The Preface
Theists then generally Supposed) but onely One Huge Plant or Vegetable, having an Artificial, Plantal, and Plastick Nature; as its Highest Principle, Orderly disposing the Whole, without any Mind or Understanding. And here have we set down, the Agreement of all the Atheistick Forms, (however differing so much from one another) in this One General Principle, viz. That all Animality, Conscious Life and Understanding, is Generated out of Sensless Matter, and Corruptible again into it.
Wherefore in the Close of this Third Chapter, we insist Largely, upon an Artificial, Regular and Plastick Nature, devoid of express Knowledge and Understanding, as subordinate to the Deity: Chiefly in way of Confutation, of those Cosmo-Plastick, and Hylozoick Atheisms. Though we had a further Design herein also, for the Defence of Theism: for asmuch as without such a Nature, either God must be supposed to Doe all things in the world Immediately, and to Form every Gnat and Fly, as it were with his own hands; which seemeth not so Becoming of him, and would render his Providence, to Humane Apprehensions, Laborious and Distractious; or else the whole System of this Corporeal Universe, must result onely from Fortuitous Mechanism, without the Direction of any Mind: which Hypothesis once admitted, would Unquestionably, by degrees, Supplant and Undermine all Theism. And now from what we have declared, it may plainly appear, that this Digression of ours, concerning an Artificial, Regular and Plastick Nature, (Subordinate to the Deity) is no Wen, or Excrescency, in the Body of this Book; but a Natural and Necessary Member thereof.
In the Fourth Chapter; After the Idea of God fully declared, (where we could not omit his Essential Goodness and Justice, or (if we may so call it) the Morality of the Deity; though that be a thing properly belonging to the Second Book, The Confutation of the Divine Fate Immoral) There is a large Account given of the Pagan Polytheism; to satisfy a very considerable Objection, that lay in our way from thence, Against the Naturality of the Idea of God, as Including Oneliness and Singularity in it. For had that, upon enquiry, been found True, which is so commonly taken for granted, That the generality of the Pagan Nations, had constantly, Scattered their Devotions, amongst a multitude of Self-Existent, and Independent Deities, they acknowledging no One Sovereign Numen; This would much have Stumbled the Naturality of the Divine Idea. But now it being on the Contrary, clearly Proved, That the Pagan Theologers all along, acknowledged One Sovereign and Omnipotent Deity, from which all their other Gods were Generated or Created; we have thereby not onely Removed the forementioned Objection out of the way; but also Evinced, That the Generality of mankind,
