BOOKIV。
ARGUMENT。
PASSINGTOTHESECONDPARTOFHISWORK,THATWHICHTREATSOFEXPRESSION,THEAUTHORPREMISESTHATITISNOPARTOFHISINTENTIONTOWRITEATREATISE
ONTHELAWSOFRHETORIC。THESECANBELEARNEDELSEWHERE,ANDOUGHTNOT
TOBENEGLECTED,BEINGINDEEDSPECIALLYNECESSARYFORTHECHRISTIANTEACHER,WHOMITBEHOVESTOEXCELINELOQUENCEANDPOWEROFSPEECH。AFTERDETAILING
WITHMUCHCAREANDMINUTENESSTHEVARIOUSQUALITIESOFANORATOR,HERECOMMENDS
THEAUTHORSOFTHEHOLYSCRIPTURESASTHEBESTMODELSOFELOQUENCE,FAR
EXCELLINGALLOTHERSINTHECOMBINATIONOFELOQUENCEWITHWISDOM。HEPOINTS
OUTTHATPERSPICUITYISTHEMOSTESSENTIALQUALITYOFSTYLE,ANDOUGHT
TOBECULTIVATEDWITHESPECIALCAREBYTHETEACHER,ASITISTHEMAINREQUISITE
FORINSTRUCTION,ALTHOUGHOTHERQUALITIESAREREQUIREDFORDELIGHTINGAND
PERSUADINGTHEHEARER。ALLTHESEGIFTSARETOBESOUGHTINEARNESTPRAYER
FROMGOD,THOUGHWEARENOTTOFORGETTOBEZEALOUSANDDILIGENTINSTUDY。
HESHOWSTHATTHEREARETHREESPECIESOFSTYLE,THESUBDUED,THEELEGANT,ANDTHEMAJESTIC;THEFIRSTSERVINGFORINSTRUCTION,THESECONDFORPRAISE,ANDTHETHIRDFOREXHORTATION:ANDOFEACHOFTHESEHEGIVESEXAMPLES,SELECTEDBOTHFROMSCRIPTUREANDFROMEARLYTEACHERSOFTHECHURCH,CYPRIAN
ANDAMBROSE。HESHOWSTHATTHESEVARIOUSSTYLESMAYBEMINGLED,ANDWHEN
ANDFORWHATPURPOSESTHEYAREMINGLED;ANDTHATTHEYALLHAVETHESAME
ENDINVIEW,TOBRINGHOMETHETRUTHTOTHEHEARER,SOTHATHEMAYUNDERSTAND
IT,HEARITWITHGLADNESS,ANDPRACTISEITINHISLIFE。FINALLY,HEEXHORTS
THECHRISTIANTEACHERHIMSELF,POINTINGOUTTHEDIGNITYANDRESPONSIBILITY
OFTHEOFFICEHEHOLDTOLEADALIFEINHARMONYWITHHISOWNTEACHING,ANDTOSHOWAGOODEXAMPLETOALL。
CHAP。1。——THISWORKNOTINTENDEDASA
TREATISEONRHETORIC。
THISworkofmine,whichisentitledOnChristianDoctrine,wasatthecommencementdividedintotwoparts。For,afterapreface,inwhichIansweredbyanticipationthosewhowerelikelytotakeexceptiontothework,I
said,"TherearetwothingsonwhichallinterpretationofScripturedepends:
themodeofascertainingthepropermeaning,andtheknown,themeaning。"(1)
As,then,Ihavealreadysaidagreatdealaboutthemodeofascertainingthemeaning,andhavegiventhreebookstothisonepartofthesubject,Ishallonlysayafewthingsaboutthemodeofmakingknownthemeaning,inorderiffourbooks。
Inthefirstplace,then,IwishbythispreambletoputastoptotheexpectationsofreaderswhomaythinkthatIamabouttolaydownrulesofrhetoricsuchasIhavelearntandtaughttoo,inthesecularschools,andtowarnthemthattheyneednotlookforanysuchfromme。NotthatIthinksuchrulesofnouse,butthatwhateverusetheyhaveistobelearntelsewhere;andifanygoodmanshouldhappentohaveleisureforlearningthem,heisnottoaskmetoteachthemeitherinthisworkoranyother。
CHAP。2。——ITISLAWFULFORACHRISTIANTEACHER
TOUSETHEARTOFRHETORIC。
3。Now,theartofrhetoricbeingavailablefortheenforcingeitheroftruthorfalsehood,whowilldaretosaythattruthinthepersonofitsdefendersistotakeitsstandunarmedagainstfalsehood?Forexample,thatthosewhoaretryingtopersuademenofwhatisfalsearetoknowhowtointroducetheirsubject,soastoputthehearerintoafriendly,orattentive,orteachableframeofmind,whilethedefendersofthetruthshallbeignorantofthatart?Thattheformeraretotelltheirfalsehoodsbriefly,clearly,andplausibly,whilethelattershalltellthetruthmsuchawaythatitistedioustolistento,hardtounderstand,and,infine,noteasytobelieveit?Thattheformeraretoopposethetomelt,toenliven,andtorousethem,whilethelattershallindefenceofthetruthbesluggish,andfrigid,andsomnolent?Whoissuchafoolastothinkthiswisdom?Since,then,thefacultyofeloquenceisavailableforbothsides,andisofverygreatserviceintheenforcingeitherofwrongorright,whydonotgoodmenstudytoengageitonthesideoftruth,whenbadmenuseittoobtainthetriumphofwickedandworthlesscauses,andtofurtherinjusticeanderror?
CHAP。3。——THEPROPERAGEANDTHEPROPER
MEANSFORACQUIRINGRHETORICALSKILL。
4。Butthetheoriesandrulesonthissubject(towhich,whenyouaddatonguethoroughlyskilledbyexerciseandhabitintheuseofmanywordsandmanyornamentsofspeech,youhavewhatiscalledeloquenceororatory)
maybelearntapartfromthesewritingsofmine,ifasuitablespaceoftimebesetasideforthepurposeatafitandproperage。Butonlybythosewhocanlearnthemanyonewhocannotlearnthisartquicklycanneverthoroughlylearnitatall。(1)Whetherthisbetrueornot,whyneedweinquire?Forevenifthisartcanoccasionallybeintheendmasteredbymenofslowerintellect,Idonotthinkitofsomuchimportanceastowishmenwhohavearrivedatmatureagetospendtimeinlearningit。
Itisenoughthatboysshouldgiveattentiontoit;andevenofthese,notallwhoaretobefittedforusefulnessintheChurch,butonlythosewhoarenotyetengagedinanyoccupationofmoreurgentnecessity,orwhichoughtevidentlytotakeprecedenceofit。Formenofquickintellectandglowingtemperamentfinditeasiertobecomeeloquentbyreadingandlisteningtoeloquentspeakersthanbyfollowingrulesforeloquence。Andevenoutsidethecanon,whichtoourgreatadvantageisfixedinaplaceofsecureauthority,thereisnowantofecclesiasticalwritings,inreadingwhichamanofabilitywillacquireatingeoftheeloquencewithwhichtheyarewritten,eventhoughhedoesnotaimatthis,butissolelyintentonthematterstreatedof;especially,ofcourse,ifinadditionhepractisehimselfinwriting,ordictating,andatlastalsoinspeaking,theopinionshehasformedongroundsofpietythem,andwhospeakwithfluencyandelegance,cannotalwaysthinkofthemwhentheyarespeakingsoastospeakinaccordancewiththem,unlesstheyarediscussingtherulesthemselves。
Indeed,Ithinktherearescarcelyanywhocandoboththings——thatis,speakwell,and;inordertodothis,thinkoftherulesofspeakingwhiletheyarespeaking。Forwemustbecarefulthatwhatwehavegottosaydoesnotescapeuswhilstwearethinkingaboutsayingitaccordingtotherulesofart。Nevertheless,inthespeechesofeloquentmen,wefindrulesofeloquencecarriedoutwhichthespeakersdidnotthinkofasaidstoeloquenceatthetimewhentheywerespeaking,whethertheyhadeverlearntthem,orwhethertheyhadneverevenmetwiththem。Foritisbecausetheyareeloquentthattheyexemplifytheserules;itisnotthattheyusetheminordertobeeloquent。
5。And,therefore,asinfantscannotlearntospeakexceptbylearningwordsandphrasesfromthosewhodospeak,whyshouldnotmenbecomeeloquentwithoutbeingtaughtanyartofspeech,simplybyreadingandlearningthespeechesofeloquentmen,andbyimitatingthemasfarastheycan?
