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

382 Anaxagoras taxed^ for referring more Book I»to have life and underftanding in them, was, according to Plato's judgment,then the moll ready and efFeftual way to in;:oducc ablbluce atheifm.Moreover, it is true, that thougli this Anaxagoras were a profefled Theift,he aiTerting an infinite fclf-exiftent Mind to be the maker of the wholeworld, yet he was feverely taxed alfo by Arifiotk rnd Plato^ as one notthorougli-paced in theifm, and who did not fo fully, as he ought, adhereto his own principles. For whereas, to aflert Mind to be the makerof the world, is really all one as to affert final caufality for things in nature,as alfo that they were made after the beft manner \ Anaxagoras^ whenhe was to give his particular account of the phenomena, did commonly betakehimfelf to material caufes only, and hardly ever make ufe of the mentalor final caufe, but when he was to feek and at a lofs ; then only bring-^Ts^^'i''- jng in God upon the ftage. 5ocra/d'j his difcourfe concerning this in P/^/o'sPlxtdo is very well worth our taking notice of: Hearing one fometime read(faith he) out of a hook of Anaxagoras, w,- v?; es-iu SizKoa-y-m t£ xal sroivTuvct'iTi^, that Mind -was the order and caufe of all things, I ivas exceedinglypleafed herewith, concluding., that it wufl needs follow from thence, that allthings zvere ordered and difpofed of as they floould, and after the befi mannerpoffble ; and therefore the caufes even of the things in nature {or at leafi thegrand flrckes of them) ought to be fetched from the tq jS/ATi-on, that which isabfolutely the befi. But when afterwards I took Anaxagoras his book into myhand, greedily reading it over, I was exceedingly difappcinted of my expe^ation,finding therein no other caufes affigned, but on/y from airs, and athers, and wafers,and fuch like phyfical and material things. And he feemed to me to deal.,jufl as if one havi?ig affirmed, that Socrates did all by mind, rcafon and underflanding,afterward undertaking to declare the caufes of all my anions, asparticularly of my fitting here at this time, fhould render it after this manner ;becaufe, forfooth, my body is compounded of bones and nerves, which bones beingfolid, have joints in them at certain dijlances, and nerves of fuch a nature,as that they are capable of being both intended and remitted : wherefore myhones being lifted up in the joints, and my nerves fome of them intended andfameremitted, was the caufe of the bending of my body, and of -my Jilting down inthis place. He in the mean time neglecting the true and proper caufe hereof.,which was no other than this ; becaufe it feemed good to the Athenians to condenvhme to die, as alfo to my felf moji jufi, rather to fubmit to their cenfiireand undergo their punifhment, than by flight to cfcape it ; for certainly other-"wife thefe nerves and bones cf mine would net have been here now in thispoflure, but amongji the Megarenjians and Bccotians, carried thither utto