Matter not eternal and uncaused. 385

a nd best to be done, supposes that they whoaffirm God to have been under this necessity,

can

ether degree of velocity, nor altered the direction of its mati-Cn J n the least. Every thing in nature is an example of*his. Supposing the number of hairs on a man’s head ton i he could not have caused that this number shouldke v-j. orw—1. The result of all is, It would imply aphysical contradiction, that any thing in nature should have^ ee n otherwise than it is; since the greatest power pojji-^ Was not able to effect any the least deviation: andis again, Every thing is as it is, by a natural, in-ev ‘table fate. This is the conclusion as fair as I am ableto draw it. Now if this be so, why need we any longer0Vl so a nominal Deity ? I find no difference between this^d the rankest Atheism. Here is a fatal necessitysupreme ,atJ d the Deity still the Drudge of all-persorming destiny.hat is it to us whether things fall out by blind chance ,c °me to pass by rigid, unalterable sate? If what goesJ^der the name of the perfectest Being can have no li-er ty> we can have none. On either scheme we have

h*ng to hope or fear. -Compare this now with that

^d of necessity which I just now shewed must belong^ atl infinitely perfect Being. Hence let it be observed^ tto the Deity power without liberty, is to takeH a y every reason we can have to own him, or to wish^ 1 he were: such a Deity serves the Atheist’s turn asas chance itself. But let it be remarked here, thatsjw kheme of making the Deity act by a physical neces-Vfo f rc P u £ nan t to itself. For upon this hypothesis ithe contradictory for any of the heavenly Bodies,0l< > II. C c ry