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

526 The Pagans Political Gods, generally Book I.thai men have an idea in their minds of God, as one the moft excellent andmoft powerful being of all \ this doth not feem to be according to latv, (chatis, the civil theology) for there the gods are mutually better one than another^refpellively as to feveral things; and therefore 7.tv\Q took not this confentof mankind., concerning God, from that which vulgarly feemeth. Fromwhich paflage of yfr^o//(?'s we may well conclude, that the many politicalgods of the Pagans were not all of them vulgarly looked upon as the fublervientminifters of one fupreme God; and yet they genera'ly acknowledging,(as Ariflotle himfelf confelTeth) a monarchy, and confequentlvnot many independent deities, it muft needs follow, as Zeno doubtlefswould reply, that thefe their political gods were but one and the famefupreme natural God, as it were parcelled our, and multiplied : that is,receiving feveral denominations, according to feveral notions of him,and as he exercifeth different powers, and produceth various effecfts. Andthis we have fufficiently proved already to have been the general fenfeof the cheif Pagan dodlors ; that thefe many political and popular godswere but the polyonymy of one natural God, that is, either partial confiderationsof him, or his various powers and virtues, effefts and manifeftationsin the world, feverally perfonated and deified.And thus does Vojfius himfelf afterwards confefs alfo; that accordingto the natural theology, the many Pagan gods were but fo many feveraldenominations of one God ; though this learned philologer dothplainly rtraiten and confine the notion of this natural theology too much,and improperly call the God thereof the nature of things; however, acknowledgingit fuch a nature, as was endued with fenfe and underftand-£.8. e. I. ing. His words are thefe; Difpar verb fententia theologorum naturalium,qui non aliud numen agnofcebanty^uam naturam rerum, eoque omnia gentiumnumina referebant, &c. Nempe mens eorum fuit, ftcut natura e(]ct occupatacirca banc vel illam affeBionem, ita numina nominaque dcorum variare.Cum igitur ubicunque vim aliquam majorem viderent, ita divinum aliquidcrederent ; eb etiam devenere, ut immanem deorum dearumque fingerent catervam.Sagaciores interim ha:c cunBa, unum ej/e numen aiebant ; putH rerumnaturam, que? licet una foret, pro varits tamen effeSlis varia fortireturnomina, vario etiam afficeretur cultu. But the cafe is very different as tothe natural theologers, who acknowledged no other God, but the nature cfthings, and referred all the Pagan gods to that. For they conceived ; thatas nature was occupied about feveral things, fo were the divine powers andthe names of gods multiplied and diverfified. And where-ever they fawany greater force, there did they prefently conceit fomething divine, and bythat means came they at length to feign an innumerable company of gods andgoddeffes. But the more fagacicus in the mean time affirmed all thefe to be butone and the fame God ; to wit the nature of things., which, though really buttne, yet according to its various effects, both received divers names, and wasworfhipped after different manners. Where Voffius calls the fupremeGod of thefe natural theologers the nature ot things, as if the naturaltheology had been denominated from phyficks, or natural philofophyonly j whereas we have already Ihewed, th-it the natural theo-4 logy