Divine Unity, Revelation feems to be neceffary.

426. Self-existence or Independence is another natural attribute of God. If he depended on any thing, that thing would be fuperior and prior to him, which is abfurd; because he himself is the fupreme and the first caufe: therefore his existence does not depend on any thing whatever. The attribute of felf-existence is fomething that furpaffes our comprehenfion; and no wonder; fince all the beings that we see around us in the world are dependent. But, as already obferved, there are many things which we must acknowledge to be true, notwithstanding that we cannot comprehend them.

427. We fee the material universe in motion; but matter is inert, and, fo far as we know, nothing can move it but mind. Therefore God is a fpirit. We do not mean that his nature is the fame with that of our foul: it is infinitely more excellent. But we mean, that he poffeffes intelligence and active power in fupreme perfection; and as these qualities do not belong to

matter,

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matter, which is neither active nor intelligent, we must refer them to that which is not matter, but mind.-Some of the ancients thought, that God is the foul of the univerfe, and that the universe is, as it were, his body. But this cannot be; for where-ever there is body, there must be inactivity, and confequently imperfection. He is therefore a pure fpirit. Nor can we conceive, that he is confined within the limits of creation, as a foul is within its body; or that he is liable to impreffions from material things, as the foul is from the body; or that material things are inftruments neceffary to the exertion of his attributes, as our bodies are to the exertion of our faculties. It must be as easy for him, to act beyond the bounds of creation, as within them; to create new worlds, as to ceafe from creation. He is every where present and active; but it is a more perfect prefence and activity, than that of a foul within a body.-Another notion once prevailed, fimilar to that which has been just now confuted, that the world is animated, as a body is by a foul, not by the Deity himself,

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himself, but by an univerfal spirit, which he created in the beginning, and of which the fouls of men and other animals are parts or emanations. This I mention, not because a confutation is neceffary; for it is mere hypothesis, without any fhadow of evidence; but because it may be of use in explaining fome paffages of ancient authors, particularly of Virgil, who once and again alludes to it *.

428. In order to be fatisfied, that God is omnipotent, we need only to open our eyes, and look round upon the wonders of his creation. To produce fuch astonishing effects, as we fee in the univerfe, and experience in our own frame; and to produce them out of nothing, and fuftain them in the most perfect regularity, must certainly be the effect of power which is able to do all things, and which therefore nothing can refift. But the divine power cannot extend to what is either impoffible in itself, or unfuitable to the perfection of his nature. To make the fame thing at the fame

time to be and not to be, is plainly impoffible; and to act inconfiftently with justice, goodness, and wifdom, must be equally impoffible to a being of infinite purity.

429. That God is from everlasting to everlasting, is evident from his being felfexiftent and almighty. That he was from all eternity, was proved already; and it can admit of no doubt, that what is independent and omnipotent muft continue to all eternity. In treating of the eternity of God, as well as of his omniprefence, fome authors have puzzled themselves to little purpose, by attempting to explain in what manner he is connected with infinite space and endless duration. But it is vain to search into those mysteries; as they lie far beyond the reach of all human, and most probably of all created intelligence. Of this we are certain, for upon the principle juft now mentioned it may be demonftrated, that the Supreme Being had no beginning, and that of his existence there can be no end. That which is omnipotent and eternal, is incapable of being changed by any thing else; and that which is infinite

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ly wife and good can never be fuppofed to make any change in itself. The Deity, therefore, is unchangeable.

430. As he is the maker and preferver of all things, and every where prefent, (for to fuppofe him to be in fome places only, and not in all, would be to fuppofe him a limited and imperfect being), his knowledge must be infinite, and comprehend at all times whatever is, or was, or fhall be. Were his knowledge progreffive, like ours, it would be imperfect; for they who become more wife must formerly have been lefs fo.-Wisdom is the right exercise of knowledge and that he is infinitely wife, is proved inconteftably by the fame arguments that prove his existence.

431. The goodness of God appears in all his works of creation and providence. Being infinitely and eternally happy in himfelf, it was goodness alone that could move him to create the universe, and give being and the means of happiness to the innumerable orders of creatures contained in it. Revelation gives fuch a difplay of the divine goodness, as must fill us with the

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