Nothing can be more evident, than that this visible frame which we call the World, was either from all eternity, or else that it had a beginning. And if it had a beginning, this must be either from Chance or from some wise Agent. Now if from clear Principles of Reason, it can be rendered more credible, that the world had a beginning, and that from some wise Agent, This may be another Argument to this purpose.
I cannot here omit the mention of a late Discourse, wherein this subject hath1 been so fully treated of, that I shall need to say the less of it, having little that is material to add to what is there delivered.
In the discussing of this, I shall purposely omit the mention of those arguments which relate to Infinity, as being not so easily intelligible, and therefore more apt to puzzle and amuse, than to convince. Let it be supposed, that each of the two Theories, whether about the Eternity of the World, or its having a Beginning, are not impossible, and that neither of them does imply a contradiction. And further, that neither of them can be infallibly demonstrated by the meer principles of Reason. In this case the question must be, which of them is most credible.
He that would rationally fix his opinion and belief about this matter, hath but these two kind of Proofs to enquire after.
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Testimony, or the Tradition of the most Antient times.
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Reason, or such Probabilities as do arise from the nature of the thing.
For the first of these Opinions, concerning the Eternity of the World, there is very little to be said from either of these.
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As to Testimony. Aristotle, who was a great Patron of this Opinion, and held2 that the world was a necessary Emanation from God, as light is from the Sun; doth of himself acknowledg, that the Philosophers before him, were of opinion that the world had a beginning; which acknowledgment of his, is no small prejudice to the Autority of his opinion, as I shall shew afterwards. And then,
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As to Reason, It is a meer precarious Hypothesis, having no sufficient argument that I know of, to render it probable.
But now for the other Opinion, namely, the beginning of the World, there are as fair and convincing proofs for it, of several kinds, as the nature of the thing is well capable of.
- From Tradition. If the world were made and had a beginning, it is but reasonable to expect, that so memorable a thing as this, should be recorded in some of the most ancient Histories; And that some extraordinary means should be used to perpetuate the memory of it, and to convey it down from one generation to another by Universal Tradition: And if it shall appear, that all the evidence of this kind is for this opinion, This must needs render it highly credible.
Now the History of Moses, hath been generally acknowledged, to be the most ancient Book in the world, and always esteemed of great Autority, even amongst those Heathens who do not believe it to be divinely inspired: And there is no man of learning, but must allow to it (at least) the ordinary credit of other ancient Histories; especially, if he consider what ground there is for the Credibility of it, from the Theology of the darker times, which is made up of some imperfect Traditions and allusions, relating to those particular stories which are more distinctly set down in the writings of Moses.
Now Moses doth give such a plain, brief, unaffected account of the Creation of the world, and of the most remarkable passages of the first ages, particularly of the plantation of the world by the dispersion of Noah’s Family, so agreeable to the most antient Remains of Heathen Writers, as must needs very much recommend it to the belief of every impartial man.
Though the Jews were but a small Nation, and confined to a narrow compass in the world; yet the first rise of Letters and Languages is truly to be ascribed to them. It is attested by several of the best and most Antient Heathen Writers, that the Hebrew Alphabet, or (which is all one) the Phaenician, is that from which both the Greek and the Latin, and consequently the generality of the rest now known, are derived, so Herodotus, Plutarch, Pliny, Curtius, Lucan, &c. From whence it may be probably infer’d, that the account given by the first Language, is the most ancient, and therefore the most likely to be a true Account of the first Original of things.