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trated in Religious Houfes than in the publick. Stews. The Affyrians, Medes, Perfians, Grecians, and Egyptians, had flourishing Empires without and before there were any Orders of Priefts in the World.

LASTLY, MINUTIUS FELIX UNderftood well both the weak fide and knavish fide of human Nature, when he faid, We Learn Fables and Abfurditys from our ignorant Ancestors; and what is more intolerable, we employ our Learning and Studys to make sense of them.

(16.) SYNESIUs, a celebrated African Bishop of the fifth Century, and a great Philofopher, had, like ORIGEN and MINUTIUS FELIX, too much Learning and too little Zeal to be call'd Saint; and was fo uprightly fincere, that he would not accept of his Bishoprick but upon the following Free-Thinking terms: To bake those Doctrines, fays he, that are demonftrated, is difficult, or rather impoffible. And you know that Philofophy is inconfiftent with the common receiv'd Opinions. I can never believe the

Soul

* Fabulas & errores ab imperitis parentibus difcimus, & quod eft gravius, ipfis ftudiis & difciplinis elaboramus.

p. 203.

† Καλεπόν ἐςιν, εἰ μὴ καὶ λίαν ἀδύνατον, εἰς ψυχὴν τὰ δι ότι τίμης εἰς ἀπόδειξιν ελθόντα δόγματα σαλευθήναι. διπα δ' ὅτι πολλὰ φιλοσοφία τοῖς θρυλλούοις τέτοις άντιδια τάτεται δόγμαπν. αμέλει τω ψυχὴν ἐκ αξιώσω ποτέ σώ

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Soul to be of later original than the Body. 1 will never fay that the Universe and its Parts will perish together. I think that known thredbare Story of the Refurrection conceals fomething facred and not fit to be divulg'd, and am far from acknowledging the common Opinions concerning it. It's true, a Philofophical Mind inpetting Truth, yields to the neceflity of dif guifing. For Light bears the fame comparison το Truth, that the Sight does to vulgar People. As Sight therefore cannot without great injury to it felf enjoy immoderate Light, and Darkness is more juitable to those who have fore Eyes; fo I affirm Disguise is more useful to the Vulgar, and Truth hurts those who cannot look into the Evidence of things. If therefore the Laws of Epifcopacy establish'd among us allow of this, I can fubmit to be confecrated; while i have the liberty to philofophize at home, and talk mysteriously to the People in publick, neither teaching them any thing thorowly, nor unteaching them any thing, but fuffering them

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ματα υπεροχή νομίζειν ἢ κόσμον ἐ φήσω καὶ τἆλλα μέρη συνδιαφθείρεσθαι των καθωμιλημένω ανάςασιν ἱερὸν τι καὶ απόῤῥητον ἡγεμαι, καὶ πολλὲ δέω ταῖς τὸ πλήθοις ὑπολήψεσιν ὁμολογήσαι. τῆς μ' ἐν φιλόσοφΘ επόπτης ὢν τα ληθές, συγχωρεῖ τῇ χρεία το ψευδεπαι· ἀνάλογον γδ ̓ ἐπι φως προς αλήθεαν, καὶ ὄμμα πρὸς δῆμον. ᾗ ἐν ὀφθαλμα εἰς κακὸν ἂν ἀπολαύσειν απλής κ φωτός, καὶ ἡ τοῖς ὀφθαλμῶσι το σκότος ὠφελιμώτερον. ταύτῃ καὶ τὸ ψεύδος ὄφελος εἶναι τίθεμαι δήμῳ, καὶ βλαβερὸν τω αλήθααν τοῖς ἐκ ἰχύεσιν ενατενίσαι προς τον εν ὄντων ἐναργίαν. εἰ ταῦτα καὶ δι ο καθ ̓ ἡμᾶς ἱερα σύνης συγχωρέσιν εμοί νόμοι, δυναίμων ἂν ἱεροθαι, τα μ' οικοι φιλοσοφῶν, τὰ δ ̓ ἔξω φιλεμυθῶν, εἰ

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to continue in their preconceiv'd Opinions. But if they fuppofe a Bishop fhould be so affected, and be like the common People in his Opinions, I cannot avoid publickly discovering my felf. For what relation has Philofophy to the common People? The Truth in Divine Things ought to be kept myfterious. But the People ought to be otherwife affected. Again and again I will Speak it, I think a wife Man neither discovers himself nor is discover'd without extreme neceffity. But if you make me a Bishop, I will not counterfeit my Opinions. Of this I call God and Man to witness. And he was made Bishop of Cyrene on these Free-Thinking Terms.

