136 



!!OCRATEs. 



ancj simple formula : Great God .' give us the good (kings of lohich wc 

 stand in need, lohether toe ask them or not ; and keep evil things from^is 

 even lohen we pray to thee for them. He also believed that a divine 

 spirit [S'»ifA.av) constantly attended him, rebuking him when he did 

 wrong, and prompting him to do what was right. Essp, divinum quod- 

 dam, quod Socrates demonium appellat, cui semper ipse paruerit, nun- 

 quam impellenti, soepe revocanti, (Cic. de divin.) This was conscience, 

 ■which has been pronounced by another, " God's vicegerent in the soul 

 of man." But the doctrine dearest in his creed, upon which he loved 

 so frequently to speak, is the immortality of the soul beyond the grave. 

 He 



" With reasonings sublime. 



Half-pierced at intervals the mystery 



Which with the Gospel vanished and made way 



For noon-day brightness. " 



He entertained the opinion that a perfect example of human excel- 

 lence would yet appear on the earth. He anticipated the advent of one 

 of humble origin, yet of heavenly wisdom, who should be a divine 

 teacher and yet a mart}T to the truth. When treating of the divine man 

 he seems to speak of the qualifications, life and death of the Saviour 

 with almost as much clearness as Isaiah himself. "Ele will be a simple 

 and ingenuous man, desiring not the semblance but the reality of good- 

 ness ; for if he shall be thought to be just, he will have honor and re- 

 ward; and thus it will be uncertain, whether he be just, for the pure 

 sake of justice or the rewards and honors of it. Let him be stripped 

 of every thing but his integrity; while he doth no injustice, let him 

 have the reputation of doing the greatest ; that he may be tortured for 

 justice, not yielding to reproach or such things as arise from it; but 

 may be immovable until death, appearing to be unjust through life, yet 

 being really just. The just man being of this disposition will be scour- 

 ged, tormented, bound, have his eyes burnt out, and lastly, having suf- 

 fered all manner of evil, will be crucified.'''' — (Plato^s Rep.) 



The more we contemplate the character and sentiments of Socrates, 

 the more we are filled with admiration of his excellence and eminence. 

 But lest we should exceed the limits allowed us, we will conclude 

 with a quotation from the writings of one of his pupils. "To me in- 

 deed Socrates was such a man ; so religious that he would do nothing 

 without asking counsel of the gods ; so just that he would harm no 

 man in the slightest thing, but render every assistance to all who sought 

 it of liim ; so temperate that he never preferred pleasure to goodness; 

 so sagacious that he seldom erred in discriminating the better and the 



