1. Now, with regard to the particular ease in point, St. Paul meant that we are overcome by evil whenever we yield to revenge, or become indifferent to the good and the welfare of those who do us wrong. If we say (or even think), " It's no concern of mine. Let him reap as he has sown, let him look after himself, for to his own master he stands or falls," we forget that, in a real sense, we are all our brothers' keepers; not the keepers of their con- sciences— and we may not presume to dictate to them what they should believe, or what they should do — but we are their keepers in the sense that we are bound to help them, and " as we have opportunity," to " work that which is good " toward them ; and above all things to aid them in the conquest of their faults, whatever they may do to us.
^ What is it to be overcome of evil ? Generally speaking it is just to suffer evil to lead us into evil. Evil for evil, we say ; that is, revenge wrong by wrong. We have an example of this in the history of Tamerlane the Great, king of the Tartars, who reigned over the greater part of Western Asia some six hundred years ago. In the battle of Angora, which was fought in the year 1402, he defeated and took captive Bajazet, the king of the Turks. At first he treated the fallen monarch with great con- sideration and showed him much kindness. One day, however, entering into conversation with him, he asked, " Now, king, tell me freely and truly what thou wouldst have done to me had I fallen into thy power." Bajazet, who had a most fierce and implac- able disposition, answered, " Had God given unto me the victory I would have enclosed thee in an iron cage and carried thee about with me as a spectacle of derision to the world." Then Tamerlane, in a flame of passion, said, " Thou proud man, as thou wouldst have done with me, even so shall I do with thee." And he was as good — or should I say as had ? — as his word. A strong iron cage was made, and Bajazet was for three years carried about in the train of his conqueror, until at last, hearing that he was to be borne into Tartary, he struck his head violently against the iron bars and so put an end to his miserable existence. Now we see in this story how the conqueror became the conquered ; the victor was changed into the vanquished. For Tamerlane was overcome of evil. His character would have appeared much nobler had he said to Bajazet, " I will treat thee much better than thou wouldst
330 THE POLEMICS OF CHRISTIANITY
treat me : thou wouldst expose me to shame, but I will advance thee to honour." ^
2. There are, however, other evils to which this maxim applies. We are not to be overcome of evil as we see it in society, in the tendencies at work around us ; neither are we to be overcome by it as it exists within ourselves, in the habits we may have formed. Are we not all at times the victims of these? It may be the outbreak of a fiery temper, or the querulousness of a discontented soul, the suspiciousness of an uncharitable heart, the jealousy of a selfish spirit, the rashness of ungenerous judgment, or the sordidness of a worldly nature.
3. Now who of us will not admit that he has at some time or other been overcome by such things? Yes, this is part of the warfare. We may have been " overcome," but we are never to be beaten by them, or to despair of the conquest of such faults. St. Paul says nothing about the length of the contest, but in the ultimate issue we must be the victors, not the vanquished. Sin gets into our lives, and it is a blessed thing for us that, even after sin has conquered us, it is possible for us by God's mercy to conquer it in the end. We may lose a battle but need not lose the war, for we can repent. What is repentance ? Being sorry for sin ? No, not exactly. It means thinking again. " Second thoughts are best," says the proverb. And repentance means "second thoughts." Whenever we sin we think foolishly and wickedly ; we deceive ourselves. When we repent we think better of it ; we think wisely and rightly. And when by a foolish, wicked thought we allow sin to conquer us, we still can by means of repentance — the second wise thoughts that God always gives to those who will take them — drive out sin again.
^ Some time ago a little girl went into a room where a table was laid for dinner. Among other things there was a plate of oranges. The little girl felt tempted to take one of these, and she let herself be conquered by the wicked thought. She walked up to the table and took one, and then, not knowing that she was being watched all the time, went out of the room. But in a few minutes the one who was watching saw her come back. She walked quickly to the table and put the orange she had stolen back in its place, saying as she did so " Sold again, Satan ! " ^ ^ J. Aitchison. ^ J. M. Gibbon.