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

Chap. III. Atheijiical Philofophy. 129iffuedforth, but lived only a Jbort time after. And as for the firfl: original ofmen, Eufebius reprefents his fenfe thus : 'E> dxxo^Juv ^uav i avBcuTrog iyiv- e. p. I. i.mS-*;, in TB rx fj.h liAAa ii ixvrav Toi.-xy lifj-tScm, (j-ovov Si rov (x.^-euTrov iroX\JXrO\'i>sSiiSa.1 TiSnniTEMC, Jio X, x.a.T a^p^af ix oIj ttcti toi^tov ovtx Six(ru5^\>xf A'lenwere at firfl generated in the bellies of other animah, forafnuch as all other a-nimals, aft^ yn^ Xx^iSai. Anaximander concludes, that men were at firjl^^"^^^^generatedin the bellies of fifioes, and being there nouriflied, till they grew firong, ^^"-^and were able to fhift for themfelves, they were afterivard cafi out upon dryland. Laftly, Anaximander^ s theology is thus both reprefented to us, andcenfured, by Velleius the Epicurean philofopher in Cicero : Anaximandri opi- De mt. d.nio eft nalivos effe deos, longis intervallis oricmes occidentefque, eofque innume-^'^- '[^-X.rabiles effe mundos ; fed ncs demnniji fempiternmn intelligere quipofiumus? A-^^^^-'fynaximander'j-opinion is, that the gods are native, rifing and vaniflying (igain, Opar 1in long periods of times ; and that thefe gods are innumerable worlds ; but howcan we conceive that to be a God, which is not eternal ? We learn from hence,that Anaximander did indeed fo far comply with vulgar opinion, as that heretained the name of gods, but however that he really denied the exiftence ofthe thing it felf, even according to the judgment of this Epicurean philofopher.Forafmiich as all his Gods were native and mortal, and indeed nothingelfe, but thofe innumerable worlds, which he fuppofed in certain periodsof time to be fucceffively generated and deftroyed. Wherefore it isplain, that Jnaxijuander's, only real Numen, that is, his firft principle, thatwas ingenerable and incorruptible, was nothing but infinite matter, devoidof all underftanding and life, by the fortuitous fecretion of whofe inexiftencqualities and parts, he fuppofed, firfl, the elements of earth, water, airand fire, and then, the bodies of the fun, moon and flars, and both bodiesand fouls of men and other animals, and laftly, innumerable or infinite fuchworlds as thefe, as fo many fecondary and native gods, (that were alfo mortal)to have been generated, according to that atheiltical hypothefis defcribedin Plato '.XXIV. It iscertain, that the vulgar in all ages have been very ill judges ofTheifts and Atheifts, they having condemned many hearty Theifts, as guiltyof atheifm, merely becaufe they difr(;ntcd from them in fome of their fuperftitiousrites and opinions. As for example ; Anaxagoras the Clazomenian,though he was the firfl of all the lonick philofophers (unltfs Thales oughtto be" excepted) who made an infinite mind to be a principle, that is, afferteda Deity, according to the true notion of it •, yet he was, notwithftanding,generally cried down tor an Atheift, merely becaufe he affirmed the fun tobe jwuJ^fov Sni-n-j^ov, a mafs offire, or z fiery globe, and the moon to be an earth; „, , .that is, becaufe he denied them to be animated and endued with underftand- sur.\l°r6z!\,ing• De Legibus Lib. X. p. 666,