Taylor - Eleusianian and Bacchic Mysteries.pdf - Platonic Philosophy

"comes a Bacchus ;Bacchic Mysteries. 203that is, she passes into theproper integrity of her nature according tothe divine principle ruling on high. From allwhich it evidently follows,that he who livesDionysiacally rests from labors and is freedfrom his bonds * ;that he leaves his prison,or rather his apostatizing life and that he;who does this is a philosopher purifying himselflife.from the contaminations of his earthlyBut farther from this account of Diothe truth of Plato snysus, we may perceivethat the design of the Mysteobservation,ries is to lead us back to the perfection fromwhich, as our beginning, we first made our descent." For in this perfection Dionysus himself subsists, establishing perfect souls inthe throne of his father ;that is,in the integrity of a life according to Jupiter. Sothat he who is perfect necessarily resideswith the gods, according to the design ofthose deities, who are the sources of consummate perfection to the soul. And lastly,*"We strive toward virtue by a strenuous use of the giftswhich God communicates ;but when God communicates himself,then we can be only passive we repose, we enjoy, but all operation ceases."