Chap. XIV.J Oriental Literatim. ^87 



derived from late oriental inquiries, wliicli serves 

 at once to illustrate and confirm the scripture doc- 

 trine of the lYinity, One of the mo^t learned and 

 accurate orientalists of the age considers the fol- 

 lowing facts as decisively established by recent in- 

 vestigations, viz. *' First, that in the Scp/iiroth, or 

 three superior splendours of the ancient Hebrews, 

 may be discov^ered the three hypostases of the 

 Christian trinity; secondly, that this doctrine 

 flourished through nearly all the empire of Asia, 

 a thousand years before Plato was born ; and, 

 thirdly, that the grand cavern-pagoda of Elephan- 

 ta, the oldest and most magnificent temple in the 

 world, is neither more nor less than a superb temple 

 to a triune God." If the doctrine of the Trinity 

 be contained in the Old Testament scriptures, as 

 it certainly is; and if some knowledge of this stu- 

 pendous mystery of our holy religion were con- 

 veyed to the faithful in the earliest times, which 

 we may safely presume to have been the case; then 

 it was natural that some ideas of this doctrine, 

 more or less distinct, and connected with a greater 

 or less portion of fable, should be found, as the re- 

 sult of tradition, in. most nations of the World. 

 That this is really the case, the learned have long 

 had increasing reason to believe. But the inqui- 

 ries of the eighteenth century, and especially those 

 instituted in the east, have rendered this truth 

 more indisputably apparent than ever, and have 

 thus furnished new evidence in favour of those 

 precious doctrines which are connected with it, 

 and which are fully brought to light iu the 

 Gospel. 



