have had any reason even dimly to foresee his own sudden death, there
would have been a new feature in his act of intemperance,—a feature of
presumption and irreverence, as in one that by possibility felt himself
drawing near to the presence of God. But this is no part of the case
supposed. And the only new element in the man’s act is not any element of
extra immorality, but simply of extra misfortune.
The other remark has reference to the meaning of the word _sudden_. And
it is a strong illustration of the duty which forever calls us to the
stern valuation of words, that very possibly Cæsar and the Christian
Church do not differ in the way supposed; that is, do not differ by any
difference of doctrine as between Pagan and Christian views of the moral
temper appropriate to death, but that they are contemplating different
cases. Both contemplate a violent death, a Βιαθανατος—death that is
Βιαιος: but the difference is that the Roman by the word “sudden” means
an _unlingering_ death: whereas the Christian Litany by “sudden” means
a death _without warning_, consequently without any available summons
to religious preparation. The poor mutineer, who kneels down to gather
into his heart the bullets from twelve firelocks of his pitying comrades,
dies by a most sudden death in Cæsar’s sense: one shock, one mighty
spasm, one (possibly _not_ one) groan, and all is over. But, in the sense
of the Litany, his death is far from sudden; his offence, originally,
his imprisonment, his trial, the interval between his sentence and
its execution, having all furnished him with separate warnings of his
fate,—having all summoned him to meet it with solemn preparation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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