BOOK II.

SAUL AND THE SANHEDRIM.

The Sanhedrim still in session on the apostles' case, Saul speaks; first scornfully repudiating for himself Shimei's proposal of guile, and then impressively announcing his own purpose, now fully mature, to controvert the Christian preachers in open argument before the people. After a pause following Saul's speech, Gamaliel speaks in favor of letting the prisoners go free. Other councillors express their sentiments. A scourging of the utmost severity being proposed, Nicodemus, with bated breath, deprecates first a cruel infliction, and then any infliction at all. Release after scourging is finally resolved upon.

SAUL AND THE SANHEDRIM.

Dumb-struck and stirless long the Sanhedrim-- Instinctively abhorrent from the part Of that base councillor--at last there rose A new assessor in the midst to speak.

A young man he, who, in the general thought, Wherever moving, round about him wore A golden halo of uncertain hope And prophecy of bright futures. Aspect clear And pure; straight stature; foothold firm and free; The bloom of youth just ripening to the hue Of perfect manhood upon cheek and brow; Lip mobile, but not lax--capacity Expressed of exquisite emotion, will Elastic and resilient, tempered true To bend, not break, and ultimately strong; Glances of lightning latent in the eye, But lightning liable to be quenched in tears; The pride of every Hebrew, such was Saul.

A stir of expectation broke the hush Of that strange silence, ere his opening words: "That I, the youngest of this order, thus Should rise for speech--and that beloved gray head Before me bowed, unready yet--might seem Unseemly. But to speak after he speaks, My own reveréd guide, the guide of all, Would be, should I then speak to differ, more Unseemly still. And what I have to say, Being my thought, burns in me to be said, Approve, condemn, who will; God bids me speak."

Gamaliel raised his head and looked at Saul. Saul felt the look, and hardened his will, but not His heart, to meet it. Turning so, he saw, Not what he inly braced himself to bear, Warning, rebuke, anger to overawe, Reproach, appeal, dissuasion, pain confessed At filial separation, grasp of will At old authority elapsed--of these, Naught; only a pathos of perplexity, A broken, anguished, groping childlikeness, Desire of any help, and hope of none-- Saul will hereafter understand it all; He simply marks it now compassionately In wonder, pausing not, and thus, with loth Allusion to the last advice, proceeds: "But other speech my lips refuse, until I purge my conscience by protesting here, For me, I spurn, scorn, hate, loathe utterly The devil and devilish lies. I have no qualms At blood, but I love truth, and qualms I own At falsehood, practised in whatever name; Damnable ever, then thrice damnable, Damning a holy cause it feigns to serve!"

A flush of warm revival in the breasts Of some that listened answered to such words. But one there was, that vile adviser, felt A gripe of mortal hatred at his heart. He, by Gamaliel's eye not unobserved, Behind a black malignant scowl which, like That murk emission of the cuttle-fish, Flushed from his heart his face to overspread And hide his thought, sat fostering the wound Of Saul's disdainful noble words--a wound To rankle long in the obscene recess Of that bad bosom, and therein to breed At last an issue foul of fell revenge; In purpose fell, though in fulfilment foiled.

But Saul, magnanimously heedless, deigned Nor glance at him nor thought of consequence. Elate with the elixir of his youth, And buoyed with confidence exultant now By the rebound of his beginning, buoyed Besides with sympathy, he passed along, Yet, master he, not mastered, of his mood, Curbed strongly his strong passion and delight Of power, and, calm with self-possessing will, Force in him to have sped a thunderbolt Stayed back from sudden waste, to be sent on In fine diffusive throb--as farther thus: "Enough of that; I did but purify My soul with words. I feared some inward stain From only listening, if I listened only, And did not speak, when base was proffered me.

"Hear now what I propose. What I propose Is not advice; advice I neither give Nor ask. I do not ask it, for my heart Is fixed; duress of conscience presses me, With flesh and blood forbidding to confer. I must do what I shall, in man's or devil's Despite. I trust I speak not thus in pride. Not therefore that the census of your yeas Or nays may guide me, but that ye may weigh What force my purpose now unfolded owns To sway your present counsels, hear and judge.

