The Court of the Gentiles, Discourse · Part 1 · Book 3 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
Ethnick ſtories of Mans Fall and Redemption by Chriſt. Plato's conceptions of Mans Fall, according to Gen. 3.23,24. Plato's opinion of the Praeexiſtence of Souls, and their ſlavery in the Bodie, but a Symbol of Mans Fall. Plato's notions of Original ſin; Gen. 5.3. ſin ingenite &c. Mans Natural ſtate in Sin termed a ſpiritual or Moral death, Gen. 2.17. Plato acknowledgeth an univerſal contagion of Human Nature. 1. Of the Mind; which he makes to be immerſed in Ignorance. 2. Of the Will. 3. Of the Affections: the Tyrannie of Love, &c. Plato had ſome imperfect Notices of Mans Redemption and the Reſtauration of all things by Chriſt. Plato had ſome imperfect Notices of a Trinitie, which he underſtood not. The New Platoniſts had their foreign Trinitie from Scripture: the Platonick foreign an Ape of Chriſt. Poetick Fables of Chriſt his Incarnation Paſſion, Aſcenſion &c.
§. 1. Plato's Conceptions of Mans fall from Gen. 3.23,24.HAving gone through Mans Creation and happy ſtate, we now proceed to diſcourſe of his Fall and Recoverie; whereof the blind Pagans had alſo no ſmall diſcoveries, as we may preſume, from Scripture, or Iewiſh Tradition originally. Indeed I find no Heathen to diſcourſe more Divinely of the Fall of Man then Plato; who (as in the former chap. Sect. 5.) expreſſeth the ſame under the Symbolick Image of the Iron Age, wherein this Motion of the Vniverſe was foreign multiforme, which ſpringing from the neceſſitie of Corporeal Matter, hurried the Vniverſe into many viciſſitudes &c. So again (in his Critias fol. 106,) Plato having diſcourſed of foreign a Divine Nature, which flouriſhed in men under the Golden Age, he addes, this Divine Nature being at laſt contempered foreign with the mortal or ſenſual part in man, foreign the human inclination or cuſtome prevailed, even to the peſtilential infection, debauching, and ruine of mankind; and from this fountain all evils ruſhed in upon men foreign looſing the beſt of their pretious things. So likewiſe in his Theaetetus, Plato, having diſcourſed of Mans likenes to God in the Golden Age, addes, that by how much the farther man departed from this rectitude, by ſo much the deeper he fell into a kind of foreign Nothingnes and Inhumanity: whence he makes two foreign Exemplars: the one, foreign Divine and moſt happy; which was the Patterne of Mans eſtate in Immortalitie: the other foreign Atheiſtick or ungodlike; the patterne of mans fall. All which coming ſo near to the Scripture language, we cannot rationally conjecture what original it ſhould have, if not from Scripture, or Jewiſh Tradition. Thus Origen (contra Celſum lib. 4.) conceives, that Plato, by his converſation with the Jews in Egypt, underſtood the hiſtorie of Mans fall; which he (according to the Egyptian mode) in his Sympoſiacks, expreſſeth under the Fable of Porus (i.e. Adam) his being drunk with Nectar, and then going into Jupiters Garden, (that is Eden) and being there circumvented by Penia i.e. the Serpent, and thence caſt out &c. which ſeems an evident veſtigium of Adams Fall. and being caſt out of Paradiſe, according to Gen. 3.23.24.
§. 2. The general loſſe by mans Fall.Plato diſcourſeth alſo, very Divinely, of that general Confuſion which happened upon the Fall; and particularly, of mans loſſe thereby. So in his Politicus fol. 251. After (ſâies Plato) the Golden Age was expired, the ſupreme God left the ſterne and Government of the VVorld; & from that foreign Confuſion, or diſorder, deſtruction, without all peradventure, had happened to the VVorld, had not God provided &c. And particularly, concerning mans diſorder and Impotencie by the Fall, Plato, in the ſaid Politicus fol. 274. ſpeaks very plainly thus, foreign. Men being rendred very infirme and unskilful, and unable to preſerve themſelves, by reaſon of all theſe they were in great ſtraits.
