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

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

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^2 Pagan AJfertors of the Eternity Book'!.t6 be aj/fv^rTki?, or ingenerate^ and to have exilled from eterniry, but alfomaintained the fiime concerning the fou'.s of men, and all other animals,(they concluding that no fouls were younger than body or the world ;) andbecaufe they would not feem to depart from their mafter Plato, thereforedid they endeavour violently to force this fame fenfeupon Plaid's words alfo,Notwithftanding which, concerning thefe latter Platonifts, it is here obfervable,that though they thus afTcrt^d the world, and all inferior gods andfouls to have been oiyrJnn^, according to that (Irider fcnfe of the worddeclared, that is, to have had no temporary generation or beginning,but to have exiiled from eternity ; . yet by no means did they thereforeconceive them to be xCroyvjiT^ x) aJSuTrsf-aT*?, fflf-crigiriated, andfelf-exijliiig, but concluded them to have been all derived from one fole£». 3. /. 2. f.fclf-exiftent Deity as their caufe, which therefore, though not in order of'I. time, yet of nature was before them. To this purpofe Plotmus^ mv nco j.,'t«ehxi ix,*^^ ?C6°'"i' "-""Efi' at>TK cvia, «AA on irxsx ]i\s to Xy(pj(7ii iriOTipf^ e>:£."1(^,•xj xiTiOV t»'ti!, 5;;^£Ti7r«'j ohv xj Trct-paSnyux etyJ'j'^' x, J'l eVjivou ov7(^ x, utto—jcv7i^di\ Tcvie rc'j r^oiror Mind or God "iuas before the "jsorld, not as if it exijledbefore it in time, but becaufe the 'xorld proceeded from it^ and that 'jjasin order of nature firfi as the caufe thereof, and its archeljpe or paradigm ^Iln.z. l.q.c.the world alfo always fubjifting by it and from it. And again elfcwhere to3. the fame purpofe, » toiVjv iyk/'.o, aAX' lyLsro x, yijrtTiTXi, o

whichCh AP. rV. of the VForld a7id Gods, 255-philofophers apprehended any repugnancy at all betwixt thefe two things -,exiftence from eternity, and being caufed or produced by another. Nor cmwe make any great doubt, but that if the latter Platonifts had been fjlly convincedof any contradidious inconfiftency here, they would readily havedifclaimedthat their fo beloved hypothefis of the world's eternity ; it beingfo far from truth what fome have fuppofed, that the Affertors of the world'seternity were all Atheifts,. that thefe latter Platonifts were led into this opinionno otherwife than from the fule confideration of the Deity ; to wit,its «j'3i9o£t(?'i< (3KA>i(ni-, lij ydviixoi ^uvixfj.1^, its ejfential goodvefs, and generative p^„ j^fower-i^or emanative fecundity^ as Proclus plainly declares upon the 'Ttniieus.Now, though Ariftotle were not afted with any fuch divine enthufiafm asthefe Platonifts feem to have been, .yet did he notwithftanding, after his fobermanner, really maintain the fame thing ; that though the world, and inferiormundane gods had no temporary generation, yet were they neverthelefsallproduced from one fupreme Deity as thiir caufe. Thus Simplicius reprefentsthat philofopher's lenfe, 'A^irorjAiif a j/ivs^at a^to? rov koQi^ov, axxd ^'^'^^ ^p/^r'f'g,cLwoi r^oTTov Wo 0£k vx^ci-yi&xr Ariftotle would not have the %vo7'ld to have teenryJ-^Q [,_made, (fo as to have had a beginning) hit yet nevertbelefs to have been pro- Edit. Aldi.]:ducid from God after fome other manner. And again afterwards ; 'A^ij-ot/Aji;TO aiiTioi; T8 KoauB x, TJ)f «i'J';>( xivfKTfw? auT» S'fov AeJ/wv, OiV.to? ocy'iMmm auTov a.TroSiiKm

^2 Pagan AJfertors <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Eternity Book'!.t6 be aj/fv^rTki?, or ingenerate^ <strong>and</strong> to have exilled from eterniry, but alfomaintained <strong>the</strong> fiime concerning <strong>the</strong> fou'.s <strong>of</strong> men, <strong>and</strong> <strong>all</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r animals,(<strong>the</strong>y concluding that no fouls were younger than body or <strong>the</strong> world ;) <strong>and</strong>becaufe <strong>the</strong>y would not feem to depart from <strong>the</strong>ir mafter Plato, <strong>the</strong>reforedid <strong>the</strong>y endeavour violently to force th<strong>is</strong> fame fenfeupon Plaid's words alfo,Notwithft<strong>and</strong>ing which, concerning <strong>the</strong>fe latter Platonifts, it <strong>is</strong> here obfervable,that though <strong>the</strong>y thus afTcrt^d <strong>the</strong> world, <strong>and</strong> <strong>all</strong> inferior gods <strong>and</strong>fouls to have been oiyrJnn^, according to that (Irider fcnfe <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> worddeclared, that <strong>is</strong>, to have had no temporary generation or beginning,but to have exiiled from eternity ; . yet by no means did <strong>the</strong>y <strong>the</strong>reforeconceive <strong>the</strong>m to be xCroyvjiT^ x) aJSuTrsf-aT*?, fflf-crigiriated, <strong>and</strong>felf-exijliiig, but concluded <strong>the</strong>m to have been <strong>all</strong> derived from one fole£». 3. /. 2. f.fclf-exiftent Deity as <strong>the</strong>ir caufe, which <strong>the</strong>refore, though not in order <strong>of</strong>'I. time, yet <strong>of</strong> nature was before <strong>the</strong>m. To th<strong>is</strong> purp<strong>of</strong>e Plotmus^ mv nco j.,'t«ehxi ix,*^^ ?C6°'"i' "-""Efi' at>TK cvia, «AA on irxsx ]i\s to Xy(pj(7ii iriOTipf^ e>:£."1(^,•xj xiTiOV t»'ti!, 5;;^£Ti7r«'j ohv xj Trct-paSnyux etyJ'j'^' x, J'l eVjivou ov7(^ x, utto—jcv7i^di\ Tcvie rc'j r^oiror Mind or God "iuas before <strong>the</strong> "jsorld, not as if it exijledbefore it in time, but becaufe <strong>the</strong> 'xorld proceeded from it^ <strong>and</strong> that 'jjasin order <strong>of</strong> nature firfi as <strong>the</strong> caufe <strong>the</strong>re<strong>of</strong>, <strong>and</strong> its archeljpe or paradigm ^Iln.z. l.q.c.<strong>the</strong> world alfo always fubjifting by it <strong>and</strong> from it. And again elfcwhere to3. <strong>the</strong> fame purp<strong>of</strong>e, » toiVjv iyk/'.o, aAX' lyLsro x, yijrtTiTXi, o

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