The history of philosophy, in eight parts by Thomas Stanley.

Sect. 1. Metaphysicks.

His Metaphysicall opinions are thus collected and abridged out of Plato, Xenophon, Plutarch, and others:

Philosophy is the way to true happinesse, the offices where∣of are two,* 1.1 to contemplate God, and to abstract the soul from corporeall sense.

There are three principles of all things, God, matter, and Ideas,* 1.2 God is the universall intellect, matter the first subject of generation and corruption; Idea an incorporeall substance, the intellect of God; God the intellect of the world.

God is one 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉;* 1.3 per∣fect in himselfe, giving the being, and well being of every creature; what he is (saith he) I know not, what he is not I know.

* 1.4 That

God, not chance, made the world, and all creatures, is demonstrable from the reasonable disposition of their parts, as well for use as defence, from their care to preserve themselves, and continue their species, that he particularly regards man in his body, from the excellent uprigh•• form thereof, from the gift of speech, from allowance 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in his soule, from the excellency thereof above others; in both for divinations, predicting dan∣gers; that he regards particulars, from his care of the whole species; that he will reward such as please him, and punish such as displease him from his power to do it, from the belief he hath imprinted in a man that he will do it; profest by the most wise and civilized Cities and ages; that he at once seeth all things, from the instances of the eye, which at once over-runs many miles; and of the mind, which at once considereth things done in the most distant places. Finally, that he is such, and so great, as that he at once sees all, hears all, is every where, and orders all.

This is the sum of his discourse with Aristodemus, to which we may annex what is cited under his name (if not mistaken) by Stobaeus,

Care, if by care ought may effected be, If not, why ca••'st thou, when God cares for thee?

* 1.5 He held, that

the Gods knew all things, said, done, or silently desired.

* 1.6 That

God takes care of all creatures, is demonstrable from the benefits he gives them of light, water, and fire, sea∣sonable production of fruits of the earth; that he hath parti∣cular care of man, from the nourishment of all plants and creatures for mans service, from their subjection to man,

though they excused him never so much in strength, from the variety of mans sense, accommodated to the variety of objects, for necessity, use, and pleasure; from reason, where∣by he discoursed through reminiscence, from sensible ob∣jects, from speech, whereby he communicates all that he knows, gives lawes, & governs states; that God, notwithstan∣ding he is invisible, hath a being from the instances of his Ministers, invisible also, as thunder and wind, from the soule of man which hath something with the divine nature in go∣verning those that cannot see it.

This is the effect of his dis∣course with E••thid••mus.

The Soule is immortall,* 1.7 for what is alwaies moveable is immortall; but that which moveth another, or is moved by an other, hath a cessation of motion and life.

The soule is praeexistent to the body, endued with know∣ledge of eternall Ideas, which in her union to the body she loseth, as stupisied, untill awakened by discourse from sen∣sible objects. Thus is all her learning only reminiscence, a re∣covery of her first knowledge.

The body being compounded is dissolved by death,* 1.8 the soule being simple, passeth into another life, incapable of corruption.

The soules of men are divine, to whom, when they go out of the body,* 1.9 the way of their return to heaven is open, which to the best and most just is the most expedite.

The soules of the good after death,* 1.10 are in a happy estate, united to God in a blessed inaccessible place; the bad, in con∣venient places, suffer condign punishment; but to define what those places are, is hominis 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; whence being demanded what things were in the other world,* 1.11 he answe∣red, neither was I ever there, nor ever did I speak with any that came from thence.

Notes

• * 1.1

  ••lat. Phaed.
• * 1.2

  Plutarch. plac. phil. 1. 3.
• * 1.3

  Plat. Phaed.
• * 1.4

  Xen. memor. 1.
• * 1.5

  Xen. mem••r. 1: page 711.
• * 1.6

  Xen. memor. 4.
• * 1.7

  Schol. Aristoph. in nub. p. 128.
• * 1.8

  Plat. Phaed.
• * 1.9

  Cic. de amicit.
• * 1.10

  Plat. Phaed.
• * 1.11

  Stob. Eth. 269.