very chief deities, the Magorum Gentium Dei, have gone from this earth to heaven-and that their sepulchres are still shown in Greece." Dr. Samuel Clarke, a great advocate of natural religion, concedes, that of the ancient "philosophers, some, by ascribing all things to chance, and others to absolute fatality, argued themselves out of the belief of the very being of a God.”

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That is true," says the infidel, as it regards several of the ancient philosophers, but we can prove that others equally distinguished both as philosophers and poets, held and taught the spirituality and unity of God! Pythagoras declares, 'that God is a spirit, diffused and passing through the whole of nature, and all parts of the world, and that from him all creatures have their life!" Cicero says the same— we cannot conceive of God otherwise, than of a mind that is loose and free from all compassion with mortals, perceiving all things and moving all things." Plato, frequently calls God, "the one being, and the creator of the world:" and says, this one being is the supreme governor of man, and the sovereign of all those called inferior Gods!" It is necessary now to enquire, 1st. From what sources did they derive their knowledge of these sublime subjects? and 2nd.— For what practical use did they apply this knowledge?

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1st. As to the source whence they obtained their knowledge respecting God, as the creator and governor of the universe, we observe, first,-That the Hebrew scriptures were translated into the Greek tongue at Alexandria, in the year of the world 3727," and 278 years before the birth of Christ. From that period the sacred oracles became common among the heathen, and occasioned much speculation and controversy, not only as they tended to subvert the popular superstition, by denouncing polytheism, but also on account of their claim to antiquity and the evidence-an uninterrupted series of historical facts, and a clear and consistent chronology running up to the beginning of all things by which they proved the validity of that claim. This was the commencement of a new era, especially in the literary history of the Gentile nations.

2nd. Plato, the Athenian, who approaches much nearer the truth than any of his heathen predecessors, derived his information-relative to the supreme being, the nature of the soul, and the origin of the world-from his intercourse with the Jews in Egypt, the Mosaic writings, and other sacred books

a Prideaux, vol. ii. 237. b Miller, vol. vii. 97. c Dr. Clarke's Gen. Pro. d Prideaux, i. 480.

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of the Old Testament. Hence, Nomenius says, “Plato, is none other than Moses speaking Greek!” He upbraids him with plagiarism; "in that he stole his doctrine about the world and God, from the books of Moses!" Theodoret, says expressly, “that he has nothing good and commendable about the Deity and his worship, but what he borrowed from the Hebrew Theology;" and Clemens Alexandrinus calls him

the Hebrew Philosopher!" Gale, proves that he derived the principles of his philosophy from the scriptures, "either immediately or by means of tradition;" and beside the authority of the ancient writers, brings arguments from Plato himself. Such as his admission, that the Greeks obtained their knowledge of the one infinite God, from an "ancient people, better and nearer to God than themselves;" by which people this author maintains he meant the Jews, from his account "that man was born of the earth, that he was innocent, that he was naked, that he was happy, and that he conversed with the brutes!" From an examination of all the parts of Plato's philosophy, "philosophical, physical, metaphysical, and ethical, Gale finds, in every one, evident characters of its sacred original.' "a

a Prideaux, i. 480.

3rd. The most eminent of the philosophers who succeeded him, were educated at Alexandria by Ammonious-who communicated to his scholars the sublime mysteries of revelation, together with the speculations of the ancient philosophers, and lived and dyed a christian.

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Hence, says Stillingfleet,

'whatever is truly generous and noble in the sublimest discourses of the Platonists, had, not only its primitive rise, but its accession and improvement from the scriptures wherein it is still contained in its native lustre and beauty, without those paintings and impure mixtures, with which the most important truths are corrupted in their writings." "Which of your poets and philosophers," said Tertullian, to the infidels of his day, "has not drank at the sacred fountain of the prophets?"c

The modern infidel appeals to the writings of antiquity, to prove, that the truths of revelation, are discoverable by reason, and that divine revelation is not necessary. We have shown, with much brevity, that these writers obtained their information, on religious subjects, not from the resources of nature, but from the records of inspiration. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this

b Origines Sacre, 501. c Miller, vol. vi. 228.

word, it is because there is no light in them." We now come to enquire, secondly, what practical use did these philosophers make of their knowledge of divine things? All parties, acquainted with the subject, must admit, we think, that "they held the truth in unrighteousness;" for "when they knew God they glorified him not as God, by a public profession of their faith in his eternal power and Godhead !” The Greek lawgivers concealed from the people the knowledge which they possessed of the true God, established Polytheism by their authority, as the religion most proper for the vulgar, and joined them in all the impious and obscene rites of worship which they practised. "Those lawgivers durst not disclose the true notion of the divine nature to more than a few, because the body of the people were prejudiced with other opinions beforehand. But Moses, our legislator, who made his actions agree to his laws, did not only prevail with those that were his contemporaries to agree with these his notions, but so firmly imprinted their faith in God upon all their posterity that it could never be removed."a philosophers followed the same course. Socrates, the most distinguished amongst them, presents a remarkable example. He spoke against the national

a Josep. against Ap. B. 2.

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