Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

RECONSTRUCTING THE NATURAL ORDER 401this, therefore, Plato and Aristotle reasoned with theutmost correctness, and Greece and Rome were no lesswise than logical in carrying out their conclusionto practical results. Now the Church started fromthis very truth of a human personality continued oner death. She built the whole structure of hersociety upon the sacredness of that personality. Itwas, therefore, impossible that she should sacrifice theindividual to the corporate body. Moreover she hadno motive so to sacrifice him. It was quite otherwisewith the heathen State, which considered itselfand its subjects as belonging to this life only. Theinterests of this life ruled it therefore absolute!But the Christian society-the Body of Christ-wenton into eternity together with each Christian man.To it, therefore, the highest good of the Body andthe highest good of the Individual were one andthe same. Again, the Church had one rule whichdmitted of no single exception. Sin, that is adeliberate breaking of the eternal law, was not allowablefor any conceivable purpose. And this rule protectedthe individual in every circumstance of his life.Plato and Aristotle could recommend, and the heathenState could carry out the suggestion, that feeble andinfirm children, who were little likely to benefit theircountry, should be exposed and left to perish. TheChurch insisted that every human life was sacred, andtook them from unnatural parents to nurture andeducate.1 Plato had no scruple to impose upon his" Watchers" the prohibition of founding a family,in order that they might belong entirely and exclu-1 Chinese heathenism repeats at this day the cruelty of the oldheathenism-and Christian charity, it must be added, is true in thenineteenth century to the part which it played in the first.VOL. III.2 C