Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

474 THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH ANDwithin which human society moves, and, as havingtheir root in the moral nature of man, are a dutyto everyone.This human commonwealth enfolds in idea thewhole earth. It is the society of man with man.ut it closes with this life. It has no respect toanything beyond. It was the Stoics who mostcompletely worked out this system of moral philosophy; who urged the duty of man's obedienceto nature, of his voluntary subjection to that oneuniversal law and power which held all thingsfrom the highest to the lowest in its grasp; andwho likewise most absolutely cut him off fromany personal existence in a future state. Thevirtue in which they placed his happiness was tobe complete in itself; it was the work of manwithout any assistance on the part of God.59made man equal to God. It found its reward initself. If it was objected that the highest virtue inthis life sometimes met with the greatest disasters,sorrows, pains, and bereavements, the system hadno reply to this mystery. It did not attempt toassert a recompense beyond the grave.As little did it attempt to account for or tocorrect the conflict between man's reason and hisanimal nature. That perpetual approval of the betterand choice of the worse part stood before the59 Cic. de Nat. Deor. iii. 36. " Virtutem nemo unquam acceptam deoretulit. Nimirum recte. Propter virtutem enim jure laudamur, et inmma nobis, haberenms."