"phers, besides the one supreme original Deity, conceived great numbers of superior natures, invested with great pow"ers of government, in certain parts of the universe-and "that the heathens called those superior beings gods, and "the Christians called them angels."* But nothing is plainer, than that the philosophers ascribe things to the gods, which no way agree to the idea the Scripture teaches us to form of angels, and which properly belong to the one true God. In several of the passages above mentioned, the gods are represented as the causes and governors of the universe, ordering and directing all things, extending their power and providence to every thing, the smallest as well as the greatest, as every where present and knowing all things, not only all men's actions, but even their most secret thoughts, as the fountain of all good things, and the disposers of all events, to whom we owe the most absolute subjection, resignation, and obedience, in whose appointments we must always acquiesce, being satisfied that they never can do wrong, and that they administer all things with the most perfect understanding, righteousness, and goodness: that it is our duty to worship and adore them; that to them we must offer up our prayers, and most devoutly and thankfully ascribe the praise of every good thing which befalleth us; that we must refer all things to them and to their will, and in them must place our confidence and trust. The censures therefore which the learned Dr. Cudworth passed upon the poets, may be justly applied to the most celebrated philosophers. "That they made the theology of "the Pagans look aristocratically-by their speaking so much "of the gods in general, and without distinction, and attri"buting the government of the whole to them in common, if it were managed and carried on by a common coun"cil and republic of gods,† wherein all things were deter

66

as

* Glasgow translation of Antoninus, p. 299.

† Balbus, in Cicero's second book of the Nature of the Gods, asserts, that “ the "world is governed by the council of the gods.-Deorum consilio mundum ad. "ministrari." Cap. 29. p. 177. Edit. Davis, 2do. To the same purpose he VOL. I.

M m

"mined by a majority of voices, and as if their Jupiter or 66 supreme God were no more among them than a speaker "of the House of Lords or Commons, or the chairman of a "committee."* The same learned author acknowledges concerning the Stoics, that "they often derogate from the "honour of the supreme Deity, by attributing such things "to the gods in common as the donors of them, which plainly "belong to the supreme God.”+

Thus the philosophers, by talking of God and the gods promiscuously, contributed to confound the notions of the people, and countenanced and confirmed them in their polytheism, and in their veneration for the popular deities.

represents the gods as joined together by a kind of civil consociation, and go. verning the world as a common city or republic. "Inter se quasi civili concili"atione et societate conjunctos, unum mundum ut communem rempublicam at“que urbem aliquam regentes." Ibid. cap. 31. p. 179.

* Cudworth's Intel. System, p. 357.

+ Ibid. p. 427.

CHAP. XV.

Some farther considerations to show how little was to be expected from the philosophers for recovering the Pagans from their polytheism and idolatry. They referred the people for instruction in divine matters to the oracles, which were managed by the priests. This shown particularly concerning Socrates, Plato, and the Stoics. It was a universal maxim among them, that it was the duty of every wise and good man to conform to the religion of his country. And no t only did they worship the gods of their respective countries, according to the established rites, and exhort others to do so, but when they themselves took upon them the character of legislators, and drew up plans of laws, and of the best forms of government, not the worship of the one true God, but polytheism, was the religion they proposed to establish.

Ìr is a farther instance of the philosophers' countenancing the popular idolatries and superstitions, that, except the Epicureans and others who denied a providence, they generally encouraged divination and the oracles. Socrates himself was very remarkable this way. Xenophon mentions it as a proof of his piety, that he openly used divination; and speaking of those who thought that the gods signified things to men by birds, omens, presages, and sacrifices, he says, that Socrates thought so too.* He frequently advised men to follow the direction of the oracles, especially in matters of religion.+ And above all he showed a great veneration for the Delphian oracle. Xenophon observes, that when any persons inquired of the Pythian oracle what they should do with respect to sacrifices, and the religion of their ancestors, or any thing of

* Xen. Memorab. Socrat. lib. i. cap. 1. s. 2, 3.