"Ye know, and all Jerusalem, that Saul Has counted nothing worthy to be prized Beside the learning of the law of God. For this, a boy, from yon Cilician lands I came; for this, I have consumed my youth. What envied gains of knowledge I have made, Sitting a student at Gamaliel's feet, Befits me not to vaunt; these, small or large, Belong to God and to my nation, being mine Only to use for Him and them. I see Plainly how I must use my trust from God. Wherefore are we assembled? Wherefore, save Because these sciolists pervert the law, Deceived perhaps, deceiving certainly?"

Scarce waved a careless hand in sign at them-- Toward the apostles, still in presence there, Saul deigned not to divert his scornful eyes: "Shame is it if I, knowing the law indeed, Am less than match for these untutored minds, Amid the flocking fools they lead astray, To controvert their hateful heresies. Herewith then I proclaim my ripe resolve To undertake, against the preaching liars, On their own terms, a warfare for the truth. Let it be seen which cause, in open list, Is stronger, truth from heaven or lie from hell!

"Brethren and fathers, as ye will, consult; The youngest has his purpose thus divulged."

As when a palm diversely blown upon In a strong tempest of opponent winds, Now this way, and now that, obedient To each prevailing present urgency, Leans to all quarters of the firmament By turns, but quickly, let a lull succeed, Upright again, shows every leaf composed; So now the council, long enough between Opinion and opinion buffeted, While Saul was speaking took a little ease, No new advice proposed, to breathe again, Steady itself, and come to equipoise.

Some thought that Saul had spoken proudly; some, That pride became his worth; some held that he Would make his vaunting good; some feared his plan Savored of youth and rashness; others deemed Public dispute mistaken precedent Teeming with various mischief--sure to breed Insufferable pretensions in the crowd, So taught to count themselves fit arbiters On Scriptural or traditional points of moot, And, by close consequence, a serious breach Endanger in their own authority; Yet others felt, whatever fruit beside Was borne of Saul's proposed experiment, Two things at least were safe to reckon on-- In its own dignity, the Sanhedrim Must needs incur immedicable hurt, So plainly scandalous a spectacle Exhibiting, a councillor enrolled Of their own number stooping to debate On equal terms with ignorant fishermen; Then, on their side, those flattered fishermen, Far from indulging proper gratitude For being publicly confounded quite At such illustrious hands, would be instead Inflated out of measure, nigh to burst, With added pride at complaisance so new From their superiors, while the common herd Would give them greater heed accordingly.

Such things diverse they thought, and silence kept, Saul's colleagues in the Sanhedrim; they all Together felt that Saul in any wise Would go Saul's way; they therefore silence kept.

One man alone, by age and gravity, And reverence his in ample revenue, Was easy master of the Sanhedrim: On him the council rested and revolved, As on a fixéd centre and support. And now 'Gamaliel! let us hear at last Gamaliel's word' was suddenly the sole, The simultaneous, silent thought to all. The eyes of all concentred instantly Upon Gamaliel found that saint esteemed And sage already stirring as to rise. Their readiness to hear, with his to speak, Timed so in perfect reciprocity And exquisite accord responsive, marked That fleet meet moment for the orator, Which, conscious half, but half unconscious, he, Gamaliel, wielded by the Holy Ghost, Was now to seize and use for God so well.

The hoary head, the mien of majesty, The associative power of ancient fame, His habit and tradition of command, Their instinct, grown inveterate, to obey, Always, wherever he arose to speak Among his brethren, won Gamaliel heed. But now, a certain gentle winsomeness, Born of a certain wavering wistfulness, Qualified so a new solemnity Of manner, like a prophet's, felt in him, That awe came on his hearers as from God. Gamaliel first bade put the prisoners forth, In keeping, out of audience, and then said: "My brethren: Saul my brother--son no more I name him, since he parts himself from me In counsel--yet I love him not the less--"

A tremor of sensation fluttered through The council, with these words, and at Saul's heart Pausing, infixed, then healed, a subtle pang Of sweet remorse and gracious tenderness-- "Yea, not the less for this love I my son, My brother, while I honor him the more. Yea, and not wholly does he part himself From me; in deepest counsel we are one. Saul seeks to honor God obeying Him, The same seek I; are we not deeply one? And ever I have taught obedience To God as the prime thing and paramount; Disciple therefore still to me, and son, Is Saul, even in this act and article Of his secession from his master's part; Saul and Gamaliel both, and all of us, I pray my God to save from self-deceit! I shudder while I pray, 'Deliver me, O Lord, deliver, from the secret sin Of false supposed obedience masking pride!'

