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

Chap. I. Atomical Philofophy. 315generations, corruptions and alterations of bodies were made by nothing butthe concretions and fccretions of inexiilent and pre-exiftent atoms of differentforms and qualities, without the produclion of any new form and quality outof nothing, or the redu(5lion of any into nothing. This very accountArijlotle gives of the Anaxagorean hypothefis : mxi 'Avx^xyofz^ ouVo.'? ^tthjixolri^nvxt rtx. s-oi;i^£ia, tix to XittoXxiaJ^x-.civ, t«v x•)ll/r^J J »?»;•< twj (p^iriXMv Tivai aAjjS-?wj oJ yi-jo^u.ivo-j oJ(J'£to\- £x Tcj f/.ri o'jIo?. Anaxagoras feemeth therefore to makeinfinite atoms eniuediaith feveral forms and qualities to be the elements of bodies^becaufe hefuppofed that common opinion of phyfiologers to be true, that nothing ismade of nothing. But all the other antient phyfiologers that were beforeAnaxagoras, and likewife thofc after him, who infifting upon the fame principleof nothing coming from nothing did not Anaxagorize, as Empedodes,Democritusand Protagoras, muft needs make oTxs; avo/xo(W, difTimilar molecuLt,and xtoij-h; xncUc, atoms unformed and unqualified, otherwife than bymagnitude, figure and motion, to be the principles of bodies, and cafiiieringforms and qualities (as real entities diftinct from the matter) refolve all corporealphenomena into mechanifm and fancy. Becaufe, if no real entitycan come from nothing, nor go to nothing, then one of thefe two thino-s isabloiutely ncccflary, that either thefe corporeal forms and qualities, beingreal entities diftincl from the matter, fliouid cxift before generations and aftercorruptions, in certain infenfible atoms originally luch, according to theAnaxagorean dodrinc ; or elfe, that they fhould not be real entities diilindtfrom the matter, but only the different modifications and mechanifms of it,together with different fancies. And thus we have made it evident, thatthe genuine atomical phyfiology did fpring originally from this principleof reafon, that no real entity does of itlelf come from nothing, nor go tonothing.XXIX. Now we fhallin the next place fhow, how this very fame principleof realbn, which induced the ancients to reject fubftantial forms and qualitiesof bodies, and to phyfiologize atomically, led them alfo unavoidably toaflert incorporeal fubftances •, and that the fouls of men and animals were fuch,neither generated nor corrupted. They had argued againfl: fubftantial formsand qualities, as we have fliewed, in this manner, that fince the forms andqualities of bodies are fuppofed by all to be generated and corrupted, madeanew out of nothing and deftroyed to nothing, that therefore they could notbe real entities diftinft from the fubftance of matter, but only different modificationsof it in refped of figure, fite and motion, caufing different fenlationsin us ^ and were all to be refoived into mechanifm and fancy. For asfor that conceit of Anaxagoras, of prre and poll-exiftent atoms, endued withall thofe feveral forms and qualities of bodies ingenerably and incorrupdbly jit was nothing but an adulteration of the genuine atomical philofophy, and amere dream of his, in which very few follow'd him. And now theyargue contrariwife for the fouls of men and animals, in this manner; becaufethey arc plainly real entities dirtincl from the fubflance of matter and its modification,and men and brutes are not mere machines, neither can life and cogitation,fenfeajidconfciouthefs, reafon and underllanding, appetite and willF 2ever