more but one only Subftance in God. Object. 2. Inasmuch as every one of the Three Perfons is faid to be an incommunicable Substance,there feems rather to be Three entire Substances, than only one.

Solut. It doth not neceffarily follow, that because the Father is an incommunicable Substance, the Son an incommunicable Subftance, and the Holy Ghost an incommunicable Subftance, that therefore there are three feveral Subftances; for the Substance of any one of the three Perfons is not a feveral Substance from the Substance of the other Two, whilft the very fame numerical Effence, Nature or Being is God knowing himfelf,God known of himself,and God loving himself known. And yet because there is nothing at all accidental in God (fect. 1. par. 11.) but every thing in him is fubftantial and that to know, and to be known, and to love what is known, as fuch, cannot poffibly be the fame; we muft of ne ceffity, hold, that the Divine Nature is fubftantially One, but relatively More; or that the Subftance of God is diftinguifhed, yet not into more Subftances, but into more Relations fubfifting in the fame Subftance, whence there are three Subfiftences in one Subftance, or a Trinity of Perfons in Unity of Effence.

SECT.

SECT. III.

The Universe was created by God. There was no præ-exiftent Matter whereof it was made. It is not of the Nature and Effence of God. It neither could have been eternal for Duration, nor infinite in Extenfion. There is no Endleẞ Number of Worlds. The Univerfe is only one, the best for Kind that was poffible to be created.

I.

·VV'

Hereas it was proved, fect. 1. par.6. that that there is only one First-Being, whofe Existence alone has no dependence on another, it must needs be that the Universe is either God himself, who is that firft Being, or that it was originally derived from him in every part and parcel thereof.

2. And that the Univerfe is not God himfelf, is plain from this, that God is one fimple uncompounded Being (fect. 1. par. 10, 11.) whereas the Universe in every part of it is fome way or other compounded, as for example, Body is compofed of several material Atoms; Man of Body and Soul ;' and Angels of Effence and Existence; and all these again of Substance and Accident. The C 3 Tini;

Universe therefore, with all that therein is was originally derived from God alone.

3. And fince the World is originally derived from God alone, every thing which it contains, muft of neceffity either participate and be of the fameNature and Effence which God is of, or else they must have been created or produced of nothing, there being only one first Being (fect. 1. par. 6.) And that they do not participate of the fame Nature and Effence with God, is clear from hence, because in that there is nothing in God which is not God (fect. 1. par. 11.) they would otherwife be God, which for the Reafon given in the fecond Paragraph of this Section, is made appear to be impoffible, All things therefore without contradiction were at first created or produced by God of nothing.

4. And whatfoever is created and has motion (as all the Parts of the visible world we are affured have,) the fame could not be eternal, but must have had a beginning; otherwise there would have been an infinite Duration, an infinite number of Days, of Months, of Years already past, and confequently, feeing one Infinite is not greater than another for it is not Infinite to which any thing can be added) there would have

1

been

been no more Days than Months,nor Months than Years fince the Creation of the World; and yet on the contrary, feeing there are more Days than Months, and more Months than Years in the fame long continuance of Time, there would have been more Days than Months, and Months than Years fince the Creation, which is a Contradiction. Again, fuppofing the World to have had an infinite duration, and Mankind the like continuance, there was either an infinite Series of Generations of Men a thousand Years · ago paft, or there was not; if there was not, a thousand generations elapsed fince, could not make the foregoing Number infinite; for of two Finites added together an Infinite cannot arife. But if the Series of · generations of Men was a thousand years ago infinite, then a thousand generations have been added fince to that which was before infinite; and so, fince nothing is infinite to which any addition can be made, the Series of the generations of Men from the Creation fhould be both infinite and not infinite; which is contradictory and impoffible.

Object. 1. Since God has been from Eternity, what should hinder, but that there might poffibly have been an equally continued Succeffion of Time together with his eternal Duration?

C 4

Solut.

A

Solut. It is not properly affirmed of God, that he was heretofore, or fhall be hereafter, but only that he IS ; whence we see that he himself in Answer to Mofes asking him what he should tell the People his Name was, faid, I AM THAT I AM. Thus fhalt thor fay to the Children of Ifrael, I AM bath fent me unto you, Exod. 3 13, 14. For fince Exiftence is effential to God, there is no divifibility, no præterition, no futerition, and confequently no fucceffion nor continuance (truly fpeaking) incident to him. Those things only whose Natures may be, or may not be, can be rightly faid to continue, when their Existence is prolonged by a Caufe without themselves, upon whofe pleasure their continuance in Being from time to time depends; for that alone can properly be faid to continue,which in its Nature is capable to be discontinued. But of God whofe Effence is Existence, it cannot be properly faid, he has been, or fhall be, but folely that HE IS; for what is it effentially to exift, but purely to exist? and what is it purely to exift, but purely to be? And what is it purely to be, but folely to be? And to fay a thing was or fhall be, which folely is, amounts in effect to this, that it folely is, and not folely is, a