[Greek: Ho elachiston deomenos eggista theon.]
Socrates apud Xen.
It was the common Boast of the Heathen Philosophers, that by the Efficacy of their several Doctrines, they made Humane Nature resemble the Divine. How much mistaken soever they might be in the several Means they proposed for this End, it must be owned that the Design was great and glorious. The finest Works of Invention and Imagination are of very little Weight, when put in the Balance with what refines and exalts the rational Mind. _Longinus_ excuses _Homer_ very handsomely, when he says the Poet made his G.o.ds like Men, that he might make his Men appear like the G.o.ds: But it must be allowed that several of the ancient Philosophers acted, as _Cicero_ wishes _Homer_ had done; they endeavoured rather to make Men like G.o.ds, than G.o.ds like Men.
According to this general Maxim in Philosophy, some of them have endeavoured to place Men in such a State of Pleasure, or Indolence at least, as they vainly imagined the Happiness of the Supreme Being to consist in. On the other Hand, the most virtuous Sect of Philosophers have created a chimerical wise Man, whom they made exempt from Pa.s.sion and Pain, and thought it enough to p.r.o.nounce him All-sufficient.
This last Character, when divested of the Glare of Humane Philosophy that surrounds it, signifies no more, than that a Good and Wise Man should so arm himself with Patience, as not to yield tamely to the Violence of Pa.s.sion and Pain; that he should learn so to suppress and contract his Desires as to have few Wants; and that he should cherish so many Virtues in his Soul, as to have a perpetual Source of Pleasure in himself.
The Christian Religion requires, that, after having framed the best Idea, we are able, of the Divine Nature, it should be our next Care to conform our selves to it, as far as our Imperfections will permit. I might mention several Pa.s.sages in the sacred Writings on this Head, to which I might add many Maxims and wise Sayings of Moral Authors among the _Greeks_ and _Romans_.
I shall only instance a remarkable Pa.s.sage, to this Purpose, out of _Julian"s Caesars_. The Emperor having represented all the _Roman_ Emperors, with _Alexander_ the Great, as pa.s.sing in Review before the G.o.ds, and striving for the Superiority, lets them all drop, excepting _Alexander_, _Julius Caesar_, _Augustus Caesar_, _Trajan_, _Marcus Aurelius_, and _Constantine_. Each of these great Heroes of Antiquity lays in his Claim for the upper Place; and, in Order to it, sets forth his Actions after the most advantageous Manner. But the G.o.ds, instead of being dazzled with the l.u.s.tre of their Actions, enquire, by _Mercury_, into the proper Motive and governing Principle that influenced them throughout the whole Series of their Lives and Exploits. _Alexander_ tells them, That his Aim was to conquer: _Julius Caesar_, that his was to gain the highest Post in his Country; _Augustus_, To govern well; _Trajan_, That His was the same as that of _Alexander_, namely, To conquer. The Question, at length, was put to _Marcus Aurelius_, who replied, with great Modesty, That _it had always been his Care to imitate the G.o.ds_. This Conduct seems to have gained him the most Votes and best Place in the whole a.s.sembly. _Marcus Aurelius_ being afterwards asked to explain himself declares, That, by imitating the G.o.ds, he endeavoured to imitate them in the Use of his Understanding, and of all other Faculties; and, in particular, That it was always his Study to have as few Wants as possible in himself, and to do all the Good he could to others.
Among the many Methods by which Revealed Religion has advanced Morality, this is one, That it has given us a more just and perfect Idea of that Being whom every reasonable Creature ought to imitate. The young Man, in a Heathen Comedy, might justify his Lewdness by the Example of _Jupiter_; as, indeed, there was scarce any Crime that might not be countenanced by those Notions of the Deity which prevailed among the common People in the Heathen World. Revealed Religion sets forth a proper Object for Imitation, in that Being who is the Pattern, as well as the Source, of all spiritual Perfection.
