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OR A
RATIONAL ACCOUNT
OF THE GROUNDS OF
NATURAL AND REVEALED RELIGION.
TO WHICH IS ADDED
PART OF ANOTHER BOOK UPON THE SAME SUBJECT
LEFT UNFINISHED BY THE AUTHOR.
TOGETHER WITH
A LETTER TO A DEIST.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
By the Right Reverend Father in God EDWARD STILLINGFLEET, D. D.
LATE LORD BISHOP OF WORCESTER.
A NEW EDITION.
OXFORD:
AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.
MDCCCXVII.
CONTENTS
OF
BOOK III.
СНАР. II.
Of the Origin of the Universe.
I. The Necessity of the Belief of the Creation of the World, in order
to the Truth of Religion. Of the several Hypotheses of the Philo-
sophers who contradict Moses: with a particular Examination
of them. II. The ancient Tradition of the World consonant to
Moses; proved from the Ionic philosophy of Thales, and the
Italic of Pythagoras. III. The Pythagoric Cabala rather
Egyptian than Mosaic. Of the fluid Matter, which was the
material Principle of the Universe. IV. Of the Hypothesis of the
Eternity of the World, asserted by Ocellus Lucanus and Ari-
stotle. V. The Weakness of the Foundations on which that Opi-
nion is built. Of the Manner of forming Principles of Philosophy.
VI. The Possibility of Creation proved. [No arguing from the
present State of the World against its Beginning, shewed from
Maimonides.] VII. The Platonists' Arguments, from the Good-
ness of God for the Eternity of the World, answered. VIII. Of
the Stoical Hypothesis of the Eternity of Matter; whether re-
concileable with the Text of Moses. IX. Of the Opinions of
Plato and Pythagoras concerning the Preexistence of Matter
to the Formation of the World. X. The Contradiction of the
Eternity of Matter to the Nature and Attributes of God. XI,
XII, XIII. Of the Atomical Hypothesis of the Origin of the Uni-
verse. XIV, XV, XVI, XVII. The World could not be pro-
duced by a casual Concourse of Atoms, proved from the Nature
and Motion of Epicurus's Atoms, and the Phænomena of the Uni-
verse; especially the Production and Nature of Animals. XVIII.
Of the Cartesian Hypothesis, that it cannot salve the Origin of the
Universe without a Deity giving Motion to Matter. Page 1.
376133
CHAP. III.
Of the Origin of Evil.
1. Of the being of Providence. II. Epicurus's arguments against
it refuted. The Necessity of the Belief of Providence in order
to Religion. III. Providence proved from a Consideration of the
Nature of God and the Things of the World. Of the Spirit of
Nature. IV. The great Objections against Providence pro-
pounded. The first concerns the Origin of Evil. V. God can-
not be the Author of Sin, if the Scriptures be true. The Account,
which the Scriptures give of the Fall of Man, doth not charge
God with Man's Fault. God's Power to govern Man by Laws,
though he gives no particular Reason of every positive Precept.
VI. The Reason of God's creating Man with Freedom of Will,
largely shewed from Simplicius; and the true Account of the
Origin of Evil. VII. God's permitting the Fall, makes him not
the Author of it. VIII. The Account which the Scriptures give
of the Origin of Evil, compared with that of Heathen Philoso-
phers. IX. The Antiquity of the Opinion of ascribing the Origin
of Evil to an evil Principle. Of the Judgment of the Per-
sians, Egyptians, and others about it. X. Of Manichæism.
XI, XII, XIII, XIV. The Opinion of the ancient Greek Phi-
losophers; of Pythagoras, Plato, the Stoics; the Origin of Evil
not from the Necessity of Matter. XV, XVI. The Remainders
of the History of the Fall among the Heathens. XVII, XVIII,
XIX. Of the Malignity of Dæmons. XX, XXI, XXII. Pro-
vidence vindicated as to the Sufferings of good, and the Impunity
of bad Men. An Account of both from natural Light, mani-
fested by Seneca, Plutarch, and others. Page 46.
CHAP. IV.
Of the Origin of Nations.
III.
I. All Mankind derived from Adam, if the Scriptures be true. II.
The contrary Supposition an Introduction to Atheism.
The Truth of the History of the Flood. The Possibility of an
universal Deluge proved. IV. The Flood universal as to Man-
kind, whether universal as to the Earth and Animals; no Neces-
sity of asserting either. V. Yet supposing the Possibility of it
demonstrated without Creation of new Waters. VI. Of the
Fountains of the Deep. The Proportion which the Height
of Mountains bears to the Diameter of the Earth. No Moun-
tains much above three Miles perpendicular. Of the Origin
of Fountains. The Opinion of Aristotle and others concerning