Read Cicero's third Book de Nat. Deor. and you will see in Cotta's speech, that the notoriously depraved Reason of man, and the prevalency and prosperity of wickedness, was the great argument of the Atheists, against God and Providence; which they thought unanswerable, because they looked no further than this life,1 and did not foresee the time of full universal Justice. And whereas Cotta saith, that if there be a God, he should have made most men good, and prevented all the evil in the World, and not only punish men when ⟨p. 181⟩it is done, I shall answer that among the objections in the Second Tome; and I before showed, how little reason men have to expect that God should make every man as good as he could make him, or make man indefectible; or to argue from mans sin against Gods goodness: The free Creator, Lord and Benefactor,2 may vary his creatures and benefits as he seeth meet, and may be proved good, though he make not man Angelical, and though he permit his sin, and punish him for sinning.
Read Cicero's third Book de Nat. Deor. and you will see in Cotta's speech, that the notoriously depraved Reason of man, and the prevalency and prosperity of wickedness, was the great argument of the Atheists, against God and Providence; which they thought unanswerable, because they looked no further than this life,1 and did not foresee the time of full universal Justice. And whereas Cotta saith, that if there be a God, he should have made most men good, and prevented all the evil in the World, and not only punish men when ⟨p. 181⟩it is done, I shall answer that among the objections in the Second Tome; and I before shewed, how little reason men have to expect that God should make every man as good as he could make him, or make man indefectible; or to argue from mans sin against Gods goodness: The free Creator, Lord and Benefactor,2 may vary his creatures and benefits as he seeth meet, and may be proved good, though he make not man Angelical, and though he permit his sin, and punish him for sinning.
- 1Pauci quos aequus amavit. Jupiter aut ardens evexit ad aethera virtus.
- 2In vitia alter alterum trudimus: quomodo ad salutem revocari potest, quem nullus retrahit, & populus impellit? Senec. Ep. 29. Serpunt vitia & contactu nocent, & in proximum quemque transiliunt. Id. de Tranq. vit. Nam vitiis nemo sine nascitur; optimus ille Qui minimis urgetur. Horat. 1. Ser. 3. Unicuique dedit vitium natura creato. Propert. Quid ulcus leviter tangam? Omnes mali sumus. Senec. Si cupis bonus fieri, primum crede quod malus sis. Epictet. Enobri. Novi ego hoc seculum moribus quibus sit: Malus bonum malum esse vult ut sit sui similis: turbant, miscent, mores mali, rapax, avarus, invidus, sacrum profanum, publicum privatum habent: Hiulca gens: haec ego doleo; haec sunt quae excruciant; haec dies noctesque tibi canto ut caveas. Plaut. Nifi enim talis (mala) esset natura hominum, non anteponerent vindictam sanctitati & lucrum justitiae, invidentes alienae potentiae non laedenti: sed volunt homines vindictae cupiditate communes leges dissolvere, &c. Thucid. l. 3. Sed & boni, dicetis, sunt in rebus humanis; Viri sapientes, justi, inculpati —Res. Sint licet perhonesti, fuerintque laudabiles, —sed audire deposcimus, quot sint aut fuerint numero,— Unus, duo, tres,—centum certe numero diffiniti—At genus humanum non ex pauculis bonis, sed ex caeteris omnibus aestimari convenit, ponderari: In toto enim pars est, non totum in parte— Et quinam isti sunt, dicite? Philosophi credo, qui se esse solos sapientissimos autumant— Nempe illi qui cum suis quotidie cupiditatibus pugnant — Qui ne in vitia proritari facultatis possint alicujus instinctu, patrimonia & divitias fugiunt, ne causas fibi afferant lapsus. Quod cum faciunt & curant, apertissime animas esse indicant labiles, & infirmitate ad vitia proclives: Nostra autem sententia, quod bonum natura est, neque emendari neque corrigi se poscit: Immo ipsum debet quid sit malum nescire, si generis forma cujusque in sua cogitat integritate perstare — Qui luctatur animorum ingenitas corrigere pravitates, is apertissime monstrat imperfectum se esse, quamvis omni & pervicacia contendat. Arnob. adv. Gentes, lib. 2. in Auctuar. Bib. Pat. To. 1. p. 20.
