Matter not eternal and uncaused. 387

his eternity. Not to mention that, if we mayspeak of the reasonableness of an earlier orlater existence, creatures that were to enjoyeternity of existence a parse post , as it isCa lled, have no reason to complain that they^ere not sooner created. Mathematicians al*that lines infinite or endless one way, are^Ual, whatever difference there may be on*heir finite extremes j and this supposition a-S^ees with the exactness of demonstration jwe find Lucretius on his scheme, com-ing those who are to die first, by tellingthat the eternity of non-existence whichjj e y have before them, will be no longer than|^irs who are to be born ages after. And this^ applicable the other way. They who arej. 0r h latest, have still an eternal duration be-^ re them. Besides that such creatures before^ e y exist can complain of nothing, since theyc in the predicament of Being : a non-^ * s capable neither of good or bad treatment.^ this rate we might complain that we wereet e horn at once , nay that we were not alla bs as carnal as God, felf-exifient. What% f t( ^ es »wy we not insist on, if we allow^wes to proceed in this manner (p) t Up-si, on

. Men who affect the height of frei-tbinking , and

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