Chap. VI. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 389 



others faid, isie ivill hear thee again of this matter. And certainly the 

 refurre£tion of the body is not a truth of natural religion, nor of 

 philofophy ; though I think it is highly probable, that the Egypti- 

 ans believed in it, as I cannot account for the extraordinary care 

 they took to preferve the bodies of their dead, otherwife than by 

 fuppofing, that they believed they w^ere to inhabit them again. But, 

 I think, there can be no doubt, that to his converts, particularly 

 Dionyfius the Areopagi'^e, Paul explained and inculcated the funda- 

 mental dodlrines of Chriftianity, fuch as that of the Trinity, with the 

 knowledge of which, as Paul was no philofopher, I muft fuppofe 

 that he was infpired. The eternal getieration of the Son of God, fo 

 that the Son is co-eternal with the Father, is another fundamental 

 doctrine of Chriftianity. It is a neceffary confequence of the doc- 

 trine of the Trinity, and would be eafily explained to men who had 

 the leaft tindure of philofophy, and could diftinguifh the produc- 

 tions of natural and temporaiy things, from the productions of things 

 divine and eternal : Of thofe, the caufe producing is always prior 

 to the produftion; whereas, oi thefe^ the caufe producing and the 

 produdlion being both eternal, the producfiion mult be coeval with 

 the caufe. A third fundamental doctrine of the Chriftian religion 

 is, the incarnation of the Son of God.. But this would be ftill more 

 eafily explained to a man who knew^ fo much of himfeli as to know, 

 that he was compounded of thn-e natures, the vegetable, the ani- 

 mal, and the intelledual. To thcfe ihree it is not difficult to con- 

 ceive, that a fourth might be added, — the divine The firft three 

 made Jefus Chrift a man, and a man only, but the fourth made him 

 more than man, and the Saviour of the world. And this, 1 think 

 is fufficient to fhow, that the Chriftian religion is a leariied and phi- 

 lofophical religion, fit for the age in which it was brought into the 

 world. 



Thefe are the dodrines which, I fuppofe, St Paul taught his difcipl 



es 

 in 



