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

Chap. IV. from the Deity. 465Generation is the mahng or produ5ficn of fomething animate. And the "workof an artificer^ as an archite£i or Jlatuary, as foon as it is produced^ departethand is removed from the maker thereof, as having no intrinjick de-.pendancy upon him ; whereas from him, that begetteth, there is a principleand power infufed into that which is begotten, and mingled therewithy thatcontaineth the whole nature thereof, as being a kind of avulfion from the begetter.Wherefore fince the world is not like to thofe works, that are artificiallymade and compaSled by men, but hath a participation of life anddivinity, which God hath inferted into it, and mingled with it. God is thereforerightly flyled by Plato, not only the maker, but alfo the father of thewhole world as being an animal. To the fame purpofe alfo Plotinus,yvjofj-tvoq Sri o'iO'J oixof Tjf xxXo; xj ttohhXo;, ssx a.7rel[ji.n^ri ra Tre7roir,xo-oi, aV aJ Exoivacrfi/ En. a. /. i,avrov' iyji y-xo 4'UJ^rii xcxlxumog » xpxrw, Xj l^oy.tvo; dxX sx '^X,"^^ XHTXt yscp h tij ''^ 9-The world being made as a large and Jlately edifice-, zvas neither cut off andfeparated from its maker, nor yet mingled and confounded with him. Forafmuchas he fiill remaineth above, prefiding over it ; the world being foanimated, as rather to be poffeffed by foul, than to poffefs it, it lying in that^reat Pfyche, which fufiaineth it, as a net in the waters, all moiflned withlife. Thus Plotinus fuppofing the whole corporeal world to be animated,affirmeth it neither to be cut off from its maker, (by which maker he hereunderftands the mundane foul) nor yet that mundane foul itfelf to be immerfedinto its body the world, after the fame manner as our humanfouls are into thefe bodies; but fo to prefide over it, and afl it, as athing elevated above it. And though, according to him, that feconddivine hypoftafis of Nous or Intellect be in like manner elevated abovethis mundane foul, and again, that firft hypoftafis or fupreme Deity,(called by him unity and goodnefs) above Intelleft ; yet the corporealworld could not be faid to be cut off from thefe neither ; they beingall three (monad, m.ind, and foul) clofely and intimated united together.XXX. The Hebrews were the only nation, who before Chriflianity forfeveral ages profeffcdly oppofed the polytheifm and idolatry of the Paganworld. Wherefore it may be probably concluded, that they had the rightnotion of this Pagan polytheifm, and underftood what it confillcd in, viz.Whether in worihipping many unmade, felf-originated deities, as partialcreators of the world ; or elfe in worfhipping, befides the fupreme God,other created beings fuperior to men ? Now Philo plainly underftood thePagan polytheifm after this latter way •, as may appear from this paffage ofhis in his book concerning the Confujion of Languages, where fpeaking ofthe fupreme God, (the Maker and Lord of the vvhole world) and of hiso.'jzf/.ii; x^uiyo], \vs innumerable ciffiftant powers, both vifible and invilible, headds, xxlxTrXcyLle; 81/ rr.E? rriv ixxTi^xrav xoVju-wj (p-jcriv, n' jaovov oXm; i^ih'U