Introdu&. Thaftbere A but oneGod. Chap.;, therefore in the higheft caufe, this Unity muft needs be after amofi perfectmanner. 2. In quernamnia cóncurrunt in whom all things meet, as Lines in the Center. In the mutual Order of Nature all things depend upon one another ; "7lutuusorda in p invicem eft propter con"un&um ordinem in ono, that mutual Order which is, is from Or- der joyned in one, as all things flow fromone, fo they return to one again. Therefore one, and but one God. But their own Reafons are fufficientto convince them, for Pythagoras faith, that a. there muff be an infinite power in God, elfe mans underftanding fhould exceed its Caufe, that is theCreator of it, becaufe it is able to comprehend and conceive a greaterthing than its Caufe, were it onlyfinite : for, ft pote.flasinfnita eTh, turnnatura infinita, quia accidentiscapaciras, non excedit capacitatem fubjeili, if the Power bein- finite, the Subject in whichthat Power is, mutt needs be alfo infinite, becaufe the Ca- pacity of the Adjunmt exceeds not the Capacity of its Subject. And therecan bebut one Infinite, therefore bi t one God. if we grant two infinites, theremuff be aLine ropart them; if fo, then they are both finite, and have feveral forces; and beingdi- vided, cannotbe fo perfea as if theywere joyned together andboth one. Butthere canbe no imperfe&nefs in God. Therefore we cannot admit of two Gods. Again, asLa&antius argueth. If there be two Gods, and Gods Attribute being Omnipotencïe,they muff be both Omnipotent, of equal force andpower, orunequal. If of equal, then they agree or difagree : ifequal and both agree, thenis one of them fuperfiuous, but fuperfluity is excluded from theDeity. If they difagree, andbe of unequal power, then the greater will fwallow up the lefs, and fo reduce all into one, and fo the leffer is not Omnipotent, and by confequcnt no God. And howfoever the Heathenoutwardly held Polytheifine or many Gods, becaufe they durft do noother in Policie to maintain and uphold their Common-wealths, yet privately they cone demned it, and held it inconvenient. And therefore though they had manyGods, yet to fome they gave the placeand titleof a father, and to the other of Children i to fome of a King, and to the reft of Subjeüs. The advifeof Pythagoras tohis Scholars was to fearch till they came to wiJA uni- 4 ty in every thing. And Ariffotles drift was to feek for printout, the firft; and the omnium printout, and the printout ex primis, the firft of all. Plato in his firft Epiftle toDionyfus gives him this rule, that in thofe 1piftles whichhe writes ofcertain truth, he begins with 9eér God; and in thofe which contain doubtful things, he begins with Ott Gods,making God his note of truth, andGods of uncertainty. Zit's rule to his Scholarswas, Dicite Flares, & dicire miilum, fay there be many Gods, and fay there be none: and Sophacles held in truth, gnus ejf Deus, there is but oneGod. So that among ihemfelves they muttered the truth , howfoever either for fear of punifh- ment, or difturbing the Peace ofthe Common-wealth, they thought fit tofuffer the people to live in their error of Polytheifine. But becaufe Saint Auguflinefaith, that in the Primitive Church thephilofophers g. were afhamed of their multiplicity of Gods, and therefore gave out , that the Anti- DeCiv. Dek t. en is were never fo abfurd as toworfhip many Gods, but only gave one God divers 4 names, to diftinguifh their effe1s, and not conceiving that there were divers Gods, but afcribed power toone God only, we will confider it alittle further. r. For firft, it is certain that they had diverfity of Gods : and fecondly, theyerect- ed feveral Images to them.Now if they were círcumfcript,thencould they beno gods, for Deusnon poteft circumfcribi, quia inftnito», God cannot be circumfcribed, becaufe he is infinite, and if an Image could exprefs them, they were circumfcript. a. Again, the whole courfe of Heathen Religion fought no further than their eye led them,ftruck no further than theskin,looked only after outward aftions they neither would nor could fearch into the reins, nor had any remedy to raftrain the heart and minde and the vices thereof, as hypocrifie, &c. hut true Religion, fuchas is that of the Chriftians, forbiddeth concupifcencc, and bridleth the affections, ftrikes deeper than that of the Heathen, therefore have the Heathen, neither true Godno true Religion. 3. They attribute but particular honour to particular Gods, in refpect of the par- ticular benefits they conceive, that they receiverefpecively from them, as to foam for the benefit of Phyfick, to fome, for their good fuccefs in War and the like, but that God only is to be honoured, whole Providence extends univerfally, E a and 3s
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=