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Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

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RECONSTRUCTING THE NATURAL ORDER 373things that are contemptible has God chosen, andthings that are not, that He might bring to noughtthings that are. For because the world had not learntGod. ^^^^^" by wisdom from the order, the variety, and thesettled continuance <strong>of</strong> creatures, it pleased God by thefolly <strong>of</strong> preaching to save those that believed, not bywisdom <strong>of</strong> language, lest the Cross <strong>of</strong> Christ should bemade <strong>of</strong> no effect.' But lest he might be thought inthus speaking to be a preacher <strong>of</strong> unwisdom, heoverthrew with prophetic mind a possible objection,saying, < We speak the wisdom <strong>of</strong> God in a mysterywhich has been concealed, which no one <strong>of</strong> the princes<strong>of</strong> this world knew/ Who is there now that readsAristotle ? How many know Plato's books or evenhis name ? Scarcely here and there a few old menin their retirement turn them over. But our country-in and fishermen the whole world speaks <strong>of</strong>: they) voiced by the universe."Perhaps it is well for us in the nineteenth centuryto refer to this simple mention <strong>of</strong> a fact in the fifth.For it is a victory never to be forgotten, being indeedthat miracle which seemed to the greatest thinker <strong>of</strong>that same fifth century the greatest <strong>of</strong> mor so the Catholic Church viewed in her course up tohis own time appeared to St. Augustine.But it.was not only that Philosophy failed to forma society; it likewise failed and utterly failed up tothe - time <strong>of</strong> Constantine to implant " the belief <strong>of</strong> oneGod in the hearts <strong>of</strong> men. St. Paul addressed theStoics and Epicureans in the Areopagus <strong>of</strong> Athenswith the words, " I proclaim to you that God whomyou unknowing worship." For two centuries and ahalf from the time these words were spoken theChurch pursued her work on the one hand, and Philo-

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