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The Manichees. Sect. IV. 357
of the elements to an intelligent and powerful cause, even''
God.
Here, therefore, I insert the observation deferred before,
which is this : since Beausobre allows that, according* to
the Manichees, the devil, who M'as not properly eternal, was
formed by the violent and irregular motion of eternal matter
and since Augustine expressly says, that the elements in the
kingdom of darkness'' begot their several princes; in like
manner, perhaps the land of darkness, once irrational, gained
reason, or cunning and skill, by some violent and tumultuous
agitations. Or, possibly, they never ascribed reason to
daemons, though they allowed them to have a great deal of
cunning.
I beg- leave to observe farther, that '^ Augustine often speaks
of mind in matter, according to the Manichean scheme : as
does* Mani himself in his Epistle of the Foundation. And
Augustine thinks he has a great advantage, in his argument
with them, when he observes* how many good things they
placed in the evil nature; such as life, power, memory,
intellect, proportion, and order.
Their doctrine of two principles the Manichees endeavoured
to support by texts of the New Testament. They
often argued from" those words of our Saviour, Matt. vii.
P Beausobre has exactly the hke thought, though I was not aware of it when
I wrote what is above. However I here transcribe his words. 11 ne faut
pourtant pas s'imaginer, qu'il crut le Demon eternel. Sans doute il le faisoit
nSitre du mouvement deregle de la matiere, comme d'anciens philosophes
croyoient que les animaux e'toient nes de la corruption de la terre. C etoit
le sentiment des Manicheens, qu'on attribue aussi aux Priscillianistes. Nee
natura ejus [Diaboli] opificium Dei sit, sed eum ex chao et tenebris emersisse.
Leo Ep. XV. N°. 5. p. 452. Beaus. T. i. p. 388.
'i Quinque enim elenienta, quae genuerunt principes proprios, genti tribuunt
tenebrarum. De Haer. cap. 46. sub in.
* Hinc enim et mali substantiam quamdani credebam esse talem, et habere
suam molem terram, sive crassam et delbrmem, sive tenuem et subtilem, sicut
est aeris corpus, quam malignam mentem per illam terram repentem imaginan-
tur. Confess. 1. 5. c. x. n. 20. Haec dixi, ut, si fieri potest, tandem dicere
desinatis, malum esse terram per inunensum profundam et longam ; malum
malum esse quinque antra elemenforum
esse mentem per terram vagantem ;
malum esse animalia in iliis nata dementis. De M. Manich. c. 9, n. 14.
^ in qua morabatur immanis princeps omnium et dux, habens circa
se innumerabiles principes, quorum omnium ipse eiat mens atque origo. ap.
Aug. contr. Epist. Manich. c. 15. n. 19.
' ita errantes, ita delirantes,—ut non videanl, et in eo quod dicunt
naturam surami mali, ponere se tanta bona, ubi ponunt vitam, potentiam,
memoriam, intellectuin, teinperiem,— mensuras, numeros,— ordinem. De
Nat. Boni. cap. 41. " Cui enim opoilet credi ? magistris
vestris istis,—aut Salvatori Christo dicenti, sicut scriptum est in evangel-iorum
hbro, Non potest arbor bona malosfructus facere— ? ap. Arch. n. 13. p. 24.
Vid. et n. 5. p. 7.
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