to affirm a Self-contradiction: It is to affirm that Matter did, and did not exift in the fame Point of Time; for it must have exifted in order to the Act of making itself, and it could not exist because it was to be made.In the fecond Place, as Matter could not make itself, fo neither could it make a Universe, or World, even fuppofing it's own Existence from all Eternity; for making a System implies acting; and to acting, Thought, Reflection, Forefight, &c. are effential; of all which mere Matter is utterly incapable. I fuppofe no Man will affert that there is any more Reason, or Understanding in the Sun, or the Moon, than in a Stock, or a Stone. It follows then that Matter could neither make itself, nor any material System be produced by a material Agent; and therefore the World has been felf-existent from all Eternity, or it was the Production of a spiritual and immaterial Being, which is God.-That the World has not been self-existent from all Eternity is demonftrable from the corrupt and perishable Nature of the Bodies of which it is composed. Whatever has a natural Tendency to a Diffolution, or in other Words, whatever will have an End, must have had a Beginning; unlefs we adopt an Hypothefis palpably abfurd upon the first Proposal of it, that the World, or material Beings were eternal a parte ante, according to the Terms of the old Distinction, but will not be a parte poft.-That

all

all material Beings, or Bodies, have a natural Tendency to a Diffolution is as certain and undeniable as that any Body is of a corruptible Nature. To deny that any is of a corruptible Nature would be to deny the Divifibility, &c. of it, and in short to reject the Testimony of our Senses, and daily Experience, in numberless Instances. If therefore all Matter be homogeneous, no Species of mere Matter can have a Principle of eternal Existence in it: And that all Matter is not homogeneous, a Man may affert, but furely will never attempt to prove.-Now if the natural Corruptibility of material Beings be demonftrable, we shall, I apprehend, be thereby enabled to turn much of the Artillery of Unbelievers upon themselves. The Advocates for the Eternity of the World are ready to amuse themselves, and others, with fuch Arguments as these ;-that the universal System has, is, and will be the fame ;-that the Earth, the Sun, and the heavenly Bodies have the fame Qualities, and Properties, and perform the fame Revolutions, &c. &c. without any Variation, or the leaft Tendency to Decay; and from this continued, uncorrupted Perfection of material Nature they would infer the Abfurdity of ascertaining the Period of it's Original, or of pronouncing it's future Diffolution. -But the Conceffion of these Propofitions involves the Atheist in Difficulties, from which he will not be able to extricate VOL. I. himfelf:

C

himfelf: For if he will grant any Branch or Species of material Nature to be fubject to Corruption, and Decay, which he muft unavoidably do, it will be impoffible for him to affign a natural Cause for that continued and uncorrupted Perfection in the great material System, which he is fo forward to infist upon. And if a natural Cause cannot be affigned for this, we must look higher to a fupernatural one, which is God. Upon the Principles of Religion all Difficulties of this Kind The Perfection in Question, notwithstanding the natural Tendency of Bodies to Corruption, is demonftrably neceffary for the Maintenance and Prefervation of the general Syftem. There will be the fame Occafion for the Produce of the Earth, for the Light and Heat of the Sun, for the Motions of the heavenly Bodies, &c. as long as the World itself is in being. Accordingly, as nothing but a Being of infinite Power could be the Maker of the Universe, fo nothing lefs is clearly requifite for it's Preservation.

vanish at once.

Once more; the actual Existence of Spirit, feparate from, and independent on Matter, may be plainly evinced from the Constitution of the human Nature. Man thinks, reafons, compares, infers, &c. &c. and exercises several Faculties and Powers which are evidently peculiar to him as Man over all other Beings upon Earth. But is it

his Body that exercises all these Faculties? Does his Hand think when it moves? Does his Tongue think when it speaks? Does his Heart think when he grieves, rejoices, fears, hopes, &c. &c. If not, Thought must be ascribed to the Operation of an immaterial Faculty distinct from the Body, that is, the Soul.-Farther, Man is the only Animal that thinks, at least in the proper, and whole Senfe of that Word. Now how is this to be accounted for, if he is nothing more than a mere material Animal, if I may fo express myself? Why are Senfes, Appetites, and even Paffions common to him with other Animals, while Thought distinguishes, and characterises himself? If Thought refults only from a due Texture, Proportion, or Symmetry of bodily Parts, and material Organs, what superior Advantages has Man in Respect of these over other Animals, or indeed over many inanimate Things themselves? No one furely will maintain that there is a Connection between the Understanding and the external Shape, or Figure, or that a Man is wiser than a Beast, because one goes upon two Legs, and the other upon four. In fhort, though it may be impoffible exactly to ascertain the Differences of Natures, the Degrees of Perfection, or the Analogy between Faculties and Operations, it would at the fame Time be ridiculous to pretend to account philofophically for the undeniable Excellencies, and PreC 2 rogatives

rogatives of the human Nature, from the Difpofition and Formation of mere corporeal Organs. He who would undertake to do this, fhould next be defired to inform us why all Matter does not think; or however, why all Animals do not think alike.

Again; we may obferve a wonderful Gradation towards Perfection from inanimate to vegetable, from vegetable to animal, from animal to rational Beings. All the former feem to reach the highest Degree of Perfection their respective Natures are capable of; but this can be by no Means faid of of the latter. Great and various as the Discoveries are, which human Reason, by her fagacious Researches into the Works of Divine Providence, has made, they are yet at best to be confidered rather as Attempts, than Attainments. The nobleft Systems of Philosophy leave us in the Dark; and if the Soul of NEWTON exifts not now, it never existed to any material Purpose. We must therefore either suppose that there may be proper Objects of our Contemplations which we can never fufficiently comprehend, and confequently that it's due Point of Perfection is not attainable in the rational, or intellectual, though it be in the material or animal Nature; which furely it is abfurd to fuppofe; or else we must believe the Existence of Intellect, Spirit, or Soul, as fomething distinct from

mere