Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

100 THE FORMATION OF CHRISTENDOMChristian Faith. It wanted but one element, theconception of Will in the ruling power, to make itChristian. But as the motive supplied by the Stoicdoctrine for this special care of man was his possessionof rationality, which belonged to him in virtue of aphysical, which was also a necessary union with thedivine power in the universe, so the motive suppliedby the Christian Faith was the special love of God forman, as shown forth in the work of his redemption.And here in that element of Will, in which the Stoicconception of " the divine " was so deficient, the Christianon the contrary superabounded. For only in achoice of the Divine Being, the fountain-head of whichis concealed from man in the abysses of the divinenature, could the cause of such an act as the Redemptionbe sought. And so the Christian God is preeminentlyone who chooses, one who wills. And asHe willed to create, so He willed to redeem.8. From their fundamental principle, that virtue isthe only good, and consists in living according toreason, the divine part of man, or according to nature,the Stoics could not but divide men into two classesthe wise, or those who followed reason; the foolish, orthose who disregarded it. Their morality mainly consistedin maintaining that this difference was the onlyreal and essential one among men : all other differences,arising from the portion of external goods whichmight fall to the lot of each, were superficial. Butonce judging men by this test, neither could they failto see and to affirm that the vast majority of men wereunwise. And this statement, characteristic of themfrom the beginning, was made with still greater emphasisby Seneca and those who followed him. Hiswords may serve to speak for all. " We shall always