wherein all the reason and philosophy of atheism is confuted, and

2 66 Apollonius Tyanaeus a Book 5.and miracles. Eunapius ' therefore telling us, that he mif-titled his book,and that inftead of 'AtoXAuvis |3i(^, the life of Apollonius, he fhould havec.illed it ©iK ik avS-^wTT!*? 'nrtUy-'x!, the coming dovi'ti, and converfe of Cod ivithmen•, forafmuch as this /Apollonius (faith he) was not a bare philofopher orman, «ax» n ^ew'j >^ dv^xwn fj-itrov, but a certain middle thing betwixt thegods and men. And that this was the ni't commonly made by the Pagans ofthis hiftory of JpcUonius, namely to fet him up in way of oppofition andrivalry to our Saviour Chrift, appears fundry ways. MarcellinuSy in an E-piftle of his to St. Jujtin *, declares this as the grand objedlion of the Pargans againfl: Chriftianity, (therefore defiring St. Aujiin's, anfwer to the fame ,)Nihil aliud Doniinum, quam alii homines facere pomerunt, fecijfe vel egi£e men^tiunttir ; ApoWon'mm Jiquidem fuum nobis, Q Apuleium, aliofque magiceartis homines, in nudium proferunt^ quorum majora contendunt extitijje mira^cula. "The Pagans pretend, that our Saviour Chriji did no more than whatother men have been able to do, they producing their Apollonius and Apuleius^and other magicians, 'jchom they contend to Jjave done greater miracles. Andit is well known, that Hierocles, to whom Eufebius gives the commend?.rtion of a very learned man, wrote a book againft the Chriftiar.s (entitled,4)iX*Ar^y;?, or Aoyot (p^XxXri^ac) the chisf defign whereof was to compare tiiisJpollonius 'Tyanccus with, and prefer him before our Saviour Chrift : "Avw x)Tii/a ToiaTra S^xa-ocvla BxvfxciiTix- They are Hierocks his own words in Eufebius :The Chriflians (faith he) keep a great deal of flir, crying up of one Jefus, forreftoring fight to the blind, and doing fome fuch other wonders. And thenmentioning the Thaumaturgi or wonder-workers amongft the Pagans, btw:efpecially Jpollonius 'Tyanaus, and infifting largely upon his miracles, headds in the clofe of all, ti'i/o? ?u inv.x tvtuv tf/.),fih-/iv ; \vx i^-^ ouj^xfi'vciv rr.j r!u.t^risxv dy.oi^ri >^ (it^xixv t(p' Exaru xjt'(,^u, j^ t)1V tw XoiOJtvav xs:f)0T)-,T«- unto jjuektf/.\v TOD TCia-jTa TTiTrcujxsTa, 8 ^lov, olxxx S-£oiV x£x^fi(^ju£.ov avS^x r,yvui$x- olii Si o?Jyx( Ti^xTilxi Tiva? Tov 'IriT^v ©£01/ oi]ixyc^t\jts(^i. To ivhat purpofe nowhave -juc mentioned all thefe things ? but only that the fclid judgment of us[Pagans] might be compared with the levity of the Chriflians ; forafmuch as wedo not account him a god who did all th:fe miracles, but only a perfon beloved ofthe gods ; whiljl they declare Jefus to be a Cod, merely for doing a few woniUrs.Where, becaufe Eufebius is filent, we cannot but fubjoin an anfwer out ofLa£fantins (w^hich indeed he feems to have direded agxinft thofe very wordsoi Hieroc'.es., though not naming of him) it being both pertinent and full jDejHfti.l^.^pparet nos fapientiores ejfe, qui mirabilibus fa£lis von ftatira fidem divi-' 3-tatis adjunximus, quam vos, qui ob exigua portenta Deiim credidiflis•Difce igilur, ft quid tihi cordis eft, non follim idcirco a nobis Deum crcditumChrijlum, quia mirabilia fecit, fed quia vidimus in eo falia effe cmr,ia,qu.e nobis annunciata funt, vaticinia prophetarum. Fecit mirabilia ; m^gumputajfemus, ut £i? vos nuncupatis ; ^ Judcci tunc putavenint \ ft ncn ilia ipfafaBurum Chrijlum, prophet£ omnes una fpiritu pr.fdicafjent. Itnque Deum credimus,nsn magis ex faStis, operibufque mirandis ; quam ex ilia ipfa crtic e, quam%os ficut canei lambitis ;quoniam Jimul (J ilia pr.rdiSfa eft. Ncn igilur fuoteflimonio• In Vitis Sopbiftarum, Proam. p, 6,7. * Inter F.piftol. AuguAin. Epifl. CXXXVI.Edi:. Planiia. T«ni. li. Ojicr. p. 304. Edii. BenedU>.