366 Object ions to the immateriality

any thing of any thing: perception, sponta-neous motion, reason itself and virtue, wouldbe perfections effected in matter, preciselyby nothing, by no cause at all; for the causeassigned is as void of these perfections, as nocause, or the negation of all cause is.

IV. As to the disguises, under which scep-tical men would still support this notion j

been admitted in all ages : Every man supposes himse^qualified to be a Doubter ; want of attention will mak cus think so; but the question should be considered, h° v ' rwe are to steer next ? for, as I have said, we will taktparty, and go into some conclusion or other. Withoutthis caution errors will be multiplied instead of being cor-rected ; and it is to this want of being qualified to douWaright, that the several denominations of Atheism & eowing. There is but one way by which the vessel ca* 1enter the port again; but a thousand ways she may jn*f'carry in the wide ocean. Contradictions, like rocks aN<!shelves, are easily stumbled on. Epicurus stumbled otlchance and atoms; Strato on matter and gravity: A* 1 'Jlotle himself on an eternal and necessary vicissitude ofthings; that is, as I take it, a changing necejsity. Itbeen better to have kept to his Master’s doctrine. Fro 111all this it appears, That it is not so easy to doubt as is g enerally imagined; and that there never was any f uC ^thing as an Unbeliever: these cool men have their diffyrent creeds, so much the more shocking as they are ’ e scommon.

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