તે Quid inquam tum agimus, nifi animum ad feipfum, advocamus ? fecum effe cogimus? maximèq; à corpore abducimus: fecernere autem à corpore animum, nec quidquam aliud eft quàm emori difcere. Quare hoc commentemur, mihi crede; disjungamusq, nos à corporilus, id eft, confuefcamus mori. Hoc & dum erimus in terris erit illi cælefti vita fimile. Et cum illuc ex his vinculis emiffi feremur, minus tardalitur curfus animorum: Quo cum venerimus, tum deniq; vivemus: Nam hæc quidem vita, mors eft,quam lamentari poffem, fi liberet. And how the Somatifts were then efteemed, he addeth, [Caterva veniunt contradicentium, non folum Epicureorum, quos equidem non defpicio; fed nefcio quomodo, doctiffimus quifq, contemnir. And among Chriftians they will never recover their reputation. I know that fome doubting Chriftians are ready to fay as Cicero's Auditor, who faith, that he had often read Plato; fed nefcio quomodo dum lego affentior; cum pofui librum, & mecum ipfe de Immortalitate Animorum capi cogitare affenfio omnis illa elabitur. But this is because the truth is not fufficiently concocted, nor the conjoyned Frame of Evidences entirely and deeply printed on the minde; and fo divertions alienate the minde from the juft apprehenfion of fome of thofe Evidences which it had formerly had a glimpse of, and leave it open to the contrary fuggeftions. He that is furprised when his Profpective Glafs or Telescope is not with him, will not fee thofe things which by their help he faw before. And the remembrance of former convictions in the generall, will hardly fatistie a man against his present different apprehenfion, though he be confcious that he had then more help than now. I have found my self a far clearer apprehenfion of the certainty of the Life to come, and of the truth of the Gospel, when I have come newly from the fèrious view of the entire frame of convincing Evidences, than I can have at other times, when many particulars are out of the way,or much worn off my apprehenfions. Thefe paffages I have cited out of Heathens, to convince or confound those that under the Gospel, with their hearts, tongues or lives, deny thofe truths which the light of Nature hath fo far made clear. Remembring both thofe Sym bols bols of Pythagoras, De relus divinis alfq, lumine ne loquaris, Corpore depofito cum liber ad æthera perges, Alcinous reciting Plato's reafons for the Immortality of the Soul, cap. 25. mentioneth feven reafons, 1. Anima cuicunq; adeft, Vitam affert, utpote illi naturaliter infitam : Quod vero vitam præftat, mortem minime fufcipit: Ergo immortale exiftit, 2. Anima cum per corporis fenfus ad illa que fenfibilia funt defcendit, angitur & turbatur; nec fimilis effe poteft illius cujus præfentia turbatur. 3. Anima ipfa natura corpori dominatur. Quod autem natura fua regit, & imperat, divinitati cognatum: Ergo anima Deo proxima immortalis eft, &c. And because it may be objected, that by the first reason, the Souls of Bruits would be immortall, he answereth that, but fo doubtfully and darkly as is not worth the reciting. But though Alcinous incline to the negative (of the Immortality of the Anima brutorum) Porphyrius is peremptory for the affirmative, upon the fuppofition of their rationality. The Stoick Philofophers bear alfo as full a teftimony gainst the Athicft and the denyers of humanity, as the reft: For though Cicero thank them for nothing, and rebuke them for denying the Souls eternity, and giving us but Uftram, ut cornicibus, a longer and not an everlasting lite, yet fome of them feem to be of another minde, and the reft rather think that the Souls of men will participate in the Worl's periodical revolutions, than be at all annihilated or deprived of felicity. The paucity of their writings which have come down to us, and the malice of the Epicureans with whom they were at the greatest odds, did make them reprefented as if they had held more unreasonable opinions, and been more fowre and inhumane than indeed they were. And fome who of late times condemn them for that in which they