KSSA YS CIVIL AND MORAL. 



&quot; Non dcos vulgi ncgarc profamun ; scd vulgi opinioncs cliis applicare 

 profanum.&quot; Plato could have said no more. And although he had 

 the confidence to deny the administration, he had not the power to 

 deny the nature. The Indians of the west have names for their par- 

 ticulargods, though they have no name I m- Cod ; as if the heathens 

 should have had the names Jupiter, Apollo, Mars, etc., but not the 

 word AV/.V : which shows, that even those barbarous people have the 

 notion, though they have not the latitude and extent of it. So that 

 against atheists the very savages take part with the very suhtilcst 

 philosophers. The contemplative atheist is rare ; a Diagoras, a IJion, 

 a Lucian perhaps, and some others ; and yet they seem to be more 

 lhan they are ; for that all that impugn a received religion, or super 

 stition, are by the adverse part branded with the name of atheists. 

 Itut the great atheists indeed are hypocrites ; which are ever handling 

 holy things, but without feel in;.; ; so as they must needs be cauterized 

 in the (Mid. The causes of atheism arc ; divisions in religion, if they 

 be many ; for any one main division addeth 7.cal to both sides ; but 

 many divisions introduce atheism. Another is, scandal of priests; 

 when it is come to that which S. I .ernard saith, &quot;non cst jam dicerc, 

 ut populus, sic sacerdos : quia nee sic populus, tit saccrdos.&quot; A third 

 is, custom of profane scoffing in holy matters ; which doth by little 

 and little deface the reverence of religion. And lastly, learned times, 

 especially with peace and prosperity : for troubles and adversities do 

 more bow men s minds to religion. They that deny a Cod destroy 

 man s nobility : for certainly mail is of kin to the beasts by his body ; 

 and if he be not of kin to Cod by his spirit, he is a base and ignoble 

 creature. It destroys likewise magnanimity, and the raising of human 

 nature: for take an example of a dog, and mark what a generosity and 

 courage he will put on, when he tinds himself maintained by a man ; 

 who to him is instead of a (iod, or melior nalura : which courage is 

 manifestly such, as that creature, without that confidence of a better 

 nature than his o\\n, could never attain. So man, when he rcstcth 

 and assureth himself upon divine protection and favour, gathcrcth a 

 force and faith, which human nature in itself could not obtain : there 

 fore as atheism is in all respects hateful, so in this, that it dcpriveth 

 human nature of the means to exalt itself above human frailty. As it 

 is in particular persons, so it is in nations : never was there such a 

 state for magnanimity as Rome ; of this state hear what Cicero saith : 

 11 Quam vplumus, licet, panes conscript!, nos amcmus, tamen nee 

 numcro Hispanos, nee robore Callos, nee callidatc Pcenos, ncc arlibus 

 draxos, ncc dcniquc hoc ipso hujus gentis et terra domcstico nativoque 

 iisu I talus ipsos et Latinos ; scd pietatc, ac religionc, atquc hac m.a 

 sapient ia, quod dconim immortalium numine omnia regi gubcrnariquc 

 pcrspcximus, omncs gentes nationesquc superavimus 



XVII. OF SUPKRST1TION. 



It were better to have no opinion of (iod at all, than such an 

 opinion as i-, unworthy of him : for the one is unbelief, the other is 



