lit ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Bookll. 



ifled from all eternity, and neGeflarily and independently ; and, fur- 

 ther, that he mutt be, by his nature and eiTence, immaterial. But 

 what the particular nature of this Bei-ng is, whether he be wife or 

 good, we can only difcover from his works, in the fame manner as 

 v;e difcover thofe qualities in our fellow creatures. The ini'ijible things 

 of Gody fays the A^oixXc. from the creation of the ivorld^ arc clearly 

 feeHy being under jlood by the things that are made*. To afk any other 

 proof, is to afk a proof which the nature of the cafe will not admit ; 

 and, to attempt to give it, is to weaken the evidence of fo clear a 

 truth. 



Thus It is, that we proceed from Nature to God, through man. We 

 firft difcover, in nature, a principle ading artificially for a certain end : 

 And this principle we prove, by reafouing both a priori and a po- 

 Jleriori, to be immaterial. Then, by ftudying ourfelves, we find out, 

 that there is, at leait in our little bodies, a principle of couulel and 

 wifdom, which forms d^figns, and contrives means for executing 

 thole defigns. And, hifilyy from as certain reafoning as the nature of 

 the cafe will admit, we conclude, that there is fuch a principle in the 

 univerfe. Thus we become perfedt Theilts : But, for this, it is abfo- 

 lutely necefTary that we fhould be learned in the philofophy of mind j 

 for, without that knowledge, we fhall be apt to afcribe to body the 

 qualities which only belong to mind, and realon after the manner of 

 certain philofophers, of whom I Ihall, in the fequel, take notice. 

 Whether the modern philofophy, fo much converfant with matter, 

 will lead to this knowledge, or whether we mull not return again to 

 the aniients, and take them for our guides in this moft important ftu- 

 dy, is fubmitted to the reader from what has been already faid, and 

 will be further faid. in the courfe of this work. For my own part, I 

 mufl confeis, that it is from the amient books, and from them only» 



that 



* Romans, i. zo. 



