Part 19

And thus I account for St. Paul's liking for heathen writers, or what we now call the classics, which is very remarkable. He, the Apostle of the 15 Gentiles, was learned in Greek letters, as Moses, the lawgiver of the Jews, his counterpart, was learned in the wisdom of the Egyptians; and he did not give up that learning when he had "learned Christ." I do not think I am 20 exaggerating in saying so, since he goes out of his way three times to quote passages from them; once, speaking to the heathen Athenians; another time, to his converts at Corinth; and a third time, in a private Apostolic exhortation to his disciple St. 25 Titus. And it is the more remarkable, that one of the writers whom he quotes seems to be a writer of comedies, which had no claim to be read for any high morality which they contain. Now how shall we account for this? Did St. Paul 30 delight in what was licentious? God forbid; but he had the feeling of a guardian-angel who sees every sin of the rebellious being committed to him, who gazes at him and weeps. With this difference, that he had a sympathy with sinners, which an Angel (be it reverently said) cannot 5 have. He was a true lover of souls. He loved poor human nature with a passionate love, and the literature of the Greeks was only its expression; and he hung over it tenderly and mournfully, wishing for its regeneration and salvation. 10

This is how I account for his familiar knowledge of the heathen poets. Some of the ancient Fathers consider that the Greeks were under a special dispensation of Providence, preparatory to the Gospel, though not directly from heaven 15 as the Jewish was. Now St. Paul seems, if I may say it, to partake of this feeling; distinctly as he teaches that the heathen are in darkness, and in sin, and under the power of the Evil One, he will not allow that they are beyond the eye of Divine 20 Mercy. On the contrary, he speaks of God as "determining their times and the limits of their habitation," that is, going along with the revolutions of history and the migrations of races, "in order that they should seek Him, if haply they 25 may feel after Him and find Him," since, he continues, "He is not far from every one of us." Again, when the Lycaonians would have worshiped him, he at once places himself on their level and reckons himself among them, and at 30 the same time speaks of God's love of them, heathens though they were. "Ye men," he cries, "why do ye these things? We also are mortals, men like unto you;" and he adds that God in times past, though suffering all nations to walk in their own ways, "nevertheless left not Himself 5 without testimony, doing good from heaven, giving rains and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." You see, he says, "_our_ hearts," not "your," as if he were one of those Gentiles; and he dwells in a kindly human way 10 over the food, and the gladness which food causes, which the poor heathen were granted. Hence it is that he is the Apostle who especially insists on our all coming from one father, Adam; for he had pleasure in thinking that all men were 15 brethren. "God hath made," he says, "all mankind of one;" "as in Adam all die, so in Christ all shall be made alive." I will cite but one more passage from the great Apostle on the same subject, one in which he tenderly contemplates 20 the captivity, and the anguish, and the longing, and the deliverance of poor human nature. "The expectation of the creature," he says, that is, of human nature, "waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made 25 subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him that made it subject, in hope; because it shall be delivered from the servitude of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that every creature 30 groaneth and travaileth in pain until now."

These are specimens of the tender affection which the great heart of the Apostle had for all his kind, the sons of Adam: but if he felt so much for all races spread over the earth, what did he feel for his own nation! O what a special 5 mixture, bitter and sweet, of generous pride (if I may so speak), but of piercing, overwhelming anguish, did the thought of the race of Israel inflict upon him! the highest of nations and the lowest, his own dear people, whose glories were before his 10 imagination and in his affection from his childhood, who had the birthright and the promise, yet who, instead of making use of them, had madly thrown them away! Alas, alas, and he himself had once been a partner in their madness, 15 and was only saved from his infatuation by the miraculous power of God! O dearest ones, O glorious race, O miserably fallen! so great and so abject! This is his tone in speaking of the Jews, at once a Jeremias and a David; David in his 20 patriotic care for them, and Jeremias in his plaintive and resigned denunciations.

Consider his words: "I speak the truth in Christ," he says; "I lie not, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost; that I have 25 great sadness and continual sorrow in my heart." In spite of visions and ecstasies, in spite of his wonderful election, in spite of his manifold gifts, in spite of the cares of his Apostolate and "the solicitude for all the churches"--you would 30 think he had had enough otherwise both to grieve him and to gladden him--but no, this special contemplation remains ever before his mind and in his heart. I mean, the state of his own poor people, who were in mad enmity against the promised Saviour, who had for centuries after 5 centuries looked forward for the Hope of Israel, prepared the way for it, heralded it, suffered for it, cherished and protected it, yet, when it came, rejected it, and lost the fruit of their long patience. "Who are Israelites," he says, mournfully 10 lingering over their past glories, "who are Israelites, to whom belongeth the adoption of children, and the glory, and the testament, and the giving of wealth, and the service of God, and the promises: whose are the fathers, and of whom is Christ 15 according to the flesh, who is over all things, God blessed forever. Amen."

