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1836

CONTENTS

OF THE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE.

I. The necessity of the belief of the creation of the world, in order

to the truth of religion. Of the several hypotheses of the philoso-

phers who contradict Moses: with a particular examination of

them. II. The ancient tradition of the world consonant to Moses;

proved from the Ionic philosophy of Thales, and the Italic of

Pythagoras. III. The Pythagoric cabala rather Egyptian than

Mosaic. Of the fluid matter, which was the material principle of

the universe. IV. Of the hypothesis of the eternity of the world,

asserted by Ocellus Lucanus and Aristotle. V. The weakness of

the foundations on which that opinion is built. Of the manner of

forming principles of philosophy. VI. The possibility of creation

proved. [No arguing from the present state of the world against

its beginning, shewed from Maimonides.] VII. The Platonists'

arguments, from the goodness of God for the eternity of the world,

answered. VIII. Of the stoical hypothesis of the eternity of mat-

ter; whether reconcilable with the text of Moses. IX. Of the

opinions of Plato and Pythagoras concerning the preexistence of

matter to the formation of the world. X. The contradiction of

the eternity of matter to the nature and attributes of God. XI,

XII, XIII. Of the atomical hypothesis of the origin of the universe.

XIV, XV, XVI, XVII. The world could not be produced by a

casual concourse of atoms, proved from the nature and motion of

Epicurus's atoms, and the phænomena of the universe; especially

the production and nature of animals. XVIII. Of the Cartesian

hypothesis, that it cannot salve the origin of the universe without

a Deity giving motion to matter

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