SECT. II. And first of Paganism. That there is but one God. That created Beings are either good or bad. That the Good are not to be worshipped without the Command of the Supreme God. 4 AND first against the Heathens, we say, if they suppose many Gods, eternal and equal, this is sufficiently confuted in the first Book; where we have shewn that there is but one God, the Cause of all Things. If by Gods, they mean created Beings superior to Man, these are either good or bad; if they say they are good, they ought in the first Place to be very well assured of this, (a) lest they fall into great Danger, by entertain ing (a) Lest they fall into great Danger, &c.] 2 Cor. xii. 14. Porphyry in his Second Book about abstaining from eating Animals, says, that " By those who are opposite (to the Gods,) "all Witchcraft is performed; for both these and their "Chief are worshipped by all such as work Evil upon Men's "Fancies, by Enchantments; for they have a Power to de"ceive, by working strange Things: By them evil Spirits "" prepare Philtres and Love Potions: All Incontinence, and "Love of Riches and Honour, and especially Deceit, pro"ceed from them; for it is natural for them to lye: they "are willing to be thought Gods; and the highest of them "in Power, to be esteemed God." And afterwards concerning the Egyptian Priests: "These put it past all Dispute, "that there are a Kind of Beings, who give themselves up to deceive; of various Shapes and Sorts; Dissemblers, "sometimes assuming the Form of Gods or Dæmons, or of "Souls of dead Men; and by this Means they can effect "any seeming Good or Evil; but as to Things really good "in themselves, such as those belonging to the Soul; of "producing these, they have no Power, neither have they "any knowledge of them; but they abuse their Leisure, "mock others, and hinder those who walk in the Way "of Virtue; they are filled with Pride, and delight in Per"fumes and Sacrifice." And Arnobius, Book IV. against the Gentiles; "Thus the Magicians, Brethren to the Soothsayers in their Actions, mention certain Beings, opposite 66 " to ing Enemies instead of Friends; Deserters instead of Ambassadors. And Reason also requires that there should be some manifest Difference in the Worship, betwixt the Supreme God, and these Beings: And further, we ought to know of what Rank these Beings are, what Benefit we may expect from any of them, and what Honour the Supreme King would have us to pay them. All which Things being wanting in their Religion, it sufficiently appears from thence, that there is nothing of Certainty in it; and it would be much safer for them to betake themselves to the Worship of the one Supreme God; (a) which even Plato owned to be the Duty of a wise Man; because as good Beings are the Ministers of the Supreme God, (b) they cannot but be assisting to such as are in Favour with him. SECT. III. A Proof that evil Spirits were worshipped by the Heathen, and the Unfitness of it shewn. BUT that the Spirits to which the Heathen. paid their Worship, were evil, and not good, appears from many substantial Arguments. First, "to God, who often impose upon Men for true Gods. And "these are certain Spirits of grosser Matter, who feign "themselves to be Gods." Not to transcribe too much, we find something to the same Purpose in Jamblichus, concerning the Egyptian Mysteries, Book III. Chap. 33. and Book IV. Chap. 17. (a) Which even Plato owned, &c.] by us, and other Gods by others.' "Jupiter is worshipped The Words are quoted by Origen, in his Eighth Book against Celsus. (b) They cannot but be assisting, &c.] This is very well prosecuted by Arnobius, Book III. because (a) because they did not direct their Worshippers to the Worship of the Supreme God; but did as much as they could to suppress such Worship, or at least, were willing in every Thing to be equalled with the Supreme God in Worship. Secondly, because they were the Cause of the greatest Mischiefs coming upon the Worshippers of the one Supreme God, provoking the Magistrates and the People, to inflict Punishments upon them: For though they allowed their Poets the Liberty to celebrate the Murders and Adulteries of their Gods; and the Epicureans, to banish the Divine Providence out of the World; nor was there any other Religion so disagreeable in its Rites, but they admitted it into their Society, as the Egyptian, Phrygian, Greek, and Tuscan Rites at Rome; (b) yet the Jews were every where ridiculed, as appears from