BOOK I PART II
nipotence of the deity, while the other parts re-
main at rest. For as every idea, that is distin-
guishable, is separable by the imagination; and
as every idea, that is separable by the imagi-
nation, may be conceived to be separately exis-
tent; it is evident, that the existence of one par-
ticle of matter, no more implies the existence of
another, than a square figure in one body im-
plies a square figure in every one. This being
granted, I now demand what results from the
concurrence of these two possible ideas of rest
and annihilation, and what must we conceive
to follow upon the annihilation of all the air
and subtile matter in the chamber, supposing
the walls to remain the same, without any mo-
tion or alteration? There are some metaphysi-
cians, who answer, that since matter and exten-
sion are the same, the annihilation of one nec-
essarily implies that of the other; and there be-