BUT I must not conceal from you, That as they who elected him knew the mighty efficacy of a Bishoprick to convert, and therefore doubted not of his Speedy Orthodoxy; fo be did not fail them, but was foon enlighten'd in the point of the Resurrection. For when † EVAGRIUS, a Heathen Philo

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μὴ διδάσκων, ἀλλ ̓ ἐδὲ μ' το μεταδιδάσκων, μένειν ἢ εῶν ότι προλήψεως, εἰ δὲ φασιν ὅτω δεῖν καὶ κινεῖσαι, καὶ δῆμον εἶναι ἢ ἱερέα ταῖς δόξαις, ἐκ ἂν φθάνοιμι φανερόν ἐμαυτὸν ἅπασι καθιστας. δήμῳ τὸ δὴ καὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ, τὶ πρὸς άλληλα, τω μ' αληθέαν τ θείων απόῤῥιλον είναι δεῖ τὰ δὲ πλῆθος ἑτέρας ἕξεως δεῖται ἄνθις ἢ καὶ πολλάκις ερῶ, μηδέμιες ανάγκης παρούσης. ἔτ ̓ ελέγχεν σοφὸν, ἔτ ̓ ἐλέξ χεσαιο καλέμενος δι ̓ εἰς ἱερωσύνων, εκ αξιώ προσποιείσαι δόγματα. ταῦτα Θεὸν, ταῦτα ἀνθρώπος μαρτύρομαι. Opera, p. 249.

Photii Biblioth. Cod. 25..

Dupin Bibl. Seicle. 5. prem. par. p. 845, 846, taken out of Pratum Spirituale.

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fopher,

fopher, and his old Friend, came to vifit him upon his Promotion, SYNESIUS took a great deal of pains to convert him; infomuch that the Philofopher declar'd himself convinc'd of the Truth of the Chriftian Religion, and in particular of the Refurrection. And the following Particular is recorded in Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, as an Evidence of the Sincerity of them both, and likewise as an undoubted Proof of the Refur rection it felf. The Philofopher, after he had receiv'd his Baptifm, came to SYN ESIUS, and gave him a Sum of Mony to diftribute among the Poor, and requir'd a Note under his Hand, by which he should oblige himself to pay it him again in the other World. SYNESIUs made no fcruple to give him fuch a Note. The Philofopher kept the Note, and fome time before his death order'd his Children to put it into his Coffin with him. Three days after his death, he appear'd to SYNESIUs, and defir'd him to come to his Tomb, and take up the Note he had given him, because he had receiv'd his Mony, and affur'd him he fhould find a Receit under his Hand at the bottom of the Note. SYNESIUS, who knew not that EVAGRIUS's Children had put the Note in their Father's Coffin, fent to them, and having found out the Truth of the matter, and acquainted them with what had happen'd, went with the Clergy and Magiftrates of Cyrene to the Tomb, open'd

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the Coffin, found the Note, and a Receit under EVAGRIUS'S Hand. And as a proof of all this, the Note and Receit were preferv'd in the Veftry of the Epifcopal Church of Cyrene.

(17.) MY Lord BACON fhow'd himfelf to be a great Free-Thinker, not only by throwing off the old and introducing a new Philofophy, but by feveral Paffages in his Works relating directly to Religion. He explain'd the whole Secret of Superftition, when he said, '* That Nature has planted in every living thing a kind of Care and Fear for the prefervation of its own Life and Being, and for the bunning and refifting of Evils that may befal it: And yet this Nature knows not how to keep a mean, but always intermixeth vain and empty Fears; fo that all things (if their Infides might be feen) are full of Panick Fears: And above all, Men, and especially the Vulgar, who are loaded and tofs'd about with Superftition (which is nothing else but Panick

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* Natura rerum omnibus viventibus indidit metum & formidinem, vitæ atque effentiæ fuæ confervatricem, ac mala ingruentia vitantem & depellentem. Veruntamen eadem natura modum tenere nefcia eft, fed timoribus falutaribus femper vanos & inanes admifcet; adeo ut (fi intus confpici darentur) Panicis Terroribus pleniffima fint: præfertim humana, & maximè omnium apud vulgum, qui fuperftitione (quæ verè nihil aliud eft nifi Panicus Terror) in immenfum laborat & agitatur, præcipuè temporibus duris, & trepidis, & adverfis. Augin. Scient. 1. 2. C. 13.

Fear)

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