Of the Origin of the Universe.
1. The Necessity of the Belief of the Creation of the World, in order to the Truth of Religion. Of the several Hypotheses of the Philosophers who contradict Moses: with a particular Examination of them. II. The ancient Tradition of the World consonant to Moses; proved from the Ionic Philosophy of Thales, and the Italic of Pythagoras. III. The Pythagoric Cabala rather Egyptian than Mosaic. Of the fluid Matter, which was the material Principle of the Universe. IV. Of the Hypothesis of the Eternity of the World, asserted by Ocellus Lucanus and Aristotle. V. The Weakness of the Foundations on which that Opinion is built. Of the Manner of forming Principles of Philosophy. VI. The Possibility of Creation proved. [No arguing from the present State of the World against its Beginning, shewed from Maimonides.] VII. The Platonists' Arguments, from the Goodness of God for the Eternity of the World, answered. VIII. Of the Stoical Hypothesis of the Eternity of Matter; whether reconcileable with the Text of Moses. IX. Of the Opinions of Plato and Pythagoras concerning the Preexistence of Matter to the Formation of the World. X. The Contradiction of the Eternity of Matter to the Nature and Attributes of God. XI, XII, XIII. Of the Atomical Hypothesis of the Origin of the Universe. XIV, XV, XVI, XVI. The World could not be produced by a casual Concourse of Atoms, proved from the Nature and Motion of Epicurus's Atoms, and the Phænomena of the Universe; especially the Production and Nature of Animals. XVIII. Of the Cartesian Hypothesis, that it cannot salve the Origin of the Universe without a Deity giving Motion to Matter.
THE foundations of religion being thus established in the being of God, and the immortality of the soul, we