OF SERPENTS. 



CHAP. VI. 



233 



^eafomfor worjhipping hurtful as well as ufeful Creatures, founded 

 on a Notion of two eternal contrary Principles : They believe God 

 was good, and could not be the Author of moral Evil, therefore 

 framed the Ditheijlical Doctrine; an Error, efpoufed by fonte 

 primitive Chrijtians, confuted by the Sentence pafl upon the Ser- 

 pent. Reafons fir ijoorfhipping different Species of Animals by 

 the Egyptians. 



WHENCE arifes the Honour given by Heathens to diffe- 

 rent Species of Beings, to the noxious and hurtful, as 

 well as to the falutary and beneficent Tribe ? 



Probably, it might be from their obferving the Mixtures 

 ■cf Good and Evil in the vifible Creation, when as yet in their 

 infantile State of Knowledge : The reafon of this they could no 

 otherwife account for, but by giving into the Notion oitwo diflinSl 

 independent governing Powers ; the one a good, the other an evil 

 Genius : accordingly they worfhipped Creatures that were ufeful, 

 as being the Minifters of the good Genius ; and thofe that were 

 hurtful they paid Homage to, out of fervile Fear, and to ingra- 

 tiate themfelves into their Favour. In the Morning they wor- 

 fhipped the celeflial Gods ; in the Evening, the infernal: On the 

 Plain they worfhipped the terreflrial Gods, on Hills the fuperna- 

 tural ; in Groto's and Caves, the infernal. 



Hence it is they afTerted a Duplicity of Gods, viz. Two 

 perceptive felf-exiflent Beings, one the Principle of Good, and 

 the other of Evil. This Opinion originally fprung from aflrong, 

 firm Perfuafion, That God was invariably Good, and therefore could 

 not poffibly be the Author of the Evil upon Earth. Nor could they 

 otherwife folve the Difficulty about the Entrance of moral Evil 

 into our World, but by fuppofing another eternal felf-exiftent evil 

 Caufe. 



Yea, fome among the primitive Chriflians fell into the Error 

 of afTerting this Ditheijlical Dodlrine; that is, two felf-exiflent 

 Principles in the Univerfe, to wit, a good God, and an evil Demon. 

 Thus the Cerdonites, an heretical Sedl, that fprung up in the fe- 

 cond Century, held there were two Gods j one, the Author of 



Hh aU 



