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

102 CONTENTS. BookI.other than what derives the original of all things from a.mere fortuitous nature; and therefore, either the Democritical, or the Anaximandrian Atheifm,which latter will be next declared. 9. That it is hardly imaginable, therefhould have been no philofophick Atheifis in the world before Democritus atdLeucippus, there bei>ig in all ages, as Plato obferves, fame or other fick ofthe atheiftick difeafe. That Ariftotle affirms many of the firft philofophers tohave aJJigneJ only a material caufe of the mundane fyflem, without either efficientor intending caufe ; they fuppojing matter to be the only fubfiance, and allthings elfe nothing but the paffiions and accidents of it, generable and corruptible.10. That the doctrine of thefe Materialifls will be more fully underjloodfrom the exceptions, which Ariftotle makes againfl them : his firfi exception.That they affiigned no caufe of motion, but introduced it into the worldunaccountably, 11. Ariftotle'j fecond exception. That thefe Materialiflsdid affiign no caufe t« eJ >^ xaXw?, of well and fit, and give no account of theorderly regularity of things. That Anaxagoras was the firft lonick philofopher,who made mind and good a principle of the univerfe. 1 2 . Concluded^That Ariftotlc'j MateriaUjls were downright Atheifis, not merely becaufethey held all fubjiance to be body, fince Hcraclitus and Zeno did the like, andyet are not therefore accounted Atheifis, {they fuppofing their fiery matter tobe originally intelle^ual, and the whole world to bean ani))ial ;) but beeaufethefe ?nadefiupid matter, devoid of all underfianding and life, to be the onlyprinciple. 13. As alfo, becaufe they fuppofed every thing befides the fubfianceof matter, life and underfianding, and all particular beings, to be generable,and corruptible, and confequently, that there could be no other God, thanfuch as was native and mortal. That thofe ancient theologers, who wereTheogonifls, and generated all the Gods out of night and chaos, were onlyterbal Theifts, but real Atheifis ; fenflefs matter being to them the highefiNumen. 14. The great difference obferved betwixt Ariftotle'j atheifiicalMaterialifls and the Italick philofophers, the former determining all things,hefides the fubfiance of matter, to be made or generated, the latter that noreal entity was either generated or corrupted ; thereupon both defiroying qualitiesand forms of body, and afierting the ingencrability and inccrporeity offouls. 15. How Ariftotlc'j atheifiick Materiahfis endeavoured to baffie andelude that axiom of the Italick philofophers. That nothing can come from nothingnor go to nothing ; and that Anaxagoras was the firft among flthe lonicks.,who yielded fo far to that principle, as from thence to affert incorporeal fubfiance,and the pre-exifience of qualities and forms infimilar atoms, forafmuchas he conceived them to be things really dtfiintl from the fubfiance ofmatter. 16. The error of fome writers, who becaufe Kn^oiXe. affirms, thatthe ancient philofophers did generally conclude the world to have been madcyfrom thence infer, that they were all Tbeifis, and that Ariftotle contradiSfshimfelf in reprefenting many of them as Atheifis. That the ancient Atheifisdid generally wriA.onoa'iv^ affert the world to have been made, or have hada beginning ; as alfo fome Theifis did maintain its eternity, but in a wayof dep endency upon the 'Deity. That we ought here to difiinguiflo betwixt thefyficm of the world, and the fubfiance of the matter, all Atheifis affertiag thematter to have been, not only eternal, but alfo fuch independently upon anyother being. I'j. That 2'uiq and others concluded this materialtjin, or hylo-2 pathian