The darknes of atheism dispelled by the light of nature a physico-theologicall treatise / written by Walter Charleton ...

SECT. II.

ANd first I oppose to the Patron of this error, the more noble Auctority of many antient and eminent Philosophers; who, though unhappily born and educated in the midnight of Paga∣nism, had yet their intellectuals, so irradiated by the refulgent Light of Nature, which their Vigilancy and assiduous Contem∣plation always kept, like the Vestal tapours, shining and uneclip∣sed by the Cimmerian foggs of Tradition and Prejudice, that they discovered more then a glimps of Divinity in the original of the World. For

Thales Milesius, being introduced by Diogenes Laertius (in vita ejusdem) as rendring a reason, Cur mundus sit pulcherrimus, of the extreme glory, comeliness, and decency of the World, and exact symmetry observed in all and every part thereof; most wise∣ly sets up his rest, and silences all further dispute, in this full soluti∣on, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, tis the Artifice of God.

That Anaxagoras had found out the same truth, by his retro∣grade tracing of nature up to her first head, or fountain; can be obscure to none, that shall doe his meditations so much right, as to interpret his 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Mens, or supreme Intelligence, to be the same with that, which we call God: for even our School-men doe as much, frequently using those appellatives, Summa Intelligentia, and Deus, indifferently and as Synonomas.

Of Pythagoras and Plato we need no other record, then the sin∣gle testimony of Timaeus Locrus, who, being a famous Pythago∣rean, and therefore prudently deputed by Plato to deliver his own sense, in that golden Dialogue concerning Nature, (which in the Commentary of Marsilius Ficinus, signifies no more then Divinitatis instrumentum) in many passages of the debate, or investigation, takes occasion to declare, Deum esse Parentem ac opisicem mundi. Nor can it cost the study of many houres to col∣lect from Plato's other inquest into Divinity called Parmenides (who also was a disciple of Pythagoras) or De uno omnium prin∣cipio, and the now mentioned description of Nature, Timaeus, con∣ferred together; that both Pythagoras and Plato shook hands in that opinion, that the world had its beginning, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, not in Time, in regard, as they conceived, it never had beginning, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, but in Cogitation, i. e. though it be Non-prin∣cipiate, yet may our thoughts have the licence to assume that there was some praeexistent matter, out of which it was formed. For they both apprehended so absolute a dependence of the world upon God; that God being existent in the World, must of ne∣cessity be reputed the Efficient thereof, insomuch as the World could have no other Cause of its Matter, Distinction, Disposition,

Beauty and ornament. And is not this the same, that our Do∣ctors now admit, while they defend, that the World might have been created by God, had his Wisdome thought fit, from all E∣ternity; and if so, yet notwithstanding he must still have been the Cause of it, in regard of that necessary dependence of the World upon him, for if there were no God, there could be no World: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, by the same reason, as though we grant the Sun to∣gether with its light, or a Seal together with its signature, to have been from all Eternity; yet must we grant the Sun to be the Cause of his light, and the Seal to be the Cause of its impression. For they condescend to this, that an Effect may be coaevous to its Cause; and that, though the Cause be not prior Tempore, it sufficeth that it be onely prior Natura, or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which is the very expressi∣on of Timaeus Locrus. However this may be disputed, yet sure I am, that as well these two Patriarchs of Learning, as all their Sectators and Interpreters were unanimous in this point, That God was Author of the Universe.

What the Stoicks thoughts were, concerning this grand parti∣cular; is publick, and cannot escape the cognizance of any, who have look't into the lives of the Scholiarchs, or Heads of that nu∣merous Sect, amply registred by the even pen of Diogen. Laert. or read Cicero's second Book, De natura Deorum, where he ele∣gantly personates Balbus smartly and profoundly disputing a∣gainst Velleius and Epicurus; whither I remit the unsatisfied Reader, in avoidance of Prolixity.

For the grand signieur of the Schools, Aristotle; truth is, I cannot conceal, that when he maintains (in 8. Physic. & priori∣bus de Coelo) the Universe to be ingenitum, without origination, and contemns that forementioned distinction of Priority, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as excogitated by Pythagoras, and continued by Plato, rather 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, for the convenience of Do∣ctrine, then the interest of Truth: he is positive, that he could not admit the World to have had any Author at all; and therefore Simplicius (in 8. Physic. digress. 3.) chiding Philoponus for da∣ring to assert, that the World had its origin and production from

God, according to the testimony of Moses Chronicle, cries out that his doctrine was repugnant to the Fundamentals of his ora∣cle, Arist. and in some sort highly derogatory to the majesty of the assigned Productor; since it tacitly rendred him subject to that imperfection, Mutability, which is incompatible with the con∣stant simplicity of an Essence sufficiently accomplisht for so migh∣ty an action, and implies that he was not the same from all E∣ternity, and but lately became Parens, Conditórque mundi. But yet have I ground enough to stand upon, that Arist. grew wiser, as he grew elder, and that the flame of his reason shined brighter when that of his life burned dim; for in the last exercise of his pen, his book De mundo, which most Antiquaries conclude written in the close of his studies, (cap. 5. & 6.) he sings a palinodia, and makes open profession, that the universal harmony, consonance, and pulchritude of this great machine were 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, ab universorum Conditore: Confirming the verity of that pious A dage confest and pronounced by all men, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, All from God. That he hinted this from that oraculous Motto, fathered upon Zoroaster, that King and Magus of the antient Ba∣••trians, and contemporany to Ninus and Semiramis, as Eusebi∣us (lib. 10. de praep. Evangel. cap. 3.) accounts; Factor, qui per se operans, fabrifecit mundum doth not want its share of probability, insomuch as the monuments of the Chaldean Learning were ransackt by the Platonicks, and so came to the view of Aristotle, is manifest as well from the circumstance of Time, his life falling not much below the plunder of the Oriental Libraries, as from the Rhapsodies or Excerptions, which the Pytha∣goreans had made out of the relicts of Zoroaster and Trismegi∣stus, and transmitted down to the hands of Plato and his Scholars, who frequently inspersed them upon their own writings, a copious series of which sentential transcriptions hath been not long since be∣queathed to posterity by the bounty of Caesar Longinus. But however, I am inclined to beleive rather, that his second thoughts, and more advanced Contemplations on the excellency and glory of the structure, lighted him to this recantation, and enforced him to confess, that the fabrick of the world was too full of Wisdome and Providence, to have been performed by any thing below the

