might forget their injuftice: they called home his banished friends and fcholars: and, by the moft wife and learned men of that age, it is obferved, that famous city, Athens, was punifhed with the most dreadful plagues that ever raged amongst them; and all Greece, with it, never profpered in any confiderable undertaking; but from that time always decayed. Amongst many of his fober and religious maxims, upon which he was accustomed to difcourfe with his difciples, thefe are fome: b He taught every where, that an upright man, and a happy man, are all one. They that do good, are employed; they that spend their time in recreations, are idle. To do good is. the best courfe of life; he only is idle who might be better employed. An horse is not known by his furniture, but qualities; fo men are to be efteemed for virtue, not wealth.. Being afked, who lived without trouble, he anfwered, Thofe who are confcious to themfelves of no evil thing. To one who demanded, what was nobility, he answered, ' A good temper and difpofition of foul and body.. They who know what they ought to do, and do it not, are not wife and temperate, but fools, and ftupid. To one that complained he had not been benefitted by his travels, Not without reason, fays Socrates, thou didst travel with thyfelf: intimating, he knew not the eternal mind of God, to direct and inform him. . . Clem. Alex. Strom. ii. 417. Xen. Mem. 3. p. 720, 778,779, 780. Stob. Ech. Strom. i. II. Stob. iv. 6. Ibid. ii. 18. Xenoph. Mem. 3. Seneca Epift. i. 103: Stob. 28. Ibid. 37. Xen. Mem. 1. Ælian 9. Stob. 37 Being demanded what wifdom was, faid, 'A virtuous compofure of the foul." And being alked who were wife, answered, Those that fin not.' Seeing a young man rich, but ignorant of heavenly things, and purfuing earthly pleafures; Behold,' fays he, a golden flave." Soft ways of living, beget neither a good conftitution of body nor mind. Fine and rich clothes are only for comedians.' Being demanded, from what things men and women ought to refrain; he answered, 'Pleasure." Being asked what continence and temperance were, faid, Government of corporeal defires and pleasures. The wicked live to eat, &c. but the good eat to live. Temperate perfons become the most excellent: eat that which neither hurts the body nor mind, and which is eafy to be gotten. One faying it was a great matter to abstain from what one defires; But,' fays he, it is better not to defire at all.' This is deep religion, even very hard to profeffed Chriftians. "It is the property of God to need nothing; and they that need, and are contented with leaft, come nearest to God. The only and beft way to worship God, is to mind and obey whatsoever he commands. That the fouls of men and women partake of the divine nature: that God is feen of the virtuous mind that by waiting upon him, they are united unto him, in an inacceffible place of purity and happiness; which God he afferted always to be near him.' Stob. 37. Ibid. 87. Xen. Mem. 3, 4. Ælian. Ver. Hift. 9. Many more are the excellent fayings of this great man, who was not lefs famous for his fayings, than his example, with the greatest nations; yet died he a facrifice to the fottifh fury of the vain world. The hiftory of his life reports, that his father was told, he fhould have the guide of his life within him, which fhould be more to him, than five hundred mafters; which proved true. Inftructing his fcholars herein, charging them not to neglect thefe divine affairs, which chiefly concern man, to mind or inquire after fuch things as are without in the visible world. He taught the ufe of outward things, only as they were neceffary to life and commerce; forbidding fuperfluities and curiofities. He was martyred for his doctrine, after having lived. feventy years, the most admired, followed, and visited of all men in his time, by kings and commonwealths; and than whom, antiquity mentions none with more reverence and honour. Well were it for poor England, if her conceited Christians were true Socratefes; whofe ftrict, juft, and felf-denying life doth not befpeak him more famous, than it will Chriftians infamous at the revelation of the righteous judgment, where Heathens virtue fhall aggravate Chriftians intemperance; and their humility, the others exceffive pride and juftly too, furce a greater than Socrates is come, whofe name they profefs, but they will not obey his law. §. XVIII. Plato, that famous philofopheand fcholar to Socrates," was fo grave, and de Xen, Mem. 1. p. 710. • Xen. Mem. 4 Plat. de Legib. Plato de Rep. voted to divine things, nay, fo discreetly politic, that in his commonwealth he would not fo much as harbour poetical fancies, much less upon ftages, as being too effeminate, and apt to withdraw the minds of youth from more noble, more manly, as well as more heavenly exercifes. Plato feeing a young man play at dice, reproved him fharply; the other anfwered, What, for fo fmall a matter? Cuftom," faith Plato, is no small thing: let idle hours be spent more ufefully. Let youth,' faid he, 'take delight in good things; for pleasures are the baits of evil. Obferve, the momentary fweetness of a delicious life is followed with eternal forrow; the fhort pain of the contrary, with eternal pleasure.' Being commanded to put on a purple garment by the king of Sicily, he refufed, faying he was a man, and fcorned fuch effeminacies. Inviting Timothy, the Athenian general, to fupper, he treated him with herbs, water, and fuch fpare diet as he was accustomed to eat. Timothy's friends next day, laughing, afked how he was entertained, he answered,Never better in life; for he flept all night after his fupper :' thereby commending his temperance. He addicted himself to religious contemplations; and is faid to have lived a virtuous and fingle life, always eying and obeying the mind, which he fometimes called, God, the Father of all things;' affirming, Who lived fo fhould become like him, and fo be related to, and joined with the Di 6 * Diog. Laert. Laert, in vit. Alcinous. Xen. Crat. Stob. Alian, vinity itfelf. This fame Plato, upon his dyingbed, fent for his friends about him, and told them the whole world was out of the way, in that they underftood not, nor regarded the mind,' (that is, God, or the word, or be gotten of God,) affuring them, those men died moft comfortably, that lived moft conformable to right reason, and fought and adored the first cause, meaning God. §. XIX. Antisthenes, an Athenian philofopher, had taught in the ftudy of eloquence feveral years; but upon his hearing Socrates treat of the seriousness of religion, of the divine life, eternal rewards, &c. bid all his fcholars, feek them a new mafter; for he had found one for himfelf:' wherefore felling his estate, he diftributed it to the poor, and betook himfelf wholly to the confideration of heavenly things; going cheerfully fix miles every day to hear Socrates.But where are the like preachers and converts amongst the people called Chriftians? Obferve the daily pains of Socrates; furely he did not study a week to read a written fermon: we are affured of the contrary; for it was frequent with him to preach to the people at any time of the day, in the very streets, as occafion ferved, and his good genius moved him. Neither was he an hireling, or covetous, for he did it gratis : furely then he had not fat benefices, tithes, glebes, &c. And let the felf-denial and diligence of Antif thenes be confidered, who of a philofopher and mafter became a fcholar, and that a daily onc Leert. vit. Socr. Elian. |