When Arthur heard this, he stared at the other man's face seriously for a long time before he smiled and got up and brought a tea set from the table next to him.

He placed the teacup in front of Newman, poured it for him, and said, "Mr. Newman, you better drink some water first." Because I guess it's going to be a long topic. ”

Newman looked up at the sky outside the window and nodded, "It's okay, Mr. Hastings." If I don't have enough time, I can continue to come tomorrow, no, even the day after tomorrow. ”

Taking advantage of Newman's attention to Arthur, Agareth felt a piece of the candy jar and threw it into his mouth.

The Red Devil sneered, "Arthur, do you know why I ended up in hell? It's because heaven is full of this kind of tendon stuff, he is not in a hurry, Lao Tzu is still in a hurry. ”

Arthur didn't bother with Agareth, just smiled and sat back in his chair.

He rested his elbows on his desk and said, "Mr. Newman, it seems that you do want to know the answer. People like you shouldn't have gone to Oxford. ”

"Why?" Newman was puzzled: "Oxford offers the best education in England. ”

Arthur shook his head and said, "Really? But that's what Cambridge said. This argument is so contradictory that just as a true Oxford priest could not have endorsed Thomas Paine, so there could have been two firsts in England at the same time. ”

Newman looked a little dazed, and he asked, "Why can't an Oxford priest endorse Thomas Paine?" ”

Arthur asked, "Then I may ask you what you think of Mr. Paine?" ”

Newman was stunned by Arthur's question, and he pondered for a long time before he said hesitantly.

"I don't hate some of what he says, at best I think I disagree with him. And for the rest of his remarks, I highly appreciate. ”

Arthur warmed his hands with a teacup and said, "Then have you ever wondered why this phenomenon occurs?" ”

"This ......"

Newman's expression looked a little struggling, and his right hand, which clenched the cross on his chest, burst into muscles, but after a moment of silence, he seemed to give up half of it, and sat back in his chair with a weak body.

"I was a devout believer, and I admired Paine, but he was an atheist, and I would rather die than rebel against God. If I have lost my faith, what is the difference between me and death? ”

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but smile a little.

He waved his hand and explained, "Mr. Newman, you may be thinking too badly. Appreciating Paine and betraying God are not necessarily related.

Although Mr. Paine has always called himself an atheist, in his actions, I think that he is not only not an atheist, but a Protestant who fits the standard perfectly. ”

Newman was a little surprised when he heard this, his mouth opened slightly, and he jumped up from his chair almost immediately, as if he had seen a miracle.

He asked, "Mr. Hastings, what do you mean by that?" ”

Arthur shrugged his shoulders and said with a smile: "Maybe it's because I have different criteria for judging whether a person has faith, I think that judging whether a person has faith must be judged according to his behavior and the logic of his behavior.

As you say, Mr. Paine is an idealist who has escaped from low tastes, has no selfish interests, and is practicing the hardest, but most correct, path.

But don't you realize that in his short but great life, he adhered to the ideals of both Calvinism and Lutheranism.

From my point of view as a Catholic fundamentalist, Mr. Paine is the culmination of all the fine Calvinist and Lutheran traditions.

Calvinists do not pay attention to the material life before life, have extremely high moral standards for believers, and are enthusiastic about participating in various social charity and poverty relief activities.

Judging from the statistics of our Scotland Yard, there are hundreds of relief groups formed spontaneously by Calvinists in Greater London alone.

And every time we raise social donations, the most active participants are also this group of Calvinists, most of whom also live a hard life themselves.

They are the only remaining light in the darkest part of the city, and while they may not be dazzling, they can give a glimmer of hope to the poor who are on the verge of falling into the abyss, struggling with the brink of life and death.

In a way, these believers contributed even more to reducing the crime rate in London than Scotland Yard, and they were a group of people to be admired, just like Mr. Thomas Paine.

Lutherans, on the other hand, were staunch supporters of the equality of all people.

