substance itself corporeal or extended, affirming that it was
created by God. By what divine power, however, it could have been
created they are altogether ignorant, so that it is clear they do not
understand what they themselves say....

B
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A
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C

But I will refute my adversaries' arguments, which, taken altogether,
come to this. First, that corporeal substance, in so far as it is
substance, consists, as they suppose, of parts, and therefore they deny
that it can be infinite, and consequently that it can pertain to God.
This they illustrate by many examples, one or two of which I will
adduce. If corporeal substance, they say, be infinite, let us conceive
it to be divided into two parts; each part, therefore, will be either
finite or infinite. If each part be finite, then the infinite is
composed of two finite parts, which is absurd. If each part be infinite,
there is then an infinite twice as great as another infinite, which is
also absurd. Again, if infinite quantity be measured by equal parts of a
foot each, it must contain an infinite number of such parts, and
similarly if it be measured by equal parts of an inch each; and
therefore one infinite number will be twelve times greater than another
infinite number. Lastly, if from one point of any infinite quantity it
be imagined that two lines, AB, AC, which at first are at a certain and
determinate distance from one another, be infinitely extended, it is
plain that the distance between B and C will be continually increased,
and at length from being determinate will be indeterminable. Since
therefore these absurdities follow, as they think, from supposing
quantity to be infinite, they conclude that corporeal substance must be
finite, and consequently cannot pertain to the essence of God. A second
argument is assumed from the absolute perfection of God. For God, they
say, since He is a being absolutely perfect, cannot suffer; but
corporeal substance, since it is divisible, can suffer: it follows,
therefore, that it does not pertain to God's essence.

These are the arguments which I find in authors, by which they endeavor
to show that corporeal substance is unworthy of the divine nature, and
cannot pertain to it.... If any one will rightly consider the matter, he
will see that all these absurdities (supposing that they are all