46 for the reach of Things divine, but cannot fo much as determine about the Things before us. And moreover, 'tis an insufferable Rudeness and Violence for fuch little Understandings to be intruding into the Secrets of Heaven and Earth. Thrice happy we, and abundantly wife, wou'd we but be advis'd by that old Oracle of Wisdom, to keep our Minds more at home, and learn to be better acquainted with our felves; but by giving a loose to our madding Fancies, and grafping at Difficulties we are not made to comprehend, we venture out of our depth, and beyond the Limits of human Capacity; groveling and prone on Earth we audaciously afpire to be as tall as Heaven, and affect to have our Heads among the Stars. However, if we will be wandring, at least let us not heap Error upon Error, and befides this Vanity of Knowledge, haunt our felves with our own Shadows, with vain Fears and Whimfies. For if the Seeds of all Things were inclos'd from the beginning in the self-sufficient Womb of Nature, what occafion for an omnipotent Creator? Or fuppofing all the Parts of the Universe united, rang'd and form'd by a m fortuitous Concourfe of Atoms, what need of Sint fortuitis concurfionibus totius mundi membra coalita, &c.] The first Strong-hold (or rather Castle of Air) the Inconfiftent Cacilius betakes himself to, is, the Epicurean Hypothefis. Here he ftruts about a while and prides himself in his Atoms, and frames Heaven and Earth, an everlafting Succeffion of Suns and Stars, and what not? By the help only of Matter and Chance-medly. He then shoots his Bolts against a Providence from the indifcriminate Events of Good and Evil, and attempts to banish the Fear of a nother of an omniscient Artift? If Fire kindled the 47 Stars, and the Heavens are buoy'd up by their own Matter, and the Earth faft'ned by its own Weight, and all the Liquids drain'd themselves into a Sea, whence this Religion, and these Fears, which are downright Superstition? Man and ev'ry Animal breathing, as they are but a spontaneous Concretion of the Elements, into which Man and Animal are again crumbled, refolv❜d, diffipated, so all the rest too nother World out of this. For tho' Epicurus allowed a natural Prolepfis or Anticipation of a Deity in the Mind of Man, antecedent to Reasoning, and from thence argu'd, that what is natural muft be true; and that the Gods ought to be refpected for the Excellency of their Nature, Habet enim venerationem juftam quicquid excellit. Tally de Nat. Deor. lib. 1. c. 17. And tho' he wrote a Book de Sandlitate, for fo much Civility to the Gods, as the Author of the Rights wou'd have for the Chriftian Religion; yet for all this he was an arrant Atheist at the bottom; according to that of Pofidonius, nullos effe Deos Epicuro videri, quaq; is de Diis immortali bus dixerit, Invidia deteftanda gratiâ dixiffe. For his great Defign was to rid the World of the Fears of a future Judgment, as his Minion-Poet has exprefs'd it, At metus ille foras præceps Acherontis agendus Effe voluptatem Liquidam, Puramq; relinquit. To the fame purpose Mr. Hobbs (who had always a mighty Averfion to Spirits) has advis'd his Countrymen; faying, That Men fbou'd not fuffer themselves to be abus'd by the Doctrine of Separated Effences, and incorporeal Subftances built upon the vain Philofophy of Ariftotle, which wou'd fright Men from obeying the Laws of their Country with empty Names, as Hell, Damnation, Fire, Brimstone, &c. just as People fright Birds from the Corn with an empty Hat, Doublet, and crooked Stick. And again, If the Fear of Spirits was but taken away, Men wou'd be much better fitted than they are, for civil Obedience. And yet at other times Religion must be only a State- Engine, the better to keep the People in fubjection. Such inconfiftent Things are all Atheists, as well as Cecilius here before us. go go their Rounds, and return to their Fountain, and are revolv'd in themselves; without Artist, without Director,without any firft Mover. Thus from the congregated Seeds of Fire, Suns after Suns light up one another in perpetual Splendor; thus from Earthly Exhalations, Clouds are always growing, and in thick collected Vapors rifing higher and higher till anon they burst, and fall in Rain. Hence either the Winds blow, or the Hail rattles, and the Thunder bellows from the encountring Storms, the Lightning Flashes, and the Bolts fly before it; they fall indifferently, they batter the Mountains, shatter the Trees, fmite the Places prophane and facred without distinction, they strike the Atheist, and very often the religious. Not to mention the unstable, unguided Tempests, which roll on without Order or Providence, and bear all before them. In Shipwrecks, the Fates of the Good and the Evil are jumbl'd