Book Title: Jainism Christianity and Science
Author(s): Champat Rai Jain
Publisher: The Indian Press Allahabad

Previous | Next

Page 59
________________ THE HAPPINESS OF GODS the place of combat! I would have you answer me this question : Can we not live without pleasure, who cannot but with pleasure die? For what is our wish but the apostle's, to leave the world, and be taken up into the fellowship of the Lord? You have your joys where you have your longings. . . What greater pleasure than distaste of pleasure itself, than contempt for all that the world can give, than true liberty, than & pure conscience, a contented life, and freedom from all fear of death."-(Tertullian) A.N.C.L. vol. xi. p. 33. "... (for the serpent allegorically signifies pleasure crawling on its belly, earthly wickedness nourished for fuel to the flames), ..."(Clement of Alexandria) A.N.C.L. vol. iv. p. 100. "... After that there is no pain, there is no grief, there is no groaning; there is no recollection of evils, there are no tears, there is no envy, there is no hatred of the brethren, there is no unrighteousness, there is no arrogance . . . slander ... bitterness, there are none of the cares of life, there is no pain from parents, there is no pain from gold, there are no wicked thoughts, there is no devil, there is no death, there is no night, but all 18 day"-(Apocryphal Gospels, Acts, etc.) A.N.C.L. vol. xvi. p. 502. "... Virtue, therefore, is not as they say, to be sought on its own account, but on account of a happy life, which necessarily follows virtue .. But this present and corporeal life cannot be happy, because it is subject to evils through the body ... For a state of happiness ought to be perfect, so that there be nothing which can harass, or lessen, or change it. Nor can anything be judged happy in other respects, unless it be incorruptible. But nothing is incorruptible but that which is immortal. Immortality, therefore, is alone happy, because it can neither be corrupted nor destroyed .. The chief good is, therefore, found to be immortality. In this one thing alone can we be happy in this life, if we appear to be unhappy; if, avoiding the enticements of pleasure, and giving ourselves to service of virtue only, we live in all labours and miseries, which are the means of exercising and strengthening virtue; if, in short, we keep to that rugged and difficult path which has been opened for us to happiness. The chief good therefore which makes men happy, cannot exist, unless it be in that religion and doctrine to which is annex. ed the hope of immortality."-(Lactantius) A.N.C.L. vol. xxi. pp. 162 165.

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219