Philosophical Transactions/Volume 12/Number 137/The true Intellectual System of the Universe. The First Part
An Account of Two Books.
The Reverend and Learned Author acquaints us in his Preface with his whole Design, it being to demonstrate these three Things: 1. That there is an Omnipotent Understanding Beeing, presiding over All. 2. That this Beeing hath an Essential Goodness and Justice: the differences of Moral Good and Evil, not being by Will and Law only, but also by Nature; according to which the Deity acts and governs Mankind. 3. That Necessity not being Intrinsecal to the Nature of every thing, but Men having such a Power over their own Actions, as to render them accountable for the same; there is therefore a Distributive justice running through the World.
The first of these (against Atheism) taketh up this whole Book: which is divided into five Chapters. Whereof, the first is an account of the Atomick Physiology, as made the foundation of the Democritick Fate, that is, the Atomick Atheism, or Material necessity of All things without a God.
Of the Atomick Physiology, he discourseth principally two things: 1. That it was not the Invention of Democritus or Leucippus; but of much greater Antiquity. Proved from the Tradition transmitted by Pesidonius, sc. that it was derived from Moschus a Phœnician, living before the Trojan Wars, and probably the same with Mochus, mentioned in Jamblichus. From Aristotles Testimony hereof. And in that Pythagoras, Empedocles, an most of the Ancient Physiologers, were Atomists. And by other Arguments. And that therefore, all that was true of Democritus and Leucippus, is only, that they were the first Atheizers of the Ancient Atomick Physiology.
2. That this Atomick Physiology, rightly understood, is no Nurse to Atheism, but the greatest defence against it: being founded upon this Principle, That Nothing can be caused by Nothing. From whence it was concluded, That in Natural Generations there was no New real Entity produced: And consequently, That the qualities and forms of Inanimate Bodies, are no Entities really distinct from the Magnitude, Figure, Site, and Motion of Parts. And, that Souls are substances Incorporeal, not generated out of Matter. Asserted by Pythagoras, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, and all the best of the Ancients. That upon the same Principle was founded, the Pythagorick Doctrines of the Præxistence and Transmigration of Souls. And, that whoever admits and understands the Atomic Physiology, must also acknowledge Incorporeal Substance: which is the overthrow of Atheism. From these Premisses he concludes, That the ancient Moschical Physiology consisted, of Atomical Physiology and Pneumatology. And was mangled by Democritus, who superseded their Pneumatology: and by Plato and Aristotle, who superseded their Atomology.
In the Second Chapter are contained, all the pretended grounds of Reason (except those peculiar to the Hylozoick form, directly contrary to the Atomick) for the Atheistick Hypothesis. As, That there is no Idea of God. Nothing can be created out of Nothing. The Universe can consist of nothing but Space and Body. Assertion of a Deity, arising meerly from the abstract Names and Notions of things. No Beeing essentially Incorruptible, because Corporeal. The first Principle, no Understanding Nature. Soul and Mind begot of Senseless Atoms. Nothing Immortal. No unmoved first Mover. All Knowledge and Idea's, junior to the World. The World Ill made. No Providence: nor would it consist with the Deity. Theism inconsistent with Civil Government. Therefore all sprung from Nature and Chance. All which he lays down fairly, and to the greatest advantage of the Atheist.
