Of the nature of the gods

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1829 edition. Excerpt: ...nourishes, and preserves, what nature administers, as members and parts of itself. If nature therefore governs them, she must also govern the universe. Lastly, in nature's administration there is nothing faulty. She produced the best out of those elements, which existed. Let any one show how it could have i been better. But that will never be; and whoever attempts to mend it will either make it worse or aim at A impossibilities. c-" But if all the parts of the universe are so constituted, A that nothing could be better for use or beauty, let us 0-(/ consider whether it be the effect of chance, or whether, «. in such a state, they could possibly cohere, but by the direction of wisdom and divine providence. Nature therefore cannot be void of reason, if art can bring nothing to perfection without it, and if the works of nature exceed those of art. When you view an image or a picture, you imagine it is wrought by art; when you behold afar off a ship under sail, you judge it is steered by reason and art; when you see a dial or water-clockf, you believe the hours are showed by art, and not by chance; can you then imagine that the universe, which contains all arts and the artificers, can be void of reason, void of understanding? If that sphere, lately made by our friend Posidonius, which shows the course of the sun, moon, and five wandering stars, as it is every day and night performed, was carried into Scythia or Britain; who, in those barbarous countries, would doubt that reason presided in that work? yet these people8 doubt whether the universe, from whence all things arise and are made, is not the effect of chance, or some necessity, rather than the work of reason and a divine mind. According to them, Archimedes'i shows more knowledge in...