An antidote against atheisme, or, An appeal to the natural faculties of the minde of man, whether there be not a God by Henry More ...

CHAP. VII.

The mind of man being not unfurnish'd of Innate Truth, that wee are with confidence to attend to her naturall and un∣prejudic'd Dictates and Suggestions. That some Notions and Truths are at least naturally & unavoydably assented unto by the soul, whether shee have of her self Actuall Knowledge in her or not. And that the definition of a Being absolutely perfect is such. And that this absolu∣tely perfect Being is God, the Creatour and Contriver of all things.

ANd now we see so evidently the Soul is not unfurnished for the dictating of Truth unto us, I demand of any man, why under a pretence that shee having nothing of her own but may be moulded into an assent to any thing, or that shee does arbitrariously and fortuirously compose the severall Impresses shee receives from without, hee will be still so squeamish or timorous, as to be affraid to close with his own facultyes, and receive the Naturall Emanati∣ons of his owne mind, as faithfull Guides.

But if this seem, though it be not, too subtile which I con∣tend for, viz; That the Soul hath actuall knowledge in her self, in that sense which I have explained, yet surely this at least will be confess'd to be true, that the nature of the Soul is such, that shee will certainly and fully assent to some con∣clusions, how ever shee came to the knowledge of them, unlesse shee doe manifest violence to her own Faculties. Which truths must therefore be concluded not fortuitous or arbitrarious▪ but Natural so the Soul: such as I have already

named, as that every Finite number is either even or odde. If you adde equal to equal, the wholes are equal; and such as are not so simple as these, but yet stick as close to the Soul once apprehended, as that The three angles in a Triangle are equal to two right ones: That there are just five regu∣lar Bodies neither more nor lesse, and the like, which we will pronounce necessarily true according to the light of Nature.

Wherefore now to reassume what we have for a while laid aside, the Idea of a Being absolutely perfect above pro∣posed, it being in such sort let forth that a man cannot rid his minde of it, but he must needs acknowledge it to be in∣deed the Idea of such a Being; it will follow that it is no ar∣bitrarious nor fortuitous conceipt, but necessary and therefore natural to the Soul at least if no•• ever actually there.

Wherefore it is manifest, that we consulting with our own natural light concerning the Notion of a Being absolutely perfect, that this Oracle tells us, that it is A spiritual Sub∣stance, Eternal, Infinite in Essence and Goodness, Omnipo∣tent, Omniscient, and of it self necessarily existent.

For this answer is such, that if we understand the sense thereo••, we cannot tell how to deny it, and therefore it is true according to the light of Nature. But it is manifest that that which is Self-subsistent, infinitely Good, Omniscient and Omnipotent, is the Root and Original of all things. For Omnipotency signifies a Power that can effect any thing that implies no contradiction to be effected; and Creation implyes no contradiction: Therefore this perfect Being can create all things. But if it found the Matter or other Substances ex∣isting aforehand of themselves, this Omnipotency and Power of Creation will be in vain, which the free and unprejudic'd Faculties of the Minde of man do not admit of. Therefore the natural notion of a Being absolutely perfect, implies that the same Being is Lord and Maker of all things. And ac∣cording to Natural light that which is thus, is to be adored and worshipped of all that has the knowledge of it, with all

humility and thankfullnesse; and what is this but to be acknowledged to be God?

Wherefore I conceive I have sufficiently demonstrated, that the Notion or Idea of God is as Naturall, Necessary and Essentiall to the Soul of Man, as any other Notion or Idea whatsoever, & is no more arbitrarious or fictitious then the Notion of a Cube or Terraedrum, or any other of the Regular Bodyes in Geometry: Which are not devised at our own pleasure (for such figments and Chimaras are infi∣nite,) but for these it is demonstrable that there can be no more then five of them. Which shews that their Notion is ne∣cessary, not an arbit••arious compilement of what we please.

And thus having fully made good the Notion of God, What he is, I proceed now to the next point, which is to prove, that Hee is.