§. 3. Platos Traditions of the Praeexiſtence and preſent Slaverie of the Soul in the Bodie.Yea farther Plato ſeems to have underſtood, either immediatly from the Scripture, or from the Jews, by Tradition, much of the curſed ſlaverie which Sin and the Fall brought upon mankind. So in his Phaedrus, fol. 245. Plato compares the Soul to a winged Chariot, which while it was in its golden perfect State, ſoared aloft, and paſſed through Heaven and Earth; but when it was thruſt into the bodie it loſt its wings, and remained there a Priſoner, under the Tyrannie of unlawful paſſions, whence he gives this origination of the Bodie; foreign the bodie, is as it were foreign a ſepulcher, or Grave for the Soul. Hence ſome make Plato's opinion of the ſouls Praeexiſtence, but a Cabal of mans fall. So Stillingf. origin. S. Book 3. Ch. 3. Sect. 17. As to the degeneracy of the ſouls of men; this was the cōmon complaint of thoſe Philoſophers, who minded the government of themſelves, & the practice of virtue; eſpecially of the Platoniſts & Stoicks. The Platoniſts all complain of the Slaverie of the Soul in the bodie; and that it is there by way of puniſhment for ſomething which was done before; which makes me think that Plato knew more of the Fall of mankind, than he would openly diſcover; and for that end diſguiſed it, after his uſual manner in the Hypotheſis of Praeexiſtence; which, taking it Cabaliſtically, may import only this, that mens ſouls might be Juſtly ſuppoſed to be created happy; but by reaſon of the Apoſtaſie of mans Soul from God, all ſouls now come into their bodies as into a kind of priſon &c.
§. 4. Plato's notions of original ſin & its traduction; from Gen. 5.3.Yea yet farther, Plato ſeems to have had ſome pretty diſtinct Notices or Traditions touching Original Sin, and its Traduction from Adam; according to that of Moſes Gen 5.3. This likenes in which Adam is ſaid to generate his ſons, is not to be underſtood ſo much Phyſically as Morally, id eſt, of a likenes in ſin: there was not a Luſt in Adam's heart, but he communicated a ſeed thereof to his poſteritie. So Plato (Timaeus Locrus fol. 103.) Gives us very evident notices of original Sin, and its propagation: his words are [foreign] foreign &c. The cauſe of vitioſitie is from our Parents and firſt principles rather than from our ſelves; ſo that we never relinquiſh thoſe Actions, which lead us to follow thoſe primitives blemiſhes of our firſt parents &c. whence elſe where, he ſaies, foreign, there is well nigh in every one an ingenite evil and diſeaſe. So Plato, de legibus lib. 5. foreign &c. the greateſt evill of all is implanted in many men, and fixed in their ſouls; wherein men pleaſing themſelves, at laſt grow ſo intangled, as that they cannot wind themſelves out. This ingenite Corruption he termes ſelf love &c,
§. 5. Mans State in ſin termed a moral or Spiritual death according to Gen. 2.17.Again Plato (Gorgias: fol. 493.) termes this ſtate of men under Sin a Moral or Spiritual Death: and that according to the opinion of the wiſe: whereby 'tis poſſible, he means the Jews. His words are foreign I have heard from the wiſe men, that we are now dead; and that the bodie is but our ſepulchre. That theſe wiſe men, from whom Plato received this Tradition or Hearſay, were the Iews ſeems very probable; becauſe it was a common expreſſion amongſt the Iews, and that grounded upon the word or ſentence of God Gen. 2.17. thou ſhalt ſurely die, that all men now are dead in Sins: hence we may preſume Plato received this Tradition. Or if we had rather, by theſe wiſe men we may underſtand the Pythagoreans; who aſſerted, that ſin was a moral death. Whence Pythagoras, when any of his ſchole were given up to ſin and excommunicated, he placed a Coffin in his place; denoting thereby, that he was dead &c. Yet 'tis very probable, that Pythagoras traduced this, as other Principles, from the Iews; as we have here after proved in Pythagoras Philoſophy. This ſpiritual death in ſin is farther expreſſed by Plato under the Notion of foreign Corrupt or bad Nature: ſo in the Platonick Definitions, foreign is defined foreign an evill in Nature; again foreign, a diſeaſe of Nature. Anſwerable whereto we have a confeſſion of Grotius; who affirmes, that the philoſophers acknowledged foreign it was connatural to men to ſin.