Andwhatdowefindfromtheexamplesthemselvestobethecaseinthisrespect?Weknownumberswho,withoutacquaintancewithrhetoricalrules,aremoreeloquentthanmanywhohavelearntthese;butweknownoonewhoiseloquentwithouthavingreadandlistenedtothespeechesanddebatesofeloquentmen。Foreventheartofgrammar,whichteachescorrectnessofspeech,neednotbelearntbyboys,iftheyhavetheadvantageofgrowingupandlivingamongmenwhospeakcorrectly。Forwithoutknowingthenamesofanyofthefaults,theywill,frombeingaccustomedtocorrectspeech,layholduponwhateverisfaultyinthespeechofanyonetheylistento,andavoidit;justascity-bredmen,evenwhenilliterate,seizeuponthefaultsofrustics。
CHAP。4。——THEDUTYOFTHECHRISTIAN
TEACHER。
6。Itistheduty,then,oftheinterpreterandteacherofHolyScripturethedefenderofthetruefaithandtheopponentoferror,bothtoteachwhatisrightandtorefutewhatiswrong,andintheperformanceofthistasktoconciliatethehostile,torousethecareless,andtotelltheignorantbothwhatisoccurringatpresentandwhatisprobableinthefuture。Butoncethathishearersarefriendly,attentive,andreadytolearn,whetherhehasfoundthemso,orhashimselfmadethemsotheremainingobjectsaretobecarriedoutinwhateverwaythecaserequires。Ifthehearersneedteaching,themattertreatedofmustbemadefullyknownbymeansofnarrative。Ontheotherhand,toclearuppointsthataredoubtfulrequiresreasoningandtheexhibitionofproof。If,however,thehearersrequiretoberousedratherthaninstructed,inorderthattheymaybediligenttodowhattheyalreadyknow,andtobringtheirfeelingsintoharmonywiththetruthstheyadmit,greatervigorofspeechisneeded。
Hereentreatiesandreproaches,exhortationsandupbraidings,andalltheothermeansofrousingtheemotions,arenecessary。
7。AndallthemethodsIhavementionedareconstantlyusedbynearlyeveryoneincaseswherespeechistheagencyemployed。
CHAP。5。——WISDOMOFMOREIMPORTANCETHANELOQUENCETOTHECHRIST!AN
TEACHER。
Butassomemenemploythesecoarsely,inelegantly,andfrigidly,whileothersusethemwithacuteness,elegance,andspirit,theworkthatIamspeakingofoughttobeundertakenbyonewhocanargueandspeakwithwisdom,ifnotwitheloquence,andwithprofittohishearers,eventhoughheprofitthemlessthanhewouldifhecouldspeakwitheloquencetoo。Butwemustbewareofthemanwhoaboundsineloquentnonsense,andsomuchthemoreifthehearerispleasedwithwhatisnotworthlisteningto,andthinksthatbecausethespeakeriseloquentwhathesaysmustbetrue。Andthisopinionisheldevenbythosewhothinkthattheartofrhetoricshouldbetaught;fortheyconfessthat"thoughwisdomwithouteloquenceisoflittleservicetostates,yeteloquencewithoutwisdomisfrequentlyapositiveinjury,andisofservicenever。"(1)If,then,themenwhoteachtheprinciplesofeloquencehavebeenforcedbytruthtoconfessthisintheverybookswhichtreatofeloquence,thoughtheywereignorantofthetrue,thatis,theheavenlywisdomwhichcomesdownfromtheFatherofLights,howmuchmoreoughtwetofeelitwhoarethesonsandtheministersofthishigherwisdom!
NowamanspeakswithmoreorlesswisdomjustashehasmademoreorlessprogressintheknowledgeofScripture;Idonotmeanbyreadingthemmuchandcommittingthemtomemory,butbyunderstandingthemarightandcarefullysearchingintotheirmeaning。Fortherearewhoreadandyetneglectthem;theyreadtorememberthewords,butarecarelessaboutknowingthemeaning。Itisplainwemustsetfarabovethesethemenwhoarenotsoretentiveofthewords,butseewiththeeyesoftheheartintotheheartofScripture。Betterthaneitherofthese,however,isthemanwho,whenhewishes,canrepeatthewords,andatthesametimecorrectlyapprehendstheirmeaning。
8。Nowitisespeciallynecessaryforthemanwhoisboundtospeakwisely,eventhoughhecannotspeakeloquently,toretaininmemorythewordsofScripture。Forthemorehediscernsthepovertyofhisownspeech,themoreheoughttodrawontherichesofScripture,sothatwhathesaysinhisownwordshemayprovebythewordsofScripture;andhehimself,thoughsmallandweakinhisownwords,maygainstrengthandpowerfromtheconfirmingtestimonyofgreatmen。Forhisproofgivespleasurewhenhecannotpleasebyhismodeofspeech。Butifamandesiretospeaknotonlywithwisdom,butwitheloquencealso(andassuredlyhewillproveofgreaterserviceifhecandoboth),Iwouldrathersendhimtoread,andlistento,andexercisehimselfinimitating,eloquentmen,thanadvisehimtospendtimewiththeteachersofrhetoric;especiallyifthemenhereadsandlistenstoarejustlypraisedashavingspoken,orasbeingaccustomedtospeak,notonlywitheloquence,butwithwisdomalso。Foreloquentspeakersareheardwithpleasure;wisespeakerswithprofit。And,therefore,Scripturedoesnotsaythatthemultitudeoftheeloquent,but"themultitudeofthewiseisthewelfareoftheworld。"(1)Andaswemustoftenswallowwholesomebitters,sowemustalwaysavoidunwholesomesweets。Butwhatisbetterthanwholesomesweetnessorsweetwholesomeness?Forthesweeterwetrytomakesuchthings,theeasieritistomaketheirwholesomenessserviceable。AndsotherearewritersoftheChurchwhohaveexpoundedtheHolyScriptures,notonlywithwisdom,butwitheloquenceaswell;
andthereisnotmoretimeforthereadingofthesethanissufficientforthosewhoarestudiousandatleisuretoexhaustthem。
CHAP。6。——THESACREDWRITERSUNITEELOQUENCEWITHWISDOM。
