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

242 That Plato was B o o k T.clamours fA ArifiotU^ or fome others againft \\\%Timam^ that fo he mightthereby fomewhat mollify that opinion of the novity of the world, by removingthe epocha and date thereof to fo great a diltance.Now, it is very true, what we have feveral times before fuggefted, thatthere have been amongft the Pagans both Theogonifts and Cofmogoniftstoo, that were AtheHls ; they abufing the word gods feveral ways -, fomeof them, as Anaximander, undcrftanding thereby inanimate worlds fucceffivelygenerated out of fendefs matter, and corrupted again into it ; others,as Anaximenes. and Democritus, allowing, that there were certain animals andundcrftanding being fuperior to men, but fuch only as were native andmortal, in like manner as men, and calling thefe by the name of gods.Of the former of which two philofophers, St. Aiijiin^ gives us this accountAnaximenes onines rerum caufas infinite c.eri dedit, Jiec decs negavit ant tacuit,ncn tamen ab ipfis aerem faSlum, fed ipfos ex a'e're ortos credidit : Anaximenesmade infnite air to be the firft original and catife of all things ; and yetwas he not therefore filent concerning the gods, much lefs did he deny them \neverthelefs he did not believe the air to have been made by the gods, but the godsto have been all generated out of the air. Thefe were therefore fuch Theogonifts,as fuppofed all the gods without exception to be generable and corruptible,and acknowledged no 3ei>\ dyiwyp.ov at all, no undcrftanding beingunmade and felf-exiftent , but concluded fenflcfs matter to be the onlydycvv-rp^ov and original of all things, which is abfolute atheifm. Notvvithftandingwhich, it is certain, that all the Pagan Theogonifts were not A-thiifts, (no more than all their Cofmogonifts Theifts) but that there wasanother fort of Theogonifts amongft them, who fuppofed indeed all the inferiormundane gods to have been made or generated in one fenfe or other j-but afterted one Seov dyij-j/ilov >^ xj^-jiti^rxloM, one fupreme unmade felf-exijtentDeity, who was the caufe of them all: which Theogonifts, for diftindlionflike from thofe other atheiftick ones, may be called divine.And that Plato was fuch a divine Theogonift,. is a thing,as we conceive,,out of queftion : but if there had been any doubt concerning it, it wouldhave been fufficiently removed from thofe paflliges before cited out of hisTim.fus. To which neverthelefs, for fuller fatisfaftion lake, may be addedthefe two following : the firft, pag. 34. out^^ M tt^; o-Jl'^ ui\ >.oyiQfj.o; fiau,,TTffli To'v TTOTs ISO i/.vjo'j ^to'j Adj-iaSfiV" For thus it ought to be read ovl©-", as itis alfo in Aldus his edition ; and not cIvtu;, as in Stephens, following an errorin that of Fieinus. And accordingly the words are thus rendred by Cieero: H^tc Deus is, qui femper erat, de aliquando future deo cogitans. Inventcum effecit, l^ undique ,equabi!em, ^c. This zvas the ratiocination or refoiuticnof that God, which always is, concernmg that god, which was fomctinieabout to be made, that he fhould be fmooth and fpberical, &c. Where again,it prcfently follows in Cicero's verfion. Sic Deus Hie aternus hunc perfe£feleatum deum frocreavit ; thus that eternal God procreated this perfe5ily happygodthe world. Where there is plainly mention made of two gods, one af De Civitace Dei, Lib. VHI. Cap. II, p. M?- Tom, VII. Oper.generated,