gufh out. He, I fay, in his Wisdom has amended this Defect of human Laws, has ftruck at the very Root of the Evil, and laid a wife Check and Reftraint upon the Heart and Thoughts, by making the looking upon a Woman with a luftful Eye, and a lafcivious Thought, as criminal, as Adultery * itself, and the defiring and coveting our Neighbour's Goods with an evil Defign, equal to the cheating and defrauding of him. Let us now place our Philofopher in this fame point of View, and fee how very near he comes in this to the divine Wisdom. He in the fame Manner fixes a Guilt and Crime upon the very Thoughts. He in the fame Manner, and almost in the fame Words, de.. clares, that Woman, who with Delight harbours lafcivious Thoughts, is as guilty of Impurity, as if the actually had committed the Crime; and that a Man that is armed and prepared, and lies in wait to rob and kill his Neighbour, is to all Intents as guilty of Robbery and Murder, as if he had really plunder'd him, and ftruck the Dagger in his Breaft. Now, Sir, I would only afk, whether if we should meet fuch Paffages as these in a modern Writer, we should not readily conclude, that they were literally transcribed from the Gospel itself. I know but one Heathen Author more, who hath carried Morality and Purity of Heart to that fublime Degree of Chriftian Perfection: I mean Juvenal, who in his 13th Satyr, an excellent Piece of Mast. v. 28. + Incesta eft etiam fine ftupro, quæ ftuprum cupit ; & quæ invita patitur, cafta eft. In maleficiis etiam cogitata fcelera noxia funt. Latro enim eft etiam antequam manus inquinet, qui ad occidendum jam armatus eft, & habet fpoliandi & interficiendi voluntatem. Exercitur atq; aperitur nequitia non incipit. De Conft. Sapientis, C. 7. Morality Morality and Cafuiftry, has these remarkable For he that but conceives a Crime in Thought, Which I make no doubt but he tranfcribed from thofe Places of Seneca; from whom 'tis eafy to observe, he has borrowed many of his fevere Strokes and warm Invectives against the Vices and Corruptions of his Age. From this fhort View I have taken of the Works of our Philofopher, which I could easily have much enlarged, and from the perfect Agreement that appears between them, and the Holy Writings, I hope I may, with fome Degree of Probability, conclude, that Seneca had been converfant with the Scriptures, and was acquainted with the Chriftian Religion, I mean fo far as concerns the moral Part of it, and that is the most material Point in the Question, because it fhews his Refinements upon the Pagan Morality not to be the Product of human Reason; but I am inclined to go one Step farther, and to believe he really was a Chriftian in his Heart; which has been the Opinion of feveral learned and judicious Men. Tertullian,* in fome Parts of his Writings, calls him noftrum, one of us, one of our Sect and Religion. Otho of Frifinger affirms, that he ought to be called a Chriftian † rather than a Philofopher; and Johannes Farifb. whom I have quoted above, faith, Men must have loft their Senfes that can think otherwise. Lastly, the 2d Council of Tours, in a full Synod, have not only quoted him with Approbation, but confirmed their Decrees by the Testi * Vide Lipfii vitam Senecæ, cap. 7. + Senecam non tam Philofophum, quàm Chriftianum dicendum. Ib.. mony mony of this Writer, which I am persuaded they never would have done, had they not verily believed that he was a Chriftian. But that you may not think, Sir, that I would conceal any thing that makes against myself, Evitare vices Me tela vel ullas I will now lay before you, and that in its full Force, the main Argument that lies against my Opinion, and seems to bear very hard against it; I mean the Account which Tacitus || has given in his Annals of the Death of this Philofopher, where he faith, that when he found that the Blood he had lost by the Opening of his Veins (a kind of Death, which, by the Emperor's Leave, he had made choice of himfelf) did not put an end to his Life fo foon as he expected and defired; and that the Poifon he had taken afterwards, to haften his Death, had no Effect upon his weak, faint, and languishing Body, he defired to be conveyed into a Bagnio, that the Steam of it might fmother him, and put an end to his Pain; and that when he was there, he