§. 6. The univerſal contagion of human NatureYea farther, Plato ſeems to acknowledge an univerſall Contagion, or Corruption diffuſed throughout the whole of human Nature, both Vnderſtanding, will, and Affections. 1. 1. the Corrup… of the underſtanding.As for the corruption of the Vnderſtanding, Plato, in his Repub. lib. 7. fol. 613 gives a lively Deſcription thereof, under an Allegoril of a perſon, who from his Infancie lay bound neck and heels tog ther in a dark dungeon; where he could ſee only ſome imperfect ſhadows, by means of a certain fire kindled at the top thereof, whence he concludes, foreign, The eye of the ſoul is immerſed in the barbarick gulf of ignorance. And elſe where he ſaies foreign, the preſent life has but a dreaming knowledge of things; whence alſo he ſtiles our preſent knowledge foreign a night day. Yea Plato, in his Timaeus fol. 90. ſeems to give us the original cauſe of this native darkneſs, that overſpreads the ſoul; namely Adam's Sin. Truth (Saith he) is the food and proper Motion of the mind, it being connatural to it; which, foreign, was in times paſt loſt in the Head &c. what Plato ſhould underſtand by the head, if not Adam the head of man-kind, we cannot imagine. 2. the corruption of the will2. Plato mentions alſo the corruption of the will; and ſeems to diſown any Freewill to true Good; albeit he allows ſome foreign or natural diſpoſition to civil good, in ſome great Heroes. Yea, he brings in Socrates refuting that opinion of the Stoicks, that virtue was foreign teachable 3. the diſorder of the affections & Tyrannie of ſelf love.3. Plato diſcourſeth very largely and divinely, touching the irregularities of the Affections or Paſſions. So de Repub. lib. 9. fol. 575 he diſcourſeth of ſelf love, the root of all Affections, as the great Tyrant over man kind, foreign. Love is a Tyrant in him, living in all manner of Diſorder, and irregularitie: where he largely and elegantly deſcribes the Tyrannick commands and irregular motions of inordinate Love in men.
§. 7. Plato of Mans Redemption and the Reſtauration of all things by Chriſt.As Plato had clear Notices of Mans Fall and miſerie, ſo in like manner he ſeems to have been not without ſome broken Traditions of the Way and Means, appointed by God, for mans recoverie out of this lapſed and miſerable ſtate, which we may no way doubt were, at leaſt originally, derived from the ſacred fountain amongſt the Jews. In the general, Plato, in his Politicus fol. 251. tels us that After the Golden Age, the univerſe, by reaſon of that Confuſion that came upon it, had been diſſolved, had not God foreign, again taken upon him to ſet at the ſterne, and governe the world and reſtore its diſſolute, and almoſt unjointed parts, to their ancient order and place &c. How far Plato had ſome imperfect Traditions of a Trinitie which he underſtood not.Here Plato ſhews how that peſtilential foreign Confuſion, which did overſpread the Vniverſe, would quite have ruined it, if God had not again interpoſed, & applyed a remedie. And, in his Epiſt. 6. fol. 323 Plato ſeemeth to diſcourſe more particularly and diſtinctly, of the way and Means of the worlds Reſtauration and Conſervation: Let there (ſaies he) be a Law conſtituted and confirmed by oath, calling to witnes foreign. The God of all things, the Governor of Beings preſent and things to come, the Father of that governing cauſe, whom, according to our Philoſophye we make to be the true Being, who may be evidently known by all ſo far as it comes within the capacitie of happy-knowing men. Serranus on this place tels us, that ſome underſtand this deſcription of Plato to refer to the Trinitie, (as his foreign in Epimonide has a peculiar reſpect to the Meſsias) So Sandford (de deſcenſ. Chriſti. l. 2. Sect. 37) tels us, Admonendus es ſuſpicari etiam è Chriſtianis Doctoribus quoſdam (ut mihi videtur) hanc Deorum Triada apud omnes Gentes celebratam, veſtigium quoddam S. Trinitatis fuiſſe in illorum cordibus, etſi niſi conſpurcatum, non penitus