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

Ch A p. IV. of Gods and All ; Jelf-made. 405no other caufe bejides himfelf, but the caufe of all other things. Neitherdoth Laflantius Firmianus ' himfclf refufe to fpeak of God after this verymanner ; that fe ipfum fecit, and chat he was ex fe ipfo procreatus, ^ proptereatalis, qualemje ejfe voluit ; that he made himfelf ; and that being procreatedfrom himfelf he therefore was every way fuch as he willed himfelf to be. Wliichunufiial and bold ftrain of tlieology is very much infifted upon by Plotinus, En. 6. T. S.in his book, rts^l t? ^sAjiaal^; -» £V3,-, concerning the will of the firft One, or^ "*'"'• f ^P"unity ; he there writing thus of the fupreme God, cc'tiov ix-jrv, xai tt;-.^' aurs, "^ '^°'^x«i Si auTou aJro? j He is the caufe of himfelf and he is from himfelf, and himfelfis for himfelf. And again, au'W? sr-iuiiTOj o ttoiwu b.uToi/, )c;ci xjpn;,- I;«jt», V.OUtfH w? Tif fTsfo; £Se'A»i(TE yiMo^j.i.Q^, cixx' wf SfAfi cAto^- This is he, who is the makerof himfelf, and is lord over himfelf; (in a certain fenfe) for he was not madethat, which another willed him to be, but he is that, which he willeth himfelf to be.Moreover, atiro; uvThrooTTri^ riyxTrniTl, rtSTO Si i^iv \J7roi~riTi/.t, oiov tcyo)) auru, «ut>i Si txvtov t« Cworoiaii aJra auro;d'J »Ta;j UTTorwixg civ s't'ri a.Clov, iari^X"'^^? 'iru^iv £5"n', aAA* otrio e'SkAiiO?) ajTO?.ffe mufl of neceffity make will and effence the fame in the firft being. Wherefore,fince his willing is from himfelf, his being mufl needs be from himfelf too ;the confeq^uence of which ratiocination is this, that He made himfelf. For ifhis volition be from himfelf, and his own work, and this be the fame with hishypoftafis or fubftance ; he may be then faid to have given fubftftence to himfelf.Wherefore he is not what he happened to be., but what he willed himfelf to be.But, becaufe this is fo unufuai a notion, we fhall here fet down yet one or twopaflages more of this philofophei's concerning it; iy. e^m Tjjf ^aA>)7.=u)f aJra Jip. 747,»«;«, «AAa '«6« (puVif, Seajio-i? «Jt» . The effence of the fupreme God is not without hiswill, but his will and effence are the fame ; fo that God concurreth with himfelf,himfelf being willing to be as he is, and being that which he willeth ; and his•will and himfelf being one and the fame. For himfelf is not one thing {^as happeningto be that which he is) and that he would will to be another : For whatcouldIInftit. Diviu. Lib. I. cap. VII. p. 53. & Lib. II. cap, VIIL p. 214.