9。Here,perhaps,someoneinquireswhethertheauthorswhosedivinely-inspiredwritingsconstitutethecanon,whichcarrieswithitamostwholesomeauthority,aretobeconsideredwiseonly,oreloquentaswell。Aquestionwhichtome,andtothosewhothinkwithme,isveryeasilysettled。ForwhereIunderstandthesewriters,itseemstomenotonlythatnothingcanbewiser,butalsothatnothingcanbemoreeloquent。AndIventuretoaffirmthatallwhotrulyunderstandwhatthesewriterssay,perceiveatthesametimethatitcouldnothavebeenproperlysaidinanyotherway。Forasthereisakindofeloquencethatismorebecominginyouth,andakindthatismorebecominginoldage,andnothingcanbecalledeloquenceifitbenotsuitabletothepersonofthespeaker,sothereisakindofeloquencethatisbecominginmenwhojustlyclaimthehighestauthority,andwhoareevidentlyinspiredofGod。Withthiseloquencetheyspoke;
nootherwouldhavebeensuitableforthem;andthisitselfwouldbeunsuitableinanyother,foritisinkeepingwiththeircharacter,whileitmountsasfarabovethatofothers(notfromemptyinflation,butfromsolidmerit)asitseemstofallbelowthem。
Where,however,Idonotunderstandthesewriters,thoughtheireloquenceisthenlessapparent,IhavenodoubtbutthatitisofthesamekindasthatIdounderstand。Theveryobscurity,too,ofthesedivineandwholesomewordswasanecessaryelementineloquenceofakindthatwasdesignedtoprofitourunderstandings,notonlybythediscoveryoftruth,butalsobytheexerciseoftheirpowers。
10。Icould,however,ifIhadtime,showthosemenwhocryuptheirownformoflanguageassuperiortothatofourauthors(notbecauseofitsmajesty,butbecauseofitsinflation),thatallthosepowersandbeautiesofeloquencewhichtheymaketheirboast,aretobefoundinthesacredwritingswhichGodinHisgoodnesshasprovidedtomouldourcharacters,andtoguideusfromthisworldofwickednesstotheblessedworldabove。Butitisnotthequalitieswhichthesewritershaveincommonwiththeheathenoratorsandpoetsthatgivemesuchunspeakabledelightintheireloquence;Iammorestruckwithadmirationatthewayinwhich,byaneloquencepeculiarlytheirown,theysousethiseloquenceofoursthatitisnotconspicuouseitherbyitspresenceoritsabsence:foritdidnotbecomethemeithertocondemnitortomakeanostentatiousdisplayofit;andiftheyhadshunnedit,theywouldhavedonetheformer;iftheyhadmadeitprominent。
theymighthaveappearedtobedoingthelatter。
Andinthosepassageswherethelearneddonoteitspresence,themattersspokenofaresuch,thatthewordsinwhichtheyareputseemnotsomuchtobesoughtoutbythespeakerasspontaneouslytosuggestthemselves;asifwisdomwerewalkingoutofitshouse,——thatis,thebreastofthewiseman,andeloquence,likeaninseparableattendant,followeditwithoutbeingcalledfor。(2)
CHAP。7。——EXAMPLESOFTRUEELOQUENCEDRAWNFROMTHEEPISTLESOFPAUL
ANDTHE
PROPHECIESOFAMOS。
11。Forwhowouldnotseewhattheapostlemeanttosay,andhowwiselyhehassaidit,inthefollowingpassage:"Wegloryintribulationsalso:knowingthattribulationworkethpatience;andpatience,experience;andexperience,hope:andhopemakethnotashamed;becausetheloveofGodisshedabroadinourheartsbytheHolyGhostwhichisgivenuntous"?(3)Nowwereanymanunlearnedlylearned(ifImayusetheexpression)tocontendthattheapostlehadherefollowedtherulesofrhetoric,wouldnoteveryChristian,learnedorunlearned,laughathim?AndyetherewefindthefigurewhichiscalledinGreekklimaz(climax,)andbysomeinLatingradatio,fortheydonotcaretocallitscala(aladder),whenthewordsandideashaveaconnectionofdependencytheoneupontheother,asweseeherethatpatiencearisesoutoftribulation,experienceoutofpatience,andhopeoutofexperience。
Anotherornament,too,isfoundhere;foraftercertainstatementsfinishedinasingletoneofvoice,whichwecallclausesandsections(membraetcaesa),buttheGreekskplaandkommata,(1)therefollowsaroundedsentence(ambitussivecircuitus)whichtheGreekscallperiodos,(2)theclausesofwhicharesuspendedonthevoiceofthespeakertillthewholeiscompletedbythelastclauseForofthestatementswhichprecedetheperiodthisisthefirstclause,"knowingthattribulationworkethpatience;"thesecond,"andpatience,experience;"thethird,"andexperience,hope。"Thentheperiodwhichissubjoinediscompletedinthreeclauses,ofwhichthefirstis,"andhopemakethnotashamed;"thesecond,"becausetheloveofGodisshedabroadinourhearts;"thethird,"bytheHolyGhostwhichisgivenuntous。"Buttheseandothermattersofthesamekindaretaughtintheartofelocution。AsthenIdonotaffirmthattheapostlewasguidedbytherulesofeloquence,soI
donotdenythathiswisdomnaturallyproduced,andwasaccompaniedby,eloquence。
12。IntheSecondEpistletotheCorinthians,again,herefutescertainfalseapostleswhohadgoneoutfromtheJews,andhadbeentryingtoinjurehischaracter;andbeingcompelledtospeakofhimself,thoughheascribesthisasfollytohimself,howwiselyandhoweloquentlyhespeaks!Butwisdomishisguide,eloquencehisattendant;hefollowsthefirst,thesecondfollowshim,andyethedoesnotspurnitwhenitcomesafterhim。"Isayagain,"
hesays,"Letnomanthinkmeafool:ifotherwise,yetasafoolreceiveme,thatImayboastmyselfalittle。ThatwhichIspeak,IspeakitnotaftertheLord,butasitwerefoolishly,inthisconfidenceofboasting。Seeingthatmanygloryaftertheflesh,Iwillgloryalso。Foryesufferfoolsgladly,seeingyeyourselvesarewise。Foryesuffer,ifamanbringyouintobondage,ifamandevouryou,ifamantakeofyou,ifamanexalthimself,ifamansmiteyouontheface。Ispeakasconcerningreproach,asthoughwehadbeenweak。Howbeit,whereinsoeveranyisbold(Ispeakfoolishly),Iamboldalso。AretheyHebrews?
