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HSfew Series, "Vol. IV", 3STo. 38.
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THURSDAY,.SEPTEMBER 19,1867. ' '
REIATIONBOF THE PHILOSOPHER SENECA
TO CHRISTIANITY.
Hst numjber of the Westminster Re-
The . . f - ■ .
view contains an article, on the Philosopher
Seneca. He is one‘of tie v'ery few heathen'
teachers whom the'Enemies of revelation'
have been fond of'mentioning, as rivals of
Christian writers. Undoubtedly, there ip
much that is admirable'in his Wirings, lofty
in sentiment, and admirably, expressed.
Sometimes, indeed, to Speak .al
most like a Christian, and to have, left 1 the
old heathen morality _ far { behind. It ■ is
scarcely strange, this; an inveterate' Scepti
cism should wish to predp him into its
vieo. We can scarcely doubt, frtJm some
things in the article above' mentioned, that
this was tho animus' of the -writer.. ' .
Speaking of the Philosopher, he remarks,'
“ Freed from the superstitions of the popu
lace, exalted above the illusions of Stoical
orthodoxy, replacing the multiplicity of
gods by the unity of the divine nature, and
substituting for external worship the spiri
tual adoration which lies in the knowledge
of God, and the humble, imitation ofhis per
fection, Seneca, as a Competent authority
observes, holds a foremost rank among
those who represent in its highest purity
the elevated moral conceptions which classi
cal antiquity attained.”
It is very natural, that putting forth.this
claim in behalf of “ classical antiquity,” the
writer should be very reluctant to admit,
that Seneca owed anything to Christianity.
Although he touches on the resemblance at
some points between the teaching of the'
Philosophor-and the great Apostle of the
Gentiles —a resemblance that iB indeed
striking, and has been often noted —he is
unwilling to allow that the Roman derived
anything from the Jew. He sets aside the
opinions of Henry, Troplong and others, to
commend the- rc In w - -of ZvllOr r - that 8 e neesV
was not acquainted with Paul, or indebted
to him for his peculiar views. We are not
prepared to .maintain that he is in error
here, but we must say, that it seems to ns a
matter concerning which be has no right to be
confident. Seneca was Hero's teacher. His
closing years—the very period of Paul’s re
sidence in Rome—may well have made him
acquainted with the views which were daily
disputed in “the School of one Tyrannus,”
and a man of Seneca’s literary and philoso
phical taste, would scarce fail to avail him
self of the opportunity to understand some
thing of the teachings of a man, who, in a
religious cause had appealed to Caesar.
But wo are not deposed to attach so much
importance to this fact—inasmuch as some
of Seneca’s writings-were of an earlier date
—as t« the statement that there were Chris
tians in Oeeaar’s household. It will not an
swer to say, as some have said, that * Chris
tianity was in the air,’ fOt--i£.3o, why did not
other noble Romans, same at
mosphere, place thbmselveß' in the’ sa«a.e
moral line with Seneca? ‘ Christianity in
the air!' But how came it there? it was
diffused abroad undoubtedly by Christian
teaching. For thirty years the 'maii'that
1 turned the world upside down,’ had made
noise enough to be heard, by one who sat at
that focus of the world’s whispering gallery,
the imperial court of Rome! Would it not
have been strange, that Seneca should never
have heard of Christ or Christian doctrine ?
And taking a review of the best heathen an-'
thors, does it not appear almost, if not quite,
incredible that such writings as those of Se-'
J eca should have been produced by one who
indebted only to learned heathen, or to
his v wn reasonings ? *
But granting all that- the reviewer is dis
posed to^i a i m —that Seneca represents “the
elevated rto ra i conception's which classical
antiquity utXined,” —what a force does it
give to the demotion of Paul*'concerning
those who, havfoj xot the law, were a law
to themselves, vWr ‘houghts, meanwhile,
accusing or else extaeingnne another !
The foremost hea'lhen wJV,© r of his day,
the loftiest moralist, tye most profound phil
osopher to theXChristian
standard of duty 1 WhkW testimony to the
divine truthfulness of the scriptural
produced, not ip the worldU metropolis, bvt
in the provincial region;, ofVudea, among .a
people isolated among the nations 1 - ;
But as if forced to overthrew bis o wn idol,
PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER J 9, 1867,
the reviewer finds himself.under the neces
sity of confessing, that Seneca v did not live
up to his own standard. There was a glori
ous correspondence between the ci;eed and
the;life, the faith and the martyrdojp.ofitihe.