What a hard thing it was for him to give them up! He pleaded for them, while they were persecuting his Lord and himself. He reminded his 20 Lord that he himself had also been that Lord's persecutor, and why not try them a little longer? "Lord," he said, "they know that I cast into prison, and beat in every synagogue, them that believed in Thee. And, when the blood of 25 Stephen, Thy witness, was shed, I stood by and consented, and kept the garments of them that killed him." You see, his old frame of mind, the feelings and notions under which he persecuted his Lord, were ever distinctly before him, and he 30 realized them as if they were still his own. "I bear them witness," he says, "that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge." O blind! blind! he seems to say; O that there should be so much of good in them, so much zeal, so much of religious purpose, so much of 5 steadfastness, such resolve like Josias, Mathathias, or Machabæus, to keep the whole law, and honor Moses and the Prophets, but all spoiled, all undone, by one fatal sin! And what is he prompted to do? Moses, on one occasion, desired to suffer 10 instead of his rebellious people: "Either forgive them this trespass," he said, "or if Thou do not, strike me out of the book." And now, when the New Law was in course of promulgation, and the chosen race was committing the same sin, its 15 great Apostle desired the same: "I wished myself," he says, speaking of the agony he had passed through, "I wished myself to be an anathema from Christ, for my brethren, who are my kinsmen according to the flesh." And then, 20 when all was in vain, when they remained obdurate, and the high decree of God took effect, still he would not, out of very affection for them, he would not allow after all that they were reprobate. He comforted himself with the thought of 25 how many were the exceptions to so dismal a sentence. "Hath God cast away His people?" he asks; "God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin." "All are not Israelites that are of Israel." And 30 he dwells upon his confident anticipation of their recovery in time to come. "They are enemies," he says, writing to the Romans, "for your sakes;" that is, you have gained by their loss; "but they are most dear for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are without 5 repentance." "Blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles should come in; and so all Israel should be saved."

My Brethren, I have now explained to a certain extent what I meant when I spoke of St. 10 Paul's characteristic gift, as being a special apprehension of human nature as a fact, and an intimate familiarity with it as an object of continual contemplation and affection. He made it his own to the very full, instead of annihilating 15 it; he sympathized with it, while he mortified it by penance, while he sanctified it by the grace given him. Though he had never been a heathen, though he was no longer a Jew, yet he was a heathen in capability, as I may say, and a Jew 20 in the history of the past. His vivid imagination enabled him to throw himself into the state of heathenism, with all those tendencies which lay dormant in his human nature carried out, and its infirmities developed into sin. His wakeful 25 memory enabled him to recall those past feelings and ideas of a Jew, which in the case of others a miraculous conversion might have obliterated; and thus, while he was a Saint inferior to none, he was emphatically still a man, and to 30 his own apprehension still a sinner.

And this being so, do you not see, my brethren, how well fitted he was for the office of an Ecumenical Doctor, and an Apostle, not of the Jews only, but of the Gentiles? The Almighty sometimes works by miracle, but commonly He 5 prepares His instruments by methods of this world; and, as He draws souls to Him, "by the cords of Adam," so does He select them for His use according to their natural powers. St. John, who lay upon His breast, whose book was the sacred heart 10 of Jesus, and whose special philosophy was the "scientia sanctorum," _he_ was not chosen to be the Doctor of the Nations. St. Peter, taught in the mysteries of the Creed, the Arbiter of doctrine and the Ruler of the faithful, he too was passed 15 over in this work. To him specially was it given to preach to the world, who knew the world; he subdued the heart, who understood the heart. It was his sympathy that was his means of influence; it was his affectionateness which was his title and 20 instrument of empire. "I became to the Jews a Jew," he says, "that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the Law, as if I were under the Law, that I might gain them that were under the Law. To those that were without the Law, 25 as if I were without the Law, that I might gain them that were without the Law. To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak. I became all things to all men, that I might save all." 30

And now, my brethren, my time is out, before I have well begun my subject. For how can I be said yet to have entered upon the great Apostle, when I have not yet touched upon his Christian affections, and his bearing towards the children of God? As yet I have chiefly spoken 5 of his sympathy with human nature unassisted and unregenerate; not of that yearning of his heart, as it showed itself in action under the grace of the Redeemer. But perhaps it is most suitable on the feast of his Conversion, to stop 10 at that point at which the day leaves him; and perhaps too it will be permitted to me on a future occasion to attempt, if it be not presumption, to speak of him again.

