certain it is, that the Degree must be limited in every Being, but God alone; and that God cannot create or produce any Being, equal in Power to, or independent on, himfelf; because two All-powerfuls, two Supremes, would imply a Contradiction.

XXIX. We may, however, eafily fuppofe, that God may communicate to the Works of his Hands, fuch Portions of his own Attributes, as are greatly beyond the Comprehenfion of Mankind to conceive: Because God can do every thing that does not imply a Contradiction. For, as a blind Man cannot apprehend how a Shepherd, from the Top of an Hill, can prefide over feveral Flocks of Sheep, wandering about, at a Distance from each other; how he knows when they ftray, or how, by the Help of his Eye-fight, he can be, as it were, omniprefent: So a Man of the greatest Abilities may, for Want of Faculties, be unable to conceive that Power, whereby a created intelligent Agent, of fuperior Qualifications to those communicated to Mankind, can be enabled to fee in Dark nefs as well as Light; to know the inmoft Receffes and Thoughts of Mens Hearts; to prefidè at

once

once over fuch a World as this which we inhabit, and where two or three are gathered together, there to be alfo invifible in the Midst of them: And yet fuch a Power may certainly be communicated, because it implies no Contradiction.

XXX. In like Manner, therefore, as we fee Mankind furnished with Abilities to contrive and form feveral Machines of wonderful Force and Efficacy; to build Houfes and Ships, make Clocks and Watches; and govern Kingdoms: So there feems to be no Contradiction, in fuppofing that God might communicate so much Power to one of his own Creatures, of a more exalted Nature than Man, as to enable him to create inferior Beings, and frame a World of his own, compofed of intelligent Agents: Which Power, however must be limited, and must · be dependent on the Supreme Being.

XXXI. And, as the Almighty God is the only fupreme, infinite, unlimited, Being in the Univerfe; fo is he, probably, the only unembodied Spirit that exifts: That is, the only Spirit which is not limited, clogged, and fettered, with fome Kind, or Degree, of

inactive Matter, which may ferve to give a Form and Shape, or Boundary, to its fpiritual Nature. For [2] there are Bodies celeftial, and Bodies terreftrial; but the Glory of the celeftial is one, and the Glory of the terreftrial is another. And as we know not what the Effence of that inactive Principle is, which we call Matter, we cannot fay, to what exquifite Degrees of Perfection its Properties are reducible, or what Improvement it is capable of receiving; but that some [3] Spirits may be furnished with Bodies of fo delicate a Texture, that they may cloath themfelves with Light, as it were with a Garment, may make the Clouds their Chariots, and walk upon the Wings of the Wind: By the organical Difpofition of which Bodies, the Spirits united thereto may be capable of receiving and communicating to

[2] 1 Cor. xv. 40.

[3] Moft of the ancient Fathers fuppofed the Angels to have Bodies. See Clemens Alex. Padag. xli. p. 101. as also Huetii Origeniana, lib. ii. c. 2, 5. Tertullian was fo absurd, as to fuppofe even God to have a Body, Tert. de Carne Chrifti, cap. 11. which I fuppofe he borrowed from the old Platonic Notion, of God being the Soul of the World. But this God, he ought to have confidered, was not fuppofed to be the Supreme God. See Plato in Timao: See alfo Virg. Eneid. lib. vi. 721.

4

each

each other Ideas of bodily Pain and bodily Pleasure, as well as intellectal Pain and intellectual Pleafure; may have their Affections and their Paffions as well as we; their Friendships and Animofities; their Wars and Alliances; none of which, however, we can form any real Idea, or Notion of, for Want of the fame Kind of Senfes, which they are furnished with; any more than a deaf Man can of Sounds, or a blind Man can of Light and Colours.

XXXII. And, as to the Time when they were created, we are as ignorant of that, as we are of their Natures. But probable it is, that as God is an active Spirit, for God is a Spirit, and hath exifted from all Eternity, he hath been conftantly employed in exerting this active Faculty; and therefore may have created fome intelligent Beings, from fuch a diftant Duration of Time, as we can no otherwise defcribe but by calling it eternal. For to imagine that there are no Spirits in the wide Expanfe of Space, but what have Reference to this terraqueous Globe, this Speck of Matter, on which Mankind are placed, or even this planetary System, which is visible to human Eyes;

and

and that no Worlds, filled with intelligent Spirits, were created till about 6000 Years ago; about which Time, both Reafon and Revelation agree, that this Ball of Earth began to revolve about the Sun, is a Thought unworthy of a Philofopher, and inconfiftent with the Infinity of God's Power, as well as with the Eternity of his Existence.

XXXIII. And yet we ought to take Notice, that in the Language of the Scriptures, both in the Old and New Teftament, when the Creation is fpoken of, it is only to be confidered as referring to the Creation of this World, which there is no Mention made of the Creation of Angels, or of any other Beings, because it would have been foreign to the Purpose: And that therefore, St. John begins his Gospel with the fame Expreflion that Mofes does; In the Beginning, i. e. of this World. For when we fpeak of any Beings, which exifted before this World was created, having no Measures of Time, whereby to denote, or diftinguish the different Durations of their Existence, we must equally fay of them all, that they exifted [4] in the Beginning, or before the

[4] Gen. i. t. John i. 1. xvii. 5. Pfal. cii. 5. Prov. viii. 22, 23. Micah v. 2.

World