The Third Chapter is an Introduction to the confutation of Atheism: containing a particular account of all the several forms of Atheism. And first of the Hylozoick, not noted by any Modern. First started by Strato, in opposition to the Democritick Hypothesis and reviv'd of late by some, so sagacious as to see that Hypothesis indefensible. Next, That before Democritus the most ancient Atheistick Hypothesis was, the Eduction of all things, Life and Understanding it self, out of Matter, in the way of generable and corruptible Qualities; which he styleth the Hylopathian or Anaximandrian; Anaximander being the Author of it, whose supream Deity was Infinite Matter: and who was the first Atheistick Philosopher. Here also of the Atheistick Theogonism; which, though it asserted Many Gods, and also One Supream, yet, that all were generated out of Night and Chaos, and thereinto corruptible. Besides these, of a fourth, which seemeth to be but the corruption of Stoicism; and which he styleth, the Cosmoplastick Form. This concluded the whole World, not to be an Animal (as the Pagan Theists generally supposed) but to be One huge Plant, having an Artificial, Plastick and Vegetable Nature, as its highest Principle. All the said Forms agreeing in this, That all Animality conscious Life and Understanding is generated out of Sensless Matter, and corruptible into it. Whereto he subjoyns a digression of an Artficial Plastick Nature; asserting, that it is the Instrument of the Deity. Agreeable to the sense of best Philosophers. 'Tis no Occult quality. The Divine Art embodied. Its Opificer. Without Consciousness. Acts Fatally and Sympathetically. Incorporeal. Lodg'd in the Souls of Animals. A Censure of R. Des Cartes's Philosophy.
In the fourth Chapter the Idea of God is declared, in answer to the first Atheistick Argument. A large account of the Pagan Polytheism; to remove a grand Objection that lay in the Authors way from thence, against the Naturality of the Idea of God, as including Unity or Onlyness in it. The rather by him thus fully given, because he had not met with it sufficiently performed before. Eugubinus, who hath laboured most in this Subject, having, besides other things, given no account of the many Pagan Poetical and Political Gods, what they were; yet a great part of the Authors performance, to prove them really to have been, but the Polyonymy of One God. The Author also largely insisteth upon the Trinity, in order to the giving a full account of the Pagan Theology: it being certain, that the Pythagoreans and Platonicks, if not others, had their Trinity. Of all which, most of the principal Heads discoursed, are these that follow, viz.
That there must be some unmade Substance, the principle of Things made. The Asserters of two unmade Principles, God and the Matter. Omnipotence included in the Divine Idea. Knowledge and Power alone, make not up a God. A Good superiour to Knowledge. Morality in the Nature of God. Onlyness, contained in the Divine Idea: Against which, the Pagan Polytheism the grand Objection. The Ditheistick Doctrine. Of the Platonick origin of Evils. Pagans, not generally Ditheists. Things of Nature personated and Deified, but several Names of God. All the Pagan gods derived from one Supream. The Pagan Theogonia the same with the Cosmogonia. The Pagans Eternal gods derived from one Supream. This, denoted by Appellatives, as Δαἰμων, τὸ Θεῖον. Θεοὶ, taken only for the Inferiors. Champions for Paganism assert one Supream, as Apollonius Tyaneus, &c. Of the Sibylline Oracles. The Triplasian Mithras of the Persians. The Chaldaick Trinity, and Oracles. History of Orpheus, no Romance. A Polytheist, yet asserter of one Supream. A Trinity, part of the Orphich Cabala. Grand Arcanam of the Orphich Theology, that God is All. This a ground of Polytheism amongst as well the Egyptians, as Greeks and other Nations. Names of Greekish gods from the Egyptians. Who were yet constant asserters of the Cosmogonia: and of Incorporeal Substance. Some Trismegistick Books counterfeit, not all. The ancient Egyptian Theology, that God is All, τὸΠᾶν. Pan, God diffus'd through all. Eicton, Emeph, and Phtha, the Egyptian Trinity. Poets, depravers of the Pagan Theology. Hesiod's Theogonia, meant of the Inferior gods. Sophocles, Euripides, &c. asserters of one Supream. Consent of the Latin Poets herein. Epicurus, the only Philosopher asserting many Independent gods. Pythagoras's Monad. His Tetractys, the Tetragrammaton of Hebrew Name of God consisting of four letters. Heraclitus, Anaxagoras, Parmenides, Melissus, Zeno Eleates, Empedocles, Timæus Locrus, Euclides, Antisthenes, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Speucippus, Xenocrates, Theophrastus, Cleanthes, Cicero, asserters of One Supream. So, Symmachus, Seneca, Plutarch, Galen, Maximus Tyrius, Plotinus, &c. Varro's Natural Theology, distinct from the Mythycal and Civil. Vulgar Pagans acknowledg'd also Many gods, yet One Supream. The Roman and Samothracian Trinity or Cabiri. Κύριε ἐλέη?