. Of the principles and duties of natural religion : two books . be-caufe they thei:uclves are willing to grantit to the World, or at leaft to Matter. Andif we fuppofe God to be the firft Caufe orMover, it will thence neceflarily follow, thathe mull always be, and could not have a Be-ginning J becaufc if he ever were only in pof- fibtlity. io8 Of the principles^ Sec. Lib. I^ l^ilitjj he could not from thence pafs intoaBualBeingy without fome precedent Caufeand Mover, which is inconfiftent with hisBeing xSx^firft Caufe, And if nothing couldcaufe his Being, then nothing can take itaway, and conf
. Of the principles and duties of natural religion : two books . be-caufe they thei:uclves are willing to grantit to the World, or at leaft to Matter. Andif we fuppofe God to be the firft Caufe orMover, it will thence neceflarily follow, thathe mull always be, and could not have a Be-ginning J becaufc if he ever were only in pof- fibtlity. io8 Of the principles^ Sec. Lib. I^ l^ilitjj he could not from thence pafs intoaBualBeingy without fome precedent Caufeand Mover, which is inconfiftent with hisBeing xSx^firft Caufe, And if nothing couldcaufe his Being, then nothing can take itaway, and confequently he muft be Ever-lafting. It would be a great Abatement to all theother Divine Perfections, if they were finiteand perilhing. Befides, that it would be al-together inconfiftent with fome of them,namely, his Self exiftencey and neceffaryExifence. And wirlial, it muft needs takeoff from the obligation to Duty of the Crea-tures part, if they were uncertain of the con-tinuance of his Being, by whom Rewardsand Punifhments were to be diftributed inthe CHAP. chap. p. of Natural Religion, lop CHAP. IX. Of the Communicable ^erfeBions ofGod : And firft^ of thofe which relateto the Divine Underftanding, yi:^Knowledge, Wifdom, particularProvidence. BEfides thofe incommunicable Attributesalready infifled upon, there are othersftilcd communicable^ becaufe they are in fomelower degree, and by way of participation,communicated to other inferior Beings. Andconcerning thefe, there is a Neceility thatwe Ihould make an Eftimate of them, byfuch Rules and Meafures as our Natures arecapable of. And becaufe the chief Perfedi-ons that we can apprehend in any reafona-ble Eflence, muft refer to one of thefe threeThings, the Underjf an dingy the Will, theFaculties of fVorking ; for thisreafon, thefeDivine Perfedions may be reduced to thefeThree Heads. And whatever is the moft ex-cellent of rational Beings, muft excel in eachof thefe (/. e.) There is no kind or degree ofPerfedion that our I
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