fuperadded to that of Nature, for the Reforming the Disorders occafioned in Mankind by their corruption.

These are the Four Steps by which we shall conduct the Readers Mind in this Section; becaufe 'tis our Business here to refute those called Deifts, who may be reduced to Four different Orders; viz. First, Those who frame to themfelves an odd incongruous Idea of the Deity. Secondly, Those who seem at first view to have a true Idea enough of God, and yet attribute to him an unconcernednefs at things done here on Earth. Thirdly, Those who hold that though God do really intermeddle in the Affairs of this World, yet imagine that he delights in the variety of Mens Superftitions and Errors. Fourthly and Laftly, Those who acknowledge that God has given Men a Religion to guide them by, but yet reduce its Principles to the natural Notions of Men, and look upon the rest as Fictitious. But the Extravagance of these Four kinds of Infidels, will beft appear, by the Oppofition of the Four Principles we have already mentioned.

CHAP.

CHA P. II.

Wherein me fhall prove the Idea of God. And first, that he is a neceffary Being, and that he is neceffarily but one.

THe

"He First Idea we ought to frame to our felves of that Deity, whose Existence we have already proved, is, That it exifts neceffarily, and of it felf. This Idea is Original and Fundamental with respect to all other Ideas, and yet may easily be proved.

For either God exists essentially of himself, or he has some other Principle of his Existence. If he has fome other Principle of his Existence, we enquire further whether that Principle has any precedent Principle of its Existence, or whether it has none? If it has one, we must run up this Gradation to Infinity, or ftop at fome Being that was not made, which we call by the Name of God. But if it has none, we must then own that God does neceffarily Exift, and of himself: There is no Medium; we must either acknowledge an Infinite Subordination of Effects and Caufes, (which we have fhewed to be repugnant to Reason;) or we must own necellity of Being, whereof the Effence of Go

fed.

Now from that ne him be of himself all his other Attri ceffarily results his derives from himse

mpo

Perfection he poffeffes, as we must as we must own, if we acknowledge that he exifts of himself; it follows from thence, that he depends not upon any External Being, either for his Existence, Prefervation, Power or Vertue; which is fufficient to establish the Idea of his Independency.

Neither does his Immutability proceed less evidently from it; for fince God has not received or borrowed any thing, because he is of himself whatever he is, it follows from thence, that no Extrinfecal Revolutions can vary his Effence.

His Infinity likewife as necessarily follows from it; because if God exifts of himself, he has no Principle of his Existence; and if he has no Principle of his Existence, nothing can have limited his Perfections 3 and if nothing can have limited his Perfections, Reafon will have us conceive them unlimited. In effect, there's no more reafon this Being fhould have but Ten Degrees of Perfection, than that it fhould have One Hundred, or Two Hundred, and fo on to Infinity. When our Qualities flow from the Vertue of Second Causes, which impart to us what we had not before, thofe Qualities must neceffarily be proportioned to the Vertue in the Agent: But when a Being derives from it self whatever it poffeffes, and is effentially of it self, whatever it is ; what can have limited its Perfections?

Eternity fuits no lefs agreeably with a SelfExifting Being, fince what never received any thing, can run no hazard of lofing any thing.

Laftly, Unity, that of all God's Attributes which ought to be most known, and yet has been heretofore most contested, does again evidently

refult

refult from his exifting effentially of himself, or rather inevitably follows from all his other Attributes, which are grounded upon this firft Idea of a Being of a neceffary Existence.

This was ever acknowledged by those who had any tolerable found Ideas of the Deity; it was acknowledged by the Plato's, Socrates's, and the most Orthodox and Learned among the ancient Philofophers, who all unanimously received the truth of this great Principle, notwithstanding the contrary Impreffions of Education, and all the Paffions which biaffed them to the Vulgar Opinion. And indeed, 'tis easie to conceive that the great Multitude of Gods which were adored among the Heathens, was introduced by all those different following Causes. The First was, That their Imagination finding it troublefom to recollect fo many Vertues difperfed throughout Nature, and to afcribe them to one and the fame Subject, devised for conveniency fake, feveral particular Providences. The Second was the Pride of great Men, which making them ambitious to be rank'd among the Gods after their Death, occafion'd the Multiplicity of Apotheofies. The Third, That every City, State, and Profeffion was fo vain-glorious, as to affect to have its particular Tutelar Deity. The Fourth, That Men being naturally Grofs and Carnal, framed to themselves fuch grofs Ideas of their Gods, that they fancied them Me of different Sexes and Profeffions as we felves. The Fifth, That the Poets called the Divines of the thing to fatisfy thei Sixth, That Men bein very one of their J

1 and

m

by that Means, to worship as many Gods, as they had unruly Paffions to domineer over them. The Seventh, That as Nations being in War with one another, could not find in their Hearts to worship the fame Gods with their Enemies, and fo engaged Religion in the Divisions of Humane Society. The Eighth, That the Heathens had no fixed point of a written Revelation, fo that from Age to Age they adopted the Fancies of feveral Teachers, who augmented the number of the Gods, by various Representations they made of the Deity. The laft in fhort is, That Men would needs have present to their Eyes, the Object of their Worship, and as they multiplied the Copies, fo they infenfibly multipli ed the Original too.

I say, 'tis easie to conceive, that Polytheism proceeded from all these Principles; though the inconfiderate Notions which Men too carelefly took up of the Deity were undoubtedly the true Original Cause of that Confufion. For otherwife, by every one of God's Attributes (all which refult from the neceffity of his Existence,) we cannot but be throughly convinced of his Unity.

1. From his Independency, we cannot doubt his Unity; because were there many Gods, they must be all of them of equal Power, or dependent upon one another. If they had an equal Power, they would by that fame equality depend upon one another; that is, the one could not act, unless with the others Confent, which would be a kind of Restraint. And if they depended upon one another, they could not all be Gods, becaufe none but an Independent Being can truly bear that Name,

II. His