A T O 



dued with fenfe, and that tlie underftanding refidcs in an atom • 

 though they differ as to the foul and knowledge, whether 

 they confift in a fingle atom, or a colleftion of feveiul. 

 Maimon. in More Nevochim. c. 73. 



The atomic fyllem, adopted by modern philofophers, 

 and extended by Le Sage and De Luc to great fubtkties 

 fuppofes that m:;tter fills its fpace merely by its exiftence- 

 that it is abfolutely impenetrable ; that its divifion can be 

 carried to a certain length only, ending in atoms, which, 

 though extended, are not furtlicr divihble ; that there arc 

 empty intcrllices between the atoms ; that the particles of 

 elailic fluids, as air, vapours, caloric, Sec. do not touch each 

 other, and confequently tliey form difcrttc fluids, as they 

 are called ; and that the rarity or denllty of a body depends 

 folely on the quantity of empty intcrllices, in a certain 

 volume of fpace occupied by the matter conllituting that 

 body. In thefe refpefls, this fyftem is oppofcd to that 

 denominated the dynamic fyftem, illnftrated by Kant in 

 his " Metaphyfical Elements of Natural Philofophy." See 

 Dynamic 3[v,^«n. 



A late writer has diftinguilhed between common, and f)/ji/c. 

 fophic atomijis. Under the former appellation he compre- 

 hends thofe who think with the vulgar, not only that matter 

 cxifts externally, but that it really pofltffes ail thofe proper- 

 ties which ftrike the fenfes ; fuch as cold, heat, colour, 

 found, &c. Under the general name of philofophic atomills, 

 he comprifes all thofe philofophers, who admit the effential 

 properties of matter, fuch as extenfion, impenetrability, 

 cohefion and mobility, and who reje£t the real o\ external 

 exiftence of thofe properties that are called fenfible quahties. 

 Thefe latter atomills he further diflribntes into two claffes : 

 viz. Jiinple, and mixed : fimpleor pure atomills acknowledge 

 extenfion and impenetrability alone, and the attributes ntcef- 

 farily arifing from thefe, vis inertia and cohefion. Accord- 

 ing to them, matter is merely paflive, endued with no in- 

 ternal powers ; and cohefion, though not nccefifarily con- 

 tained in the idea of matter, is effential to the idea of exten- 

 fion ; fo that all changes are efl'edled by powers foreign to 

 matter : in nature, the power of God : in creatures, 

 the powers of the foul. Mixed atomifts, or Dynamifts, 

 place powers in matter itfelf, which in their opinion belong 

 to it, and inhere in it in fuch a manner that they are inde- 

 pendent of fpiritual fubftance, and are either formed in 

 bodies, or fuperadded as attributes of material exiftenccs. 

 Of this kind are gravity, elafticity, irritability, attraftion, 

 repulfion, &c. Tiiefe powers operate according to the 

 or"t;anization of bodies. To atomifts of each clafs this 

 writer oppofes the Liealijls, who' entertain the fame opinions 

 concerning the primary quahties of bodies, which are held 

 by atomifts concerning the fecondary. As the latter maintain 

 that no light can exill without being feen, or found without 

 beintr heard, fo the former affert that neither impenetra- 

 bility nor extenfion can have place independently of our 

 conceptions. This opinion, whieh feems to have been coun- 

 tenanced by Plato, is fully developed in the fyftem of 

 Berkeley. Malebranclie is phiced by this writer among 

 the Idealifts, as his mathematical points, conftituent of ex- 

 tenfion, vanifti into nothing when we attempt to analyfe 

 them. Locke, by fuppoiing that matter may be made 

 capable of thought, approaches to the Dynamifts. Leibnitz 

 and Wolf may be deemed Idealifts, fince, in reality, they 

 allow of no material exiftence out of the mind ; for akhough 

 the monads are the occafion of our ideas, yet thefe ideas 

 have nothing in common with the objtft. Kant, who 

 derives no fenfations from the attention of the foul to real 

 exiftenccs, though he ackriowkdges that our ideas are ni 

 feme other manner excited, by fomething cxifting out 

 Vol. in. 



