ingly, we find it to be one of the oldeft opinions in heathen antiquity, that thofe heavenly bodies were animated as well as men. This opinion was even held by Origen, and other philofophizing chriftians.

Mr. Toland, however, conjectures that another Egyptian cuftom might facilitate the introduction of this fyftem. Among other "methods," he fays (Letters to Serena, p. 46) "the Egyptians had of perpetuating " events, the fureft of all was to impofe the names of memorable perfons and things on "the conftellations, as the only eternal mo

numents, not fubject to the violence of men "or brutes, nor to the injury of time or "weather. This cuftom was derived from "them to other nations, who changed, in

deed, the names, but gave new ones to the "ftars for the fame end. And the inconfi"derate vulgar, hearing the learned conftant

ly talk of certain perfons, as in the ftars, "believed them at last to be really there, and

that all the others were under ground." One may add, that this might poffibly give rife to the notion of a twofold foul, one that went under ground, and another that went to the ftars.

Upon the whole, Mr. Toland's conjecture appears to me not to be deftitute of probability. How far the Egyptians really carried their notions concerning the state of human fouls, before or after death, doth not diftinctly appear, because we have no Egyptian

writings.

writings. But it is probable that their ideas. never ripened into fuch a fyftem as was afterwards found in the Eaft, on account of their empire and civil polity having been too soon overturned, and the country having undergone such a number of revolutions. Accordingly we find that thofe who introduced as much of this fyftem as was received in Greece did, in general, travel into the Eaft for it.

SECTION XV.

A View of the different Opinions that have been held concerning the DIVINE ESSENCE, ef pecially with a View to the Doctrine of Immateriality.

I

HAVE confidered the doctrine of proper immateriality both by the light of nature, and also of the fcriptures, without finding any foundation for it in either. I fhall now endeavour to trace what have been the notions that men in different ages, and fyftems of philofophy, have entertained with respect to it; having little doubt but that it will appear, to the fatisfaction of all unprejudiced perfons, that the strict metaphyfical notion of immateriality is really a modern thing, being unknown to all the wife ancients, whether heathens or chriftians; and therefore that the rejection of it ought not to give any alarm to the ferious chriftian. It is no article in his

faith that I am oppugning, but really an upfart thing, and a nonentity, as a rever

I fhall begin with an account of opinions concerning the fupreme mand, the parent and fource of all intelligence, and afterwards confider the doctrines relating to the human foul. In this hiftorical detail I fhall also occafionally mention a few other circumftances, which may serve to fhew the derivation of all the philofophical opinions concerning God from the fame fource:

It will throw confiderable light upon this fubject, to reflect that it was a maxim with all the ancients, even till the time of the later chriftian Fathers and fchoolmen, though I believe it to be falfe in itself, that nothing could be made out of nothing. Ex nihilo nihil fit. In fact, the idea of creation, in the modern fenfe of the word, never occurred to them ; they always meaning by it only a forming or new modelling of things and in this fenfe their maxin was true, for a carpenter mont be provided with wood before he can make any inftrument of wood. The ancients, therefore, in general, fuppofed that two diftinct things, or principles, had been from eternity, viz. matter and fpirit, or God, and fince inferior intelligences could not, in their opinion, -be made from nothing, any more than grofs -bodies, the universal opinion was, that they were emanations from the fupreme mind. And, as they generally confidered the Divine Being as a fire, or light, they explained the proN duction

duction of minds by the lighting of one candle at another, or by fome other comparison of the fame nature.

Now, fince thefe are ideas that are known to have run through all the fyftems of the ancients, it is evident, that, in whatever terms they might exprefs themfelves, they could not, in reality, confider the Divine Being as ftrictly speaking, without extenfion, indivifible, or indifcerptible, which is effential to proper immateriality. In fact, by fuch terms as pi ritual, incorporeal, &c. as was obferved before, they could only mean a more fubtle and refined kind of matter, fuch as air, flame, light, &c. Alfo wherever the notion of the abforption of all fouls into the Deity, or foul of the univerfe, prevailed, it is evident that the foul could not be confidered in the light in which modern metaphyficians confider it; and this is known to have been a notion univerfally prevalent in the Eaft, and in Greece.

The Indian philofophers, fays Beaufobre (vol. ii. p. 467,) think that the Deity has a luminous body, invifible at prefent, because it is concealed behind another, either the heavens or the world; but that it will be revealed (i. e. become vifible) fome time. The Magi and Chaldeans alfo fay that God in his body resembles light, and in his mind truth. Stanley by Le Clerc, p. 25. But truth is only a property, and no fubftance whatever. According to the fame author, p. 26, the first production of this great intellectual light or fire, was the υπερκόσμιον φως, the fupramundane light, which

I

tures.

which is defined to be an infinite, incorporeal, and lucid fpace, the happy feat of intellectual naOf this it is not eafy to form an idea; but it may receive fome little illuftration from a notion of the Cabbalifts, who say that all fpirits were made out of the holy Ghost, or fpirit of God, which was made first.

The Cabbalifts, indeed, fay that all creatures are emanations from the eternal Being, and that the attributes of the Deity being infinite, may produce an infinity of effects. It is extended when this fubftance compofes fpirits, and contracted when it makes matter (Bafnage, vol. iii. p. 93,) fo that it is evident they could have no notion of any thing properly immaterial. This doctrine of the Cabbalifts exifts in the Eaft, and probably came from thence.

The divine fire, the Magi fay, was diftributed to all creatures, and before all to the prima mens, as the oracles of Zoroafter teach, and then to other eternal and incorporeal natures, in which clafs are included innumerable inferior gods, angels, good demons, and the fouls of men.

To come to the Greek philofophy, we find that Pythagoras, after the Magi, fays that God, in his body, resembles light, and in his foul truth. He is the univerfal fpirit, that penetrates and diffufes itself through all nature. Ramfay, P. 257. Heraclitus defines. God to be a fubtle and fwift fubftance, TO λεπτόζαλον και το ταχιστον, which permeates and pervades the whole univerfe. Cudworth, p. 505.