Apostle Paul. We feel that he is not merely
a teacher. lie lives what he teaches. But
how Seneda? ■ If his--writings
were a fragrant pot of ointment, his life
dropped many a dead fly into it. The review
er says, “ Seneca s position was l equivocal.
He was immensely inch; and he-professed to
admire’poverty. He was so usnricmsy Dioir
says,' that his exactions in ■ Britain-
occasion of the msutreotion - under
tacus. had he accumulated- all-this*
fabulous wealth? In bis frequent eulogi
ums' on poverty, we do r not ttnnki Seneca
was wholly insincere, though we regret that;
he did not recommend’ his theory ,by his
practice-.. After all jabatements, 'we [ allow
that Seneca w'as inconsisteirttjy.and ungrace
fully rich.”.
A somewhat serious: admission, when Se
neca is to he -held up by the side of those,
who counted all ithings but loss for’Christ’s
sake, and tyei®,, ! at least,the,consistentfollow
ersofHim who had not whereto'lay his head,l
We are not disposed to notefcther, failings of
Seneca'i which the, reviewer i-t is,
enough to observe,, that, his ,words .iiare
golden, but his deeds are lead, ; do ;
not correspond. But what would be, said o ( f
an ApOs.tolic writer against whom an,analo
gous charge ;CQUId he,brought ? - Let Seneca
Btand as the noblest Roman of th,ern all, but-lpt
it be simply to show more conclusively, that
“ the Christian is the highest style of man-”
BE JUST AND PEAR NOT.
In all the history Of popular governments,
it would be difficult‘to find a party so purely
one of principle, as is the Ropablican party
of odr day and country. Popular govern-'
ments—ours among the rest—from time im
memorial, have been the prey of dema
gogues; and’parties have,-for the most part,
aim- beyond their - own ! aggrandizement;
their “ principles” have; too often been mere
declarations of prejudice, or passion, or nar
row self-interest, —sometimesofpositive hos
tility to truth,morality,and religion,—which
political aspirants have thrown into shape
and have advocated in the hope of gaining
the popular favor. ' But it is the most,en r
couraging sign in the history of our country,
thata.great party ha's arisen and for nearly
eight years has controlled its destinies,
whose principles are aimed directly against
the base, prejudices, the narrow selfishness,
the material, grovelling, short-sighted policy
which have hitherto formed the chief ma
terial for, the construction of party plat
forms; The Republican party was the
embodiment, originally, of the Christian pur
pose of the nation to restrict the progress
of slavery. It was soon educated to tbe>
purpose to destroy slavery, by the war of
the slave-holders against the life of the na
tion. Its endurance through four years, of
dreadful war; its patience under enormous
burdens of taxation ; its persistence-in spite
of-.the assassination of its leader at the bead
of the government, and of the:unexampled
treachery of his-successor and trusted asso
ciates in office; its perseverance-and-progress
on the high road of equal frights, raising- a,
whole race from slavery not only to free
dom but to citizenship, giving to the nation
a reinforcement of half a million loyal voters,;
and to Protestant Christianity an accession
of strength such as Romanism,vainly seeks
to gain in Ireland; are among the most re
markable facts in the history of our gov
men t and. of. the progress of freedom in. the
world., . The triumph of Prussia and Italy
over Austria, the progress of liberty in Aus
tria itself, the disastrous repulse of France
and,-Austria with their anti-republican
aims, from the heart of the new world, and
the grand success of the Reform; movement
in England, form a class of facts, in which
the trumph of the Republican Party in Ame
rica holds a position of the highest-honor
and influence. -
The Republican party of; our country is
perhaps the first great instance of party suc
cess in an appeal to the moral instincts ofa
people. The high moral tone of the party,
has drawn-to its support-the best spirits, tne
philanthropists, the religious; people,, the
lurches almostin a body, the solid, sub:,
educated, thinking people.of the
land. Readers of the party either already
were, or, like Henry Wilson-and: Governor
Geary; have since become, religious men.
