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

210 715^ Pagan Deities not all unmade^ Book t.propofed (effentially including fingularjty in it) might feem to have nofmallforce or validity in it.XII. But firft this opinion of many felf-exiftent deities, independent uponone fupreme, is both very irrational in itlelf, and alfo plainly repugnant tothe phsenomena. We fay firft, it is irrational in itfelf, becaufe felf-exiftenceand neceflary exiftence being elTential to a perfeft being, and to nothing elfe,it muft needs be very irrational and abfurd to fuppofe a multitude of imperfeftunderftanding beings felf-exiftent, and no perfcdt one. Moreover,if imperfeft underftanding beings were imagined to exift of themfelvesfrom eternity, there could not poflibly be any reafon given, why juft lbmany of them fhould exift, and neither more nor lefs, there being indeedno reafon why any at all fhould. But if it be fuppofed, that ihefe manyfelf-exiftent Deities happened only to exift thus from eternity, and theirexiftence notwithftanding was not neceflary, but contingent ; the confequencehereof will be, that they might as well happen again to ceafe to be, and focould not be incorruptible. Again, if any one imperfeft being whatfoevercould exift of itfelf from eternity, then all might as well do fo, notonly matter, but alfo the fouls of men, and other animals ; and confequentlythere could be no creation by any Deity, nor thofe fuppofed deities there*fore dcferve that name. Laftly, we might alfo add, that there could notbe a multitude of intelleftual beings felf-exiftent, becaufe it is a thing, whichmay be proved by reafon, that all imperfefl underftanding beings or mindsdo partake of one perfedt mind, and fuppofe alfo omnipotence or infinitepower ; were it not, that this is a confideration too remote from vulgar apprehenfion,and therefore not fo fit to be urged in this place.Again, as this opinion of many felf-exiftent deities is irrational in itfelf,fo is it likewife plainly repugnant to the ph;Bnomena of the world. Inwhich, as Macrobius writes ', 07nnia funt connexa, all things confpire togetherinto one harmony, and are carried on peaceably and quietly, conftantlyand evenly, without any tumult or hurly-burly, confafion or diforder, orthe leaft appearance of fchifm and faftion ; which could not poffibly be fuppofed,were the world made and governed by a rabble of felt-exiftenfDeities, coordinate, and independent upon- one fupreme. Wherefore thisCtntr.Cdf. kind of polytheifm was obiter thus confuted by Origen-, ttoVu ouv ptxiioi/ to>/. I. p. l8. fit Tuv oaufj-ivuv TrtiOojufvov tci? xarcc rv)i ivroc^iocv rou xoVjH» o-f'Sfiv to\ J'ji^is^J/od osutou[Edit. Canta- '^^^ ovl^ sua, h, (ruju,-rv£ov7(?^ aurou oAo) laulu, Xj itoc tovto fxt) Smomivti Jtto ttoAAwumuch better is it, agreeably to what we fee in the harmonious fyjlem of theworld, to worfhip one only maker of the world, which is one, and confpiringthroughout with its whole felf, and therefore could not be made by many artificers,as neither be contained by many fouls, moving the whole heaven ? Nowfince this opinion is both irrational in itft;lf, and repugnant to the ph.Tsnomena,there is the lefs probability, that it fhould have been received and entertainedby all the more intelligent Pagans,! In SomD»-Scip. Lib. I, Cap. XIV. p. yS'XIII. Whov