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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A 00 That Socrates nioas a Martyr- for Book I,difcern things feveral miles dijlantfrom it, why Jhould it be thought impojfible forthe eye of God to behold all things at once ? Laftly, ifyour foul can mind thingsboth here and in Egypt, and in Sicily ; why may not the great mind cr wifdomcfGcdbe able to take care of all things, in all places? And then he concludes,that \i Arijiodemus would diligendy apply himfclf to the worfhip of God, hefhould at length be convinced, on Toa-aTOV xj TotaTOn to to S-eiov, u3 Uf-y. srocvrxoaav, y^ 'K:iyiia, ansjiv, >^ Ka.'i\oi.yZ no'.^iTinxi, Jtj a'jwa Trai/ltov iTriu,iXii^xi- 7hat Godis fuch andfo great a Being, as that he can, at once, fee all things, and hear allthings, and be prefent everywhere, and take care of all affairs. iVioreover,Socrates, in his difcourfe with Euthydemus, in Xenophons fourth book, fpeaksthus concerning that invifible Deity, which governs the wi.oie world ' j o»yoip uXXoi S-foi r.fj.'iv TX a.yx^oi SiSovli';, >^Siv rSruv Eif to if^tpai/Ej ic'^tej ^ioocx.,TMoAo'j Jtoo-jwoii (TuuTaTluv TS J^ (Tuutjj^uv, fu w Tcavlx KocXa. Kj dycu^oi, iri, &C. al©-" rx.uiyiTot, M-sw ttpxtIuv OjioiTxi, Tois otKO'jofAuv aofal(^«J o'»i/aii' £S~iii' ivjoci it >c, o 7rel(n cpavtsoiJoxWD irjcit ylXtf^, iti iirtTfiTtn toi? ai/GfUTrojf jauTOu ctx^i^io; c^av, dxx' sav rifccVTOv avait-'u; ijxfif^ SfacSai, tijv o'vl/iu a'ffaipn-ar The Other gods giving US goodthings, do it without viftbly appearing to us % and that God, who framed andconiaineth the whole world {in which are all good and excellent things) and whocontinually fupplieth us with them, he, though he be feen to do the great eft thingsof all, yet nolwiihflanding is hirrfelf invifible and iinfeen. Which ought the lefsto be wondered at by us, becaufe the fun, %tho feemeth manifeft to all, yet willnot fuffer himf If to be exactly and diftin5lly viewed, but if any one boldly andimpudently gaze upon him, will deprive him of his fight : as alfo becaufe the foulof man, which mq/i of all things in him partaketh of the Deity, though it be that,which manifeftly rules and reigns in us, yet is it never feen, « ;)^jii v.x\o-i(iinx y.nneclct,(piiOV(7v twv doconu-j, «AA' tx tud ytvajj-ivccv thu Sviia.i/,tv «jtwv, xxTOi.[x,xv^(x.vovrx ti-|A«v to" Sxiij.ovioj, Which particulars he that confders, ought not to defpife invifiblethings, but to honour the fupreme Deity, taking notice of his power fromhis effeits. Where we have to Sxifi.ovm, as alfo before to' @=7ov^ plainly putfor thtfupreme Deity. And we did the rather fet down thefe paffages ofSocrates here, concerning God and Providence, that we might fhime thofe,who, in thefe latter days of ours, are fo atheiftically inclined, if at leaft theyhave any pudor or fhame left in them.But, notwithftanding Socrates his thus clear acknowledging one fupremeanduniverfal Numen, it doth not therefore follow, that he rcjedcd all thofeother inferior gods of the Pagans, as is commonly conceived. But the contrarythereunto appeareth from thefe very palfages of his now cited, whereinthere is mention made of other gods befides the fupreme. And how conformableSocrates was to the Pagan religion and worlhip, may appear fromthofe lad dying words of his, (when he fliould be moft ferious,; alter he haddrunk the poifon, wherein he required his friends to offer a votive cock forCmt.Celf.l 9 h\m X.0 JEfculapius : for which Origen thus perftringeth him, >.o(To(pv(r!X.ii^it; Trtpi rri; ^v^ri^ xxl ti)/ Sixyuyfv T*i; ksiAw; j3;"fiiwHJ ijsf Sii^i\^o-j\ii;, xx-Ifuo'va Tu 'A

