Matter not eternal and wicaused. 375

r us\ chance; but they made a dead substanceas necessary as a living Being in the nature ofthings: as if felf-exijtent deadnefs must havec °ntributed its help to self-existent Power,before a world could be formed. At this ratethe negation of every perfeSlion might bet&ade a self-existing things and there mighthe an eternal necessity of imperfection, as wellas of perfection in nature! They imaginedmfinite power could not produce a certaine ffect; therefore they kindly assisted it out oftheir own fancy, by supposing the effect al-^ady performed, and all the difficulty over.^hat can be easier? It is just such an argu-ment as if we should contend, that no Being^°uld cut and form the parts of a watch, tho’11 might set them together, if we supposethem eternally pre-existing: and therefore the

J^ere, if we consider what hath been proved before,^7' 'hat it is the power of the Deity exerted, which con-l 'utes the very solid nature of matter; it must appearcontradiction to fay any thing existed vertually jn0 One would almost think these Philosophers bad beenar penters by trade, and had confined the Deity to theirmanner of working; at least their whole descriptionact° UrS of *h e lowest Mechanick. If matter be utterly in-1Ve j how can it co-operate ? What hath no ivs^yaot. can^ CVer afford ovngyi'oi or assistance to another Being.

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