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passes on athwart it, as the planet moVes against the revolution of the shy. He mahes no distinction of What Can he tolera ted and whatis intolerable. He must conquer fortune Wholly Or not at all. Forthe wi se man such a thing as injury does not exi St. Is he deserves what he suffers. he takes it aS a judgement: is not, let the doerbiush for it. Such was the spirit of SocrateS .... 303-311
In a discourse addres sed to his mollier, Seneca hRS Suggesteo consolation under every kind of Calami ty. When mi Sfortunes aremany, it is not worth while bewalling any one of them Separately.We are hardened by the rest, like veteran soldiers who bear their Wounds in silence. Seneca alleges his own example under triat. Though not attaining to the levet of the truly wise , he yet has illo eduli se men'S teaching, and so has been forewarned and forearmedagainst the caprices of fortune. Tahe each mi Sfortune Singly. Andfirst os exile. What is exile but a change of place Z of the vastmultitudes in Rome is not a large proportion fore ign 8 Again, is notConStant motion as natural to the minu as it is to the heaven lybodies Z Looking at the human race, we find each part of it constant lymigrating; and what is migration but exile Z Whereuer We go we Carry Our morat nature with us : we find the fame universe around uS. Let u S remember what Brutus telis us of the cheerfui activi ty of Marcellus in exile. Ρoveri y is sonaetimes ad ded. Is meat and drinlaand clothing are supplied, it is no cause for complaint that avarice and gluttony are not Satiate d. The reat necessities of life are ea Silyprovided. For the rest, the mind is everything; jewel S, gold and Silver are of smali account. Violence and di Sease may affect thebody; the mind they Cannot touch. The poor are not leSS happythan the rich. But luxury has been carried so far that the travellingmoney of an exile is what Once would have been the patrimony of princes. Homer had but One servant, Plato three, Zeno none. Buthow is ali these eviis, poverty, exile and neglect, be joined togetheri The anSwer is the Same. The Same reason whicli supplie S en durance of One wili suffice for all. As for ignominy, it dependg on him Whoen dures it: the prison waS an honourable place when Socrates WASits inhabitant. When a great man is Cast down he is veneraten Stili, aS When a stately temple is laid in ruing .... 311-3l7
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My rea sons for treat ing this third part of Morat Philosophy at such tengili are two. FirSt, that although we are far in advance of heathen nations in linowledge of spirituat illa, we are far bellind them both in word ano deed, as to public and private lise in this worid. Secondiy, the works of Seneca front which Ι quote have been hi therio unknown to me, in Spite of a long Search sor them, and probably to
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ii. Strange indeed is the tenden Cy in bad men to malign men bellerthan thenaseives, instead os attaching one another; to pich out thespectis in these, heedless of their own hi deous eruptions. Vetthey only bring into greater prominence the virtve whicli they
e muSi purgue Our Steady Course, not diverted frona it by the varying blasis of opinion. We shali in Cur the reproach that a philosophic li se involves abandonment of the duties of a Citigen. But inretirement We rem ain aCtive, still working at What will be of use tothose who come aster us. The turbulent politi CS around us are not
of friends ; not insisting on perfection, but ab ove ali avoiding the
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in ivine is not to be Wholly sorbidden. The mind is stirred by such influen es and rai sed above iis usual leuel. To these may be ad dedihe in spiring influence of music, of whicli the prophet Elij ah avalle clhimself 362 365 MORAL PHILOSOPHY : FOURTH PART . . . . 366-401 The beau ty of the subjeci, and the rari ty of the books treat ing of it explain the tength of the preceding pari. I now paSS to the grounes for accepting the Christian religion, Whicli potnis the way to happines sin a future life , and thus giveS a meaning and a purpOSe to moralphilosophy. God has never test men without the means os salvation : hence we find ancient philosophers, and eSpecialty Aristolle, considering What are the principies Whicli preserve or destroy
