every Step our Soul takes towards Knowledge and the same discourse holds as to our Acquiring Virtue and only beseems some Heathen who had but Half-Lights of a DEITY The Progress and Conduct of every Act of ours towards both it's Immediate and it 's Ultimate End and Perfection do all of them spring from the Giver of every Good and perfect Gift as well as the Beginning of it This Soveraign Cause is as well in Natural as Supernatural Effects Principium Rector Dux Semita Terminus idem Nay every least Manner of Action as far as it is Good as well as the Action it self is not only Determin'd but Proportion'd to it's Proper End by his Universal Superintendency Therefore Right Reason and True Philosophy as well as St. Paul's Sublime Faith and Divinity do oblige us to catechize and ask our selves Quid â—abes quod non accepisti Quod si accepisti quid gloriaris quasi non acceperis 'T is Vain and False Philosophy then and not the True one which begets that miscall'd Science which does inflare or puff â—â—â—n up with a self-assuming Pride Philosophy were â—â—â— Philosophy did it not bring us to True Science â—â—â— Science would not be Science did it not refund â—â—â—â—cts into their Genuine Causes and consequently â—â—â—ry Action of ours as far as it is Good and not Defective into that Supreme and First Cause in whom we live move and have our Being Hence also is seen how powerfully True Science conduces to â—ake Men Virtuous For by seeing thus evidently â—â—r Total Dependence on GOD and how little we â—â—â— do of our selves it reads us a Solid and most effectual Lecture of Profound Humility which is the Ground of all Virtue and the Basis of all our Spiritual Building At least I say we have thro' God's Assistance gain'd by our former Discourse a Certain tho' something Confus'd Knowledge of what That we ought to comply with the Designs of our Great Cretour and by what means this may be best accomplisht we are as to our Particulars and a Clear Discernment of what Kind we are viz an Intelligent and Rational Being Let us follow then and comply with what we undoubtedly know Let us not degenerate from our Nature and then we may be sure we shall not wrong our Creation nor offend our Great Creatour Let us cultivate â—â—â— Reason and extirpate it's Enemy Passion Let us love Truth our Best Natural Perfection and pursue it by making use of those Means which are most Proper to attain it To do this as we ought let us not precipitate our Assent rashly but warily and wisely suspend till Self-evidence of our Principles and Evidence of our Deductions appear only which can secure our Steps from stumbling into Errour While we take this way we may hope in the same good Providence which has led us on hitherto to grow fit to comprehend Higher Truths till we ascend by those Gradual Approaches as by the Stepâ— of Jacob's Ladder to reach Heaven and attain the Blissful Ssght of Him who is TRUTH it self which only can satisfie fully our Inquisitive and infinitely Capacious Understanding CHAP. VI. some Preliminaries fore-lay'd in order to Demonstrate the Immortality of the SOUL 1. THO' Man be but One 1. Preliminary Thing as was prov'd Chap. 4. § 1. and Ch. 5. § 20. â—â—r we cannot but make Diverse We cannot but have different Conceptions of the Parts of Man Conceptions of Him as he is Man according to those Different Naâ—â—â—es or Parts found in him call'd â—â—â—l and Body This needs no farther Proof it being granted by all insomuch as some will â—â—eds make them Two Distinct Things And is â—â—â—her Prov'd For since as has been demonâ—â—rated above the Soul is the Form or ACT of the Body and we cannot but have Different Notions or Conceptions of ACT and POWER it follows that we cannot but have Different Notions or Conceptions of the Soul and the Body 2. Preliminary II. Whence follows that we may and must have Different Notions or Conceptions of every Operation of Man as â—â— is Man For since every And consequently of every Operation of his as he is Man Man tho' One Thing yet has two Different Natures in him of which he consists and every Thing is that of which it consists and Operates or Acts as it is it follows that every Operation of Man as well as Himself is of vastly Different Natures and partakes of both and consequently we can and are oblig'd to have Diverse Conceptions of every such Operation for the same Reason for which we must have Diverse Conceptions of those Natures themselves that is we can find somewhat in such Operations that is Proper or Peculiar to One of those Natures and not Proper or Peculiar to the Other Hence I proceed Closer to my Main Thesis to be demonstrated in my next Chapter viz. 3. If we can find by Evident Reflexion that there is somewhat in the Operations which Man has according That we must examin whether there be anything in Man according to his Soul which is above Quantity or Matter his Soul that is above the Nature of Matter or above Quantity which is the Common Affection of all Corporeal Nature and therefore that is Indivisible or which is the same Indissoluble or Incorruptible it must follow demonstratively that then that Part of Man call'd his Soul is Immaterial Incorruptible or Immortal In order to Demonstrate which we proceed with our Preliminaries 4. Preliminary III. There are Three Distinct Operations of Man according to his Soul as 't is Intellective or That there are Three Distinct Operations of Man as he is Intellective Knowing viz. Simple Apprehension Iudging and Discoursing This I think is granted by all and is easily prov'd For we must first Lay hold of that which we are to work upon or take into out Mind that of which we are to Iudge or Discourse that is have a Notion of it for otherwise we should Iudge and Discourse of we know not what Wherefore that Operation call'd Simple Apprehension or the having the Notion of the Thing in our Mind is clearly Antecedent to the other Two and consequently Distinct from them Again Discoursing does clearly presuppose some Iudgments already had and Assented to ere we can Deduce any thing out of them by Discourse since we must necessarily Iudge our Premisses True ere we can hope to derive their Truth to another Proposition or Deduce any thing out of them by our Reason which manifests a perfect Distinction between the Operations of Discoursing and Iudging 'T is therefore Evident that there are Three Distinct Operations of Man according to that Part call'd the Soul as 't is Intellective or Knowing call'd Simple Apprehension Iudging and Discoursing 5. Preliminary IV. The Notion of Created Ens or Thing Abstracts from or is Indifferent to Existence and Non-Existence The Notion of Ens or Thing is Indifferent to Actual Being or Not-Being and a
That There is not the least tittle of our whole Life in which we act as Men or with perfect Deliberation of our Reason which is Indifferent or that passes Unregarded by the World 's Infinitely-Wise and Just Governour but that every such Word Action Thought Gesture Look or Wish we ever had and dy'd without altering it will have according as it is well or ill Intended Effects in the other world conformable to it's Nature and to the Degree of it's Goodness or Badness and that each of them will receive with most Just and Exact Proportion Reward or Punishment by the Course of Natural and Supernatural Causes laid and appointed by GOD's Infinite Wisdom for the Eternal Salvation of those who love him and the Eternal Confusion and Perdition of his Enemies MEDITATION WHere art thou now my Soul after thou hast abandon'd and flitted from thy Terrene Habitation and into what strange Ultramundane Region art thou flown The Admirable Excellency of a Soul when Separated and become a Pure Spirit Display'd in an Instant The whole Earth nay all Material Nature seems a contemptible Atome when thou look'st down upon it from the Transcendent Height of Being to which the Wisdom and Goodness of thy Creatour who promotes all his Creatures to those Perfections they art capable of has rais'd thee I see thy Knowledge that is thy Essence stretcht out boyond the Vast Expansion of this Material World's Circumference and our Firmament bespangled with those Starry Bodies which it contains or rather I see them all center'd â—… Spiritual and Indivisible Essence as in a 〈…〉 Orb of Being Thou seest now at one 〈…〉 the Whole Sphere of Time sweeping along 〈…〉 â—â—â— thee or rather thou comprizest it all in 〈…〉 〈◊〉 Natural Thought And canst now 〈…〉 more ease comprehend it 's whole Race than 〈…〉 couldst while here resume thâ—se Fleeting Parts 〈…〉 v. g. an Hour or a Day in t one Steady 〈…〉 in which they were all Present and Permaâ—â—nt at once The whole Bulk of Quantity is in 〈…〉 more Noble Being without Extension and the â—â—ng Course of Motion without Succession But the Extent of thy Actual Knowledge is nothing in comparison of thy Clear Penetration of those Great 〈…〉 Various and Numberless Objects which are now â—…nted to thy view What was here Misty and â—â—â—dy is now the Screen of Matter the Ground â—â— ll Confusedness and Obscurity being taken away 〈…〉 brightly Intelligible with Noon-day Evidence 〈…〉 clearly that if thou hast in this World but â—â—â—prehended or laid hold of any one Piece of the 〈…〉 Link in the Chain of Causes which weaves 〈…〉 one orderly Loom all Natural Truths thou â—â—â—est into thee the whole Length of that Line 〈…〉 the First Birth of the World till it expires inâ—â— Eternity Or rather those Truths are so innext â—…e another by the closest Texture of Identity 〈…〉 if thou admittest any one of them all the rest 〈…〉 â—roud themselves into thy Capacious tho' Spaceâ—… Understanding â—…ow shall we then frame any That there is no Comparison between our Souls Condition here and the State of Separation â—â—â— Conception of the Difference â—…en thy Former and this Future State Or by what parallel â—hall we illustrate it Shall we compare it to the condition of a Child in the Womb on the one side and of a perfect Man grown up to Ripâ— Knowledge on the other Indeed this World is but as it were our Second Womb Nature is deliver'd of Thee and thou art born a Pure Spirit when the Man diâ—s Or Shall we compare these two States to those of a Man first shut up in a dark Tower who can see no Objects about him but when presented before five dim Glasses placed in it's Walls but afterwards when the Tower by some Chance is thrown down and the Man preserv'd unhurt then he can freely range with his Sight all over the large Prospect about him and discover at once the various Scenes of all the vast circumstant Region of which he could before take but a scant obscure and leasurely Survey Both those are but lame Comparisons and far from parallelling the Excess which this New State of thine has above thy Former one Thy Capacity in thy purely-Spiritual Condition does Infinitely that is beyond Proportion go beyond that thou hadst in the Body when it was at it's best Whereas thy Capacity in the other two States that pretended to parallel this being both of them Finite are very easily Proportion'd Wherefore we will leave this Consideration to be seriously and at leasure meditated on by those truly Wise Souls who think it their highest Concern to reflect on their Future State and what Happy or Dismal Consequences attend it according to the Good or Bad Dispositions they contract here and carry with them hence That we may gratefully and humbly acknowledge to whom we owe this Clear Knowledge of our True Last End the That meer Humane Science when at the Height was too short and Impotent to raise Mankind to those Dispositions that fit him for True Happiness Attaining which is our Only and Eternal Happiness Let us consider how far Natural Reason carry'd those Heathen Philosophers who were the Greatest Masters of Human Science in their â—â—â—es and where it stopt The 〈◊〉 Intelligent Followers of Aristoâ—â—â— do gather from his Principles this â—â—â—â—sonant Discourse The Goods of 〈◊〉 Body are preferrable to those â—â— Fortune and the Goods of the 〈◊〉 to those of the Body Wherefore Happiness â—â—st consist in something that in the best manner â—â—â—ects that Part of Man call'd the Soul Now the Powers of the Soul are the Understanding and tâ—â— Will Of which the Understanding is the Noâ—â—â—â— because the Will is naturally ordain'd to be â—â—â—â—ed and Govern'd by the Understanding and 〈◊〉 Act of the Will which the previous Reason 〈◊〉 Understanding does not dictate and warrant â—â—llfulness which is justly held the Greatest â—â—perfection Imaginable Happiness therefore 〈…〉 be sought for in the Best Perfection of the Understanding Farther the Understanding is but a â—â—â—wer and Act is better than Power for it includes 〈◊〉 and adds to it the Acting or Exercise of it â—â—â—ch is the Immediate End for which the Power was â—â—â—n'd Therefore Happiness must consist in some 〈◊〉 Perfect Act of the Understanding Wherefore 〈◊〉 Power and it's Acts taking their Degree of Perâ—â—â—â— from the Clearness of the Sight and from the â—â—â—llency of the Object about which they are emâ—â—â— and the Primum Ens being the most Excellent Object it follows that the Beatitude of Man does 〈◊〉 in the Actual and Clear Knowledge of the First Being which in Christian Language is the seeing GOD face to face or in the Beatifical Vision Thus far their Speculative Thoughts rais'd them But there were other necessary Truths requisite erâ— Man could be Happy which were below their short Reach As First That this Contemplation of the First Being must also be most Durable or never
contrary to all the Maâ—…ims of Sound Philosophy 34. Lastly If All the Ideas or Notions be Innatâ— and there can be no reason why some should be so and otheâ— Eighth Proof not since the Soul is equally capable of All as of Some only then since to be Actually in a Knowing Power is to Actuate or Inform that Power that is to render that Power Actually Knowing it would follow that the Souâ— in that case having in her all those Notions of which her Nature is capable that is All Notions whatever she would either know all things while she is here or else she would have while here Innumerable Ideas or Materials of Knowledge which never come to be Excited and so are perfectly Useless Which makes the Immediate Act of the First Being which Infus'd them Frustraneous and to no purpose For their own Principles must force them to confess those Ideas which shall never be Excited cannot in that case either serve for Reasoning Contemplation nor Outward Action and therefore the Imbuing the Mind with them here is Preposterous Suâ—…ous and to no end 35. 