agree with the doctrine of Chritt, do feem to mean Chriftianity, while they exclaim against the feverities of Stoicifme, and mean the Ffff 2 Church Church while they name but the Porch. Certainly, if Cicero himself, who is offended with their fchifme, do reprefent their opinions aright, and if we may judge of the reft by his fpeeches of Cato, and by the writings of Seneca, Epictetus and Antonine, and if Barlaam hath truely collected their Ethicks, there were no men that fpake and lived fo like Chriftians, who were ftrangers to Chrift. He that would fee the difference between them and the Epicureans, let him but read the Preloquium before his Antoninus of Mr. Gataker (that man of admirable Learning, Humility, and Piety, not to be named without love and honour, nor in this Age without tears): Of Antoninus himself he faith, [Certè quæcunq; Dominus ipfe Chriftus in concionilus collationibufq, fuis Hiftorie Evangelica infertis [de mali cogitatione etiam abftinenda, de affectibus vitiofis fupprimendis, de fermone otiofo non infuper habendo, de animo cum primis excolendo, & ad imaginem divinam effingendo, de beneficentia fimpliciffime exhibenda, de injuriis equanimiter ferendis, de admonitione & increpatione cum moderatione cautioneqs accurate exercendis, de relus quil flibet, adeoq, vita ipfa, uli res raticq, pofcit nibili habendis, de aliis deniq; plerifq, pietatis, charitatis, æquitatis, humanitatis, officiis quam exquitiffime obeundis exequendifq, præcepta dedit, apud noftrum bunc eadem, perinde acfi illa lectitaffet ipfe, in differtationum commentationumq; harum congerie infperfa paffim, nec fine vebementia et vivacitate infigni qua in præcordia ipfa penitus penetret. Lector quivis fedulus advertet, ingenuus ag nofcet. The fum of their doctrine, different from the Epicureans, he thus reciteth, (and by citations copiously proveth ) [Numen cælefte rerum humanarum curam gerere; nec univerfi tantummodo, fed hominum etiam fingulorum, & rerum quoque fingularum; rebus humanis præfto effe, generique bumano, non ad bona vere fic dicta duntaxat, fed & ad vita hujus commoda, & adminicula fuppetitias ferre. Deum itaque ante omnia colendum; ad omnia invocandum, per omnia cogitandum, in omnibus agnofcendum & comprobandum, de omnil us laudandum & celebrandum, buic uni in omni negotio fimpliciter obfequendum; ab ipfo quicquid obvenerit animo prompto ac lubenti excipiendum atque ampl xandum, nihil melius, nihil convenien tius, nibil conducibilius, nihil opportunius, aut tempeftivius, quàm id, quicquid exiftat, quodipfe voluerit, exiftimandum: quocunq; ducere vifum fuerit, citra tergiverfationem aut murmurationem, fponte fequendum; locum ftationemque quemcunque is affignaverit, ftrenuè tuendum, enixè tenendum, etiamfi mortem milies oppetere oporteret.] Hæc de Numine Stoici & erga numen affeciu. De homine & officiis. [Hunc &corditus diligere & curare & fuftinere, injuriaque omni (ut que impietatis etiam notam inurat) abstinere; & beneficentia profequi, nec fibi foli genitum cenfere fe, aut vivere, fed in commune bonum ac beneficium, cunEis pro facultate viribufque femet exhibere, re ipfa, reique bene gefta confcientia, (nec hac etiam ipfa quadantenus reputata) citra veftem, aut mercedis fpem commodive proprii intuitum, contentum agere, à beneficio uno præftito ad aliud tranfire, nec unquam benefaciendo defatifci; fed vitæ telam, tanquam vivendi fructus bic fit; benefactis fii invicem continenter annexis, ita totum pertexere, ut nufquam interveniat hiatus ulus vel minimus; beneficii loco, quod benefecerit habentem; fibique profuiffe exiftimantem, fi alii cuiquam ufui effe poterit; nec extra fe proinde quicquam vel laudis bumane, vel lucelli, aut aucupantem aut expetentem: Ad hæc nihil mentis cultu antiquius, nihil honefti Studio potius aut pretiofius habere: ab eo denique quod officii fui effe norit, nulla vel vita, nedum alius rei cujufpiam, cupidine abducendum, nulla mortis cruciatufve illius, ne dum damni aut detrimenti formidine abigendum fe permittere.] Hec Stoicorum præcepta funt. When