The religions now existing in the world are tho se of Saracens, Tartars, Pagans, IdolaterS Buddhi Sis , Jews, Christians. Theyare distinguis hed not merely by opinion, but also by dimeren ceos moral aim. The Saracens permit excessive indulgence in seXualplea Sures. The TartarS err srom luSt of power; a S we learn Domthe traveis of William Rubria quis. Their mode of life is Coarsenno rude . The Pagans live by CuStona rather than renSon, and suppos e that their present enjoyments will be continuect in a future lila. The Idola ters resemble them in this, excepi that their prie sis practi se Chasti ty and abstinence. The Jews combinest spirituat with temporal bles sings ; the lalter a s weli as the former belonging to the future iis . The Christians, while accepting temporat wealth in thepresent lise, are wholly independent of it in the future . . 367-370 of these se is we may place the Pagans lowest ; they a re gui dedby no priesthood, and each follows his o vn way. The Idola ters have a priesthood and a rituat; but they have a multiplici ty of god s. The Tartars come third ; they worship one God, though with many superstitious and Cruel ob Servan Ces. NeXt in order Come the Jews, of whom the more spirituat attainest to the knowledge of the true Christ. Fifth come the Christians, who practi se the Jewish lawSpiritually. Finalty there is the law of Antichri St, whicli sor a time Over heims ali others. And each of these has iis own moralprincipie-pleRSure, wealth, ambition, fame, or bl essed ness in a futurelii. In the mathematical section of this work it has been Shown that there is a Connexion he tween theSe fecis and the VariouS planetaryinfluences, whicli incline men's Characters in certain direCtionS, thoughwithout depriving them of Dee-Will. As these innuences Change, eaChof the secis may be modi fied by the others. So the Saracens, thoughmainly under the influence of Uenus, are modisieci by Jewish and
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Christian law. The Tartars, though governed by Mars, in like
manner are modihed by Mercury, whicli impli es Christian influence. The Pagans, again, and the Idolaters may differ a cord ing as the influence of Mars or of the Sun may prevail. With the Pagans, terrestiat things as weli as celestial may be objects of worship . 370 372We have now to ConSider the means of showing the truth of the Christian religion. V e may appeal to miraCles ; or we may tRhethe ground of reason and philoSophy Common to us and the other secis. Though the Christi an Ahould not place his clites reliance onreaSon, yet he Should be able to rencter an account of the faith thatis in him. And as the heathen clo not accept this laith, we must challenge them on philosophical ground. Philosophy is gi ven to mensor the very purpOSe of leading them tu truth .... 372-373 In what sol lows I am appenting to the wise among them ratherthan the simple. There are three hinus of knowledge : that comingstom our own Study Or experience; that whicli is leariat fromothers, and that whicli is naturat, in the sense of being shared by
the whole species. It is no less natural to aci on such truth than toknow it. Practical and speculati Ve reaSOn have the Same Source, an dare essentialty the Same, RS Ari Stolle haS taught . . . 373 375The existence of God is one of the se natural trullis, as Cicero hassaid. The necessity of demon Strating it Comes stom the wealaening effect os sin on Our faculties. The divine uni ty is not known bynature; and even thoge who accepi it are in error as to God sat tributes. These therei ore haVe to be expla ined, beginning, as themathematici an begins, with elementary principies. That God is aneternat first Cause of infinite WiSdom, power, and goodness is accepted by the Tartars, Saracen S, JeWS, and Chri Stians. Pagans Cannot oenythis truth when presented to them; as the recent conferen e in Tartary between Christians, Saracens, and Buddhisis has Ahown. Their resistance et Sewhere to Christiani ty is clue to attempis to impose on them a foret gn yoke 375 377 The Christian advocate may further pleast that in tracing Causes we Cannot go bacti erant essty. There must, as Aristolle has laiddown, be a first Cause, that has always existed, and must exist foreVer, unchnngeably. HoethiuS haS Shown that imperfection implies perfection, to whi Ch it i S an approximation. Perieci poWer, RS Aristolle Ahows, is boundi ess power : and is the power of God beinfinite, a fortiori is His essen e infinite. It follows that His good-ness is infinite ; and Dorn infinite power and goodness follows theattribute os infinite wisdom. Such a cause is Capable therelare ofcreating this utorid, and is disposed to goVern it in the best way. Is it be s id that the worid is eternat, this is to rat se it to equalitywith God. Is more than one Cause is asserted, then none Can be