Meanwhile, may this glorious Apostle, this 15 sweetest of inspired writers, this most touching and winning of teachers, may he do me some good turn, who have ever felt a special devotion towards him! May this great Saint, this man of large mind, of various sympathies, of affectionate 20 heart, have a kind thought for every one of us here according to our respective needs! He has carried his human thoughts and feelings with him to his throne above; and, though he sees the Infinite and Eternal Essence, he still 25 remembers well that troublous, restless ocean below, of hopes and fears, of impulses and aspirations, of efforts and failures, which is now what it was when he was here. Let us beg him to intercede for us with the Majesty on high, that we too may 30 have some portion of that tenderness, compassion, mutual affection, love of brotherhood, abhorrence of strife and division, in which he excelled. Let us beg him especially, as we are bound, to bless the most reverend Prelate, under whose jurisdiction we here live, and whose feast day this is; 5 that the great name of Paul may be to him a tower of strength and fount of consolation now, and in death, and in the day of account.

NOTES

SAUL

=Introductory Note.= The sketches of Saul and David are contained in the third volume of _Parochial and Plain Sermons_. These discourses were delivered at Oxford before Newman's conversion to the Catholic Church.

=Saul.= The first king of Israel reigned from 1091 to 1051 B.C. He ruled conjointly with Samuel the prophet eighteen years, and alone, twenty-two years. Samuel had been judge of Israel twelve years when the discontented Jews demanded a king, and Saul was elected by lot.

=13=: 7. =Manna.= Miraculous food supplied to the Jews, wandering in the desert of Sin, after their exodus from Egypt. The taste of manna was that of flour mixed with honey.

=13=: 10. =Moses.= Deliverer, lawgiver, ruler, and prophet of Israel, 1447 B.C. The author of the _Pentateuch_ is probably the greatest figure of the Old Law and the most perfect type of Christ.

=14=: 3. =Gadara.= Noted for the miracle of casting out demons, wrought there by our Lord. The inhabitants in fear besought Him to leave their coasts. Mark v. 17.

=16=: 24. =David.= The prophet and king famous as the royal psalmist. From his line sprang the Messias.

=17=: 4. =The asses.= Saul, searching for his father's asses, was met by Samuel and anointed king.

=17=: 14. =The Ammonites and Moabites.= Warlike heathen tribes probably descended from Lot. They dwelt near the Dead Sea; were very hostile to the Jews.

=17=: 15. =The Jordan.= Largest river of Palestine, especially consecrated by the baptism of Christ in its waters; is called the river of judgment. An air line from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea is sixty miles, but so tortuous is the Jordan, its length is two hundred miles.

=18=: 12. =Philistines= (strangers). Gentiles beyond the Western Sea, frequently at war with the Hebrews. Samson, Saul, and David were famous for their victories over these powerful enemies.

=19=: 29. =God's vicegerent.= Representative as king. Before Saul the Jewish government was theocratic, _i.e._ directly from God.

=20=: 15. =Solomon.= Son and successor of David, called the wisest of men: built the temple; became exalted with pride; was punished for his sins; died probably unrepentant. A striking example of the vanity of human success unblessed by God.

=20=: 16. =Religious principle.= A fundamental truth upon which conduct is consistently built. A conviction of the intellect and hence distinguished from instinct, disposition, feeling, often the spring of men's actions.

=21=: 18. =Shekel.= A silver coin worth about fifty-seven cents.

=22=: 23. =Sacrifice offered by Saul.= Sacrilegious in Saul, as the right was limited to the priesthood of Aaron.

=23=: 11. =Ark of God.= A figure of the Christian Tabernacle; divinely ordained for the Mosaic worship; contained the covenant of God with His chosen people.

=24=: 13. =Religion a utility.= Inversion of Christ's command,--"Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God and His justice and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew vi. 33.

=25=: 8. =Joshua.= Successor of Moses and leader of the Jews into the Promised Land.

=27=: 8. =The uncircumcised.= Term applied to all outside the Hebrew people. Circumcision, a figure of baptism, was the sign of covenant given by God to Abraham and his descendants.

EARLY YEARS OF DAVID

=28=: 6. =The Psalms.= One hundred and fifty inspired hymns of praise, joy, thanksgiving, and repentance, composed chiefly by David. Humanly speaking, they form the most exquisite lyric poetry extant, and in their strong, majestic beauty are most suitable to the Divine Offices of the Church.

=29=: 3. =Balaam.= An Oriental prophet of Mesopotamia, 1500 B.C. Sent for by the Moabite king to curse the Israelites.

=29=: 11. (_a_) =Judah.= (_b_) =Shiloh.= (_a_) The fourth son of Jacob and Leah. (_b_) The Messias.

=30=: 14. =Anointing of David.= To signify that the kingship, like the priesthood, is a sacred office, _all_ power coming from God.

=31=: 6. =Sacred songs.= The inspired music of David was the means of restoring grace to the troubled spirit of Saul. Browning's _Saul_ paints strikingly the character of the shepherd boy and of the distracted old king.

=32=: 1. =Goliath of Gath.= A type of the giant, Sin; also of Lucifer, overcome by the meek Christ, who is prefigured by David.

