II Was Napoleon a great man ? If by " great " be intended the combination of moral qualities with those of intellect, great he certainly was not. But that he was great in the sense of being extraordinary and supreme we can have no doubt. If greatness stands for natural power, for predominance, for some- thing human beyond humanity, then Napoleon was assuredly great. Besides that indefinable spark which we call genius, he represents a combination of intellect and energy which has never perhaps been equalled, never, certainly, surpassed. He carried human faculty to the farthest point of which we have accurate knowledge. . . . No name represents so completely and con- Bpicuously dominion, splendour, and catastrophe. He raised himself by the use, and ruined himself by the abuse, of super- human faculties. He was wrecked by the extravagance of his own genius. No less powers than those which had effected his rise could have achieved his fall.^
2. God's design for man is that he should be morally and spiritually great. And the aim of the moral activity of God in
* Phillips Brooks, The Spiritual Man, 301. ^ Quintin Hogg, 398.
' Lord Rosebery, Napoleon, The Last Fhaae, 251.
3o8 GOD'S GENTLENESS
this planet is to ensure the true greatness of man. This is the scene which He has chosen, furnished, and adorned for conducting our education. Every object of beauty, greatness, might, and splendour, and all symbols of truth, purity, beneficence, and Godhead, are the diagrams created by infinite Wisdom, Power, and Goodness for the great school of the human and Christian life. What is the design of every parent worthy of the name ? Is it not to provide his children with all the means of intelligence, self-control, success, nobility, and honour ? First, and above all other things, will he not train them in the knowledge and love of their Creator and Kedeemer ? Is it not an honest pride to him, of which he will never feel ashamed, and a delight of heart which he will never need to disguise, to see the members of his family living in the practice of every Christian virtue and in the respect and goodv/ill of all their fellow-men ? Is not God our Father ? It is a joy to Him to guide His children to glory, honour, and immortality.
(1) When God makes men great, He makes them kingly. Milton says, " He who reigns within himself and rules passions, desires, fears, is more than a king" — and when God handles a man He sets his feet on a throne, a crown on his head, a sceptre in his hand. He is not carried away by impulse, caprice, desire, passion, but is swayed by reason and righteousness. Nor does he rule himself alone, for he influences others, and moulds and makes the society in which he moves. He puts out evil's fires; he kindles the fires of goodness.
^ Who is the strong man ? Is he the man who passes through society with the battle-axe of Eichard Coeur de Lion ? The child sees a man lift a great weight with his teeth, and at once he exclaims. What a strong man ! Is the child right ? He would have been right had he said, " What a strong animal ! " Such poor power wastes itself day by day ; the man's teeth perish, where is the giant then ? Here are two men under circumstances of equal provocation : the one man instantly resents the insult which has been inflicted upon him ; in a moment he is in a paroxysm of rage, asserting his dignity, and smiting his opponent ; men who are standing by admire the fire of his character, they say, " What a strong man ! " The other man shows no sign of rage, holds himself in the severest self-control ; instead of resisting evil, he answers not again, and persons who look only on the surface of
PSALM XVIII. 35 309
things declare him a coward. Solomon would have declared him a strong man, and so would Jesus Christ. The strength of man- hood is to be judged not by the fury of occasional explosions, but by the depth and solidity of moral foundations. The smallest natures are, of course, most easily excited to self-defence. Impudence is infinitely quicker than dignity. True strength is calm ; incomplete power is fussy. " He that ruleth his own spirit is greater than he that taketh a city." ^
(2) When God makes men great, He makes them useful. The life which is God-saved, God-built, God-blessed, is wonderfully beneficent. " I will bless thee and thou shalt be a blessing."
^ The legend tells that the visits of a goddess to an ancient city were always known, although no eye sighted her. She paused before a lightning-blasted tree, and lo ! the woodbine sprang up and covered the tree's nakedness. She lingered by the stagnant pool — the pool became a flowing stream. She rested upon a decaying log, and lo ! it became a fruitful tree. She crossed a brook, and lo ! wherever she put down her foot the flowers came to birth. It is even so with the life nourished and cherished by God. It leaves its mark — a gracious mark — wherever it goes. " The wilderness and the solitary places are made glad."^