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and out of their Sight; tho' they might, by the Light of Reafon, perceive, that it was incompatible with the Divine Wisdom to create Man in a State of Depravation, and with the Divine Goodnefs to fuffer him for ever to lie remedilefs under it.

They were ignorant (as we obferv'd before) of any Form of Worfhip, that might be acceptable to God, and of any certain way of appeafing his Wrath, when they were confcious of their Offences againft him; and therefore we find Cicero, the greatest and best Philofopher, that Rome, or perhaps any other Nation ever produced, allowing Men "to "continue the Idolatry of their An"ceftors, and advifing them to con"form themselves to the fuperftitious "Religion of their Country, in offer"ing fuch Sacrifices to different Gods, as were by Law established."

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They were ignorant, at least they taught nothing, of the exceeding Love of God towards us, of his Defire of our Happiness, and his Readiness to conduct us in the Ways of Virtue; and therefore a fome of them made their fupreme Ff 2 Jupiter

Ź A patribus acceptos Dess placet coli, De Legib. L. 2. Item illud ex Inftitutis Pontificum & Aurufpicum non mutandum eft, quibus Hfliis immolandum cuique Deo, ibid. a Epicureans.

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Jupiter a folitary kind of Being, wholly taken up in the Contemplation of his own Perfections, and leaving the Government of all fublunary things at leaft, either to fome inferior Agents, or to the Guidance of a blind unthinking Chance. And lastly,

They were ignorant, at least b they taught nothing, of a divine Grace and Affiftance towards our Attainment of Virtue, and Perfeverance in it; and therefore we find others of them making fuch infolent Beafts, equalling themfelves to the Gods, and fometimes preferring themselves before them, because they had Difficulties to encounter, which made their Conqueft of Vice, and their Improvements in Virtue more glorious in them, than in the Gods, who were good by the Neceffity of their Na

ture.

Doubtful And, as these Philofophers were utand unterly ignorant of fome, fo were they far others. from being clear and confiftent with themselves in other great Articles of Religion.

They

Non quis, quod bonus vir effet, gratias Diis egit unquam. Jovem optimum maximum ob eas reas appellant, non quod nos juftos, temperatos, fapientes efficiat, fed quod falvos, incolumes, opulentos, copiofos. Cic. de Nat. Deorum. Lib. 3. The Stoicks. d Eft aliquid, quo fapiens antecedat Deum : ille ratura Beneficio, non Juo, fapiens eft. Sen. Epift. 53. Si ci virtus animusque in corpore præfens, hic Deos aquat. Epift. 92.

They had but dark and confus'd Notions of the Nature of God; and therefore the celebrated Socrates ingenuously confefs'd, that all he knew of God was, that he knew nothing, and for this Reafon endeavour'd to draw Men off from divine and celeftial Contemplations, as being what he found too high for humane Reason to understand, and to betake themselves to the Study of Civil Life.

They had but dark and confused Notions of the Summum Bonum, or Supreme Felicity of Man; and therefore Cicero tells us, that there was fuch a Diffention them among upon this Head, that it was almost impoffible to reckon up their different Sentiments, even while himself is fetting down the Notions of above twenty of them, all equally extravagant and abfurd.

They had but weak and uncertain Notions of the Immortality of the Soul: for, however they might perceive it to have a fpiritual Exiftence, yet they could from thence deduce no Argument, but that God might deftroy it, if he pleased; and therefore & Cicero plainly declares, that which of the two OpiFf3

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Vid. Burnet's Demonft. L. I. Stebbing on the Ufe and Advantage of Revelation. Tufc. Queft,

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nions [that the Soul is Mortal, or that it is Immortal] be true, God only knows which, among other Declarations of the like Nature, might probably induce h Seneca to fay, That Immortality, however defirable in it felf, was rather promised, than proved by these great Men.

They had weak and uncertain Notions of a future State: for though their Poets had prettily fancied an Elyfrum and an Hell, yet all fober Men looked upon thefe, rather as well contrived Reftraints for the Vulgar, than any Matters of their own Belief; and therefore * Socrates is introduced, as faying, I hope there is a Place where I, and good Men fhall meet, yet I cannot affirm it. I wish, lays Cicero, that you could prove to me that our Souls are Immortal; and, if wife Men have faid true, fays m Seneca, there is a Place to receive us after Death; fo that, after all their Meditations on a fu→ ture State, they wanted Arguments to convince themselves, and ended all their Difquifitions in a Peradventure and a Wish. But, what is more,

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They had no Notion at all of the Refurrection of the Body: For, tho' their Poets make frequent mention of the Ghofts of departed Men, appearing in a visible Form,

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Ep. 102. Young's Serm. Vol. 1. Plato in Phad. Tufc. Queft.

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Ad Lucil.

Form, and retaining, in the Shades below, their former Shape; yet by this (if they mean any thing) they mean no more, than that the Soul, after this Life, paffes into another State, and is there invested with a Body made up of light Aerial Particles, quite different from what it were before: For, that the grofs Matter, which they faw laid in the Grave, and turned to Corruption, or burnt to Afhes, and blown away in the Air, fhould ever be raised or collected again, and revivified, of this the most Speculative among them had no Conception. And therefore, when " St. Paul preached at Athens (which was then the great Seat of Learning) Jefus and the Refurrection, fo ignorant were the Philofophers, that at firft they took them to be a new God, and a new Goddess; but, when, upon a second hearing, they came to perceive what he meant by the Refurrection of the Dead, they mocked him, and made Ridicule of what he said.

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Practices.

Thus ignorant, or thus doubtful at They aleaft, were fome of the greatest Names betted in Antiquity of these prime and fundamental Truths, which must be acknowledged the great Barriers of Virtue and Religion: And therefore we need lefs wonder, that we find fo many of them abetting

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Acts xvii.

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