Am on g. them: are the friends of- T emperance
and; the, pledged adherents of .its principles.
Bre&idfenti J ohnshn -deserted) the; Republican
party,in tho>fit-ofidrunkenness -which made
his: inauguration’ infamous... The disgrace' of
returning,common .drunkards,and professed
pugilists and gamblers, to the-National Le
gislatiue.,belongs.notoriously to .the Demo
cratic party. i ,
We believe the people, with their advan
cing intelligence and: with, thdnWiderspread
of eliglon;through' revivals ?P,d-Qh,urch Ex--
tension, -cave,ijeaohed-' apoint. where, party
organization for the. mere sake of par-ty, for.
the elevation of l a set of party leaders and
for securing, the spoils of office,- will ,siinply,
disgust and :i*epel [them. Wo -believe,,the
late terrible and costly-struggle-has endear-,
ed and exalted'thefr, co.untrypU their esteem
so that theyjtyiU-.no cop sent to see
its higher:in'teseßtSovertooked’anddtspoJicy
and very existence .become,a matter of-mere.
wrangling between men:absolutely,‘without
character, gifts ior insighti beyond the bare
management jof party.machinery rand the
clap-trap of demagoguism.-.isjJYe,Are ■thor-,
oughly surfeited withirthe of .professed
politicians about keeping mo, subjects out
of politics ad unsuitable.,. 'Republican,politi
cians, especially, who lutter suph sentiments,-
must be charged with extraordinary obtuse
ness as- to the principles', origisy and success
of their’ own party.; - That isithe grand em
bo'diment sof the- National will that moral,
principles shall guide, the destihy and shape
the policy of-the Republic. .., .Qnoe annul or
frustrate, that purpose by party trickery and
the members ?of the; party at home
and leave their corrupt leadersj in the lurch,
as they have, just done in California. The
Republican party may undqrgp vicissitude,
may .suffer temporary. imiist be
prepared for that-rr-but its vantage ground
is the strongest in the. 'wholffl world:—the
conscience of the' people. The Shortest
sighted- ha ye,-,
learned the expediency, it. notfcjifgftirther,;
of maintaining thia imprfegnable positiopf
THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE. 11.
, Amsterdam, Aug. 28th, 1867.
The Alliance held its closing session last
evening. The interest, which has risen
from the first, seemed here to ascend to a
very high pitch. In the general hall of the
Theological Garden, where all the members
of the alliance dined in common during the
sessions, there was, if possible, an increase
of social and Christian enthusiasm. Numer
ous speeches were made, all breathing a fer
vent evangelistic spirit. A short address by
Rev. G. Wendell Prime, formerly of Detroit,
desorres special mention. He alluded to the
fact that, at the creation, God put man in.a
garden, and’that since the fall, there had al
ways existed in the human mind a desire to
again be in a garden, and he thanked God,
that he had put it into the heart of the
good people of Amsterdam, to arrange to
bring the Evangelical Alliance not only into
one garden, but into two gardens. After
three or four hours in this, delightful place
of resort, there was a return to 'the Park
zaal, which is also in a garden, as intimated
above. The last hymn was sung from the
; Hymn-book prepared in four languages for
the use of’this meeting. An earnest prayer
in Dutch was offered’by a-Rotterdam pastor, 1
and an address was made by Rev. Cohen
Stewart, the Secretary of the Committee of
the Alliance in Holland. This gentleman
spoke first for about fifteen minutes in French;
then turning he addressed his ‘-‘friends from
America and from England ” in excellent
English; and-again he greatly delighted his
German auditors by a fluent address in the
German tongue, and;concluded with remarks
in the- spoech of Holland. Whatever else
may be said of him,the. is certainly a man
of:great ability.- A fervent prayer in Ger
man was offered by Dr. Krummacher, and
in English by Dr. E. Steane of. London.
