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35. Now the author I have quoted could have exemplified these three
directions, as laid down by himself, in regard to legal questions: he
could not, however, have done so in regard to ecclesiastical
questions, the only ones that an address such as I wish to give shape
to is concerned with. For of legal questions those are called small
which have reference to pecuniary transactions; those great where a
matter relating to man's life or liberty comes up. Cases, again,
which have to do with neither of these, and where the intention is not
to get the hearer to do, or to pronounce judgment upon anything, but
only to give him pleasure, occupy as it were a middle place between the
former two, and are on that account called middling, or moderate.
For moderate things get their name from modus (a measure); and it is
an abuse, not a proper use of the word moderate, to put it for
little. In questions like ours, however, where all things, and
especially those addressed to the people from the place of authority,
ought to have reference to men's salvation, and that not their
temporal but their eternal salvation, and where also the thing to be
guarded against is eternal ruin, everything that we say is important;
so much so, that even what the preacher says about pecuniary matters,
whether it have reference to loss or gain, whether the amount be great
or small, should not seem unimportant. For justice is never
unimportant, and justice ought assuredly to be observed, even in small
affairs of money, as our Lord says: "He that is faithful in that
which is least, is faithful also in much." That which is least,
then, is very little; but to be faithful in that which is least is
great. For as the nature of the circle, viz., that all lines drawn
from the centre to the circumference are equal, is the same in a great
disk that it is in the smallest coin; so the greatness of justice is in
no degree lessened, though the matters to which justice is applied be
small.
36. And when the apostle spoke about trials in regard to secular
affairs (and what were these but matters of money?), he says:
"Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before
the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints
shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye
unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall
judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? If,
then, ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to
judge who are least esteemed in the Church. I speak to your shame.
Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that
shall be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goeth to law
with brother, and that before the unbelievers. Now therefore there is
utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another: why
do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to
be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your
brethren. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God?" Why is it that the apostle is so indignant, and
that he thus accuses, and upbraids, and chides, and threatens? Why
is it that the changes in his tone, so frequent and so abrupt, testify
to the depth of his emotion? Why is it, in fine, that he speaks in a
tone so exalted about matters so very trifling? Did secular matters
deserve so much at his hands? God forbid. No; but all this is done
for the sake of justice, charity, and piety, which in the judgment of
every sober mind are great, even when applied to matters the very
least.
37. Of course, if we were giving men ad vice as to how they ought
to conduct secular cases, either for themselves or for their
connections, before the church courts, we would tightly advise them to
conduct them quietly as matters of little moment. But we are treating
of the manner of speech of the man who is to be a teacher of the truths
which deliver us from eternal misery and bring us to eternal happiness;
and wherever these truths are spoken of, whether in public or private,
whether to one or many, whether to friends or enemies, whether in a
continuous discourse or in conversation, whether in tracts, or in
books, or in letters long or short, they are of great importance.
Unless indeed we are prepared to say that, because a cup of cold water
is a very trifling and common thing, the saying of our Lord that he
who gives a cup of cold water to one of His disciples shall in no wise
lose his reward, is very trivial and unimportant. Or that when a
preacher takes this saying as his text, he should think his subject
very unimportant, and therefore speak without either eloquence or
power, but in a subdued and humble style. Is it not the case that
when we happen to speak on this subject to the people, and the presence
of God is with us, so that what we say is not altogether unworthy of
the subject, a tongue of fire springs up out of that cold water which
inflames even the cold hearts of men with a zeal for doing works of
mercy in hope of an eternal reward?
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