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

Cha p. IV". io be deceived bt their Religion. 54.1Far he it from us (fay they) to think fo or fo, this is nothing but the garrulity ofidle fables^ and, 2~ou would bring us again to fables. And though they ownedanother theology befides their civil aJlb, which was the natural and philofophical,as the only true ; yet did they notwirhftanding acknowledge a kindofnecefijty, that, in thole times at leaft, there fhould be, befides the naturaland philofophical theology, which the vulgar were not fo capable of, anothertheology framed and held forth, that might be more accommodate totheir apprehenfions. Thus that Roman pontifex Scavola in St. Aujlin declareth', Expedire exifiimat falli in religione civitates. That it -was expedient{as he thought) that cities and commonwealths fJiould be deceived in their religion,or have fcwething falfe or fabulous intermingled with it ; he givingthis reafon for the fame, bccaufe the natural and philofophick theology containedmany things in it, which, though true, yet would be hurtful for thevulgar to know •, as for example, kluod verus Deus nee fexum habeat, nee a-taterHy nee definita corporis membra ; That the true God hath neither fex, nor age,nor bodily members ; ^W /i^^/ Hercules and .Sfculapius, i£c. were not gods, butmen, obnoxious to the fame infirmities with others ; and the like. And thelearned Varro, in his book of religions *, publickly maintained the famedoftrine : Varro de religionibus loq^uens, evidenter dicit, multa ejje vera, quievulgo fcire nonftt utile; multaque, qu^e tametfi falfa fint, aliter exijllmare popwlum expediat : id idea Gracos teletas id myfieria tacitiirnitate parietibufque claufiffe,ijc. That there were many things true in religion, which it was not convenientfor the vulgar to know ; as likewife many things falfe, of which it wasexpedient they fhculd think otherwife : and that for this caufe, the Greeks enclofedtheir Teletfe or myfleries within walls, and kept them under a feal offecrecy.Upon which of Varro St. Aufiin thus noteth ; Hie certe totum confiliumprodidit fapientium, per quos civitates id populi regerentur : Varro hereplainly difcovers and betrays the whole counfel and fecrecy offlates-men andpoliticians, by whom cities and nations were governed, and their very arcanumofgovernment, namely this. That people were to be deceived in their religion,for their own good, and the good of their govercurs. The fame fatherthere adding, That evil demons were much gratified with this doctrine, andliked this fraud and impofiure very well, which gave them an advantage to ruleand tyrannize, as well over the deceivers as the deceived. Laftly, Strabo alfo *,though otherwife a grave and fober writer, fpeaks freely and broadly to thefame purpofe -, » ya.^ o'/Xiv ti •ywaciKUv ^ 7rav7®-' "XySxiv irXri^v^ iTTxyxytiv XoyuSuvuTOv iptXo, Xj Trpos-jcjiXftraiSai zreog e\jc, ocrioT>)Ta x, wifiV tUxXa Ss7 1^SiOt, JsKntfaifAouiaj, t»to o\ »it oLtiv jU,u9o7ro(i«; ^ rtsxTttxg' It is not pojflble, thatwomen, and others of the vulgar fort, fhould be conducted and carried on towardspiety, holinefs and faith, meerly by philofophick reafon and truth ; but this mufihe done by fuperfiition, and that not without the help of fables and prodigious* De Civic. Dei, Lib. IV. cap. XXVII. p. » Apud Au^uftin. ubi fupi-a, p. SS.8^. Tom.VII. Oper. aLib. I. piS.or wonderful narrations. From whence it is plain, that Strabo did not onlyallow a neceffity of a civil theology befides the natural and philofophical, butalfo of a fabulous and poetical one too. And this is a thing the lefs to bev'ondred at in thefe Pagans, becaufe fome Chriftians alfo feem to acknowledgea kind of truth herein; Synefats himfelf writing after this mannerx