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

i86 CONTENTS. Book I.God. Onatus bis Corypheus. 23. Generally believed nnd true, that Socratesacknowledged one fupreme God ; but that he difclaimed'all the inferiorgods of the Pagans, a vulgar error. Plato alfo a pclylheift, and thatppffage, which fome lay fo great Jlrefs upon, (that he "u'as ferious when hebegan his epijlles with God, but when with gods jocular) fpurious and counterfeit; and yet he was notwithjianding an undoubted Monotbeift alfo inanother fenfe ; an ajferter of one God over all, of a maker of the worldsof a firji God, of a greatejl of the gods. The firjt hypoftafis of the Platonicktrinity properly the king of all things, for ivbofe fake are all things -ythe father of the caufe and prince of the world, that is, of the eternal inielleiJ,or Koy^. 24. Au^oi\c an acknowledger of many gods {he accountingthe Jiars fuch) and yet an exprefs ajjerter of ik xoio!x.vvJ, though theyfilled the whole heaven, earth, air and fea with gods, yet notwithjiandingthey acknowledged only one God ijnmortal, Jupiter ; all the reft being confumedinto him, in the fucceffxve conflagrations, and afterwards -made a -newby him. Cleanthes his excellent and devout hymn to the fupreme God. 26.Endlefs to cite ail the pafjages of the later Pagan writers and polytheifls, inwhich one fupreme God is afferted. Excellent difcourfes in fome of them concerningthe Deity, particularly Plotinus •, who, though he derived all things^even matter itfelf, from one fupreme Deity, yet ivas a contender for manygods. 27. This not oyily the opinion of philofophers and learned men, butalfo the general belief of the Pagan vulgar: that there was one fupremeGod, proved from Maximus Tyrius. The Romans Deus optimus maximus.The Pagans, when mcjl ferious, fpake of God fingularly. KyrieEleefon part of the Pagans litany to the fupreme God. The more civilizedPagans at this very day acknowledge one fupreme Deity, the maker of theworld. 28. Plutarch's /(/?/»2(?K)', that, notwithftanding the variety of Paganickreligions, and the different names of gods ufed in them, yet one reafon,mind or providence ordering all things, and its inferior minijlers, werealike every where worfhipped, 29. Plain that the Pagan Theijls mufi needsacknowledge one fupreme Deity, becaufe they generally believed the wholeworld to he one animal, governed by one foul. Some Pagans made this foulof the world their fupreme God ; others an abJiraB mind fuperior to it. 30,The Hebrew doctors generally of this perfuafton, that the Pagans worflfippedone fupreme God, and that all their other gods were but mediators betwixthim and men. 3 1 . Lajtly, this confirmed from fcripture. The Pagansknew God. Aratus his Jupiter, and the Athenians unknown God,the true God. 32. In order to a fuller explication of the Pagan theologyand fhewing the occafion of its being mifunderjiood, three heads requiftte tobe infijied on. Firfl, that the Pagans worfhipped one fupreme God undermany names : Secondly, that befides this one God, they worflApped alfo manygods, which were indeed inferior deities fubordinate to him : Thirdly, thatthey worjhifped both the fupreme and inferior gods in images, ftatues andfymbols, fometimes abufively called alfo gods. FirJt, that the fupremeGod amongft the Pagans was poiyonymous, and worfhipped underfeveral perfonal names,according to his feveral attributes end the manifefla-5 tions