A T O 



of the mind, is placed alfo under the clafs of Idcalift$ ; 

 as, according to liim, all oiir obfervations and determi- 

 nations are founded on appearances. Of Dr. Prieftlcy 

 this anonymous writer remarks, that, although he makes 

 the foul material, he makes matter fpiritual: and there- 

 fore he is ranked with the mixed atomifts. See account 

 <f Prize DilTcrtations, by Teylcr'i Theological Society, 

 voLx. in Monthly Review Enlarged, vol. iii. p. 48?, &c. 



ATOMOS, in Entomology, a fpccics of Cancer found 

 m running water in Europe. It is linear ; hanJi four, with 

 a fingle fang ; legs fourteen, with two oval veficles on each 

 fide between the fourth and fifth pair. 



ATOMUS, a fpccies of Ichneumon, varied with pale 

 and brown. This infed, Gmelin ififorms us, inhabits Upfal ; 

 IS fmallcrthan a mite, and fcarcely to he diftinguifhcd ex- 

 cept when it is in motion. 



ATONEMENT, in Theo^gy, is a term that has been 

 varioufly explained and applied by divines of different opi- 

 nions. However, there are three principal fenfts, in which, 

 with fubordinate modifications, the term has been ufnally un- 

 derftood. The firil is, that which has been adopted by thofe 

 who are commonly called Calvinifts ; and it fuppofes, that 

 the death and fuft'erings of Jcfus Chrill, partaking of the 

 divine and human nature in one perfon, being with refpcft 

 to the former equal to the Eather, were fuch, confidered 

 in tlieir degree and value, as to be a proper equivalent for the 

 penalty annexed by the divine law to the tranfgrcflion of 

 thofe of the cleft who are penitent and believing. Divine 

 juftice, it is faid, required its viftim, either in the fniiier or 

 his fubftitute ; Jefus became the furety ; he paid the debt, 

 and fatisfied the demand. Others, who have not tfpoufed 

 the doftrinc of the proper deity of Chrift in the fenfe of the 

 Trinitarians, or who have not contended for an abfolutc and 

 ftrift equivalent to the demerit and confequent pur.ifhnient 

 of tranfgrefiion, have exprtffed their notion of this doftrine 

 in a manner fomewhat different. Accordingly, Dr. Watts, 

 in his " Redeemer and Sanftifier" (fee his works, vol. iii. 

 p. 742.), explains his fentiments in the following manner. 

 " By atonement for fin, I do not mean any fuch thing as 

 fhall in a proper and literal fenfe appcafe the wrath of God, 

 the offended governor, which is fuppofed to be kindled 

 againft hij finful creatures, and fhall incline his heart to 

 mercy, which was before determined upon vengeance ; for 

 though this doftrine may be ^o reprefeutcd fometimes 

 after the manner, of men, yet this is an idea or fuppofition 

 in many reipefts inconfiftcnt with the attributes and aftions 

 of the bleffed God, and with the doftrine of the New Tclta- 

 me-.it. In that book God reprefents himftlf as rich in mercy, 

 and for this reafon he pitied lintnl creatures who had broken 

 his law, and had deferved to die, before he had received 

 any atonement ; and therefore God himfelf provided and 

 fcnt his own fon to become a facririce of atonement, and a 

 ninfom for them ; he appointed him to be a furety for us, 

 the juft for the unjuft, and to futfcr death in the room and 

 ftead of finners. 13y the words "atonement," or "propitia- 

 tion," I mean therefore foine toilfomc or painful thing 

 done or fnffered, or both, by Jefus Chrift the fon of God, 

 in the room and ftead of finlul men, as a penance or punifti- 

 mcnt on account of their fins ; and this by the wife and 

 righteous appointment of God, the univcrlal governor, 

 fliall excufe the penitent offender from the puniihinent that 

 was due, and obtain his pardon, becaufe it (hall give a rc- 

 coinpence to the authority of the divine lawgiver for the 

 affront which was put upon him by the fins of men, and 

 fhall make fome reparation of honour to his holy law which 

 was broken. And this is not only intended to manifcfl the 

 evil nature and the defeit of fin, togetlier with God's 



Li ' hatred 