'T is equally Groundless and Unphilosoâ—…cal in many regards to affirm That the Soul cannot Elicit Ideas out of her self from many heads 〈…〉 the Soul has a Power to Eliâ—… or Produce such Ideas in her â—… upon Occasion of such an Imâ—…ssion made on the Senses For â—… the Reasons given above I mean those â—…hich have been produced § 28 29 30 32. â—… in a manner equally disprove such Ideas â—…se which are properly Innate Secondly 〈…〉 impossible to show by their Grounds any Natural Connexion between that Impression on the â—…ve and the Production of such or such an 〈…〉 nor as far as I can see do they so much 〈…〉 pretend to show how this Effect does ex naâ—…a rei spring from that Cause For 't is conâ—… that the Stroke on the Nerve and the Idea which starts up when it is made there are utterly Unlike one another By which lame account any kind of Impression provided it be Unlike may occasion the Production of any Idea whatever and therefore there would be no Reason why 〈…〉 particular Impression more than another made 〈…〉 the Body should concur any way no not so much as a sutable Occasion to the Production of any particular Idea at all Thirdly Hence they make this Impression on the Nerve to be only an Occasion that is a kind of Conditio sine quâ non and not any sort of Cause contrary to the whole Intention and End of all Philosophy which is to refund Effects into their Proper Causes Fourthly They put the Soul which is of an Indivisible nature to Act upon it self and to be the Sole Cause of such an Idea which is against divers Principles confining upon Self-evidence and easily reducible to it Such as are Nothing that is meerly iâ— Power to such an Effect can reduce st self to Act. Nothing Indetermin'd can produce a Determinate Effect Nothing can change it self An Indivisible Entity cannot work upon it self A Thing in Rest cannot move it self Or in a word the Whole Course of Causes consisting in this that One Thing which is in Act it self is to work upon Another which is in Power to receive that Act is by this Extravagant Doctrine made Needless Absurd and Incoherent 36. Corollary XII From what 's Deduc't above it follows that that Position of That the Position which makes the Soul and Body Two Things hinders the Right Explication of Christian Faith the Cartesians which makes the Soul and Body in Man to be Duae Res or Two Things does not seem to sute well with Christian Faith For since Cartesius does therefore make them Two Things because he finds them to be of Different Natures 't is Evident that he does not Distinguish between the Notion of the Thing which has the Nature in it and of the Nature which is in the Thing or is had by it Whence follows that whereever and whenever there are those two Distinct Natures there must also be two Distinct Things But the Second Person of the Trinity will ever retain the Humanity of Christ and the Humanity of Christ will ever consist of the Corporeal and Spiritual Natures call'd Soul and Body therefore there will ever be according to this Doctrine two distinct Things in the Humanity of Christ-Again since these Two Natures in Christ's Humanity which they call Two Things are Individually or Numerically such and an Individual Thing is the same as a Suppositum the Followers of this Doctrine must hold there are Two Suppositums in Christ according to his Humanity Wherefore since 't is a Fundamental of Christian Faith that there is also in Christ the Divine Suppositum they must be forced to put three Suppositums in Christ GOD and MAN which is strange Language in Christianity Nor will it avail them to alledge that the Divine Personality by Assuming Humane Nature sâ—pplies the Subsistence of both those Natures for this takes not away the Distinction of the Two Natures in the Humanity wherefore if whereever there are two Natures there must be Two Things and those in our case Individually such of force there will remain two Individual Things that is Two Supposita in Christ's Humane Nature and consequently Three in all Whence since Verum vero non contradicit the Christian Tenet of but One Suppositum in Christ being True the Cartesian Doctrine that the Soul and Body in Man are two Things because they are of such Different Natures must needs be False and our main Tenet that the Soul and Body in Man do make but One Thing is both Evident to Reason and Consonant to Faith and to the Creed of St. Athanasius 37. Corollary XIII Hence also it follows from this Thesis of the Cartesians that every Individual Man in This Tenet makes overy Man to be a Monstrous Chimera the World is a Perfect Chimera nay a more Monstrous one than a Hircoceruus a Centaur or any other we use to Instance in For since all Created Beings are either Pure Acts or Compounded of Power and Act that is Matter and Form by Ch. 1. § 33. and the Word Thing signifies What 's Capable of Existing and therefore Two Things must be Capable of Diverse Existences and if they exist actually must actually have Two Existences It follows that the Soul and Body even in this State they have here must have actually Two Diverse Existences Again since their Nature the one being Corporeal the other Incorporeal are far more Distant and more vastly Different than a Goat and a Stag or any other Natures amongst Bodies to clap two such Things thus actually distinct under the Notion of Thing and Existing thus Distinct into One Species call'd MAN makes all the Individuals under that Species to be Chimerical nay greater Chimera's than is a Compound made of any two Things in Nature which are of divers Corporeal Species and exist actually by distinct Existences as a
Effects is that which gives Consistency and Coherence to all our Discourses and 〈◊〉 the only Ground of all Demonstration and consâ—â—â—â—ently of all the Science Mankind has or can 〈◊〉 Whence also it comes that puzzled with their 〈◊〉 ill-lay'd Principles how to find any Contexture between those Natural Effects and Causes they are given to have frequent and in a manner constant recourse to the Gratuitous Pretence that God Wills This or That without so much as attempting to Demonstrate that God does indeed Will such particular â—…ects or showing any Necessity why he should do 〈◊〉 or that it becomes God's Wisdom in the ordinaâ—… Administration of Nature to set aside the Operaâ—â—â—â—s of Second Causes for which they are Essentially Ordain'd and at every turn to act Immediately by Himself These and many other most absurd Doctrines every great Errour being Fruitâ—… of False Consequences they are thrown upon through their not reflecting on this Grand Truth that Man being One Thing consisting of a Corporeal and Spiritual Compart hence as was said the Impressions sent from Outward Objects by means of the Senses to that Material most Sensitive and most Noble Part of the Brain where the Fancy resides call'd The Seat of Knowledge which Part is immediately Inform'd by the Soul do by reason that the Soul and Body as Matter and Form make â—p One Thing affect also the said Form or Soul at the same time after her manner or according to her Nature that is to some Degree Knowingly by Imprinting or Stamping upon her Direct Conceptions Notions or Simple Apprehensions of somewhat or some Mode of the Thing On which fast Rudiments of Knowledge duly reflected on well Distinguish'd and aptly Connected by our Discoursing Faculty all our Science is built What other Important Truths occur in this Chapter affording matter for our farther Contemplation is lesâ— to our more leisurely Consideration CHAP. V. Of the Constitution and Dissolution of Individual Bodies 1. HItherto of the Constituting the Generical and Specifical Kinds of Bodies which they being but Common that is Partial or Inadequate Notions of That only Individuals are properly THINGS Ens or Thing are therefore no otherwise Entia but only in a Secondary and Improper Sense of that word or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Aristotle calls them because regarding them under this Common and Abstracted consideration they are not Capable of Existing which is the Definition of Ens. We come next to treat of INDIVIDUAL Entities call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Primarily and Properly Substances or Things because consisting of Matter ultimately Determin'd to such and such Particulars they only as being Wholes or Intire Things are of themselves or by the merits of their own Notion Capable of Existing or Entia Whereas the Former are not at all THINGS but as they are Metaphysical Parts of the Things truly so call'd abstracted from one another by our conceiving them singly or aparted from their Fellow-parts and therefore since the Parts cannot exist out of the Whole they are Incapable of Existing but in these Later and by virtue of Them Wherefore 2. Hence follows that the Generical and Specifical Essences of which we have hitherto treated are not properly And therefore only Individual Essences are properly ESSENCES ESSENCES in the First and Primary Acceptation of that word For since the Notion of Ens is properly That which is Capable of Existing and Essence is that which properly constitutes Ens it follows that That which does not constitute it's Subject Capable of Existing is not in proper Speech an Essence Wherefore since neither Corpus Mixtum Vivens Animal nor Homo taken as those words signifie them in Common are Capable of Existing but the Particulars or Individâ—ums of each of those Kinds 't is consequent that as none of These is properly an Ens but only the Individuums of each of those Common Sorts so neither is that which constitutes any of them properly to be call'd an Essence but That only which constitutes the Individual Thing Again since an Individuum v. g. Peter contains in it self all those Common Notions and so that what answers to the Definitions of each of them is Included in Him and Verify'd of Him it follows that they are all of them as was said Metaphysical Parts of Peter or Parts of his Essence and that He is a Whole in respect of Theâ— Wherefore since as was said a Part cannot exist but in the Whole none of these can exist but in their Individuals nor is of it's self properly an Ens or Thing Nor consequently since Essence is the Formal Constitutive of Ens or oâ— that which is Capable of Being are their Essence in proper Speech ESSENCES In a word Ens signifies what 's Capable of Existing which none of those Common Essences staying in Them is or can be for were they such they must necessarily make the Concretes which are their Subjects to be thus Capable of Existing which â—is most Evident they do not seeing nothing in Common does or can exist but only Particulars 3. Corollary I. This notwithstanding we can discourse as clearly of those Improper Essences nay far Yet we can discourse more clearly of the Common Essences than we can of the Individual ones more clearly and evidently than we can of those Proper ones For since those Improper and Analogical Essences are each of them some One Inadequate or Abstracted Conception which we make of the Whole Thing v. g. the Essence or Nature of such a Quantity Figure Time Place Situation c. and our Soul as will be seen hereafter being Indivisible they by being in our Conception are there Indivisibly that is most Dsstinctly such Hence they are apt to render our Discourses which are conversant about such most Distinct Objects most Distinct and Clear also Whereas on the other side the Essences properly so called which Constitute the Individuums do involve many of those Improper Essences in their Constitution which must needs make those thus-Compounded Objects Confus'd and thence less clearly Intelligible It follows then manifestly that we can discourse more clearly of those Improper Essences or Natures which abstract from their Subject and from the rest of their fellow-Modes than we can of the Proper Essences that constitute the Whole Individuum of which as was said rhe other are but Metaphysical Parts which are blended in some sort confusedly to compound or make up that Whole 4. That Complexion of Accidents which constitutes the Essence of the Individuum must be far Greater than There go more Accidents to constitute the Individuum than there goes to constitute the Common Essences that which constitutes the Generical or the Specisical Natures For since these Later are but Parts of the Individual Essence there is necessarily requir'd more Parts to constitute the Essence of the Individuum which in respect of them has the Nature of the Whole Again since there are found under every Common Notion or Nature Great Multitudes
comprehend those Times and Places which are Modes of those Things and consequently Parts of the Entire Notion of those Things themselves that is she must comprehend all Time or Place 8. Corollary I. Hence is demonstrated how great an Errour it is and against Hence her Operations are not measur'd by Time They and their Subject being of a Superiour Nature the Nature of a Pure Act to put the Duration of Pure Spirits to be in some sort Successive and that their Operations and consequently their Existence are measureable by the Differences of Time Before and After whereas they comprehend all Time and are of such a Nature as far transcends it 9. Therefore such a Soul cannot but naturally have an Ardent Longing to know the Nature of the First Cause that Hence she will be Eternally Miserable unless she knows the First Cause GOD. made and order'd those Things For since 't is Essential to the Soul to be Cognoscitive and consequently the whole Bent and only Good of her Nature in that State is to have all the Knowledge she can and must wish and the Knowledge of the Effects does naturally and also vehemently excite and enflame those who are wholly addicted to Knowledge as the Soul naturally is in that State to know the Cause which Created them of Nothing and rang'd them in that most beautiful Order Nay since they do not know those things as they ought without knowing them a priori in their First Cause and how and by what virtue he Created them Again since as was often prov'd the Knowledge of all Created Truths they being Finite cannot in the least fill or satisfie the Natural Desire of the Soul and therefore only the Knowledge of an Infinite Truth can satiate and content her and she cannot but vehemently long to enjoy that which only can satisfie a Propension so â—adicated in her Nature It follows from all these heads that the Knowledge of all Created Truths do serve only to increase her Thirst and to enflame her Desire more ardently and impatiently to know the Nature or Essence of that Infinite and Glorious Source of all Being the First Cause from which issued all those admirable Effects and which she now sees is the Object only worthy of her Knowledge Whence she must look upon her self as utterly lost and unâ—one and remain eternally miserable if she falls short of that only Soul-satisfying Sight 10. From the § § 4 and 5. it follows necessarily that a Soul when Separated is naturally while Separated Hence also she is naturally Unchangeable Unchangeable For besides other Reasons the Notion of Created Ens is adequately Divided by Indivisible and Divisible as by its Differences which are Contradictories Nor is there any thing in the Species but the Notion of the Genus in which they agree and the Notion of the Difference by which they disagree and this in our case contradictorily Hence it follows that whatever is Affirm'd of One of the Species besides the Generical Notion the Contradictory to it must be Affirm'd of the Other Species wherefore as truly and certainly as we can affirm of One of the Species Body that it is Quantitative Divisible has Part after Part and that its Operations are perform'd Successively one after another c. so truly can we affirm of the Other Species Spirit that it is Unquantitative Indivisible has not Part after Part and is not Successive in its Operations in regard none of these relate to the Genus But what has no Successiveness in it cannot be otherwise than it was before or Chang'd Therefore the Soul while it is a pure Spirit is naturally Unchangeable 11. From the same § 5. 't is demonstrated without needing any farther Hence too as soon as Separated she knows all the Thoughts and Affections Words and Actions of her past Life Proof that the Soul when Separated knows and cannot but know all the Words Actions Thoughts and Affections of her whole fore-past Life finding those Later in her Self she her Self being then her own First Immediate and Ever-present Object and the Former in the Course of Causes and in the Circumstances there mention'd Also that she cannot but know the Natural Actions Thoughts c. of others since these also were Effects and had their Causes and so were knowable by her as well as the others Lastly That she must a fortiori know what Good or Bad Dispositions were in her self when she Dy'd they being now Modes or Accidents of her self nor is it possible that a Creature that has Knowledge and Will in it should not even in this dull State know what it self chiefly wishes and desires 12. Corollary 1. Hence is understood how the Particular Iudgment determining the Soul's Future Condition Whence follows the Particular Judgment which determines her Lot at the Hour of Death is made at the Hour of Death and how she comes to Hope or Despair of Eternal Hap piness according as she sees her self Fit or Unfit for it whence she becomes Determin'd to her Final Lot which Fitness or Unfitness is in the Old Language of the Christian Church call'd Merit or Demerit which are the same as Disposition or Indisposition for Bliss only differing in an Extrinsecal Denomination taken from GOD's having Promis'd and Threaten'd the Happy or Unhappy Consequences of Good or Bad Actions 13. Corollary II. Hence also is understood how the Book of Conscience will be laid open at the last Day Hence is understood how the Book of Conscience will be laid open at the last Day when GOD shall reveal abscondita tenebrarum or as the Sybill expresses it Cunctaq cunctorum cunctis arcana patebunt and this after a more Clear and Solemn Manner than meer Nature could have perform'd 14 Corallary III. Hence also we may see why and how Infants are connaturally sav'd by Baptism as And how Infants are connaturally sav'd by Baptism by the most General and Genuine Means For they carry no Dispositions out of the Body but Affections to the Mother's Dug to lie soft and warm and such like which being meerly Natural or rather Animal were too weak and too base to put any thing in them which might raise them in their Future State towards Heaven But when they come into the Region of Light and know all things amongst the rest that they were Baptiz'd in Christ's Name and that that External Action the Impressions and consequently the Notions of which remain yet in their Soul was particularly done upon them and was Ordain'd as a Supernatural Means by Him acting as a Supernatural Agent for their Salvation or to addict them to Him and make them His immediately that Sacrament as others also do working its Effect ex vi Institutionis Christi gives them other Thoughts and Higher Aims than meer Nature could have done makes them conceive Actual Hope and Love of their Good GOD and Saviour and so disposes or fits them at the same Instant for Heaven 15. Corollary
