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

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

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49^ "^be Philofophick Theology B o o k L/;/ unus Jupiter ; five Jint^ ut quidam voliint, omnia ijla paries ejus, ftcut elsvidetur, quibus eum placet ejfe mundi animum\,five vinutes ejus, qu^e fentcHtiavelutmagnorum multorwrnque doSforum eft. Let us grant, according to the Pagans^that the fupreme God is in the ather Jupiter•, in the air Juno ; in thefiaNeptune ; in the lower parts of the fea S-ilacia ; in the earth Pluto ; inthe inferior parts thereof Proferpina ; in the dcmeftick hearths Vefta •, in thefmiths forges Vulcan ; in divination Apollo ; in traffick and merchandize M-trcury; in the beginnings of things Janus ; in the ends of them Tcmiinus j intime Saturn ; in wars Mars and BcUona -, in the vineyards Liber -, in thecorn-fields Ceres ; in the woods Diana \ and in wits Minerva. Let him be alfothat troop of plebeian gods ; let him prefide over the feeds of men under thename of Liber, and of wcraen under the name of Libera •, let him be Diefpiter,that brings forth the birth to light ; let him be the goddefs Men a, whom theyhave fet over womens monthly courfes i let him be Lucina, invoked by women itichild-bearing•, let him be Opis, ivhu aids the new-bsrn infants ; let him beDeus Vagitanus, that opens their mouths to cry j let him be the goddefs Levana,which is faid to lift them up from the earth ; and the goddefs Cunina^that defends their cradles % let him be the Carmentes alfo, who foretel thefates of infants ; let him be Fortune, as prefiding over fortuitous events; leibim be Diva Rumina, which fuckles the infant with the breafts; Diva Potina,uhich gives it drink v and Diva Educa, v^hich affords it meat ; let him be calledthe goddefs Paventia, from the fear of infants ;the goddefs Venilia, fronthope ; the goddefs Volupia, from pleafure ; the goddefs Ageiioria, from aSfing jthe goddefs Stimula, from provoking ; the goddefs Screnua, from making firongand vigorous ; the goddefs Numeria, which teacheth to number ; the gcddej'sCamjena, which teaches to Jing ; let him be Deus Confus, as giving counfcl -,and Dja Scntia, as infpiring men with fenfe v let him be the goddefs Juventas,which has the guardianpip of young men •, and Fortuna Barbata, which upcnfome more than others liberally beftoweth beards i let him be Deus Jugatinus,which joins man and wife together j and Dea Virginenfis, which is then invokedywhen the girdle of the bride is loofed ; laftly, let him be Mutinus alfo(which is the fame with Priapu

C ri A p. IV. not the faif}6 with the P^jyjtological.497plantes. ^id aperlius hic^ ^uam lib eo per Deos Confentes iritelUgi^ von corporaccekftia vel fubccelejiia, fed fublimiorem quandam naturam, nee nifi an'imisconfpicuam ? According to the philofophick doclri7ie concerning the gods ^ Venusis either the Moon, or Lucifer, or Hefperus ; but according to the poetickand civil theology of the Pagans, there were certain eternal minds^ placed abovethe heavens, diftinSf from the ftars : accordingly as Apuleius requires us to ccnfiderJupiter and Apollo, Juno and Venus, and all thofe other gods called'Confentes •,he affirming of them, that though nature bad denied them to our fight,yet notwithfianding, by the diligent contemplation of our minds, we apprehend andadmire them. Where nothing can be more plain (faith Vofiius) than that theDii Confentes were underjlood by Apuleius, neither to be celefiial norfubceleflialbodies, but a certain higher nature perceptible only to our minds. Uponwhich words of his we (hall make thefe following remarks -, firft, that thislearned writer feems here, as alfo throughout that whole book of his, to miftakethe philofophick theology of Scavola and Varro, and others, for thatwhich was phyfiologicai only ; (which phyfiological theology of the Pagansxvill be afterwards declared by us.) For the philofophick theology of thePagans did not deify natural and fenfible bodies only, but the principal partthefirof was theaderting of one fupreme and univerfal Numen, from whenceall their other gods were derived. Neither was Venus, according to this phi'lofophick and arcane theology, taken only for the moon, or for Lucifer orHefperus, as this learned writer conceives, bur, as we have already provedjfor the fupreme Deity alfo, either according to its univerfal notion, or fomeparticular confideration thereof. Wherefore the philofophick theology,both of Scavola and Varro, and others, was called natural, not as phyfiologicalonly, but (in another fenfe) as real and true; it being the theologyneither of cities, nor of ftages or theatres, but of the world, and of theTvife men in it: philofophy b>:ing that properly, which confiders the abfolutetruth and nature of things. Which philofophick theology therefore was oppofed,both to the civil and poetical, as confifling in opinion and fancyonly. Our fecond remark is, th'Xt Vojfius does here alfo feem incongruouflyto make both the civil and poetical theology, as fuch, to philofophize ; whereasthe firft of thefe was propely nothing but the law of cities and commonwealths,together with vulgar opinion and error ; and the fecond nothingbut fancy, fiffion and fabulofity. Poetarum iftafunt, faith Cottain Cicero ";wos autcm philcfophi ejjevolumus, rerumauthores, non fabularum. Thofe thingsbelong to poets, but we would be philofophers, authors of things (or realities)and not offables. But the main thing, which we take notice of in thefe wordsof Voffms is this, that they feem to imply the Confentes, and felecir, and othercivil and poetical gods of the Pagans, to have been generally accounted fomany fubftantial and eternal minds, or underflanding beings fuperceleftialand independent; their Jupiter being put only in an equality with Apollo,Juno, Venus, and the relt:. For which, fince Voffms pretends no othermanner of proof than only from Apuleius his de Deo Socralis, who was a Platonickphilofopher ; we fhall here make it evident, that he was not rightlyunderftood by Vojfius neither: which yet ought not to be thought anv dero-Sff 2* De Natur. Deor, Lib. III. Cap. XXX f.p 3096. Tom. IX. Oper.gation