soamI。AretheyIsraelites?soamI。AretheytheseedofAbraham?soamI。AretheyministersofChrist?(Ispeakasafool),Iammore:inlaborsmoreabundant,instripesabovemeasure,inprisonsmorefrequent,indeathsoff。OftheJewsfivetimesreceivedIfortystripessaveone,thricewasIbeatenwithrods,oncewasIstoned,thriceIsufferedshipwreck,anightandadayIhavebeeninthedeep;injourneyingsoften,inperilsofwaters,inperilsofrobbers,inperilsbymineowncountrymen,inperilsbytheheathen,inperilsinthecity,inperilsinthewilderness,inperilsinthesea,inperilsamongfalsebrethren;
inwearinessandpainfulness,inwatchingsoften,inhungerandthirst,infastingsoften,incoldandnakedness。Besidesthosethingswhicharewithout,thatwhichcomethuponmedaily,thecareofallthechurches。Whoisweak,andIamnotweak?whoisoffended,andIburnnot?IfImustneedsglory,Iwillgloryofthethingswhichconcernmyinfirmities。"(3)Thethoughtfulandattentiveperceivehowmuchwisdomthereisinthesewords。
Andevenamansoundasleepmustnoticewhatastreamofeloquenceflowsthroughthem。
13。Furtherstill,theeducatedmanobservesthatthosesectionswhichtheGreekscallkommata,andtheclausesandperiodsofwhichIspokeashorttimeago,beingintermingledinthemostbeautifulvariety,makeupthewholeformandfeatures(sotospeak)ofthatdictionbywhicheventheunlearnedaredelightedandaffected。For,fromtheplacewhereI
commencedtoquote,thepassageconsistsofperiods:thefirstthesmallestpossible,consistingoftwomembers;foraperiodcannothavelessthantwomembers,thoughitmayhavemore:"Isayagain,letnomanthinkmeafool。"Thenexthasthreemembers:"ifotherwise,yetasafoolreceiveme,thatImayboastmyselfalittle。"Thethirdhasfourmembers:"ThatwhichI
speak,IspeakitnotaftertheLord,butasitwerefoolishly,inthisconfidenceofboasting。"Thefourthhastwo:"Seeingthatmanygloryaftertheflesh,Iwillgloryalso。"Andthefifthhastwo:
"Foryesufferfoolsgladly,seeingyeyourselvesarewise。"
Thesixthagainhastwomembers:"foryesuffer,ifamanbringyouintobondage。"Thenfollowthreesections(caesa):"ifamandevouryou,ifamantakeofyou,ifamanexalthimself。"Nextthreeclauses(membra):if"amansmiteyouontheface。Ispeakasconcerningreproach,asthoughwehadbeenweak。"Thenissubjoinedaperiodofthreemembers:"Howbeit,whereinsoeveranyisbold(Ispeakfoolishly),Iamboldalso。"Afterthis,certainseparatesectionsbeingputintheinterrogatoryform,separatesectionsarealsogivenasanswers,threetothree:
"AretheyHebrews?soamI。AretheyIsraelites?soamI。
AretheytheseedofAbraham?soamI。"Butafourthsectionbeingputlikewiseintheinterrogatoryform,theanswerisgivennotinanothersection(caesum)butinaclause(membrum):(1)"AretheytheministersofChrist?(Ispeakasafool。)Iammore。"Thenthenextfoursectionsaregivencontinuously,theinterrogatoryformbeingmostelegantlysuppressed:"inlaborsmoreabundant,instripesabovemeasure,inprisonsmorefrequent,indeathsoft。"Nextisinterposedashortperiod;for,byasuspensionofthevoice,"oftheJewsfivetimes"istobemarkedoffasconstitutingonemember,towhichisjoinedthesecond,"receivedIfortystripessaveone。"Thenhereturnstosections,andthreearesetdown:"ThricewasIbeatenwithrods,oncewasIstoned,thriceIsufferedshipwreck。"Nextcomesaclause:"anightandadayIhavebeeninthedeep。"Nextfourteensectionsburstforthwithavehemencewhichismostappropriate:"Injourneyingsoften,inperilsofwaters,inperilsofrobbers,inperilsbymineowncountrymen,inperilsbytheheathen,inperilsinthecity,inperilsinthewilderness,inperilsinthesea,inperilsamongfalsebrethren,inwearinessandpainfulness,inwatchingsoften,inhungerandthirst,infastingsoften,incoldandnakedness。"Afterthiscomesinaperiodofthreemembers:"Besidesthosethingswhicharewithout,thatwhichcomethuponmedaily,thecareofallthechurches。"Andtothisheaddstwoclausesinatoneofinquiry:"Whoisweak,andIamnotweak?
whoisoffended,andIburnnot?"Infine,thiswholepassage,asifpantingforbreath,windsupwithaperiodoftwomembers:
"IfImustneedsglory,Iwillgloryofthethingswhichconcernmineinfirmities。"AndIcannotsufficientlyexpresshowbeautifulanddelightfulitiswhenafterthisoutburstherestshimself,andgivesthehearerrest,byinterposingaslightnarrative。Forhegoesontosay:"TheGodandFatherofourLordJesusChrist,whichisblessedforevermore,knoweththatIlienot。"Andthenhetells,verybrieflythedangerhehadbeenin,andthewayheescapedit。
14。Itwouldbetedioustopursuethematterfurther,ortopointoutthesamefactsinregardtootherpassagesofHolyScripture。Supposeihadtakenthefurthertrouble,atleastinregardtothepassagesIhavequotedfromtheapostle’swritings,topointoutfiguresofspeechwhicharetaughtintheartofrhetoric?
IsitnotmorelikelythatseriousmenwouldthinkIhadgonetoofar,thanthatanyofthestudiouswouldthinkIhaddoneenough?Allthesethingswhentaughtbymastersarereckonedofgreatvalue;greatpricesarepaidforthem,andthevendorspuffthemmagniloquently。AndIfearlestItooshouldsmackofthatpufferywhilethusdescantingonmattersofthiskind。
Itwasnecessary,however,toreplytotheill-taughtmenwhothinkourauthorscontemptible;notbecausetheydonotpossess,butbecausetheydonotdisplay,theeloquencewhichthesemenvaluesohighly。
15。ButperhapssomeoneisthinkingthatIhaveselectedtheApostlePaulbecauseheisourgreatorator。Forwhenhesays,"ThoughIberudeinspeech,yetnotinknowledge,(2)heseemstospeakasifgrantingsomuchtohisdetractors,notasconfessingthatherecognizeditstruth。Ifhehadsaid,"Iamindeedrudeinspeech,butnotinknowledge,"wecouldnotinanywayhaveputanothermeaninguponit。Hedidnothesitateplainlytoasserthisknowledge,becausewithoutithecouldnothavebeentheteacheroftheGentiles。Andcertainlyifwebringforwardanythingofhisasamodelofeloquence,wetakeitfromthoseepistleswhichevenhisverydetractors,whothoughthisbodilypresenceweakandhisspeechcontemptible,confessedtobeweightyandpowerful。(3)
Isee,then,thatImustsaysomethingabouttheeloquenceoftheprophetsalso,wheremanythingsareconcealedunderametaphoricalstyle,whichthemorecompletelytheyseemburiedunderfiguresofspeech,givethegreaterpleasurewhenbroughttolight。Inthisplace,however,itismydutytoselectapassageofsuchakindthatIshallnotbecompelledtoexplainthematter,butonlytocommendthestyle。AndIshalldoso,quotingprincipallyfromthebookofthatprophetwhosaysthathewasashepherdorherdsman,andwascalledbyGodfromthatoccupation,andsenttoprophesytothepeopleofGod。(4)
Ishallnot,however,followtheSeptuaginttranslators,who,beingthemselvesundertheguidanceoftheHolySpiritintheirtranslation,seemtohavealteredsomepassageswiththeviewofdirectingthereader’sattentionmoreparticularlytotheinvestigationofthespiritualsense;(andhencesomepassagesaremoreobscure,becausemorefigurative,intheirtranslation;)
butIshallfollowthetranslationmadefromtheHebrewintoLatinbythepresbyterJerome,amanthoroughlyacquaintedwithbothtongues。
16。When,then,thisrustic,orquondamrusticprophet,wasdenouncingthegodless,theproud,theluxurious,andthereforethemostneglectfulofbrotherlylove,hecalledaloud,saying:"WoetoyouwhoareateaseinZion,andtrustinthemountainofSamaria,whoareheadsandchiefsofthepeople,enteringwithpompintothehouseofIsrael!PassyeuntoCalneh,andsee;
andfromthencegoyetoHamaththegreat;thengodowntoGathofthePhilistines,andtoallthebestkingdomsofthese:istheirbordergreaterthanyourborder?Yethataresetapartforthedayofevil,andthatcomeneartotheseatofoppression;
thatlieuponbedsofivory,andstretchyourselvesuponcouchesthateatthelamboftheflock,andthecalvesoutofthemidstoftheherd;thatchanttothesoundoftheviol。TheythoughtthattheyhadinstrumentsofmusiclikeDavid;drinkingwineinbowls,andanointingthemselveswiththecostliestointment:andtheywerenotgrievedfortheafflictionofJoseph。"(1)Supposethosemenwho,assumingtobethemselveslearnedandeloquent,despiseourprophetsasuntaughtandunskillfulofspeech,hadbeenobligedtodeliveramessagelikethis,andtomensuchasthese,wouldtheyhavechosentoexpressthemselvesinanyrespectdifferently——thoseofthem,atleast,whowouldhaveshrunkfromravinglikemadmen?