You should know better than I do that Lutheranism has always adhered to the spirit of 'all lay people are priests', believing that every Christian has an equal status and rights in the church, can hold the priesthood, and should not have any privileges.

Isn't that the most important point that Mr. Paine emphasized in Human Rights?

Calvinists and Lutherans are equally in favor of "justification by faith," believing that only with pure faith can one become a true Christian and be redeemed.

Mr. Newman, you know Mr. Paine's life better than I do, can you find a man whose faith is purer than Mr. Paine's?

You are simply fooled by Mr. Paine's name as an atheist, thinking that he has only ideals.

But it seems to me that ideals are not enough to sustain him through the English countryside, the American prairies, and the French fields, and it is only when the ideals are purified into faith that they can bring him such tenacity.

As a devout believer of God and a Catholic fundamentalist, I don't care what Mr. Paine said during his lifetime, but I will be equally glorified for his attempts to redeem himself and the masses during his lifetime, and I will also be deeply saddened by his passing.

His body has corrupted, but his soul will ascend to heaven with his noble faith.

It was as if I had seen him swimming in his heavenly dwelling, and I saw the twelve-winged angel standing beside him, and the immortal light that bloomed from the depths of his soul. ”

Newman listened quietly to Arthur's words, his eyes were a little dim at first, but by the end there was a glimmer of light in his pupils.

As the rain on the street stopped, Pastor Newman looked out the window, and through the sparkling waterdrops, he seemed to see Thomas Paine's lonely back and his unyielding firm arms among the dark clouds that had receded from the horizon.

Arthur looked at him with a smile and just pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it over.

Newman realized that at some point, tears had already wet his cheeks, ran down the bridge of his nose, and fell on the "Human Rights" and "Common Sense" on the desk.

"Sorry, Mr. Hastings......"

Newman took the handkerchief and wiped the moist corners of his eyes, and he said with tears in his smile.

"That's great. I now finally understand why you were able to convince the judge and the jury in court. Your words are like magic, and they can make you feel like you're in touch at any time. ”

Arthur shook his head when he heard this, and he said, "My words have no magic. The reason why my words are so moving is that I break through what people are thinking.

It is precisely because you think this way that these prosaic words can arouse your thoughts and make you feel happy and sad.

The reason why you are confused is precisely because what you see and think and what you learn cannot agree with what you think and agree with in your heart, which makes you fall into the abyss of pain.

It is for this reason that I say that Oxford is not the number one university in England, and that the knowledge they teach, even if it is beautifully decorated, has been torn apart from the world.

Students like you may be bewildered by the Hanging Gardens of Babylon that they have carefully built when they are in school, but no matter how beautiful the garden is, it is still a castle in the sky without roots.

When you graduate from school and enter this society, all illusions will collapse, and if you don't break free from change in silence, you will gradually die in silence.

Don't forget the point that Thomas Paine emphasized in his book that times change and that everything must change with the times.

The good things of the past will eventually pass, and the prelude to the new century is just around the corner.

Although I don't think that all the good things that have survived in civilization will be gone, if they do, they will be presented to the public in a new way. ”

Arthur smiled and stood up, holding out his hand to Pastor Newman, his eyes glinting with the pale red of the Red Devil.

"Mr. Newman, I'm very happy to be able to talk to you today."

Newman also stood up in a trance, and he took Arthur's hand.

"Mr. Hastings, I had a great time today, too. However, I don't think I'll be here tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, the day after tomorrow. If I come back again, it should be next month? No, no, maybe next month? I...... I have to think hard about the questions you just said. ”

Click.

Newman walked out of the office in despair and closed the door.

Agareth looked at him as he left and muttered, "What a madman." ”

Arthur walked to the window with his teacup, and when he heard Agares's words, he only shook his head slightly.

"He's not crazy. He's just like me once was, a poor guy who can't find his place in the new wave of the new era. ”