a prophet who was wrong. Nor can we arrive at any different
judgement. The truth is,--and unfortunately the modern world is
sometimes in danger of forgetting it,--that the difference between
right and wrong, fact and fancy, possibility and impossibility, is
inherent in the nature of things and incapable of modification by human
beings, prophets or otherwise. It cannot be changed by the glowing
utterances of poets, prophets, or preachers, or by the unanimous votes
of peoples. All that man can do is to discover it and obey it with
humility. The mere fact of discovery arouses in some men an emotion
which for the moment seems to change their being, but their {45}
emotion does not change or increase the truth, and it may be questioned
whether in some cases it has not prevented them from seeing rightly the
value of what they have found. For the same deep emotion is sometimes
caused by error, and there are few mistakes more deadly than to judge
the truth of what a man says, or the value of what he does, by the
emotion which he feels himself--however sincerely--or arouses in
others--however vehemently.

The way of life which the first Christians adopted was especially
marked by an attempt to organise themselves on communistic principles.
The Christians shared all things; those who had property realised it,
and pooled the proceeds in a common fund, which was distributed to
individual members as need arose. It is impossible not to recognise in
this action consistent and literal obedience to the teaching of Jesus.
The disciples had followed Jesus to the end of his journey in
Jerusalem; they were waiting for his manifestation in glory, and sold
all that they had and gave to the poor. But in terms of political
economy the Church was realising the capital of its members and living
on the division of the proceeds. It is not surprising that under these
circumstances for the moment none was in need among them, and that they
shared their food in gladness of heart, for nothing so immediately
relieves necessity or creates gladness of heart as living on capital,
which would be indeed an ideal system of economy if society were coming
to an end, or capital {46} were not. It is probable that the Church
thought that society would soon end, but it proved to be wrong, and it
is not surprising that the same book, which in its early chapters
relates the remarkable lack of poverty among the Christians, has in the
end to describe the gener