Highest: for tis warrantable for me to conjecture, that since he had his erudition, at least his education, at the feet of Plato, and so could not be ignorant of any Tradition of moment, which his Master knew; had his judgement been imbued with that lesson in his greener yeers, he could not well have stifled it till immediate∣ly before his death, especially when the knowledge of this great truth might have preserved him from that swarm of Difficulties, which he endured in maintaining his Thesis of the Non-producti∣on, or Eternity of the World. There are, I confess, who stiffely question the propriety of legitimation of this book, De Mundo, owning it upon some younger Composer; who ambitious to have the Minerva of his own colder brain, long lived in estimation, gave it the glorious name of Aristotle, and under the defence of that prosperous title, committed it to the encounter of Censure. To the satisfaction of these, I shall alledge a place or two out of those pieces, which have ever escaped the imputation of spurious; whereby the former sentence is so ratified, that Aristotle may ap∣pear to have had great indignation against their incogitancy and stupidity, who could beleive the world to be once produced, and yet ascribe the production thereof to Fortune. Dignum est, saith he, (in 2. Physic. cap. 4.) admiratione asserert istos, Animalia quidem & Plantas à Fortuna neque esse, neque fieri, sed aut na∣turam aut quandam mentem, aut quampiam aliam Causam ha∣bere (viz. non ex cujusvis semine quidvis nascitur, sed ex hoc quidem olea, ex illo vero homo) coelum autem, & quae sunt sensi∣bilium divinissima, sponte nata fuisse, nec causam ullam, qualem animalia plantaeque sortiuntur, habuisse.

Tis well worthy our admiration, how these men can affirm, that Animals and Plants neither proceed from, nor can be made by Fortune; but must have either Nature, or some Intelligence or other efficient (for the seminalities of things do not fly out in∣to promiscuous and indifferent Generations, but every distinct species hath its seed restrained and determined to the procreati∣on of its like: nor can the fructifying principle of an Olive de∣viate into the production of a Vine; or the sperm of man pro∣duce any thing but man) but as for the Heavens, and other peices of the world, which seem of farre greater alliance to Di∣vinity:

that these are spontaneous and casual in their originals, and have not obtained any Efficient to their Formations, equal to that of Animals or Plants.

And (in 1. de Anim. Part. c. 1.) he speaks expressely to the same purpose, though in other words; which, to prevent the further trouble of the Reader, I shall faith∣fully transcribe. Quamobrem verisimilius dixerim coelum & fa∣ctum esse ab ejusmodi causa; si factum est; & magis esse ob eam causam, quam Animalia caduca at que mortalia: ordo enim, cer∣túsque status-longe magis in ipsis rebus coelestibus, quam in nobis patet; incerta enim, et inconstans, fortuitáque conditio in gene∣re mortali est potius. At illi genus Animalium quódque natura constare, extitisséque censont; coelum autem ipsum Fortuna, spontéque ejusmodi constitisse volunt; in quo tamen nihil Fortu∣noe ac temeritatis deprehendi potest. Again, Caelius Rhodiginus (lib. 17. cap. 34. pag. 814) reports of him, that, though during the greatest part of his life he had ascribed all effects solely to se∣condary and inferiour Causes, yet immediately before his death, when his soul began to be weaned from sensibility, and feel her wings, he most earnestly implored the compassion and forgive∣nesse of the First and Supreme Cause, Primae causae misericordi∣am intentius implorabat, &c. To these I might have annexed a third text of Aristotle, selected by the Master of Roman Elo∣quence, and adaequately engraffed into his second discourse De Natura Deorum: but I conceived the two former to be testimo∣ny sufficient to the stability of my assertion, that he abhorred the absurd usurpation of Fortune.

Now if the meer Naturall Explorator shall but perpend both the Number and Dignity of these more venerable Professors of Science, wholly abating the weight of their Reasons; I cannot doubt, but he will finde them infinitely to overbalance the single School of Epicurus, and of reputation great enough to excuse the conformity of his judgement to theirs: if he look no higher then the point of Auctority.

Notes

• Article 1. The conceit of the Worlds fortuitous pro∣duction, dispa∣raged by a pre∣pollency even of Pagan Au∣ctority, that profoundly as∣serted the con∣trary, viz. of▪
• Article 2. Thales Milesius.
• Article 3. Anaxagoras.
• Article 4. Pythagoras and Plato.
• Article 5. The Stoicks.
• Article 6. Aristotle.