Page:The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII.djvu/281



THE STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE. 275

pline, an apostolic man finds in the sacred writings abun- dant and excellent assistance; most holy precepts, gentle and strong exhortation, splendid examples of every virtue, and finally the promise of eternal reward and the threat of eternal punishment, uttered in terms of solemn import, in God's name and in God's own words.

And it is this peculiar and singular power of Holy ScriptX ure, arising from the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, which gives authority to the sacred orator, fills him with apostolic ' liberty of speech, and communicates force and power to his eloquence"." For those who infuse into their efforts the spirit and strength of the Word of God speak not in word only, but in power also, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much fulness} Hence, those preachers are foolish and improvident who, in speaking of religion and proclaim- ing the things of G^d, u se no words but those of h uman science and human prud ence, trusting to their own rea snn- ings rather than to those of God. Their discourses may be brilliant and finSpbut they must be feeble and they must be cold, for they are without the fire of the utterance of God ^ and they must fall far short of that mighty power which the speech of God possesses: for the Word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than any two- edged sword; and reaching unto the division of the soul and the spirit.^ But, indeed, those who have a right to speak are agreed that there is in the Holy Scripture an eloquence that is Wonderfully varied and rich and worthy of great themes. This St. Augustine thoroughly under- stood and has abundantly set forth.* This, also, is con- firmed by the best preachers of all ages, who have grate- ^ fully acknowledged that they owed their repute chiefly to the assiduous use of the Bible, and to devout meditation %n its pages.

The Holy Fathers well knew all this by practical experi- ence, and they never cease to extol the sacred Scripture

^ 1 Thess. i. 5. ^ Hebr. iv. 12.

^ Jerem. xxiii. 29. * De doctr. Chr. iv. 6, 7.