Page:The true intellectual system of the universe - the first part; wherein, all the reason and philosophy of atheism is confuted; and its impossibility demonstrated (IA trueintellectual1678cudw).pdf/24

  ; yet betwixt the Latter and that, do we find a Wonderfull Correspondence: which is Largely Pursued, in the Platonick Christians Apology. Wherein notwithstanding, nothing must be lookt upon, as Dogmatically Asserted by us, but onely Offered, and Submitted to the Judgment of the Learned in these Matters; We confining our selves, in this Mysterious Point of the Holy Trinity, within the Compass of those its Three Essentials declared: First, That it is not a Trinity of meer Names and Words, or of Logical Notions onely: But of Persons or Hypostases. Secondly, That none of those Persons or Hypostases, are Creatures, but all Uncreated. And Lastly, That they are all Three, Truely and Really One God. Nevertheless we acknowledge, That we did therefore, the more Copiously insist upon this Argument, because of our then Designed, Defence of Christianity; we conceiving that this Parallelism, betwixt the Ancient or Genuine Platonick, and the Christian Trinity, might be of some use to satisfy those amongst us, who Boggle so much at the Trinity, and look upon it as the Choak-Pear of Christianity; when they shall find, that the Freest Wits amongst the Pagans, and the Best Philosophers, who had nothing of Superstition, to Determine them that way, were so far from being shy of such an Hypothesis, as that they were even Fond thereof. And that the Pagans had indeed such a Cabbala amongst them, (which some perhaps will yet hardly believe, notwithstanding all that we have said,) might be further convinced, from that memorable Relation in Plutarch, of Thespesius Solensis, who after he had been lookt upon as Dead for Three days, Reviving; Affirmed amongst other things, which he thought he saw or heard in the mean time in his Ecstasy, This, Of Three Gods in the Form of a Triangle, pouring in Streams into one another; Orpheus his Soul, being said to have arrived so far; accordingly as from the Testimonies of other Pagan Writers, we have proved, that a Trinity of Divine Hypostases, was a part of the Orphick Cabbala. True indeed, our Belief of the Holy Trinity, is Founded upon no Pagan Cabbala's, but onely Scripture Revelation: it being that which Christians are, or should be, all Baptized into: Nevertheless these things are Reasonably noted by us to this end; That that should not be made a Prejudice Against Christianity, and Revealed Religion; nor lookt upon as such an Affrightfull Bugbear or Mormo in it; which even Pagan Philosophers themselves, and those of the most Accomplished Intellectuals, and Uncaptivated Minds, though having neither Councils, nor Creeds, nor Scriptures; had so great a Propensity and Readiness to entertain, and such a Veneration for.

In this Fourth Chapter, We were necessitated by the Matter it self, to run out into Philology and Antiquity; as also in the other Parts of the Book, we do often give an Account, of the Doctrine of the Ancients: which however some Over-severe Philosophers, may look upon Fastidiously, or lue