49^ "^be Phil<strong>of</strong>ophick Theology B o o k L/;/ unus Jupiter ; five Jint^ ut quidam voliint, omnia ijla paries ejus, ftcut elsvidetur, quibus eum placet ejfe mundi animum\,five vinutes ejus, qu^e fentcHtiavelutmagnorum multorwrnque doSforum eft. Let us grant, according to <strong>the</strong> Pagans^that <strong>the</strong> fupreme God <strong>is</strong> in <strong>the</strong> a<strong>the</strong>r Jupiter•, in <strong>the</strong> air Juno ; in <strong>the</strong>fiaNeptune ; in <strong>the</strong> lower parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fea S-ilacia ; in <strong>the</strong> earth Pluto ; in<strong>the</strong> inferior parts <strong>the</strong>re<strong>of</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>erpina ; in <strong>the</strong> dcmeftick hearths Vefta •, in <strong>the</strong>fmiths forges Vulcan ; in divination Apollo ; in traffick <strong>and</strong> merch<strong>and</strong>ize M-trcury; in <strong>the</strong> beginnings <strong>of</strong> things Janus ; in <strong>the</strong> ends <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m Tcmiinus j intime Saturn ; in wars Mars <strong>and</strong> BcUona -, in <strong>the</strong> vineyards Liber -, in <strong>the</strong>corn-fields Ceres ; in <strong>the</strong> woods Diana \ <strong>and</strong> in wits Minerva. Let him be alfothat troop <strong>of</strong> plebeian gods ; let him prefide over <strong>the</strong> feeds <strong>of</strong> men under <strong>the</strong>name <strong>of</strong> Liber, <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> wcraen under <strong>the</strong> name <strong>of</strong> Libera •, let him be Diefpiter,that brings forth <strong>the</strong> birth to light ; let him be <strong>the</strong> goddefs Men a, whom <strong>the</strong>yhave fet over womens monthly courfes i let him be Lucina, invoked by women itichild-bearing•, let him be Op<strong>is</strong>, ivhu aids <strong>the</strong> new-bsrn infants ; let him beDeus Vagitanus, that opens <strong>the</strong>ir mouths to cry j let him be <strong>the</strong> goddefs Levana,which <strong>is</strong> faid to lift <strong>the</strong>m up from <strong>the</strong> earth ; <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> goddefs Cunina^that defends <strong>the</strong>ir cradles % let him be <strong>the</strong> Carmentes alfo, who foretel <strong>the</strong>fates <strong>of</strong> infants ; let him be Fortune, as prefiding over fortuitous events; leibim be Diva Rumina, which fuckles <strong>the</strong> infant with <strong>the</strong> breafts; Diva Potina,uhich gives it drink v <strong>and</strong> Diva Educa, v^hich affords it meat ; let him be c<strong>all</strong>ed<strong>the</strong> goddefs Paventia, from <strong>the</strong> fear <strong>of</strong> infants ;<strong>the</strong> goddefs Venilia, fronthope ; <strong>the</strong> goddefs Volupia, from pleafure ; <strong>the</strong> goddefs Ageiioria, from aSfing j<strong>the</strong> goddefs Stimula, from provoking ; <strong>the</strong> goddefs Screnua, from making firong<strong>and</strong> vigorous ; <strong>the</strong> goddefs Numeria, which teacheth to number ; <strong>the</strong> gcddej'sCamjena, which teaches to Jing ; let him be Deus Confus, as giving counfcl -,<strong>and</strong> Dja Scntia, as infpiring men with fenfe v let him be <strong>the</strong> goddefs Juventas,which has <strong>the</strong> guardianpip <strong>of</strong> young men •, <strong>and</strong> Fortuna Barbata, which upcnfome more than o<strong>the</strong>rs liber<strong>all</strong>y beftoweth beards i let him be Deus Jugatinus,which joins man <strong>and</strong> wife toge<strong>the</strong>r j <strong>and</strong> Dea Virginenf<strong>is</strong>, which <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong>n invokedywhen <strong>the</strong> girdle <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> bride <strong>is</strong> lo<strong>of</strong>ed ; laftly, let him be Mutinus alfo(which <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> fame with Priapu

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