Page:Saducismus Triumphatus.djvu/117

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The true Notion of a Spirit.
3

structed by him, how they might not be imposed upon, no not by the most powerful and most ill-minded fallacious Deity, have heedlesly, by not sufficiently standing upon their Guard, been deceived and deluded by a mere Man, but of a pleasant and abundantly cunning and abstruse Genius; as shall clearly appear after we have searched and examined the reasons of this Opinion of the Nullibists to the very bottom.

The whole force whereof is comprised in these three Axioms, the first, That whatsoever thinks is Immaterial, and so on the contrary. The second, That whatever is extended is Material. The third, That whatever is unextended is no where. To which Third I shall add this Fourth, as a necessary and manifest consectary thereof, viz. That whatsoever is somewhere is extended. Which the Nullibists of themselves will easily grant me to be most true, otherwise they could not seriously contend for their Opinion, whereby they affirm Spirits to be no where, but would be found to do it only by way of an oblique and close derision of their Existence, saying indeed they exist, but then again hiddenly and cunningly denying it, by affirming they are no where. Wherefore doubtless they affirm them to be no where, if they are in good earnest, for this reason only; for fear they granting them to be some where, it would be presently extorted from them, even according to their own Principles, that they are extended, as whatever is extended is Material, according to their second Axiome. It is therefore manifest, that we both agree in this, that whatever real Being there is that is somewhere, is also extended.


SECT. III.
The Sophistical weakness of that reasoning of the Nullibists, who because we can conceive Cogitation without conceiving in the mean while Matter, conclude, That whatsoever thinks is Immaterial.

With which Truth notwithstanding we being furnished and supported, I doubt not but we shall with ease quite overthrow and utterly root out this Opinion of the Nullibists. But that their levity and credulity may more ma-nifestly