=34=: 6. =The Apostle.= St. Paul, who recounts to the Hebrews his sufferings for Christ.

=36=: 5. =Joseph.= Son of Jacob; governor of Egypt under Pharaoh.

=36=: 16. =From Moses.= A fine distinction between the theocratic and the royal government of Israel.

=38=: 24. =The king's son-in-law.= Saul in envy married his daughter Michol to David "that she might prove a stumbling-block to him."

=39=: 4. =David and Joseph.= Note the consistent and forcible parallel.

=43= and =44=. =The patriarchs.= This passage illustrates the exquisite choice of words, the perfect finish of sentence, and the wonderful beauty of thought characteristic of Newman.

BASIL AND GREGORY

=Introductory Note.= These Essays on the Fathers are to be found in _Historical Sketches_, Vol. III. They were written to illustrate the tone and mode of thought, the habits and manners of the early times of the Church.

=Athens.= Most of those who sought Attic wisdom were natures without control. "Basil and Gregory were spoiled for subtle, beautiful, luxurious Athens. They walked their straight and loving road to God, with the simplicity which alone could issue out of the intense purpose of their lives--the love and service of Christ their Lord."

=45=: 15. =Hildebrand.= St. Gregory VII, one of the greatest among the great Roman pontiffs. He combated the evils of the eleventh century, within and without the Church, and effected incalculable good, especially in the war of Investitures waged against Henry IV of Germany.

=45=: 17. =City of God.= The Church.

=45=: 18. =Ambrose.= Archbishop of Milan, noted for zeal in spreading the faith; remembered for his fearless rebuke of the Emperor Theodosius.

=46=: 30. =Pontus.= Part of Cappadocia in Asia Minor; founded by Alexander the Great.

=47=: 28. =The contention.= See Acts of the Apostles xv. 39.

=49=: 16. =Armenian creed.= Similar to that of the Greek Church.

=55=: 17. =The Thesbite.= Elias, who dwelt on Carmel, as did St. John the Baptist, in most rigorous penance.

=55=: 18. =Carmel.= A mountain on the coast of Palestine, noted in sacred history.

AUGUSTINE AND THE VANDALS

=56=: 7. =Heretical creed.= The Arians were followers of Arius of Alexandria, who boldly denied the Divinity of Jesus Christ. The heresy was condemned by the Council of Nice, 325 A.D., but its baneful effects were widely felt for centuries.

=56=: 15. =Apocalypse.= Wonderful revelations made to St. John at Patmos concerning the Church, the final judgment, the future life.

=57=: 21. =The Vandals.= A barbarian race of Southern Germany, who in the fifth century ravaged Gaul, Spain, Italy, and Northern Africa.

=59=: 13. =Montanists.= A sect of the second century that believed in Montanus as a prophet, and in the near advent of Christ to judge the world.

=60=: 31. (_a_) =The prophet.= (_b_) =Jeroboam.= (_a_) Ahias. (_b_) The first king of Israel after the separation of the tribes; a man perverse and irreverent in his relations with God and subject.

=59= to =70=. =The argument.= The apology for flight in times of religious persecution, made by Athanasius, the great bishop of Alexandria, fourth century, and the cogent argument against it of Tertullian, a celebrated writer of the second century, show how circumstances, above all, Divine inspiration, justify opposite lines of action. St. Augustine's letter, written in his strong and luminous style, reconciles the two points of view.

=71= to =74=. =The misery of irreligion.= A profound analysis of the two classes of men without religion,--the one distorted, brutalized, and deadened; the other confused, wild, and hungering after what is to them indefinable, yet alone satisfying. Compare in its source, tenor, and effect the unhappiness of the "popular poet" Byron and that of Augustine.

=76=: 8. =St. Monica.= One of the greatest women of all times; a model of faith, constancy, and maternal love.

=79=: 23. =Christianity a philosophy.= Such it is accounted by many modern thinkers who, in spite of clear, full evidences of its divinity, affect to doubt or deny altogether the supernatural. These reduce the Gospels to a code of ethics, and regard Christ as merely a teacher of morality; the earnestness of Augustine would lead them by a short road to recognize and worship God in Jesus Christ.

CHRYSOSTOM

=84= to =90=. =The Introduction.= The personal touch of these pages gives an insight into the tender, sensitive nature of Cardinal Newman. He was a man not only of intense and powerful intellect, but of delicate and affectionate heart. It is his gracious, winning appeal that renders him irresistible in influence.

=90=: 12. =Chrysostom.= "Golden mouth," from his eloquence. He is counted among the great Patristic writers.

=90=: 21. =Antipater.= Son of Herod the Great; called by Josephus "a monster of iniquity." He was put to death, 1 B.C.

=90=: 22. =Fulvia.= Wife of Marc Antony; noted for her cruelty and ambition.