together, and their Merits drown'd in Confufion. In Fires, the Guilty and the Innocent are burnt indifcriminately; and in Plagues, the raging Peftilence sweeps away all alike; and in the Rage of War, the bravest Warriours fooneft fall. In Peace also, Wickedness is not only put upon the Level with Virtue, but infinitely above it, even to a degree of Adoration; infomuch, that upon a View of the Profperity of the Wicked, it wou'd be a doubtful Lay in many Cafes, which one fhou'd deteft or defire moft, their Crimes or their Fortunes. Had but the World been order'd by a wife Providence and Almighty Power, n Phalaris and Dionyfius had never worn a Crown, Rutilius and Camillus had never met with Banishment, nor ever Socrates with Poison. Behold! the Trees labouring with Fruit, and the Corn white for Harvest, and the Grapes drunk with Wine, and all Spoil'd by rain or Hail, juft in the Article of Perfection. So that Truth is either lock'd up in impenetrable Night, or what is more probable, inconftant flippery Fortune deals. the Game, and is the wanton lawless Queen that rules the World. Since therefore, either Fate or Fortune governs the Universe, how Quod fi mundus divina providentia regeretur, nunquam mereretur Phalaris, & Dionyfius regnum; nunquam Rutilius & Camillus exilium, nunquam Socrates venenum.] This Objection against a Providence is thus managed by Tully, N. D. 1. 3. c. 33. Cur avun culus meus, vir innocentiffimus, idemq; doctiffimus, P. Rutilius in exilio eft? quid dicam de Socrate, cujus Morti illachrymari foleo, Platonem legens? Then he inftances in Phalaris, and in Dionyfius alfo, who cou'd not be content to ftrip Joveof his golden Cloak without putting a Jeft upon him into the Bargain, ftate grave effe aureum amiculum, hieme frigidum, That a Gold-cloak was too heavy for him in the Summer, and too cold in Winter. Nor had he more Manners to Efculapius, for he not only took off his Beard of Gold, but withal told him, That 'twas not fitting for the Son to have a Beard, when the Father had none; and yet nec hunc Olympius Fupiter fulmine percuffit, nec fculapius, &c. But this Ob. jection not only perplex'd the Heathen, but put even David to a ftand for fome time; for 'tis to be remember'd, That Temporal Bleffings upon Obedience, were the exprefs Conditions of the old Law; but the Promifes of the new Law were just the Reverse, the Captain of our Salvation was himself made perfect thro' Sufferings, leaving us an Example that we fhou'd follow his Steps. And therefore the Martyrs were fo far from making their Sufferings an Objection against Providence, that they look'd upon them as the fulfilling of Prophecies, and counted it all Foy when they fell into divers Temptations. much better and more venerable is it to stick to the Discipline of Antiquity, Antiquity the Chief-Priestess of Truth? To follow the old Traditionary Religion, to adore the Gods we have been taught to fear from our Youth, rather than to pry into with Sawciness, and make Familiar with, fuch Mysteries; never to pass Sentence about Deities, but to pin our Faith upon our Forefathers, who in the Times of Simplicity, and Infancy of the World, did ufe to make Gods, either of Publick Benefactors, or of Kings. VI. Hence therefore is it, that in all Kingdoms, every Province and Town have their peculiar Rites of Worship, and their proper Municipal Deities; for Inftance the Elenfinians have their Ceres, the Phrygians their GreatMother Cybele, the Epidaurians their Æfculapius, the Chaldeans P Bel, the Syrians Aftartes, the • Quanto melius majorum excipere difciplinam, Religiones traditas colere, &c.] 'Tis as natural to take up with the Religion of our Parents, as with their Linguage, and early Prejudices leave a Tin&ture upon the Mind, which feldom wear out without much Pains and Ingenuity. Heathenifm had been the Catholick Religion for thousands of Years, when Chriftianity put in her Claim from Heaven; and therefore the Gentiles put the Question to the Chriftians, Where was your Religion before Jefus of Nazareth? Juft as the Papifts fince do to the Proteftants, Where was your Religion before Luther? And the fame Anfwer was given to the Heathens which is returned to the Papifts, namely, That it was in the Word of God. This was the Shield whereby the first Chriftians defended themfelves against this Objection of the Heathens, and the Demonftrations they brought to prove, that the Doctrines deliver'd by them, and contain'd in the Scriptures, were originally from God, were the only means of overthrowing Paganism, notwithstanding their loud Pretences to Antiquity and Univerfality. P Chaldæos Belum, univerfa Romanos. I have occafonally spoken to the other Idots mentioned by the Author in this Place: |