Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

"460 THE CHKISTIAN CHURCH ANDphilosophy had spread itself over all the culturedclasses. We seek in vain in Julius Caesar andCicero, in Lucretius, Catullus, Virgil, Manilius,Horace, Ovid, in Polybius, Dionysius, Diodorus, orStrabo, for any real belief in the immortal godswhose names appear in their writings. The poetsuse them for stage-effect, the statesmen as part ofthe machinery of government, the historians asnames interwoven with the events which they recount: yet the life of all these men was filled withthe frequentation of rites and ceremonies, as amatter of law and custom, having reference to amultitude of gods, concerning whom they had acontemptuous disbelief, though none of them werewithout many a dark superstition.Such was the negative influence of philosophy;but what inward support had it given to mindswhose ancestral belief, still entertained by the massof men all around, was thus eaten out ? What sub-stitute had it provided for this discredited polytheismwith its ridiculed mythology ?1. First, did the Greek philosophy teach theunity of the Godhead ? If by this question bemeant, did philosophy ever go forth into the midstof the temples and smoking sacrifices with whichevery city teemed, and proclaim, These gods whichyou worship are no gods : there is one Maker andKuler of the universe, and the homage due to himalone is usurped by a multitude of pretende deities:-then there is no doubt about the answer,