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the fupreme deity the foul finds her wifhed for end. and repofe; which that philofopher calls awaking out of his body into himself.

359. In the tenth book of the arcane, or divine wifdom of the Ægyptians, we are taught that the fupreme being is not the cause of any created thing; but that he produced or made the word; and that all created beings were made by the word, which is accordingly ftyled the caufe of all caufes and that this was alfo the doctrine of the Chaldæans. Plato, likewife, in his letter to Hermias, Eraftus, and Corifcus, fpeaks of God the ruler and caufe of all things, as having a father: And in his Epinomis, he exprefly teacheth that the word or aóyos made the world. Accordingly faint Auguftine in his commentary on the beginning of faint John's Gofpel, having declared that Chrift is the wifdom of God by which all things were made, obferves that this doctrine was alfo found in the writings of philofophers, who taught that God had an only begotten Son by whom are all things.

360. Now, though Plato had joined with an imagination the most splendid and magnificent, an intellect not lefs deep and clear; yet it is not to be fuppofed, that either he or any other philofophers of Greece or the east, had by the light of nature attained an adequate notion of the Holy Trinity, nor even that their imperfect notion, fo far as it went, was exactly juft; nor perhaps that thofe fublime hints, which dart forth like flashes of light in the midst of a profound darkness, were originally ftruck from the hard rock of human reafon; but rather derived, at leaft in part, by a divine tradition (a) from the author of all things. It feems a remarkable confirmation of this, what Plotinus obferves in his fifth Ennead, that this doctrine of a Trinity, father, mind, and fouls was no late invention, but an ancient tenet.

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361. Certain it is, that the notion of a Trinity is to be found in the writings of many old heathen philofophers, that is to fay, a notion of three divine hypoftafes. Authority, light, and life did, to the eye of reafon, plainly appear to fupport, pervade, and animate the mundane fyftem or macrocofm. The fame appeared in the microcofm, preferving foul and body, enlightening the mind, and moving the affections. And these were conceived to be neceffary, univerfal principles, co-exifting and co-operating in fuch fort, as never to exist asunder, but on the contrary to constitute one Sovereign of all things. And, indeed, how could power or authority avail or fubfift without knowledge? or either without life and action?

362. In the administration of all things there is authority to establish, law to direct, and juftice to execute. There is firft the fource of all perfection, or fons deitatis, fecondly the fupreme Reafon, order, or aó, and laftly the Spirit which quickens and infpires. We are fprung from the father, irradiated or enlightened by the fon, and moved by the spirit. Certainly, that there is father, fon, and fpirit; that these bear analogy to the fun, light, and heat; and are otherwife expreffed by the terms, principle, mind, and foul; by one or ov, intellect, and life; by good, word, and love; and that generation was not attributed to the fecond hypoftafis, the v8s or adyC, in respect of time, (g), but only in refpect of origine and order, as an eternal neceffary emanation; thefe are the exprefs tenets of Platonifts, Pythagoreans, Ægyptians, and Chaldæans.

363. Though it may be well prefumed there is nothing to be found on that fublime fubject in human writings, which doth not bear the fure fignatures of humanity; yet it cannot be denied, that feveral fathers of the church have thought fit to illuftrate the chriftian doctrine of the holy Trinity, by fimi-. litudes

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litudes and expreffions borrowed from the moft eminent heathens, whom they conceived to have been. no ftrangers to that myftery; as hath been plainly. proved by Beffarion, Eugubinus, and Doctor Cudworth.

364. Therefore, how unphilofophical foever that doctrine may seem to many of the prefent age, yet it is certain, the men of greatest fame and learning among the ancient philofophers held a Trinity in the Godhead. It must be owned, that upon this point fome later Platonifts of the Gentile world feem to have bewilder'd themselves, (as many Christians have also done) while they purfued the hints derived from their predeceffors, with too much curiofity.