17。Forwhatistherethatsoberearscouldwishchangedinthisspeech?
Inthefirstplace,theinvectiveitself;withwhatvehemenceitthrowsitselfuponthedrowsysensestostartlethemintowakefulness:"WoetoyouwhoareateaseinZion,andtrustinthemountainsofSamaria,whoareheadsandchiefsofthepeople,enteringwithpompintothehouseofIsrael!"Next,thathemayusethefavorsofGod,whohasbestoweduponthemampleterritory,toshowtheiringratitudeintrustingtothemountainofSamaria,whereidolswereworshipped:"PassyeuntoCalneh,"
hesays,"andsee;andfromthencegoyetoHamaththegreat;thengodowntoGathofthePhilistines,andtoallthebestkingdomsofthese:istheirbordergreaterthanyourborder?"Atthesametimealsothatthesethingsarespokenof,thestyleisadornedwithnamesofplacesaswithlamps,suchas"Zion,""Samaria,""Calneh,""Hamaththegreat,"and"GathofthePhilistines。"Thenthewordsjoinedtotheseplacesaremostappropriatelyvaried:"yeareatease,""yetrust,""passon,""go,""descend。"
18。Andthenthefuturecaptivityunderanoppressivekingisannouncedasapproaching,whenitisadded:"Yethataresetapartforthedayofevil,andcomeneartotheseatofoppression。"
Thenaresubjoinedtheevilsofluxury:"yethatlieuponbedsofivory,andstretchyourselvesuponcouches;thateatthelambfromtheflock,andthecalvesoutofthemidstoftheherd。"
Thesesixclausesformthreeperiodsoftwomemberseach。Forhedoesnotsay:Yewhoaresetapartforthedayofevil,whocomeneartotheseatofoppression,whosleepuponbedsofivory,whostretchyourselvesuponcouches,whoeatthelambfromtheflock,andcalvesoutoftheherd。"Ifhehadsoexpressedit,thiswouldhavehaditsbeauty:sixseparateclausesrunningon,thesamepronounbeingrepeatedeachtime,andeachclausefinishedbyasingleeffortofthespeaker’svoice。Butitismorebeautifulasitis,theclausesbeingjoinedinpairsunderthesamepronoun,andformingthreesentences,onereferringtotheprophecyofthecaptivity:"Yethataresetapartforthedayofevil,andcomeneartheseatofoppression;"thesecondtolasciviousness:"yethatlieuponbedsofivory,andstretchyourselvesuponcouches;"thethirdtogluttony:"whoeatthelambfromtheflock,andthecalvesoutofthemidstoftheherd。"Sothatitisatthediscretionofthespeakerwhetherhefinisheachclauseseparatelyandmakesixaltogether,orwhetherhesuspendhisvoiceatthefirst,thethird,andthefifth,andbyjoiningthesecondtothefirst,thefourthtothethird,andthesixthtothefifth,makethreemostelegantperiodsoftwomemberseach:onedescribingtheimminentcatastrophe;another,thelasciviouscouch;
andthethird,theluxurioustable。
19。Nexthereproachesthemwiththeirluxuryinseekingpleasureforthesenseofhearing。Andhere,whenhehadsaid,"Yewhochanttothesoundoftheviol,"seeingthatwisemenmaypractisemusicwisely,he,withwonderfulskillofspeech,checkstheflowofhisinvective,andnotnowspeakingto,butof,thesemen,andtoshowusthatwemustdistinguishthemusicofthewisefromthemusicofthevoluptuary,hedoesnotsay,"Yewhochanttothesoundoftheviol,andthinkthatyehaveinstrumentsofmusiclikeDavid;"buthefirstaddressestothemselveswhatitisrightthevoluptuariesshouldhear,"Yewhochanttothesoundoftheviol;"andthen,turningtoothers,heintimatesthatthesemenhavenotevenskillintheirart:"theythoughtthattheyhadinstrumentsofmusiclikeDavid;drinkingwineinbowls,andanointingthemselveswiththecostliestointment。"Thesethreeclausesarebestpronouncedwhenthevoiceissuspendedonthefirsttwomembersoftheperiod,andcomestoapauseonthethird。
20。Butnowastothesentencewhichfollowsallthese:"andtheywerenotgrievedfortheafflictionofJoseph。"Whetherthisbepronouncedcontinuouslyasoneclause,orwhetherwithmoreeleganceweholdthewords,"andtheywerenotgrieved,"
suspendedonthevoice,andthenadd,"fortheafflictionofJoseph,"
soastomakeaperiodoftwomembers;inanycase,itisatouchofmarvelousbeautynottosay,"andtheywerenotgrievedfortheafflictionoftheirbrother;"buttoputJosephforbrother,soastoindicatebrothersingeneralbythepropernameofhimwhostandsoutillustriousfromamonghisbrethren,bothinregardtotheinjurieshesufferedandthegoodreturnhemade。
And,indeed,Idonotknowwhetherthisfigureofspeech,bywhichJosephisputforbrothersingeneral,isoneofthoselaiddowninthatartwhichIlearntandusedtoteach。
Buthowbeautifulitis,andhowitcomeshometotheintelligentreader,itisuselesstotellanyonewhodoesnothimselffeelit。
21。AndanumberofotherpointsbearingonthelawsofeloquencecouldbefoundinthispassagewhichIhavechosenasanexample。Butanintelligentreaderwillnotbesomuchinstructedbycarefullyanalysingitaskindledbyrecitingitwithspirit。Norwasitcomposedbyman’sartandcare,butitflowedforthinwisdomandeloquencefromtheDivinemind;wisdomnotaimingateloquence,yeteloquencenotshrinkingfromwisdom。Forif,ascertainveryeloquentandacutemenhaveperceivedandsaid,theruleswhicharelaiddownintheartoforatorycouldnothavebeenobserved,andnoted,andreducedtosystem,iftheyhadnotfirsthadtheirbirthinthegeniusoforators,isitwonderfulthattheyshouldbefoundinthemessengersofHimwhoistheauthorofallgenius?Thereforeletusacknowledgethatthecanonicalwritersarenotonlywisebuteloquentalso,withaneloquencesuitedtoacharacterandpositionliketheirs。
CHAP。8。——THEOBSCURITYOFTHESACREDWRITERS,THOUGHCOMPATIBLEWITH
ELOQUENCE,NOTTOBEIMITATEDBYCHRISTIANTEACHERS。
