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THE SYSTEM OF ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY. 5os Egina, Was sent hy Alexander the Great whom he accompantedint Asia, o obtain ins Ormation pon the manners, ise, an doctrine of these hilosophers, Calanus, a Brachman instructed him Calanus. in the ollowin principies of thei relleion: hat formeri yilenty Religiolis principies
O ili Universe; -that virtve in munkinu Willi re ardet in anotherstate, and vice punished has been transmitte si Om age to age, doWn to the present times by a genera tradition. It willi Mundi obtain quali among the Hiridoos the Chinese the natives of Japan, an to influenco the conduci os the hordes o savages hoare spreadive the vastilians os orth and South America, and of thos also Wh are distribute among the counties istand in thericifiC. The religibus principies of the odprn indoos the lineal 1NDoos. descendant of the ancient Gymnosophisis, ill est Xplain the Religious system. leadine doctrines supportet by the system of tho alter The spirit 'ed'ng0 hed',
author of that religious sustem Whicli is contained in thei Bedes, mentistes' me
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Supremo Being;-in the immortalit os the foui; -in a future stato os reward and punishments an in the doctrine of the etemsy-
three divine poWersis Creation, Preservation, udgmen or destruction, are represented a residiit in three distinc intelligetices : Brahma, V hom ali venerate a Supreme in the Godhead;
I riplicit in the Supreme Unity.
The remarhahi resemblance etWeen these principies and ur Christian doctrine of the Trinit must Strili u atino : rincipies, whichius wellius thei solander notion os divinity, mus have been derived rom ancient traditions transmitted own to them rom thoinsant orid. The numberles erroneous Otions of the Deityamong theseleople, aros froni their havinidistinguishod his threo great attributes by emblems. he ramitas, With the fame ears, and the sanae narro an illiberal rejudices that actuate thelegislators, the ings, an priest o Egypt an Greece, in conoealin the true nowledge of Od unde emblems, symbolf, and the obscurit o mysterious rites ee thei sacre books ost
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superstitioiasty from heinhol perusal of the vulgar. ence religious ignorance a been promote an perpetuated. In thesebooks, o ever, amitis at the ros an barbarous error Whicli distinguish them aro tot met with, occasionalty the mos sublime
and jus conceptions of tho Almioty, ast ordiniirrefutable videlice of the ' Sol Supremo od' havin originalty been the objec of
has graduali descendod into the cheerles glOom os barbarous idolatrios, and thus mon have change me glor of the incorruptibi God into mages mado like to corruptibi man. V In sti Ort, from the wonderfui similarit existin belween many of the religious system of the eathens, and tho Osai account, e might ealmos justifie in concludin that the Gentiles derive froni his 8οurce the primitive light o natura religion This light hoWever, has been dactoned by the vapoiars of thei rites, their sacrifices, and abies and though stili liminerin in the ids of sui roundingHOOm, Can Only hine to etra an deceivo while the true lightha been happily by Divine influence, preservet pure an unadulterate in themoly Scriptures. There a re an probabie arguments o supposing that the HINESV -m ' Chinese,' a Wel a tho inhabitant of egu, iam, and Japati, j 'U' ' β' horrowed thei religion rom the original of the Hindoos. The system os exclusion adopte against oreigners by the respective govertiment os hin and Japan, has hitherio prevented the religionis these Wo countrios bella generali linown to EurΟPeunS. O me religious opinion conteriainedi Consucius and his solio v Consucius. erS, e ma glean a genera notion rom the fragments of their
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Works translated by Couplet. The prosesse a firmaelio in tho Supreme God uni gave a demonstration of his ein and of his Providenoe, rom the exquisite beaut and persection of the colestialhodies, and the wonderia ordor o natur in the whole fabri ostho visibio orid. Froni his belle the deduce a system fothios, whichahe Philosopho concludes in a se Word a the closo of the Lun-yii. me,' says Consucius, ,h shali e suli persuade that he Lor o Heaven Overris the universe; hostiat in ali hings hoos moderation;-who bal persecti knowhis oWn species, and so ac among them that his lis an manners may consorin to his knowledge of God ani man, a be trul saidio discliam ali ho duties of a sago arida be sar exalted above thecommon herdis the humati race. Nouli' descend nt Inonis par of the discussion it ma he necessar to ea in
mind that aster the deluge the descendant of Ham occupied Assyria, Egypt Palestine, Chaldaea, and Arabia. hos of Shem, Persia, par of esopotamia, and oster regioris of the East. Thoseo Japheth many of the maritim countries, Washed by the editerranean hesides ali Europe the lesse Asia, edia, Armenia, Iberia, Albania, and Scythia.
