Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

THE FORMATION OF CHRISTENDOMafter Plato's model. It was to be called Platonopolis,and be situated in Campania. But the emperor didnot assent, and Neoplatonism, like its predecessors,went without its city. Before that time, in the twocenturies preceding the lectures of Plotinus at Rome,a divine city had been built up in the teeth of imperialpersecution, there and in every centre of human intercourseand thought throughout the empire. St. Laurencecould have shown Plotinus the treasures of thatcity in a multitude of the poor and destitute such asphilosophy had never fed. Furthermore, St. Laurence'sown life and death might have imparted to him thesecret how Peter, who was carried from the Mamertineprison to execution, founded under Nero's eyes, and inhis despite, a permanent Christian polity, whilst imperialfavour was solicited in vain to grant a singlecity for the trial of a philosophic experiment.Such is the nature of Peter's work as contrastedwith the work of philosophy.But in calling it Peter's work, we must not forgetthat it was the work of Another, administered byPeter. As the impotence of philosophy lay preciselyin this, that it had no one to follow, so the power ofthe new faith lay in those two words, " Follow Me."The contrast here with the ancient philosophers ismost striking. Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle,Zeno, Cleanthes, Plotinus also, Porphyrius, and threst would have liked to form a society after theirown principles, but it never __B entered into theirthoughts to say, " Follow me." The ancient wisdomhad indeed said, " Follow God."l It remained forHim alone when He appeared on earth to say, " FollowMe." The words in the mouth of a mere man are1 See Cicero, De Fin. iii. 21.."