IV. Hence we may discover how Unnatural as well as Impious a Heresy Ana-Baptism is in debarring Hence Ana-Baptism is Impious and Unnatural their Infants from the most Certain Means in the Course of GOD's Supernatural Providence to bring them to Heaven in case they Die before they come to use their deliberate Reason in chusing their Last End But I am here only to lay Certain and Evident Grounds to Confute Errors and not to Pursue them 16. Corollary V. Lastly hence is seen how far more easie it is for the Saints and Angels in Heaven to hear The foregoing Principles show how much more easie it is for the Saints and Angels in Heaven to know our Actions and Necessities our Petitions either put up to our common Lord or desiring the Assistance of their Prayen â— as also to know our Necessities our Amendment the Repeâ—tance of a Sinner for which as our Saviour says they have a particulâ—… Ioy tho' such happy Spirits know thâ—… Things after a far Clearer and Nobler Manner than Natural Knowers do viz. not iâ— ignoble Effects but in the best Manner à Prâ—ori or in the First Cause by seeing his Dâ—vine Essence in whom we do all Live Mâ—… and have our Being 17. The Practical Iudgment or Affection of the Soul as Experience teaches does more sway the Operations of it The Practical Iudgments or Affections to carry the Soul to the Attainment of the Good she most Lov'd here in case it be Attainable in the Future State and carry it towards the Attainment of what it wishes than the Greatest Speculative Knowledge of any Good whatever For since we have two Operative Faculties of the Soul Understanding and Will and the Understanding as contradistinguisht from the Will has for it's Proper Act or Effect only a Speculative Knowledge or Iudgment of the Truth of the Thing abstracting from this consideration whether it be our Good or no and goes no farther but when our Consideration by a Close and frequent Converse with the Object and a more thorow-Penetration of it's Agreeableness or how Good it is to us lays this Agreeableness to â—…art and Conceits it to be our Interest to have â—… there are immediately produced in us Affections or which is the same Practical Iudgments â—…pelling us to Act for it or pursue it which are â—…cts of the Will Hence 't is only these Practical Judgments and not Speculative ones which move us to the pursuit and Attainment of any â—…ood whether that Object be our True Good 〈…〉 no. 18. Intellectual Goods tho' Infinite or the seeing Him who is Infinite Truth The Best Intellectual Good or the Sight of GOD is Attainable in the Nâ—xt Life if the Soul be Dispos'd for it are immediately attain'd by the Soul when Separated if she be dispos'd with a Perfect Affection or Love for it For since the Soul is of an Intellectual Nature and such that she is not Capable to be satiated or fill'd with Finite Truths how Great or Many soever they be and therefore she is by her Nature ordain'd to see an Infinit Truth nor can her Speculative Knowledge of all Created Truths breed any Hindrance but by giving her more Light of the Excellency of that Divine Object is rather if no sinister Affection detain her ordain'd to beget in her a high Affection for it nor in the Case here put does any sinister Practical Judgment or any such Affection detain her from it in regard it is here suppos'd that she has an Affection for it so that not only the whole Bent of her unperverted Nature but also the whole Propension of her Voluntary Affections gain'd here by frequent and most Deliberate Acts have addicted her to know or see that Blissful Object Wherefore all imaginable Dispositions being put on her part to see this Infinit Truth it will be seen and known by the Soul in case it be of its own nature Intelligible which 't is most evident it is For since all Unintelligibleness or Obscurity of any Object springs from the Confusedness and Indetermination found in it which arises from the Power or Matter and all Distinctness and by consequence greater Intelligibility from the Act and GOD or Infinit Truth is an Infinitely Pure and most simple Actuality or Purus Candor Aeternae Lucis and therefore of his own Nature infinitely Intelligible and consequently will be actually known so there be no Indisposition Blemish or Impurity in the Spiritual Eye of the Understanding which is to know it or which is the same some Inordinate Affection for some Created or False Good makinâ— it addict its squinting Eye towards It. It followâ— hence that since Extrinsecal Application has no place here or rather this Perfect Affection being the very and only Application of one Spirit to another all imaginable Causes are put for such an Effect or for such a Soul 's seeing God and consequently the Effect it self or the Beatifical Vision must follow 19. Coroll VII Hence the whole Employ of our Lives here ought to be this viz. to take care we do not Therefore to work up our Christian Principles to such Good Dispositions ought to be the whole Employ of our Life here set our Affections inordinately on Temporal or False Goods which being Fleeting do perish and leave us Empty in our Future never-dying State but wisely to wean our selves from affecting them excessively and withal to gain Predominant Practical Judgments or Affections for Eternal Goods which will never leave us and withall will fill and satisfy our Boundless Wishes in the other World or which is the same make us Eternally Happy 20. Cor. VIII Hence is shown that only Love of God above all things can dispose us for Heaven or which This good Disposition is Charity or the Love of GOD above all things is the same make us held worthy or deserve such an Infinit Reward which is Promist us by God's Goodness upon our putting that good Disposition 21. Coroll IX Hence all the Law and the Prophets all the whole Body of Hâ—nce all the Means and Motives lay'd by our B Saviour â—â—nd only to breed and promote in us this Predominant Aâ—fâ—â—ction for Heaven Christian Doctrin all Christ's Instructive Words Exemplary Actions and Affective Sufferings all Church-Government Sacraments Teaching Preaching Mortification Reading Holy Books perusing the Lives of the B. Saints and Martyrs nay all our Keeping Festivals and all Ceremonious Actions of what kind soever if righâ—ly understood and made use of are of no worth or Efficacy towards our Salvation farther than they may â—end Immediately or Remotely to breed and advance in Souls this Ultimate and Effectual Disposition to Bliss Perfect Charity or the Love of GOD above all things whence will follow of course the Love of our Neighbour as our selves and Eternal Happiness as the Reward of both 22. Corollary X. Hence RELIGION is the Art of breeding up Souls in such a manner as may dispose them The
no Man's Arithmetick comprehended them all by Summing up their Total in his Understanding Besides this drops the whole Question and flies off to a New Point For the Question is not whether an Agent or Calculator can do this but whether the Nature of the Subject viz. An Infinite Number which is made up of nothing but Ones does not bear it nay force it that it must become Infinite by One added to One and therefore by the Accession of sâ—â—â— One to the Finite Number presuppos'd To which Essential or Intrinsical Nature of the Thing or Subject from which only we argue the want of an Agent is Accidental and Extrinsical Thus Philosophers hold there is some least siâ—â— of Bodies or Minima Naturalia which are to farther Divisible Actually because there is no Agent little enough to come between the sides of it and divide it farther and yet the same Men hold that since Quantitas est Divisibilis iâ— semper Divisibilia it is notwithstanding of It 's own Nature farther Divisible 13. Fifthly To beat them from this Evasion that there wants an Agent let Ans. V. That the putting an Infinite Time which in their Supposition is absolutely Necessary is a plain Contradiction us see what the Necessity of not admitting a plain Contradiction will work with them I argue then thus Those Infinite Agents which they say do and eveâ— did communicate Actual Being to the following Ones must since this was done by way 〈…〉 Motion require Infinite Time to perform this 〈…〉 But such an Infinite Antecedent Time is absolutely impossible to have been Therefore their â—…n Position falls to the ground To prove 〈…〉 there could not have been an Infinite Time â—…gue thus by way of Dilemma which is a 〈…〉 Conclusive Method when the two sides of â—…e Contradictory and can have no Third or â—…dle between them If there has been an Infiâ—… Time there must have been either an Infinite Number of Hours antecedently or not an-Infinite Number of Hours but a Finite Number of them â—… If only a Finite Number then that whole â—…e was Finite and therefore had a Beginning â—…ould have been ever If they say an Infiâ—… Number of Hours have anteceded or lest â—…ey should quarrel with the word Number an â—…ite Multitude of them or which is the same 〈…〉 the Subjects part a Motion correspondent to 〈…〉 Infinite Multitude of Hours then in this Multitude of antecedent Hours Either there has â—…en some One Hour distant from This Hour which â—…s now by Infinite Ones Or no one Hour diâ—…nt from this present Hour by Infinite ones Let them take which side they please for one of them they must take or allow they being Conâ—â—â—dictories If they say there has been no one Hour distant from this Present Hour by Infinite â—…s then since in this Infinite Multitude of â—…ours there is nothing but Ones for Multa â—…ans multa una and can mean nothing else 〈…〉 the whole Collection of Hours which they pretend to be Infinite is clearly Finite there being nothing in it which is Infinitely distant Again If None of them be distant from this Present Hour by Infinite ones then All of them are distant by Finite ones and so again the Collection of antecedent Hours must have been Finite And if they chuse to take the other side and say There has been some One hour which is distant from this Present by Infinite ones then they manifestly put an Infinite Time or a Time which has No End and yet has Two Ends viz. That One Hour terminating it long ago and this Present Hour terminating it Now That is they put an Infinite which is Finite or not-Infinite which is a Direct Contradiction 14. Lastly To confute this Infinity whether of antecedent Causes or of Parts of Time there needs no more Ans. VI. That the very Notion of the word Infinite apply'd to our Case is a plain Contradiction but to reflect upon the plain Meaning of the word Infinite and it will tell us that an Infinite in any kind must include All that belongs to that kind so that there can be nothing of that kind out of it nor any Accession to it or New Particulars of that Kind which it does not comprehend For if the supposed Infinity did not include them All it fell so far Short and any Shortness is directly Opposite to the Notion of Infinity Nothing being more Evident than that the words Not-all do signifie the same as only some and therefore that Notion in whatever Kind that does not extend it self to All of that Kind is Limited to some and therefore is not-Infinite in that Kind Since then we see New Hours daily accrue to Antecedent Time and New Agents added to the former â—â—â— of Causes which can with no Sense be 〈…〉 to be comprehended in the Antecedent Collection of them 't is manifestly against our common Notions and Common Sense to preâ—… that the multitude of Antecedent Causes and â—â—â—ts of Time or Motion have been actually Infinite Wherefore all these Antecedent Causes â—â—d some First or a Beginning of their Being which they could not have had of themselves had their Natures been only Potential to Being or meerly capable to be Therefore there must â—â—ve ever been something or some First Cause which of it's own Nature or Essence is an Actually of Being That there can be but One such â—…entially Actual Being tho' it may be gaâ—â—â—â—ed even hence will be more exactly prov'd â—â—â—â—after â—â— Nothing can be weaker than to alledge thâ—â— there was only a Finite Number of Causes which gave The Position of a Finite Number of Causes giving Being to one another Circularly is as ill Nonsense as the former Being circularly to one another For this would make each of them only Potential to Being in â—â—ard they receiv'd it from others â—â—â— yet at the same time Actually â—â—â—â—g because they communicaâ—â—â— it to another Nay to give Being to themselves For if B is because A is and C is because B is and A is because C is it will folâ—… that A is because A is That Maxim Causa Câ—â—sae est Causa Causati what restriction soever it may have in other Cases has here it's full foâ—â—e because the Cause does here give the 〈…〉 and adequate Effect to it's self the Notiâ—… Existence the Act which is given being every way Indivisible and therefore All of â—â— must be given or not at all I have been more large in refuting this Preâ—ence of an Endless or Infinite antecedent Succession of Motion and Natural Causes it being the chief Asylum of the Atheists We return now to our Arguments 16. Lemma I. The Notion we have of Ens or Thing is Different from the Notion of Existence This has been The Notion of Ens is Different from that of Existent and consequently Essence from Existence demonstrated B. 1. Ch. 1. § 3. where it is shown That the Notion of Essence which constitutes every
