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

4^0 Livy; the fame Gods every ivher'e. Book I.the laws of feveral countries have been every where worjjjijped throughout thewhole world. /Ind there have been alfo different fymbols confecrated to them,the better to condu£i and lead on mens underjtandtngs to divine things ; thoughthis hath not been without fame hazard ur danger of cafling men upon one orWhere Plu-other of thefe two inconveniences^ either fuperflition or atbeifn.tarch plainly affirms, that the feveral religions of the Pagan nation?, whetherGreeks or Barbarians, and among thefe the Egyptians alfo, as well asothers, confifted in nothing elfe, but the worfhipping of one and the famefiipreme miiid, reafon, and providence, that orders all things in the world,and of its \i-n\i^yo\ ^.•jxu.tn; eVi Traura n-cc'yij.i/ot, its fu.bfervient powers or miniflers,appointed by it over all the feveral pirts of t!ie world ; though underdifferent names, rites, and ceremonies, and with different fymbols.Moreover, that Titus Livius was of the very fame opinion, that the Pagangods of feveral countries, though called by feveral names, and worfhippedwith fj great diverfity of rites and ceremonies, yet were not for allthat different, but the fiime common to all, may be concluded from this paf-L t8. f. 12. fage of his, where he writeth of Hannibal: Nefcio an niirabilior fuerit in ad-[P. 679 J verfiSy quam fecundis rebus, ^tippe qui miflos ex colluvione omniion gentium^quibus alius rieus, alia facra, alii PROPE dii effent, ita uno vinculo copulaverit,ui nulla feditio extiterit. I know not whether Hannibal were more admirablein his adverfity or profperlty ; who having a mixt colluvies of all nationsunder him, which had different rites, different ceremonies, and almojl differentgods from one another, did notwithjlanding fo unite them all together inone common bond, that there happened no fedition at all amongfi them. WhereLivy plainly intimates, that though there was as great diverfity of religiousrites and ceremonies among the Pagans, as if they had worlhipped feveralgods, yet the gods of them all were really the fame, namely, one fupremeGod, and his minifters under him. And the fame Livy elfewhere declaresthis to have been the general opinion of the Romans and Italians likewifeat that time ; where he tells us, how they quarrelled with ^ Fulvius Flaccus,for that when being cenfor, and building a new temple in Spain, he uncoveredanother temple dedicated to Juno Lacinia amongft the Brutii, andtaking off the marble-tiles thereof, fent them into Spain to adorn his newereded temple withal -, and how they accufed him thereupon publickly inDie. 5. the fenatc-houfe in this manner, ^lod ruinis templorum templa adificaret,tanquam non iidem ubique dii immortales effent, fed fpnliis aliorum alii colendiexornandique : That with the ruins of temples he built up temples ; as if therewere not every where the fame immortal gods ; but that fome of them mightbe worjhipped and adorned with the fpoils of others '.? Lib. XLII. Cap. III. r- 1513-The Egyptians were doubtlefs the moft lingular of all the Pagans,and the mofl oddly difcrepant from the reft in their manner of worfhip; yet neverthelefs, that thefe alfo agreed with the reft in thofe fundamentalsof worfhipping one fupreme and univerfal Numen, together