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

Chap. IV. the heavenly Vtnvi^ of Love* 489Ilia qiiidetn totum dlgnijfima temperat orbeWyIlia tenet nuUo regna minora DeoJiiraqtie dat caJo^ terr^e, natalibus undis jPerque fitos mittis conttnet omne genus.Ilia deos vmnes (longum enumerare) creavit ;Ilia fatis catifas arborihufque dedit.Where all the gods are faid to have been created or made by Venus^ that !«,by the one fiipreme Deity. But laftly, this is beft of all performed by SeverinusBoetius^ a Chriftian philofopher and poet, in this manner : DeConf. l.z,Met. 8.^tod mundus ftabili fideConcordes variat vices,^od pugnantia feminaFcsdus perpetuum tenent ;And to^od Phoebus rofeum diemCurrti prcvehit c.ureo ; &c.Hanc rertim feriem ligat.,Terras ac pelagus regeus, "Et ccelo imperi tans, AMOR, Bee*Hie ft frcsna remiferit,^icquid nunc amat invicem^Bellum continub geret.Hie fanSio populos quoquejfunHos fcedere continet }Hie & conjugii facrumCajtis ne£iit amoribus^ &c.O felixbominum genus.Si vejlros animos AMOR,^0 coslum regitufy regat.th\sUranra, or heavenly Venus, was near of kin alfo that third Ventisin Paufanias called 'ATrorfotp'a, and by the Latins Venus verticordia, pureand chafte Love, exp^ilfive of all unclean lufts, to which the Romans confecrateda ftatue, as Valerius M. tells us, (L, 8. c. 15 J quo facilius viiginummulierumque mentes a libidine ad pudieitiam converlerentur ; to this end, thatthe minds of the female fex might then the better be converted from lufi and'ivantcnnefs to chajiity. We conclude therefore, that Urania, or the heavenlyVenus, was fometimes amongft the Pagans a name for the fupreme Deity, asthat which is the moft amiable being, and firfl: pulchritude, the moft benignand fecund begetter of all things, and the conftant harmonizer of the wholeworld.Again, though Vulcan, according to the moft common and vulgar notionof him, be to be reckoned amongft the particular gods, yet had he alfo anothermore univerfal confideration. For Zeno in Laertius^ tells us, that thefupreme God was called "H^aif-^ or Vulcan, y-arx rffj slj to t£;^h>'.o'; ttuj SiXTx-R r r 2 >iv* Lib. VII. fegm. 147. p. 458.