22。ButalthoughItakesomeexamplesofeloquencefromthosewritingsoftheirswhichthereisnodifficultyinunderstanding,wearenotbyanymeanstosupposethatitisourdutytoimitatetheminthosepassageswhere,withaviewtoexerciseandtrainthemindsoftheirreaders,andtobreakinuponthesatietyandstimulatethezealofthosewhoarewillingtolearn,andwithaviewalsotothrowaveiloverthemindsofthegodlesseitherthattheymaybeconvertedtopietyorshutoutfromaknowledgeofthemysteries,fromoneorotherofthesereasonstheyhaveexpressedthemselveswithausefulandwholesomeobscurity。TheyhaveindeedexpressedthemselvesinsuchawaythatthosewhoinafteragesunderstoodandexplainedthemarighthaveintheChurchofGodobtainedanesteem,notindeedequaltothatwithwhichtheyarethemselvesregarded,butcomingnexttoit。Theexpositorsofthesewriters,then,oughtnottoexpressthemselvesinthesameway,asifputtingforwardtheirexpositionsasofthesameauthority;buttheyoughtinalltheirdeliverancestomakeittheirfirstandchiefaimtobeunderstood,usingasfaraspossiblesuchclearnessofspeechthateitherhewillbeverydullwhodoesnotunderstandthem,orthatifwhattheysayshouldnotbeveryeasilyorquicklyunderstood,thereasonwilllienotintheirmannerofexpression,butinthedifficultyandsubtiltyofthemattertheyaretryingtoexplain。
CHAP。9。——HOW,ANDWITHWHOM,DIFFICULTPASSAGESARETOBEDISCUSSED。
23。Fortherearesomepassageswhicharenotunderstoodintheirproperforce,orareunderstoodwithgreatdifficulty,atwhateverlength,howeverclearly,orwithwhatevereloquencethespeakermayexpoundthem;andtheseshouldneverbebroughtbeforethepeopleatall,oronlyonrareoccasionswhenthereissomeurgentreason。Inbooks,however,whicharewritteninsuchastylethat,ifunderstood,they,sotospeak,drawtheirownreaders,andifnotunderstood,givenotroubletothosewhodonotcaretoreadthemandinprivateconversations,wemustnotshrinkfromthedutyofbringingthetruthwhichweourselveshavereachedwithinthecomprehensionofothers,howeverdifficultitmaybetounderstandit,andwhateverlaborinthewayofargumentitmaycostus。Onlytwoconditionsaretobeinsistedupon,thatourhearerorcompanionshouldhaveanearnestdesiretolearnthetruth,andshouldhavecapacityofmindtoreceiveitinwhateverformitmaybecommunicated,theteachernotbeingsoanxiousabouttheeloquenceasabouttheclearnessofhisteaching。
CHAP。10。——THENECESSITYFORPERSPICUITY
OFSTYLE。
24。Nowastrongdesireforclearnesssometimesleadstoneglectofthemorepolishedformsofspeech,andindifferenceaboutwhatsoundswell,comparedwithwhatdearlyexpressesandconveysthemeaningintended。Whenceacertainauthor,whendealingwithspeechofthiskind,saysthatthereisinit"akindofcarefulnegligence。"(1)Yetwhiletakingawayornament,itdoesnotbringinvulgarityofspeech;thoughgoodteachershave,oroughttohave,sogreatananxietyaboutteachingthattheywillemployawordwhichcannotbemadepureLatinwithoutbecomingobscureorambiguous,butwhichwhenusedaccordingtothevulgaridiomisneitherambiguousnorobscure)notinthewaythelearned,butratherinthewaytheunlearnedemployit。Forifourtranslatorsdidnotshrinkfromsaying,"Noncongregaboconventiculaeorumdesanguinibus,"(2)becausetheyfeltthatitwasimportantforthesensetoputawordhereinthepluralwhichinLatinisonlyusedinthesingular;whyshouldateacherofgodlinesswhoisaddressinganunlearnedaudienceshrinkfromusingassureinsteadofos,ifhefearthatthelattermightbetakennotasthesingularofossa,butasthesingularofora,seeingthatAfricanearshavenoquickperceptionoftheshortnessorlengthofvowels?Andwhatadvantageisthereinpurityofspeechwhichdoesnotleadtounderstandinginthehearer,seeingthatthereisnouseatallinspeaking,iftheydonotunderstandusforwhosesakewespeak?He,therefore,whoteacheswillavoidallwordsthatdonotteach;andifinsteadofthemhecanfindwordswhichareatoncepureandintelligible,hewilltakethesebypreference;if,however,hecannot,eitherbecausetherearenosuchwords,orbecausetheydonotatthetimeoccurtohim,hewillusewordsthatarenotquitepure,ifonlythesubstanceofhisthoughtbeconveyedandapprehendedinitsintegrity。
25。Andthismustbeinsistedonasnecessarytoourbeingunderstood,notonlyinconversations,whetherwithonepersonorwithseveral,butmuchmoreinthecaseofaspeechdeliveredinpublic:
forinconversationanyonehasthepowerofaskingaquestion;butwhenallaresilentthatonemaybeheard,andallfacesareturnedattentivelyuponhim,itisneithercustomarynordecorousforapersontoaskaquestionaboutwhathedoesnotunderstand;
andonthisaccountthespeakeroughttobeespeciallycarefultogiveassistancetothosewhocannotaskit。Nowacrowdanxiousforinstructiongenerallyshowsbyitsmovementsifitunderstandswhatissaid;anduntilsomeindicationofthissortbegiven,thesubjectdiscussedoughttobeturnedoverandover,andputineveryshapeandformandvarietyofexpression,athingwhichcannotbedonebymenwhoarerepeatingwordspreparedbeforehandandcommittedtomemory。Assoon,however,asthespeakerhasascertainedthatwhathesaysisunderstood,heoughteithertobringhisaddresstoaclose,orpassontoanotherpoint。Forifamangivespleasurewhenhethrowslightuponpointsonwhichpeoplewishforinstruction,hebecomeswearisomewhenhedwellsatlengthuponthingsthatarealreadywellknown,especiallywhenmen’sexpectationwasfixedonhavingthedifficultiesofthepassageremoved。Foreventhingsthatareverywellknownaretoldforthesakeofthepleasuretheygive,iftheattentionbedirectednottothethingsthemselves,buttothewayinwhichtheyaretold。Nay,evenwhenthestyleitselfisalreadywellknown,ifitbepleasingtothehearers,itisalmostamatterofindifferencewhetherhewhospeaksbeaspeakerorareader。
Forthingsthataregracefullywrittenareoftennotonlyreadwithdelightbythosewhoaremakingtheirfirstacquaintancewiththem,butre-readwithdelightbythosewhohavealreadymadeacquaintancewiththem,andhavenotyetforgottenthem;nay,boththeseclasseswillderivepleasureevenfromhearinganothermanrepeatthem。Andifamanhasforgottenanything,whenheisremindedofitheistaught。ButIamnotnowtreatingofthemodeofgivingpleasure。Iamspeakingofthemodeinwhichmenwhodesiretolearnoughttobetaught。Andthebestmodeisthatwhichsecuresthathewhohearsshallhearthetruth,andthatwhathehearsheshallunderstand。AndwhenthisJointhasbeenreached,nofurtherlaborneedbespentonthetruthitself,asifitrequiredfurtherexplanation;butperhapssometroublemaybetakentoenforceitsoastobringithometotheheart。Ifitappearrighttodothis,itoughttobedonesomoderatelyasnottotoadtowearinessandimpatience。