Several addresses were;made in various lan
guages, and finally-Dr. Prime of the “Now
York Observer” delivered a happy address,-
saying that the hour of parting was the first,
painful hour,- and that-all who had.attended
the meetings of the Alliance would go hence
with the convictionithat, itiwaa an unspeak
able. privilege which they had enjoyed to-.
gether,~to consider, as thoy had considered,
the matters which pertain.to the whole king-,
dom of Christ, and concluded by urging a;
full attendance at the next meeting of the
Alliance in New York, where, although no
positive decision was practicable, there is
no reason to doubt, it will be held. “We
need you,” he said, “for our work is'great,”
and-“your chHd reh are there, and after you
have visited our shores, we know you will
prayfor ns asyouhav'4 never prayed for-UB
before.” - ■
LORD RADSTOCK AND HIS CO-LABORERS
This meeting has been far more largely
attended, and more delightful in its circum
stances, and more satisfactory in its results
than the ’most sanguine' friends of the Alli
ance'had ventured tc hope. A divine bene
dictiqn seemed to descend upon it. A group
of earnest, though perhaps somewhat too
auphilosophical, workers from England, un
der the. lead of Lord Radstoek, contributed
a pleasant influence to the meetings. So
earnest were these brethren and Sisters that
they were not content with listening and
speaking in the' English -tongue alone, but
they set to work' to evangelize the masses
ofHoUand by preaching through interpreters;
and some souls were doubtless awakened'and.
converted through the‘labors of these excel
lent people,'who are understood to be con
nected with the “ Plymouth Brethren.”
They sowed the city with tracts, and it
may be, hoped that an abundant harvest will
spring up from this holy seed. A* carriage
was passing in one of the narrow streets, as
the evening twilight was deepening into
darkness, and I observed the hand of a lady
from the window of the vehicle, beckoning
to me to take a something white which
seemed to be a letter. “Here,” I thought to
myself, “ is adventure —here is a romance.”
I stretched forth my hand and took the
seeming epistle. It was a tract, entitled the
“True Way” by a good man in England,
whose name translated into Dutch, is “Rijle.”
Not-being able to Tead it, I gave it away to
an intelligent- Netherlander that it might
fulfil its evangelistic mission. .
SYSTEMATIC BENEFICENCE HOBBY.
■ -'Atroth'efgniup offtien bavebeen pressing
the idea of “systematic beneficenceas
they-call a device which will soon un- ;
lock the treasuries of all countries. A eer-’
tain proportion, they say, must be laid aside
scrupulously for the doing of good deeds,-
and the remainder, (~a3 T nine-tenths),- will
support any man better than the whole.
This, they not only recommend, but insist
upon and assert to -be the fixed ‘‘financial
law Of the Gospel," which is manifestly
wrong, for God requires-not - a tenth nor a
half, but the whole. God has, and ; insists
upon, proprietorship in the whole body, soul
and substance of every believer.
But it cannot be expected that-only sen
sible 1 men will attend a meeting of ecumem
ical proportions.
■One day was; given; up partially-to mis
sions.- Rev. Dr. Hamlin of Constantino
ple and Rev. Mr. Green of Broosa, Rev.
Mr. Mullens and others, spoke of their
respective fields with great felicity.
The grave and studied papers, which,
from day to day, have been presented to
this body, will find their way to the public
through the appropriate channels. It would
be impossible to x-eport them for a newspa
per article or even to describe them, for they
have been presented in every style of deliv
ery and in four languages, and have embod
ied views and shades of opinion peculiar to
Ebe persons and nations to whom they be
loPg- i,
THE SABBATH,
It may he said, however, aside from the
moral influence of this great meeting and
the intellectual and. social results of this in
ternational fellowship, that considerable ser
vice has been rendered to the cause of r t.h.o ;
Sabbath by conference and personal labor,
A document has been circulated, and very,
generally subscribed to, expressing an, earn
est hope and desire that “governments, mu
nicipalities and masters of-establishments
everywhere would endeavor to secure T to
those under their care, the moral and spirit
ual advantages of rest and worship on the
Lord’s day.” This document has been circu
lated, and read in every language and de
voutly considered. -
CIVIL -AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.
The interests of civil and .religious,liberty
in every part of the world must be greatly
subserved by this imposing gathering, and
manya weary, soul in Spain and in Turkey
and. in the far off countries of the earthy will
rejoice" that Evangelical- Christendo/n .is
Genesee Evangelist, DSTo. 1113.
f Ministers $2 50 H. Miss. $2 00
1 Addressl334 Chestnut Street.
able thus to concentrate its influence for the
succor of the persecuted and the deliverance
of the captive.
