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M E T A P
l od i~ this m:lttl!r come not (hort of lhe highcfl degree of
cc.ruln'y.
O; Ollr Ano,ul<tlg ( o; Ih( a ijltllc( oí a C odo
TH O\.fe H C od has glvcn us no jnne1/~ ¡,leal of h:mfclr,
yct havin:! furnifhcd us Wilh ,hofe facultic:s our minds are
cn~u\"'~d w¡ [h, he hath n OI I~Ji hiiJ.frif r.lJilhlJul a ."vil-
1:~fJ. hnce \Ve h,w c [cnfC:' , pcrccplion, and reafon, and
C-,¡lOCe want a cleH proof of him as long as we carry
(lurfdv(,9 abont us o Nor CitO \Ve jufily C0nl: of our
i~nortlllcc: in [his grcat point . (jnce he has fo plenti full y
p rovidcJ us W¡IIt means tO clifco\'cr and know him. fo
fu as is nece{EHY t O lhe cnd of our bcing, and the greílt
conCernl\H:nt o f our happinefs. B nt lhough tltis be the
molt ou,·iolJs trudl lhac reafon difco\'crs , yet it rC<luires
thou~h t and aueolion ; ano lhe mind muO .pply itfelfto
a regular do!dullion of it. from fome pan of ou r inluiliv~
k nowll·díJl! i or eJfe we (h all be as ignorant of this. as of
other propofitions which are in themltlves capab le of clcar
d l!mon:l ration. T o (hc\\'. thc:refore, tJnt \Ve: are: capable
of kllowing, that ¡s, bdlle e: rl(lin, Ihat Ih~re iJ a (;od,
and how \; e nuy come b y this cenaint y, we need go 00
(art!Jcr chat o.Jffd \·es. and th,lt undoubted know ll!dge we
luye:' of our own exijl:l/ce. It is ueyood <Iuenion, th¡t
U' .UI ¡JIU a cI=,or P( ,.NI,ion of hi! ''I.l·1l bú"C: He kno\Vs
certarnly tha t he exi:ts, and that he is foml.!thing. In
lhe "e:Xt place, 111:10 kllo\Vs hy 30 ¡lJluiliv~ certainty, t!Jlt
¡':1r~ nOlhing can no 17/?re produce anj real ~~ing, Ihan
ÍI C'(l1/ be ~qfl:71 lo truJO righl angleJ. If therefor;:, \Ve
know there is fome: real bei0L!1 it ís 'lO evicleot demon~
Il-rationl that [ro1Jl eternily lhere haJ bun foll/tlhillf: ;
fince Wha.l was !lot from eternity hld a beginning : and
what h.ú a bcginning . ml\ll be produc<d by fome! hing
c:lfe. Next . lt is evideot, thal w hal haJ ilJ 6'~ilJg (rom
an,.,lh~4r. 1Itujl alf? hove all lhal w hich iJ i1l alul b~/ongJ
lo itl heil'g / "0111 anlJlher loo: AII the powers it hAs,
m ufl be owing too aod recci\'t:d from lhe (ame fource.
T his etcrnal fourc" ,hen of .11 b<ing n¡ufl be .1(0 ,he
fouree OI,nd orig:nal of all power : and fo this eternol Bdllg
mua bc airo !he /l/oJl /,o,wcrJid .
Ag...in l mln finds in himfcJf !'ereel liolJ and lll(J"J)/~dge:
' Ve are c: n Jin. lhen, that then: is nOl only fome beíng,
but fome knowi ng intelligeot bciog in lhe world . There
W <tS a time, then, when fhere \Vas no knowing being, or
elfe there has beco a knowin:.: bcing from etcrnity. If
i t be r .. id, there \V:tS a time \Vhcn tlut clcrn~1 h:lng
no knowleúge ; lh~ reply ¡s, that lhen it is iOlt,ollibJe
there fhould luye evcr beco any knowltrlgc ; it b~¡ng as
impollible ,hdt things wholly vúid Of know ledpc. "no o·
per3tinz blindly. and y. idwm (11)" p.:- r:ep,ion, rn~ulJ pro·
d ucl.! a kno\\ ing beinn, as it is lh"t 3 tr¡..ogle Ihou!d nlJ,k~
¡tfdf three anr·lc.:s lJiRocr th:.ln t\Vo riglu ones.
'Thus from ~le c()nf~kJ"ation of onrfc:Jv!!$. ;)nd \Vh:u \Ve
infJII,oly rind in our owo conllil l1t1ons, ou r ru:tfcJn leads
u\ tO the knowledgl! of Ihis cenJio íH1d cvici ::nt trulh . tll:n
,I,u~ ;1 (1 11 d #r lJf1/, 1IJyJ t01.lur¡ul, (1 1111 iJ.'~lIJin'{ br–
il//! ; anu from this id,oa cluly conridC'rcn, wi!l C'"lily be
drtduccd alJ I hor~ othe!r alll'itu/o \Ve ought tO J[cnlJ..:
to th's e/~,.,;ol h~iIlC.