CHAP。11——THECHRISTIANTEACHERMUSTSPEAKCLEARLY,BUTNOTINELEGANTLY。
26。Forteaching,ofcourse,trueeloquenceconsists,notinmakingpeoplelikewhattheydisliked,norinmakingthemdowhattheyshrankfrom,butinmakingclearwhatwasobscure;yetifthisbedonewithoutgraceofstyle,thebenefitdoesnotextendbeyondthefeweagerstudentswhoareanxioustoknowwhateveristobelearnt,howeverrudeandunpolishedtheforminwhichitisput;andwho,whentheyhavesucceededintheirobject,findtheplaintruthpleasantfoodenough。Anditisoneofthedistinctivefeaturesofgoodintellectsnottolovewords,butthetruthinwords。Forofwhatserviceisagoldenkey,ifitcannotopenwhatwewantittoopen?Orwhatobjectionistheretoawoodenoneifitcan,seeingthattoopenwhatisshutisallwewant?Butasthereisacertainanalogybetweenlearningandeating,theveryfoodwithoutwhichitisimpossibletolivemustbeflavoredtomeetthetastesofthemajority。
CHAP。12。——THEAIMOFTHEORATOR,ACCORDINGTOCICERO,ISTOTEACH,TODELIGHT,AND
TOMOVE。OFTHESE,TEACHINGISTHEMOSTESSENTIAL。
27。Accordinglyagreatoratorhastrulysaidthat"aneloquentmanmustspeaksoastoteach,todelight,andtopersuade。"
Thenheadds:"Toteachisanecessity,todelightisabeauty,topersuadeisatriumph。"(2)Nowofthesethree,theonefirstmentioned,theteaching,whichisamatterofnecessity,dependsonwhatwesay;theothertwoonthewaywesayit。He,then,whospeakswiththepurposeofteachingshouldnotsupposethathehassaidwhathehastosayaslongasheisnotunderstood;foralthoughwhathehassaidbeintelligibletohimselfitisnotsaidatalltothemanwhodoesnotunderstandit。If,however,heisunderstood,hehassaidhissay,whatevermayhavebeenhismannerofsayingit。Butifhewishestodelightorpersuadehisheareraswell,hewillnotaccomplishthatendbyputtinghisthoughtinanyshapenomatterwhat,butforthatpurposethestyleofspeakingisamatterofimportance。Andasthehearermustbepleasedinordertosecurehisattention,sohemustbepersuadedinordertomovehimtoaction。Andasheispleasedifyouspeakwithsweetnessandelegance,soheispersuadedifhebedrawnbyyourpromises,andawedbyyourthreats;
ifherejectwhatyoucondemn,andembracewhatyoucommend;ifhegrievewhenyouheapupobjectsforgrief,andrejoicewhenyoupointoutanobjectforjoy;ifhepitythosewhomyoupresenttohimasobjectsofpity,andshrinkfromthosewhomyousetbeforehimasmentobefearedandshunned。
Ineednotgooveralltheotherthingsthatcanbedonebypowerfuleloquencetomovethemindsofthehearers,nottellingthemwhattheyoughttodo,buturgingthemtodowhattheyalreadyknowoughttobedone。
28。If,however,theydonotyetknowthis,theymustofcoursebeinstructedbeforetheycanbemoved。Andperhapsthemereknowledgeoftheirdutywillhavesuchaneffectthattherewillbenoneedtomovethemwithgreaterstrengthofeloquence。Yetwhenthisisneedful,itoughttobedone。Anditisneedfulwhenpeople,knowingwhattheyoughttodo,doitnot。Therefore,toteachisanecessity。Forwhatmenknow,itisintheirownhandseithertodoornottoIdo。Butwhowouldsaythatitistheirdutytodowhattheydonotknow?Onthesameprinciple,topersuadeisnotanecessity:foritisnotalwayscalledfor;as,forexample,whentheheareryieldshisassenttoonewhosimplyteachesorgivespleasure。Forthisreasonalsotopersuadeisatriumph,becauseitispossiblethatamanmaybetaughtanddelighted,andyetnotgivehisconsent。Andwhatwillbetheuseofgainingthefirsttwoendsifwefailinthethird?Neitherisitanecessitytogivepleasure;forwhen,inthecourseofanaddress,thetruthisclearlypointedout(andthisisthetruefunctionofteaching),itisnotthefact,norisittheintention,thatthestyleofspeechshouldmakethetruthpleasing,orthatthestyleshouldofitselfgivepleasure;butthetruthitself,whenexhibitedinitsnakedsimplicity,givespleasure,becauseitisthetruth。Andhenceevenfalsitiesarefrequentlyasourceofpleasurewhentheyarebroughttolightandexposed。Itisnot,ofcourse,theirfalsitythatgivespleasure;butasitistruethattheyarefalse,thespeechwhichshowsthistobetruegivespleasure。
CHAP。13。——THEHEARERMUSTBEMOVEDAS
WELLASINSTRUCTED。
29。Butforthesakeofthosewhoaresofastidiousthattheydonotcarefortruthunlessitisputintheformofapleasingdiscourse,nosmallplacehasbeenassignedineloquencetotheartofpleasing。Andyeteventhisisnotenoughforthosestubborn-mindedmenwhobothunderstandandarepleasedwiththeteacher’sdiscourse,withoutderivinganyprofitfromit。
Forwhatdoesitprofitamanthathebothconfessesthetruthandpraisestheeloquence,ifhedoesnotyieldhisconsent,whenitisonlyforthesakeofsecuringhisconsentthatthespeakerinurgingthetruthgivescarefulattentiontowhathesays?Ifthetruthstaughtaresuchthattobelieveortoknowthemisenough,togiveone’sassentimpliesnothingmorethantoconfessthattheyaretrue。When,however,thetruthtaughtisonethatmustbecarriedintopractice,andthatistaughtfortheverypurposeofbeingpractised,itisuselesstobepersuadedofthetruthofwhatissaid,itisuselesstobepleasedwiththemannerinwhichitissaid,ifitbenotsolearntastobepractised。Theeloquentdivine,then,whenheisurgingapracticaltruth,mustnotonlyteachsoastogiveinstruction,andpleasesoastokeepuptheattention,buthemustalsoswaythemindsoastosubduethewill。Forifamanbenotmovedbytheforceoftruth,thoughitisdemonstratedtohisownconfession,andclothedinbeautyofstyle,nothingremainsbuttosubduehimbythepowerofeloquence。
CHAP。14。——BEAUTYOFDICTIONTOBEINKEEPINGWITHTHEMATTER。
30。Andsomuchlaborhasbeenspentbymenonthebeautyofexpressionherespokenof,thatnotonlyisitnotourdutytodo,butitisourdutytoshunandabhor,manyandheinousdeedsofwickednessandbasenesswhichwickedandbasemenhavewithgreateloquencerecommended,notwithaviewtogainingassent,butmerelyforthesakeofbeingreadwithpleasure。ButmayGodavertfromHisChurchwhattheprophetJeremiahsaysofthesynagogueoftheJews:"Awonderfulandhorriblethingiscommittedintheland:theprophetsprophesyfalsely,andthepriestsapplaudthemwiththeirhands;(1)andmypeoplelovetohaveitso:andwhatwillyedointheendthereof?"(2)
