IntroduI. .?hat there is a God. Chap. 6. felf molt from the body : and therefore in the greateft reparation ofall others L. which is by death , it will be molt perfeEh. 3. Saint Aagufline faith, that the Soul is the fubjef of truth, but no fubjc1of truthcan decay , no more than truth it felf, therefore theSoul is immortal. But as Archeflau-s a chief Academique, feeing with what difficulty Men attained to knowledge, and with what pains finali learning was gotten, tooka Mort courfe, and held that there was noknowledge at all. So thefe Epicures, feeing that Religion reftrained Men from all licentious anions , and pleafures , and how harda thing it was to lead a Godly life, took a fhortcourfe, and held there was neither God nor Religion. And as a Thief is defirous to have the light put out, that being irr the dark his doings may not be feen , and thereby be quit and free from the re- proof and check of Men : fo do thefe defire to extinguish thelight of Religion, becaufe they may take their pleafures more freely and not be lyable to the check of Confcience. CHAP. VI. That there is a God, proved. t. By reafons drawnout ofthe writings ofthe Heathens themfelves. 2. By the frame of the World. ObjeCtions anfwered. 3. Bythe beginning and progrefs of Arts, arc. 4. Bythe neceffity ofafirft mover. Thebeginning of things cannot be. T. By Chance. nor 2. By Nature. S. By Prophefses fulfilled. 6. By the artificial framing the bodiesof all Creatures. 7. By the Soulof Man. Reafons wby fo many Atbeifls. Natural notions f a Deity. The Confricare. 8. From the Ntife- rabie ends of Abet' fir That there is a God, JHus much for the Negative : Now for the Affirmative point, That there is a God : the belief whereof we may be confirmed in by uncorrupt reafon., even from the writings of the Heathen themfelves. a. There is a firft mover, a firft çaufe in all things, elfe there fhould be before every mover another mover, and fo Infinitum. And fo ofcaufes: and iffo, this abfurdity would follow, that infinite caufes mutt have infinite times toproduce infiniteeffeis. 2. If there were no firft caufe , all would be inftrumental enufes, and noprin- cipal. And feeing no inferiour cede worketh without a fuperiour, and that ifthere were not a principal & fupream mover ofall,there would benoeffefts. Therefore, &c. 3. There is a Devil, therefore aGod. Thereis a fpirit in the world fet upon mif. chief,which Peeks to endammageMen in their goods, and quantum fieripotefi,as much as he can, to bringall mankind to deftru&ion , as is plain in forcerers and witches. And as he is bent to the utter ruine of Mankind , fo he would have effeûed it long before this time, had not there been a fuperiour power to reftrainhis malice. So that they were enforced tobelieve, firft, that there was a Devil, and afterwards effe .Deum, qui ejuspoteffati refifleret, & yuafi juradarer Tyranidi, that there is a God, who refias the Devils power, and fees bounds to his tyranous malicioufnefs. 4.. Another reafon is from the frame of the world. There was a founder of it, the old Heathen Poets acknowledged a e+.wxrat a firft Creator, from which there reafons maybe gathered. r. Though we dig long , and cannot come to the root of a Tree, or find out the head of a fpring, yet we know , the one hath a head, and the other a root : fo though we cannot eafily come to the knowledge how the world hada begin- ning, yet fure we are that a beginning it had. And Dan/afros reafoneth very de- monftratively , that it had a beginning , becaufe it is always in alteration and change. 2. Wheredivers things ofgreat difcrepancy in nature, are reduced and brought into a fwect harmony and concord ( as in a Lute) we may argue and conclude, that furely force skilful Mufitian hath tuned and accorded to them : Sonothing being fuller of variety and contrariety of natures than the world, and the crea- tures in it , we mull needs confefs, when we fee what agreement, and fym- D pathy
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