Book II. for granted, that whatever is divided falls, it remains for me to fhew, if you will but hear me with Peace, that our Jefus divided and diffolv'd Error by teaching the Truth.

XXXVI. Then faid Simon, Leave off this repetition of your fo frequent talking of Peace, and tell us in brief what your Sentiments or Belief is. Peter reply'd, Why are you fo fearful of hearing any thing of Peace? Do not you know that Peace is the perfection of the Law? For from Sins arife Wars and Fighting; but where there is no Sin, there is Peace of the Soul; and where there is Peace, there in Difputations Truth, in Works Righteousness will appear. Simon faid, As far as I fee, you are not able to make a publick profeffion of your Sentiments. Peter faid, I will do it, but at my own Pleasure; and not as forc'd by your fly Infinuations. For I am defirous, that what is for the Salvation and Advantage of Men, may be brought to the knowledg of all; and therefore I will make no farther delay in declaring my mind as briefly as I can. There is One God; who is also the Creator of the World, a juft Judg; (and one that will one day diftribute to every one according to his Deeds. And I am fenfible that innumerable thousands of Words may be made use of for the proof of these Doctrines.

XXXVII. Then faid Simon, I cannot but wonder at the quickness of your Wit, yet cannot I embrace the Error of your Belief; for you prudently enough foresee that any one of the multitude could contradict you, and therefore you own, that in the proof of thefe Points innumerable thousands of words may be made ufe of For your Confeffion of Faith will be approv'd of by no body: For to name but one Point, That there is only One God, whofe Workman

ship the World is; who I pray you in the first Book II. place admits this? I fuppofe not one of the Heathen, be he never fo ignorant; not one of the Philofophers neither, nor indeed any one of the most unskilful and miferable among the Jews; nor do I admit it, who am well acquainted with their Law. Then faid Peter, Omit the Opinions of those that are abfent. But you that are here prefent, tell me who am here alfo, your own Opinion. Then faid Simon, I could explain my real Sentiments; but the confideration of fome things makes me backward to do it. For if I fpeak what neither is agreeable to your Opinion, nor will be approv'd of by this unlearned multitude, you will pretend to be amaz'd, and will fhut your Ears, left they should be polluted with Blafphemy, and fo run away; becaufe you have nothing to anfwer: And this People, who are no Judges of true Reafon, will approve of what you fay, and will embrace you, as one that teaches what is for their Advantage; but me they will curfe, as one that profeffes new and unheard of Paradoxes, and that endeavours to implant my Errors in the Minds of others.

XXXVIII. Then faid Peter, Do not you your felf ufe fuch Subterfuges as you accus'd me of a little while ago, while you have nothing of Truth to profefs? If you have, begin, without any farther Evafions, if you have confidence enough to undertake it. And if your Doctrines difpleafe any one of the Audience, he will go his way; and thofe that ftay will be oblig'd by your Arguments to approve of what is agreeable to Truth. Begin then to explain what you take to be the Trnth. Then faid Simon, I affirm that there are many Gods; but that there is one of them who is incomprehenfible, unknown by all, and the God of all thefe other

Gods.

Book II. Gods, Upon which Peter faid, Can you prove there is fuch an one, whom you ftile a God incomprehenfible and unknown to all, by the Scriptures of the Jews, which are of known Authority; or by fome other, which we are all unacquainted with, or by the Greek Authors, or by your own proper Writings? Difcourfe out of which of these you please; but on this Condition, that you firft fhew that the Scriptures you make use of are Prophetical, for thereby alone their Authority will be efteem'd indisputable.

