The Living Temple

Secondly, That by them, it is sufficiently evident that it owes it self to a wise and intelligent cause.

As to the former of these we need say the less, because that sort of Atheists with whom we have chiefly now to do, deny not humane souls to have had a beginning, as supposing them to be produced by the bodies they animate by the same generation, and that such generation did sometimes begin. That only rude and wildly moving matter was from eternity, and that by infinite alterations and commixtures in that eternity, it fell at last into this orderly frame and state wherein things now are, and became prolific, so as to give beginning to the several ⟨p. 95⟩sorts of living things, which do now continue to propagate themselves. The mad folly of which random fancy we have been so largely contending against hitherto. The other sort who were for an eternal succession of generations have been sufficiently refuted by divers others, and partly by what hath been already said in this discourse; and we may further meet with them ere it be long. We in the mean time find not any professing Atheism to make humane souls as such necessary and self-original beings.

As to the former of these we need say the less, because that sort of Atheists with whom we have chiefly now to do, deny not humane souls to have had a beginning, as supposing them to be produced by the bodies they animate by the same generation, and that such generation did sometimes begin. That only rude and wildly moving matter was from eternity, and that by infinite alterations and commixtures in that eternity, it fell at last into this orderly frame and state wherein things now are, and became prolifick, so as to give beginning to the several ⟨p. 95⟩sorts of living things, which do now continue to propagate themselves. The mad folly of which random fancy we have been so largely contending against hitherto. The other sort who were for an eternal succession of generations have been sufficiently refuted by divers others, and partly by what hath been already said in this discourse; and we may further meet with them ere it be long. We in the mean time find not any professing Atheism to make humane souls as such necessary and self-original beings.