+ Socrates advised him that would know things above the reach of human wisdom to apply himself to divination. For that that man would never be destitute of the counsel and direction of the gods, who should know and observe by what way they signified things to men. Xen. Memorab. lib. iv. cap. 7. s. 10. This shows the sense he had of the great need men stood in of a direction from above in divine matters, which also appears from several other passages. But it is a mortifying thing to think, that a person of his great understanding should send men for knowing the divine will, to what was then called divination, and to the oracles of the gods.

that nature, the oracle was wont to answer them, that they would act piously, if they performed these things according to the laws of their respective cities; and he informs us, that Socrates, in matters relating to the gods, rà gos ras Dea's, both spoke and acted conformably to that direction of the oracle: that he both did this himself, and exhorted others to do so : and looked upon those who acted otherwise as vain and superstitious persons, Teggyous, persons impertinently busy, or that meddled with things which did not belong to them. A remarkable instance of this we have in his excellent conversation with Euthydemus before referred to. When this young man expressed his concern, that he knew not how to make worthy returns to the gods for the many benefits received from them, Socrates bids him not be discouraged at this: "For," says he, "thou seest the god at Delphi, when "any one asks him, how he may do that which is acceptable "to the gods, answers, By worshipping them according to "the law of the city-vów oλews."* Agreeable to this is the description he gives of piety, and of a pious man. After having observed, that piety is a most excellent and beautiful thing, he describes the pious man to be one that honoureth the gods: but that it is not lawful for any man to worship the gods as he himself thinks fit. There are laws according to which it is to be done: and he who observes those laws may know how the gods ought to be honoured. He concludes, therefore, that he that honoureth the gods according to the laws, honoureth them as he ought: and he who honoureth the gods as he ought, is a truly pious man. This is the substance of Socrates' discourse on this head, as recorded by Xenophon. Thus we see, it was in Socrates' opinion essential to true piety to worship the gods, and to worship them in the manner and according to the rites established by the laws. And among the Attic laws this was one: "Let it "be a law among the Athenians for ever sacred and inyio

Xen. Memorab. lib. iv. c. 3. s 16. + Ibid. cap. 6. s. 2, 3, 4.

"lable, always to render due homage in public towards the "gods, and native heroes, according to the usual custom of "the country, and with all possible sincerity to offer in pri"vate, first fruits with anniversary cakes."* And it was before shown, that every citizen of Athens was obliged to take a solemn oath to conform to the religion of his country.

It is a great mistake to suppose, as some have done, that Socrates endeavoured to draw men off from the public religion, or from the worship of the popular deities. Dacier, in his introduction to Socrates' apology, says, that "Socrates "attacked the superstition of the Athenians, and the plurali66 ty of their gods, by exposing the ridiculousness of the fa❝bles, with which their theology was filled, and by that " means endeavoured to bring them to the knowledge of the 66 one true God." And it is true, that Socrates disapproved the literal sense of some of the poetical fables, which raised a prejudice against him in the minds of the Athenians; yet he supposed those fables to contain a hidden and mysterious meaning, and that the poets, as well as the diviners and deliverers of oracles, were inspired by a divine afflatus. This appears from the passages produced above, chap. vi. to which I refer the reader. He never dissuaded the people from worshipping the gods appointed by the laws. The accusation brought against him by Anytus and Melitus was, that he did not believe those to be the gods which the city believed, and that he introduced other new gods. But against this charge Xenophon zealously vindicates him, by observing, that he openly sacrificed to the gods, frequently at home, and often at the public altars of the city. And Socrates himself, in his apology to his judges, declares, that he wonders how Melitus came to know that he did not esteem them to be gods whom the city regarded as such, since many had seen him sacrificing on the common festivals, and at the public

Potter's Greek Antiq. vol. I. p. 136. 1st edit.

+ See the learned M. Des Veaux's life of Julian, vol. II. p. 232.

Xen. Memor. lib i. cap. 1. s. 1, 3.