they have their Essences from the Ideas in his Divine Understanding and their Existences by his Peculiar and Immediate Act of Creation He still conserves their Essence in Being by the same Continued Action and at the same time all their Faculties and Powers by which they act on one another He puts them forwards to exercise those several Faculties and actually to produce their Operations on one another according to their Natures by Motion which is given them by his Chief Officers in administring the World Angels and continues their Motions and Operations by their Incessant perpetuating of that Motion So that both their Essences their Actual Being their Power to act their Exercise of that Power and consequently whatever belongs to the Action it self as far as it is Positive or has Entity and Goodness in it and amongst the rest the Determination of our Will to what 's Good and Virtuous do all of them Entirely depend on GOD and are Deriv'd from Him Ipâ—â— Honor Gloria in saecula saeculorum Amen MEDITATION THe Essences of Things which give all Bodies their several Sorts of Operation being estaâ—…t by GOD and Vacuum being own Impossible from the Contiâ—â—ity That GOD's Ordinary Providence carries on the Course of Nature by Proper Causes still producing Proper Effects Demonstrated à priori of Quantity which is it's â—â—d of Unity or Entity It folâ—â—â—s that all the Bodies of the â—aterial World do immediately conâ—â— upon or touch one another â—â— therefore being set on work â—pusht forward by Motion which iâ— given and continu'd to them by the Angelical Nature they must necessarily affect or work upon one another and this according to their respective Essences or as we express it in Philosophical Language Proper Causes must still produce proper Effects And seeing this Reason holds in all Bodies whatever since the Creation was finisht and Natural Causes begun to move in a Regular Order â—â—sequently the whole Course of Nature to show and â—â—plain which is the Work of a Natural Philosopher â—â—sists in the Production of such Effects as are Proper â—d suteable to the Genius of their Causes Thus is the Providence of our Great GOD adâ—inistring the World after the Wisest â—anner Demonstrated a Priori Conâ—irm'd Because otherwise Mankind could not possibly have any Science nor know what to do in their ordinary Actions And that this way of Governing the Material World does most become His Divine Wisdom appears hence that as was lately said all our Acquir'd Wisdom in Natural things or all our Science is entirely grounded on our Knowing this Connexion of such Causes with such Effects insomuch that all Mankind would be a pack of Ignorant Fools if the Consequence of these later from the former were not Certainly establisht since in that case they could never know what things they were to make use of to compass any Effect they intended nor know what to eschew and what to pursue No Proportion of any Means to the End being Possible to be known in case such Determinate Causes were not apt to produce such Determinate and Proper Effects or which is the same if every thing did not Act as it Is but that Any thing might do or not do Any thing Nor is this Connected Tenour of managing the Material World by Proper Causes and Effects less Evident a posteriori The same Great Truth Demonstrated a posteriori For let us pitch our thought upon any one Effect done at present and let it be the Greatest or the most Inconsiderable one as it may seem to us for this alters not the case Plainest Reason will tell us that either it had some Cause or it had none If it had none and yet is it must have been Self-Existent Which is both against Experience for we see it lately produced and against our Reason too because to be Self-Existent is an Incommunicable Attribute of the DEITY If it had a Cause then that Cause was either Indifferent to produce this or any other Effect in which caâ—e it could produce Nothing since Ex indifferenti nihil sequitur Besides every Effect whether it be a Thing or a Mode of Thing is Determinate for whatever is produc'd â—s and whatever is is Determinate since nothing in common can be and an Indeterminate Cause cannot produce an Determinate Effect for in that Supposition it would work contradictorily to it's self It must then be Determinately apt or Proper to produce this kind of Effect and no other This Effect was therefore put because there was such a Determinate or Proper Cause to produce it This seen let us make the same Discourse concerning that which was the Proper Cause as we did now concerning its Effect now mention'd and so of all the Antecedent Causes in the World since Time first started into Motion Each of them Existed or was in it's Season None of them could exist of themselves therefore each of them had a Cause and that by our former Discourse a Determinate or Proper one Nothing therefore is or can be more Demonstrable nor more immediately reducible to Self-Evidence than it is that the whole Course of Nature is carry'd on by Proper Causes and Proper Effects This Consideration made that Great Aristotelian and truly Christian Philosopher Boetius begin his Devout Rapture in Hence the Course of GOD's Work manship the Fabrick of Nature is Close and Indissoluble these Words O qui perpetua Mundum Ratione gubernas The whole Current of our Reason runs upon this Ground and proceeds every step in this beaten Track that every Cause produces such Effects as are Agreeable and Proper to its peculiar Nature and this perpetually or thro' the whole Course of the World For were the Line of Causality interrupted by Chasms and Interstices our Reason would be at an utter Loss This it was also which made that Divine Writer the Author of Ecclesiasticus speaking of the Manner in which the World is Administer'd by the Divine Wisdom deliver his comprehensive Thoughts in these Emphatical Words Attingit a fine in finem fortiter disponit omnia suaviter It reaches from the Beginning to the End or carries it quite thorow Strongly for what stronger than the Infractile Chain of Causality establisht on this Great and Self-Evident Truth that Nothing can make it self or which is the same Nothing that is only Potential or meerly in power to work an Effect can reduce it Self to Act as to that Effect Or what Disposition more Sweet or farther from offering Violence to the Nature of any Cause than 't is to order that it should work connaturally or Act as it is Notwithstanding the Greatest and Clearest Truths can never want Enemies while there is Errour in the World Nor will The Epicurean Tenet of CHANCE Governing the World is most Absurd and Senseless there ever want Errour as long as Men either carelessly or wilfully decline the only Paths that lead to Truth which are to bottom their Discourse at
down and breaks his Neck Now all these are said to be done by Chance But does any of these who say so hold that there was no Cause at all which made the Glass the Tyle or the Man fall No certainly for every Man of Common Sense holds that no Effect can be without a Cause and will deny that a Tyle or a Glass did move themselves Their meaning then is and they tell you they did not fore-see or fore-know that any of these would fall being Attentive to some other Object or Business CHANCE then is an UNADVERTED or Unforeseen Cause for had they foreseen that such Causes taking them all together would have brought those Disasters it had been Willfulness and Design in them to have come in the way of such Misohievous Causes and Design is Opposite to the Notion of Chance In this Sense then Christianity allows us to say the Chance or an Unforeseen Cause wrought these Effect â—â— But since nothing is Unforeseen to GOD who laid and order'd all those Causes What is Chance to Us is Providence if we regard Him nor is there any Thing Distinct from Him call'd Chance which has the least hâ—nd in administring the World but He is the only Adequate Governor of it 'T is not without some loathness I am forced to take notice that some of our Modern Ideists tho' I hope with a good How groundlessly some Christian Philosophers the Ideists do in part violate this Best Method of GOD's Ordinary Providence now Demonstrated Intention do violate this connected course of Causes and Effects in which GOD's Ordinary Providence consists Whoever as do the Cartesians make all Second Causes which have Powers or Faculties given them to work such Effects to be Useless as to those Effects even as Instruments Whoever puts on the Creature 's side only OCCASIONS which they say are No Causes for every Act of Knowledge Mankind has and perhaps for every Effect in Nature Whoever puts Determinate Ideas to be produced by Indeterminate and therefore Improper Causes as the Soul was before she did elicit them as they pretend of her self Whoever puts such Idea's Annext voluntarily to such Motions which were not at all Like them or No Causes of them alledging gratis that GOD Wills it Whoever maintains the Annexing of one Thing or Mode of Thing to another otherwise than by being the Proper Cause of it does fall into the same ill-grounded Errour of interrupting the Course of GOD's Ordinary Providence by Second Causes and destroys the Laws of Causality As has been over and over Demonstrated in my Ideae Cartesianae Indicatio Tertia from § 30. to § 50. and in my Solid Philosophy Asserted Reflexion 4. § 3. and 5. It will run in the Fancies of some less Intelligent Intelligent Readers who take things at the first rebound and pass a The Folly of the Stoical FATALITY confuted and exploded peremptory Iudgment on what they understand but by halves that this Settled Order of Providence I here assert does introduce a kind of Fatality into the World Now if by the word FATUM they mean what is Spoken or Decreed by GOD I must own the Position and stand to it as clearly demonstrated above Which leads me to the Other sort of the Opposers of Providenoe I mean those who maintain a Stoical FATALITY a Tenet widely Different from our Thesis or rather perfectly Contradictory to it For ours proceeds upon a Continued Connexion of Natural Causes with Consequent Effects which are Suteable and Agreeable to their Natures Theirs regards no Influence of any Causes at all but is built on the force of this Contradiction Either such a thing will be or will not be Wherefore say they since it inevitably follows that both of these cannot be True and yet one of them must be True 't is a Folly to endeavour to avoid any Harm or to pursue any Good since out of the force of not-admitting Contradiction what will be will be But this tho' the Wittier of the two is a Pure Folly since as Common Experience tells us and Common Sense assures us nothing is done but by Means of Causes nor not-done but because there wanted Causes able to do it But they fancy to themselves by the Words will be and will not be there is a certain kind of Self-Existence or Non-Self-Existenee in the Futurity of Events Whereas none of them has or can have any Existence or Non-Existence at all but as they stand under Determinate Natural Causes â—r no Causes Whence we who know this to be so are bound in Prudence to endeavour as much as lies in us to put those Causes if we would have the Effect follow They forget too that We our selves are part of the Rank of Causes and that the using our own Reason in chusing and applying those other Causes is the Supreme Superintendent Cause and the very Best of all the rest They reflect not also that since Future Effects are not neither of those Propositions they put and rely on has any Truth in it at all nor has the Futurity of it any Certainty but as it stands under Determinate or Proper Causes which will produce that Effect from which only it has Title to the name of Future So that the Proposition Such a thing will be or is future is an imprudent saying and not be spoke by any Man of Sense unless he sees the Causes will certainly make it be These Discoursers do therefore argue from a Logical Impossibility found only in our Mind considering the Nature of Ens and that it excludes Non-Ens out of it's Notion to a Physical one which is wholly grounded on the Nature of Causes Lastly This Thesis is manifestly convicted of Folly by the Consent of all Mankind and even of themselves too who do all of them lay means for the Effects they aim at Nor could the World continue or subsist if this whimsical Doctrine stands as by applying it to a Harvest next year the using ways for Trade and Traffick or for defending our Country and a thousand such particulars does manifestly appear For either Success will follow or not follow whither we endeavour or not endeavour to lay Means for such Effects which consideration will also help to cure those weak Discoursers who so perplex their thought about Predestination All which depend on the same Principles and can disrellish no Man unless he be offended that GOD is the First Cause and that Good comes to us from Him by Second Causes laid in the Best Order imaginable But in how different a manner does our way of Philosophy discourse of GOD's Ordinary Providence from that of those other Philosophers and particularly from that of the Ideists It puts no blind Suppositions nor Conceits taken from Fancy but is entirely built on Principles and such Principles as are either Self-Evident or so neerely remov'd from them that they are easily reducible thither viz. Every Thing acts as it is and therefore is a Proper Cause
in One most Simple Formality 46. Hence even the Names of our Best Virtues are not in every regard properly spoken of GOD. 47. Nor Omnipotent Creatour or such like All our Language having some Tang of Imperfection Annext to it 48. Nor yet Negative Words as Immense Infinite Immaterial c. 49. No Priority or Posteriority either Real or made by our Reason conceiving some Ground for it in the Thing can be attributed to GOD. 50. Notwithstanding all these are with some Impropriety spoken of GOD yet all of them but the Last are Truly said of Him 51. The Solid Ground of Mystick Theology 52. Hence is concluded that all the Names or Words we have whether they be Affirmative or Negative do fall short of reaching the Divine Essence MEDITATION How by considering the Visible Things of this World we have arriv'd at the Knowledge of the Invisible Things of GOD His Essence and Attributes That these have been Demonstratively Deduc'd and this with an Evidence beyond that of the Mathematicks That this will redound to our greater Disadvantage if we live not accordingly This Knowledge of GOD obliges us to the Duties following viz. Of most Profound Adoration and Respectful Attention when we address to him in Prayer Of a Firm Belief of what he has Reveal'd Of Endeavouring to dispose our selves to receive farther Influences of His Grace and to Hope with Full Assurance that He will most certainly give us all we are Capable or Dispos'd to receive Of Trembling at his Iustice if we wilfully break his Commands or carelesly run on sn Sin Of Hoping Unwaveringly we shall obtain his Pardon if we sincerely Repent Of Resignation in all sinister Contingencies to the Infinitely Wise Disposition of His Providence in the Government of His World Especially to Love Him who is our Only Happiness and True Good as we ought both for what He is in Himself and for what He is to Us. Lastly to the Duty of Imitating His Holy Moral Attributes which is the most Effectual Means to perfect us in all sorts of Virtue BOOK IV. Of the several OPERATIONS of Things and of the Manner in common how the First Being administers His World § 1. ALL Action springs Immediately from the Existence of the Cause 2. And the Acting in such a Manner from the Thing 's being of such a Nature 3. Therefore the Power of Operating thus or thus is refunded into the Essence of the Thing 4. Therefore all Causality is the Imparting to the Patient somewhat that was some way or other in the Agent or the Cause 5. Hence Motion only Applies the Natural Agent to the Patient 6. The First Operation among Bodies is DIVISION 7. The Next Operations are IMPULSE and ATTRACTION 8. The Reason of which Operations is not to be fetch'd from Physicks but from Metaphysicks 9. Nor in Metaphysicks from the Matter or Form 10. But from the Essence or Nature of the Common Modification of Body Quantity 11. This Disputable Point fully Clear'd 12. Hence is seen particularly the Reason of Attraction 13. Every Impulse does at first Condense and every Attraction at first does Rarify 14. All these Operations are either perform'd by Local Motion or concomitantly with it 15. All Motion comes at first from the Angelical Nature 16. Every Part of Motion is a New Effect 17. And therefore it requires a Continual Influx of some Moving Cause 18. This Moving Cause is some Chief Angel which Rarefies the Matter in the Solar Bodies 19. Angels are Pre-mov'd and Directed by GOD to move Matter in such a manner as is most sutable to His Eternal Decrees 20. The First-mov'd Bodies do Determine and Continue the Motion of the Others 21. Hence Angels and the Bodies which they move do as Second Causes determine the Individuation of all new-made Bodies 22. But 't is evidently beyond their Power to give Existence 23. Which therefore is Peculiar to GOD 24. As 't is also to Conserve them in Being 25. And to give to a Nobler Essence a Nobler Existence 26. For the same reason a Spiritual Form will be given to Matter connaturally Dispos'd for it 27. The same holds in Supernatural Gifts which also abstracting from Miracle are carry'd on by Dispositions 28. Hence GOD is not the Cause of any Defect much less of SIN 29. That all the foremention'd Sorts of Operations do spring from the