clares, that they were fo only as to their Concord and Agreement of Will, but not as to any other unity of Nature or Subftance; that he not only does not favour, but directly contradicts the common Acceptation of that parallel Phrafe among us. So that this mighty Article of our modern Faith had very little footing among Chriftians, 'till about three Centuries and an half after our Saviour's Incarnation. Nay, in all the former Difputes about the Trinity, I do not find that ever any of the wildest Hereticks came to this degree of Abfurdity and Contradiction, viz.

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the Former, I and the Fathey are one. We therefore worship one God, as we have declar'd ; we worMip the Father and his Son ; and our reaforing againft other Gods ftands firm; for we do not worfhip befides one God, any Being lately that appear

TO TIS ήμουν στην ἀνδράποδον ὡς oieds, on in & dandela oided, and was not before οἴεύς, ὅτι ὁ ἀληθείας ἐσία πριν χρόνων στο Χριςό Empapelas in iv. Opyond οι εν τὸν πατέρα ἀληθείας, καὶ τὸν ὑὸν α andelar, övta No T sáog wedyμara, vè πράγματα, TH Sμovoid, ỳ TH TOUTOὁμονοίᾳ, καὶ ταυτό τητι τὸ βελήμα]Θ.

his Appearance. For we that faid, Before Abraham yield our affent to him was, I am, and that faid, I am the truth. And indeed none of us have fuch mean Notions as to fuppofe, that the fubftance of Truth was not before the times of Chrift's Appearance. We do therefore worship the Father of Truth, and the Son, who is Truth; being real Beings, two in Substance, but one in Concord and Agreement, and the fameness of Will.

to own that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were distinct Beings, or Perfons; and were every one, by themfelves, in the fame highest Sence, (excepting Origination) God; and yet, that after all, they were but one God. This was a pitch of Reasoning which the Church could not bear, 'till it began to dispose it self for those Corruptions which ended in the belief of Tranfubftantiation it felf. Nor must we ever hope to convert Jews, Mahometans or Socinians, 'till we leave these Athanafian Mysteries, and content our felves with those which Chrift and his Apoftles once deliver'd to the Saints, in the firft Ages of the Gospel.

Tertullian generally is of the fame Mind; but fometimes speaks as if there were one Divinity in all the three Perfons. But he is too Rash and Heretical to be valued in fuch Points, wherein he contradicts all the reft of the Church, and himfelf at the fame time.

N. B. That the Reader may guefs whence this Language, as if the three Divine Perfons put together were one God, or, the one God of the Chriftians was deriv'd; take the Account now extant of a like way of speaking among the old Valentinians, or the Contemporary Hereticks, whence probably this latter Language by degrees came into the Roman, and thence into the Chriftian Church. ἡμᾶς δὲ τὸν ἐν ταυτότητα λόγον Θεὸν ἐν Θεῷ φαμὲν, ὃς * Epitomo εἰς τὸν κόλπον τὸ πατρὸς ἔῇ λέγεται, ἀδιάςΘ, αμέρις, ex Orient. Ass. But we affirm, that the Word in its fame-Doctrin. Θείς: nefs is God in God; who is also faid to be in the BoP. 566. fom of the Father, the infeparable, undivided, one Vid.p.568 God. And indeed no fmall part of what is now efteem'd modern Orthodoxy will appear, upon Examination, to be deriv'd from no other than the Cerinthian, Bafilidian, Theodofian, Valentinian, and other ancient and pernicious Hereticks, with which

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Theodot.

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215.

which the firft Ages of the Gofpel were miferably disturb'd. But because the counterfeit Hermes Trifmegiftus may poffibly be ancienter than even thefe foremention'd Hereticks, and they might derive fome of their Notions and Language from him, let us fee what he fays in this Cafe. Now here we not only find the firft ufe of the word , at least as apply'd to fome Divine Beings; for fo he fays that the ay, or Word, is quotaC, Pæmand. Confubftantial (not to God the Father, as Bishop Bull mistakes, but) to another fecondary Being, whom he styles Nos Juegos, The creating Mind: But we alfo find almoft the Athanafian Doctrine, that the Trinity is one God. Hear the Words out of Suidas, Ἐκέκλητο δὲ Τρισμέγι Telqués, NOTI dei revs ἐφθέγξατο, ειπὸν ἐν τειάδε μίαν εν θεότητα, ὅντως Εν φῶς νοερόν πρό φωτός voεpõ, î ď vs vode OaTevis, diy nerv v ĥ TÉTO ¿VÓTHS, del CAUTY ŵV, de Tÿ i νοὶ καὶ φωτὶ καὶ πνεύματι πάν· τα ειέχει ἐκτὸς τότε ἐ Θεὸς, ἐκ αγγελΘ, ἐκ ἐσία TS AND TOTW 28. e, mathe, * TÚY TO TO ANTÒV, our B. • 28 λó AUTY @egendav TaVTÉ ☎v, xj jóveμ©, xj muss 20's in zvíμe quo mour, κ γνίμῳ ὕδατι ἔγκον τὸ ἅδως ἐποίησε.

He was called Trifmegi ftus, or Thrice Great, becaufe he fpake of the Trinity, faying, that there is one Divinity in the Trinity, in this manner : There was an intelle&uval Light before an intellectual Light; and the Mind did illuminate a Mind ; and there was nothing elfe but the Unity, being ever in himself, he alway constains all things in his own Mind, and Light, and Spirit: Out of this System there is neither God, nor Angel, nor any cther Substance. For God is the Lord and Father of all things, and all things are under him, and in him. For his Word proceeding from him,

Alex.Quis

being every way Perfect, and Productive, and * Vid. Creative, falling into a productive Nature, and Clem. productive Water, made the Water fruitful. * Dives Salvetur apud Combef. Auctar Novifs, S. 7. p. 167. Juft. Everf. Dogm. Ariftot. p. 111. Athanaf. Contra Gent. p. 32. 43.

And this Paffage is the more Remarkable, fince 'tis from an Author who feems to have been an Egyptian Platonist, towards the end of the first Century; (for he is quoted by Justin Martyr himself,) and to have given occasion to several of the NoVid. tions of the ancient Hereticks, tho' himself was Pamand. fomewhat foberer than they. For, to fay nothing §. 9, 11, of Saturninus, who feems to have taken fome 12, 19. Hints from his Pamander, Valentinus more plainly had hence great Hints towards the making his mafculo-feminine Aons. Nay, hence one would think Tatian had his Language for the actual Generation or Procession of that ay at the Creation : ne, fays our Author, we, fays Tatian. But this rather belongs to another Propofition,

Serm.

Arcan.

§. 10. 15.

ARTICLE II.

God the Father, and He alone is to be primarily Worfbipp'd and Ador'd; or, in the most proper Senfe, and in the highest Manner. He only being the Object of the Supreme Degree of fuch Divine Worship and Adoration, through Jefus Chrift.