C H A P. IV. one only God, a vulgar Error. 401concerning the foul, and difcourfed concerning the happinefs of the future flateto thofe who live ti'ell, do afterivard fink down from thefe great, high, and noblethings, to a fuperflitious regard of little, fnall, and trifling matters, fuch asthe paying of a cock to j^fculapius. Where notwithllanding, Origen dochnot charge Socrates with fuch grofs and downright idolatry, as he docs elfewhere', for his facrificing to the Pythian Apollo, who was but an inferiordaemon. And perhaps fome may excufe Socrates here, as thinking, that helooked upon Mfculapius no otherwife than as the fupreme Deity, called bythat name, as exercifing his providence over the ficknefs and health or recoveryof men, and that therefore he would have an euchariftick facrifice offeredto him in his behalf, as having now cured him, at once, of all dileafcsby death. However Plato * informs us, that Socrates, immediately before hedrunk his poifon, did tjytlsoi.i ror? Seo??, tijj (/.eloix-ia-m TKv i-j^iiSs i-Kihe fJTup^ri i'nxi'pray (not to God, but to the gods, that is, to the fupreme and inferior Godsboth together, as in Plato's Phadrus he did to Pan, and the other tutelargods of that place) that his tranflation from hence into the other world mightbe happy to him. And Xenophon, in his Memoirs S informs us, that Socratesdid, both in his words and pradtice, approve of that dodlrine of the PythianApollo, That the rule of piety and religion ought to be the law of every particularcity and country •, he affirming it to be a vanity for any man to be Angularherein. Laftly, in his own apology, as written by Plato, he profelTesto acknowledge the fun, moon and ftars for gods ; condemning the contrarydodlrine of yfe^A-iag-or^j, as irrational and abfurd. Wherefore we maywell conclude this opinion, oi Socrates his being condemned for denying themany gods of the Pagans, or of his being a martyr for one only God, to benothing but a vulgar error.But if you therefore demand, what that accufation of Impiety really was,which he was charged with, Socrates himfelf, in Plato's, Euthyphro, will informyou, that it was for his free and open condemning thofe traditions concerningthe gods, wherein wicked, diflioneft and unjuil aftions were imputedto them. For when Euthyphro, having accufed his own father as guilty ofmurder (merely for committing a homicide into prifon, who happened to diethere) would juftify lumfclf from the examples of the gods, namely Jupiterand Saturn, becaufe Jupiter, the befl and juftell of the gods, had committedhis \'zt\\Qi: Saturn to prifon for devouring his fons, as Saturn himfelf alfo hadcaftrated his father CW/j/j for fome mifcarriages of his, Socrates thns befpeakshim * ; 'ApaJ/f, £0 EiJ6i;:ppou, tst' 1~\'j » iViy.x tJ-d ycxfpm (pidym, on ra Totxjtix.Ecr£;^(XTK 1'H^Ef TMU 5im AiJ/Ji, ij.yj/>(~; -tx; a,rrooi~xou.xi, (jfc. Is not this the Verything, O JLuthyphro, f- which I a;", accufed? namely, becaufe when I hearany one affirming fuch matters ai thefe concerning the gods, I am very loth tobelieve them, andjlick no' publickly to declare mv d.flike of them ? And can you,O Euthyphro, ingcod earneft th.nk, that there are indeed wars and contentionsamong the gods, and tha: thofe other things were alfo done by them, whichpoets and painters comrivrh impute to thera? fuch as /y?!^ Fepl.im cr veil ofMinerva, which in the Pana; nenaicks is with great pomp and ceremony broughtFff2IVide Orig. adverf. Cdfum, Lib. VII. s Lib. IV. p. 6^4 Oper.p. 55 5- "P-49-* In Phaedone, p. 402.Opei*.into

A 00 That Socrates nioas a Martyr- for Book I,difcern things feveral miles dijlantfrom it, why Jhould it be thought impojfible for<strong>the</strong> eye <strong>of</strong> God to behold <strong>all</strong> things at once ? Laftly, ifyour foul can mind thingsboth here <strong>and</strong> in Egypt, <strong>and</strong> in Sicily ; why may not <strong>the</strong> great mind cr wifdomcfGcdbe able to take care <strong>of</strong> <strong>all</strong> things, in <strong>all</strong> places? And <strong>the</strong>n he concludes,that \i Arijiodemus would diligendy apply himfclf to <strong>the</strong> worfhip <strong>of</strong> God, hefhould at length be convinced, on Toa-aTOV xj TotaTOn to to S-eiov, u3 Uf-y. srocvrxoaav, y^ 'K:iyiia, ansjiv, >^ Ka.'i\oi.yZ no'.