Respective ESSENCES 30. That GOD does All that 's Good in All and in what Manner and by what Means MEDITATION That God's Ordinary Providence carries on the Course of Nature by Proper Causes still producing Proper Effects Demonstrated And Confirm'd because otherwise Mankind could not possibly have any Science nor know how to behave themselves or what to do in their Practice and ordinary Actions The same Great Truth Demonstrated a posterioriâ—… Hence the Course of GOD's Workmanship the Fabrick of Nature is Close and Indissoluble The Epicurean Tenet that the World is Govern'd by CHANCE shown most Absurd and Senseless What CHANCE truly is How Groundlessly some Christian Philosophers the Ideists do in part violate this Method of GOD's Ordinary Providence Demonstrated The Witty Folly of Stoical FATALITY confuted and exploded The Application of this Doctrine to our own Duties A Rational Explication OF The Mystery of the most Blessed TRINITY Trans-natural Philosophy OR METAPHYSICKS BOOK I. Of the ESSENCES of Compound Entities CHAP. I. Of POWER and ACT. 1. ALL Mankind must necessarily have the Notions of POWER and ACT or know what those Words POWER and ACT are Natural or Common Notions mean For since all Mankind do in their Common Language use to say that such a Thing which was not before can be or exist as also that Fire can be made of Wood that Water can be made Hot and such like and this in innumerable Occasions And 't is Evident that the word can does in those Speeches signifie the Power to Exist be made of Wood be made Hot c. and the other words do signify the Acts which answer to those Powers and by reason of which when they come to have those Acts they are truly said to be Actually such as the words which correspond to those Powers do import Also since all Mankind have in their Minds the Meaning of those Words which themselves do intelligently use and the Meaning of any Word iâ— the same with that which we cali their Notiâ—â— exprest by that Word which Notion we have in our Minds when we use that Word It follows evidently that All Mankind must necessarily have the Notions of POWER and ACT oâ— Know what those Words mean 2. Hence is gathered that there are three Soâ—â—â— of Power and Act For since That there are Three sorts of each we can truly say that such 〈◊〉 Thing newly generated was 〈◊〉 and now is and 't is most Self evident that could not be which had not a Possibility or Power to be 't is manifest that the Thing had a Possibility or Power to be that iâ— had
if Extension be the Essential Constitutive of that Matter of theirs which it not being pretended to be a Spiritual Substance must be some kind of Body then Difference in Extension or more and less of Extension must essentially constitute Distinct Things under the Notion of Body or Distinct Bodies By which Doctrine no Man living nor perhaps any Body in Nature while it continually sends out it's Particles or Effluviums would be the same Body or the same Thing one single moment Which quite destroys the Stability of Things and would alter all or most of the Actions Comportments Duties and even all the Discourse of Mankind since ere they could speak or think of any Thing it would no longer be the same Thing but Another in regard it is perpetually otherwise than it was according to it's Extension which is as they hold it 's Essential Constitutive Nor will it avail the Cartesians to say that this holds in every Simple Body such as are their Three Elements but not in a Mixt Body For no Mixt is according to them any thing but an Aggrâ—…gate of Many and not One Body and so the Subject of our Discourse is alter'd while we speak of One they of a Multitude None of their Mixts being One Thing as is shown Ideae Cartesianae Expensae from Pag. 240. to pag. 248. 9. Corollary II. Hence our Modern Ideists arâ—… equally Faulty while they Nor in Extension and Impenetrability together make the Essence of Body to consist in Extension and Impenetrability which they Nick-name Solidity for they leave out the Matter as not worth considering which as was shown § 6. is part of the Essenâ—… of Body Besides they reflect not thâ—… those Notions which are meerly Quantitative cannot be the Total Form of any Enâ—… nor consequently the Essence of that Enâ— call'd Body To show farther the Essential Distinction of Bodies I advance these following Positions 10. Every Particular Body in the World is essentially a Distinct Part of Nature For since the whole Complex Every Body is essentially a Distinct Part of Nature of Bodies call'd the Universe or the World does essentially consist of a Multitude of Things which are of many Distinct Natures as of it's Parts and their Essence as they are Parts of Nature does consist in their compounding or making up this Aggregate or Whole and all those Parts are such Things as we call Bodies it folâ—â—ws that every Body in the World is essentially such a Thing by it's being a Distinct Part in Nature 11. Wherefore every Body is also essentially ordain'd for some Distinct Proâ—â— and Primary Operation in Nature Wherefore 't is ordain'd for some Proper and Primary Operation in Nature For since the Course of Nature does essentially consist in the Motion of a great Variety of Things which are Agents and Patients in respect of one another and those Things are Bodies which being Distinct in their Individual Essences must consequently every â—hing acting as it is have also some distinct Oâ—â—â—â—tion primarily and properly belonging to them 〈◊〉 proceeding from them that is such as could 〈◊〉 proceed from any other Body It follows that â—â—â—â—y Body is essentially ordain'd for some Distinct Proper and Primary Operation in Nature 12. Wherefore whatever fits the Matter for the Performance of this Primary Operation does essentially constitute Wherefore whatever fits it for this Primary Operation constitutes it such a Thing in Nature or such a Body For since the Course of Nature consists in Moâ—â—â—â— carry'd on with that Reguâ—â—â—â—y and Exact Order that * See B. 4. Med. last every Distinct Thing acting as it is that is after a Distinct but Certain manner Proper Effects should still be produced by Proper Causes were there any Body or Part of Nature which had No Effect at all or which comes to the same no Proper Effect such a Body would be in Vain and Useless or Good for nothing Wherefore since it is impossâ—… that Infinite Wisdom which Created and Goveâ—… the World should make any thing that is in vâ—… and Good for nothing it follows that every Thinâ—… and every Body in Nature is constituted such 〈…〉 Part of it or such a Body by the Aptness it hâ—… to perform its Proper or Primary Operation aâ—… therefore whatever fits the Matter for the Pâ—â—formance of this Primary Operation does essentially constitute such a Thing in Nature or 〈…〉 a Body 13. Corollary III. Hence is seen in what coâ—sists the Metaphysical BONâ—… or GOODNESS of every body In this Fitness to perform its Primary Operation consists it's Metaphysical GOODNESS which is one of the Properties of it as it is an Ens 〈…〉 Thing viz. That it is Useâ—… for some Effect or other tâ—… proceeds from it as 't is such 〈…〉 Ens or for such an Operation as is Propeâ—… and Peculiar to it Whence those Cartesiâ—… who deny Bodies to be Causes of any Effect in Nature no not so much as Instrumentâ—… ones but only to be Occasions which themselves say are No Causes and consequently do put them to have No Operation do by making them Good for Nothing take away their Metaphysical Bonity and BONUM being a Property of ENS by consequence their ENTITY also Moreover 14. Every Body in Nature is essentially an Instrument For since the Definition of an Instrumental Cause is Every Body is essentially an Instrument that it can no otherwise Act than as it is Acted upon or mov'd by Another and no Body can actually move of it 〈…〉 but has only a Power to be mov'd by anoâ—…r because it is far from being a Pure Act â—…ich is essentially in Act according to it's Nature but having Matter in it which is a Power 〈…〉 the Notion of Thing it is a fortiori only Poâ—…ial in order to it's Operation which is Subseâ—…nt to the Notion of Thing Wherefore every â—…dy is only an Instrument put into Motion immediately by Angels or Intelligences which are Pure Acts in such a manner as best conduces to â—â—complish the Intention of the World 's Supreme â—overnour 15. The Essential Difference of Body is chiefly 〈…〉 from the Action it is orâ—…n'd for in Nature and not The Essential Difference of Body is chiefly taken from it's Action 〈…〉 it's Power to be acted on or â—…'d by Another For since â—…t which constitutes any Essence 〈…〉 be the most Formal and as it were the â—…st Noble consideration found in the Thing And Act let it be never so imperfect is far â—ore Formal and more Noble than the Power which corresponds to that Act It follows that the Essential Difference constituting Body must chiefly â—…ring from it's Activeness which belongs to Body 〈…〉 â—t has the nature of Act or Form in it and not â—…om it 's Passiveness or Aptness to be operated upon by others which it has from the Matter 16. Those Accidents or Modes which do make a Body fit for it's Primary Operation in Nature do constirute it
naturally Require them especially when that Disposition or Requiringness of a farther Perfection was laid by Himself He saw that to link Matter to a Spiritual Nature Orderly and Connaturally it was Requisite the Former should be rais'd to its Highest Pitch of Perfection and the Later deprest while â—ere below what was due to a Pure Spirit that so the Supremum Infimi as was fit to build up Methodically the great Work of the Creation might immediately confine upon and thence be joyn'd to the Inflmum Supremi He contriv'd then that some Part of the Brain which was the Quintessence and Flower of Animality call'd by us The Seat of Knowledge should be capable of serving for a more excellent Operation than Matter alone could perform that so it might become his Wisdom and Goodness as he is Author of Nature to endow it with a Nobler Form than the Heard of other Animals could deserve and thence produce that more Elevated Operation I say as Author of Nature For as the Matter of Wood ultimately Dispos'd by increasing Degrees of Glowing Heat to become Fire not only has given it the Form which makes it such an Element or such a determinate Thing but also at the same instant by the steady and ever ready Emanation of God's superabundant Goodness it has an Existence given it though this latter Effect exceeds the Power of all Creatures together to bestow it So in the same manner as soon as the said Dispositions in the Brain of an Embryo are grown up to their due Perfection the same Goodness and for the same Reason infuses into it a Rational Soul though it was beyond the Power of all Natural Agents to produce it Thus came we into this Material World Thus were we compounded of the Top of Corporeal Nature and the Bottom or Lowest Size of the Spiritual Minuisti cum paulo minùs ab Angelis Thus was Man constituted the Horizon of the two Opposite Hemispheres of Meer Matter and Pure Spirits confining upon and by Nature neer Akin to both Whence he becomes capable to Ascend to and even â—â— Transcend the Dignity of the Highest Angels or to be Debas'd below the Vilenes of the most contemptible Brute Nothing is so High but through God's Assistance we may not aspire to nor any thing so Low and Filthy into which we may not plunge our selves according as we follow the Conduct of Angelical Reason or Brutish Passion Let us then my Soul know our own Dignity but yet let us not overween Matter The Condition of our Soul here laid open is indeed in us exalted and superindu'd with a Spiritul Power yet we are for all that at present but a Part of this Material World and our Condition while here is at least at first meerly Passive and ever subject to Change and Alteration Thy self art liable to receive Impressions from Natural Agents Nor is this intended by thy Creator to debase thee and keep thee down but to improve and perfect thee Thou hadst no Title being but a Part to be a Subsistent Knowing Thing considering thee in thy single self and therefore couldst not claim to have Actual Knowledge given thee at thy Creation Thou art then to acquire it by the Operations of our Fellow-Creatures or rather Useful Servants Bodies which play about us perpetually and by their subtillest Particles which they perpetually send forth affect our Senses We had our Being at first by Bodily Dispositions How the Coalition of the Soul and Body into one Ens agrees with Principles of Reason and therefore 't is no Disparagement to us by the same means to have those Materials which give and continue to us our Operations Let us not listen then to those Mistakers who would perswade us that we are Two Things while we are here Such Conceits spring from Fancy unable to reach the true Nature of Unity and Entity The Notion of Ens comprises in its spacious Extent both Corporeal and Spiritual Nature wherefore there is Room enough in that Comprehensive Conception to comprise both Natures in One Thing provided those Parts can be Adapted and Fitted to make up One Compound as we have seen they are Let us ask all Nature and our own Thoughts reflecting upon it and they will tell us this is done by the Proportion and Sutableness the one Part of an Ens has to the other as Power and Act or Matter and Form which are the Proper Parts of all Things here below that is by the Capacity which the Material Potential and Indetermin'd Part has to be Determin'd or Actuated by the Form and the Correspondent Virtue which the Form or Act has to Actuate and Determine the Matter when 't is fitly dispos'd for it By which Determination it becomes This and no other in which consists its Unity whence it is made capable of receiving Existence which is the same as to make them One THING Consider what innumrrable Errors have spawn'd from the Ignorance of this one Great Truth which gives us the right What Errors and Absurditics have sprung out of the contrary Opinion Knowledge of our selves First Those Men fancy thee to be a kind of Distinct Spiritual Thing whence since thou art Individually such and the very Notion of an Individual Thing is What is capable to Exist they must attribute to thee the having a Peculiar Existence of thy own whence thou canst not by this Tenet be the Form of thy own or of any Body but an Assistant or Extrinâ—â—cal Form that is a Subsistent Spirit or an Angel Next because they cannot conceive how an Operation of Body which is Divisible should be receiv'd in an Indivisible Subject they are forced to deny that any Impression from outward Objects convey'd by our Senses to the Brain can affect thee or give thee Knowledge and therefore they make those Necessary Assistants assign'd thee by Nature nay our own Inferiour Faculties too to be altogether Useless for thâ—â— End Hence they will needs endow thee with 〈◊〉 Power to give thy self Knowledge by thy producing within thy self little Spiritual Mirrours call 〈◊〉 Ideas Not reflecting that whatever is of its self only a Power to have any Thing or Mode or has only a Power of Knowing cannot possibly reduce its self tâ— Act or give its self what it has not and that what 's Indetermin'd to every particular Mode cannot of it self produce Determinate ones Since from meer Indifferency to all no One particular Effect can proceed For this Reason finding no Similitude or Resemblance between those Spiritual Effects and Corporeal Causes they substitute instead of such Causes Stupid and Unactive Occasions which have no Influence or Causality at all by which means they break â—â—â—â—der the Chain of Causes and Effects by which the well-compacted Frame of Nature hangs together and the steady Course of God's Ordinary Providence Atâ—â—git a fine usque ad finem fortiter disponâ—t omâ—… suaviter Not considering also that this closelyâ—… Order of Causes and