Religious notions os The notion os a Triail, o Trinit', is no confine to the
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Si David Baird rom Bomba , in his march acros the Arabiandesert to assis the operations of Si Ralph Abercrombie immediatet discovered in the resigi iis institutions and even in thelangvage of the olant , a very trihin resemblance to their Wn
Vernacular Ongue and rites. We lino that the religiolis mysteries hicli ere dissemi- Originos European
fame rite in honoris Ceres, whicli,ere institute by tne ancient Egyptians, o more properly by siris, in the Worshil of Isis Thonatur an end of these mysteries Were the fame und the aenerat Similari nos the
desigii os both as to each the doctrino of a futuro states; to S P i '' in 'x' i*β-engag men to amoly and virtuous lise;-lo ive them jus notionso religion unda disclos to them the error of vulga Polytheisin. The three principat obiecis entertained in these mysteries a trullis Three clues objecis
Worthy the human intellect, ere, si si tho is and stablishment', ' 'o civi society;-secondiy the olies of retributive justice Waltingever individual in another World;-and thirdly the great principie of the Uni . his laver doctrine Was the obiectis thes mater mysteries The greate an l
in hicli the whole delusion of aganism a disci sed anc in whicli the initiato woro instructod that the whole circle of hea thendeities,ere ni mortal deified by men and that God Mone Was
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mysteries Were preparator to the reater, and inculcated the generat holies of a providelice an future state, uni it ConSequent en ga gement to a virtuous lisse. The inviolate secresy, attending these mysteries, originate in the political vlew of the legislators. ninis principi the mysteries ere si a med. hey,ere epi secret tooxcite the curiosit of the uninitialed, and the were celebrate Diti the night to impres Veneration. V.A. sed . Ving tr Ced me disserent system of hilosophy, o the corrupi orshil of the Deity, With at tho attendant superstition ofreligiolis rite an sacrifices, down froni the a14ies times to theidolatrous mysteries of Egypt and to thoi transmission into Greecean Europe, We have no to investigat the principies adoptet bytho Philosophers of Greece Wh supportet correspondinior disse
Introductio os reli-Who introduce Minto Greeco a reuular notion of the immortalit of
the foui, and of a state os reWard and punishments in the doctrine of the etempsychosis, o transmigration of the soli into disserent hodies, hich many ages revi ousint his time prevalle liso onlyin gypt but amon severa more Easteria nation. und more Durticularly in the solitar retroats of the BraChmanS.gious sentiments into Greece PYTHAGORAS. D. B. C. 497.
Pythagoras, the discipleis Phorecydos travelled into Egypt and Chaldaea and On his return froni Babylon extended an improve l
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lli doctrines of his predecessor. me tauo the exist0nc o a Supreme eing, by Whom the Universe Was realed, and by whose Providelice it is preserved; ha the ouis of mankin are ema nations of the Divine eing; hat, on thei separation rom thebody the gorio places destinet for thei reception tho good o bopuriste sor readmission into the Divine Sotarce, Wheno the flowed; and tho nil to expiat their Crimes ora arti, by frequent transmigration through the odies of men and ensis Antilagoiis tothos doctrinos are the sentiment of themindOOS WhO SUPPOSC, Imbu i ii . that aster a seven- sold purification the fouis of the good are trans AH 'U' ' P r sei rei into disserent degree o bliss an are inulty absorbet into the infinito ocean o eternu life God; V hile the fouis of thowiched per i in penatice oti arti in the Odies O animais, hose disposition hea a resemblanco to thos vices, sor,hich tho had
destinarians, and heliove that Brahma has inscribe every an's fato,ithin his sorohead. The doctrinesis Pythagora made a Consi Phta derable progress in Greece and Italy, and ave birili, perhaps, o many of the more rationat system os philosophy,hicli sucCeeiled them. Socrates, the wises of ali ho ancient philosophers, Confined SOCRATES.