extinctum tamen. Sandf. Deſc. l. 1. Sect. 37.that this Trias or Trinitie of the Gods: ſo famous among all Nations, was, as ſome conjecture but a certain veſtigium or footſtep of the moſt ſacred Trinitie, not altogether extinct; albeit greatly conſpurcated or obliterated in their minds. But albeit we may not grant, Plato had any diſtinct Notices of the Trinitie, yet he might learne many things which he underſtood not, from the Phenician doctrine referring originally to the Trinitie, particularly to the Meſsias, the Redeemer of mankind; concerning whom there were many broken, and originally Jewiſh Traditions ſcattered up and down in the Oriental Parts, eſpecially Phaenicia and Egypt, which theſe blind Heathens underſtanding not, corrupted by many fabulous mixtures, and miſapplyed to things they had no cognation with. Yea Plato, elſe where, ingenuouſly confeſſeth he had received many Fables or myſteries by Tradition from the Ancients, which he underſtood not, but expected ſome Interpreter thereof. Amongſt which we may reckon this great Jewiſh Myſterie, of the Reſtauration of all things by the Meſsias; whereof Plato had received ſome glimmering imperfect Notions, or Traditions which he underſtood not, but expreſſed by foreign the Mind, and foreign the word &c. And whereas ſome late Admirers of Platonick Philoſophie endeavor to prove, that Plato, and his followers, aſſerted and owned foreign a Trinitie; we muſt know, that this belongs not ſo much to Plato, as to his Commentators, Plotinus, Proclus and Porphyrie. The new Platoniſts had their foreign Trinitie from Ammonius who had it from the ſcripturesFor I cannot remember that I ever met with the word foreign in Plato; though ſomewhat of the thing may poſſibly, be enigmatically delivered by him: only Plotinus and Porphyrie with proclus diſcourſe much of this foreign Trinitie; which we may preſume, they had not from Plato, but from their Maſter Ammonius, Head of the ſacred ſucceſſion at Alexandria; who was, if not a Chriſtian, yet a great Favourer of Chriſtians, and one that made it his buſines to reforme Platonick Philoſophie by the Scriptures; as we have proved at large in Plato's philoſophie: by which tis evident that the Platonick foreign Trinitie, and foreign word owe their original to the ſacred ſcriptures. 'Tis true; ſome of the latter Platoniſts of the Alexandrine Schole, would fain perſuade us, that the Evangeliſt Iohn ſtole his Divine foreign, word, from Plato's foreign. So Amelius, as Druſius in Annot. Joh. 1. obſerves: Amelius, ſaies he, the Platonick Philoſopher, having read this principle, (of the Divine word) complains that Iohn, the Evangeliſt, transferred into his book his Maſters Myſteries; and appropriated to himſelf Plato's Secrets. By Iupiter, ſaith Amelius, this Barbarian agreeth with our Plato, that the WORD of God was conſtituted in the order of a Principle. This Imputation of Amelius is indeed moſt falſe: for Plato as well as Iohn, ſeem both to have derived their Divine foreign from the Iewiſh Doctrine and Myſteries. That the Notion foreign word, was not unknown to the ancient Iews, is evident, from the frequent mention made thereof in the Chaldaick Thargum; which termes it foreign the word of Iehova; by which thoſe ancient Paraphraſts underſtood the M…ſſias, as its evident from Gen. 3.8. Pſ. 2.12. Pſ. 27.1. &c. Caeterum appellatio foreign non Johannis demum tempore nata ſed antiqua, & Judaeis etiam non incognita fuit ex quo patet, ad Gentilium quoque ſapientum, appellationem iſtam foreign quodammodo perveniſſe aures Glaſſ. Phil. S. l. 1. Tr. 4. Sect. 3.From this Jewiſh fountain the pagan foreign ſo frequent in Plato's ſchole had its origination; as Glaſs. Philolog. S. lib. 1. Tract. 4. S. 3. That the Philoſophers opinions of Chriſt, and his Redemption of man-kind owe their original to the Scriptures and Iewiſh church ſee Juſtinian the Jeſuite, Comment. in 1. Joan. 1.3. parag. 