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wherein all the reason and philosophy of atheism is confuted, and

wherein all the reason and philosophy of atheism is confuted, and

wherein all the reason and philosophy of atheism is confuted, and

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(!!hap. II. a Providtntial Deity,j?l|Ignihus a<strong>the</strong>ri<strong>is</strong> taras fuffire ferace<strong>is</strong> ?Omnibus hique loc<strong>is</strong> ejfe o/imi tempore prajlb ;Nubibus lit tenebras facial^ ccliqueferenaConcutiat fon'Uu? &c.And fecondly, if it were fupp<strong>of</strong>ed to be p<strong>of</strong>iible, yet iucli infinite negoti<strong>of</strong>itywould be abfolutely inconfillent with a happy ftate ; nor could fiich a Deityever have any quiet enjoyment <strong>of</strong> himfelf, being perpetu<strong>all</strong>y filled with tiirnult<strong>and</strong> hurliburly:' »' (rU|«(pwvKVi, nr^aj/y.aTji'jn yCj ^ j/a^ils?jj^ocxxpiorriTi, aAA* a^ivilx h, (poQco >c, zypoaSsyxTH run zrXnirm rx-jTO, yivsrxi' DiJiy'O.Sllon<strong>of</strong> bufinefs <strong>and</strong> foUicitous cares, difpkafures <strong>and</strong>favours , do not at <strong>all</strong> agreewith happinefs, but <strong>the</strong>y proceed from imbecility, indigency <strong>and</strong> fear : * To fx,a.v.oieiov>cj afpSapTov bte wjto m^a'y^.xlx £p^£i, vrt uXXu wapi^si, J.'5~s i'rs opyxi'; ire "XJ"--(iiri (ruv£p^£Ta;, h d&tviicc yx,? z!oi,v to to<strong>is</strong>tou" That which <strong>is</strong> happy <strong>and</strong> incorrjiptible,would nei<strong>the</strong>r have it felf any bufinefs to do, nor create any to o<strong>the</strong>rs ;it would nei<strong>the</strong>r have difpleafure nor favour towards any o<strong>the</strong>r perfons, to engageit in a£lion ; <strong>all</strong> th<strong>is</strong> proceeding from indigency. That <strong>is</strong>, favour <strong>and</strong> benevolence,as well as anger <strong>and</strong> difpleafure, arife only from imbecility. Thatwhich <strong>is</strong> perfectly happy, <strong>and</strong> wanteth nothing, Sxo-j ov -nrfjl tw cwo'xrpi rnglii'xg eviaiixuvixc, being wholly pojjeffed <strong>and</strong> taken up in <strong>the</strong> enjoyment <strong>of</strong> its ownhappinefs, would be regardiefs <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> concernments <strong>of</strong> any o<strong>the</strong>rs ; <strong>and</strong> mindnothing befidcs it felf, ei<strong>the</strong>r to do it good or harm. Wherefore, thijcuri<strong>of</strong>us y plenus negotii deus ', th<strong>is</strong> bufy, refilefs, <strong>and</strong> pragmatical deity,that muft needs intermeddle <strong>and</strong> have to do with every thing in <strong>the</strong> wholeworld, <strong>is</strong> a contradidlious notion, fince it cannot but be <strong>the</strong> moil unhappy<strong>of</strong> <strong>all</strong> things.XIX. In <strong>the</strong> next place, <strong>the</strong> A<strong>the</strong>ifts difpute fur<strong>the</strong>r by propounding feveralbold quasries, which <strong>the</strong>y conceive unanfwerable, after th<strong>is</strong> manner.If <strong>the</strong> world were made by a Deity, why was it not made by him fooner? orfince it was fo long unmade, why did he make it at <strong>all</strong> ? '* Cur mundi a:difcatorrepente extitcrit, innumerabilia ante fcccula dormierit ? How came th<strong>is</strong>builder <strong>and</strong> architeEl <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world to Jiart up upon a fudden, after he hadJlept for infinite ages, <strong>and</strong> bethink himfelf <strong>of</strong> making a world ?For, certainly,if he had been awake <strong>all</strong> that while, he would ei<strong>the</strong>r hjive made it fooner,or not at <strong>all</strong> ; becaufe <strong>the</strong>re was ei<strong>the</strong>r fomething wanting to h<strong>is</strong> happinefs,before, or nothing : if <strong>the</strong>re had been any thing wanting before, <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong>world could not have been fo long unmade ; but if he were completely happyin himfelf without it, <strong>the</strong>n y-nSiv fAAsiVwu xsvaTf 'ifxtyM^ i-myji^s'iv Tr^d^sa-i,wanting nothing, he vainly went about to make fuperfluous things. All defire <strong>of</strong>change <strong>and</strong> novelty argues a faftidious fatiety, proceeding from defed <strong>and</strong>indigency i' Quidve novi potuit tantlphfl, ante quietosMInlicere, ut cuperent vit-am mutare priorem ?Nam» Epicut". in Epift. ad Herodonim apud * Vclleius apud Cicer. de Natur. Deor.Diog. LaeiT. Lib X. Segm. --. p. 65 4. Lib. I. cap. XX. p. 2911.a Vide Diog. Laert. Lib. X. Segm. 139. 4 Id. ibid. Lib. 1. cap. IX. p. 2S91.^61. ^ Lucret. Lib. V. ver. 169, &c.

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