57. Eloquence of the temperate style, also, must, in the case of the Christian orator, be neither altogether without ornament, nor un- suitably adorned, nor is it to make the giving of pleasure its sole aim, which is all it pro- fesses to accomplish in the hands of others; but in its encomiums and censures it should aim at inducing the hearer to strive after or hold more firmly by what it praises, and to avoid or renounce what it condemns. On the other hand, without perspicuity this style can- not give pleasure. And so the three quali- ties, perspicuity, beauty, and persuasiveness, are to be sought in this style also; beauty, of course, being its primary object.
58. Again, when it becomes necessary to stir and sway the hearer's mind by the majestic style (and this is always necessary when he admits that what you say is both true and agreeable, and yet is unwilling to act accord- ingly), you must, of course, speak in the ma- jestic style. But who can be moved if he does not understand what is said? and who will stay to listen if he receives no pleasure? Wherefore, in this style, too, when an obdu- rate heart is to be persuaded to obedience, you must speak so as to be both intelligible and pleasing, if you would be heard with a submissive mind.
CHAP. 27. — THE MAN WHOSE LIFE IS IN HAR- MONY WITH HIS TEACHING WILL TEACH WITH GREATER EFFECT.
59. But whatever may be the majesty of the style, the life of the speaker will count for more in securing the hearer's compliance. The man who speaks wisely and eloquently, but lives wickedly, may, it is true, instruct many who are anxious to learn; though, as it is written, he " is unprofitable to himself."2 Wherefore, also, the apostle says: "Whether in pretence or in truth Christ is preached."3 Now Christ is the truth; yet we see that the truth can be preached, though not in truth, — that is, what is right and true in itself may be preached by a man of perverse and deceit- ful mind. And thus it is that Jesus Christ is preached by those that seek their own, and not the things that are Jesus Christ's. But since true believers obey the voice, not of any man, but of the Lord Himself, who says, *'A11 therefore whatsoever they bid you ob- serve, that observe and do: but do not ye after their works; for they say and do not; " 4 therefore it is that men who themselves lead unprofitable lives are heard with profit by others. For though they seek their own ob- jects, they do not dare to teach their own doc- trines, sitting as they do in the high places of ecclesiastical authority, which is established on sound doctrine. Wherefore our Lord Himself, before saying what I have just quoted about men of this stamp, made this observa- tion: " The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat."5 The seat they occupied, then, which was not theirs but Moses', compelled them to say what was good, though they did what was evil. And so they followed their own course in their lives, but were prevented by the seat they occupied, which belonged to another, from preaching their own doctrines.
60. Now these men do good to many by preaching what they themselves do not per- form; but they would do good to very many 1 Ps. xciii. 5.
2 Ecclus. xxxvii. 19. 4 Matt, xxiii. 3.
596 ON CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE.
[Book IV.
more if they lived as they preach. For there are numbers who seek an excuse for their own evil lives in comparing the teaching with the conduct of their instructors, and who say in their hearts, or even go a little further, and say with their lips: Why do you not do your- self what you bid me do? And thus they cease to listen with submission to a man who does not listen to himself, and in despising the preacher they learn to despise the word that is preached. Wherefore the apostle, writing to Timothy, after telling him, "Let no man despise thy youth," adds immediately the course by which he would avoid contempt: "but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." * CHAP. 28. TRUTH 15 MORE IMPORTANT THAN EXPRESSION. WHAT IS MEANT BY STRIFE ABOUT WORDS.
61. Such a teacher as is here described may, to secure compliance, speak not only quietly and temperately, but even vehemently, without any breach of modesty, because his life protects him against contempt. For while he pursues an upright life, he takes care to maintain a good reputation as well, provid- ing things honest in the sight of God and men,2 fearing God, and caring for men. In his very speech even he prefers to please by matter rather than by words; thinks that a thing is well said in proportion as it is true in fact, and that a teacher should govern his words, not let the words govern h;m. This is what the apostle says: " Not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect." 3 To the same effect also is what he says to Timothy: " Charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers."4 Now this does not mean that, when adversaries oppose the truth, we are to say nothing in defence of the truth. For where, then, would be what he says when he is describing the sort of man a bishop ought to be: " that he may be able by sound doc- trine both to exhort and convince the gain- sayers?"5 To strive about words is not to be careful about the way to overcome error by truth, but to be anxious that your mode of expression should be preferred to that of an- other. The man who does not strive about words, whether he speak quietly, temperately, or vehemently, uses words with no other pur- pose than to make the truth plain, pleasing, and effective; for not even love itself, which 3 1 Cor. ii. 17.
is the end of the commandment and the ful- filling of the law,6 can be rightly exercised unless the objects of love are true and not false. For as a man with a comely body but an ill-conditioned mind is a more painful ob- ject than if his body too were deformed, so men who teach lies are the more pitiable if they happen to be eloquent in speech. To speak eloquently, then, and wisely as well, is just to express truths which it is expedient to teach in fit and proper words, — words which in the subdued style are adequate, in the temperate, elegant, and in the majestic, forci- ble. But the man who cannot speak both eloquently and wisely should speak wisely without eloquence, rather than eloquently without wisdom.
