L. VIVES.
WIth (a) ther•…•….] With the Epicurists, that held althings from chance, or from meere nature without GOD (althings I meane in this subl•…•…ary world:) which opinion some say was A•…•…les, or with the heretikes, some of whome held the diuills creators of al things corporal. (b) Those that.] Plato in his Timaeus brings in God the Father commanding the lesser Gods to make the lesser liuing creatures: for they are creatures also: and so they tooke the immor∣tall beginning of a creature, the soule, from the starres: imitating the Father, and Creator: and borrowing parcells of earth, water and ayre from the world, knit them together in one: not as they were knit, but yet in an insensible connexion, because of the combination of such small parts, whereof the whole body was framed. One Menander a Scholler of Symon Magus, said the Angells made the world: Saturninus said that 7. Angells made it beyond the Fathers knowledge. (c) Though.] The Angells as Paul saith, are Gods ministers, and deputies, and do •…•…y things vpon earth at his command: for as Augustine saith, euery visible thing on earth is under an Angelicall power, and Gregory saith that nothing in the visible would but is ordered * 1.1 by a visible creature. I will except Miracles, if any one contend. But Plato, as he followeth M•…•…s in the worlds creation, had this place also of the creation of liuing things from the Scripures, for hauing read that God this great architect of so new a worke, said: •…•…et vs make 〈◊〉〈◊〉 after our owne Image, thought he had spoken to the Angells, to whose ministery he sup∣posed * 1.2 mans creation committed: But it seemed vnworthy to him that God should vse them in •…•…king of man the noblest creature and make all the rest, with his own hands: and therfore he thought the Angels made all, whose words if one consider them in Tullies translation (which I vse) he shal find that Plato held none made the soule but God, and that of the stars, which •…•…ully de 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 1. confirmes out of Plato, saying that the soule is created by God within the elementary body which he made also: and the lesser Gods did nothing, but as ministers, c•…•…e those which hee •…•…ad first created: and forme it into the essence of a liuing creature. Seneca explanes Pla•…•… more plainely saying. That when God had laid the first foundation of this rare and excellent frame of na∣ture, and begun it, he ordayned that each peculiar should haue a peculiar gouernor and though him∣selfe •…•…ad modelled, and dilated the whole vniuerse, yet created he the lesser gods, to be his ministers, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 vice-gerents in this his kingdome.