verns and directs the counfels, determinations and actions of our minds; " and therefore❜ denies, that fuch vile and wicked men are to be heard or born with, who, when they are in fault, and convicted of a crime, fly to the neceffity of fate, as to an Afylum, and fay, that what they have wickedly done, is not to be ascribed to their own rashness, but to fate." And then fome lines in Homer are mention'd, in which Jupiter is introduced, complaining that men accused the Gods of being the author of their evils, when their forrows, over and above fate, arofe from their own wickedness. Now, from hence it appears, whatever mistakes there may be thought to be in this way of reasoning, they did not believe that God was the author of fin, or that the fins of men were to be ascribed to fate, but to the pravity of their wills; and that whatever diftant concern fate had in these things, yet it did not excuse the wickedness of the actions of men, nor exempt them from punishment.

a Propterea negat oportere ferri audirique homines aut nequam aut ignavos & nocentes & audaces, qui cum in culpa & in maleficio revicti funt, perfugiunt ad fati neceffitatem, tanquam in aliquod fani afylum, & quae peffime fecerunt, ea non fuae temeritati fed fato effe attribuenda dicunt. Ib.

b Ω πόποι, οιον δηνυ Θεος βρίζοι αιτούνται
Εξ ημεων γαρ φασι κακ' εμμεναι οι δε και αυτοι
Σφησιν αλαπάλιησιν υπέρ μόρον αλγε' έχεσιν.

Homer, Odyff. 1. lin. 22, 23, 24.

This may be further illuftrated by the instance of Zeno and his fervant. Zeno caught his fervant playing the thief, and beat him for it. The fellow, agreeable to his mafter's doctrine, as he thought, and in vindication of himself, fays, that he was deftin'd by fate to steal. Yes, replies Zeno, and to be beaten too. When it is objected to us, that we make God the author of fin, we deny it, and clear our felves, by diftinguishing between the action and the disorder. of it; for, tho' God is concerned in all motion and action, for in him we live, move, and have our being, and he is the firft caufe and mover of all things; yet the ataxy, diforder and iniquity of any action, arife from our felves, and our own corrupt will, and affections; and whatever concern we fuppofe the decrees of God have about fin, yet they do not excufe the wickedness of men, or exempt them from proper punishment: the fame decree which permits fin, provides for the punishment of it.

(6.) How far foever the Stoicks carried their doctrine of fate or deftiny, it is certain, they never thought it had a tendency to loofenefs of life; nor does it appear to

с

Δελον επι κλοπη (φασιν) εμαςιγγο τις δ' ειποι 10, είμα το μοι κλέψας, και δαρήναι, εφη. Laert. 1. 7. in

vita Zenon.

Part III.

P

have

have had any fuch influence upon them,
for, of all the fects of the philofophers,
none were more addicted to, in the love and
practice of, moral virtue, than this fect.
The manual of Epictetus, his commentaries,
digefted by Arrianus, the writings of Seneca,
and of the Emperor Mark Antonine, do
abundantly declare their strict regard to the
worthip of God, and the doing of Justice
among men. This made Jofephus say,
that the fect of the Pharifees, which was
the fricteft fect among the Jews for mo-
rality and external holinefs, was very much
like to that of the Stoicks. "Tis, indeed,
faid of Tiberius Nero, that he was more
negligent of God and religion, being fully
perfuaded that all things were done by fate;
but then the hiftorian obferves, that he was
addicted to the mathematicks, fo that the
fate he gave into, was not the Stoical fate,
as afferted by the best writers of that fect,
but the mathematical fate, which depended
upon the influence of the ftars. Now of
thefe things in which we agree with them
we are not ashamed, and what advantage
our opponents are able to make of all this,
I fee not.
But others of this fect, or the

e

d Η φαρισαίων αίρεσις παραπλησιΘ εςι τη παρ' Έλλησι coin deyounun. Jofeph. in vita fua.

Circa Deos & religiones negligentior, quippe addictus mathematicae, perfuafionifque plenus, cuneta fato sgi. Sueton. Tiber. Nero. c. 69.

fame

fame writers, by either contradicting them-felves, or one another, or as they have been understood by others, very greatly differ from us in their doctrine of fate or destiny; as when,

(1.) And as far as they agree with the Chaldeans and aftrologers, who placed fate in the pofition and influence of the stars. The wifer fort of them, indeed, rejected the dreams and follies of judiciary aftrology, and were far from making fate wholly to confift in these things; and yet it seems as tho' they were more or lefs included by them in their feries and connexion of caufes which they make fate to be: however, it is certain that the vulgar fort had no other notion of fate than this, which made Auftin fay, "That when men hear fate spoken of according to the usual custom of speech, they understand nothing else but the influence of the pofition of the stars ; fuch as it is when a man is born or conceived." Now between this notion of fate, and our doctrine concerning God's decrees, there is no manner of agreement. We deny any fuch influence of the stars, which work by a neceffity of nature, upon the

f Vid. Cicer. de divinatione, 1. 2.

Nam id homines quando audiunt, ufitata loquendi con fuetudine, non intelligunt nifi vim pofitionis fyderum, qualis eft quando quis nafcitur five concipitur. Aug. de civ. Dei, 1. 5, c. I.

wills and actions of men; and therefore, when this was objected to the doctrine of grace, taught by the above writer, he anfwers"," They that affert fate, fays he, contend, that not only actions and events, but that our wills depend upon the pofition of the ftars, at the time that a man is conceived or born, which they call conftellations; but the grace of God not only exceeds all the stars and all the heavens, but even all the angels. Moreover, the affertors of fate, afcribe both the good and evil things of men unto it; but God profecutes the finful demerits of men with their due reward, and gives good things with a merciful will, thro' undeferved grace; doing both, not according to the then present confort of the ftars, but according to the high and eternal counfel of his feverity and goodnefs: wherefore we fee, that neither belong to fate."

Fatum quippe qui affirmant, de fyderum pofitione ad tempus quo concipitur quifque vel nafcitur, quas conftellationes vocant, non folum actus & eventa, verum etiam ipfas noftras voluntates pendere contendunt. Dei vero gratia non folum omnia fydera, & omnes coelos, verum etiam omnes angelos fupergreditur. Deinde fati affertores & bona & mala hominum fato tribuunt. Deus autem in malis hominum meritis corum debita retributione profequitur, bona vero per indebitam gratiam mifericordi voluntate largitur, utrumque faciens non per ftellarum temporale confortium, fed per fuae feveritatis & bonitatis aeternum altunique confilium. Neutrum ergo pertinere videmus ad fatum. Aug, contr. duas Epift. Pelag. 1. 2. c. 6.

I

(2.) When