Ott Contttbing sr tt'03aebent Iron: 321 his governing Providence, and made Him an idle Spe- chap. s 7., äatorof things below. They afferted, That God was contented with his own Majefty and Glory : That whatever was without Himwasneither in histhoughts nor care ; as if to beemployed in ordering the various accidents ofthe world, were incompatible with his Blef- fednefs, and He needed their Impiety to relieve Him. Thus by confining his Power who is Infinite, they de- nied Him in confelling i?s Him. * Others allowed Him *Autor Li:). de g great regard the affairs ofKin doms and Nations, to Î\4agna i ii cta manage Crowns and Scepters ; but to ftoop fo low as rant,parvaneg- articular things, they judgedas unbecomin g g Y i g g the Divine Nature, as for the Sun to defcend from to regard P Heaven to light a Candle for a Servant in the dark. They took the Scepter out of God's hand, and fet up a foolifh and blind Power to difpofe of all mutable things. Seneca himfelfreprefents Fortune as not dif- Yid. Epid. ;q: cerning the worthy from the unworthy, and fcattering its gifts without refpet to Vertue. t Some made Him a Servant to Na- t Adimit 4rifoteles Deo id áeod in entiba diris eti imum, ture ; That heneceffarily turn'd the iiberto as remrac, i & one ex pr Principe Mopt:ndi fa- Spheres : Others fubjeEted Him to cit Minißrum Naruræ, cui in agendo fersiat. Seneca brings to Jupiter, an invincible Deftiny,that He could their Supreme God, Jpe4ing to eertu- not do what He defired. Thus the ow men in their Calamities. Quin wifeft of the Heathens dithonoured us non em ponreraia armm vavos i illis fubducere,ad; er- f. the Deity by their falle inzaginati- ons,and inftead ofreprefenting him with his proper At- tributes, drew a piEture of themfelves. Betides, their impious fancies had a pernicious influence upon the lives ofMen : efpecially the denial of his Providence ; for that took away the ftrongeft reftraint ofcorrupt na- ture, the fear of future Judgment. For humane Laws do not punifh fec-ret crimes that are innumerable, nor all open, as thofe ofperfons in power, which are moft hurtful : Therefore they are a weak inftrument pre- T t ferve
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