Imatges de pàgina
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176

the

The ancient

of God.

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vain Ambition, that put them upon fuch affect which many of them are reported to have n fuch fingular Diet and odd Actions, which s of their Lives relate of them? If they had do as much good as they could by their Phi hey would have communicated it to all; but his, they taught it only to a felect Number of Men that were their own Difciples; and this oftentimes under an Engagement of Secrecy, or in a Way of Cant, which was unintelligible to all others. So that all thefe noble Rules of Morality, which would have made the World fo happy, were confined to a few Gentlemen only, that could afford Time and Money to get fuch philofophical Tutors; but for the reft of the World, for all the Philofophers, they must be content to live like Beafts ftill.

2. The Doctrine which was taught by the Generality Philofo- of the Heathen Philofophers, was injurious to the Nature phers m- and Attributes of God. Now to conceive wrong Noflaken in the Nature tions of God's Nature, will perfectly poifon Men's Morality; for Men muft needs fuit their Actions fo as to be agreeable and acceptable to the Deity they worship. So that if Men fancy God an impure, fenfual or carelefs Being, there is, no doubt, but their Lives will be of the fame Piece. Therefore the erroneous Opinions of the Heathen Philofophers concerning the Deity, were not pardonable Blunders, as many others in their Phyfiology were, but fuch Mistakes as were of fatal Confequence to the Virtuoufnefs of their own and Followers Lives. And what a World of Miftakes fhall we find them fubject to of this Kind? Some of them were downright Atheists, and believed no God at all, as Diagoras Melius, Theodorus, and Critias Athenienfis. The Spirituality of God was denied by Epicurus t, who was an Anthropomorphite, fimply prefuming that God was of the Figure of a Man; and by Zenophanes, who made him opaiga arans, a great impaflable Sphere or Globe of Matter. So Parmenides

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Sext. Emp. Hypot. Lib. 3. Cap. 24.

td. ib.

Eliates

Eliates*would have the Deity to be Fire and Earth, and Hippafus Metapontinus, and Heraclitus, the Fire only which Justin Martyr t relates of Plato likewife. The Unity of the Deity was Univerfally denied by them all, and they owned either the Gods of the Country, or the Parts of the World to be fuch; and tho' it was charged against Socrates in his Trial, that he difowned his Country-Gods, and their Worship; yet at his Death he discovers himself to be down-right Pagan, and orders his Executors to Sacrifice the Cock 4 he had vowed toÆfculapius. Ànd as for Plutarch, one of the fobereft of the Philofophers, he was the horrideft Polytheift of them all; for he afferts two fupreme Anti-Gods, one infinitely good, and the other infinitely wicked, which of all Errors is the most monftrous and abominably abfurd. The Infinity of God was denied by all those that afferted an infinite Number of Worlds*, as Anaximander, Anaximeres, Archelans, Diogenes, Lencippus, Democritus, and Epicurus; and by the Stoicks, who generally made him the Anima Mundi: For two actual Infinites are impoffible; and if the World be infinite, God is not. And as for the Anima Mundi, they made that only a fubtile corporeal Flame, permeating the whole World, and fo muft be terminated at the Bounds of it, and confequently finite. The Freedom of the divine Will was deftroyed by the Fatality of the Stoicks; and fo was God's Omnipotence fetter'd by the ftubborn Laws of their unalterable Fate. As for God's Providence, that was perfectly excluded the World by Epicurus, and not allow'd by Ariftotle † on this Side the celeftial Spheres. Thus you have feen, how these great Oracles of Reafon, and brave Natural-Religion-Men have been mistaken, everi in the common Notions of the Deity. Let us fee now whether they are not,

Clem. Alex. Protrept.

- Τὸν ἀνωτάτω θεὸν ἐν τῇ πυρώδει ἐσία είναι Cohortad Greeos. See Onatus the Pythagorean's Arguments for Ilurality of Gods, Stob. Ecl. Phyf. Lib. 1.

Plat. Phado.

Plutarch.

Stob. Ecl. Phyf. Cap. de Ort. & Inter

Id. Ec. Phyf. Cap. 25.

Na

3. Mistaken

Eroneous

in their

Moral Do-
Carines.

*

3. Miftaken in their Opinions concerning Virtue and Vice I should make a Day of it, fhould I recite all the filly and the wicked Opinions which occur in the Writings and Lives of the Philofophers: I fhall only mention fome few of them; to put you in Mind, that thefe old Sages are not fuch excellent Mafters in Morality as your Theiftical Gentlemen would pretend, and that their Reason is no fuch infallible Guide in natural Religion as you would have it. And now what fhall we think of the little puny Philofophers, when the great Plato himself was an Advocate for the Community of Goods, which would perfectly deftroy all Induftry and Peace in a Commonwealth; and what is yet wofe, when he contends for the common Ufe of one another's Wives? The famous Zenot, the Founder of the Stoical Sect, with his Followers after him, made all Sins equal, and that it was as great a Sin to ftcal a Pin, as to kill one's Father; and Sextus Empiricus || quotes out of him a Paffage, wherein he would prove, that it is as lawful to lie with one's Mother, as to ftroak her Arm; he likewife brings in the fame Zeno with the celebrated Stoicks Cleanthes and Chryfippus as making that execrable Crime of mafculine Venery a Thing indifferent. And Diogenes Laertius + in his Life lays it down as one of his Principles, to be merciful to no one, and to pardon no body. And Theophilus Antiochenus brings in him and Cleanthes, as afferting that Sons and Daughters might as lawfully roaft and eat their Parents Fief as other Food. He afferted that his μεγαλοψυχίας or Greatness of Soul, which was nothing else but a Stoi cal Pride, was fufficient for Happiness; but his Scholars, † Panatius and Polfidonius, fecing this liable to fo many Abfurdities, were forced afterward to allow Health, Wealth,

*

+ Lactant. Lib. 3. Cap. 22.

