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

424 ^^ Stotch acknowledged only Book I.called hy us the Lord and Father of all, be the firft prince, attd higheji governcurin all thofe worlds ? Or what hinders, but that a multitude of worlds'/night be all fubjeSi to the fate and providence of one Jupiter, cr fuprcme God,himfelf infpe5ting and ordering them every one ; and imparting principles andfpermatick reafons to them, according to which all things in them might be governedand difpofed ? For can many difiin£i perfons in an army or chorus be reducedinto one body or polity ? and could not ten or fifty, or a hundred worlds inthe univerfe, be all governed by one reafon, and be ordered together in referenceto one principle? In which place thefe two things are plainly contained', firft, that the Stoicks unqueftionably afierted one fupreme Deity,or iiniA'erfal monarch over the whole world ; and iccondly, that Plutarchwas fo far from giving any entertainment to the contrary opinion, thathe concluded, though there were ten or fifty, or a hundred worlds,yet they were all fubjed: to one fupreme, folitary, and independentiDeity,But however, though thefe Stoicks thus unqueftionably afTerted one foleindependent and univerfal Numen, the monarch over the whole world ;yet did they notwichftanding, together with the other Pagans, acknowledgea plurality of gods ; they concluding, Tras/la f*fra fvai ^iw >^ ^atuovtcv.That all things were full of gods and damans. And fo far were they fromfalling fliort of the other Pagans, as to this polytheifm or multiplicity ofgods, that they feem rather to have furpafled and outftripped them therein.Plutarch ' making mention of their roQ^rov ttAjjO'^ &£ui/, their fo greatmultitude of gods ; and affirming them, t|U7r£?rA?]xtWi rZ Xoyu) Siw rov »cavoi, twyh, rov at'fa, tw 3-a.\xrlxv, ts have filled the whole heaven, earth, air, and fea withgods. Ncverthelefs, they plainly declare, that all this their multiplicity ofgods /'one only excepted) was generated or created in time by that one.Galled Zeus or Jupiter, who was not only the fpermatick reafon, but alfothe foul and mind of the whole univerfe ; and who from himfelf producedthe world, and thofe god?, out of non-exiftence into being. And not onlyfo, but that alfo in the fuccedive conflagrations they are all again refolvedi». 420. 2nd fwallowed up- into that one. Thus Plutarch in his.defeft of oracles,writing of the mortality of daemons, t8? ZruotsV j'lvwCxo.ujv, » y-ovov xara h.ifAOV'jivr.v Xiyu oo^ocv fp^oi/laf, aAXa >Cy 3'iuv, ovraiv toQutov to 7rAr&@^' ek ^uy.i\iv; caSiwxj dipdci^TU), tk\- (?£ a.XX>s( >^ yiyoviva.i xj (pOai^iio-ftSai vouii^ovTa;' fVe know the Stoicks tOmaintainthis opinion, not only concerning damons, but alfo the gods themfelves,that they are mortal. For though they own fuch a multitude of gods, yet dothey acknowledge only one of them eternal and incorruptible ; affirming concerningall the reft, that as they were made in time, fo theyfhall be again corruptedand deftroyed. Plutarch himfelf there defends the mortality of daemons,but this only as to their corporeal part, that they die to their prcfent bodies,and tranfmigrate into othrrs, their fouls in the mean time remaining immortaland incorruptible ; but the Stoicks maintained the fame as well concerninggods as demons ; and that in fuch a manner, as that their very fouls,lives, and perfona'icies, Ihould be utterly extinguiftied and deftroy'd.- Tothei De Repugnant. Stoicor. p, 1075. Tom. II. Oper.