The Lives of the Primitive Fathers; Viz. Clemens Alexandrinus, Eusebius, Bishop of CA Sarea, Gregory Nazianzen, and Prudentius, the Christian Poet with Their Several Opinions about the Deity of Christ. Which May Give Some Light to the Late Disputes Concerning (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1701 Excerpt: ... selves, and that they faw all the Consequences of their Opinions: So that k would be perhaps in vain, to endeavour to draw out of their Writings a clear Idea of their Sentiment, touching the Three Principles of all things; because, perhaps they themselves conceiv'd not clearly what they faid; at least, their Style is so different on this occasion, from that which is observable in the Passages of their Writings, wherein they speak of things which they may know, that it is apparent, they contain'd not the subject of the Three Principles, like an infinite of others, which they have known how to express in an even, clear and elegant mariner. The Second thing we should observe, is, That in so difficult a Matter, we must content our selves with what they fay positively, without attempting to draw farsetch'd Consequences from their Principles, whkhwe cannot understand but by halves; otherwise we are in danger of attributing to them such Notions as they never had. Neither must we endeavour to reconcile, in so abstracted a Subject, the Contradictions which seem to appear in their Doctrine; nor conclude, that they could not mean things in such a manner, because then they must contradict themselves. It was the Custom ofthese Philosophers, to affect cer tain apparent Contradictions, in using the some Terms in divers Sences. Besides, its obvious enough to imagine, that they may have sometimes contradicted themselves, on a Subject whereof they had no distinct Idea. These two Remarks were necessary, to prevent the Questions which might be ofser'd on these Matters; and to lhevv, that in writing the History of these Doctrines, one should keep wholly to Facts, and the Terms of the Authors we treat of. A Second Opinion of the Tlatonists, which has made a great noise in the Wo...