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

286 Zoroafler, an Affertor- Book I.worpip of the gods. Whence by the way we learn alfo, that the word fj-a-ytiatDe Ahj}. /. 4. or magick, was firft taken in a good fenfe, which is confirmed by Porphy-?• '")riltS., TOi.py.'yi fArv TOif Tlipt, t»'tk S'toa^svlfj, Mzyoi juevTTcoa-xyo^vjovlar Ainongft the Per/tans,thofe, V)ho were Jkilful in the knowledge ofthe Deity, and religious wor/hippers of the fame, were called Magi. And asmagirk is commonly conceived to be founded in a certain vital fympathythat is in the univerfe, fo did thefe ancient Perfian Magi and Chaldeans (asPfelius tells iisi) fuppofe iruaTraOJi luxi ra. olj'a) rclf xjs'to, that there was a fympathybetwixt the fuperior and inferior beings •, but it fcems the only wayai firft by them approved, of attrafting the influence and adiftance of thafefuperior invifible powers, was by piety, devotion, and religious rites. Nevertheleff,their devotion was not carried out only to one omnipotent God, butalfo to many gods-, neither is it to be queftioned but that this divine magiclvof Zoroafter fliorcly after degenerated in many of his followers intothe theurgical magick, and at length into yonliix, downright forcery and•witchcraft \ the only thing, which is now vulgarly called magick. Buthow many gods foever this Zoroafl-cr worfliipped, that he acknowledgednotwithftanding one fupreme Deity, appeareth from the teftimony ofP"I- 2)4- Eubtilus, cited by Porphyrins in his De Antra Nympharuni, TrjuTa j«ju, iL\ipri EjSkA^, ZjiioJi^pn aVTOpvi; (nrr;\xiO)i £v Toii 7rA»^iou ott^^ rn; UicQiSi^^ xv^Yiiivjtj Trnycig ep^OD »vi£sa(rijvTOj, £ij Ti|Wr,u t« ttoj/tuu ttoditb h, Trarctj MiS^x, t\-Ki-jx (Piccvjoia-jT« T» (nrn'Ax'ni t? xiQy-a, S-j Mi9fac i^vi^iv^ynri' Zoroaftcr frfi of all, as Eubulustcflifieth, in the mountains adjoining to Perfis, confecrated a native orbicularcave, adorned with flowers, and watered with fountains, to the honour ofMithras, the maker andfather of all things ; this cave being an image or fymholto him of the whole world, which was made by Mithras. Which teftimony ofEubidus is the more to be valued, becaufe, 3.5 Poi-phyrius elfcwhere - inibrmetkKS, he Wx-ote the hi (lory of Mithras at large in many books, from whence itmay be prefumed, that he had thoroughly furniflied himfclf with the knowledgeof what belonged to the Perfian religion. Wherefore, from the authorityof Eubulus, we may well conclude alfo, that notwithftanding thefun was generally worftiipped by the Perfians as a God, yet Zoroajler, andthe ancient Magi, who were beft initiated in the Mitliraick myfteries, af-• ThatA^/irai, ierted * another Deity, fuperior to the fun, for the true Mithras, fuch as was'"j^'j ^"?i^". wavTKi/ TToinTJif >^ TTdTh^ the maker and father of all things, or of the wholeeej?, the h,d. world, whereof the fun is a part. However, thefe alfo looked upon the funno" the 'vifibie^s the moft lively image of this Deity, in which it was worfliipped by them;S;m. as they likewife worfliipped the fame Deity fymbolically in fire, as Maximusfyrius informeth us' ; agreeable to which is that in the magick oraclts •*,nct.'jra, rrvoog £ucf ixyiyxurx.All things are the off-fpring of one fire ; that is, of one fupreme Deity. And'Julian the emperor was fuch a devout fun-worfliipper as this, who acknow-Icdged, befidcs the fun, another incorporeal Deity, tranfcendent To it. Neverthelcfs,we deny not, but that others amongft the Perfians, who werenot• In brevi dojjmat. Chald.iicorum declara- ^ Dc .^blnn. Lib. IV. Seft. XVI. p. 165.tione, publirticd at tht end of Sn-vatius Gal- 3 Vide DilTertat. XXXVJII. p. 371./.r;//s Edition gf tlis i)il)jliinc Oracles, AmJ}. * Commonly al'cribed to 7.oroafier, Seft. II.1689, in 4to. vcrf. 29. in Stan/e/i HiJIory of Phihjofhy.