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

Chap. in. the Plajiick Nature aGcd-Ahmghtf, 173Secondly, thcfe Athcifts augment the former error, in fuppofing thofehigher lives of fenfe or animality, and of reafon or underftanding, to rifeboth of them from that lower fenflefs life of nature, as the only originalfundamental life. Which is a thing altogether as irrational and abfurd, asif one fhould fuppofe the light, that is in the air or sther, to be the onlyoriginal and fundamental light, and the light of the fun and fl:ars but a fecondaryand derivative thing from it, and nothing but tlie light of the airmodificated and improved by condenfation r or as if one fhould maintain,that the fun and moon, and all the liars, were really nothing elfe, but themere reflexions of thofe images, that we fee in rivers and ponds of water.But this hath always been the fottifh humour and guife of Atheifts, to invertthe order of the univerfe, and hang the pidlure of the world, as of a man,with its heels upwards. Confcious reafon and underftanding, being a farhigher degree of life and perfecftion, than that quII plaftick nature, which,docs only do, but not know, can never pofTibly emerge out of it ; neithercan the duplication of corporeal organs be ever able to advance that fimpleand ftupid life of nature into redoubled confcioufiefs or felf- perception inor any triph'cation, or indeed milleclupation of them, improve the fameinto realbn and underftanding.Thirdly; for the better colouring, of the former errors, the Hylozoiftsadulterate the notion of the plaftick life of nature, confounding it withwifdom and underftanding. And though themfelves acknowledge, that noanimal-fenfe, felf-preception and confcioufnefs belongs to it, yet they willhave itto be a thing perfeftly wiiej.and confequently every atom of fenflefsmatter that is in the whole world, to be infallibly omnifcient, as to all itsown capacities and congruities,. or whatfoever itfelf can door fufFer; which.is plainly contradidlious. For though there may be fuch a thing as theplaftick nature, that, according to the former defcription of it, can do withoutknowing, and is devoid of exprels eonfcioufntfs or felf-perception, yetperfed knowledge and underftanding without confcioufnefs is non-fenfeand impoffibility. Wherefore this muft needs be condemned for a greatpiece of fottilhnefs in the Hylozoick Atheifts, that they attribute perfedbwifdom and underftanding to a ftupid inconfcious nature, which is nothingbut ?c£f ols^cvur, the mere drudging inftrument,. or manuary opificer of a perfed;mind.Laftly,. thefe Atheifts err in this, that they make this plaftick life of natureto be a mere material or corporeal thing ; vvhereas matter or body cannotmove itfelf, much lefs therefore can it artificially order and difpofe itaown motion. And though the plaftick nature be indeed the loweft of alllives, yet notwithftanding fince it is a life, or internal energy, and felf-aftivity,diftinft from local motion, it muft needs be incorporeal, all life beingcftentially fuch. But the Hylozoifts conceive grofly both of life and underft:anding,fpreading them all over upon matter, juft as butter is fpread upon.bread, or plafter upon a wall, and accordingly flicing them out in ditferencquantities