But let it be supposed, that this matter hath been made by any power, not omnipotent, and infinitely wise; I would gladly learn how it came to pass, that the same was proportionable to his intention, that was omnipotent and infinitely wise; and no more, nor no less, than served to receive the form of the universal.  For, had it wanted anything of what was sufficient; then must it be granted, that God created out of nothing so much new matter, as served to finish the work of the world:  or had there been more of this matter than sufficed, then God did dissolve and annihilate whatsoever remained and was superfluous.  And this must every reasonable soul confess, that it is the same work of God alone, to create anything out of nothing, and by the same art and power, and by none other, can those things, or any part of that eternal matter, be again changed into nothing; by which those things, that once were nothing, obtained a beginning of being.

Again, to say that this matter was the cause of itself; this, of all other, were the greatest idiotism.  For, if it were the cause of itself at any time; then there was also a time when itself was not:  at which time of not being, it is easy enough to conceive, that it could neither procure itself, nor anything else.  For to be, and not to be, at once, is impossible.  “Nihil autem seipsum praecedit, neque; seipsum componit corpus”:  “There is nothing that doth precede itself, neither do bodies compound themselves.”

For the rest, those that feign this matter to be eternal, must of necessity confess, that infinite cannot be separate from eternity.  And then had infinite matter left no place for infinite form, but that the first matter was finite, the form which it received proves it.  For conclusion of this part, whosoever will make choice, rather to believe in eternal deformity, or in eternal dead matter, than in eternal light and eternal life:  let eternal death be his reward.  For it is a madness of that kind, as wanteth terms to express it.  For what reason of man (whom the curse of presumption hath not stupefied) hath doubted, that infinite power (of which we can comprehend but a kind of shadow, “quia comprehensio est intra terminos, qui infinito repugnant"[30]) hath anything wanting in itself, either for matter of form; yea for as many worlds (if such had been God’s will) as the sea hath sands?  For where the power is without limitation, the work hath no other limitation, than the workman’s will.  Yea reason itself finds it more easy for infinite power to deliver from itself a finite world, without the help of matter prepared; than for a finite man, a fool and dust, to change the form of matter made to his hands.  They are Dionysius his words, “Deus in una existentia omnia praehabet"[31] and again, “Esse omnium est ipsa divinitas, omne quod vides, et quod non vides",[32] to wit, “causaliter",[33] or in better terms, “non tanquam forma, sed tanquam causa universalis"[34] Neither hath the world universal closed up all of God “For the most part of his works (saith Siracides) are hid”.  Neither can the depth of his wisdom be opened, by the glorious work of the world, which never brought to knowledge all it can, for then were his infinite power bounded and made finite.  And hereof it comes, That we seldom entitle God the all-showing, or the all-willing, but the Almighty, that is, infinitely able.