Observations, censures, and confutations of notorious errours in Mr. Hobbes his Leviathan and other his bookes to which are annexed occasionall anim-adversions on some writings of the Socinians and such hæreticks of the same opinion with him / by William Lucy ...

Sect. 2.

* 1.1But because although this is natural, yet some men, by the wickednesse of malicious reason, have endeavou∣red to wither it, therefore other Children of Nature have endeavoured to cherish this root by watering it with the strength of invincible reasons, drawne from the chaine of Causes, which suppose a seed or a tree first, and that first to be created, not generated; for if generated, then it requires a preceding tree, or seed, and then that was not first; and so in all the effects in the world. But these men pretend an Eternity in the world,* 1.2 and so, in the propagation and causation of Natural things, that there may be an infinity of these causations from one to another, which is almost impossible to be conceived; for then there should be an Infinite number of Causes, which cannot be, for then Robert, who is now born, should have no more Paternities or Precedings in causes then Adam

had; for if there should be an infinite Number of Causes preceding Adam, then there can be no addition to it; for what can receive addition, is not Infinite, it hath a bound to it, and then all the Causations from Adam to Robert are nothing; for if you should imagine in these five or six Thousand yeares there may have been so many hundred generations more then were before, I can answer no, the other was infinite; for should you fill this sheet with Ciphers, and head them with the figure of one, I can make all these Ciphers nines, and the fi∣gure of one Nine, and make nine Millions of such sheets; and yet all this, in respect of Eternity, will be not so much as one unite to all this; and six or seaven hundred thousand were nothing being added; because whatso∣ever you adde to Roberts number of Fathers, I can adde a thousand times as many to Adams; and therefore Na∣ture, that abhors impossibilities, abhors likewise infinites of Numbers, and, by consequence, of Causations eternally; for a man to say, this Eternity is à parte ante, and not à parte post, is a contradiction; for although there may be some imagination of a thing, which, having a beginning, may have no end, but exist eternally, because it may be created with eternal Principles, and the Number infinite is not presently existing, nor ever shall be; for whenso∣ever you reckon, you shall have a finite time to reckon from, although it were ten thousand Millions of yeares hence, or whensoever; yet there can be nothing, with∣out a beginning, eternal à parte ante, but must needs have eternal Principles, which no time can corrupt, for if time could corrupt it, as suppose ten thousand yeares, or a thousand times so many, fix any time, it had been cor∣rupted before this, or else it was not eternal à parte ante. And then to the second part, such a person, he hath

actually an Infinite number of Causes, which cannot be; and therefore these things must be created in some cer∣taine time: These, and many more arguments, out of Metaphysiques, as that which the Philosophers call Essen∣tial Subordination of Causes, as likewise many others, are such as of which I may say, that they render the Propo∣sition, There is a God, evidently to be discerned by the Creatures, but, as Aegidius Romanus excellently speaks, Sapientibus, this evidence is perceiveable only by wise men; from the disquisition whereof they are not to be scared by the infinity of Gods essence, because inaccessible to a finite Inquirer,* 1.3 as he plainly asserts it in his Element of Philosophy, &c. whither I will make a transition, to in∣large this discourse, and cleare what I have writ from somewhat I find there opposite to my purpose.

Notes

• * 1.1

  To be prov'd from the chain of causes.
• * 1.2

  An eternity of the world, with an infinity of causations, why not to be admitted.
• * 1.3

  A transition to Mr. Hobbes's Element of Philosophy, &c.