bishop of Antioch, who alledges this to be the reason for which God is called " almighty, because he contains and comprehends all things; for the heights of heaven, and the depths of the abyss, and the ends of the world, are in his hand, and there is no place where he rests."

But, to conclude with this subject, it appears from what hath been said, that by assenting to this term almighty in this precedent part of the creed, it is thereby declared, that the pow er of God is omnipotent, his dominion univer sal, and his essence infimite.

After the assertion of God's omnipotency, there immediately follows in the creed, the profession of one most glorious and admirable effect thereof, viz. the creation of the world, expressed in these words, "maker of heaven and earth;" where by "making," we shall take it for granted, is meant a creating or producing of what was made out of nothing; and by "heaven and earth," all creatures whatso→ ever, both visible and invisible, according to the saying of Augustin, that "by the name of heaven and earth, is signified every creature that God made and created."

Now that which gave occasion to the insert ing of this act of God's power and might in

H

(

the rule of faith, was that numerous and pro digious variety of heretics in the most primitive days; who, though "jarring and divided amongst themselves, yet, as Irenæus observes, concentred in the same blasphemy against God the creator of the universe" and although they came from different places and spread different tenets, yet that one spirit by which they were all guided and impregnated, so far united them, as to deny the supreme God to be the creator of the world, though they could not agree amogst themselves, who it was that was the cause thereof,

Simon Magus, the first heretic, taught, that the world was made by angels," as did also his successor Menander; Saturnius, or Satur nilius, appropriated "this work to seven angels," affirming them, and only them to have been the creators of the world, and of mankind therein. The Basilidians dreamed, that there were successively created one after a nother, three hundred and sixty-five heavens, with their proper and peculiar angels, "the angels of which last heaven, being the starry one that is visible unto us, created this inferior world, with the inhabitants thereof."

In like manner also, the Corpocratians, with several other heretics, attributed the creation

of the world unto angels, thereby robbing the supreme and eternal being of one of the most glorious discoveries of his wisdom, power and goodness: but, howsoever impious and foolish the creation of the world by angels seems to be, yet the way by which several of the Gnostics, and in particular the Valentinians, ima gined it to have been produced, was far more monstrous, ridiculous, and abominable; whose heresies having been frequently mentioned in this chapter, I think it will not be unnecessary to give a brief account of them in this place, at least of that part of them which relates to, "God the father almighty," and "his making of heaven and earth;" for, as for their corrupt tenets respecting Jesus Christ, and the nature and state of mankind, I shall have occasion to speak of them elsewhere.

As for what therefore concerns our present purpose, I have collected this general idea of their portentous system from the first book of Irenæus; unto which I refer the reader, who desires farther information.

They believed, that there was an eternal, invisible, and unbegotten Aion, or Æon, [i. e. Age] the first of all beings, called by them Bythos, [Depth] who lived in rest and silence throughout an infinite number of ages; with

whom existed Ennoea, or bis thought, whom they also called Charis and Sige, [Grace and Silence] which couple begat and produced two Eons more, Nus and Alethie, [The Mind and the Truth] the first a male and the second at female; Nus they also called Monogenes, [only begotten] who could alone apprehend and contain the greatness of his father Bythos: Nus and Alethia emitted another couple, Logos and Zoe, [the word and life] who sent forth two more, Anthropos and Eeclesia, [man and the church] all of which were in number eight, and constituted the first order of the Eons, whom they termed the root and substance of all the rest.

After this, the two last couple, for the glory and praise of their first father, emitted eleven couples more; of which, Logos and Zoe sent forth these five, *Bythus and Mixis, Ageratus and Henosis, Autophues and Hedone, Acinetus and Syncrasis, Monogenes and Macaria; and from Anthropos and Ecclesia proceeded these six; †Paracletus and Pistis, Patricus and

*Depth, and mixture, never old, and union; born of himself, and pleasure; unmovable, and composition; only begotten, and blessed.

1

+ Comforter and faith, fatherly and hope, motherly and love; perpetual mind, and understanding; preacher and blessedness; willing and wisdom.

Elpis, Metricus and Agape, Aeinos and Synesis, Ecclesiasticus and Macariotes, Theletes and Sophia; which completed the number of thirty æons, or fifteen couples, the one half male, the other female; who were supposed by these extravagant brains to copulate and beget, in the same manner that men and wo men do generate and produce their children.

These all lived within a vast and unconceivable place, far distant from these lower regions, called by them Pleroma, or fullness, mutually enjoying and rejoicing each other, till a certain accident, as I may so term it, gave some disturbance to their repose and quiet; for though, as it was said before, Nus, or Monogenes, was only delighted with the apprehension of the unmeasurable greatness of Bythos, the root and origin of them all; yet the Other Eons also vehemently longed to have the same happiness of seeing their original author and producer; and especially, the last female, Eon, called Sophia, was so unreasonably passionate to obtain her desire of comprehending the greatness of the Propator, or their first father, that being not able to accomplish it, through vexation and grief at the said disappointment, she brought forth an inform matter, or such a monstrous birth, which some