of Individuums each of which must be Distinct from all the others there must necessarily be a far Greater Complexion of Accidents to distinguish these by their various Complication from one another than was requisite to distinguish and constitute the Common Natures the Common Kinds of Things being in comparison of them but a very Few 5. That Complexion of Accidents which constitutes Individual Bodies must be the most perfect Act they can Thts Complexion of Accidents is the most Perfect Act next câ— that of Existence have except that of Existence For since 't is the Nature of Power taken in a Physical sense or of Matter to be Common to All it can distinguish no Two of them from one another On the other side it being hence evident that 't is the nature of Act and of It only to Distinguish nor can there be a greater Distinction than to make each Subject to be This and â—â— Other it follows hence that the Complexion of Accidents which constitutes Individuums and which imparts this Formal Effect to each of them is the greatest Distinguisher or which is the same the most Perfect Act second-Second-Causes can give And that this is a less perfect Act than Existence is Evident because the utmost it can do is to make it's Subject This Thing or This Ens that is to make it Capable of Existing and consequently tho' it be most Actual in the direct Line of Ens yet it has the Nature of â— Power in respect of Existence which is therefore the Ultimate Actuality or most perfect Act Imaginable next to that of a DEITY and most resembling it 6. Corollary II. Hence is evidently demonstrated against the Atheists that 't is above all the Power of Natural Hence 't is demonstrated that to give Existence is above the Power of Natural Causes and Peculiar to GOD. Causes and only Peculiar to GOD to give the last Actuality of Existence For since as appears by our former Discourses all that Natural Causes can do is by Motion to mingle the First Bodies which have more or less of Quantity in them that is which are Rare or Dense from the Diversity of which Action follows their various Size Number Proportion Figure Situation c. and these do make the several Complexions of Accidents which constitute all the Individuums in Nature and in none of those Effects is found the Notion of Existence much less of a New Existence which yet belongs to every Individual when it is first made as will easily be discern'd by any Reflecter who considers the Notion or Essence of those several Modes and compares them to the Notion or Nature of Existence It follows manifestly that the last Actuality of Existence cannot be given by Natural Causes but must come from some Cause above Nature that is from the Author of Nature or from that Supreme Essentially-existing Cause GOD Whence is demonstrated a posteriori thâ—â— There is a GOD. 7. There must be some Instant in which the Individuum becomes another Thing or of another Kind For 〈…〉 There must be some Instant in which the Individual first begins to be 't is a manifest contradiction to say that any thing can for any one Instant much less for any part of Time be at once what it lately was and what it newly is or be at once it's-self and â—… it's self but Another 'T is Demonstrable that there must be some Instant in which it first becomes This Individuum or of this Kind and ceases to be Another or of Another Kind 8. This Complexion of Accidents which Determines the Matter to be This and no Other in the First Instant This Complexion of Accidents is Essential to the New Individuum of it's Being must necessarily â—â— Essential to the Individuum newly made For since meer Accidents do advene to the Thing already made This and therefore do presuppose it according to some Priority or other and there can be no Priority no not even that of Nature or Reason of the â—…ng to that which constitutes it because that which constitutes it as being it 's Formal Cause 〈…〉 Priority of Nature to It as the Cause has to 〈…〉 Effect It follows that That Complexion of Accidents which Determines the Matter to be This 〈…〉 no Other in the First Instant of it's Being â—…st necessarily be Essential to the Things or Individuums newly made 9. Therefore this Complexion of Accidents â—ow spoken of is the Essential Therefore it is the Essential or Substantial FORM of the Individual Compound 〈…〉 Substantial FORM of the newâ—ade Compound or Individuum That it is the Form of it is Evident because the whole Notion 〈…〉 the Form or Act is nothing 〈…〉 but to be the Distinguisher of the Confused or Undistinguisht Potentiality of the Matter or to be the Determiner of it's Indifferency to This or That which in the Schools Language is to Inform it and by doing thus to be the Constituter of the Individuum And that this Complexion of Accidents does these Essects is manifest because it is suppos'd to be Peculiar to the Individuum it constitutes and found in no other Lastly That this Complexion of Accidents or Form is Essential 〈…〉 it's Proper Individuum is shown § 8. 10. For the same Reason whatever Modes or Accidents do accrue to the Ens or Individuum afterwards are Accidental Those Accidents that accrue afterwards are Accidentals to it whether they concern it's Quantity or the Accession or Diminution of the Matter that is it 's Growth and Decay or it's Qualities which perfect it or the Relations it acquires to other Individuums and much more what Denominations soever come to it from any of the last Predicaments because all these do advenâ— or are superadded to the Ens already Essentially constituted and are as it were engrafted on that Stock of Being and do not constitute it 11. All Individuums must have some Degree of Constancy and Permanency iâ— their Notion For since all Natural To be an Individuum some degree of Constancy Permanency or Stability is requir'd Motion is for some End to the attaining which it is a kind of Way or Tendency and the Way or Means is not the End and consequently Motion is not the End of Motion it follows that the End of Motion must be something that has some kind of Rest Fixure and Constancy in its Nature Wherefore since the End of that Natural Motion which Determines the Power or Matter to be This and no other is to produce the Individuum it follows that the Individuum or Ens produc'd by that Motion must not be perpetually-Changing or continually Successive as that Motion was but must have some degree of Permanency in it Add that were not this so we could never say with Truth that any thing is what it is nor indeed that it is nor could we act or discourse about it since ere we could speak act or think the. Thing would be Chang'd and
it from all others in the First Instant of our Being What Mathematicks could contrive what Mathematician can explicate how all those Crooked and mutually-crossing Lines of sundry Kinds in which those Causes mov'd shohld meet in our Individuation as in their Center How much more wonderful will it be to reflect that each of those numberless Causes had also their Causes fore-lay'd and they others before them and so upwards to the First Framing of the World And yet our Reason assures us that none of these later or immediate Causes nor consequently our self their Product could â—ver have been had not this long Pedigree of Causes as Ancient as the Beginning of Time successively anteceded determining Matter to this Individual Body of ours which requir'd the Infusion of such a particular Soul whence we became what we are Blind Matter could never have seen her direct way to such a Steady End Rash and Heedless Chance could never have cost Senseless Matter into such an orderly and wellcomplicated Frame Be ever prais'd that Adorable Providence which has design'd so large a portion of the Creation to run in a direct Track for the Production of so mean a Thing so poor an Atome of Being â—â— our selves and our Contemporary Individuuâ—ns â—re Yet we have by this Discourse gain'd a clear sight of what in common makes our Individuation and in what it consists And has given us all our knowledge and other Endowments tho' the Detail of it's particular Ingredients be hid from us We have learnt too that nothing but an all-comprehending Wisdom and Providence which has Plac'd us tho' remotely yet surely in the Rank of Effects from the First Constitution of the World could have ripen'd Nature so as to make us Spring out of the Seeds of our Causes in our proper Season How Unreasonable then and how short-sighted is our Pride which would persuade Mankind that any particular Acquir'd Endowments of Dignity Progeny Beauty or Parts particularly that the Knowledge in which some may excel others do belong to our selves or our Individuums or essentially distinguish us from those of our own Kind who have not been so Fortunate or so blest by Providence as we have been I have done this and I have done the other thinks the Proud Boaster God has done this and the other by me says the Humble and Wise Christian. Nay if we reflect well we shall find that we fall short of being even Common Instruments For those owe only their Motion and Direction to the Principal Cause but We owe our Being too to Him who makes use of us to bring about his Infinitely-Wise Designs None of those Endowments Productions or Acquisitions are to be attributed to us as Us. Our Substantial Individuation anteceded those Ornamental Accessories for we must be This ere we could thus Act or be thus Qualify'd Nay there is not one of those superadded Accidents whether Intrinsecal or Extrinsecal that furbisht up our Individuum and fitted it to act for the Ends of the World 's Great Governour but requir'd as vast a Chain of Precedent Causes as our Individuum it self Our Nurses show'd us one fine thing after another which that we might pick and glean Notions out of them by our Senses we look'd wistly upon and long'd to handle them We put them to our Mouths and knockt them against other things as if we had a mind to know how they Tasted or Sounded And after we had perus'd them so long till we had suckt all the Knowledge out of them they could afford us we straight grew weary of them threw them away and cry'd for some new thing we had never seen before which we us'd in the same manner as we did the former to enlarge our little Stock of Simple Apprehsnsions which are the Elements of our Natural Knowledge Then they began to name the things they show'd us and by their continual Tattle they fram'd our Tongues and instructed our Lisping Vocal Organs to imitate them and so taught us by Degrees to prattle and ask for those things we needed Growing up we came by little and little to compound those Simple Thoughts or Notions which we had acquir'd into Iudgments and were deliver'd over from How little our best Performance contributed to the Acquisition of them our Natural Instructers to the Discipline of Schoolmasters and in process of time we began to converse with the Learned Part of the World by their Books and Verbal Discourses whence we become tinctur'd with their Thoughts concerning the several Natures of Things and the Rules of Art 〈…〉 which we stor'd up in the Repository of our Memory .. When we were thus furnisht with fit Matter and some Forms of Discoursing New Occasions and Circumstances joyn'd those previous and preparatory Knowledges with which we were preâ—…u'd to our Present Thoughts which Dispositions had even to every single particular been foreâ—aid in us thro' the whole Course of our former Life â—nd working in us according to our Natural Genius 〈…〉 our Individual pitch of Rationality were the Adequate Cause of that peculiar Turn of Writing and Discoursing in which we differ from other Scholars Now each of those Assistants of ours which contributed to this Effect were themselves And how little the most Knowing or Best Man has to be Proud of the most Estimable Actions GOD has done by him Individuums too and consequently had as far-fetcht and as Ancient a Descent of Causes to make them be what they are as our Selves had And the same may be said of those Circumstances by which those several Informations come to be Apply'd from time to time to our Knowing Faculty which how little for the most part they are in our power to foresee lay or prevent every Reflecter knows So that that Maxim of the Stoicks Agimur non agimus seems in a manner tho' not in their Sense Appliable to the Wisest of us We do all of us Act indeed by our Natural Powers which were given us by our Good Maker at first yet those meer Powers could not have exerted themselves into Action at all nor have been Useful to us unless order had been taken by the same Goodness to Determine them to perform This or That Action in particular or to Act after such a manner and this by a Course of Causes impossible to be laid or carry'd on by any in by the same Great Governour of the World When I set my self to speculate or write do I know before hand what New Thoughts I shall have or what â—â— Former Thoughts will Dictate to me Not one jâ—â— The present Circumstances do indeed set those Thought I had got on work and level them at such an Object But the Disposal of them Rationally depends â—â— Millions of Unseen Causes preordain'd to bring â—â— about which 't is Impossible for us to recollect or â—â— give any account of them Whence A Joue Principium is but a scanty Acknowledgement of our Intire Dependence on GOD for
Regret Shameful Confusion Fruitless Repentance Black Desperation Cursings of themselves and all Creatures Blasphemings of the Holy Saints and of their Dread Creatour and Just Judge GOD Blessed for evermore Or as our B. Saviour in accommodation to our greatest Griefs here moderately expresses it Weeping and Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth The Gnawing Worm of Helpless Remorse â—ever dies there nor is the Vehement Fire of these Violent and Contrary Affections ever quenched Quis poterit habitare cum igne devorante Quis habitabit cum ardoribus sempiternis Isaiae Cap. 33. 14. 27. Hence is seen That GOD damns no Man For since by § 23. Inordinate Affection for Creatures addicts the Soul to a wrong Last End and at the GOD Damns no Man same time by doing so does Inâ—â—pose her for her True Happiness the Sight of GOD which she cannot when Separated but Naturally desire and long for and these Inordinate Affections if Unretracted here do still remain in the Soul by § 4. and when Separated she is Unchangeable in that State and consequently sees she must for ever Despair of â—â—taining her True Good she being Impure and Inâ—ispos'd for it and also of ever getting that False Good upon which she had here set her Chief Affection because it is impossible according to the Circumstances of things in the other Life and that hence she becomes incapacitated of having any kind of Good she can desire but has her Desire and Wish crost in every thing And the perpetual crossing her Voluntary and Natural Wishes in every thing especially in what 's of Infinite Concern to her must naturally cause in such a Soul Extreme Grief Torment and Desperation And this Tormenting Grief is enhanced by the Intenseness and Vehemency of her Acts when she is a Pure Spirit with which the greatest and most violent Grief in this life bears no proportion Lastly since it has been clearly shown that all these dismal Effects which induce and make up that wretched State we call Damnation do as is here shown spring originally as from their Sole Cause from her having by her own Free Choice pitchâ— her First Affections upon some Created or False Good and all the other bad Consequences do follow out of the very Nature of a Spirit thus Affected or Indispos'd It is manifest That GOD Damns no Man but that while a Sinner hugs and cherishes Inordinate Affections for Creatures in his Breast he is all the while connaturally kindling and adding Fuel to Hell-Fire in his own Soul to which effect of Damnation GOD contributes no otherwise than by preserving the Natures of things and carrying on the Course of Causes according to those Natures which Wisest Method he has no reason to alter miraculously for their sakes who have preferr'd a Creature before Him 28. It may be objected that these Affections for Creatures were Passions which either Spring from the Body or The Knowing all Truths Speculatively in the State of Separation does not alter the Predominant Affection for Creatures As the Tree falls so it lies from the Circumstances of the former World and therefore they do not remain in a State where neither of them have any Influence upon the Soul I Answer First That these