Plat. Repub. Lib. 1. Η Εἰ πού ἀσθενέσαν τὸ σῶμα ταῖς χερσὶ θείλας πρέπει ν aixein. Ei A tripa wifes Deinfas, to' & süper wulu Jeitas, παύσεις, η παιδας ἐκ τῆς μητρὸς γυναίες κινήσας, τἣν αἰχεν; Hyp. Lib. 2. Cap. 244.

4 Diog. Laert. Vi. Zen.

Vir. Zen.

ld. ib.

*Ad. Autol.Lib. 2.

+Laert.in

and

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and Strength to make it up. Diogenes the Cynick *, as
all his currish Sect, denied, that there was any Shameful-
nefs in publick Commixtures, and afferted, that Parents
might lawfully facrifice their Children, and eat their
Flefh. And Epicurus || allows incestuous Copulation with
Mother, or Daughter. Ariftippus & refused to maintain his
own Children, faying they were no more to be regarded
than the Spittle, or the Lice which were produced by the
Body. He made the pofitive brutifh Pleasure of the
Body (not Epicurus's Indolence) to be the chief Good
of Man; and taught, that a wife Man might commit
Theft, or Adultery, or Sacrilege, & xas, when he faw
convenient Opportunity, and not otherwife; that thefe
Crimes are not finful in themselves, fetting afide the Opi-
nion of the fimple Multitude which has made them fo.
And Laertius records a fophiftical Argument of his, which
he used, to prove the Lawfulness of Sodomy. Democri-
tus condemns the Ufe of Marriage for the Trouble of
it, and Epicurus agrees with him in the fame. And even
Ariftotle and Tully † are Advocates for Hatred and Re-
venge, thofe two moft diabolical Difpofitions which
Mankind is fubject to. Now this is enough upon this
Head, to fhew how mighty deficient your natural Reli
gion is to teach Men their Duty; and how infirm a Rule
of Morals human Reafon is, when thefe fo great Masters
of it could in thefe Matters be fo fhamefully mista

ken.

4. Neither was the Practice of the Heathen Philofophers, Their Lives as to Moral Duties, better than their Principles. And truly, vitious, without Breach of Charity, I may conclude them all, except Socrates (whom I am willing to have a good Opinion of) to be a Parcel of hypocritical defigning Knaves, who talked a great Deal of Virtue, when they had not the Jeaft Pretence to it. "St. Anftin || remarks Plato to practise

Id. ib.

*Laert. in Vit. Diog. + Theoph. Antioch. ad Autol. Lib. 2.
Laert. Vit, Ariftippi.. + Cle. Alex. Strom. Lib.2.
Nicom. Vib. IV. c. 2, + Cic. de Invent. 1. 2. &
† Aug. de Civ. Dei, Lib. 8. Cap, 12.

Arift. ad

Ep. ad Att.

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the Idolatry of his Country, tho' against his Confcience. His Spleen and Pride were noted by all his Cotemporaries; which made Antisthenes, when he faw him once vomiting, fay, I fee his Gall come up, but where is his Pride? The fame Philofopher feeing a prancing Horfe with gaudy Trappings, faid to Plato, Behold your Picture. He spent a good Part of his Time with Ariftippus, as a Flatterer in Dionyfius's Court. Diogenes the Cynick kept a dirty Whore called Phryne t, and lay with her openly in the Streets. The famous Spenfippus was killed in Adultery. Ariftippus ‡, befides a Houfeful of Boys and Whores which he kept, was familiar, as he acknowledges himself, with the famous Strumpet Lais. The fame Ariftippus villainoufly forfwore the Money which was depofited in his Hands. Crates, and the Philofophefs Hipparchia, ufed to ftroll about the Country, and lie together publickly in the Eyes of the People, Xenophon was a notorious Sodomite t, and kept a Boy called Clineas, to whom in Laertius he thus expreffes his fcandalous Paffion, I would be blind to all Things elfe, fo I might fee Clinias; Thanks to the Day and the Sun that reveal to me Clinias's Face: And his Adverfary Mero Pharfalius there upbraids him, not for the Vice it felf, but for his mira tanding, his making Ufe of grown Men for his lewd Purpofes. Menippus the Cynick was a fordid Ufurer, and hang'd himfelf at laft for a great Lofs. Menedemus, another Cynick (as most of the Tribe) defpifed all Industry and human Sciences; and one fhewing him a delicate SunDial, faid only, 'twas a fine Invention for a Man not to lefe his Supper, The Philofopher Herillus† was in his Youth a pathick Boy, Cleanthes +, Chryfippus, and Zeno, made away with themselves; and fo did Cato, whom Lactantius calls Socratice vanitatis imitator; and Cleombrotus, by reading Plato's Book of the Inmmortality of the

*. Laert. in Vit. Antist. + Tertul, in Apol. Laert, in ejus Vit. Tert. Apol. Lactant. Lib. 3. Cap. 7. Lacrt. in Ariftippo. +Ter tel. in Apel * Laert, in vita Hippar. + Diog. Laert. in Vit. Xenoph. Id. Vit. Menip. Id. Vit. Menedemi. + Id. in cjus Lat. Lib. 3. Cap. 7.

Vit.

Soul.

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