all that they themselves obtained by praying to him in their
greatest difficulties. He informed them that it was impossible
to escape God's observation, even in any of our outward
actions, or in any of our inward thoughts. Moreover, he
represented God as unbegotten, (21) and immutable, through
all eternity, superior to all mortal conceptions in
pulchritude;
and, though known to us by his power, yet unknown to us as
to his essence. I do not now explain how these notions of
God are the sentiments of the wisest among the Grecians,
and how they were taught them upon the principles that he
afforded them. However, they testify, with great assurance,
that these notions are just, and agreeable to the nature of
God, and to his majesty; for Pythagoras, and Anaxagoras, and
Plato, and the Stoic philosophers that succeeded them, and
almost all the rest, are of the same sentiments, and had the
same notions of the nature of God; yet durst not these men
disclose those true notions to more than a few, because the
body of the people were prejudiced with other opinions
beforehand. But our legislator, who made his actions agree
to his laws, did not only prevail with those that were his
contemporaries to agree with these his notions, but so firmly
imprinted this faith in God upon all their posterity, that it
never could be removed. The reason why the constitution of
this legislation was ever better directed to the utility of all
than other legislations were, is this, that Moses did not make
religion a part of virtue, but he saw and he ordained other
virtues to be parts of religion; I mean justice, and fortitude,
and temperance, and a universal agreement of the members
of the community with one another; for all our actions and