Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

POWER OF THE GREEK PHILOSOPHY 361from which they had fallen away, and had maintaineda daily witness of Himself in their hearts by theabsolute dependence of their life upon His power andgoodness. He had suffered them indeed to incur anignorance which was caused by their own will, andnow He called on all men everywhere to prepare forthe judgment of their actions by the Man whom He hadappointed Judge of all. And the proof of this appointmentlay in that resurrection from the dead,which is the seal of man's undying personality: adoctrine which philosophy had as entirely failed toteach, as it had shrunk from giving to God the gloryof creating.Let us multiply this preaching of St. Paul by thedaily voice of the Christian priesthood in five hundredcities, and we reach some conception of that powerwhich was so persuasive in its unity and simplicity,so vast in its range and influence. What was philosophy'slecture-room and the daily contradictions ofthose who spoke there, in comparison with it ? This,however, was but one half of that oral delivery of thetruth on which we have been speaking. Its otherdivision consisted in the catechistic instruction. Suchdoctrine as that of St. Paul's above was distributedato a series of short statements and imparted care-ully to those who were under teaching. The catechismled to systematic and perspicuous arrangementof doctrine, which is a most powerful security againsterror. Moreover, it offered the mind continuenourishment in small portions, and induced reflectionby imparting knowledge in the form of question andanswer. Thus it came to pass that a child in thChristian community had a distinct conception cthat Maker and Father of the universe whom Plat