Speaker 1: The righteous man. The righteous man is invincible. No enemy
can possibly overcome or confound him. He needs no other
protection than that of his own integrity and holiness. As
it is impossible for evil to overcome good, so the
righteous man can never be brought low by the unrighteous. Slander, envy, hatred,
malice can never reach him nor cause him any suffering,
and those who try to injure him can only succeed
ultimately in bringing ignominy upon themselves. The righteous man, having
nothing to hide, committing no acts which require stealth, and
harboring no thoughts and desires which he would not like
others to know, is fearless and unashamed. His step is firm,
his body upright, and his speech direct and without ambiguity.
He looks everybody in the face. Can he fear any
who wrongs none? How can he be ashamed before any
who deceives none? And ceasing from all wrong, he can
never be wronged, ceasing from all deceit, he can never
be deceived. The righteous man, performing all his duties with
scrupulous diligence and living above sin, is invulnerable at every point.
He who has slain the inward enemies of virtue can
never be brought low by any outward enemy. Neither does
he need to seek any protection against them, righteousness being
an all sufficient protection. The unrighteous man is vulnerable at
almost every point. Living in his passions, the slave of prejudices, impulses,
and ill formed opinions, he is continually suffering, as he imagines,
at the hands of others. The slanders, attacks and accusations
of others cause him great sufferer, because they have a
basis of truth in himself, and not having the protection
of righteousness, he endeavors to justify and protect himself by
resorting to retaliation and specious argument, and even to subterfuge
and deceit. The partially righteous man is vulnerable at all
those points where he falls short of righteousness. And should
the righteous man fall from his righteousness and give way
to one sin, his invincibility is gone, for he has
thereby placed himself where attack and accusation can justly reach
and injure him, because he has first injured himself. If
a man suffers or is injured through the instrumentality of others,
let him look to himself, and, putting aside self pity
and self defense, he will find in his own heart,
the source of all his woe. No evil can happen
to the righteous man, who has cut off the source
of evil in him, living in the all good and
abstaining from sin in thought, word, and deed. Whatever happens
to him is good. Neither can any person, event or
circumstance cause him suffering, for the tyranny of circumstance is
utterly destroyed. For him who has broken the bonds of sin,
the suffering, the sorrowing, the weary and broken hearted ever
seek a sorrowless refuge, a haven of perpetual peace. Let
such fly to the refuge of the righteous life. Let
them come now and enter the haven of the sinless state.
For sorrow cannot overtake the righteous. Suffering cannot reach him
who does not waste in self seeking his spiritual substance.
And he cannot be afflicted by weariness and unrest, whose
heart is at peace withal