If we examine the most ancient heathen historian Sanchoniathan, who flourished near thirteen hundred years before Christ, we shall find him confirming this truth, that the neighbouring nations, had the same principles of religion.

In his Phoenician history, in explaining the hieroglyphics of their worship, he says, "Jove is a winged sphere, out of which a serpent is brought forth. The circle implies the divine nature, without beginning or end. The Serpent shows his Word which animates and fructifies the world; and the wings refer to the Spirit of God, which vivifies the world by his motion." This fact is confirmed by Dr. Stukely, a British author, who wrote about seventy years ago.

In that part of his work stiled Aubury, he says, "we learn repeatedly from Sanchoniathan, Porphy. ry, and other ancient authors quoted by Eusebi. us in the Præparatio Evangelica, that the first sages of the world had just and true notions of the na ture of the Deity, conformable to those of the Chris tians; that in their hieroglyphic way of writing, they designated the Deity and his mysterious nature by the sacred figure of the circle, serpent and wings, Of these the circle meant the fountain of all Being; for this being the most perfect and comprehensive of all geometrical figures, they designed it for the symbol of the First and Supreme Being; whose resem blance we cannot find; whose centre is every where, and whose circumference is no where. The serpent symbolized the Son, or first divine emanation from the Supreme. This they called by the name of Ptba, which is derived from the Hebrew, meaning the Word. The wings symbolized that divine person

or emanation from the former, commonly called Anima Mundi; but the Egyptians called him Knepth, which in Hebrew signifies winged." He further says, "This symbol of the snake and circle, which is the picture on the temple at Abury, we see on innumerable Egyptian monuments-always it holds the uppermost, the first and chief place; which shows its high dignity."

He can by no means admit this to be an Egyp tian invention. "The Egyptians took this, and hie roglyphic writing, in general, from the common ancestors of mankind. This is sufficiently proved from the universality of the thing, reaching from China in the East to Britain in the West, and into America too."*

Aristotle in his first Book, De Cælo et Mundo, ch. 2d. s. 2d. numb. 10, says, "That he, together with others, offered a threefold sacrifice to the gods, in acknowledgment of the threefold perfection discovered in them." And again speaking of the num ber three," therefore we make use of this number, in celebrating the sacrifices of the gods: nature itself seeming to have pointed it out, as the most perfect of all."

That the later philosophers received the first principles of their mythology from the Egyptians, is proved from Iamblichus another heathen author, who was a Syrian, and a disciple of Porphyry the great enemy of Christianity, and Præceptor to Julian the apostate. In his book of the Egyptian mysteries he says, "if you would propose any difficulty in philoso

Stukely's Abury, page 56.

phy (which then principally meant religion) we will decide the matter by those ancient columns of Hermes, upon which Plato, and before him Pythagoras, formed the principles of their philosophy." And Justin Martyr, who was not only a zealous Christian, but a learned philosopher of near the apostolic age, deeply skilled in the mythology of heathen antiquity, asserts that the doctrine of the Trinity was known to Plato and the other philosophers,*

Procleus, an heathen philosopher, asserts of the Trinity as contained in the Chaldaic Oracles, that it was at first a theology of Divine revelation, or a Divine cabala (tradition); to wit, among the Hebrews first and from them afterwards communicated to the Egyptians and other nations.†

Plotinus, another heathen philosopher, asserts, "that the doctrine of a Trinity was an ancient opinion before Plato's time, and delivered down by the Pythagoreans to the Platonists-and Josephus, in his tract against Apion, says, that Pythagoras was wellacquainted with the Jewish rites and introduced many of them into his philosophy.‡

Chalcidius, the disciple of Plato, distinguished the divine nature into the Father-the Son and Creator of the world-the Spirit which enlivens. The first arranging-the second commanding-and the third actuating all things.

Thus stands the testimony from antiquity, which is here adduced, not to show the correctness of their knowledge of the divine nature, but that they received

• 2d. Apol. 73. t Lib. 1.

Cudworth, Intel. Syst. lib. 1. ch. 4.

Cudworth, Lib. 1. ch. 1. page 22.

the general doctrine from the Egyptians; who received it from the Hebrews, who originally recieved it. from Abraham, who received it from Shem, who received it from Noah, or rather perhaps Methuselah,. who received it from Adam, who must have receivedit by divine revelation from God himself. Let us now look into more modern histories, and see if we cannot find these facts confirmed by their authority also.

Persia being the country from which the Magi or wise men, who visited our Saviour at his birth, are supposed to have come, and in which Daniel, with others of the Hebrew prophets, had been resident,* we will look into their history, as published by the learned Dr. Hyde, Hebrew and Arabic professor in the University of Oxford, in his Historia religionis veterum Persarum, cerumque Magorum. Here we find that there still exists in that ancient country, a sect of the Persians, who strictly adhere to their original principles in the midst of established Mahometism, and live separately from the rest of the inhabitants, as much as possible, in order to preserve their purity.. They worship one only God, of whom they seem to entertain very just notions, although some mix with them, too great a reverence for the stars and planets, bordering on Sabaism. It seems that they received the principles of their religion from Shem and Elam, who were their great ancestors. That in process of

From the time of the Babylonish captivity we find the Jews dispersed through all the provinces of the Persian monarchy, and that in great rum. bers; and many people of the land becoming Jews: and after their return they were scattered through Africa, Asia and many Cities and Islands of Europe. Josephus tells us, that wherever they dwelt they made many proselytes See Esther 31. ch. 8.-13. 9th ch. 2d v. Jos. Antiq. lib. 14. ch. 12. Stackhouse, vol. i. N. T. 196.

time, having degenerated into Sabaism, Abraham recovered them from their errors, and restored the worship of the true God. They greatly boast of Abraham, and call their religion, the religion of Abraham. We know that Abraham conquered Cherdelaomer, king of Persia. It is probable, therefore, that he, with his allies, embraced the religion of the conqueror, which was common in former days, and that their example was followed by his people.

Dr. Hyde found it very difficult to obtain a cor rect knowledge of the present principles of their religion, as their great prophet Zoroaster, (of which name there are many in different nations) had expressly prohibited the instruction of strangers in their language or religion. Dr. Hyde, however, interested a friend who lived in Persia, to gain information on this head from their priests, if possible, and particularly as to the worship they pay to Mithra, (whom they term the Triplasian, or three-fold Mythras.)* He was answered, that the Persian priests positively denied, that they paid any divine worship to the Sun, Moon, or Stars. That they only turned to them when they prayed, because they resembled fire, which they consider as an emblem of the Deity, but that they do not worship them. They regard the Sun as the image of God; and some suppose it to be the place of his more immediate residence; others, that it was the seat of the blessed; but they insist that they worship God alone. They are acquainted with the history of the creation -Adam and Eve-the deluge-Moses and Solomon.

Dionysius, the Pseuda-areopagite, says, "The Persian Magi to this very day celebrate a festival solemnity, in honour of the Triplasian, or three-fold Mythras. Cudw. İntel. Syst. ch. iv. page 288.