While we remain in this Life, we are subject to innumerable Temptations, which, if listen"d to, will make us deviate from Reason and Goodness, the only Things wherein we can imitate the Supreme Being. In the next Life we meet with nothing to excite our Inclinations that doth not deserve them. I shall therefore dismiss my Reader with this Maxim, viz.
_Our Happiness in this World proceeds from the Suppression of our Desires, but in the next World from the Gratification of them_.
No. 635. Monday, December 20, 1714. Henry Grove.
"Sentio Te sedem Hominum ac Domum contemplarique si tibi parva (ut est) ita videtur, haec coelestia semper Spectato; illa humana contemnito."
Cicero Somn. Scip.
The following Essay comes from the ingenious Author of the Letter upon _Novelty_, printed in a late _Spectator_: The Notions are drawn from the _Platonick_ way of Thinking, but as they contribute to raise the Mind, and may inspire n.o.ble Sentiments of our own future Grandeur and Happiness, I think it well deserves to be presented to the Publick.
If the Universe be the Creature of an intelligent Mind, this Mind could have no immediate Regard to himself in producing it. He needed not to make Tryal of his Omnipotence, to be informed what Effects were within its Reach: The World as existing in his eternal Idea was then as beautiful as now it is drawn forth into Being; and in the immense Abyss of his Essence are contained far brighter Scenes than will be ever set forth to View; it being impossible that the great Author of Nature should bound his own Power by giving Existence to a System of Creatures so perfect that he cannot improve upon it by any other Exertions of his Almighty Will. Between Finite and Infinite there is an unmeasured Interval, not to be filled up in endless Ages; for which Reason, the most excellent of all G.o.d"s Works must be equally short of what his Power is able to produce as the most imperfect, and may be exceeded with the same Ease.
This Thought hath made some imagine, (what, it must be confest, is not impossible) that the unfathomed s.p.a.ce is ever teeming with new Births, the younger still inheriting a greater Perfection than the elder. But as this doth not fall within my present View, I shall content my self with taking Notice, that the Consideration now mentioned proves undeniably, that the Ideal Worlds in the Divine Understanding yield a Prospect incomparably more ample, various and delightful than any Created World can do: And that therefore as it is not to be supposed that G.o.d should make a World merely of inanimate Matter, however diversified; or inhabited only by Creatures of no higher an Order than Brutes; so the End for which he designed his reasonable Offspring is the Contemplation of his Works, the Enjoyment of himself, and in both to be happy, having, to this Purpose, endowed them with correspondent Faculties and Desires.
He can have no greater Pleasure from a bare Review of his Works, than from the Survey of his own Ideas, but we may be a.s.sured that he is well pleased in the Satisfaction derived to Beings capable of it, and, for whose Entertainment, he hath erected this immense Theatre. Is not this more than an Intimation of our Immortality? Man, who when considered as on his Probation for a happy Existence hereafter is the most remarkable Instance of Divine Wisdom; if we cut him off from all Relation to Eternity, is the most wonderful and unaccountable Composition in the whole Creation. He hath Capacities to lodge a much greater Variety of Knowledge than he will be ever Master of, and an unsatisfied Curiosity to tread the secret Paths of Nature and Providence: But, with this, his Organs, in their present Structure, are rather fitted to serve the Necessities of a vile Body, than to minister to his Understanding; and from the little Spot to which he is chained, he can frame but wandering Guesses concerning the innumerable Worlds of Light that encompa.s.s him, which, tho" in themselves of a prodigious Bigness, do but just glimmer in the remote s.p.a.ces of the Heavens; and, when with a great deal of Time and Pains he hath laboured a little way up the steep Ascent of Truth, and beholds with Pity the groveling Mult.i.tude beneath, in a Moment, his Foot slides, and he tumbles down headlong into the Grave.