Organization—‘
An effort was made to give to the Alliance
a Constitution and General Government,
somewhat similar to that of the United
States. At present it is composed of branches
which possess no .trunk. And for general
business,,and concerns which need a very
speedy handling, it is an unwieldy organiz
ation or rather non-organization. It is not
desired to: trench upon the .rights of the se
parate branches. They must be left at per
fect liberty to originate and propose meas
ures for.the consideration of ,the whole, and
also tp take care of their own national con
cerns, but in'cases of persecution and mat
ters which need iimmediate .attention, and
for the easy and speedy adjustment of- busi
ness which, like the Week of Prayer, con
cerns the whole world, a general internation
al Committee is needed, to whom .these mat
ters may be safely entrusted*
,To. bring«about such a. change, an effort
was 'made by Dr. McCosJh, who.seems tp be
unwearied in good works" and a good friend
of the United States, and others. The idea
of the “E pluribus unum” was introduced
with difficulty into some minds, especially
those of Frenchmen, but at last an arrange
ment w‘as made, which will probably result
in giving to all' the national branches of the
Alliance a government modeled after our
own general government. Meantime the
British Branch is to take the initiative in
all matters of the greatest importance.
Complimentary Supper— The Board of
Managers of the Y. M. C. A., of this city,
gave a complimentary supper, September
14th, to their fellow officer, George W. Meats
Esq., on the occasion of his safe return from
Europe. Peter B. Simons Esq., the President
of .the Association, presided with his acoufl-'
tomod affability. There were.present Messrs.
Geoi'H. Stuart, John Wanamaker, Thomas-
Tolman, Samuel Loag, Henry Pollock, Rev.
Jbhn W. Mears, D.D., Rev. W. B. Culliss the
Secretary, and many others. After enjoy
ing the excellent'viahdS, Mr. Mears was in
troduced by the President, and proceeded to
give a rapid, but detailed and highly in
teresting account of his interviews with the
Young Men’s Christian Associations in Eng
land and on the Continent, whom he had
sought as the accredited representative of
the Philadelphia Association. Mr. Mears,
having referred to the .spiritless singing at
the meetings of these bodies, and remarking
that he felt strongly moved, on one occasion,
to show them how we in America sing “Say
brothers will you meet us,” Mr. Simons
proposed that we join in singing it on the
spot. The whole company rose, joined hands,
and poured out this thrilling chorus in true
American style, in like manner, Mr. Mears
describing the closing scenes on the home
ward passage, which occurred on Sabbath,
when the passengers, at his suggestion, uni
ted in singing, “"When I can read my title
clear,” to the tune, of Auld Lang Syne, the
company again rose and joined in the same
words to the same tune. Prayer was offered
by Mr. Graeff, and the benediction pro
nounced by Dr., Mears, when the delighted
company dispersed. It is proposed that Mr.
Mears embody as much of his observations
in Europe as may be thought appropriate,
in tbe form of one or more lectures to be de-
Inhered, .before the Association this fall.
fAw Council ■, —By Atlantic
telegraphy-we learn that Pins IX has re
solved upon calling an Ecumenical Council,
an event which the Homan Catholic Church
has not witnessed since the famous Counoit
of-Trent,: three centuries'ago. :This council
was summoned to moot the exigency of the
Reformation, of the Sixteenth Century. The
Pqpe sees, ja, new , Reformation creeping
around ,him, and swelling to the very thresh
old of the Vatican, and has determined, after
exhausting all Other methods, to have re
course t'o the same expedient.' It was meas
urably, successful, in the 16th ; century, but
what it will accomplish in the 19th remains
to be seen. !
The Cqngregationalist and Recorder,
formed by the union of the two well-known Bos
ton papers, has come oyt in the form of a double
sheet'and looks and reads'well. ' The Boston re
ligious papets have heen Very Slow to assume the
quarto form, Tfie WatcKman and Reflector hav
ing .acted As. pioneer only a- few months ago.
“E Pluribus Unum.”