CHAP. 29. — IT IS PERMISSIBLE FOR A PREACHER TO DELIVER TO THE PEOPLE WHAT HAS BEEN WRITTEN BY A MORE ELOQUENT MAN THAN HIMSELF.
If, however, he cannot do even this, let his life be such as shall not only secure a reward for himself, but afford an example to others; and let his manner of living be an eloquent sermon in itself.
63. There are, indeed, some men who have a good delivery, but cannot compose anything to deliver. Now, if such men take what has been written with wisdom and eloquence by others, and commit it to memory, and deliver it to the people, they cannot be blamed, sup- posing them to do it without deception. For in this way many become preachers of the truth (which is certainly desirable), and yet not many teachers; for all deliver the dis- course which one real teacher has composed, and there are no divisions among them. Nor are such men to be alarmed by the words of Jeremiah the prophet, through whom God denounces those who steal His words every one from his neighbor.7 For those who steal take what does not belong to them, but the word of God belongs to all who obey it; and it is the man who speaks well, but lives badly, who really takes the words that belong to an- other. For the good things he says seem to be the result of his own thought, and yet they have nothing in common with his manner of life. And so God has said that they steal His words who would appear good by speak- ing God's words, but are in fact bad, as they follow their own ways. And if you look closely into the matter, it is not really themselves who say the good things they say. For how can they say in words what they deny in 7 Jer. xxiii. 30.
Chap. XXXI.]
ON CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE.
597 deeds? It is not for nothing that the apostle says of such men: " They profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him."1 In one sense, then, they do say the things, and in another sense they do not say them; for both these statements must be true, both being made by Him who is the Truth. Speak- ing of such men, in one place He says, " Whatsoever they bid you observe, that ob- serve and do; but do not ye after their works;" — that is to say, what ye hear from their lips, that do; what ye see in their lives, that do ye not; — " for they say and do not."2 And so, though they do not, yet they say. But in another place, upbraiding such men, He says, "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things?"3 And from this it would appear that even what they say, when they say what is good, it is not themselves who say, for in will and in deed they deny what they say. Hence it happens that a wicked man who is eloquent may com- pose a discourse in which the truth is set forth to be delivered by a good man who is not elo- quent; and when this takes place, the former draws from himself what does not belong to him, and the latter receives from another what really belongs to himself. But when true believers render this service to true be- lievers, both parties speak what is their own, for God is theirs, to whom belongs all that they say; and even those who could not com- pose what they say make it their own by composing their lives in harmony with it.
•CHAP. 30. THE PREACHER SHOULD COMMENCE HIS DISCOURSE WITH PRAYER TO GOD.
6$. But whether a man is going to address Matt, xxiii. 3.
the people or to dictate what others will de- liver or read to the people, he ought to pray God to put into his mouth a suitable dis- course. For if Queen Esther prayed, when she was about to speak to the king touching the temporal welfare of her race, that God would put fit words into her mouth,4 how much more ought he to pray for the same blessing who labors in word and doctrine for the eternal welfare of men? Those, again, who are to deliver what others compose for them ought, before they receive their dis- course, to pray for those who are preparing it; and when they have received it, they ought to pray both that they themselves may deliver it well, and that those to whom they address it may give ear; and when the discourse has a happy issue, they ought to render thanks to Him from whom they know such blessings come, so that all the praise may be His " in whose hand are both we and our words." s CHAP. 31. — APOLOGY FOR THE LENGTH OF THE WORK.
64. This book has extended to a greater length than I expected or desired. But the reader or hearer who finds pleasure in it will not think it long. He who thinks it long, but is anxious to know its contents, may read it in parts. He who does not care to be ac- quainted with it need not complain of its length. I, however, give thanks to God that with what little ability I possess I have in these four books striven to depict, not the sort of man I am myself (for my defects are very many), but the sort of man he ought to be who desires to labor in sound, that is, in Christian doctrine, not for his own instruction only, but for that of others also.
4 Esth. iv. 16 (LXX.).
5 Wisd. vii. 16.