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

T/^f«v ruv ^-uj' y.x\ sVj'-Co-iP.Euao-iv vtIov, u; c\iij.ij.xyjs^ 'ix°'"^ ^ '''^^ 3-£»f For a prince or monarch tofeem to be always more than ordinarily fedulous about the worfhip of the gods :becaufe men are lefs afraid of fuffering any injuflice from fuch kif2gs or princes,as they think to be religioufly difpofed, and devoutly aff;£fed tozvards the gods.Neither will they be fo apt to make confpiracics cgainfl fuch, they fuppcfing, thatthe gods will be their abettors and affflants. Where the word Si\,7iSxi'f).!^\i feemsto be taken in a good fenfe, and in way of commendation for a religious perfon; though we muft confefs, that Ariflotle himfelf docs not here write fomuch like a Jao-Ja^y-wv, as a meer politician. Likewife in his firft book deCoslo, he Writeth thus; Trauls? avS^wn-oi ttioi dim epinKTiv uTroKtt\^iv, >^ Trxvri; tov ~ ,dvjiTXTU Tco S-eTo) toVou (XTroSi^oxQi, 7c^ Bx^^x^oi x^'EXXrivB;, wf ra xB-xvxtu> to x^Mxrovrp 6ir'^ in, &c. All vien have an opinion or Tom. 1.pcrfuafton, that there are gods. And they, who think fo, as well Barbarians as Op«f']Creeks, attribute the highejl place to that which is divine, as fuppofing the immorialheavens to be mofl accommodate to immortal gods. Wherefore if therebe any divinity, as unqnejlionably there is, the body of the heavens mufl be acknowledgedto be of a different kindfrom that of the elements. And in the followingbook he tells us again. That it is moft agreeable tv? [j.x\ni[». ttjijI tm»dim, to that vaticination, which all men have in their minds concerning thegods, to fuppofe the heaven to be a quint effence difiin^ from the elements, andtherefore incorruptible. Where Arijlotle affirmeth, that men have generallyl*xvTcixv, a vaticination in their minds concerning gods ; to wit, thatthemfelves are not the higheft beings, but that there is a rank of intelledlualbeings, fuperior to men ; the chief of which is the fupremeDeity ; concerning whom there is indeed the grcateft {j-xmix or vaticinationof all.We acknowledge it to be very true, that Ariflotle does notfo much infifl:upon demons, as Plato and the generality of Pagans in that age did ; andprobably he had not fo great a belief of their exiftence ; though he doth.make mention of them alfo, as when in his Metaphyficks ', fpeaking of bodiescompounded of the elements, he inftanceth in ^iox te «J JoiifAona, animalsand daemons, and ellewhere he infinuatcs them to have airy bodies, in thefeG g g 2words J• Lib. V. Cap. VIII. p. 329. Tom. VI. Oper.