took fome Water in his Hand, and with it fprinkled his Friends and Servants that were round about him, and flinging the reft upon the Ground, declared, he did it by way of Libation to Jupiter the Deliverer. This laft Circumstance, I must own, feems to be of great Weight, and to prove that Seneca was not only a Heathen, but expired in the very Act of the Pagan Worship. But be pleafed, Sir, to look back a little, and to join the following Reasons to those I have given above, which he might have to disguise his Thoughts, and to conceal his Opinion. Be pleased to confider the Condition +Aliqui Laici dum perpetrant diverfa adulteria hoc de fe fciunt, in aliis fufpicantur, ut ait Seneca, peffimum in eo vitium effe, quod in id quod infanit cæteros putat facere. 2 Concil. Turon. Can. 15. Vide Tacit. Annal. L. 15. he he was in, the Measures he had to keep, and the Precautions to take in fo nice and critical a Juncture, and to caft these in the other Scale before you pass your Verdict. He had been long declining in the Favour of the Prince, and lately had incurr'd his highest Displeasure, by being privy to a dangerous Confpiracy to deprive him of his Crown and his Life, and to fet up another in his room. Nay, it was faid, the Confpirators defign'd, when their Work was done, to fet Pifo afide, and to place Seneca* himself upon the Throne, which if true, or but fufpected, must needs add to his Guilt, and heighten the Emperor's Refentment against him. Farther, he was ready to part with a tender and beloved Wife, who attempted to deftroy herself, that fhe might not outlive her Hufband. He was leaving his Relations and Friends in the utmoft Concern and Affliction, and expofed to the Cruelty of a cruel and merciless Tyrant. He had indeed taken what Care he could, and made what Provifion he was able for them, in fupremis fuis confuluit (faith the Hiftorian) by which Lipfius understands, that he made Nero Heir in Part of his immense Estate, that he might thereby fecure the reft to his Family and Friends. But ftill, I fay, he left them to the Mercy of a cruel and unrelenting Prince. Laftly, which I beg leave to lay fome Strefs upon, he knew the inveterate Hatred Nero bore to the Christians. He had heard the vile Calumnies he had raised, and the exceffive Cruelties he had exercised against them. Now then, fuppofing he had been a Chriftian, or only had a favourable Opinion of their Religion, what must he have expected from fuch a Declaration, Agitatum eft (faith Tacitus) ut imperium Seneca traderetur, quafi infonti claritudine virtutum ad fummum faftigium delecto; to which I believe Juvenal alludes in his 10th Satyr; Libera fi populo dentur fuffragia, quis tam but but the Ruin of his Friends, the Confiscation of his Eftate, and the expofing his Body to all manner of Infults and Indignities after his Death. Now, Sir, putting thefe Things together, I will appeal to you whether he had not very strong Reasons to conceal his Opinion. You will fay, Sir, perhaps, that if Seneca was a Chriftian, and died in the manner related by Tacitus, he must have been a vile Hypocrite indeed, and it may be a Question, whether he might not do more Differvice to the Cause of Virtue by his Death, than he could do Service by his Life and Writings. Nam veræ voces tum demum pectore ab imo Eliciuntur, & eripitur perfona, manet res. Lucret. To behave well at the Time of Death, is the finishing Stroke of Life. Then a Man is to make the laft and the most important Caft for a happy Eternity, if we believe Christianity. I grant it; but, after all, might not the Manner of his Death be a Proof of fome Inclination to Christianity? might not he mean the Redeemer of the World by Jupiter Liberator? and might not he, under the Colour of fprinkling his Friends, take Occafion to fprinkle himself, in Imitation of Baptism? But as this is only a Conjecture, I fhall leave you to judge of it yourself. Upon the whole, I believe you will think there is a good deal of Guess-work in these Remarks of mine; but hope you will allow them to carry fome kind of Probability along with them. Such as they are, I will not lay a greater Stress upon them than they will bear; but as I am always ready to approve Quicquid novifti rectius, will leave them entirely to your better Judgment. ARTICLE |