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

of K AL? H C U D W O R T IJ, D. D.Alheifm is confuted, and its ImpoJlbiUty demonjlrated. The Imprimatur byDr. Samuel Parker, Ciuplain to Archbifhop Sheldon, is dated May 29, 1671,feven years before the publication of this Work ; which met with great oppofitionfrom fome of the Courtiers of King Charles II. who endeavoured to deftroythe reputation of it, when it was Hrft publifh'd *. Nor has it efcap'dthe cenfures of Writers of different parties fince that time.The firft Piece, which appear'd againft it, was from a Roman Catholic, inA Letter to Mr. R. Cudworth, D. D- printed at the end of a I'raft, intitled,Anti-Haman, or an Anfwer to Mr. G. Burnet's Myftery of Iniquity unvailed:wherein is /loewed the Conformity of the Doiirine, Worfhip, and Prafiice of tJxRoman-Catholic Church with thofe of the purejl times -, the Idolatry of thePagans is truly fated, and the Imputation of Pa^an Idolatry clearly confuted ;and the Reafons are given, why Catholics avoid the Communicn of the ProtejlantChurch. 'To 'Vi^hich is annexed a Letter to R. Cudworth D. D. by W. E. Stu-xmdent in Divinity. With leave of Superiours ; 1 679 in odlavo. This Writer zt-'ta.c^.s'Dv.Cudtvcrth's alTcrtion, that tho' very few of the antient Philofophersthought God to be corporeal, a.s Epicurus, Strata, &:c. yet that the greateftpart of them believed him to be a pure Spirt, and adored the only true Godunder the names of Jupiter, Alinerva, Oftris and Venus. In oppofition towhich his Antagonift maintains f, " that altho' all Pagans (nay all" men) had naturally a knowledge of the true God, yet thofe, they adored ;" were Men :" in fupport of which he urges four proofs taken, i.from thediverjity of their Sexes : 2 from their Generation . : 3 from their Death : 4..from their Rites. He likewife attempts to confute what Dr. Cudworth hasftrenuoufly defended throughout his Book, that the Unity of God was a primeArticle of the Pagan Creed.But let us now fee, in how fevere a manner he was treated even by a ProteftantDivine, Mr. John Turner,'m his Difcourfe of the Meffiah \\. He tells us X,we mufi conclude Dr. Cudv/orth to he himf elf a Tritheiftic, a fe£l, for which, Ibelieve, he may have a kindnefs, becaufe he loves hard words; or fomething elfewithout either il'ick or trick, which I will not name, becaufe his Book pretendsto be written againft it. And again ||!|,that " the moft, that Charity itfelf can" allow the Dodor, if it were to llep forth, and fpeak his mod favourable" charaiffer to the world, is, that he is an Arian, a Socinian, or a Deift."Mr. Dry^wz likewife tells us **, that our Author " has railed fuch ftrong" objedlions againft the being of a God and Providence, that many think he" has no't anfwered them." And the late Earl o{ Shaftejbury, in his Moralijh,a Rhapfody -j-f, has the following paflage :" You know the common fate" of thofe, who dare to appear fair Authors. What was that pious and" learned man'^s cafe, who wrote the IntelleSfual Syftcm of the Univerfe ? I" confefs, it was pleafant enough to confider, tha;. the* the whole world were" no lefs fatisfied widi his Capacity and Learning, than with his Sincerity inI" the* Vitie Joannis Glerici Vitam, nd r.7!?i.** Dedication offcV Tranfl.ition of ^V»;7V1 " 1 1 . p. 129 Edit, ^mfiilud. 1 7 1 1 . in octaVO. jEncid, * (./. // />. 5 ' 8. edit. London 1730. itstP. 335,8cc. oitit-.o.P-'"-t. H Seel. 5. Ciiarafterifticfcsru/.y//Seep.II 16, K.ig, i(5i. f