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

334 Provd thai the Egyptians a'cTmowledge'd Bo k I^tiere Docir'nue, adeb ei in midtarum rerum id' artuan fcientia Trifmegifti cognomenimpaneret •, hie firipftl litres i^ q^rddem muMos, ad cognitionem divinarumrerum pertinentes, in qiiibus majeftaiem fummi l^ fingidaris Dei cijferit, iifdemquenominihus appellate quibus nos, Demn £2? patretn. Ac ne quis 7:omenejus reqiiireret ; cIvxwijm cffe dixit. Thoth (that is Hermes) themofi ancient andniojl inftrulted in all kind of learning (for -vohich he ivas called Trifinegifl.)%vrote bocks^ and ihofe many, beUnging to the kno-voledge of divine things, whereinhe cjferts the majejly of one fuprerae Deity, calling him by the fame namesthat we do, God and Father ; but (leji any one fJjould require a proper 'name ofhim) affi-rming him to be anonymous. Laflly, St. Cyril ' hatli much more tothe fame purpofe alfo : and we mud confefs, that we have the rather hereinfifted fo much upon thefe Hermaick or Trifmegiftick writings,that in thisparticular we might vindicate thefe ancient fathers, from the imputation citherof fraud and impofiure, or of fimplicity and folly.But that the Egyptians acknowledged, befides their many gods, one fupremeand all-comprehending Deity, needs not to be proved from thefeTrifmegiftick writings (concerning which we leave others to judge as theyfind caufe) it otherwifc appearing, not only becaufe Orpheus (who was anundoubted afierter of monarchy, or one firft principle of all things) is generallyaffirmed to have derived his doctrine from the Egyptians ; but a.'lbfrom plain and exprefs tefbimonies. For befides Apollonius "Tyanitus his afp.ig.269. firmation concerning both Indians and Egyptians, before cited, Plutarchthroughout his whole book de Ifide id Ofiride, fuppofes the Egyptians thusto have aflerted one fupreme Deity, they commonly calling him tov st^wto-j^ih) the firfi God. Thus in the beginning of that book he tells us, thatthe end x»f-3l] the religious rites and mylleries of that Egyptian goddefsIJiS, was,1' TOU -STjlUtiS, xj Xipis, Kz\ VOYITV yVjKrir, OV ?) S-£oV ZTXfXKxXil ^VTlZ ZTXpauTM y.x\ i/.er aCry,; omtx y.xl ctvvovtc.' Th^ knowledge of that firfl God, i-.ho is theLord of all things, and only intelligible by the mind^ whom this goddefs exhortethmen tofeek, in her communion. After wliich he declareth, that this firft Godof the Egyptians was accounted by them an obfcure and hidden Deity, andaccordingly he gives the reafon, why they made the crocodile to be a fymbolPiTT. ;Sl. of him ;l-i-ovn it (pcc7iv iv u'j/pa iiixtTiijji.i'j!S, ra,; oiyti? 'Jy.i-JX, AsTov z^i Six'py.rfi s7Xfx-(T-jlM^i^ri-AVj- Becaufe they fay the crocodile is the only animal, which living in thewater, hath his eyes covered by a thin tranfparent membrane, falling doivn overthem, by reafon whereof it fees and is not feen ; which is a thing, that belongs tothe firfi God, to fee all things, himfelf being not fcen. Thougli Plutarch inthat place gives alfo another reafon why the E'gyptians made the crocodile afymbol of the Deity ; f^-h iS\ xpoy.o^eiM; cclna; zyi'i.i-jri; a.ij.Oi'f\s