will the whole tribe of the Epicureans ever give the world fuch a Prince as Antonine? who taught the world, that a Prince fhould be a Philofopher, and that felf-government, and a well-ordered mind and life, is the first point in the government and well-ordering of the Common-wealth; and that Monarchy may be fo ufed, as to confift as well with the peoples intereft and liberty, as the most accurate Venetian Democraty : The only hurt that ever he was charged to do being this, that he lived fo well, that he seemed fomewhat to hinder the fucceeding luftre of Chriftianity, even in Conftantine and Theodofius themselves. And as for the Stoicks great doctrine ofvirtues felf-fufficiency Ffff 3 to elves, Virtue or be loved? with Men, it is com to felicity, which Plato and Aristotle also own against the Epicurean felicity of Pleasure, it is undoubtedly a very great and facred Theological verity: But it implieth a higher Whether God or our truth, which I have vindicated in this Treatife, viz. That Pleasure be chiefly to man bath an ultimate end a. ove himself, and that God (for all that he is perfect, and can receive no addition offelicity) is loth kis own and our end, (though intendere finem is not fpoken univocally of God and man) and that bis Goodness Even in Friendship order of our conceptions, much higher than his Benignity or as fential in himself, and as his own perfection, is, in the morly faid, that we Goodness, as related to the good of man. I have read fome late must have more re- felf-cftecming Writers, (who love not to be named by way Spect to our friend of oppofition) who have undertaken the defence of the than to our felves. Epicurean herefic, that Pleafure is formally both man's feAnd therefore Cicero plead th, that Epicu- licity, and his ultimate end: but their reafonings for it are rus's op nion is incon- net half fo handfome and adapted to deceive, as the dif fiftent with true course of Torquatus in Cicero, de finib. is; which indeed may Friendship. However feem very plaufible, till Cicero's excellent Answer is comthat ftand, I am fure 1 Our Love to God, Pared with it. It is a fair pretence to fay, That a good we must love him inan is pleafed with nothing but that which is good, ard mare for himself, than that true pleafure is to be found effecially in virtue, ard for our own ends and that temperance and chastity should be more pleafant, than benefit. Therefore it is, th.t 1 diftinguished excefs and luxury; and yet that the beft men, when they Love before, from do any great and excellent work, do therefore do it beObedience as juch, caufe it plafeth them. But the truth is, that Bonum qua as being somewhat bonum eft objectum voluntatis; good and appetibile are the the final grace. And fame: it is firft good because it pleafeth us, but it fle.. feth us, Prolus (de Anim. because it is efteemed by us to be good. And the great.ft & Dæmone) difcern- good should greatlieft pleafe us, b. caufe it is firft the greatest ed this diftinétion, good: And as God in himfelfis infinitely better than any. when he faith, [Belli finis eft juftitia: pa- delight delight or felicity of ours, fo is he therefore to be more cis autem aliud quid- the object of our delight. And as the good of the world, more excellent, and dam excellentius bo num, Amicitia, fcil. atque unio. Finis enim univerfæ vistatis eft ut tradunt Pythagorici. Ariftotelefoue cor firmat; ut omnibus jam factis am cis, juftitia ron ulterius egeamus, quardo, viz. fublatum fuerit, Mam, & Non meam ] And if this be true of the Love of mon, Mech more of the Love of God, which they alfa may do well to confider of, who most fear the ceffation of that Individuation of fouls, which confifteth in the distance that now we are at: For though doubtless there will continue on Individuation, yet Union is fo much of the filicity, perfection and delight of fouls, union. Ifay, with God, as we are carable, and with one another, that we should rather be afraid left we shall not be near enough,'ban left too mu bacarness fhould confound us. ΟΙ |