his doctrines Chios to maxim o morality, and taught that purityan virtve ere Mone Capable o producin rea an permanenthappiness. He amowed his helio in tho unit o God and thoimmortalit of the oul, and assii med that he harmon reigning
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been reveale to the percoptions of the human intellect; ut that the religionis every count ordained his Worship howeve disserent their modes O adoration. His dens os a prior and futurestate os existence ere regulate a cordinito the doctrine pre- violasty lai doWni Pythagoras. PLATO. lato a disciple of Socrates, travellexinto Egypt and Italy, and
upon his return t Athens, established his schoo in the grove os Academus. He embraced the doctrines of Socrates respecting the unit of the Supremeraeing, withou heginninio end. He assii med that this World was reducod into sorti by the willi God, rom elements Joatin about ether in Chaoti confusion;-that God ad infused into matter a portionis his divine and ternat spirit, to animate uni regulate iis motions. e maintainei the divisibilit of the soli into tW distinc and separate natures;-the ne CorrUP-tibio the ource of est the humari passioris, CO- existiniandierishing togethe with theiody; helthor immortat belli a portionifthe divine spirit, residing in the bra in and the solanta in f reason; and that his divine solit, When released rom iis union,ith alter, continues iis existence, ei ther in a state Os happines oriunishment, accordinito iis deseris. The dea os a future state is the mos pre-vailin doctrine filato' system, uni is iis Oundation, agreeingolosely with the doctrine maintaine by his predecessors, Socrates and PythagorRS.
ilio original signines them, Obtaine the appellation the eripatetic. illi his
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mastor Plato, he acknowledged the existene os a Supreme eing, und aught that in very thinia train motive ' principies, and an uia interrupte series of Causes anc essecis are discoverable and that a nothinican happen Withou cause, ' So nothin Can procoed froni accident; V hat in soli Winithis chain, are ledipno contemplato the primitive cause, the Supreme eing the universalsoui, whO, a the Wil moves heiody, animates and direct the wholosystem of the universe. The fouis of mankind with Plato, he Considere stas portionsi emanations of the divine spirit; and aster death, iliat he were absorbed into the Divini . filiis argument, hoWeVer, ho seonis to destro ait ideas of the foui existin in a separate state, and possessiniit origina identity, after the dissolutioni iis attach mon to the animul frame. In his Ethios, indeed, e explicitlysiates that denti, is the final periodis existence, and thatio onit Annihil iuno the
there is neither good nor evi sortilio doad man illior o hopo ' β''S 'AU' ' 'ς or ear.' The system of this enlightenet philosopher, superior usit is to the hypotheses of his predecessors, uti l deepius are his re-searches into nature, and accurate and satissa Ctor as are his investigations os abstraci subjecis lead iis ni to this conclusion, ilia it is impossibi so the mos learnei ingenuit to avoid inconsistericies in maintaining an artificia scheme, Whicli has no truthsor iis basis. The notions os immortalit entertiane by the eathens, erewidol disserent froni the belles, in that particular, inculcated Othe Jows throuo the osai dis ensation hemindoos and the The udrei and
Egyptians certaini specula ted pon the doctrines of immortalisy; z
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1 THE SYSTEMS OF ANCIEN PHILOSOPHY.them. AEgypt an in Greeco asterWards, in immorta natureo the oui as asserted hut in the representation Os a futuro state, and of it heing one of retribution the philosopher of eithercoianir proceededini to the doctrine of a transmigrationis soliis, a mere physica event, entiret independent of ali morat consi- Pu tata derations. WheneVer in future renovation o human eing om ovout eomphigini ilOy thei refleCtions the Seeminabieri sonis above tho physical
hod3. transmigration, as introduCed into Greeco by ythagoras, si omEgypt an Countrie more remote; and neve arrive ut the pure doctrines of a state of future reWard a d punishments a delivere in the Judaic system, an confirmed by the doctrines of ,- ὸ si ita . 6 ChriStianity. Aster the denti, o Aristolle, his discipies, tho Pori patetios divi ted in thei opinion concerning the natur of the foui; the ne pari assii miniit immortali , rom it divine origin theother, rom iis union,ith theiody, assertiniit mortality. ΖΕΝOos Cyprus en o Citium in tho fland of Cyprus, the 1 unde of the
uhiu .hbs sh,hi Symbol Os hi disserent attributes. Cassii med that tho divino spiritti . . t God was in ossicioni principi hy hicli the worix vas create lout of the component elemenis, and that he is indivisibie, infinito, Unchangeabie, and omnipresent; and that the sotali mari, heinia portion O the universat oui return aster death t iis fit si sotirce. Η considere virtuo alone a the fource of happiness, und aughtthat mortification an abstinence are essentiali necessar to the Present an future welsare os the foui.