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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 styled 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 ay made the world. Accordingly faint Auguftine in his commentary on the beginning of faint John's Gospel, having declared that Chrift is the wifdom of God by which all things were made, obferves that this doctrine was also 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 moft fplendid 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 least 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 foul, 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 thefe were conceived to be neceffary, univerfal principles, co-existing and co-operating in fuch fort, as never to exift afunder, but on the contrary to conftitute 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 justice to execute. There is firft the fource of all perfection, or fons deitatis, fecondly the fupreme Reason, order, or oy, 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 spirit; that thefe bear analogy to the fun, light, and heat; and are otherwife expreffed by the terms, principle, mind, and foul; by one, or ev, intellect, and life; by good, word, and love; and that generation was not attributed to the fecond hypoftafis, the vas or aóy, in refpect of time (g), but only in refpect of origine and order, as an eternal neceffary emanation; these are the exprefs tenets of Platonifts, Pythagoreans, Egyptians, and Chaldæans.

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363. Though it may be well prefumed there is nothing to be found on that fublime subject 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(8) 352.

litudes

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

364. Therefore, how unphilofophical foever that doctrine may feem 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 Chriftians have alfo done) while they purfued the hints derived from their predeceffors, with too much curiofity.

365. But Plato himfelf confidered 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, ἢ ἐκείνῃ ἕνεκα πάντα, ν ἐκεῖνο αἴτιον απάν των τῶν καλῶν, δεύτερον δὲ περὶ τὰ δεύτερα, κ τρίτου περὶ τὰ Teita. Plato enjoins Dionyfius over and over, with τρίτα. great earneftnefs, 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 mifcarry, the prudent way was to write nothing at all on thofe 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.

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366.

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

367. As for the perfect intuition of divine things, that he fuppofeth to be the lot of pure fouls, beholding by a pure light, initiated, happy, free, and unftained from those bodies, wherein we are now imprifoned like oyfters. But in this mortal ftate, we must be satisfied to make the best of those glympfes (b) within our reach. It is Plato's remark in his Theaetetus, 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 fomething.

368. The eye by long ufe comes to fee even in the darkest cavern: and there is no fubject fo obfcure, 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 purfue, but not fo fit to weigh and revife. He that would make a real progress in know. ledge, muft 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 perfeverare. CIC.

(b) 335, 337.

FINI S.

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ting of goats, and other inju
ries,
Sect. 11
Its virtues heretofore known, but
only in part, 9. 11. III
Tar, whence produced, 10-17
Rofin, whence, 18.
Turpentine, what,
Tar mixt with honey, a cure for
a cough,
Rofin an effectual cure for a
bloody flux,
79
Recommended to vintners to

20

21

A cure for foulnefs of blood,
ulceration of bowels, lungs,
confumptive coughs, pleurity,
peripneumony, eryfipelas,
medicate their wines with, I IE
afthma, indigeftion, cachectic Method to cure perfons affected
and hysteric cafes, gravel, by breathing a peftilential va-
dropfy, and all inflammations,
pour,
144
4
Scotch firs what, and how they
Answers all the purposes of Elixir might be improved, 25
proprietatis, Stoughton's drops, Pine and fir, different species of
belt turpentines, decoction of each,
26--28
the woods, and mineral waters, The wonderful structure of trees,
53.61-65
29-38
And of the most coftly bal- Juices produced with the least
fams,
21.22. 62. 63 violence best,
46
May be given to children, 67 Myrrh foluble by the human
Of great ufe in the gout, 68. 80 body would prolong life, 49
In fevers, 75-77.114 Tar-water, by what means, and
Cures a gangrene as well as ery- in what manner, it operates,
fipelas,
82, 83
50-57
The fcurvy and all hypocondri- Is a foap at once and a vinegar,
ac diforders,
Whence this English malady Soap, opium, and mercury, tho'
they bid fair for univerfal me-
dicines, in what refpects dan-
69 -71
Aromatic flavours of vegetables
depend on light as much as
colours, 40. 162. 214, 5
Analogy between the fpecific
qualities of vegetable juices
and colours,
165. 181
A fine fubtile fpirit, the diftin-
guishing principle of all vege-
tables,
What the principle of vegetation,
and how promoted, 126-8

86-109

proceeds,
88, 89
High food how prejudicial,

66.104
More particularly fpirituous li-
quors, 103. 106-108
Tar-water a prefervative for the
teeth and gums,
114
Is particularly recommended to
fea-faring perfons, ladies, and

men of studious and fedentary
lives,
117 119
Its fpecific virtues confift in its
volatile falts,
8. 123
Tar preferves trees from the bi-

gerous,

59

121

Theory

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