere　when　they　say



that　they　believe　these　things。　They　do　believ