Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 1 · Section 3 · Subsection 52
52. Quest. Of the knowledge which the Philosophers had of God, and by what meanes they attained vntounto it.
1. Theodoret rehearseth fiue waies whereby the Philosophers were brought to the knowledge of the Creator. 1. by the contemplation of the heauens and the starres, and their orderly motion. 2. by the consideration of the elements, the fire, the aire, the water, the earth. 3. by the admirable frame and workemanship of mans bodie. 4. by the operation of mans hands, and by the manifold arts inuented by man. 5. by the dominion, which man hath ouer the creatures. Theodor. in serm. de provid. But some Philosophers had their speciall and peculiar reasons beside, which induced them to thinke there was a God.
2. Socrates especially considered the prouidence of God, in prouiding so bountifully for man: as he bringeth Euthydemus by this particular induction to acknowledge, that God hath speciall care of man: as he hath giuen him the light and day to guide him, the night for him to rest in, the fire to warme him, the fruits of the earth to nourish him: And whereas Euthydemus obiected, that these things were common vntounto men with bruit beasts, Socrates sheweth, that euen the beasts themselues also are for mans vse: and beside God hath giuen more excellent gifts vntounto man, then to any other creature, as vnderstanding, memorie, speach: wherein Gods speciall care appeareth more to man, then toward any other creature. This was Socrates inducement. ex Grynaeo.
3. The Platonists did finde out God, by comparing the Godhead with other things: first they were perswaded, that God was not a bodie, secondly they held God to be immutable, and so they sought not God in the soule of man, or among the mutable spirits: and therefore they held God to be, an infinite, and immutable essence beyond them all: to this purpose August. lib. 8. de civ. Dei. c. 6. And further they rose vp thus by degrees to finde out the Godhead: first, they held spirituall things, to be better then corporall: then the things that had life, they preferred before those that had no life: and of the things that had life, them that had sense and motion: and of these they held to be most perfect the things that were endued with reason: and of the things hauing reason, such as were intellectuall spirits, such as are the Angels: and among those, he to be most perfect, that was totus actus, onelyonly in act, void of all passiue qualitie, which is God: for the other spirits doe consist partly in act, partly in a possibilitie, as they may not be: But it is impossible that God should not be: and thus by these steppes did they ascend to the contemplation of the diuine nature. Faius.
4. Aristotle was perswaded that there was a God, and that all things consisted by the diuine power, because it was haereditaria fama omnium mortalium, an hereditarie opinion of all mortall men: lib. 12. Metaphys. c. 6, 7. lib. 7. Ethicor. c. 13. thereupon he calleth God foreign, the habitation of God: Pareus: Perer. disputat. 14.
5. Galen by the contemplation of the creatures, and of the excellent workmanship of the world, did finde out the wisdome, power, and goodnes of God: for thus he writeth, lib. 3. de vsu partium, as Beza annot. and Gryneus out of him translateth, Sacrum istum sermonum, vti verum hymnum, conditori nostro componā, &c. This sacred speach, as a right hymne, I will compose to our Creator: and this I hold to be the true worship of him, not to offer vntounto him, many sacrifices of bulls, or burne ointment and incense: but if I both know him my selfe, and declare him vntounto others, how great his wisdome, power, and goodnes is: for in that he would hauehave all these things made, and enuied vsus not any of those good things, this is a cleare demonstration of his goodnes: in that he would finde out a way, how to adorne all those things, it was his great wisdome: and in that he would bring to passe and effect, whatsoeuer he had decreed, therein he shewed his power. And by these meanes the Philosophers attained by their naturall light to some knowledge of God.