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

and-20 All the Trifmegiftick Books Bo ok I.Wherefore, though Ath. Kircherus^ contend with much zeal for the fincerityof all thefe Trifmegiftick books ; yet we muft needs pronounce of the threeforementioned, at leaft the Pcemander properly fo called, and the fermon in themount, that they were either wholly forged and counterfeited by fome pretendedChrlftians, or elfe had many fpurious pafTages inferred into them.Wherefore, it cannot be folidly proved from the Trifmegiftick books afterthis manner, as fuppofed to be all alike genuine and fincere, that the EgyptianPagans acknowledged one fjpreme and univerfal Numen : much leis canthe fame be evinced from that pretended Ariftotelick book, Be fecretiorefarte divinte fapienti^ fecundiim ^gyptiss, greedily fwallowed down alfubyKircheniSy but unqueftionably pfeudepigraphous.Notwithftanding which, we conceive, that though all the Trifmegiftickbooks, that now are or have been formerly extant, had been forged by fomepretended Chriftians, as that book of the arcane Egyptian wifdom was byfome philofopher, and imputed to Arijlotle; yet would they for all that, uponanother account, afford no inconfiderable argument to prove, that the EyptianPagans afferted one fupreme Deicy, viz. becaufe every cheat and impofturemuft needs have fome bafis or foundation of truth to ftand upon ;there muft have been fomething truly Egyptian in fuch counterfeit Egyptianwritings, (and therefore this at leaft of one fupreme Deity) or elfe they couldnever have obtained credit at firft, or afterwards have maintained the lame.The rather, becaufe thefe Trifmegiftick books were difperfcd in thofe ancienttimes, before the Egyptian paganifm and their fucceflion of prieftswere yet extindl ; and therefore had that, which is fo much infifted upon inthem, been diflbnant from the Egyptian theology, they muft needs have beenprefently exploded as meer lyes and forgeries. Wherefore, we fay again,that if all the Hermaick or Trifmegiftick books, that are now extant, andthofe to boot, which being mentioned in ancient Fathers have been loft,the rv. yivmoi, and the t« (Th^oo'jxz, and the like, had been nothing but the piousfrauds and cheats of Chriftians, yet muft there needs have been fometruth at -the bottom to give fubfillence to them -, this at leaft, that Hermes^rifmegiji, or the Egyptian priefts, in their arcane and true theology, reallyacknowledged one fupreme and univeral Numen.But it does not at all follow, that, becaufe fome of thefe Hermaick or Trifmegiftickbooks now extant were counterfeit or fuppofuitious, that thereforeall of them muft needs be fuch -, not only fo, but thofe alfo, that arementioned in the writings of ancient Fathers, which are now loft. Wherefore,the learned Cafattbcn feems not to have reckoned or concluded well,when from the dettdion of forgery in two or three of thofe Trifmegiftickbooks at moft, he pronounces of them all univerfilly, that they were ncthingbut Chrirtian cheats and impofturcs. And probably he was led into thismiftake, by reafon of his too fecurely following that vuigar error, (whichyet had been confuted by Palricius) that all that was publiflied by Ficinusunder the name of Hermes 'Trifmegiji, was but one and the iame book Pcetjiander,conftfting of feveral chapters; whereas they are all indeed fomany1 In Obelifco Pamjhylio p. 35. & in Oedipo ^gyptiaco Clafs. XII. C^ip III.as