resurrection(复活)-第107节

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or　at　any　rate　the　trace　that　his　material　existence　had　left
behind。　〃Why　had　he　suffered？　Why　had　he　lived？　Does　he　now
understand？〃　Nekhludoff　thought；　and　there　seemed　to　be　no
answer；　seemed　to　be　nothing　but　death；　and　he　felt　faint。
Without　taking　leave　of　the　Englishman；　Nekhludoff　asked　the
inspector　to　lead　him　out　into　the　yard；　and　feeling　the　absolute
necessity　of　being　alone　to　think　over　all　that　had　happened　that
evening；　he　drove　back　to　his　hotel。


CHAPTER　XXVIII。

A　NEW　LIFE　DAWNS　FOR　NEKHLUDOFF。

Nekhludoff　did　not　go　to　bed；　but　went　up　and　down　his　room　for　a
long　time。　His　business　with　Katusha　was　at　an　end。　He　was　not
wanted；　and　this　made　him　sad　and　ashamed。　His　other　business　was
not　only　unfinished；　but　troubled　him　more　than　ever　and　demanded
his　activity。　All　this　horrible　evil　that　he　had　seen　and　learned
to　know　lately；　and　especially　to…day　in　that　awful　prison；　this
evil；　which　had　killed　that　dear　Kryltzoff；　ruled　and　was
triumphant；　and　he　could　foreseen　possibility　of　conquering　or
even　knowing　how　to　conquer　it。　Those　hundreds　and　thousands　of
degraded　human　beings　locked　up　in　the　noisome　prisons　by
indifferent　generals；　procureurs；　inspectors；　rose　up　in　his
imagination；　he　remembered　the　strange；　free　old　man　accusing　the
officials；　and　therefore　considered　mad；　and　among　the　corpses
the　beautiful；　waxen　face　of　Kryltzoff；　who　had　died　in　anger。
And　again　the　question　as　to　whether　he　was　mad　or　those　who
considered　they　were　in　their　right　minds　while　they　committed
all　these　deeds　stood　before　him　with　renewed　force　and　demanded
an　answer。

Tired　of　pacing　up　and　down；　tired　of　thinking；　he　sat　down　on
the　sofa　near　the　lamp　and　mechanically　opened　the　Testament
which　the　Englishman　had　given　him　as　a　remembrance；　and　which　he
had　thrown　on　the　table　when　he　emptied　his　pockets　on　coming　in。

〃It　is　said　one　can　find　an　answer　to　everything　here；〃　he
thought；　and　opened　the　Testament　at　random　and　began　reading
Matt。　xviii。　1…4：　〃In　that　hour　came　the　disciples　unto　Jesus；
saying；　Who　then　is　greatest　in　the　Kingdom　of　Heaven？　And　He
called　to　Him　a　little　child；　and　set　him　in　the　midst　of　them；
and　said；　Verily　I　say　unto　you；　Except　ye　turn　and　become　as
little　children；　ye　shall　in　nowise　enter　into　the　Kingdom　of
Heaven。　Whosoever　therefore　shall　humble　himself　as　this　little
child　the　same　is　the　greatest　in　the　Kingdom　of　Heaven。〃

〃Yes；　yes；　that　is　true；〃　he　said；　remembering　that　he　had　known
the　peace　and　joy　of　life　only　when　he　had　humbled　himself。

〃And　whosoever　shall　receive　one　such　little　child　in　My　name
receiveth　Me；　but　whoso　shall　cause　one　of　these　little　ones　to
stumble；　it　is　more　profitable　for　him　that　a　great　millstone
should　be　hanged　about　his　neck　and　that　he　should　be　sunk　in　the
depths　of　the　sea。〃　（Matt。　xviii。　5；　6。）

〃What　is　this　for；　'Whosoever　shall　receive？'　Receive　where？　And
what　does　'in　my　name'　mean？〃　he　asked；　feeling　that　these　words
did　not　tell　him　anything。　〃And　why　'the　millstone　round　his　neck
and　the　depths　of　the　sea？'　No；　that　is　not　it：　it　is　not　clear；〃
and　he　remembered　how　more　than　once　in　his　life　he　had　taken　to
reading　the　Gospels；　and　how　want　of　clearness　in　these　passages
had　repulsed　him。　He　went　on　to　read　the　seventh；　eighth；　ninth；
and　tenth　verses　about　the　occasions　of　stumbling；　and　that　they
must　come；　and　about　punishment　by　casting　men　into　hell　fire；
and　some　kind　of　angels　who　see　the　face　of　the　Father　in　Heaven。
〃What　a　pity　that　this　is　so　incoherent；〃　he　thought；　〃yet　one
feels　that　there　is　something　good　in　it。〃

〃For　the　Son　of　Man　came　to　save　that　which　was　lost；〃　he
continued　to　read。

〃How　think　ye？　If　any　man　have　a　hundred　sheep　and　one　of　them　go
astray；　doth　he　not　leave　the　ninety　and　nine　and　go　into　the
mountains　and　seek　that　which　goeth　astray？　And　if　so　be　that　he
find　it；　verily　I　say　unto　you；　he　rejoiceth　over　it　more　than
over　the　ninety　and　nine　which　have　not　gone　astray。

〃Even　so　it　is　not　the　will　of　your　Father　which　is　in　Heaven
that　one　of　these　little　ones　should　perish。〃

〃Yes；　it　is　not　the　will　of　the　Father　that　they　should　perish；
and　here　they　are　perishing　by　hundreds　and　thousands。　And　there
is　no　possibility　of　saving　them；〃　he　thought。

Then　came　Peter　and　said　to　him；　How　oft　shall　my　brother　offend
me　and　I　forgive　him？　Until　seven　times？　Jesus　saith　unto　him；　I
say　not　unto　thee　until　seven　times；　but　until　seventy　times
seven。

