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

202^ Knowledge and Power alone Book I,Laftly, that the Atheifts themfelves under Paganiftn look'd upon omnipotenceand infinite power as an eflfential attribute of the Deity, appearsplainly from Lucretius ; when he tells us, that Epicurus, in order to thetaking away of religion,kt himfelf to confute infinite power.LiB. I. [Verf.Omne immenfum peragravil mente aninioque^7S» ^c-] Unde refert nobis viiJor^ quid pqffii oriri,^id fiequeat : finita poteftas denique quoique^lanamfit ratione^ atque alte terminus havens.^are relligio pedibus fubjeEla "jiciJTimObleritur, 7ios ex^equat viSioria avlo.As if he fhould have faid, Epicurus, by fhewing that all power was finite,efi^ediiially deftroyed religion ; he thereby taking away the objedl of it,which is an omnipotent and infinitely powerful Deity. And this is a thing,which the fame poet often harps upon again, that there is no infinite power,and confequently no Deity, according to the true idea of it. But lafl; of al),in his fixth book, he condemns Religionifls, as guilty of great folly, in affertingomnipotence or infinite power (that is, a Deity) after this manner:Rurfus in antiquas referuntur relligiones,Et dominos acres afcifcunt, omnia pofle,^os miferi credunt, igtiari quid qiieat ejfe,^lid fiequeat, finita poteftas denique quoique,^lanam fit ratione, atque alte to-minus barens^0 magis errafites tola regione feruntur."Where though the poet, fpeaking carelefly, after the manner of thofe times,feems to attribute omnipotence and infinite power to gods plurally, yet, asit is evident in the thing itfelf, that this can only be the attribute of onefupreme Deity ; fo it may be obferved, that in thofe paflages of the poetsbefore cited, it is accordingly always afcribed to God fingularly. Ncverthelefs,all the inferior Pagan deities were fuppofed by them to have thefrcertain (hares of this divine omnipotence, feverally difpenfed and impartedto them.IX. But we have not yet difpatched alt that belongs to the entire idea ofGod ; for knowledge and power alone will not make a God. For God isgenerally conceived by all to be a moft venerable and moft defirable being rwhereas an omnifcient and omnipotent arbitrary Deity, that hath nothingcither of benignity or morality in its nature to meafure and regulate its will,as it could not be truly auguft and venerable, according to that maxim,Jine bonitate nulla majeftas ; fo neither could it be defirable, it being thatwhich could only be feared and dreaded, but not have any firm faith orconfidence placed in it. Plutarch, in the life o^JriJlides', to Quov rpio-l! P. 322. Tom. L Oper,in.