365. But Plato himself confider'd that doctrine as a venerable mystery, not to be lightly treated of or rafhly divulged. Wherefore in a letter to Dionyfius he writes (as he himself profeffeth) ænigmatically and briefly in the following terms, which he giveth for a fummary of his notion concerning the fupreme being, and which being capable of divers fenfes, I leave to be decyphered by the learned reader. περὶ τὸν πάντων βα σιλέα πάντ ̓ ἐςι, κ ἐκεινε ἕνεκα πάντα, κι ἐκεῖνο αιτιον απάν Ἴων τῶν καλῶν, δέυτερον δὲ περὶ τὰ δέυτερα, και τρίτον περὶ τα Teita. Plato enjoins Dionyfius over and over, with great earnestnefs not to fuffer, what he communicates concerning the mystery of the divine nature, to fall into illiterate or vulgar hands, giving it withal as a reason for this caution, that nothing would feem more ridiculous or abfurd to the common run of mankind. He adds, that in regard writings might miscarry, the prudent way was to write nothing at all on those matters, but to teach and learn them by word of mouth: for which reafon, faith he, I have never wrote any thing thereon; nor is there, nor fhall there ever be any thing of Plato's extant on that fubject. He farther adds, as for what hath been now faid, it belongs all to Socrates.

366,

366. And, indeed, what this philofopher in his Phædrus fpeaketh of the fuper-celeftial region, and the divinity refident therein, is of a strain not to be relished or comprehended by vulgar minds; to wit, effence realy exiftent, object of intellect alone, without colour, without figure, without any tangible quality. He might very juftly conceive that fuch a defcription must seem ridiculous to fenfual men.

367. As for the perfect intuition of divine things, that he supposeth to be the lot of pure fouls, beholding by a pure light, initiated, happy, free and unftained from thofe bodies, wherein we are now imprifoned like oyfters. But in this mortal ftate, we must be fatisfy'd to make the best of those glympfes (b) within our reach. It is Plato's remark in his Theætetus, that while we fit ftill we are never the wifer, but going into the river and moving up and down, is the way to discover its depths and fhallows. If we exercise and beftir ourselves, we may even here discover something.

368. The eye by long ufe comes to fee even in the darkest cavern: and there is no fubject so obscure, but we may difcern fome glympfe of truth by long poring on it. Truth is the cry of all, but the game of a few. Certainly where it is the chief paffion, it doth not give way to vulgar cares and views; nor is it contented with a little ardour in the early time of life, active perhaps to pursue, but not so fit to weigh and revife. He that would make a real progrefs in knowledge, must dedicate his age as well as youth, the later growth as well as firft fruits, at the altar of truth.

Cujufvis eft errare, nullius nifi infipientis in errore
CIC.

perfeverare.

(b) 335, 337.

FINI S.

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medicate their wines with, III Method to cure perfons affected by breathing a peftilential vapour, 144 Scotch firs what, and how they might be improved, 25 Pine and fir, different fpecies of each, 26-28 The wonderful ftructure of trees,

4-7 Answers all the purposes of Elixir proprietatis, Stoughton's drops, beft turpentines, decoction of the woods, and mineral waters, 53. 61-65 And of the moft coftly balfams, 21. 22. 62. 63 May be given to children, 67 Of great use in the gout, 68. 80 In fevers, 75- 77. 114 Cures a gangrene as well as eryfipelas, 82, 83 The scurvy and all hypocondri- Is a foap at once and a vinegar,

86-109

ac diforders, Whence this English malady proceeds, 88, 89

High food how prejudicial,

66. 104 More particularly fpirituous liquors, 103. 106 108 Tar-water a preservative for the

teeth and gums, 114 Is particularly recommended to fea-faring perfons, ladies, and men of ftudious and fedentary lives, 117-119 Its specific virtues confiit in its volatile falts, 8. 123 Tar preferves trees from the bi

29-38 Juices produced with the leaft violence beft, 46 Myrrh foluble by the human body would prolong life, 49 Tar-water, by what means, and in what manner, it operates, 50

57

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