XXXIX. Then faid Simon, I will only eftablish what I say by Arguments taken from the Law of the Jews only: For 'tis plain, that among all fuch as have any regard to Religion, this Law is of the most facred Authority; while yet every one takes that Senfe of this Law which is according to his own Prejudices. For it is written in fuch a manner by the Creator of the World, that Arguments for all Opinions may be thence deriv'd. Whence it is, that whe ther any one has a mind to speak Truth or Falfhood, no Opinions will be receiv'd but as fupported by this Law. I was in the right therefore when I affirm'd there were many Gods; fince that Opinion of mine exactly agrees with the Law; and that one of thofe Gods is most eminent and incomprehenfible; He, I mean, who is the God of Gods. Now that there are many Gods, the very Law it felf teaches me; and first of all where, in the Perfon of the Serpent, it Gen.iii.5. is faid to Eve, the first Woman, On what day foever ye shall eat of the Tree of the Knowledg of Good and Evil, ye shall be as Gods; that is, like them that made Man. For after they had tafted of the Tree, God himself teftifies and fays Ver. 22. to the reft of the Gods, Behold Adam is become

as

iii. 22.

as one of us. Hence therefore it is certain, that Book II. there are many Gods who made Man; fince in w the beginning God fpeaks thus to the rest of the Gods, Let us make Man after our own Image and Gen.1.26. Likeness; as alfo when he fays, Let us caft him out; and again, Come, let us go down and confound xi. 7. their Languages. All these Paffages fhew that there are many Gods. Moreover, what is written elsewhere, Thou shalt not revile the Gods, Exod. and thou shalt not curfe the Ruler of thy People; xxii. 28. and again, what is written in another place, The Lord alone led them, and there was no ftrange Deut. God with them, fhews that there are many Gods. xxxii. 12. There are alfo many other Teftimonies which may be produc'd out of the Law, not only obfcure but plain ones, whereby we are inform'd that there are many Gods: One of which was chofen by Lot to be the God of the People of the Jews. But I do not mean him, but one that is his God, whom even the Jews themselves do not know; for he is not their God, but the God of those that believe in him.

XL. When Peter had heard all this, he faid, Be not concern'd, Simon, behold we neither fhut our Ears, nor run away, but shall give an Answer to what you have falfly faid with the words of Truth; affirming this in the first place, That there is but One God, that he is the God of the Jews, who is the Only God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth; who is alfo the God of all thofe Gods whom you speak of: If therefore I can fhew that there is no God above him, but that he is above all things, you must confefs that your Error is above all things. Simon reply'd, and faid, certainly; for tho I should be unwilling to confefs it, will not the Auditors, who ftand by, convict me if I will not confefs the plain Truth?

XLI.

Book II.

17.

I.

XLI. Hearken therefore, faid Peter, that you may perceive in the first place, that tho there be, as you fay, many Gods, they are fubject to the God of the Jews, to whom no Being can be equal, and than whom no Being can be greater. For it is written that the Prophet Mofes faid to Deut. x. the Jews, The Lord your God he is God of Gods, and Lord of Lords, the Great God. Accordingly, altho there be many who are call'd Gods, yet is there one greater than they all, the God of the Jews, and he is alfo ftil'd the God of Gods. For it is not true, that whofoever is call'd a God, is therefore prefently a real God: For even Mofes Exod.vii. is call'd a God to Pharaoh, and yet 'tis plain he was a Man. The Judges alfo are call'd Gods, and xxii. 28. yet 'tis certain they were mortal Men. The Idols alfo of the Gentiles are call'd Gods, and yet we all know that they have no real Exiftence. But this is part of the Punishment allotted to the Wicked, that because they are not willing to know the true God, whatever Form or Image comes in their way, it should be efteem'd by them as a God; because, as I faid, they refus'd to receive the knowledg of the One God, who is the God of the Universe therefore is it allotted to them to efteem thofe as Gods, who can give nothing to those that pray to them. For what can lifelefs Images, or even brute Creatures beftow upon Men, while the Power over all things is in the hands of one Being only?

XLII. Any Being therefore is ftil'd God, upon one of these three accounts; either because he really is fo, or because he minifters to him that really is fo; and for the Honour of him that fent him, that his Authority' may be facred, he that is fent is call'd by his Name that fent him; as is frequently feen in the Cafe of Angels, who

yet