With "the sentence of death in themselves" the early Christians faced the world, and astonished it by more than their "stubbornness." They were the most essentially happy people of the day--Jesus was their hope, their sufficiency was of God, their names were written in heaven, they were full of love for all men--they had "become little children," as Jesus put it, glad and natural. Jesus had brought them into a new world of possibilities. A conduct that ancient moralists dared not ask, the character of Jesus suggested, and the love of Jesus made actual. "I can do all things," said Paul, "in him that strengtheneth me." They looked to assured victory over evil and they achieved it. "This is the victory that _has_ overcome the world--our faith." Very soon a new note is heard in their words. Stoicism was never "essentially musical"; Epictetus announces a hymn to Zeus,[82] but he never starts the tune. Over and over again there is a sound of singing in Paul--as in the eighth chapter of the _Romans_, and the thirteenth of _First Corinthians_,[83] and it repeats itself. "Children of joy" is Barnabas' name for his friends.[84] {166} "Doing the will of Christ we shall find rest," wrote the unknown author of "Second Clement."[85] "Praising we plough; and singing we sail," wrote the greater Clement.[86] "Candidates for angelhood, even here we learn the strain hereafter to be raised to God, the function of our future glory," said Tertullian.[87] "Clothe thyself in gladness, that always has grace with God and is welcome to him--and revel in it. For every glad man does what is good, and thinks what is good.... The holy spirit is a glad spirit ... yes, they shall all live to God, who put away sadness from themselves and clothe themselves in all gladness." So said the angel to Hermas,[88] and he was right. The holy spirit was a glad spirit, and gladness--joy in the holy spirit--was the secret of Christian morality. Nothing could well be more gay and happy than Clement's _Protrepticus_. Augustine was attracted to the church because he saw it _non dissolute hilaris_. Such happiness in men is never without a personal centre, and the church made no secret that this centre was "Jesus Christ, whom you have not seen, but you love him; whom yet you see not, but you believe in him and rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorified."[89] Chapter V Footnotes: [1] See Burkitt's _Early Eastern Christianity_. [2] See Justin, _Apology_, i, 14, a vivid passage on the change of character that has been wrought in men by the Gospel. Cf. Tert. _ad Scap._ 2, _nec aliunde noscibiles quam de emendatione vitiorum pristinorum_. [3] Ephesians iv, 4. [4] 1 Peter ii, 7. [5] Tertullian, _ad Nationes_, i, 8, _Plane, tertium genus dicimur ... verum recogitate ne quos tertium genus dicitis principem locum obtineant, siquidem non ulla gens non Christiana_. [6] Cf. Jeremiah xxxi, 31--a favourite passage with Christian apologists.