their Satires and Epigrams, (c) and were sometimes banished, (d) and the Christians had moreover the most cruel Punishments inflicted upon them: For which there can be no other Reason assigned, but because these two Sects worshipped one God, whose Honour the Gods they established opposed, being more jealous of him than of one another. Thirdly, from the Manner of their Worship, (a) Because they did not direct, &c.] This is very well treated of by Augustin, Book X. Chap. 14, 16, 19, of his City of God. 66 r (b) Yet the Jews were every where ridiculed, &c.] As being cropt, circumcised, Sabbath-keepers, Worshippers of "the Clouds and Heavens, merciful to Swine." (c) And were sometimes banished, &c.] Tacitus, Annal. II. Seneca, Epist. XIX. tonius in Tiberius, Chap. 26. Josephus, XVIII. 5. (d) And the Christians had moreover, &c.] Tacitus Annal. XV. to which that of Juvenal relates: You like a Torch shall burn, As they who flaming stund, stifled with Smoke, And with their Body's Print have marked the Ground. such such as is unworthy of a good and virtuous Mind; (a) by human Blood, (b) by Men's running naked about their Temples, (c) by Games and Dancings, filled with Uncleanness; such are now to be seen amongst the People of America and Africa, who are overwhelmed in the Darkness of Heathenism. Nay more than this; there were of old, and still are, People who worship evil Spirits, which they know and own to be such; (d) as the Arimanes of the Persians, the Cacodemons of the Greeks, (e) and the Vejoves of the Latins; and some of the thiopians and Indians now have others; than which, nothing can be imagined more impious. For what else is religious Worship, but a Testimony of the exceeding Goodness which you acknowledge to be in him whom you worship; which, if it be paid to an evil Spirit, is false and counterfeit, and comprehends in it the Sin of Rebellion; because the Honour due to the King, is not only taken from him, but transferred to a Deserter and his Enemy. And it is a foolish Opinion, to imagine that a good God will not revenge this, because that is not agreeable to his Goodness; (f) for (a) By human Blood, &c.] See what was said of this, Book II. (b) By Men's running naked about, &c.] As in their Rites dedicated to Pan. See Livy, Book I. Plutarch in Antonius, and others. (c) By Games and Dancings, &c.] As in the Rites of Flora. See Ovid's Fasti, Book IV. and Tatian, and Origen, in his Eighth against Celsus. (d) As the Arimanes of the Persians, &c.] See Plutarch's Isis and Osiris, and Diogenes Laërtius in his Preface. See also Thomus Stanley, of the Philosophy of the Persians: and our Observations upon the Word Arimanes in the Index. Le Clerc. (e) And the Vejoves of the Latins, &c.] of the Nature of the Gods. (f) For Clemency, if it be reasonable, &c.] "love, unless you be afraid not to love?" against Marcion. Cicero, Book III. "How can you Tertullian First Clemency, Clemency, if it be reasonable, hath its proper Bounds; and where the Crimes are very great, Justice itself foresees Punishment, as it were, necessary. Nor are they less blameable, who say, that they are driven by Fear to pay Obedience to evil Spirits; for He who is infinitely good, is also in the highest Degree ready to communicate; and therefore all other Beings were produced by him. And if it be so, it will follow that he hath an absolute Right over all Creatures, as his own Workmanship; so that nothing can be done by any of them, if He desires to hinder it: Which being granted, we may easily collect that evil Spirits cannot hurt him who is in Favour with the Most High God, who is infinitely good; any further, than that God suffers it to be done for the Sake of some Good. Nor can any Thing be obtained of evil Spirits, but what ought to be refused; (a) because a bad Being, when he counterfeits one that is good, is then worst; and (b) the Gifts of Enemies are only Snares. SECT. IV. Against the Heathen Worship paid to departed Men. THERE have been, and now are, Heathens, who say that they pay Worship to the Souls of Men departed this Life. But here in the first Place, this Worship is also to be distinguished by manifest Tokens, from the Worship of the Supreme God. Besides, our Prayers to them are to no Purpose, if those Souls cannot assist us in any Thing; (a) Because a bad Being, &c.] See the Verses of Syrus the Mimic. (b) The Gifts of Enemies are only Snares, &c.] Sophocles. Enemies' Gifts are no Gifts, no Advantage. Α and |