HYL.  True.

Phil.  Is it not therefore evident the assertors of Matter destroy the plain obvious sense of Moses, with which their notions are utterly inconsistent; and instead of it obtrude on us I know not what; something equally unintelligible to themselves and me?

HYL.  I cannot contradict you.

Phil.  Moses tells us of a creation.  A creation of what? of unknown quiddities, of occasions, or substratum?  No, certainly; but of things obvious to the senses.  You must first reconcile this with your notions, if you expect I should be reconciled to them.

HYL.  I see you can assault me with my own weapons.

Phil.  Then as to absolute existence; was there ever known a more jejune notion than that?  Something it is so abstracted and unintelligible that you have frankly owned you could not conceive it, much less explain anything by it.  But allowing Matter to exist, and the notion of absolute existence to be clear as light; yet, was this ever known to make the creation more credible?  Nay, hath it not furnished the atheists and infidels of all ages with the most plausible arguments against a creation?  That a corporeal substance, which hath an absolute existence without the minds of spirits, should be produced out of nothing, by the mere will of a Spirit, hath been looked upon as a thing so contrary to all reason, so impossible and absurd! that not only the most celebrated among the ancients, but even divers modern and Christian philosophers have thought Matter co-eternal with the Deity.  Lay these things together, and then judge you whether Materialism disposes men to believe the creation of things.

HYL.  I own, Philonous, I think it does not.  This of the creation is the last objection I can think of; and I must needs own it hath been sufficiently answered as well as the rest.  Nothing now remains to be overcome but a sort of unaccountable backwardness that I find in myself towards your notions.

Phil.  When a man is swayed, he knows not why, to one side of’ the question, can this, think you, be anything else but the effect of prejudice, which never fails to attend old and rooted notions?  And indeed in this respect I cannot deny the belief of Matter to have very much the advantage over the contrary opinion, with men of a learned, education.

HYL.  I confess it seems to be as you say.

Phil.  As a balance, therefore, to this weight of prejudice, let us throw into the scale the great advantages that arise from the belief of Immaterialism, both in regard to religion and human learning.  The being of a God, and incorruptibility of the soul, those great articles of religion, are they not proved with the clearest and most immediate evidence?  When I say the being of a God, I do not mean an obscure general Cause of things, whereof we have no conception, but God, in the strict and proper sense of the word.