〃Therefore　is　the　Kingdom　of　Heaven　likened　unto　a　certain　king
which　made　a　reckoning　with　his　servants。　And　when　he　had　begun
to　reckon；　one　was　brought　unto　him　which　owed　him　ten　thousand
talents。　But　forasmuch　as　he　had　not　wherewith　to　pay；　his　lord
commanded　him　to　be　sold；　and　his　wife　and　children；　and　all　that
he　had；　and　payment　to　be　made。　The　servant　therefore　fell　down
and　worshipped　him；　saying；　Lord；　have　patience　with　me；　I　will
pay　thee　all。　And　the　lord　of　that　servant；　being　moved　with
compassion；　released　him　and　forgave　him　the　debt。　But　that
servant　went　out；　and　found　one　of　his　fellow…servants　which　owed
him　a　hundred　pence；　and　he　laid　hold　on　him　and　took　him　by　the
throat；　saying；　Pay　what　thou　owest。　So　his　fellow…servant　fell
down　and　besought　him；　saying；　Have　patience　with　me　and　I　will
pay　thee。　And　he　would　not；　but　went　and　cast　him　into　prison
till　he　should　pay　that　which　was　due。　So　when　his
fellow…servants　saw　what　was　done；　they　were　exceeding　sorry；　and
came　and　told　unto　their　lord　all　that　was　done。　Then　his　lord
called　him　unto　him　and　saith　to　him；　Thou　wicked　servant；　I
forgave　thee　all　that　debt　because　thou　besought　me；　shouldst　not
thou　also　have　mercy　on　thy　fellow…servant　as　I　had　mercy　on
thee？〃

〃And　is　this　all？〃　Nekhludoff　suddenly　exclaimed　aloud；　and　the
inner　voice　of　the　whole　of　his　being　said；　〃Yes；　it　is　all。〃　And
it　happened　to　Nekhludoff；　as　it　often　happens　to　men　who　are
living　a　spiritual　life。　The　thought　that　seemed　strange　at　first
and　paradoxical　or　even　to　be　only　a　joke；　being　confirmed　more
and　more　often　by　life's　experience；　suddenly　appeared　as　the
simplest；　truest　certainty。　In　this　way　the　idea　that　the　only
certain　means　of　salvation　from　the　terrible　evil　from　which　men
were　suffering　was　that　they　should　always　acknowledge　themselves
to　be　sinning　against　God；　and　therefore　unable　to　punish　or
correct　others；　because　they　were　dear　to　Him。　It　became　clear　to
him　that　all　the　dreadful　evil　he　had　been　witnessing　in　prisons
and　jails　and　the　quiet　self…satisfaction　of　the　perpetrators　of
this　evil　were　the　consequences　of　men　trying　to　do　what　was
impossible；　trying　to　correct　evil　while　being　evil　themselves；
vicious　men　were　trying　to　correct　other　vicious　men；　and　thought
they　could　do　it　by　using　mechanical　means；　and　the　only
consequence　of　all　this　was　that　the　needs　and　the　cupidity　of
some　men　induced　them　to　take　up　this　so…called　punishment　and
correction　as　a　profession；　and　have　themselves　become　utterly
corrupt；　and　go　on　unceasingly　depraving　those　whom　they　torment。
Now　he　saw　clearly　what　all　the　terrors　he　had　seen　came　from；
and　what　ought　to　be　done　to　put　a　stop　to　them。　The　answer　he
could　not　find　was　the　same　that　Christ　gave　to　Peter。　It　was
that　we　should　forgive　always　an　infinite　number　of　times　because
there　are　no　men　who　have　not　sinned　themselves；　and　therefore
none　can　punish　or　correct　others。

〃But　surely　it　cannot　he　so　simple；〃　thought　Nekhludoff；　and　yet
he　saw　with　certainty；　strange　as　it　had　seemed　at　first；　that　it
was　not　only　a　theoretical　but　also　a　practical　solution　of　the
question。　The　usual　objection；　〃What　is　one　to　do　with　the　evil
doers？　Surely　not　let　them　go　unpunished？〃　no　longer　confused
him。　This　objection　might　have　a　meaning　if　it　were　proved　that
punishment　lessened　crime；　or　improved　the　criminal；　but　when　the
contrary　was　proved；　and　it　was　evident　that　it　was　not　in
people's　power　to　correct　each　other；　the　only　reasonable　thing
to　do　is　to　leave　off　doing　the　things　which　are　not　only
useless；　but　harmful；　immoral　and　cruel。

For　many　centuries　people　who　were　considered　criminals　have　been
tortured。　Well；　and　have　they　ceased　to　exist？　No；　their　numbers
have　been　increased　not　alone　by　the　criminals　corrupted　by
punishment　but　also　by　those　lawful　criminals；　the　judges；
procureurs；　magistrates　and　jailers；　who　judge　and　punish　men。
Nekhludoff　now　understood　that　society　and　order　in　general
exists　not　because　of　these　lawful　criminals　who　judge　and　punish
others；　but　because　in　spite　of　men　being　thus　depraved；　they
still　pity　and　love　one　another。

In　hopes　of　finding　a　confirmation　of　this　thought　in　the　Gospel；
Nekhludoff　began　reading　it　from　the　beginning。　When　he　had　read
the　Sermon　on　the　Mount；　which　had　always　touched　him；　he　saw　in
it　for　the　first　time　to…day　not　beautiful　abstract　thoughts；
setting　forth　for　the　most　part　exaggerated　and　impossible
demands；　but　simple；　clear；　practical　laws。　If　these　laws　were
carried　out　in　practice　（and　this　was　quite　possible）　they　would
establish　perfectly　new　and　surprising　conditions　of　s