223 



beginning: and, also, 'of something negative, namely, a ter- 

 mination: or, in btheir words, existence, mioriginated ' and 

 interminable; It cannot be even called continued exist- 

 ence: for continuance impTies' a' beginning, an existence 

 begun, and thenceforward prolonged. 



-'The Supreme Being, to whom alone the notion of eter- 

 iiity- is applicable, having bestowed existence on other be- 

 ings; on comparing the Commencement of these, with the 

 existence of that Being, from whose will and poAver they 

 Originated, the relations ' of . the priority of the latter, and 

 the posteriority of the former, necessarily arise. Now, pri- 

 ority and posteriority constitute succession : but this suc- 

 cession is not that of ^zW; for, ^ in' thisjWie' prior parts of 

 the succession instantaiieously becoiiie past; whereas, ih 

 the former, the prior existende is "constant and unaltered. 

 The inten^al betwixt both is unmeasurable ; as we have no 

 standard, nor indeed is any possible, which can be applied 

 to it. Thus,' w-ei'tannot' say, -that the existence of God 

 preceded that of 'any cifea^ed being,' a million of ye&fs, or 

 only a single instiant; as the quantity' of the interval, or 

 distance, is rtecfesiari'lyunkno'^ii. ■••'■■' ''J ■'-''^ '^i' 



»Pl6hce,'the question, whether Gijd 'fcOiild nof have cre- 

 ated' the universe sooner, implies an absurdity: for the 

 W<bU-'sd6AiW^e^-pr4se^ a'eomp^-i^6ri of times; whereas time 

 began only on the creation of succession:"- ' 

 ' 'In reply to sohife ca'pfious questions^'it" should be ob- 

 sierved, that',' siiite' the ■ creation, tlie duration of God co- 

 esife^ts with su6ciessioitt.-Heiiee,' thovVg^h it cannot be said, 

 ^'''- rf2 that 



