SOCIALISM
SOCIALISM
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social service ; and this lesson is even more strongly expressed in the most important parable of all — that of the Judgment (Mt 25^^"'*'') — where we are told that salvation will depend on whether we have succoured the poor and outcast, with whom Christ identities Himself.
The Sermon on the Mount in this aspect may be called a simple manual of social teaching. It is sufficient to allude to the Beatitudes, and to point out how much of the teaching in the rest of the Sermon is still regarded as Utopian, as that about love of enemies (Lk 6"), oaths, non-resistance, litigation and property, free giving (Mt S^^"'**), lending without interest (Lk 6*^- ^^), money-making (Mt e'*-*), worrying about the future (vv.^-*-^^). The Christian Socialist may agree with the ' Socialist of the Cliair ' that Collectivism would make these principles less difficult of application than they are to-day ; but he would add the warning that the secular regeneration of the world can only be accomplished by spiritual means. One sentence of the Sermon sums up the whole truth, when, after picturing in a vivid image material well- being (vv.-'*'-"), our Lord says, ' Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness ; and all these things shall be added unto you ' (v.^^).
If we turn to another central part of Christ's teaching, the Lord's Prayer, we find again the social side interwoven with the spiritual. It was given as a private prayer (v."), yet it begins, ' Our Father,' and is throughout a prayer for the human brotherhood. It asks for the iiallowing of God's name, the coming of His Kingdom, and the doing of His will upon earth, — in other words, it teaches the Christian to pray for Utopia, and it makes incumbent upon him the duty of considering all social and political sciiemes with a view to the perfecting of society in this world. The prayer for daily bread asks that all may have the neces- sities of material life, and this again involves far- reaching social considerations. The prayer for for- giveness is accompanied by a special clause guard- ing it against an individualist interpretation. As for the prayer against temptation, the temperance movement alone shows that British Christianity has appreciated the social significance of that clause ; and in otlier matters it is clear that, if the worship of Mammon be tlie antithesis of the worship of God, a society based upon commercial competition is constantly leading its members into the gravest temptation of all.
(Christ then teaches that man has a double duty — to love God and love his neighbour. He must love his neiglibour not less than himself, and must do to otliers as he would have them do to him. Christ c<mdenms the rich and blesses the poor ; He teaciies brotherhood, social service, and the abnegation of private possessions ; He teaches that men are to strive to bring about a Divine Kingdom of justice on the earth, and that they will finally be judged by their works of mercy to those wiiom the woi'ld despises. And, binding it all togetlier is the gos])el of Love wliich St. John has i)resorved most fully — 'This is my command- ment, that ye love one another' (Jn 15^^).
3. The Apostles.— The rest of the NT contains abundant evidence that this social gospel was understood. Indeed, in the first flush of tlieir en- thusiasm the Ciiristians of Jerusalem established a voluntary communism, and ' had all tilings com- mon' (Ac 4 '2-35). It was voluntary, and did not deny tlie right of a man to possess his own pro- pertj% as St. Peter said to Ananias (f)-"), but it shows that almsgiving had a very thorough mean- ing to the first Christians. Tlie doctrine of equality and brotlierhood was also strongly felt. St. Paul more than once liad to remind slaves that thougii in the sight of God there was no respect of per-
sons (Col S'^^, cf. Ja 2"), yet slaves must not turn against tlieir masters : this balance between the brotherhood of master and slave on the one hand, and tiie duty of slave to master on the other, are very beautifully expressed in Philemon (cf. 1 Co 7-«--\ Epii e''-"). Tins is characteristic of the early Fathers also (see below, ' Patristic Teaching') ; the conditions of .society were to be accepted, and men were to do their duty in them, although the Christian fellowship was Avorking out towards a higher ideal {e.g. 1 Ti &-'', cf. 1 P 2''^-"). But St. James (whose Epistle contains passages which are often quoted on democratic platforms at the present day) is very definite as to the levelling power of the gospel, e.g. ' But let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate : and the rich, in that he is made low : because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away' (P- ", cf. 25-w). St. Paul is as strong as St. James as to the danger of riches (e.g. 1 Ti 6'"), and the evil of covetousness {e.g. Col 3^), and the duty of mutual service {e.g. Ph 2^), and of mutual love (1 Co 13). But his most valuable contribution to the social aspect of Christianity is his teaching about the solidarity of mankind ; the social principle in its very essence is in the declaration that ' There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female : for ye are all one man in Christ Jesus' (Gal 3^^ ; cf. Col 3", 1 Co 12^^) ; nor could it be better taught than by the illustration of the body and its members in 1 Co 12, and the great description of the unity of the Christian body in Eph 4. The fundamental doc- trine of brotherhood and love is the theme of the First Ep. of St. John, in which it is definitely stated that without loving his brother whom he hath seen, a man cannot love God (1 Jn 4^**) ; that tiie children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil by their righteousness and love of their brethren (3^") ; that to dwell in love is to dwell in God (4'*'), and that ' every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God,' while 'he that loveth not, knoweth not God' (vv.^- ^). This is indeed the evidence of salvation — ' We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren' (3"). It is clear, then, tiiat from the beginning it was taught that Christianity had an intensely strong and real practical side in secular matters, that this side — the duty to the neighbour — was equally incumbent on the believer with the duty to God, and that it is bound up with the ' social ' ideas of brother- hood, solidarity, unity, mutual love, co-operation, voluntary equalization of condition by giving up of possessions — in some cases, as in tli.at of the Rich Young Man (Mk 10-^), of all possessions ; while there is throughout strong condemnation of riches, of luxury, pride, and the clinging to class distinctions.