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in themselves the fame poWer. But tho natum os excellen
admits of greater perfection in him in Whom tho Wholo is, than in him in .hom there is only a smali part of the whole. But God, it He is perfect causs Hs is perfect), as He ought tobe, cannot but be one, so that ali inings may bo in Him.
sion For Whateor is capable os division must os necessi bellabis to dostruction also. But is destruction is far removinhom God, becauso Hs is incorruptibis and eternat, it follows that the divino poWer is incapable os division. There re Godis one, it that Which admits of so great pomer can be nothing
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ono is much mors eastly goorned by one. Some one may perhaps say that so immense a Work as that of tho universo could not even havo been fabricated excepi is many. But hoWeVer many and hoWeVer great ho may considerthem,-Whatever magnitude, poWer, excellence, and majesty lis may attributo to tho many,-the whole os that I assign to one, and say that it exista in ono: so that thero is in Him sucti an
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mithout ono generat and commander. But it there Were in onoamy as many generals as there are legions, cohoris, divisions,
tage. So, in this goomment of the affaira os nature, utilessthero aliali bo one to whom the care of the whole is referred
is equivalent to a declaration that there are many minds in onebody, since there are many and Various offices of the members,so that separato tands may be supposed to FVern Separate senses; and also the many affections, by Which me are aecu
tomed in bo moved either to anger, or to destre, M to jV, orto fear, or to pity, so that in ali these affections as many mindsmay be supposed to operato ; and is any one aliould say this, homould appeis to bo destituto even of that very mind, whicli isone. But ii in ono body ono mind possesses tho goverament of so many things, and is at tho fame time occupied with the whole, Why should any one suppose that tho universe cannot be governed by one, but that it can be govemed by mors than ono Andbem e thoso maintainers of many gods are aWare of this, theysay that they so preside over separate offices and paris, that thero is stili one clites ruler. Tho othera, theresore, on this principie, Will not bo Mds, but attendanis and ministers, Whom thatone most mighty and omnipotent appotnted to theso ossices, and they themselves .ill be subservient in his authority and command. Η, thereiare, ali are not equat to ons mother, allare not gods; for that whicli serves and that Whicli reses cannot be tho fame. For is God is a titie of the highest poWer, ΗΟ must be incorruptibie, perfeci, incapabis of suffering, and subject to no being; thereiore they am not gods Whom nece stu compeis in obey tho one greatest God. But becauso thoywho hold this opinion ars not deceived Without cause, Wo will presently lay open ine cause of this error. μ' let us proveis testimontes ths uni of the divine power.
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propheta. The propheis, Who mers Very many, proclaim and declare
monioua voice. But those Who ars ignorant of tho truth do
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CHAP. V.- tha testimonias of poeta and philosophera. But let us leavo the testimony of propheis, test a proof d
bacauso ho saW that it Was an element of tho universe, and mustiiself have had an author. This consideration led him to that fira, rn Dd, in Whom ho assigns and gives the fidit placo.
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Homer Was abis to givo us no insormation relating to thotruth, for he wrote of human rather than divino things. Hesiod was able, sor ho comprised in tho Work of ono book ibo generation of the gods; but yet he gave us no information, sorho took his commencement not from God tho Creator, butsrom chaos, Whicli is a confused mass of rude and unarrangedmatter; Whereas ho ought siret to havo explained si om What fource, at What time, and in What manner, chaos irael ξ hadbegun to exist or is have consistency. Without doubi, as allthings mere placed in order, arranged, and made by some artificer, so matter irael f must os necessi have been formed bysome being. Who, then, made it except God, to Whose poWerali things aro subject But ho fhrinha from admitting this, whilo he droada tho unknown truth. For it Was by the inspiration of the musea, as hs Wished it to appear, that he poured forth that song on Helicon, but he had come after previous meditation and preparation. Maro Was the fidit of our poeta in approach the truth, Whothus speari respecting tho hi est God, whom ho calis Mindand Spirit:
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to bo retiod on, becauso they ars belleuod to have paid attention, not to matters of fiction, but to tho investigation of the truth. Thales of Μiletus, Who Was one of the number of the sevenwise men, and who is sald to havo besn tho fidit os ali to inquiro respecting natural causes, said that water Was ths element from
paris of the universe, and through ali nature, from Whicles allliving creatures Whicli ars produced dorive their lise.' Anaxagoras said that God Was an infinito mind, Whicli moves by iis oWn pomer. Antisthenes maintained that the gods of the peoplowsre mann but that tho God os naturo was ono only; that is, the Fabricator of the whois universe. Cleanthes and Anaxiamenes asseri that the air is the chiet dei ; and to this opinionour poet has assented: λ Then almighty fathor AEther descondsin fertile stio era into the bosom of his joyous spouse ; and greathimself, mingling With her great bois, nourishes ali her off-spring Chrysippus spealis of God as a natural poWer endowed
