After the death of Ammonius, the system was com pleted by his disciple and successor Plotinus; taught also by Porphyry, and Jamblichus ; adopted by Longi nus, Eustathius, Julian the apostate, Hierocles, Chry santhus, &c. In the reign of Julian, it was publicly professed at Athens, and, by the emperor's appointment, was taught there by Chrysanthus last mentioned, who was succeeded by Plutarch the son of Nestorius, Syrian, Proclus, larinus, Isidorus, Zenodotus, &c. It was sup ported by the celebrated Hypatia, Macrobius, Ammi anus Marcellinus, &c. but expired among the Pagans in the 7th century. It received, even from its com mencement, the approbation of many eminent teachers among the Christians, especially Athenagoras, Pantx nus, and Clemens Alexandrinus ; and became, through many succeeding ages, a fruitful source of confusion and corruption in the church of Christ. But, in the course of the 17th century, arose the true eclectic phi losophy, which admits of no sectarian subdivisions, re jects prejudices of every description, renounces all sub mission to celebrated names or ancient sects, subjects the opinions of all former philosophers to the strict scru tiny or reason, and admits no conclusions but what may be clearly deduced from principles founded on the nature of things, or discovered by actual experience.
Of this method, the principal promoters were Bacon, Des Cartes, Leibnitz, Malebranche, Locke, Grotius, Seidel), Pufiendorf, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Boyle, Newton ; and the more faithfully that the pure eclectic principle is pursued, the more certainly will physical, moral, and religious truth eventually enlighten the minds and improve the hearts of the human race. Sec Mo sheim's Eccles. Hist. vol. i. p. 37, 171 ; Cudworth's Intel. System, c. iv. § 23, 30, Sze. Cave, Hist. Lit. Sac. p. 251 ; Fabricius, Bibl. Grice. lib. iv. c. 26; Lardner's Credibility, part. ii. c. 36; and Brucker's Hist. of Phi los. by Enfield, vol. ii. p. 59, and 509. (g)