An entire body of philosophy according to the principles of the famous Renate Des Cartes in three books, (I) the institution ... (II) the history of nature ... (III) a dissertation of the want of sense and knowledge in brute animals ... / written originally in Latin by the learned Anthony Le Grand ; now carefully translated from the last corrections, alterations, and large additions of the author, never yet published ... by Richard Blome.

CHAP. IX. That GOD is Infinite, and how we are to understand, that he is Circumscrib'd in no Place.

I. All things are not contain'd in some place. AMongst those Prejudices, which we have taken in from our Childhood, and which some to this day hold for Truth, there is none more dangerous in Philosophy than that which ARIS∣TOTLE teacheth in the Fourth Book of his Natural Philosophy, the First Chapter, viz. That all things are somewhere, that is, contained in some certain Space; because he supposed whatsoever is not, to be no where; which he takes to be so notorious and evident, that he is not afraid to rank it amongst Common Notions, and to esteem it an in∣dubitable Truth. Wherefore also in his First Book of Heaven, the Third Chapter, he assigns the Highest place to the Gods, as most becoming their Dignity, and whence with greater ease they may take a View of all Things. And in the same Book, Chap. 2. he disputes against the most ancient Philosophers, and denies God to be diffus'd through all Things, as supposing it most unworthy the Divine Majesty to be present with the Earthly World.

II. Immaterial things can∣not be said to be in a Place. But that this is an Erroneous Opinion, appears from the Immensity of GOD, and the Existence of Spiritual Things: For it is evident that God and Immaterial Substances are, or have a Being, and yet they are not comprehended in any deter∣minate Place. For to be in a Place is the Property of Extended Beings, and cannot be attributed to an Immaterial Substance void of all Extension. If at any time Places be attributed to the Soul, this is not with respect to its own Essence, which consists only in Cogitation, but with respect to the Body, to which it is joyned; because it cannot be, but that the Body being limited to a certain Space, the Soul, which is intimately present with it, may be said to be included in one place, rather than in another. But if the Soul be considered by it self alone, forasmuch as it is a Thinking Sub∣stance and void of all Extension, it cannot fill any Space, nor have any situation amongst Bodies; for otherwise it would be Divisible and Mensurable, which is repugnant to the Nature of an Intellectual Being.

III. God is com∣prehended in no Place. And as for GOD, he is much less comprehended in any Place: For tho' he be said to be every where, yet may he also be said to be no where; forasmuch as his Immensity is unbounded and dif∣fus'd through all Places. But because all do ac∣knowledge, that the most Perfect Being hath no Bounds, either of his Duration or his Presence, the only difficulty will be in the Explication of the Divine Immensity, viz. in what sense God is said to be Infinite, and so diffused through all, as to be every where.

IV. Some falsly suppose God to be every where by his Pre∣sence. Some, whom I call Vulgar Philosophers, derive the Immensity of God, from his Presence in every place, supposing God to be every where, because there is no place in which he is not present, or which is not filled by him. But these seem to Attri∣bute Extension to God, by conceiving to partake of Quantity, as Occupying all places: And therefore would think his Greatness to be Finite, if there could be any place, in which he were not present, and coextended with it.

V. God, before the Crea∣tion of the World, was not in any Space. Whereas we know that God was, before there was any Space; for what Place did God fill before the Creation of the World? If God therefore did Exist before there was any Space, it is evident that being in a Space is not Essential or Proper to him.

VI. God is said to be every∣where, be∣cause all Created things per∣petually depend upon him. Wherefore to leave this gross way of Philosophi∣zing, we say, that God is precisely Infinite, fornsmuch as all Created things, are every moment as it were anew Created, and cannot Exist without his con∣tinual Influx: For the perpetual dependence of the Creatures, doth clearly Evidence Gods Omnipre∣sence; because those things which are in Nature, are not preserved by any Force or Virtue of their own, but only by the Essence of God, and by this Favour continue in their Beings. Neither is a less potent Cause required to the Preserving of things, than was to the Creation of them. For from this that a thing now Exists, it doth not follow, that

it shall Exist the next moment, since there is no necessary Connexion of the Parts of time, but one of them is alway distinct from the other; so that God must influence his Creatures in the same man∣ner for their Conservation: In which Conserva∣tion, and presence in every thing, the Immensity of God doth consist. Thus God is said to be pre∣sent to our Minds, because he is with every one of our Thoughts, and concurs to every determina∣tion of our Wills. And he is said to be present to our Bodies, because he doth dispose, move and make them rest. Lastly, he is present to all other things, because he doth as it were continually produce them anew, cherishing and preserving them by a way that surpasseth our Understanding.

VII. God is not present e∣very where by his Pow∣er, but by his Essence. Neither can I assent to those who say, that God is present every where, not by his Essence, but by his Power only, by which they seem to divide his Power, from his Essence and other Attributes; whereas indeed all things that are in God, are one with his Essence; nor are his Attributes any thing else, but divers Modes of Thinking. For they must be fain to confess that this Power is some∣thing that is Created, or something that is only accidentary to the Divine Essence, without which he may be understood or conceived. Now it is the most absurd thing to make it a Creature, since whatsoever is Created doth stand in need of the Divine Power for its Existence; and since this Di∣vine Power it self is supposed to be a Creature, it will stand in need of some other Power to pre∣serve it, and by this means we shall make a Pro∣gress to Infinity. Or if they will rather make this Power to be accidental to God, and distinguisht from his Essence, then they must be forced to ad∣mit, that God is not a most Simple Substance; be∣cause, according to their saying, he would be com∣pounded of his Essence and that Power. Where∣fore we conclude, that God is present to all things by his Essence, and that he is in every Place, foras∣much as he continually procreates and conserves the things which he hath Created.

VIII. The Im∣mensity of God is only an Exter∣nal Deno∣mination. Hence we may perceive the false way of Rea∣souing used by the Peripateticks, who to make out the Doctrin of Gods Immensity, have invented immaginary Spaces; as if the Immensity or Omni∣presence of God were any thing else, but an Ex∣trinsecal Denomination, taken from his Works; for∣asmuch as he Works in all Created things, and by Reason of that Operation is said to be present with them. For Immensity in God, seems to have some Affinity with Creation; and as Creation is Attri∣buted to God, from the Action of Creation, since before the Creation he could not be called a Cre∣ator: So likewise Immensity is Attributed to God, with respect to his Creatures, since he could not be present with them, before they were Created.