Firft Commandment . i9 from Second and Natu ral Caufes. And therefore many of thofc who arc of an inquill.v rive and fearching Genius, when they find fuch Effetl:s depend upon, and Row from fuchand fuchNaturalCaufes,applaud themfelves in thedifcovery,andlook no farther nor higher, but neglect the firlt and chief Caufe of all, even God. Hence fame have thought that Reafon and Philofophy are great Enemies to Religion, and Patrons of Atheifin; but in truth it is far otherwife; and the Athcifi: 11ath tiot a more finart and keen Adverfary (fincc he will not fubmit his Canfc to be trycd by SCriptu.re,) than true Reafon and p~ofo~nd Philofophy: Bllt if ~ny '~h.o fcem eo be knowmg and learned Men, are lefs Illchncd to the Bchcf of a Deity, It IS not their Learning, but their Ignorance that makes them fo. The fame Lord Veru~ Lam bath we\1 ohferved, That a little Philofophy inclines a Man's mind to Athcifm, but depth in Philofophy brings it about again to Religion. And I dare challenge the moft learned Men in the World, to give a fatisfatl:ory account of the moft vulgar and common Appearances in Nature, without refolving them at \aft into the will and difpof.1l of the God of Nature. If I fhould ask them, What makes the Grafs green, or a Stone to full {!ownwards, or the F1re to afpn-c upwards, or the Sun to inlighttn and warm the World? What anfivcr can they give, but that it is the pro~ per'ty of their Natures; or what is altogether as in~gnificant and untelligible? But if 1 Otr:mld queftioll fartlyer, How came their N1tures to be diftinguilht with fuch properties? they rmtlt e1ther hc:e be lilent, or.confefs a li.rft Caufc which cndmved their Natures with filch propcrues and atl:ions: for although a Man may for fome few fucceffions of C:aufcs and Effeas, find one to depend upon another, yet they mufr ;~ll at laft, be TCfolved into, and terminate in God. And this is the fecond Dcmonfl:ration of the Being and Exifrenceofti Deity. TI'Jirdly, Unlcfs the Being of a God be prcfhppofed, there can no tolerable account 3· h~ 6 iven of the Being of any thing: We fee innumerable Beings in the World, dillCrcnt from each other both in kind and partiR tnlar. Now what rational account can the Atheift give, how t hefe things come to have a Being? There are but two ways ima~ giuablc: Either that the World was formed by Chance; or elfe, . t hnt it had its Being from all Eternity. And accordingly (as if it 'were Iti\1 fatal for them to encounter with the fame lnconvenie n~ cics, for which they difavow Religion) Atheifts are divided into H~~ qtli txiflimet fori potui.Jf, noli muOigo; twr nm i4tm partt. ji imllnncrnbilu uuiu1 & 'Vigir.ti /itert~rumfdrm,e aliqwo&onjtein•· ~ tur,poj[texhisintt~·rrtmtxmfli!0 mmnlrs EJmii,rtt demups fegi p:f- {int, effi&i: q1"d tltjtio 1111 in Jlllt quidtm 'Verju poj]it tanttWJ 'UAltrt (orwnn, Cic. dOl Na.t. Dtor. lib. z, two seas. Fir.ff) There is the Epicurean Atheift, who affirms that the World indeed had once "? bc~inning~ but it was meerly ~y Chance: for. there. hav~ng been from al l Eternity Hlfintte P:u·tiCies.. of .M:1tte~ movmg tC? and fro m an mfimte SpJce, at !aft meet in ·~ ofna!ly, they ltnked one m another; and fo by mecr chance formed this World which we now fee. A Fancy fo grofiy ridiculous, that were it not now again taken ·up by fomc who j)l"etend to be greJt Lights in Rc:Ifon and Philofophy, l would not condefcend fo much as to mention it. * Bm as Cu:ero faith, both judicioufiy and ingeniouf\y : As foon !hall they vcrfuade me that an innumerable comp:1ny of loofe and ~ Si in Scythit:m, aut in Bri· difordercd Letters, being often lhaken together, and afterwards ttm"lli~NhSph~ram"!iqtm trllcrit, thrown out upon t~e gro:md, fhould fall into fuch exquilite order ~;;~ eJl,;,:; ;:/t~,{:;~~~~;;:,s p:: as to frame a mort mgen1ous and heroick Poem, as th:~.t Atoms 1,ulte ,011,;erfo'm idem_ ef!Liunt .ftray ing to and fro at random, fh.onld ever cafually meet together i11folc, &i"'"-'"'• & m<J~i11qm: to make l World contifring of He~ven, a!lrl; of Air, and Sea, and f!dlis emmtibw, quod ejficitu' Earth, an~l fo m:my forts and fpec1es of hvmg Creatures, in the 111 ta!lofinguliidiebuJ & mflihs frame and compofure of which we fee fuch wonderful and inimita- ;;is JP~~= fi;b~~~ft~!~':~~;;~;. ble Skill. Had .Archimcdes, or l Pojidoniuis Sphere, in which were Hi '"'tem dr~bttttrJt de n;und7, ,x imitated all the motions and converfions of the Sun, Moon, and qu ~rirmtur 6- futrblt omnia , Planets, been prefcnted to the moft ignorant or illiterate Nations eafunc ipfo fie tj{eihu, a11t muP under HeaVen, they could not be fo groOy ftupid as to think fuch f:~i~~;~1~&~;;::::a.;: =~~: a'Piece ofWork of meer Chance, but of accurate Art and Study. trant11r pht'V,luiffo ir. itnittmdu And !hall any doubt, when he fees the great Machine of the fph~r~ 'on,;erjioniblu,qrnnmrtu· World, the fame and many other Converfions made in a more '"171 m ejftitmiil ;pr~flrM•tum perfeC\: manner, than they can be reprefented in any fhch Type, ;u:~~::;fi:::l::! ~~rf~~ft~ whether it be,a Work of uncertain Chance, or elfc the ProduCt of etro de N•t. Deor. J, 2 • ttfl. n~~tur{UI .11twmum, cur po,ticuml mr rtmplum, 1ur dnnum, eur urbm1 ~n pottjl, (jtl~ for/ m~": ~t~~=~ :!r:t,~;: ~nn ftt~l/iora. Cic. de Nat. Deor. I. 2. •
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