The reasons of the Christian religion the first part, of godliness, proving by natural…

For if there were many, they could not be Infinite, and so indeed there would be none: nor would there be any one first Cause of all things: For if one caused one part of the World, and another another part, no one were the first Cause of all: And if they joined in causing all together, they would all conjunctly make but one first cause, and each one several be but part of the Cause. If there be no one that is sufficient to make and govern all the World, there is no perfect Being, nor no God: but the effect showeth the sufficiency and the unity of the World (the Orbs being one frame) the unity of the first cause. Perfection consisteth more in the unity of one all sufficient Being,¹ than in a voluntary concurrence of many Beings. The most learned Heathens, who thought there were many to be named Gods, did mean but subordinate particular Gods, that were under the one universal God, whom the Stoics and Academics took to be the universal Soul, and the subordinate Gods the Souls of the particular Orbs and Planets.

For if there were many, they could not be Infinite, and so indeed there would be none: nor would there be any one first Cause of all things: For if one caused one part of the World, and another another part, no one were the first Cause of all: And if they joyned in causing all together, they would all conjunctly make but one first cause, and each one several be but part of the Cause. If there be no one that is sufficient to make and govern all the World, there is no perfect Being, nor no God: but the effect sheweth the sufficiency and the unity of the World (the Orbs being one frame) the unity of the first cause. Perfection consisteth more in the unity of one all sufficient Being,¹ than in a voluntary concurrence of many Beings. The most learned Heathens, who thought there were many to be named Gods, did mean but subordinate particular Gods, that were under the one universal God, whom the Stoicks and Academicks took to be the universal Soul, and the subordinate Gods the Souls of the particular Orbs and Planets.

1. 1Stoici dicunt unum Deum esse: Ipsumque & mentem, & fatum, & Jovem dicunt: Principio illum cum esset apud se, substantiam omnem per aërem in aquam convertisse. Et quemadmodum in faetu semen continetur, ita & hanc serendi rationem in humour talem residisse, materia ad operandum aptissimè parata, ex quâ caetera post haec gignerentur. Tum genuisse primum elementa quatuor, ignem, aquam, aërem, terram. Videntur autem illis duo esse rerum omnia principia, saciens videl. & patiens: Quod patitur fine qualitate esse substantiam materiam: Quod autem faciat VERBUM DEUM esse quod in ipsa sit. Hunc enim quippe sempiternum per ipsum omnem singula creare. Laert. in Zenone, p. (mihi) 359, 360.