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

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

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

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Chap. IV. Platonick Origine <strong>of</strong> Evil's> 22worlJ, as alio for <strong>the</strong> reprefllng,chaftifing <strong>and</strong> punifhing <strong>of</strong> thx)lc KSa* jV-Jo-.k,th<strong>of</strong>j voluntary evils <strong>of</strong> vice <strong>and</strong> a£fion. Upon which ieveral accounts, probably,Plato concluded, that evils could not be utterly deltroyed, at leadin th<strong>is</strong> lower worlJ, which, according to him, <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> region <strong>of</strong> lapl'cd fouls:«AA' oJt a.Tri>x'ii}xi roi v.x,x.x Aivoelov, u &c0^u)(i^ (•jTnix'jT.'ov yscp t» tj uyx^uj ail uvxi InThe/tIf \UvxyY.ri) o'Jt' ij S'SJif aOTCS itffiK&j;*, rrrjit SvnTW (p^Qiv, xj tov^e to\ tottcv moiTroXin 176. Stepi.i^ dvzfiiti;' oto w£i^-«c&ai x,?n Ev-J/vJf sV-siVf, (pvjyeiv o'ti ri.yj.Tv.' (p-jy-^ cr ijxciiaQii; ^i^xxToc TO MccTov, oij.oiu(^t; Si (J'waicn .'t, oii'jv fjiiTx (piovviTEuj yiJiSxi. But it <strong>is</strong> tieitberpnjfwle (0 Theodorus) that evils fljould be quite deftroyed (for <strong>the</strong>remuji be fomething ahvays contrary to good) nor yet that <strong>the</strong>y fhould be fatedamongfi <strong>the</strong> gods, but <strong>the</strong>y ijuill <strong>of</strong> neceffity infeft th<strong>is</strong> lower mortal region <strong>and</strong>nature. Wherefore ive cught to endeavour to flee from hence with <strong>all</strong> pojfiblefpeed i <strong>and</strong> our flight from hence <strong>is</strong> th<strong>is</strong>, to o.ffmilate ourfelves to God as muchas may be ; -which affimilation to God ccrjifteth in being jufi <strong>and</strong> holy ivith wifdom.Thus, according to <strong>the</strong> fcnie <strong>of</strong> Plato, though God be <strong>the</strong> original <strong>of</strong><strong>all</strong> things, yet he <strong>is</strong> not to be uncounted properiy <strong>the</strong> caufe <strong>of</strong> evils, wt leafl:moral ones (<strong>the</strong>y being only dcfedts) but <strong>the</strong>y are to be imputed to <strong>the</strong>neceffity <strong>of</strong> imperfcd: beings, which <strong>is</strong> that d-jxh-/i uj-oAAk tm ^f>7 S-^a-yixx^ovo-oixii,] a,pr,vix^v(Tx, that necejftty, vchich doth <strong>of</strong>ten reft/i God, <strong>and</strong> as it were Jhake<strong>of</strong>f h<strong>is</strong> bridle. Rational creatures being, by means <strong>the</strong>re<strong>of</strong>, in a capabilityot afting contra;ry to God's will <strong>and</strong> law, as well as <strong>the</strong>ir own true nature<strong>and</strong> good ; <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r tilings hindred <strong>of</strong> that pcrfedion, which <strong>the</strong> divinegoodnefs would elfe have imparted to <strong>the</strong>m. Notwithft<strong>and</strong>ing which, mind,that <strong>is</strong>, God, <strong>is</strong> iaid alio by Plato to rule over neceffity, becaufe th<strong>of</strong>e evil?,occafioned by <strong>the</strong> neceffity <strong>of</strong> impcrfeA beings, are over-ruled by <strong>the</strong> divineart, wifdom <strong>and</strong> providence, for good ; Typhon <strong>and</strong> Arimanius (if we mayufe that language) being as it were outwitted by Oftr<strong>is</strong> <strong>and</strong> Oromafdes, <strong>and</strong><strong>the</strong> woriT; <strong>of</strong> <strong>all</strong> evils made, in fpight <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir own nature, to contributeftibferviently to <strong>the</strong> good <strong>and</strong> perfection <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> whole ; xail tojto fj-tyir-ni; rixymA.yxjoTSTCi!?j Tx Kxy.x, <strong>and</strong> th<strong>is</strong> mufi needs be acknowledged to be <strong>the</strong> greateji art<strong>of</strong> <strong>all</strong>, to be able to bonify evils, or tmiiure <strong>the</strong>m with good.And now we have made it to appear (as we conceive) that Plutarch hadno fufHcienc grounds to impute th<strong>is</strong> opinion, <strong>of</strong> two adive perceptive principlesin <strong>the</strong> v/orld, (one <strong>the</strong> caufe <strong>of</strong> good, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>of</strong> evil) to Plato.And as for <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r Greek phil<strong>of</strong>ophers,. h<strong>is</strong> pretences to make <strong>the</strong>m af-Icrtors <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fame dodrine feem to be yet more flight <strong>and</strong> frivolous. Forhe concludes <strong>the</strong>* Pythagoreans to have held two fuch fubftantial prin- * o/ nuSaj;.ciples <strong>of</strong> good <strong>and</strong> evil, merely becaufe <strong>the</strong>y fometimes talk'd <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> e^^'-tio- J'^^'^",'^-^.f'^^rr.-;c <strong>and</strong> i-j-oiyfx\, <strong>the</strong> contrarieties <strong>and</strong> conjugations <strong>of</strong> things, fuch as finitenfxaK -^^fi<strong>and</strong>infinite, dextrous <strong>and</strong> finiltrous, even <strong>and</strong> odd, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> like. As al- 'rtt^pfiL^ore.fo, that //fr/2f/;'/KJ entertained <strong>the</strong> fauie opinion, becaufe he fpake <strong>of</strong> Ta- ai'^owiwa./-^ De Ifjde & Ouride, p. 370.T'.aicoTTo; d^y-cvU y.O'TfAn, a verfatilc harmony <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world, whereby things reci- Z'J^^tZ'pril'-procate forwards <strong>and</strong> backwards, as when a bow <strong>is</strong> f:icreffively intended f'>^ ^y""'^nd remitted; as likewife becaufe he aflirmed <strong>all</strong> things to flow, <strong>and</strong> warJaphjf Ms'^plto be <strong>the</strong> fi<strong>the</strong>r <strong>and</strong> lord <strong>of</strong> <strong>all</strong>. Moreover, herefolvcs', that Empedocles^'^h<strong>is</strong>

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