^iTinxi, Jtj a'jwa Trai/ltov iTriu,iXii^xi- 7hat God<strong>is</strong> fuch <strong>and</strong>fo great a Being, as that he can, at once, fee <strong>all</strong> things, <strong>and</strong> hear <strong>all</strong>things, <strong>and</strong> be prefent everywhere, <strong>and</strong> take care <strong>of</strong> <strong>all</strong> affairs. iVioreover,Socrates, in h<strong>is</strong> difcourfe with Euthydemus, in Xenophons fourth book, fpeaksthus concerning that invifible Deity, which governs <strong>the</strong> wi.oie world ' j o»yoip uXXoi S-foi r.fj.'iv TX a.yx^oi SiSovli';, >^Siv rSruv Eif to if^tpai/Ej ic'^tej ^ioocx.,TMoAo'j Jtoo-jwoii (TuuTaTluv TS J^ (Tuutjj^uv, fu w Tcavlx KocXa. Kj dycu^oi, iri, &C. al©-" rx.uiyiTot, M-sw ttpxtIuv OjioiTxi, To<strong>is</strong> otKO'j<strong>of</strong>Auv a<strong>of</strong>al(^«J o'»i/aii' £S~iii' ivjoci it >c, o 7rel(n cpavtsoiJoxWD irjcit ylXtf^, iti iirtTfiTtn toi? ai/GfUTrojf jauTOu ctx^i^io; c^av, dxx' sav rifccVTOv avait-'u; ijxfif^ SfacSai, tijv o'vl/iu a'ffaipn-ar The O<strong>the</strong>r gods giving US goodthings, do it without viftbly appearing to us % <strong>and</strong> that God, who framed <strong>and</strong>coniaineth <strong>the</strong> whole world {in which are <strong>all</strong> good <strong>and</strong> excellent things) <strong>and</strong> whocontinu<strong>all</strong>y fupplieth us with <strong>the</strong>m, he, though he be feen to do <strong>the</strong> great eft things<strong>of</strong> <strong>all</strong>, yet nolwiihfl<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>is</strong> hirrfelf invifible <strong>and</strong> iinfeen. Which ought <strong>the</strong> lefsto be wondered at by us, becaufe <strong>the</strong> fun, %tho feemeth manifeft to <strong>all</strong>, yet willnot fuffer himf If to be exactly <strong>and</strong> diftin5lly viewed, but if any one boldly <strong>and</strong>impudently gaze upon him, will deprive him <strong>of</strong> h<strong>is</strong> fight : as alfo becaufe <strong>the</strong> foul<strong>of</strong> man, which mq/i <strong>of</strong> <strong>all</strong> things in him partaketh <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Deity, though it be that,which manifeftly rules <strong>and</strong> reigns in us, yet <strong>is</strong> it never feen, « ;)^jii v.x\o-i(iinx y.nneclct,(piiOV(7v twv doconu-j, «AA' tx tud ytvajj-ivccv thu Sviia.i/,tv «jtwv, xxTOi.[x,xv^(x.vovrx ti-|A«v to" Sxiij.ovioj, Which particulars he that confders, ought not to defpife invifiblethings, but to honour <strong>the</strong> fupreme Deity, taking notice <strong>of</strong> h<strong>is</strong> power fromh<strong>is</strong> effeits. Where we have to Sxifi.ovm, as alfo before to' @=7ov^ plainly putfor thtfupreme Deity. And we did <strong>the</strong> ra<strong>the</strong>r fet down <strong>the</strong>fe paffages <strong>of</strong>Socrates here, concerning God <strong>and</strong> Providence, that we might fhime th<strong>of</strong>e,who, in <strong>the</strong>fe latter days <strong>of</strong> ours, are fo a<strong>the</strong>iftic<strong>all</strong>y inclined, if at leaft <strong>the</strong>yhave any pudor or fhame left in <strong>the</strong>m.But, notwithft<strong>and</strong>ing Socrates h<strong>is</strong> thus clear acknowledging one fupreme<strong>and</strong>univerfal Numen, it doth not <strong>the</strong>refore follow, that he rcjedcd <strong>all</strong> th<strong>of</strong>eo<strong>the</strong>r inferior gods <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pagans, as <strong>is</strong> commonly conceived. But <strong>the</strong> contrary<strong>the</strong>reunto appeareth from <strong>the</strong>fe very palfages <strong>of</strong> h<strong>is</strong> now cited, <strong>wherein</strong><strong>the</strong>re <strong>is</strong> mention made <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r gods befides <strong>the</strong> fupreme. And how conformableSocrates was to <strong>the</strong> Pagan religion <strong>and</strong> worlhip, may appear fromth<strong>of</strong>e lad dying words <strong>of</strong> h<strong>is</strong>, (when he fliould be m<strong>of</strong>t ferious,; alter he haddrunk <strong>the</strong> poifon, <strong>wherein</strong> he required h<strong>is</strong> friends to <strong>of</strong>fer a votive cock forCmt.Celf.l 9 h\m X.0 JEfculapius : for which Origen thus perftringeth him, >.o(To(pv(r!X.ii^it; Trtpi rri; ^v^ri^ xxl ti)/ Sixyuyfv T*i; ksiAw; j3;"fiiwHJ ijsf Sii^i\^o-j\ii;, xx-Ifuo'va Tu 'A

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