572 APPENDIX TO PART III

of their final judgment. The parallel to such gathering, in the world, would be the “in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God.”¹

This vengeance we are forbidden to exercise. You know the “field is the world.”² To gather the tares out of it, would be to destroy the wicked out of the world. You are not to do this, but to let both live, and grow together-not confusing the one with the other-never calling wheat tares, nor tares wheat-so far as you can know one from the other. You know, probably, that the word translated ‘tares’ does in reality mean bad wheat, a kind of weed which to this day is employed in the East to spoil land with. You are therefore to let both good and bad wheat live-grow in God’s great field-trying to make good wheat of the bad. But you are to keep the separation distinct, as far as in you lies, and to know the one from the other.

I hope that whatever Good was proposed to me to be done by any man-Hindoo, Turk, Greek, Romanist, or English Pagan-I should, without hesitation, join him in doing, according to the close of your letter. All I want to be plainly understood is, that he is a Greek, Turk, or what else-and, therefore, that I am not to have fellowship with him as a Christian.

Ever yours affectionately,

J. RUSKIN.

¹ [2 Thessalonians i. 8.]

² [Matthew xiii. 38.]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]