CHAPTER XVII. 627 The idea of finite belongs to created spirits as well as bo- dies ; not in regard of quantity, if they have no dimensions; but in regard of their qualities, their knowledge, and power, and goodness, and all their operations, for all these are confined to certain limits, yet they are allowed to have an everlasting or unlimited duration, i. e. with regard to the future, or a parte post, though not with regard to the past, or a parte ante, as the schools speak ; that is, though they may have no end, yet they had abeginning. This unlimited duration of spirits has been called usually immortality or eviternity. And indeed this property doth really belong also 'to matter considered in general as well as to mind ; for however variable and mortal the particular forms and compo- sitions of bodies may be, yet as for body or matter itself nothing can destroy or annihilate it but the God that created it. We have little to do with the ideas of infinite, but in our conceptions of the everlasting duration of our natures, in our contemplations of God, or of mathematical quantities. How far the duration of our souls is infinite, has been exprest. The infinity of God has been usually distinguished into the infinity of his essence, or his duration, or his attributes. 1. The infinity of his essence or presence is his immensity or omnipresence : How this to be understood concerning his con- sciousness and power or influence rather than extension. See the the chapter of time and place. 2. The infinity ofhis duration is his externity, withoutbegin- ning and without end, a parte ant? as well as a partepast. See the chapter of duration. 3. The infinity of his attributes implies that his knowledge and his power have no bounds ; or that his power, knowledge, holiness, wisdom, goodness, are infinite, &c. z. e. every way per- fect in the most absolute sense. When we consider an infinite under this idea of actual abso- lute perfection, it may be counted a positive idea; but if we con- sider it aswithout limit, it is negative : Yet some refine further, and make the word limit a negative term, because it denies pro- gress or increase, and thus infinite becomes a sort of positive idea again. Mr. Locke teaches us that our idea of infinite is not a com- plete idea, but rather an idea ever growing and receiving addi- tions ; and for themost part this is a just idea of it, for it is cer- tain, that this is the way we come by this idea at first. Yet the idea of an actual positiveinfinite directly contradicts this growing idea, for it supposes all addition impossible. We are finite crea- tures, and we soon lose ourselves among infinites. l' ;i
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