Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Marcus Aurelius — John Shaqi
Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
Marcus Aurelius · en
[A] Comp. Ep. to the Corinthians, i. 3, 17, and James iv. 8,
"Drawnigh to God and he will draw nigh to you."
[B] This is also Swedenborg's doctrine of the soul. "As to what
concerns the soul, of which it is said that it shall live after
death, it is nothing else but the man himself, who lives in the
body, that is, the interior man, who by the body acts in the
world and from whom the body itself lives" (quoted by Clissold,
p. 456 of "The Practical Nature of the Theological Writings of
Emanuel Swedenborg, in a Letter to the Archbishop of Dublin
(Whately)," second edition, 1859; a book which theologians
might read with profit). This is an old doctrine of the soul,
which has been often proclaimed, but never better expressed
than by the "Auctor de Mundo," c. 6, quoted by Gataker in his
"Antoninus," p. 436. "The soul by which we live and have cities
and houses is invisible, but it is seen by its works; for the
whole method of life has been devised by it and ordered, and by
it is held together. In like manner we must think also about
the Deity, who in power is most mighty, in beauty most comely,
in life immortal, and in virtue supreme: wherefore though he is
invisible to human nature, he is seen by his very works." Other
passages to the same purpose are quoted by Gataker (p. 382).
Bishop Butler has the same as to the soul: "Upon the whole,
then, our organs of sense and our limbs are certainly
instruments, which the living persons, ourselves, make use of
to perceive and move with." If this is not plain enough, be
also says: "It follows that our organized bodies are no more
ourselves, or part of ourselves, than any other matter around
us." (Compare Anton, x. 38).
[C] The reader may consult Discourse V., "Of the existence and
nature of God," in John Smith's "Select Discourses." He has
prefixed as a text to this Discourse, the striking passage of
Agapetus, Paraenes. § 3: "He who knows himself will know God;
and he who knows God will be made like to God; and he will be
made like to God, who has become worthy of God; and he becomes
worthy of God, who does nothing unworthy of God, but thinks the
things that are his, and speaks what he thinks, and does what
he speaks." I suppose that the old saying, "Know thyself,"
which is attributed to Socrates and others, had a larger
meaning than the narrow sense which is generally given to it.
(Agapetus, ed. Stephan. Schoning, Franeker, 1608. This volume
contains also the Paraeneses of Nilus.)