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

that524 The Pagans Political GodSi fometimes Book I.grandeur and majejly. And fuch was the doolrine of the civil theology. Where,though Vcjfjus ipeak. particularly of that kind of Pagan gods, which werenothing but affeftions and accidents deified, (which no man in his witscould polTibly fuppofe to be themfelves true and proper gods, they havingno fubfiftence of their own) that thefe by the generality of the vulgar Paganswere conceived to be fo many created minds or fpirits, appointed bythe fupreme God, to prefide as his minifters over thofe feveral affeflions offubftances ; yet does he plainly imply the fame of all thofe other politicalgods of thefe Pagans likewife, that they were not looked upon by them, asfo many unmade, felf-exiftent, and independent beings, but only as inferiorminds or fpirits, created by the fupreme God, and by him appointed to prefideover the feveral parts of the world, and things of nature, and havingtheir feveral offices affigned to them. Wherefore, as to the main, we andVoJJius are now well agreed, viz. that the ancient Pagans aflerted no fuclithing as a multitude of independent deities ; fo that there only remain fomcparticular differences of fraallcr moment betwixt us.Ourfelves have before obferved, that JEolus was probably talicn by Epictetusin /irrianus, (not indeed for one, but) for many created minifters ofthe fupreme God, or daemons colleftively, appointed by him to prefide overthe winds, in all the feveral parts of the world. And the Pagans in St.jiujlin feem to interpret thofe deified accidents, and things of nature, afterthe fame manner, as the names of certain unknown gods or dsemons, (oneor more) that were appointed to prefide over them refpeftively, or to dif-Civ. D. I. 4. penfe the fame, ^oniam fciebant majores noftri nemini talia, nifi aliquo Deoc. 24. largiente concedi, quorum deorum nomina non inveniebant, earum rerum nomi-\^'^y^°"^'nibus appellabant deos, quas ab iis fentiebant dari -,aliqua vocabula inde fieSlen-^ tes ; ficut a bello Bellonam nuncupaverunty non Bellum ; ficut a fH»/i Cuninam,won Cunam ; Jicut a fegetibus Segetiam, non Segetem ; Jscut d pomis Pomonam,non Pomum ; ficut a bobus Bobonam, non Bovcm. Aut cert'e nulla vocabulideclinatione Jicut res ipfa nominanlur ; ut Pecunia di£}a ejl dea, qu^e datpecuniam, non ctnninb pecunia dea ipja putala : Ita virtus., qua dat virtutem^honor qui honorem, £oncordia qU(£ concordiam, Victoria qua vi5loriam dat. Ita,inquiunt, cum felicitas dea dicitur, non ipifa qua datur, fed numen illud attenditur,a quo felicitas datur.Becaufe our forefathers knew well^ that thefe thingsdo not happen to any^ without the fpecial gift and favour of fame god ; thereforewere thofe gods, whofe names they knew not, called from the names of thofevery things themfelves^ which they perceived to be befiowed by them, there beingcnly a little alteration made in them; as when the God, that caufeth war, wascalled not Bellum, i>ut Bellona i the God, which prefideth over infants cradles.^not C\in2^but Cunina -, which givetb corn, Scgetia ; and that which affordethapples, Pomona, &c. But at other tinus, this was done without anydeclenfion of the word at all, they calling both the thing, and the god, which isthe bejlower of it, by one and the filf-fame name. As Pecunia doth not onlyJignify money, but alfo the goddefs, which giveth money \ Virtus, the gcddefsy,which giveth virtue ; Honor, the god, that befioweth honour \ Concordia,/^!?%oddtfs, that caufeth concord ; Vidory, the goddefs, which affordeth vi^ory. Soalfo