that relationship. But mercy consists in the injured
party, for it is not possible to the other, carrying up
the kind of equity or of justice into the next higher
kind, and treating the enemy as if he were an ally,
the ally as if he were a friend. The highest and
greatest mercy is the justice of Love; and mercy
does not cease to be justice, nor is it opposed to jus-
tice simply, but to the justice of a lower relationship.
It follows that there is no tribunal which can enforce
or command mercy; but mercy is commanded and
enforced solely by the moral and spiritual law, the
law of conscience. The enforcement of supposed
acts of mercy or of love would be to destroy the
very character which gives them their validity. If
a superior tribunal could enforce them, a superior
tribunal could destroy them. Their supreme valid-
ity consists in their being themselves supreme, a free
gift not enforced. The condemnation which we
pass on those who are not merciful consists in this,
that their hearts are not open to the charm of love
under circumstances which are most powerful to call
forth that feeling. Hence the guilt of the servant
in the parable: "O thou wicked servant, I forgave
thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Should-
est not thou also have had compassion on thy fel-
low-servant, even as I had pity on thee?" And the
servant is not punished for refusing to show mercy,
but is dealt with in that relationship of justice in
which he himself had chosen to stand.

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