Thinking on this, I am obliged to believe, in Justice to the Creator of the World, that there is another State when Man shall be better situated for Contemplation, or rather have it in his Power to remove from Object to Object, and from World to World; and be accommodated with Senses, and other Helps, for making the quickest and most amazing Discoveries. How doth such a Genius as Sir _Isaac Newton_, from amidst the Darkness that involves human Understanding, break forth, and appear like one of another Species! The vast Machine, we inhabit, lyes open to him, he seems not unacquainted with the general Laws that govern it; and while with the Transport of a Philosopher he beholds and admires the glorious Work, he is capable of paying at once a more devout and more rational Homage to his Maker. But alas! how narrow is the Prospect even of such a Mind? and how obscure to the Compa.s.s that is taken in by the Ken of an Angel; or of a Soul but newly escaped from its Imprisonment in the Body!
For my Part, I freely indulge my Soul in the Confidence of its future Grandeur; it pleases me to think that I who know so small a portion of the Works of the Creator, and with slow and painful Steps creep up and down on the Surface of this Globe, shall e"er long shoot away with the Swiftness of Imagination, trace out the hidden Springs of Nature"s Operations, be able to keep pace with the heavenly Bodies in the Rapidity of their Career, be a Spectator of the long Chain of Events in the natural and Moral Worlds, visit the several Apartments of the Creation, know how they are furnished and how inhabited, comprehend the Order, and measure the Magnitudes, and Distances of those Orbs, which to us seem disposed without any regular Design, and set all in the same Circle; observe the Dependance of the Parts of each System, and (if our Minds are big enough to grasp the Theory) of the several Systems upon one another, from whence results the Harmony of the Universe. In Eternity a great deal may be done of this kind. I find it of use to cherish this generous Ambition: for besides the secret Refreshment it diffuses through my Soul, it engages me in an Endeavour to improve my Faculties, as well as to exercise them conformably to the Rank I now hold among reasonable Beings, and the Hope I have of being once advanced to a more exalted Station.
The other, and that the Ultimate End of Man, is the Enjoyment of G.o.d, beyond which he cannot form a Wish. Dim at best are the Conceptions we have of the Supreme Being, who, as it were, keeps his Creatures in Suspence, neither discovering, nor hiding himself; by which Means, the Libertine hath a Handle to dispute his Existence, while the most are content to speak him fair, but in their Hearts prefer every trifling Satisfaction to the Favour of their Maker, and ridicule the good Man for the Singularity of his Choice. Will there not a Time come, when the Free-thinker shall see his impious Schemes overturned, and be made a Convert to the Truths he hates; when deluded Mortals shall be convinced of the Folly of their Pursuits, and the few Wise who followed the Guidance of Heaven, and, scorning the Blandishments of Sense and the sordid Bribery of the World, aspired to a celestial Abode, shall stand possessed of their utmost Wish in the Vision of the Creator? Here the Mind heaves a Thought now and then towards him, and hath some transient Glances of his Presence: When, in the Instant it thinks it self to have the fastest hold, the Object eludes its Expectations, and it falls back tired and baffled to the Ground. Doubtless there is some more perfect way of conversing with heavenly Beings. Are not Spirits capable of Mutual Intelligence, unless immersed in Bodies, or by their Intervention? Must superior Natures depend on inferior for the main Privilege of sociable Beings, that of conversing with, and knowing each other? What would they have done, had Matter never been created? I suppose, not have lived in eternal Solitude. As incorporeal Substances are of a n.o.bler Order, so be sure, their manner of Intercourse is answerably more expedite and intimate. This method of Communication, we call Intellectual Vision, as somewhat a.n.a.logous to the Sense of Seeing, which is the Medium of our Acquaintance with this visible World. And in some such way can G.o.d make himself the Object of immediate Intuition to the Blessed; and as he can, "tis not improbable that he will, always condescending, in the Circ.u.mstances of doing it, to the Weakness and Proportion of finite Minds. His Works but faintly reflect the Image of his Perfections, "tis a Second-hand Knowledge: To have a just Idea of him, it may be necessary that we see him as he is. But what is that?