are not Passions in our future State as that word imports Motion but they are far worse viz. the Termini or Effects of the most steadily fixt and worst Passion which we call Resolvedness in ill or Willfulness And this can and must remain in a Soul determin'd to a wrong Last End she having tho' no Motion of the Spirits or Passion a Power in her call'd a Will of it 's own Nature indeed determinable to Good and Bad but by her State of Separation fixt unchangeably in that Determination which she dy'd with Secondly Tho' those Passions did indeed spring here from our Material Compart the Body yet they did not stay in that Part but affected by means of material Impressions the Soul and were â—â—t in her by a deliberate and serious pitching her Chief Affections on them nay perhaps rivetted there by long-continu'd Habits and therefore they must still remain in her for ever unless they had been Retracted while she was in a Changeable condition in this Life 29. Corollary XI Hence one Actual Sin of a high Nature and done with Hence one Enormous Actual Sin Unrepented renders a Soul liable to Eternal Damnation perfect Deliberation of which the Man dies Unrepentant will make the Soul miscarry eternally such as are Self-Murther being kill'd in a Duel for a Puntilio and such like 30. It may be said that the Knowledge of all Truths will rectifie and alter the Soul as soon as she is separated That the State of Separation does not alter the First Affection of Souls farther demonstrated in regard that she sees then clearly the Vileness and Perniciousness of placing her Affection on a wrong Last End 'T is Answer'd First That the Soul as soon as Separated knows all Truths only Speculatively but that the Practical Judgments or Affections which had prepossest her as has been prov'd § 17. do more sway with her than all her Speculative Knowledge which her Choice did not give her but Nature forced into her Secondly There could be no Cause which was Competent to alter her Not her Separation For the whole Effect of that Action is to Divide the Potential Parts of a Compound that is to take from them the State of Potentiality and make them if they can exist separate Actual Wholes Actual Parts as it has been demonstrated being Impossible Wherefore Death being only the Separation of the Soul and Body terminates it's Agency in making them Two of One and has no Influence upon changing them Nor does their State of Separation or their remaining or becoming Separate alter their Natures or their Modes for this consists in the Soul 's existing now A Pure Act which has nothing to do with taking away what she had but only taking her as it found her to elevate her such as she was and consequently those Knowledges and Affections she actually had to a higher Perfection in the Line of Ens or to give her to exist after a Nobler manner than she did formerly Lastly Were this so the Order of the World would be quite perverted for in that case the Wickedest Livers would have equal Priviledge and Benefit in the next world as the greatest Saints since each of them as is presuppos'd to our question knowing all things as soon as Separated their Wickedness would be corrected and effaced which takes away all the dread of Hell evacuates all the Motives to good Life and even destroys the Notion of Virtue and Vice Punishment and Reward and consequently GOD's Attribute of Justice 31. Corollary XII Hence is seen that Sin does not consist meerly in the Hence Sin does not formally consist in the Falsity of the Practical Iudgment or Affection but in the Disproportion and Inordinateness of it Falshood of
Give us Grace to sink deep and fix steadily in our Mind this most Solid most Clear and most Important Truth that as to live for ever in a dark Dungeon would be highly Disastrous to our Bodily Sight and the seeing the Chearful Rays of the Day is the only true Perfection Comfort and Satisfaction of our Corporeal Eye So when our Soul now Separate comes to be altogether one Intellectual Eye her falling short for ever of seeing thy Divine Essence her only True Light for which as her Last End she was Created will certainly plunge her in a Dismal Hell of Torment and Misery Since Nothing but the Clear Sight of thy Glorious Being can be able to give her True and Eternal Happiness in whose Face is the Fullness of Joy and at thy right hand Pleafures for evermore Psalm 16. 11. CHAP. II. Of the Existence Knowledge Distinction and Action of ANGELS 1. THE Order of Things requires that there should be Different Kinds of Entitles arising gradually to Higher Perfection under the Notion of The Order of the Universe requires that there should be different Kinds of Beings Ens. For since were all Things of the same pitch of Perfection or all of One Sort the Creation would look like a Confused Multitude or as it were a Heap of Things and quite destitute of Order which by placing them in Due Ranks of Superiority and Inferiority makes up this Harmony which beautifies the World Again since there can be no Distinction nor consequently any Ground of Order under the Notion of Ens but it must be made by Intrinsecal Differences or such as are found within the Precincts of that Line that is as is Demonâ—â—rated in my METHOD to Science B. I. L. 3. â—â— 1. 2. c. by Partaking More and Less of that Common Notion and what has More of it â—ontains what has Less and superadds to it and â—â—â—â—quently is more perfect under that Notion 〈◊〉 the other which several or Distinct Degrees â—f Perfection when they come to be Excessive â—o constitute divers Sorts Kinds or Species of it â—â—s therefore Evident out of the Order of the World which is the Workmanship of the First Being and is also Logically Demonstrated that 't is Requisite there should be Different Kinds of Things arising Gradually to higher Perfection under the Notion of Ens. This is seen almost to our Eye in the Predicamental Scale of Substance where we find the several kinds of Ens gradually Descending in one of the Collateral Lines as to the Extent of their Notion but Increasing or Ascending as to their Degrees of Perfection v. g. Body Mixt Vegetable Sensitive Rational Which Orderly Distinction is not invented by us as are the imaginary Lines in the Heavens put by Astronomers but Copy'd from Nature 2. Hence follows immediately and necessarily without Proof that there ought à fortiori to be Pure Acts or ANGELS And much more that there should be Pure Acts or ANGELS Created unless they be Incapable of Being that is Chimerical or Non-Entia Otherwise the Order of Entities had been Maim'd and Imperfect in its Principal or most Noble Part. 3. The Angelical Essence is Capable of having Existence given it For since the reason why Individual Bodies have Especially since the Angelical Nature is Capable of Existence Title to have Existence given them is because by their peculiar Complexion of Accidents they are become Distinct from all others or Determinate under the Notion of such an Ens oâ— Body and this Distinction or Determination springs from it's Act or Form and consequently the Act which gives Determinations to all others cannot but be Determinate it self a fortiâ—â—â— the Nature or Essence of a Pure Act bears in it's Notion that it is of it 's own Nature or Essentially Determinate in the Line of Ens and more Capable of Existence than any other sort of Ens whatever Again since as was shown Book I. â—â— 1. § 6. the Essence of all Einite Entities consists in their Possibility or Non-Repugnance to Existence and there can be no shadow of Impossibility but much more Reason that the Nature of a Pure Act should exist than that Bodies should that have Matter or Power in them which iâ— of it self the Principle of Indetermination and Confusion in regard this Indetermination makes Bodies less fit for Existence or rather did not the Act determine the Power or Matter utterly Unfit Wherefore seeing it belongs to the First Being to give to his Creatures what they are Capable of especially when it consists with the Best Order of the World as is shown § 1. this does It follows that he has given to that Nature or Essence which is a Pure Act that is to the Angelical Nature to Exist and consequently ANGELS are Which is farther Demonâ—â—rated by the following Medium showing that otherwise there had wanted a Proper or Immediate â—â—â—se of Motion 4. Every Thing acts it is Wherefore Imperfect Agents do produce first that part of the Effect which is Imperfect And that otherwise there could be no Immediate Cause of Motion and thence proceed to what 's 〈◊〉 perfect as we see all Natuâ—â—â— Agents do But Perfect Agents and most especially that Agent which is 〈◊〉 Perfect produces first that Effect which is most Perfect or most Like it self Wherefore the First and Immediate Effect produced by GOD is Existence it being the most perfect of any thing found in Creatures To proceed Since nothing is more Preposterous and contrary to Reason than to order that which is most perfect as a Means to produce that which is Less-perfect it follows that GOD's Wisdom does not order Existence which as being most Actual is most perfect of any thing found in Creatures it does not I say order It as a Means to cause any thing that is less perfect than it self is Wherefore whatever less perfect Effect is produced by GOD as Motion is it must either have been caus'd by him because it is necessarily concomitant to Existence or else necessarily consequent to it But Motion is neither necessarily Concomitant nor Consequent to Existence For let us put diverse Bodies to be Created in Rest as they must be in the First Instant they were Created ere Motion began they would have in that Case all that is requisite to Existence nor would Motion follow meerly upon their being put to Exist Therefore some other Cause is requisite to produce the First Motion of Bodies Which since it can neither be a Body as is granted and indeed in a manner Self-evident nor GOD as was now proved nor a Separated Soul for this presupposes the Motion of Bodies to her Being it must be some other Cause distinct from all these But no other Cause is imaginable or possible to be assign'd but some Creature which is a Pure Act or an Angel Therefore as certain as it is that there is Motion so certain it is that Angels are Nay so impossible it is that Motion can be
Concomitant to the First Existence of Bodies that 't is a Contradiction they should be together in Duration or at once For Existence it having â—â— parts is Indivisible in Duration or without part after part whereas 't is Essential to Motion to be part after part or Successive So that 't is equally Contradictory that Existence should not be all at once as 't is that Motion should be all at once so far is the Later from being Consequent or Concomitant to the Former 5. This is farther Demonstrated from the Nature of Causality by this Argument No Effect can proceed As is also Demonstrated from the Nature of all Causality immediately from a Cause which is of a Nature diametrically Opposite to such an Effect V. g. Not-being cannot produce Being Light cannot produce Darkness not can that which is essentially â—â—â— immediately produce Cold. But Motion which is essentially Successive or which is the same perpetually Changing is diametrically Opposite to the Nature of GOD whose Essence is Unchangeable Existence Therefore Motion cannot be produced by GOD as it's Immediate Cause Wherefore since by our former Discourse the â—â—â— Motion of Bodies could not have been immediately produced either by any meer Body â—oâ— by a Human Soul nor yet by GOD it is 〈◊〉 that it could only be caus'd by a Pure Act â—â— an Angel See Method to Science Pag. 299. â—â—â—â—â—s 4. Ideae Cartesianae P. 44. § 31. and Railâ—â—â— Defeated § 43. where this Demonstration is â—â— large put down and prest home What I â—â—â—tend for here is that the Contrary Tenet â—â—erthrows all Likeness of the Cause and Effect â—â—d all Causality and therefore all Connexion of Proper Causes with their Proper Effects and Vice Versâ that is it quite destroys all Possibility of Science and Demonstration Notwithstanding 't is Granted that GOD is the Mediate Remote or Principal Cause of Motion as giving Second Causes both the Power to move Bodies and Pre-moving or Determining them to move them 6. Every more perfect Ens contains or includes in it the Nature of the less perfect Thus as was said the Every more perfect Ens includes in it the Nature of the less perfect Nature of a Mixt or Compound Body having diverse Elements in it and therefore having more of the Nature of Body than a Simple Body or any one Element has includes in it the Nature or Essence of a Simple Body Thus and for the same reason a Vegetative Mixt has more of the Nature of a Mixt in it than a meerly-Mixt such as are Pebbles Clay Gold or such like Thus Sensitive Things include in them the Nature of a Vegetable and every Rational Animal includes in it the Nature of a meer Sensitive Thing or an Animal All which are Evident because the Perfecter Ens has in it the Notion or Nature of the Imperfecter and superadds something to it So that to deny the force of this Demonstration or the Truth it demonstrates is the same Folly as to deny that what has more in it of any Kind does not contain in it what 's Less of the same Kind or that what 's a Whole in respect of the other is not more than a Part of it or which is the same that a Whole does not contain or include it's Parts And that they include them Essentsally is most Evident to all Logicians and granted by all while they acknowledge those Later or less perfect Notions to be essentially predicated of the former in regard they superadd to them nothing that 's Positive 7. Wherefore for the same Reason Every Pure Act Spirit or Angel includes in it self one way or And therefore Pure Acts contain in them the Nature of Body other the whole Nature of Body For since Ens is adequately divided into Pure Acts or Spirit and into those Entities whose Essences are alloy'd with Power and Potentiality as are Bodies which are compounded of Matter and Form and these two Species are constituted as by it's Intrinsecal Differences by partaking â—â—â—e and less of Ens their Genus and that which is more in any Kind or Respect includes what 's Less in the same respect as a Yard in Quantity contains an Inch which is Less under that Notion or a Lesser Quantity Hence it follows demonstratively that the self-same Discourse must equally hold in the Species of Ens as it does in those of Quantity now mention'd or in the Species of any other Genus and consequently that a Pure Act or Spirit must include some way or other the whole Nature of Body which has less of the Nature of Ens in it than had the other 8. Wherefore the very Essences of all Natural Bodies are really and truly contain'd Which since it cannot be done by the manner of Quantity they must contain them by the way of Knowledge in the Knowledge of an Angel and not their Ideas or Similitudes only For since it is granted that Angels they being Pure Acts are of an Indivisible Nature or void of Quantity the Essences of Bodies which by § 7. are one way or other contain'd or included in an Angel cannot be included in it Quantitatively after the manner a Vessel contains Liquâ—ur or as a Bigger Box contains a Lesser Wherefore it must be said that those Lesser Essences of Body are contain'd in the Superiour Essence of an Angel Indivisibly or after the manner of a Spirit that is Knowingly or as Objects of their Knowing Power which was the Point to be Demonstrated 9. Wherefore he who denies that the very Essences of Bodies are in the Understanding of an Angel or in Therefore the very Essences of Bodies are in a Spiritual Understanding and not Idea's or Similitudes only any Spiritual Nature and affirms that only the Similitudes of them are there may as well say the Essences or Natures of Simple Bodies are not in Mixts or that the Essences of meer Vegetatives are not in Sensitive Things or Animals or that the Essence of an Animal is not really in a Rational Thing or a Man but Likenesses only which is both against the Sentiments of all Logicians in the world who do acknowledge that the Former are Essential Predicates of the Later and not Accidental ones which could not with Truth be said unless the Essences themselves from which the Denomination of Essential is taken were really in them Nay it is moreover against the Definitions of these Later in which those Former are found I add against the Sense of all Mankind too who reflect upon what they say Whence those Ideists who hold the contrary Opinion are desir'd to take notice that our Argument here is drawn from the Notion of the Thing as it is a Thing or â—â—â—tance and from the Nature of the Species of â—â— as such and not from the Qualities or Relations of them from whence their Likeness or Unâ—â—â—ness is taken Which clinches the force of our demonstration drawn from Logick and Metaphysicks and will forestall and
