virtue, enables us to deny ourselves without cynicism, and to look forward to pleasures at

the right hand of God that are for evermore?

The zenith of human wisdom is reached in the labours of Plato. Plato's philosophy

was founded upon the teaching of Socrates, and his celebrated theory of ideas may be

regarded as an attempt to mediate between the two systems of Heraclitus and Parmenides.

What was but dimly seen and uncertainly expressed by the master--Socrates, is unfolded

and systemized by his disciple. It needed, however, two exponents to give the teaching

of Socrates completeness, Plato giving us "idea", and Aristotle "form"--the former being

the idealist, and the latter the realist. Plato subjected all previous philosophies to the

searching Socratic method of question and answer.

To attempt an outline of Plato's teaching is entirely beyond our ability, time or

purpose. In this series of articles we are simply attempting to sketch out as far as possible

the history of human wisdom between the close of the O.T. and the birth of Christ, in

order to quicken the reader's appreciation of the gift of God, the written and the living

The principle of "right division", which governs all our study of Scripture, is not only

a spiritual principle, but obtains also in things which are mental or physical. "Right

division" is the rule of all study, all administration, all science; without it we have

confusion instead of clarity. Plato speaks of dialectic or logic as the "science of duly

conducting discourse, and duly joining or disjoining the genera of things". The word

"genus" (plural of genera) indicates a class or kind which includes species having certain

attributes in common. Thus the word "dog" represents a genus, whereas "terrier" and

"spaniel" stand for particular species--which, while possessing certain characteristic

differences, are nevertheless allied, and belong to one class or genus. If we were as wise

as Plato, or if we simply heeded the instruction of II Tim. 2: 15, we should keep

"Kingdom" and "Church" distinct. We should "rightly divide the Word of Truth", and so

not only avoid confusion, but widen and deepen our understanding.

There are many features about "The Good" that it was Plato's life work to discover,

that approach to the idea of "God", but his idealism would lead away to "Being" rather

than to "the Living God". He did not find the "personal God", for He can only be found

"in Christ".

The doctrine of the immortality of the soul which Plato taught, has displaced or

modified the teaching of Scripture in the case of many believers, and in most

denominations. Plato had no revealed statement concerning the nature of the soul, or the

difference between soul and spirit. He knew nothing of resurrection, either as a doctrine,