1",001 '\ h.H br en ("iel il is rl ~in. VI! h.lve ~ more:
t ~ .,O\\ I dge ,,( the exifi:.:ncc: uf a Cad, tholn of .'i1y
V O L. JI!. LO. 17. 2
H Y S e S. 197
thinr, Ou r (en(es havc not immcdiately di[covered to es:
n;ly. that \Ve mor(: c ·rtainly kn'Jw that theJe is a (" od,
than th ..u rhere is -a ny tlllog d fc without uso
Ir bcing Ihen unavoulable for all rational creatures to
concluclc, that fimdhing ha! ex'ijlt'd from ~/.:rn//y: Jet 1.1,
nexl fee wh:n l ind oflhing thac OJuH be. There are but twO'
t wo f'.J rts of bcing' in the.! world , lhal man knows or con~
cci ves. Firfl, Such as are purely materi~J) 1IIithout fenfe
or pcrccption, as the c1 ippiogs of our: beards, and paring.s
of our n:.i ls. Secolldf.J. Scnlible perceiving beings; fuch
as \Ve find ourfeJves l O be. Thefe tWO (Orto¡ \Ve! {hall
hereafler call co~~ilalivc and incogitalíve beings: 'Vhlcb
to o ur preCen t purpo(e are better than material and illJ~
m aterial.
I f then there mufi be Comcthing eterna!, lt is very ob~
" ious to reafon, th:1.t it mu(l oecc:ff¡,¡rdy be a cf.Jgitaliv~
being i bec.t.ufc it is as imt>o!liole to conceive that ever
bare ilJcogilo/ive matter (hould produce a IhilJking io·
tdligent bú ng. as tha, no,hing (houlú of it(df produce
L et liS fuppore Any parcd of man er elernal, we
(hall liod i, in i,(el r unable 'o produce .ny thing. L e.
us fuppofc its part! firm ly al rell together : Ir there Were
no othe r bei ng in the world, mua it not eternaJly remain
fo, a dead unatlivc lump? ls it ponil>le 10 conctive il can
add motion to itfelr, or produce any thing? M IIler
lhen l>y lts own ctr~ngth cannm produce in ¡ddf fo much
as moliqll. 1 'he O1otioo il has murt alCo be rrom eter–
ni,y, o r e1(. added lO m. u er by (ome o,her being more
powcrfu l than matter. B ut let us (uppofe motlon eternal
too; yet matter l incogilatiuc m.ttler and motion) could
never produ ce Ihoughl : KIJow ldg< will (hU be as fa.
beyond lhe power of mol ion and maller to produ\:e, as
malter is beyond the power of oothing to produce. Di·
vide lJItllJer ¡ntoas minu te paru as you wllI , \'ary the" ft·
gu re and motivO of ir as much as you pleare. ir wiJl ope~
rate no othcl'wi(e upon other bodies of proponioní\ble:
bulk, ,han it diú be(ore this . The minutel~
p3rlic!es of maner knock, impel, and rdifl one another,
jufl as ,he greater do; and ,ha, i, .11 ,hey c.n do. So
that if \Ve will fuppofe Tlolhing e/~rnal. moller can !le–
vt r lugilJ lo b~ : Ir we fuppoCe bar~ IJ/(l/ler withou t mo·
[jon 'Ierr.a/, IIIlJlüm call n~ver b~gilJ lo he: lf we fllP'"
p"lfl! only matter ana motion eternal, Ihoughl Cdll nevo'
ber:in l o be : }o'or ii. ii im pofJibJe lO conceivc: th:lt nlatter,
ej~hC'r '''.lh or without motion, could ~.\Y~ oriJ::in.i.lly. io
and (rolll itftlf [enCe, perccptlOn. and knowledge ; as is
evidenl {rom hcnce, that d)!!o {t n[el r erception and know·
ledge. muH bc a property eccrnally infc.par"ble from mat–
ter ttml cvny panicle of it. S,ncc th.:refore whadoe·
,'cr is (he fi lti ('tcrn ..d being. m\\:t n~cI!IT:tn IJ bt! co¡;;~
1f1/ivc; ;I ncl whatCoe\'er is r,rn of al! lhiogs, mua occ~r­
f.tril)' coolain in it l ami a\.lually hílve, at Je..il all lhe
perfdl.runs that tvcr .. rler exirl, il nC":t:tr.lrily folJows~
that dle firjl d:rnal b~il1g c• .lI:11ol be: I/Illler.
If thcrt:rore ir he that (ome.:rhi ng necefr.Hify
nHln c::xilt (ro01 etcrnity . it is aifo t'\'utl'nr, th.u lh ..t
follld¡"il/~ mljJ 1l~·crÚ·lTj.'y ,,~ (1 crglf,¡fl;:~ b~ing: For ir
'is as im;milil.:dc that me g/lalir ..., 11IJI(( ,. fhould p od Ll.:e a
c') ilo/il}': b i"r:. as Ih3 t nothin~, or tllt' ne.·gfl.tion of .11
bc: n,.,. nlOU:J pr oduce a r u(jtn'e hcill~ or m.lIlr.
1 "J¡js Ji!¿,\,cry of th: occdl".try exdl~nce of an Ft crnal
t 3 D . linJ,