_MADAM,_
Since my opinion is, that the Animate part of Matter, which is sense
and reason, life and knowledg, is the designer, architect, and creator
of all figures in Nature; you desire to know, whence this Animate
Matter, sense and reason, or life and knowledg (call it what you will,
for it is all one and the same thing) is produced? I answer: It is
eternal. But then you say, it is coequal with God. I answer, That
cannot be: for God is above all Natural sense and reason, which is
Natural life and knowledg; and therefore it cannot be coequal with
God, except it be meant in Eternity, as being without beginning and
end. But if Gods Power can make Man's Soul, as also the good and evil
Spirits to last eternally without end, he may, by his Omnipotency
make as well things without beginning. You will say, If Nature were
Eternal, it could not be created, for the word Creation is contrary
to Eternity. I answer, _Madam_, I am no Scholar for words; for if you
will not use the word Creation, you may use what other word you will;
for I do not stand upon nice words and terms, so I can but express my
conceptions: Wherefore, if it be (as in Reason it cannot be otherwise)
that nothing in Nature can be annihilated, nor any thing created out
of nothing, but by Gods special and all-powerful Decree and Command,
then Nature must be as God has made her, until he destroy her. But if
Nature be not Eternal, then the Gods of the Heathens were made in
time, and were no more then any other Creature, which is as subject to
be destroyed as created; for they conceived their Gods, as we do men,
to have Material Bodies, but an Immaterial Spirit, or as some Learned
men imagine, to be an Immaterial Spirit, but to take several shapes,
and so to perform several corporeal actions; which truly is too humble
and mean a conception of an Immaterial Being, much more of the Great
and Incomprehensible God; which I do firmly believe is a most pure,
all-powerful Immaterial Being, which doth all things by his own Decree
and Omnipotency without any Corporeal actions or shapes, such as some
fancy of Dæmons and the like Spirits. But to return to the former
question; you might as well enquire how the world, or any part of it
was created, or how the variety of creatures came to be, as ask how
Reason and sensitive corporeal Knowledg was produced. Nevertheless,
I do constantly believe, that both sensitive and rational Knowledg
in Matter was produced from God; but after what manner or way, is
impossible for any creature or part of Nature to know, for Gods wayes
are incomprehensible and supernatural. And thus much I believe, That
as God is an Eternal Creator, which no man can deny, so he has also
an Eternal Creature, which is Nature, or natural Matter. But put the
case Nature or natural Matter was made when the World was created,
might not God give this Natural Matter self-motion, as well as he gave
self-motion to Spirits and Souls? and might not God endue this Matter
with Sense and Reason, as well as he endued Man? Shall or can we bind
up Gods actions with our weak opinions and foolish arguments? Truly,
if God could not act more then Man is able to conceive, he were not a
God of an infinite Power; but God is Omnipotent, and his actions are
infinite, supernatural, and past finding out; wherefore he is rather to
be admired, adored and worshipped, then to be ungloriously discoursed
of by vain and ambitious men, whose foolish pride and presumption
drowns their Natural Judgment and Reason; to which leaving them, I rest,
Madam,
_Your Faithful Friend_
_and Servant._