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

Chap. IV. the Off-fpring of one God. 393Moreover, we may here obferve, that according to Bmpedocles his dodbrine,the true original of all the evil, both of human fouls and dasmons (which hefuppofed alike lapfable) was derived from that vfoc©^, difcord and contention, P^^cof&'w.r'^tothat is neceflarily contained in the nature of them, together with the ill ufe^''-*'n-'''-''of their liberty, both in this prefcnt and their pre-exiftent ftate. So that "?'_' '•^^';''/,Empedocles here trode in the footfteps oi Pythagcras^ whofe praifes he "thus 23.^"loudly fang forth in his poemsHk Si Tjf iv xEivsKTiv ai/?)5 TTEaicotrias ilSiio;, Porph)'!-. ie'O; iJjJ ju.tiJ'.jr'ou TTfocTrlSicvixIriTXTO 7rA»T0tr, ^'>- '"'/•'''UxVTOiuv re uciXira. (ro(I>uv fVirpau©-' EpVwv,' ^ s ^ 5' '&C. l?^' ICanrab p. 35-Ed.Kuft.ri]Horum de numero quidam prd'Jlantia noratPlurima, mentis cpes amplasfub pe£fore fervans.Omnia vejligansfapientum do£ia reperta^ i^c.P-XXII. Before we come to Socrates and Plato, we fhall here take notice offome other Pythagoreans, and eminent philofophers, who clearly alTerted onefupreme and univcrfal Numen, though doubtlefs acknowledging withal, otherinferiour gods. Philo in his book De mtindi Opificio, writing of the Hebdo- p. zv fp. zz.mad or Septenary number, and obferving, that, according to the Pythacro-Ojjcr ]reans, it was called both a motherlefs and a virgin number, becaufe it wasthe only number within the Decad, which was neither generated, nor did itfelf generate, tells us, that therefore it was made by them a fymbol of thefupreme Deity, o' Ylj^xyo^noi to\ J«pt9|Uov tbtov i'^o^'J-oma-t ru> ryeuoii tu-j a-jfjiTrx:Tu-i-The Pythagoreans likened this number to the prince and governotir of all things,or the fupreme monarch of the univerfe ; as thinking it to bear a refemblancc ofhis immutability : which fancy of theirs was before taken notice of by us.However, Philo hereupon occafionally cites this remarkable teilimony ofPi»/7(5/««j the Pythagorean -,'E-l j^a^, (pm'iv, riye/j-m }^ iz^^uv a,TrJ.)iT'j:v o ©;;,-, eT?dil uv, p.oHjOt©^, ajii'vrj^©^, dv^ioi; aur^ o';xci^, Hfo©^ run olXX'xv. God (faith he)is the prince and ruler over all, always one, Jlable, immoveable, like to himfelf,but unlike to every thing elfe. To which may be added what in Stobcsus isfurther recorded out of the fame Philolaus ; ^u oJe o xotij.'^ t? oc'm'^, >^ e.Vai'uuz iixfj-hii, lU UTTO £uj? toj avfyiiiiui y^xf)a.'.iroo xuj3fpvU(/.fvo;' This IVOrld tvas f/'Om „ /.eternity, and will remain to e'ernity, one governed by one, which is cognate andthe beft. Where notwithftanding he feemeth, with Ocellus, to maintain theworld's pre-eternity. And again, Sio xj kxxZ; 'i^n^i Oty:, xoc;j.o\i ^y.£v Li-yc^xvfcfim ^£u T5 >^ ysH(riov JVherefcre,faid Philolaus, the world might well be calledthe eternal energy or effe£f of God, and offucccffive generation.Jamblichus, in his Protrepticks, cites a pafTage out o'i Archytas anotherPythagorean, to the lame purpofe ; oo,- a.^ja.xUa.i o'.o; re cri, vdfla r2 ymcc ''* "'VTTO j.;ia,]i TE >c, auTa,j a.'^yjx,' , iro; cohei y.oi KxXav iry.oTrtXv evoYjxe'JCc:, a(p i Sj)ix.70; ij-(T-7-rxi Toy Qiov X Ao^eT^xi, Sic. Whofoever is able to reduce all kin 's of things underone and the fame principle, this man feems to me to have found out an excellentfpecula, or high Jfation, from whence he may be able to take a large view andprofpeSl of God, and of all other things ; and hepall clearly perceive, that LedE e e 2 is