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that the duration of God lias now subsisted longer ^han it 

 has done, at any other period, subsequent to the creatioo; 

 yet, it may be said, that its co-existence, with created 

 beings, is now longer than itiTvas.atanj period preceding 

 the present. , i,,;, , , '! 



The only important point, tliat now remains to be con- 

 sidered, is, whether any created being could have been 

 eternal; as some imagine the universe, or at least some 

 part of it, to have been? To me it appears sufficiently 

 clear, that creation, and eternity, exclude each other. Cre- 

 ation implies, at least, an instant, in which the created 

 being did not exist ; otherwise existence could not have 

 been bestowed upon it: it must, therefore, have had a 

 beginning; whereas eternity excludes a beginning. 



In answer to this, it has been said, that, if the sun were 

 eternal, its light would also be eternal, though produced 

 by it. But it is easy to see, that, if the sun were eternatl, 

 its light would indeed be eternal; because the sun is es- 

 sentially lucid; for without light it would not be a sun, 

 But it does not follow, that the light was produced by it, 

 but rather that both were co-existent; the one being iiiH 

 eluded in the notion of the other. This cannot be said of 

 the notion of the Supreme Being, and any creature; foj- 

 he may well be conceived tO; exist, without creating any 

 being whatsoever. , , ' .^.^ij.j.y,^. 'mA i 



Another much more plausible objection is made by the 

 scholastics. The existence of the world, say they, is eter- 

 nally possible; and the Divine Omnipotence is also eternal: 



all 