"Late, I was sure, as Saul is sure to-day. I thought, and doubted not, we ought to do Even what ye now are bent to bring to pass. My way was not Saul's way, but rather yours; To me it seemed plainly, as seems to you, Wiser to save the body by some loss, If loss were need, of limb. Unfalteringly, The knife would I myself with mine own hand Have wielded to cut off these members, judged Unsound and harmful to the general health, Forever from the congregation. Now, I feel less sure, Gamaliel feels less sure. I wish--brethren, I think I wish--to be Obedient; though deceitful is the heart Above all things and wicked desperately-- What man can know it?--yet I think I will Obedience. That was a pure word--the mouth However far from pure that uttered it-- 'To God rather than men must we obey.' Saul was true son of mine to turn from me To God--if haply he to God indeed Have turned from me, and not from me to Saul, Not knowing! Might I also turn, even I, Gamaliel from Gamaliel, unto God! I dread to trust myself, lest I, myself Obeying, misdeem myself obeying God.

"Hearken, my children. These accuséd men Unlikely, most unlikely, choice of Heaven To be His prophets, seemed, and seem, to me. I look at them and find no prophet mien; I listen and their Galilæan speech Offends me; and far more the scandal is To think what message they propound to us. Their person and their message I reject-- Reject, or if reject not, not receive. And yet, my brethren, yet, I counsel you, Beware! What ye intend, accomplished once, Were once for all accomplished, not to be Undone forever. Ye consult to slay, And find your purpose hard to come by. How, If, having slain, to your repentance, ye Consulted to bring back to life again? Were that not harder yet? Wherefore take heed, Ye men of Israel. Remember how, A generation gone, Theudas arose, Proud boaster and asserter of himself, Who drew his hundreds to his standard; he Was slain, and all his followers came to naught. Some space thereafter, out of Galilee Judas arose and mustered to his side Many adherents; but he perished too, And all that clave to him were far dispersed.

"This therefore as to these is my advice: Refrain your hands from them; let them alone. Know, if their deed and counsel be of men, Its doom is certain, it will come to naught; But if it be of God, strive how ye may, Ye cannot overthrow it. Well take heed, Lest haply ye be found to fight against God. For myself, when close upon the heels Of what was wrought mysterious in the escape Of these our prisoners from that warded keep Fast-barred, I heard their answer to our sharp Inquest and blame, I felt as felt of old That prophet chanting his majestic strain, 'The Lord is in His holy temple, let The earth, let the whole earth, before Him keep Silence.' My soul kept silence and still keeps. And silence keep, all ye, before the Lord! For the Lord cometh, lo, He cometh swift To judge the earth! And who of us shall bide The day of His approach? Not surely he Then found in arms against God and His Christ!"

Gamaliel spoke and ceased; but, while he spoke, His speaking was like silence audible, Rather than sound of voice; and when he ceased, His silence was as eloquence prolonged.

Awhile the council sat as in a trance, Unable or unwilling to bestir Themselves for speech or motion. But not all Are capable of awe. Some present there, Either through sad defect of nature proof, Or through long worldly habit seared and sealed, Against the access of heavenly influence, Bode unaware of anything divine Descended near them--carnal minds, immersed In sense, from shocks of spirit insulate, Calm, discomposure none from things unseen, The faculty for such experience lost, Pitiably self-possessed! and God Himself So nigh to have possessed them! These a space Waited to let the power a little pass, Wrought by Gamaliel on the council; then With tentative preamble, one of them Said that Gamaliel's words were words of weight, Weight well derived from character like his-- Whereat the speaker paused, with crafty eye Cast round from countenance to countenance, To read how much he safely might detract, By open difference or by sly demur, From the just value and authority Of mild Gamaliel's sentence. But small sign Saw he to hearten him in hope of ebb To the strong tide still standing at full flood That set in favor of the prisoners. He feebly closed with wish expressed--and wish It was, not hope--of hope no grounds he saw-- That some means might be found to save the shocked And staggering dignity--a dignity Ancient and sacred--of the Sanhedrim From sheer shipwreck. Some slight responsive stir Under such spur to pride emboldened one To trust they should at least sharply rebuke The prisoners, and take bond of word from them Not further to disturb the city's peace. Another following said, that had been tried Already once, with what result accrued Was plain to see. And now the Sanhedrim, Through various such suggestion commonplace, Relaxed somewhat from their late mood so tense, Grew readier to approve his voice who said: "The first offence we deemed condignly met With reprimand from us, and interdict. Those gentle means the prisoners once have scorned, And to our face assure us they will scorn. Now let such contumacious insolence Toward just authority too meek, be met, If not with death deserved, at least with stripes So heavy they shall wish it had been death."