"Tis something, that never entered into the Heart of Man to conceive; yet what we can easily conceive, will be a Fountain of Unspeakable, of Everlasting Rapture. All created Glories will fade and die away in his Presence. Perhaps it will be my Happiness to compare the World with the fair Exemplar of it in the Divine Mind; perhaps, to view the original Plan of those wise Designs that have been executing in a long Succession of Ages. Thus employed in finding out his Works, and contemplating their Author! how shall I fall prostrate and adoring, my Body swallowed up in the Immensity of Matter, my Mind in the Infinitude of his Perfections.
ADDITIONAL NOTES.
_To No. 123._
The following letter, dated July 21, 1711, was sent by Addison to his friend Mr. Wortley Montagu, with No. 123 of the _Spectator_.
"Dear Sir,
"Being very well pleased with this day"s _Spectator_ I cannot forbear sending you one of them, and desiring your opinion of the story in it.
When you have a son I shall be glad to be his Leontine, as my circ.u.mstances will probably be like his. I have within this twelvemonth lost a place of 200 per ann., an estate in the Indies of 14,000, and what is worse than all the rest, my mistress. Hear this, and wonder at my philosophy. I find they are going to take away my Irish place from me too: to which I must add, that I have just resigned my fellowship, and that stocks sink every day. If you have any hints or subjects, pray send me up a paper full. I long to talk an evening with you. I believe I shall not go for Ireland this summer, and perhaps would pa.s.s a month with you if I knew where. Lady Bellasis is very much your humble servant. d.i.c.k Steele and I often remember you."
_I am, Dear Sir, Yours eternally_.
_To Nos. 453, 461, and 465._
The _Retrospective Review_, vol. xi. for 1825, in a cordially appreciative review of the writings of Marvell, says,
"Captain Thompson was a very incorrect and injudicious editor of Marvell"s works. A very contemptible charge of plagiarism is also preferred by the editor against Addison for the insertion of three hymns in the _Spectator_, Nos. 453, 461, and 465; no proof whatever is vouchsafed that they belong to Marvell, and the hymn inserted in the _Spectator_, No. 461, "When Israel freed from Pharaoh"s land," is now known to be the n.o.ble composition of Dr. Watts."
Captain Edward Thompson"s edition of Marvell in 3 volumes quarto was printed for the editor in 1776. Its great blunder was immediately disposed of in the _Gentleman"s Magazine_ for September, 1776, and February, 1777, where it was shown for example that Dr. Watts had claimed and transferred his version of the 114th Psalm (which Captain Thompson supposed to have been claimed by "Tickle") to his volume of _Divine Psalms and Hymns_, published in 1719. In the preface to that volume Dr. Watts wrote,
"Where I have used three or four lines together of any author I have acknowledged it in the notes."
He did make frequent acknowledgment of lines or thoughts taken from other poets in Psalms 6, 21, 63, 104, 139. But in a note to Ps. 114 he absolutely spoke of the work as his own. Now the ground upon which Thompson ascribed this piece to Marvell is precisely that on which he also ascribed to Marvell Addison"s poems in Nos. 453 and 465 of the _Spectator_. He found them all in the latter part of a book of extracts of which he said that the first part was in Marvell"s handwriting, "and the rest copied by his order." It is very doubtful whether even the first part of the MS. book, containing verse of Marvell"s, was really in Marvell"s handwriting, and that the part written later was copied by his order, is an unfounded a.s.sumption. Captain Thompson said of the MS. book that it was many years in the care of Mr. Nettleton, and communicated to the editor by Mr. Thomas Raikes.--Probably it was Mr. Nettleton who in his youth had added to the book copies of Addison"s and Dr. Watts"s verses from the _Spectator_, and Mallet"s version of the old ballad of William and Margaret, all of which pieces Captain Edward Thompson therefore supposed to have been written by Marvell.