54. So Tertullian Apol. cap. 21. The ancient Sophiſtes (ſaies he) were of this opinion, that the word and wiſdome, which they called foreign, framed the world. Zeno ſaith, that this word was the Author of order. Again he addes This myſterie of the Incarnation of the word, was known by them from whom you receive all your follies of the Divinitie, The Pagan foreign a ſacrilegious emulation of the divine word.which were invented by ſacrilegious emulation, to deſtroy the eternal verities of one God man, by oppoſing thereto lies, which have ſome reſemblance therewith &c. Thus Diodation Mat. 2.2. his Star.] The belief thereof having ſpread diverſe waies; which, without doubt, were all derived from the Prophets, that the King of the world was to be borne in Iudea. They argued that this Star was the ſigne thereof, perhaps from the prophecies of Balaam, Numb. 24.17 which might come to their notice &c. To this we may adde that poetick fiction; that Minerva, the Goddeſſe of wiſdome, was produced out of Iupiters Head; which ſome refer to the eternal Generation of Chriſt, the wiſdom of God. Prov. 8: Alſo the Phenician Baalim and Grecian Demons, which were but Apes of the True Meſsias, as we have proved in the former Book. ch. 8 S. 5
§. Poetick adumbrations of Chriſt his Nativitie, Paſſion Aſcention &c.Yea Sandford (or Parker out of his papers) de deſcenſu Chriſti lib. 3. Sect. 137. mentions ſeveral Fables of the Gentile Poets, which adumbrate, or ſhadow forth Chriſt his Nativitie, Paſsion, Reſurrection &c. we think not the ſame things with others; but they by imitation, ſpeak the ſame things with us, ſaies Juſtin Martyr, of the Gentile Poets. Albumaſar, in his greater Introductorie tractatu 6: There aſcends (ſaies he) in the firſt face of that ſigne a beautifull and honeſt Virgin, having in her hand two ears of Corne, and ſhe nurſeth a Child; and a certain Nation (i.e. the Jewiſh) calleth this Child Jeſus. Here both Albertus and Sixtus Senenſis collect, that our Saviour was in ſome manner adumbrated in the Gentiles Fables and Figures. Juſtin Martyr inſtanceth particularly in theſe figments: That Chriſt the ſon of God, was to come, the Devils underſtood out of the Holy Prophets: whence they produced, by their Poets, many, who ſhould be called the ſons of Jupiter: Suppoſing by this means, that men would eſteem the matters which concerned Chriſt for prodigious Fables, and Poetick narrations, no leſs then thoſe of the Poets. Therefore thoſe things which belonged to the one only Meſſias they traduced to many. So in Perſeus, they make him to be borne of a Virgin: and under Dionyſius, they feign him to ride on the Colt of an Aſſe; and being torne in pieces by the Titans, to returne to his Fathers throne in Heaven. Thus Origen contra Celſum lib. 4. Bacchus (i.e. the ſon of God) falling from Iupiters Throne, was torne by the Titans: and his members being again compoſed, he aſcended alive up to Heaven. VVhichWhich fable the Greeks interpreted figuratively of the ſoul; but it ſeems rather to be a ſhadow of Chriſt his Deſcent, Paſſion, and Aſcenſion. So alſo Chriſt his raiſing up the dead, was Fabled in the Poets, in Eſculapius's being the Phyſician and raiſer up of the dead. As alſo the Poets feigning the Heroes to be ſent down to infernal places, and thence to aſcend up into Heaven, ſeems but a Fable of Christs ſuffering the pains of Hell; and afterwards aſcending up to Heaven. Whence Sandf. Deſcenſ. l. 3. Sect. 137. concludes: That Chriſts deſcending down to Hell, i.e. ſuffering Hell pains in his ſoul, was by the Poets couched under ſeverall ſhadows, eſpecially under that Fable of Eſculapius, who, as they Comment, reſtored Dumvirbius (i.e. as I conjecture Adam) to life again; whereupon he was, by a Thunderbolt from Iupiter, caſt down to Hell. VVhence the Poet Aen. 7.
Ipſe repertorem Medicinae talis & artis
Fulmine Phaebigenam Stygias detruſit ad umbras.
Only there is none of the ſons of Iupiter found, on whom the puniſhment of the Croſſe was transferred; whence it's very probable that this myſterie was unknown, even to the Devils, themſelves.