Such truculence renewed provoked a new Reaction. This, that councillor less stern Noted--who, with Gamaliel and with Saul, Refrained, when all the others hissed applause To Mattathias--noted, and with thrift Converted into opportunity.

A wary spirit Nicodemus was, With impulses toward good, but weak in will, And selfish as the timid are. His heart Was a divided empire in his breast, Half firm for God, but half to self seduced. His fellows trusted him accordingly; Hate him they could not, but they did not love. Some guessed him guilty of discipleship To Jesus, secretly indulged through fear. This their suspicion the suspect in turn Suspected, and the uneasy consciousness Made him more curious than his wont to move By indirection toward his present aim. What he wished was, to serve the prisoners And not disserve himself--a double end, Rendering his counsels double; but as such Could speak, now Nicodemus rising spoke. With sinuous slow approach winning his way Devious whither he wished to go, like those Creatures that backward facing forward creep And seem retiring still while they advance, So Nicodemus wound him toward his goal, Well-chosen, as he said: "Let us be wise; Beyond our purpose were not well to go, Were foolish. Cruelty is not, I trust, Our spirit; God is just, but cruel not. Let us, God's sons, be just indeed, like God, But then, like God, also not cruel. Stripes Are heavy, howsoever lightly laid On freeborn men. The shame is punishment; A wounded spirit who can bear? Through flesh You smite the smarting spirit, every blow. Remember too that lacerated flesh Has lips to plead with, makes its mute appeal To pity--eloquence incapable Of being answered, charging cruelty; Whereas the bleeding spirit, bleeding hid, No cruelty imputes, reports no pain, But, pith of self-respect clean gone from one, Glazes the eye, dejects the countenance, Changes the voice to hollow, takes the spring Out of the step, and leaves the man a wretch To suffer on an object of contempt More than compassion--hopelessly bereft Of power to captivate the public ear, Which ever itches to be caught the prey Of orator full-blooded, iron lungs, Brass front, a lusty human animal. Such make of men, through shame of public stripes, Transformed to eunuchs--this, sure, were enough; Nay, for our purpose, more than more would be. And even so much as this, yea, lightest stripe, Drawing a sequel such as I have said-- Brethren, for me, my soul revolts from it; I feel it cruel, fear it impious. Behooves we ponder well Gamaliel's word; And, if to slay were haply against God To be found fighting, why not, then, to scourge?"

"Such fine-spun sentiment," another now, Concurring, though sarcastically, said, "In pity of the victim of the scourge For suffering inwardly endured through shame, Supposes that your victim is endowed With some small faculty for feeling shame, Which in the present case asks evidence.

"Still, I too take the clement part, and say, If only for Saul's sake, let these go free Of any but the lightest punishment. Saul will desire for foemen hearts as strong As may be, to call out that strength in him Which we well know, for their discomfiture. Even thus, he may prefer some other foe Than men disparaged by the brand of blows Upon their backs, some fairer, fresher fame, His gage of battle to take up, and be By him immortalized through overthrow Experienced, such as never yet was worse."

Divergent so in view or motive, they Agreed at last to let the prisoners go With stripes inflicted, and a charge severe Imposed to speak in Jesus' name no more. These so released departed thence with joy, Rejoicing to have been accounted meet For Jesus' sake to suffer shame. Nor ceased Those faithful men to preach and teach as erst, Both in the temple and from house to house, Daily still sounding forth Jesus as Christ.

But Saul withdrew deep pondering in his mind How he might best his plan divulged fulfill.