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

Chap. IV. one and the fame natural God. 491alfo by the Latins Orcus, and Dis, (which latter word feoms to have been acontradion of D/f-?/ to anfv^er the Greek P/ulo) zs, Bnlbus in C/Vd-r^j ' attributesto him, cmnem vhti terrenam, all terrene pczi-er, fo others commonlyaflign him the regimen of feparate fouls after death. Now it is certain, that,according to this latter notion, it was by Plato underftood no otherwile thanas a name for that part of the divine providence, which exercifes itfelf upon thefouls of inen after death. This Ficinus obferved upon Plalo\ CratyluSy Animadvertepr^ cateris, Plutoniim hie fignificare pracipue providentiam divinamad fe^aratas anitnas pertinentem : Tou are to take notice, that by Pluto ishere meant that part of divine providence, which belongeth to feparate fouls.For this is that, which, according to Plato, binds and detains pure fouls in thatfeparate fiate, ivith the bejl vinculum of all, -which is not neceffiiy, but love anddeftre; they being ravifhed and charmed as it were with thofe pure delights, whichthey there enjoy. And thus is he alfo to be underftood in his book of laws,writing in this manner cone rning Pluto ; Kai i SM->(t^x-nim iroXztAtx.oTq dv^euwoK Lib- 8.ij/j;^>! x^i (Tuifjixli, (JtaAufffu; k'h £S~j'j yi x^irrloVy u; iyco Oairrj av o-nrJi'tJ't) X.eyuv' Neitherought military men to be troubled or offended at this God Pluto, but highlyto honour h.m, as who always is the mofl beneficent to mankind. For I affirmwith the greatejl ferioufnefs, that the union of the foul with this terrejirialbody is never befer than the dtffoluuon or feparation ef them. Pluto therefore,according to Plato, is nothing elfe but a name for that part of the divineprovidence, that is exercifed upon the fouls of men, in their feparationfrom thefe earthly bodies. And upon this account was P/«/(j ftyled by Firgil\the Stygian Jupiter. But by others Pluto, together with Ceres, is takenin a larger ftnfe, for the manifefta^ion of the Deity in this whole terreftrialglobe; and thus is the writer J^ Mundo 'to be underftood, when he tells us,that God or Jupiter is v^zao; ti >^ p^S^'i/i^, vda-yii 'nrui/jij.^ m (pCe-ix^ rt xj rjyjir«?Tf TravTuu aJrof alVii^ uf Both celefiial and terreftrial, he being denominatedfrom every nature, forafmucb as he is the caufe of all things. Pluto therefore isZtuf x6oi/i©^ or xa1aj(i6oi/i6f, the terreftrial falfo as well as the Stygian andfubterranean; Ja/ir/iT ; and that other Ja/j/'/fr, which is diftinguiftied bothfrom Pluto and Neptune, is properly ZfJy v^dvio;, the heavenly Jjpiter, God asmanifefting himfclf in the heavens. Hence is it, that Zeus and Hades, Jupiterand Pluto are made to be one and the fame thing, in that paflTage, whickJulian * cites as an oracle of Apollo, but others impute to Orpheus,Eif ZsUf, lit; 'Al^tf^f,Jupiter and Pluto are one and the fame God. A