mitti divino reason, and somelimes as a divino necessity. Zeno also spealis of Him as a divino and natural la . The opinionos ali these, however uncertain it is, has reference to ono pοint, -to their agreement in the existenco ot ono providen . Forwhether it be nature, or aether, Or reason, or miud, or a fatalnecessity, or a divine lari or is you term it anything else, itis the samo whicli is called by us God. Nor does ths diversi os tities prove an obstacte, since by their very signification theyali refer to one objeci. Aristolle, although he is at varianco with himself, and both ultera and holus sentimenta opposed toone another, yet upon the wholo bears Witness that ono Mndpresides over the universe. Plato, Who is judged the wisest ofall, plainly and Openly maintains tho rule os one God; nordoes he name Him aether, or reason, or nature, but, as He trulyis, God, and that this universe, so perfeci and Wonderivi, was
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in many instances, frequently achnowledges God, and calis Him supreme, in thom books Which he wroto on the subject os laWs; and ho adduces proos that tho universo is governed by Him, When he argues respecting the nature of the gods in this Way: Nothing is superior to God : tho morid must there orobe governed by Him. There re God is obedient or subjectio no nature; consequently ΗΘ Himself MVerna ali nature.''But What God Himself is ho dofines in his Consolation: Norcan God Himself, as He is comprehended by us, bo comprehended in any other Way than as a mind fres and undistrained, far removed iram ali mortat materiali , perceiving and movingail things.' ΗοW osten, also, does Annaeus Seneca, Who Was the heenest Stolo of tho Romans, follow up With deserved pratae the supreme Dei l For When ho Was discussing the subject os prematuredeath, he said: u do not understand the authori and
undations of tho most beautisul fabric, and was commencingthis mota, than which naturo has knoWn nothing greater orbetier, that ali thinga might servo their oWn rulers, although
produced gods as ministere os His kingdom.' And hon many other things liko to our oWn writers did he speis on the subjectos God i But theso things I put oss for the present, because thuars more suiled to other paris of tho subjeci. At present it is enough to demonstrato that men of tho highest genius inuehedupon the truth, and almost grasped ii, had not custom, insatu-
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According to Cicoro, Caius Cotta the pontiit, Whilo disputingagainst tho Stoica concerning superstitions, and ths varisty of opinions Which prevati respecting the gods, in ordex that homight, aiter tho custom of the Academim, malis ove thinguncertain, says that there mere fius Mercuries; and havingenumeraled four in order, sus that the fifth mas ho by whom Argus Was flain, and that on this account lis fled into Egnt, and gave laWs and letters to the Egyptians. The Egyptians eali him Tliotii; and irom him the first monin os their year, that is, September, received iis name among them. ΗΘ also bulli a toWn, Which is even noW called in Greeh Hermopolis tho town os Mercu ), and the inhabitants of Phenae hono him missi religious Worship. Αnd although he Was a man, yeths Was of great antiqui , and most fulty imbusd With ovo hind of learning, so that tho knowledgo os many subjecis and
oxistant is Without a name.' God, there Ore, has no name, causs ΗΘ is alone; nor is there any need oi a proper name, excepi in cases Where a multitudo os persons requires a di
Ways One, has no peculiar name.
It remains for me to bring forWard testimontes respectingine sacred responses and predictions, Whicli are much moro tobo relied upon. For perhaps they against Whom We are amm
as they Were liabis to ere, being themselves but men. Marcus Varro, than whom no man Oi greater learning ever lived, even
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and he enumeraled them ali under the writers, Who wrote an account of each: that the fidit Was from the Perstans, and of her Nicanor made mention, Who Wrote the exploits of Ale
ander of Macedon ;-the second of Lybia, and of her Euripidos mahes mention in the prologus of the Lamia; the third of Delphi, concerning Whom Chrysippus spealis in that book hich he composed concerning divination ;-the fourth a Cimmerian in Italy, Whom Naevius mentions in his books of tho Punic War, and Piso in his annals ;-the fifth of Erythraea, Whom Apollodorus os Erythraea affirms to have been his omcountry-woman, and that alis foretoid to the Greeks When theymere setting out for Ilium, both that Troy was doomed todestruction, and that Homer Would Writo falsohoods; ho fixilios Samos, respecting Whom Eratosthenes writes that ho had found a written notice in the ancient annals of the Samians;- the seventii os Cumae, by name Amalthaea, Who is termed bysonae Herophile, or Demophile, and that alio bron t nine books to tho hing Tarquinius Priscus, and asked for them threehundred philippies, and that the hing refused so great a price,
and derided the madness ot the woman; that she, in the sightos ths hinn buriit thros os ino boota, and demanded the fame prico for thoso which wero Iest; that Tarquinius much more considered the woman to be mad; and that when ine again, having burni thres other books, persisted in ashing tho inmeprice, the king Was moVed, and bought the remaining booksλ Tho Quindecemviri mero the fiftem men to Whom the caro of the Sibyllino boota vas enisust . At firat two Duumviri) mere appotnted. The number Waa alterWarda incremed in ten, and subsequently to Misen. It appeara probable that thia laat obauge πω made is Sulla.