Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

THE GREEK PHILOSOPHY.435can give us no other ground save political expediencyfor resting religion upon fables so apparentas the stories of the popular belief. He some-times himself uses these fables, like other popularopinions, to illustrate some general proposition, afor instance, Homer's verses on the golden chainshow the immobility of the first mover : just asin other cases he likes to pursue his scientificassumptions to their least apparent beginnings ,and to take account of sayings and proverbs.But if we except the few general principles ofreligious belief, he ascribes to these fable> no-deeper meaning, and as little does he seem to careabout purifying their character. For his state hepresupposes the existing religion, as in his personalconduct he did not withdraw from its usages, I andexpressed his attachment to friends and relationsin the forms consecrated by it. But no trace isfound in him of Plato's desire to reform rlby means of philosophy : and in his politics heallows in the existing worship even what in itselfhe disapproves, as the case of unseemly words,inscriptions, and statues.' Thus- the relation ofthe Aristotelic philosophy to the actual religionis generally a very loose one. It does not*disdainindeed to use the points of'connection which theother presents, but has no need of it whatever foritself: nor does it seek on its own side to purifyand transform religion, the imperfection of whichit rather seems to take as something unavoidable.c