A26782:63
Considerations of the existence of God and of the immortality of the soul, with…
Considerations of the existence of God and of the immortality of the soul, with the recompenses of the future state for the cure of infidelity, the hectic evil of the times / by William Bates ...Considerations of the existence of God and of the immortality of the soul, with the recompences of the future state for the cure of infidelity, the hectick evil of the times / by William Bates ...
London: printed by J.D. for Brabazon Aylmer, 1676
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
'Twas the extravagant fancy of Democritus, and Epicurus after him, that the original of the World was from the fortuitous encountering of Atoms, that were in perpetual motion in an immense space, till at last a sufficient number met in such a conjunction as formed it in this order. 'Tis strange to amazement, how so wild an Opinion, never to be reconciled with Reason, could find entertainment. Yet he left a numerous School, many followers tenacious of his Doctrine, the heirs of his Frenzy. 'Tis very easy to show the vanity of this conceit, that supposes all, and proves nothing.
'Twas the extravagant fancy of Democritus, and Epicurus after him, that the original of the World was from the fortuitous encountring of Atoms, that were in perpetual motion in an immense space, till at last a sufficient number met in such a conjunction as form'd it in this order. 'Tis strange to amazement, how so wilde an Opinion, never to be reconciled with Reason, could finde entertainment. Yet he left a numerous School, many followers tenacious of his Doctrine, the heirs of his Frenzy. 'Tis very easie to shew the vanity of this conceit, that supposes all, and proves nothing.
That these particles of matter should thus meet together, 'tis necessary ⟨p. 53⟩they move: now from whence is the principle of their motion,1 from an internal form, or an external Agent? If they will be ingenuous and speak true, they must answer thus, from whence soever they have it, they have it: for if they did not move, their Opinion cannot proceed a step further. But supposing their motion to be natural, what powerful Cause made them rest? how are they so firmly united? have they Hooks that fasten, or Birdlime or Pitch or any glutinous matter, that by touching they cleave so fast together? They must grant something like this, otherwise they cannot unite and compound, and then the Epicurean Opinion is presently dissipated. Supposing them triangular, circular, square, or of any other regular or irregular ⟨p. 54⟩