PROP. [XVIII] God is the indwelling and not the transient cause
of all things.
Proof.- (18:1) All things which are, are in God, and must be conceived
through God (by [xv] ), therefore (by [xvi] , Coroll. i.) God is the
cause of those things which are in him. (2) This is our first point.
(3) Further, besides God there can be no substance (by [xiv] ), that is
nothing in itself external to God. (4) This is our second point. God,
therefore, is the indwelling and not the transient cause of all things.
Q.E.D.
PROP. [XIX] God, and all the attributes of God, are eternal.
Proof.- (19:1) God (by [D.vi] ) is substance, which (by [xi] ) necessarily
exists, that is (by {[vii] ) existence appertains to its nature, or (what
is the same thing) follows from its definition; therefore, God is eternal
(by [D.viii] ). (2) Further, by the attributes of God we must understand
that which (by [D.iv] ) expresses the essence of the divine substance, in
other words, that which appertains to substance: that, I say, should be
involved in the attributes of substance. (3) Now eternity appertains to
the nature of substance (as I have already shown in [vii] ); therefore,
eternity must appertain to each of the attributes, and thus all are eternal.
Q.E.D.
Note.- (19:4) This proposition is also evident from the manner in which
(in [xi] ) (5) I demonstrated the existence of God; it is evident, I
repeat, from that proof, that the existence of God, like his essence,
is an eternal truth.
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