ον, the Pagan Litany to the Supream God. Pagans held the World to be one Animal. Not cut off from the Deity. Their knowledge of One Supream asserted by the Hebrews. Testified in Scripture. They worshipped the rest as Mediators. The Supream God Polyonymous amongst them. Pan, Janus, Genius, Saturn, &c, all Names of the Supream God. More popular and Poetick Gods, the same. The Philosophick and Physiologick Theology different. Apuleius's reduction of the Pagan Gods to Plato's Idea's. God, according to the Pagan Theology, pervadeth all things. A higher strain of the Pagan Theology, that God is all things. The parts of the World personated and Deify'd, their Physiological Theology. This, not Varro's Natural. They hence approve of worshiping God in his Works. Accidents and Affections by them personated and Deify'd. Of those Pagan Theologers, who made God the Soul of the World. To these, the parts of the World, the parts of God. This Mundane Animal worshiped in its several parts. Of the Platonists supermundane and Eternal Gods, Ἒν, Νοῦς and ψυχὴ. This Trinity of the Pagans derived from a divine Cabala. A Trinity of Gods. Homoousian. Yet dependent and subordinate. The agreement and disagreement of this, and the Christian. The Tritheistick Trinity of some of the Fathers. The true Notion of Ὁμοοό?ι?. The Cabala of the Trinity, altered by Junior Platonists. Proclus's Monad, before the Trinity, &c.
The last Chapter confutes all the Atheistick Grounds; demonstrates the Impossibility of Atheism; and by necessary Inference from undeniable Principles, the actual Existence of a God. Together with the perfection of the Creation. Of which, most of the principal Heads are these following, viz.
Sense, not Knowledge. Thoughts of what is not in sense, an evidence of things not sensible. God, not unconceivable. Certain, that Never Nothing. Eternity a Philosophick Attribute of the Deity. The sense of τὸ θεῖον φθονερόν. Atheism founded in distrust and ignorance of Causes. Atheists ignorant of the cause of themselves: of Motion: of the Mundane Regularity. Things made for Ends. Nature, Mechanical and Vital. Chance, not Artificial. God, not Άυτοθργῶν ἅπαντα. The Mechanical Theist confuted. Idea of God, not from amplification of Imperfect things, or other feigning power of the Soul. Atheism confuted by apparitions, Witches, and Demoniacks. By Miracles. How they confirm a Prophet. By Oracles. Scripture triumphing over Pagan Oracles. Sense, phantastical and relative. Mind, reaches absolute Truth. The Cartesian, and other demonstrations of a God, from his Idea. Intellection, not the Image of Sensibles. Eternal truths and Intelligibles. In what sense, Nothing out of Nothing. Atheists make more out of Nothing, than Theists. Matter, not necessarily existent. Arguments against an Incorporeal Deity, confuted. Extension and Entity, not the same. Sense and Imagination, not the Measures of things. Souls always united to some Body, the old Philosophick Gabala. The Souls Spirituous body (supposed) after Death. The Άυτοειδὲς, third, or Heavenly Body. Mystery of the Resurrection, a spiritual and heavenly Body. To the majority of Fathers, Demons, and Angels Bodied. Reasons for unextended Substance. A First Mover, demonstrated. Thoughts, not action of Objects. Scale of Entity, asserted. Grand Objection against the Substantiality of all Souls, answer'd. Divine Goodness asserted. Inclination of the Earths Axis, argueth Providence. Evils, from the necessity of Imperfect Beings. Providence in the Oeconomy of Humane affairs. Not parts of the World alone, but the whole to be consider'd. The Vastness of it. Future and past, with present. Providence, not laborious and distractious to the Deity. Atheists Queries, answer'd. Atheists Politicks, unravel'd. Founded in the Villanizing of Humane Nature, &c.
The whole Work aboundeth with variety of good Reading, nd Judicious Discourse thereupon.