New-York tribune., 1842-01-08


verge toward that misty land OF barren skepticism
to WHICH all these ,ranscendenal speculation5 In
eyitaby tend. His tendencies, however, were
spiritual rather than material. In his own word
he was not one Of those who believe in the ex.
istcnce OF nothing that they cannot catch with their
two hands, In this his system Is akin 70 Chris
tanitv il tended to elevate the s0uiabe"e the
things Of sense to the clear contemplation Of spirit
ual reality The early Greek philosopher, held
tina, Nature as nothing more than matter endowed
with mechanical power; aud Anaxarchus raade a
Sigh, advance when he propounded the doctrine
that all things at fist mingled together in
shapre5s confusion until The mind reduced ;hcn
to order and harmony, But Plato saw clearly the
argument Of de.gn in favor Of Deity, and this
was as satisfactorily enforced By him as it ,er has
been since
The Sophs,s held, and Pyotag5ras with them,
that The mind was the measure oil all thing, that
there nothing real except what va. made
SO by the operations Of each man. mind. Socrates,
though he might usa the same words, would en-
force in them far different meaning lie held that
it vas by looking inward--by reading the Sou!
rather than the outward world-tra We bccome
possessed of true knowledge.
Upon the proof OF the cHis,enc. Of God PLATO
willingly to have entered; and he ire
4uen,ly m2niests little indis na,on iat any one
should demand proof Of a matter upon winch he
believed II wrong o-enteT'aina doubt. Indeed he
hcld il impossible for any always io doub, the
being Of God AID to young man wtn questioned
him on this point he SAID: Wai,, child, un,il You
are Older aud you will change your opinion; Tor
Til. much Will | iell you, that no one ever took il
up=in his youth and kept ii Ill his old age
The re.ation Of God 10 the world a. set forth
in Of the Proiounerst passages of Plato's
works, was the same as that Aeld b. Pytliagoras
Ills o~n seImoving goodness, IN their opinion,
wa, the motive which prompted God tocreatc the
world and Plato believe! ihat the world was Gre
ated out of noiiiing-an oPinien tug different froR,
tha, entertained by other Greek Philosophers. He
also held liat t~o sorts of beings We're created:
the Stars wele.the bodies Of one kind, which were
inmorai-aiter their creation mortal man was
formed Every soul o.: man had It's own parlcu-
lar slur-ts guardian through ltfe and 10 which
it returned after death i had lived .*ell during
lis continuance in time II had loved badness
during life it went into the body Of some inferior
nninal, from which it could not emerge until it re.
turned to lis state OF holiness
Prof Woosey eip!ain Plato phlos-
ophy with reference to pure ideas and his belief
with regard to a future judgment. The Judge of
all men. he maintained, was blind to the situation
and circumstances Of mon while earth; and
that when soul was found guilty Of perjury OF
any o,!er=crime. it made to him no difference
whether it belonged TO the body of slave or, that
of king.
The origin oil natural and moral evil Plato held
to be- in the necessary character Of natter which,
as il could not be equal in perfection 10 God It's
Creator, must necessarily lead TO evil. The soul
was divided into three parts the reason, spirit and
earthly desire Altir-t the reason was in=tavor OF
what was right and best, bat through tie influence
OF the souls desires it had been sadly brought 10
love wha, is base and degrading. The highest aim
of man Plato believed 10 be perfect accordance
OF his actions with reason: and this in hs=view
was always inseparable from happiness.
The method proposed by PLATO TO overcome the
evil which now poues the soul, by banishins s-
norance, which he thought its source and by rals-
ing il TO The contemplation OF the true and good
was then developed BY the lecturer, aud ITS cor
,rust to the Christian scheme pointed out,Ztiis
specuia,ions upon politics in ms treatise De he
publica, were also reviewed. and his philosophy
in general was shown TO be deficient rather than
false. The influence of The paonic philosophy
in preparing the wsy Tor Christianity was also
shown The lecture quite leng, embracing a
full vew OF the subject. aud was listened to with
close attention. ltwas production Of a high and
most admirable order; one 10 which enI necessa-
rily brief and has.y notice can do no Justice.