Oeloquence,whichisthemoreterriblefromitspurity,andthemorecrushingfromitssolidity!Assuredlyitis"ahammerthatbreakeththerockinpieces。"FortothisGodHimselfhasbythesameprophetcomparedHisownwordspokenthroughHisholyprophets。(3)
Godforbid,then,Godforbidthatwithusthepriestshouldapplaudthefalseprophet,andthatGod’speopleshouldlovetohaveandso。Godforbid,Isay,thatwithusthereshouldbesuchterriblemadness!Forwhatshallwedointheendthereof?Andassuredlyitispreferable,eventhoughwhatissaidshouldbelessintelligible,lesspleasing,andlesspersuasive,thattruthbespoken,andthatwhatisjust,notwhatisiniquitous,belistenedtowithpleasure。Butthis,ofcourse,cannotbe,unlesswhatistrueandjustbeexpressedwithelegance。
31。Inaseriousassembly,moreover,suchasisspokenofwhenitissaid,"IwillpraiseTheeamongmuchpeople,"(4)nopleasureisderivedfromthatspeciesofeloquencewhichindeedsaysnothingthatisfalse,butwhichburiessmallandunimportanttruthsunderafrothymassofornamentalwords,suchaswouldnotbegracefulordignifiedevenifusedtoadorngreatandfundamentaltruths。AndsomethingofthissortoccursinaletteroftheblessedCyprian,which,Ithink,cametherebyaccident,orelsewasinserteddesignedlywiththisview,thatposteritymightseehowthewholesomedisciplineofChristianteachinghadcuredhimofthatredundancyoflanguage,andconfinedhimtoamoredignifiedandmodestformofeloquence,suchaswefindinhissubsequentletters,astylewhichisadmiredwithouteffort,issoughtafterwitheagerness,butisnotattainedwithoutgreatdifficulty。Hesays,then,inoneplace,"Letusseekthisabode:theneighboringsolitudesaffordaretreatwhere,whilstthespreadingshootsofthevinetrees,pendulousandintertwined,creepamongstthesupportingreeds,theleafycoveringhasmadeaporticoofvine。"(5)Thereiswonderfulfluencyandexuberanceoflanguagehere;butitistoofloridtobepleasingtoseriousminds。Butpeoplewhoarefondofthisstyleareapttothinkthatmenwhodonotuseit,butemployamorechastenedstyle,dosobecausetheycannotattaintheformer,notbecausetheirjudgmentteachesthemtoavoidit。Whereforethisholymanshowsboththathecanspeakinthatstyle,forhehasdonesoonce,andthathedoesnotchoose,forheneverusesitagain。
CHAP。15。——THECHRISTIANTEACHERSHOULD
PRAYBEFOREPREACHING。
32。AndsoourChristianorator,whilehesayswhatisjust,andholy,andgood(andheoughtnevertosayanythingelse),doesallhecantobeheardwithintelligence,withpleasure,andwithobedience;
andheneedandsofarashesucceeds,hewillsucceedmorebypietyinprayerthanbygiftsoforatory;andsoheoughttoprayforhimself,andforthoseheisabouttoaddress,beforeheattemptstospeak。Andwhenthehouriscomethathemustspeak,heought,beforeheopenshismouth,toliftuphisthirstysoultoGod,todrinkinwhatheisabouttopourforth,andtobehimselffilledwithwhatheisabouttodistribute。For,asinregardtoeverymatteroffaithandlovetherearemanythingsthatmaybesaid,andmanywaysofsayingthem,whoknowswhatitisexpedientatagivenmomentforustosay,ortobeheardsaying,exceptGodwhoknowstheheartsofall?Andwhocanmakeussaywhatweought,andinthewayweought,exceptHiminwhosehandbothweandourspeechesare?Accordingly,hewhoisanxiousbothtoknowandtoteachshouldlearnallthatistobetaught,andacquiresuchafacultyofspeechasissuitableforadivine。Butwhenthehourforspeecharrives,lethimreflectuponthatsayingofourLord’sasbettersuitedtothewantsofapiousmind"Takenothoughthoworwhatyeshallspeak;foritshallbegivenyouinthatsamehourwhatyeshallspeak。Foritisnotyethatspeak,buttheSpiritofyourFatherwhichspeakethinyou。"(1)TheHolySpirit,then,speaksthusinthosewhoforChrist’ssakearedeliveredtothepersecutors;whynotalsointhosewhodeliverChrist’smessagetothosewhoarewiltingtolearn?
CHAP。16。——HUMANDIRECTIONSNOTTOBEDESPISED,THOUGHGODMAKESTHE
TRUE
TEACHER。
33。Nowifanyonesaysthatweneednotdirectmenhoworwhattheyshouldteach,sincetheHolySpiritmakesthemteachers,hemayaswellsaythatweneednotpray,sinceourLordsays,"YourFatherknowethwhatthingsyehaveneedofbeforeyeaskHim;"(2)orthattheApostlePaulshouldnothavegivendirectionstoTimothyandTitusastohoworwhattheyshouldteachothers。AndthesethreeapostolicepistlesoughttobeconstantlybeforetheeyesofeveryonewhohasobtainedthepositionofateacherintheChurch。IntheFirstEpistletoTimothydowenotread:"Thesethingscommandandteach?"(3)
Whatthesethingsare,hasbeentoldpreviously。Dowenotreadthere:
"Rebukenotanelder,butentreathimasafather?"(4)IsitnotsaidintheSecondEpistle:"Holdfasttheformofsoundwords,whichthouhastheardofme?"(5)Andishenotbeashamed,rightlydividingthewordoftruth?"(6)Andinthesameplace:
"Preachtheword;beinstantinseason,outofseason;
reprove,rebuke,exhort,withalllong-sufferinganddoctrine。"(7)
AndsointheEpistletoTitus,doeshenotsaythatabishopoughtto"holdfastthefaithfulwordashehathbeentaught,thathemaybeablebysounddoctrinebothtoexhortandtoconvincethegainsayers?"(8)There,too,hesays:"Butspeakthouthethingswhichbecomesounddoctrine:thattheagedmenbesober,"andsoon。(9)Andthere,too:"Thesethingsspeak,andexhort,andrebukewithallauthority。Letnomandespisethee。Puttheminmindtobesubjecttoprincipalitiesandpowers"(10)
andsoon。Whatthenarewetothink?Doestheapostleinanywaycontradicthimself,when,thoughhesaysthatmenaremadeteachersbytheoperationoftheHolySpirit,heyethimselfgivesthemdirectionshowandwhattheyshouldteach?Orarewetounderstand,thatthoughthedutyofmentoteacheventheteachersdoesnotceasewhentheHolySpiritisgiven,yetthatneitherishewhoplantethanything,norhewhowatereth,butGodwhogiveththeincrease?(11)Whereforethoughholymenbeourhelpers,orevenholyangelsassistus,noonelearnsarightthethingsthatpertaintolifewithGod,untilGodmakeshimreadytolearnfromHimself,thatGodwhoisthusaddressedinthepsalm:"TeachmetodoThywill;forThouartmyGod。"(12)