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

andChap. I.Atomical Philofophy.real entities thus perpetually produced out of nothing and reduced to nothing,feemed to be fo great a paradox to the ancients, that they could by nomeans admit of it. Becaufe, as we have already declared, firft they concludedit clearly impoffible by reafon, that of it any real entity fhould felf rife outof nothing •, fecondly, they thought it very abfurd to bring God uponthe ftage, with his miraculous extraordinary power, perpetually at every turn;as alio, that every thing might be made out of every thing, and therewould be no caufe in nature for the produftion of one thing rather thananother, and at this time rather than that, if they were miraculoufly madeout of nothing. Wherefore they fagacioufly apprehended, that there muftneeds be fome other myftery or intrigue of nature in this bufinels, than wascommonly dream'd of, or fufpedted ; which they concluded to be this, thatin all thefe transformations there were no fuch real entities of forms andqualities diftind from the matter, and the various difpofition of its parts,in refpeft of rigure, fite and motion (as is vulgarly fuppofed) produced anddeftroyed ; but that all thefe feats were done, either by the concretion andfecretion of aftually inexiftent parts, or elle by the different modifications ofthe fame pre-exiftent matter, or the infenfible parts thereof. This only beingadded hereunto, that from thofe different modifications of the fmall particlesof bodies, (they being not fo diftinftiy perceived by our fenfes) there are begottenin us certain confufed/i^^^^y^/'w/^ or phaniafniata, apparitions, fancies andpafTions, as of light and colours, heat and cold, and the like, which are tholethings, that are vulgarly millaken for real qualities exiftlng in the bodieswithout us ; whereas indeed there is nothing abfolutely in the bodies themfelveslike to thofe fantaftick idea's that we have of them ; and yet they arewifely contriv'd by the author of nature for the adorning and embellifhing ofthe corporeal world to us.So that they conceived,bodies were to be confidered two manner of ways;either as they are abfolutely in themfelves, or elfe as they are relatively to usand as they are abfolutely in themfelves, that fo there never was any entityreally dillinft from the fubftance produced in them out of nothing, nor corruptedor deftroyed to nothing, but only the accidents and modifications altered.Which accidents and modifications are no entities really diftindt fromtheir fubflance -, for as much as the fame body may be put into feveral fliapesand figures, and the fame man may fuccefTively Ifand, lit, kneel and walk,without the produftion of any new entities really diftind from the fubllanceof his body. So that the generations, corruptions and alterations of inanimatebodies are not terminated in the produition or deflruftion of any fubftantialforms, or real entities diftinft from the fubflance, but only in differentmodifications of it. But fecondly, as bodies are confidered reladvelyto us, that fo befides their different modificanons and mechanical alterations^there are alfo different fancies, feemings, and apparitions begotten in us fromthem ; which unwary and unfkilful philofophers miftake for abfolute formsand qualities in bodi-s themfelves. And thus they concluded, that all thephjEnomena of inanimate bodies, and their various transformations, mightbe clearly relblved into thefe two things ; partly fomething. that is real and;Fabfofute