64 QUAKER ASPECTS OF TRUTH 



was a product of Greek art and not of Christian origin* 

 In an age of decadence, when originality of thought had 

 been largely replaced by elaboration of diction, Greek 

 sophists and rhetoricians used to give ** discourses ** 

 from texts, just as ministers of religion preach sermons 

 to-day* And the Greek discourse was undoubtedly the 

 parent of the modern sermon* Indeed, the only striking 

 difference between the two was the derivation of the text* 

 The Greek philosopher took his text generally from 

 Homer, though sometimes from Plato, or Sophocles, 

 or from some other classical writer ; whilst the modern 

 minister of religion takes his text from the Bible* 



But in the Christian Church of the first century all 

 the prophesying was spontaneous, just as it is in a Friends* 

 Meeting to-day* It was not restricted to an official 

 class, for in those early days, there was no distinction 

 between clergy and laity* Men, and women too, ** spake 

 as the Spirit gave them utterance*** 



In the second and third centuries, however, preachers 

 like Chrysostom arose, who had learnt their art, not in 

 the school of Christ, but in the schools of Greek 

 rhetoricians, and before the close of the second century 

 ministry under the direct inspiration of the Spirit of 

 God was deemed heretical* TertuUian missed his 

 place in the '* Saints* Calendar ** because he believed 

 that such speaking under the inspiration of the Holy 

 Spirit still had a legitimate place in the Christian Church* 

 So early and so completely had the Church come under 

 the influence of Greek usage* 



Finally, the members of other religious denomi- 

 nations profess to believe in the Headship of Christ* 

 Theoretically they hold the view, just as we do, that 

 Christ is present at their gatherings, and can speak to 

 those who have met together to worship Him* But in 

 practice few, if any of them, ever dream of acting upon 

 this assumption* No provision whatever is made for 



