Page:The true intellectual system of the universe - the first part; wherein, all the reason and philosophy of atheism is confuted; and its impossibility demonstrated (IA trueintellectual1678cudw).pdf/32

 4 very Fate that is maintained by some Neoterick Christians; the Latter is the Fate of the Stoicks.

Wherefore Fatalists that hold the Necessity of all Humane Actions and Events, may be reduced to these Three Heads; First, such as asserting the Deity, suppose it irrespectively to Decree and Determine all things, and thereby make all Actions necessary to us; Which kind of Fate, though Philosophers and other ancient Writers have not been altogether silent of it, yet it has been principally maintained by some Neoterick Christians, contrary to the Sence of the Ancient Church. Secondly, such as suppose a Deity, that acting Wisely, but Necessarily, did contrive the General Frame of things in the World; from whence by a Series of Causes doth unavoidably result whatsoever is now done in it. Which Fate is a Concatenation of Causes, all in themselves Necessary, and is that which was asserted by the Ancient Stoicks Zeno and Chrysippus, whom the Jewish Essenes seemed to follow. And Lastly, such as hold the Material Necessity of all things without a Deity; which Fate Epicurus calls 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, The Fate of the Naturalists, that is, indeed, the Atheists, the Assertors whereof may be called also the Democritical Fatalists. Which three Opinions concerning Fate, are so many several Hypotheses of the Intellectual System of the Universe. All which we shall here propose, endeavouring to shew the Falseness of them, and then substitute the true Mundane System in the Room of them.

II. The Mathematical or Astrological Fate so much talked of, as it is a thing no way considerable for the Grounds of it, so whatsoever it be, it must needs fall under one or other of those two General Heads in the Plotinical Distribution last mentioned, so as either to derive all things from one Principle, or Not. It seems to have had its first Emersion amongst the Chaldaeans, from a certain kind of blind Polytheism (which is but a better sort of disguised Atheism) but it was afterwards Adopted and fondly nursed by the Stoicks in a way of subordination to their Divine Fate. For Manilius, Firmicus and other Masters of that Sect were great Promoters of it. And there was too much attributed to Astrology also, by those that were no Fatalists, both Heathen and Christian Philosophers, such as were Plotinus, Origen, Simplicius and others: Who though they did not make the Stars to necessitate all Humane Actions here below, yet they supposed that Divine Providence (fore-knowing all things) had contrived such a strange Coincidence of the Motions and Configurations of the Heavenly Bodies with such Actions here upon Earth, as that the former might be Prognosticks of the latter. Thus Origen determines that the Stars do not Make but Signifie; and that the Heavens are a kind of Divine Volume, in whose Characters they that are skilled, may read or spell out Humane Events. To the same purpose Plotinus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉· The Motion of the Stars was intended for the Physical Good of the