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

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