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

Chap. IV. properly i'he King of all things, 407in oppoficionto that muItipHci'/, which Tpc-aks fomething of imperfedion init, and r'a^aS-oy, goodncfs itfclf, as being above mind and underftanding^the firft intelligible, and an infinite fecundity together with overfluwing benignity.And accordingly in his fecond epiftle to Dionyfius i\o s he mentiona trinity of divine hypoftafes, all together. Now the words o S-coy an'.' to' ^tiov^God and the divinity in Plato, feem fometimes to comprehend this whole trinityof divine hypoftafes, as they are again fometimes feverally applied toeach of them, accordingly as we have already obfervcd, that Zens or Jupiterin Plato is not always taken for the firft and higheft hypoflafis in his trinity,but fometimes the fecond hypoftafis of mind or int; Heft is meantthereby, and fometimes again his third hypoftafis of the univerfal and eternalPfyche ; neverthelefs the firft of thefe three hypoftafes is that, which isproperly called by the Platonifts -^nyv rrif S-£or»5l@j, the fountain of theGodhead^ and by Plato himfelf ', o Traiyluv (ixaiKa;, ttsjI tv ttmIx e-I, k ivixxiravTix, xj aiTiw rroivru-j tuv nxXuii' The king of all things, about whom are allthings, and for ivhofe fake are all things, and the caufe of all good and excellentthings.And this firft divine hypoftafis, which in Plato^s theology is properlyarjTo^ei^, the original Deity, is largely infifted upon by that philofopher inthe fixth of his Politicks, under the name and title of rdya^o,!, the good ;but principally there illuftrated by that refemblance of the fun, called bythat philofopher alfo, a heavenly God, and faid to be the offspring of thishigheft good, and fomething analogous to it in the corporeal world, o, tj ttijotCro it rx voviTx TOTTu, Trpoi re wv x, ra vo^y-evoc, tkto raTOU iv tu o^xtu ttjcj t£ ovf/ii'xj T« ofM/A£v«- This is the fame in the intelligible world to intelleSl {or knowledge)and intelligibles, that the fun is in the fenfible world to fight and vifibles. For^as the fun is not fight, but only the caufe of it ; nor is that light, by which wefee, the fame with the fun itfelf, but only riXtociSi;, a fun-like thing ; fo neither isthe fupreme and higheft good (properly) knowledge, but the caufe of knowledge \nor is intelle£l (precifeiy confidered as fuch) the befi and moft perfe5l beingsbut only dyx^oiJi;, a boniform thing. Again, As the fun gives to things notonly their vifibility, but alfo their generation ; fo does that higheft good, notonly caufe the cognofcibility of things, but alfo their very effences and beings.OJx iQ^xq OUT©-' Til xyx^n, xX\' £Ti iTrinH'jx r*if >iQ'xg, TrpiTQiw^^i'jvx^ii uVeaej^ovt^',This-high eftgood being not itfelf properly effence, but above ejfence, tranfcendingthe fame, both in refpe^ of dignity and power. Which language and conceitof Plato's fome of the Greek fathers feem to have entertained, yet foas to apply it to the whole Trinity, when they call God iTri^vQiov, or fuperejjential.But the meaning of that philofopher was, as we conceive, no otherthan this, that this higheft good hath no particular charadleriftick upon it,limiting and determining of it, it being the hidden and incomprehenfiblefource of all things. In the laft place, we fhall obferve, that this firft divinehypoftafis of the Plutonick trinity is by that philofopher called, tkte vycfj^ov©'x^ xlrin Trx'jTj-i Trxrr,^, The father of the prince, and caufe of all things. Whereiflv/e cannot but take notice of an admirable correfpondency betwixt theG g gPlatonickEpift.II, ad Dionyf. p- 707. Oper.