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

CONTENTS. Book I.apology for the three forementioned things. Firft., for iziorpyipping one fupremeGod under many perfonal navieSy and that not only according to hisfeveral attributes, but alfo his feveral manifeftalion::^ gifts and effeBs, inthe vifiblc world. With an excufe for thcfe cor^ oreal fheifts., who worfhippedthe whole animated world as the fupreme Cod., and the feveral parts of itunder perfonal names, as living members of him. 47. Their apology forworfljipping, befides the one fupreme God, many inferior Deities. Thatthey worfhipping them only as inferior could not therefore be guilty ofgiving them that honour, which was proper to the fupreme. That theyhonoured the fupreme God incomparably above all. That they put a differencein their facrifices and that material facrifices were not the proper worfhip-,of the fupreme God, but rather below him. 48. Several reafons of the Pagans,for giving religicus worfhip to inferiour created beings. Firjt, thatthis honour, which is bcffowed upon them, does ultimately redoiatd to the fupremeGod, end aggrandize his Jlate and majefly, they being all his mini-Jlers and attendants. 49. That as demons are mediators betwixt the Ce.Icfiial gods and men, fo thofe celeflial gods , and all the other inferior deities,are themfelves alfo mediators betwixt man and the fuprejne God, and asit were convenient Jleps,by which tve ought with reverence to approach him.50. That there is an honour in jufiice due to all thofe excellent beings thatare above us % and that the Pagans do but honour every thing as they ought,in that due rank and place, in which the fupreme God hath Jet it. 51. Thatdifmons or angels being appointed to prefide over kingdoms., cities and perfons,and the feveral parts of the corporeal univerfe, and being manyways benefactors to us, thanks ought to be returned to them by facrifice.5 2 . That the inferior gods, daemons and heroes, beifig all of them able todo us either good or hurt, and being alfo irafcible, and therefore provokableby our negleCi of them., it is as well our interrfi as our duty to pacify andnppeafe them by worfhip. 53. Lnflly, that it cannot be thought, that thefupreme God will envy thofe inferior gods that worfljip or honour, which isbefiowed upon them \ nor fufpeCfed, that any of thofe inferior deities willfa£tiouJly go about to fet up themfelves againfl the fupreme God. 54, Thatmany of the Pagans worfJoipped none but good dicmons, and that thofe of them,who ivorfljipped evil ones, did it only in order to their appcafement and mitigation.,that fo they might do them no hurt. None but magicians to be accountedproperly devil-worfhippers, who honour evil demons, in order to thegratification of their revenge, lufl and ambition. §g. The Pagans plead,that thofe demons, who delivered oracles, and did miracles amongji them,mufl needs be good, fince there cannot be a greater reproach to the fupremeGod, than to fuppofe him to appoint evil daemons as prefidents andgovernours over the world, or to fuffer them to have fo great a /way andfhare of power in it. The faith of Plato in divine providence, that thegood -every where prevails over the bad, and that the Llelphick A^poWo wastherefore a good daemon. ^6. The Pagans apology for worJJjipping the fupremeCod in images, flatues and fymbols. That thcfe are only Jcheticallyworfhipped by them, the honour paffing from them to the prototype, jindthat fince we living in bodies cannot eafily have a conception of any thingwithout