wherein all the reason and philosophy of atheism is confuted, and

ipace or nothing j* — Vrceter^^ *The Atheijls Pretences againft Book I.VII. Thirdly, the Atheifts argue againft the ftrifter and higher fort of Theifts,who will have God to be the creator of the whole corporeal univerfe and allits parts out of nothing, after this manner : that which created the wholemafs of matter and body, cannot be it felf body ; wherefore this notion ofGod plainly implies him to be incorporeal. But there can be no incorporealDeity, becaufe by that word mufl: needs be underllood, either that which hathno magnitude nor extcnfion at all, or clfe that which is indeed extended, butotherwife than body. If the word be taken in the former fenfe, then nothingat all can be fo incorporeal,as to be altogether unextended and devoid of geometricalquantity, becaufe extenfion is the very effcnce of all exifbent entity,and that which is altogether unextended is perfectly nothing. There can neitherbe any fubftance, nor mode or accident of any fubftance, no nature whatfoeverunextended. But if the word incorporeal be taken in the latter fenfe, forthat which is indeed extended, but otherwife than- body, namely fo as to penetratebodies and co-exifl with them, this is aifo a thing next to nothing; finceit can neither aft upon any other thing, nor be a6led upon by, or fenfible of,any thing; it can neither do nor fufi'er any thing.''Nam facere ^fungi nifi corpus nulla potefl res.Wherefore to fpeak plainly, this can be nothing elfe but empty fpace, orvacuum, which runs through all things, without laying hold on any thing, orbeing affefted from any thing. This is the only incorporeal thing, that is orcan be in nature, fpace or place; and therefore to fiippofe an incorporeal Deityis to make empty fpace to be the creator of all things.This argument is thus propofed by the Epicurean poet:^todcunque erit effe aliquid, debebit id ipfum/lugmine vel grandi vdparvo-Cui fi ta^iis erit, quamvis levis exigtmfque,Corporum augebit numerum funrnuimque fequeturSin intaBik erit, Jtulla departe quod ullamRem prohibere queat per fe tranfire meantem.Scilicet hoc id erit vacuum quod inane vocamus.Whatfoever is, is extended or hath geometrical quantity and menfurability in it-ytolich if it be tangible, then it is body, andfills up a place in the zvorld, beingpartof the who'e mafs; but if it be intangible, fo that it cannot rejifi the pafage ofanything through it, then it is nothing elfe but empty fpace or vacuum. Thereis no thud thing befides thefe two, and therefore whatfoever is not body, is»Lucret. Lib. T. vcrH 444, &c. f Id. Lib L verH 434, Sec