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infinite. In one worid at least there Can l)e only one. And is there Ahould be more worid S than one, the Same infinite God is capable ofgoverning them. But plurali ty of worlds is an hypothesis whicli Aristolle has dissipated ; for they Would ali tend to the fame Centralpoint, and lOSe their Separate existen Ce 377 381 God heing one and infinite, man is bound to 3 ield Him boundi essi everence, in thankfulness for his creation and sor his liope; os future happiness. Even the Pagans belleve in a future Iila; so do the Saracens, although their belles is lainted with thoughts of animalenjoymenis. The JewS have the fame belles Thias the Luddhisis hRVe univerSal opinion against them. This present ii se is fuit os mi Sery, Dona which we must belleve that the future life will be Dee. In our glorified hody and fout we shali participate in the divine nature. So too will the punishment of the evit be infinite. This thenis the twosold motive sor cloing the will of God. But man Cannot of himself know that wili; as the differen e of his religions Sho , differen es whicli exist even with in the palla os Christiani ty. of the
triae nature even os materiat things we are profoundly ignorant; much more of things immateriai . 381 383 Therefore Revelation is necessary. Aristolle has sa id that in these things the human mind is as the eye of the owl or bat to thelight of the Sun, or, as Avicenna says, as the deas man to mu Si Calharmony, or as the tantaught Child to the highest truth. Man, Sab SSeneca, is too mortal for immortat things. And apari stom intrinsicinabili ty to discern infinite truth he is blinded by sin. Man must therelare be taught by divine authori ty 383-385
tenCherS Rre mere magici an s. It is Clear there re that they are notin possession of the authoritative truth which ive se ela. This theythem selves have confessed. We must thereire examine the re maining three religions Jewish, Mahommedan, and Christi an . 386-388 The Superiori ty of the Christian lais is proveo first by the aut hori tyos philosophy, whicli as I have before shown has gi ven itS Sancti Onto the principat doctrines of Christiani ty. No Such testimony hasbeen gi ven to Judaism or Mahommedanism. Seneca haS allaCked the Jewisti creed; and Mahommedanism has been asserted by
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adu to this the testimony of the Sibyls. Coming more into delati, wefind the Jewisti propheis bearing testimony for Christ, and Josephus Supplying proos that Judaism Would give way to Christianity. Other
eviden e is contained in the books of Esdras and of the twelve Patriarchs. The authorShip of these books is uni nown, but theyare of weighty authori ty. Further, the Je isti religion talien by itself, vitii iis incessant flaughtering of catile, is extremely repulsive ; and i S So spolien os in the Psalms and prophetical books. Similarly the Koran uSes very Strong language in prat se of Christ. Mahommedan writers say much in disprat se of their own Seci, and admit that theli se of iis Munder was stat ned by many Vices. Accepting then the testimony of each seci as Standing on the fame levet, we find notae of them, except the Christian, testi sying in favour of their own Dunder, to whom both Iewish and Mahonimedan authorities, as weli as
The credibili ty of Christian writers regis On si X groundS : perSonalsanctity ; wisdom ; miraculou S po erS ; firmiaeSS under perSecutiori ;uniformi ty of faith ; their victory in spite of humbie origin and estate. Eesides these ground S sor accepting Christiani ty, there are themii acies Wrought by Jesus, especialty the Orgi veneSs of Sins, thesurest proof of His Divine nature. For nei ther Moses nor forMahomet was divini ty clai med. There is the yet further proos ofhol iness of liis, which both in Mahommedanism and Judaism is mund wanting. In nei ther is there any recommendation of POVerty, chasti ty, and obedience. Nor is the sanction os a future life clearly
Set sortii in them ......... 393-396
Having thus proved that the Christian faith is to be accepted astrue, We need not examine eaCh one of iis artioles. There is howeverone of them a s to whicli much dii ut ty has been experien ced, the Sacrament of the Altar. I Wisti theresere to give reasons why itshould be willingly and ardently accepteo, Containing as it cloes theessenCe of the whole. Fit St, it is accepted by the whole Christi an Church. Seconclly, it is manifestly set sortii in Scripture, as in the Gospei of St. Jolin, and in the Look of Wisdom, and in the Episti e of St. Peter. Thirdly, it is confirmed by the unanimous authori ty of thesainis. Fourthly, we may add the teStimony of innumerable miracles, of whicli I here record two of undoubted authentici ty and recent date. Finalty, as the Creator is omni present throughout the worid, So bythis sacrament is the Redeemer omni present to those who are in a State of grace. Without the Creator'S preSence the Creature Would cease to eXist. So without the Re-Creator'S presence would there- created fati hom the state of grace. It consists with the infinite
power and goodness of Christ that this infinite good should be