Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

402 THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH ANDBanquet of the influence of immortality on the relationsof the present life; the Phaedo of death asthe means of a happy futurity.49 But no one collectstogether and lucidly exhibits his view of thedivine nature. This has to be picked out of hiswritings, a bit here, and another there, and put togetherby the student. No doubt he felt, as hehas said,50 " with regard to the Maker and theFather of this universe it is hard to find him out, "and when you have found him impossible to describehim to all men." He was intimately convincedthat the great mass of mankind was quiteunsuited to receive the conception of the DivineBeing which he had formed. But I believe thereto have been another reason of greater force withhim for his not having presented as a whole hisconclusions on this central doctrine of all. It wasnot merely that the fate of his master Socrates wasever before him,51 but the singular position whichhe held with regard to the established worship.He wished to correct, not to destroy it; he wishedto reduce it to monotheism, and yet to preservepolytheism. The two are bound together in hismind. If then his writings be carefully analysed,and every reference to the Supreme Being put to-49 Dollinger, p. 290, sec. 110.50 Timaus, 28.51 Thus Grote, Plato, i. 230, speaks of " the early caution producedby the fate of Socrates," and believes " such apprehension to have ope-as one m mexposition under his own name, any Tl\dTwvos y7pa,u^a," p. 231.