defeat all the Opâ—â—ion that can be made against it 10. Corollary I. Our foregoing Discourses being chiefly built on that piece of Doctrine in my Method This Doctrine being built on that Logical Maxim All Differences are more and less of the Generical Notion The Consideration of that Thesis is recommended to the Reader B. I. L. 3 § 2. that all Intrinsecal or Essential Differences in any Predicament or under whatever Notion are nothing else but More and Less of that Notion therefore since so much stress is put upon this Thesis I beg of my Readers to peruse attentively the Third Chapter of my Method to Science my Ideae Cartesianae Expensae Pag. 51 52 53. and Raillery Defeated § 72. where this Position is at large explicated and defended against the Mistakes of my Opposers Which I do the rather Request because however it may seem New yet I dare affirm that besides it 's being perfectly Demonstrable no one Rule in Logick is more Useful to keep our Notions Distinct or to frame Right Definitions or to Discourse solidly or exactly 11. Corollary II. What 's deduc'd here of the very Essences of things being intellectually or as Objects in the This holds equally in the Soul which is of a Spiritual Nature Understanding of an Angel does for the same reason hold in every Spiritual or Cognoscitive Nature and consequently in the Soul whether in the Body or Separated the Argument being grounded on the Nature of a Spirit and it 's being Superiour to the Nature of Body 12. Corollary III. For the same reason what has been discourst before of the Angels being Pure Acts are Immutable Immutability of a Soul while Separated and of her Final or Eternal State springing from her Choice of a wrong Last End if unretracted before Death may Mutatis Mâ—tandis be apply'd to an Angel without needing Repetition or farther Enlarging upon it 13. Since the Essence or Nature of an Angel is to be after such a manner Cognoscitive the Distinction of Angels The Distinction of Angels is taken from their being more or less Cognoscitive after their manner must consist in their being more or less thus Cognoscitive This is already Demonstrated because by the Doctrine lately given all the Intrinsecal or Essential Differences under whatever Kind or Notion are nothing but more or less of the Common Notion or the partaking of it unequally 14. Yet this Degree of Cognoscitiveness which â—â—â—â—itutes Distinct Angels must This is not to be understood of the greater Extent of their Knowledge but of the Intenseness or Penetrativeness of it understood of the Intenseness â— their Knowledge or the Penetrativeness of their Knowing Poâ—â— For since every Pure Act â—â—is shown above and particuâ—â—â— Raillery Defeated P. 89 90. â—â—ws All things it cannot be understood of the Extent of their Knowledge or that one of them knows a Greater Number of things than Another It must therefore be meant â—â— One of them knows things more perfectly â—â—â— clearly thorowly or deeply than Another â—â—â— Which as may be seen in my Ideae Cartesianae P. 68 69. may spring from two Causes Oâ— Because Eorum aliqui magis perspicaâ—i Intelâ—â—â— acie praediti sunt quà m alii which seems â—â— be most Essential to them The Other Because by their seeing better the First Cause it self they must better and withal more solidly and â—â—â—ndedly know those Effects that spring â—â—â—m that Supreme Cause 15. Corollary IV. From this Greater or Lesser Excess of Knowledge as thus explicated as far as Natural Hence as far as Reason carries us is taken the Distinction of the Three Hierarchies and Nine Quires of Angels Reason carries us are taken the Diverse Orders of Angels All farther or more particular Disquisition concerning the Three Hierarchies and Nine Quires of Angels is left to Divines gathering them from Holy Writ and the Antient Mysticks A Philosopher must step no farther than he can tread sure upon his own Firm Grounds 16. Corollary V. From our Discourse about Human Souls and Angels will be seen in what different manner The different manner by which Angels and Human Souls come to have all their Knowledge and by what means an Angel and a Humane Soul when Separate come to know all things The Later by Notions caus'd at first by Impressions on the Senses and improv'd into Iudgments and Discourses The Former by Knowledge not Acquir'd but Innate The First and Immediate Objects of both of them is Themselves or their own Essence Whence a Soul in regard it's Body and consequently the Determination of the Degree of Rationality it had grew as it were out of Natural Causes knows all things as first Connected with her self then with one another in the well-linkt Chain of those Causes in which there can be no Flaw or Interruption But an Angel knows all Things by Transcending from one Ens or one Degree of Entity to another and this Intuitively that is an Angel by knowing it self knows what place it bears in the Order of Angels or Spirits And since it could not know it 's own particular pitch or Individuality but by knowing how high or low it is in the Order of Angelical Beings nor could this be known but by knowing the whole Order because in an Order which is contriv'd after the best manner each part is proportion'd in exact Symmetry to the rest Hence the Knowledge of that whole Order and consequently of each part of it or each Entity in the whole Creation is Due to it's Nature and therefore is given it As for the Knowledge of Corporeal Nature 't is below them both and therefore both of them comprehends it Knowingly as is deduced above Lastly The Soul gains her Knowledge by Abstract or Inadequate Notions and by Discourse whereas an Angel knows at once the Whole Entities and all that belongs to them and this not by Discourse or Reflex Thoughts but by a Direct Penetrative and Comprehensive Intuition 17. There is besides those Differences amongst Angels mention'd § 13. 14. and Câ—roll V. Another arising from These Angels have a Nobler Essence whose each Act of Knowledge has for it's Object a Greater Portion of the Universe the several Degrees or rather Manners of that Cognoscitiveness which is Essential to them viz. That some of them know more things by One Operation or Act of Knowledge or as it were by one Thought than Another does which happens because the Object of each Thought which some of them have is more Universal than are the Objects of those Thoughts that others have Parallels of which may be found among our several Sorts of Knowers or Philosophers here Some treat of such particular Sorts of Quantities or Figures Others of Quantity or Figure in their whole Latitude or iâ— Common Some Philosophers have for the Objects of their Knowledge such a sort of Ens as Minerals or such a Species of Birds or Beasts Others raise their Thoughts to contemplate Body or
Ens in their whole Extent as do Metaphysicians But with this difference which renders them Unparallel that our Science is employ'd about Abstract Notions of the Thing that is about the Thing consider'd in such an Abstracted or Common Respect without descending to the Under-Kinds or to the Individuums under it whereas the Intuitive Knowledge of an Angel as not being made by way of Abstract or Inadequate Conceptions comprehends in one Act or at once the Individualities of all those Things from which We abstract one Common Notion and all that belongs to them Whence when we said that the Generical Notion common to all Angels is to be Cognoscitive it is to be understood of an Intuitive Cognoscitiveness or such a one as we have describ'd above by which they are distinguisht from the Inferiour or Narrower Degree of Knowingness peculiar to the Soul in this State and even in some respect as she is found in her State of Separation 18. The same is evinced by Reason For since the Object speciâ—ies the Act and the Excellency of the Act Which makes them fit to superintend the Administration of a Larger Province argues a more excellent Faculty or Power and consequently a more Excellent Degree of the Essence or Nature of the Acter and since Bonum I add Verum this being the Best and most Connatural Good of a Knowing Creature quò Communius eò Divinius It follows that the Essence of those Angels are more Excellent and Noble who have a more Comprehensive and Larger Knowledge of more Universal Objects at once or by one Act whence it comes that since Reflexion or Deliberation can have no place in Pure Acts but are contrary to their Nature they are fitted for the Overseeing more-Common Goods or to preside over the Spiritual Good of Provinces Kingdoms or great Nations of People 19. Corollary VII That which gives greater force to this Doctrine is the Consonancy it has to the How Consonant this is to those Passages of the Holy Scripture which speak of such Operations of Angels Sacred Scripture Where Daniel Ch. 10. we read of the Angel of the Kingdom of Persia withstanding that particular Angel in likelihood Gabriel who presided over the Iews till Michael who was Higher in Dignity than the former being Chief Patron and Defender of the Jewish Church then as he is held to be of the Christian Church now over-power'd his Inclination by his more Soveraign Influence Where also we read of the Angel who was Prince or Super-intendent over the Greeks divers of which sort if not all were Archangels Whereas 't is generally held and is Consonant to Reason That the Angel-Guardians of Particular or Individual Persons are of the Lowest and least-Cognoscitive Quire of meer Angels Thus far concerning the Essence and Internall Operations of Angels We proceed now to their External Operation or their Action upon other Things 20. An Angel cannot operate upon another Angel so as to make it otherwise than it was For since that An Angel cannot operate upon another Angel so as to change it Operation must work some new Effect in it and this requires some Passive Principle in the Subject rendring it Mutable which Principle we call Matter And Angels they being Pure Acts have not that sort of Power call'd Matter in them it follows that an Angel cannot thus operate upon another Angel nor for the same reason upon a Soul while 't is Separate 21. Wherefore all such External Operation of an Angel can be only upon Bodies For since an Angel can neither Wherefore all it 's External Operation so as to work a Change in another thing can only be upon Bodies thus operate upon that is alter another Angel nor a Separated Soul because they are Pure Acts much less GOD who is an Infinitely Pure Act and essentially Immutable and there is no other Subject imaginable it follows that the External Operation of Angels must either be exercis'd on Bodies or on Nothing 22. An Angel can operate upon Material Entititles or on Body For since the Being of an Angel is Superiour An Angel can thus operate upon Material Entities or Bodies to the Nature of Body and consequently it 's Faculty or Power of Acting is Superiour to whatever is in Body that can resist it's Activity Also since being a Pure Act it 's Nature is Active Wherefore seeing on the other side Matter is easily or rather essentially Passive and there can want no Application of such an Agent to such a Patient because an Angel has the Natures or Essences nay the Existences of Bodies and all that can belong to them intimately joyn'd to their Understanding by Knowledge of them 'T is Evident that there are all the Requisites imaginable put for their Operating upon Body and producing some Effect in it which was not in it before that is of Changing it Wherefore an Angel has Power to Operate this upon Body or Material Nature Nor is there any Disproportion between the Motion which the Angel works in Bodies and such an Immediate Cause as was shown § 5. is between GOD and such an Effect since as has been shown Method to Science B. I. L. 8. § 2. Motion according to it 's precise Nature or as it superadds to it's Subject is as it were made up of Non-Entities or next to nothing and every Created Being as to what it has of it self is such All the Essential Distinction between Creatures and consequently their Formal Constitution being only such and such Limitations of Being or more and less that is thus much and no more of Entity 23. Advertisement Let it be noted that what 〈…〉 intend to evince here is conâ—…'d That we only intend to evince here the An Est of the Operation of an Angel and not the Manner how it is perform'd to the Question An est or â—…o demonstrate that Angels have Power to move Bodily Nature â—…od not to show How or in what â—…articular Manner they work this effect To clear which Point requires a perfect and penetrative Knowledge of the Angelical Nature which is perhaps Unattainable by us in this State 24. Notwithstanding what 's said no One Angel has an Unlimited Power to move or change all the Bodies Yet no one Angel has an Unlimited Power to operate thus on all Bodies whatevee in the World For since the Natures of Spirit and Body are constituted by their Partaking More and Less of Ens and more and less do manisestly signifie only Degrees of the Nature of Ens in Common from whence their Power over another is taken and on which it is entirely and adequately grounded and what exceeds another only in some Degree does only exceed it Finitely Limitedly and in some Proportion It follows that however the whole Angelical Nature or some considerable Part of it may have Power to work upon or alter the whole Mass of Material Beings yet a Single Angel being but one Individual of it and consequently
inconsiderable in comparison of the Whole tho' it may change some Part or Parts of it yet it 's Activity which consists in it's Addiction to do that Effect or in it's Act of Volitiâ—â— and not in it's bare Knowledge of it is stinted to a certain Proportion of Matter according to the Greater or Lesser Excellency of it's Essence from which it's Activity springs and to which it goes parallel 25. An Angel can easily and in an Imperceptiâ—… Time order and alter that Quantity An Angel can move or change those Bodies which are of Matter or those Bodies that are within the Bounds of it Activity which generally speaking are only those which it superintends anâ—… also those material Causes which are requisite as fit Instruments for Holy Angels to do Men Good or Protect within the Sphere of it's Activity in an imperceptible Time them or for Bad Angels to do them Harm or Punish them as sutes best with GOD's Mercy or â—ustice For since all Motion proceeds from Angels as Second Causes and that by knowing all Nature Intuitively their Knowledge reaches not only to the Subject or Patient which is to be alter'd but to every imaginable circumstance either belonging to the said Patient or to those Material Agents which being apply'd are proper to work upon them It follows that this alone must needs wonderfully facilitate the Effect Again since those Acts of the Angel's Will which were the Efficient Causes of Altering those Bodies were of themselves Instantaneous It follows that tho' the Nature of the Patient which is Material or Quantitative would not permit the Effect or Change to be put by a â—…ite Power in an Instant yet all imaginable Requisites do concur to produce in it such or as little a Time as the perfect Subjection of the Patient can bear and as the Activity of the Agent which acts on it's part Instantaneously requires that is in a very Imperceptible Time And accordingly 1 Cor. 15. v. 51 52. the Holy Scripture tells us that the Change of those Bodies which survive at the Resurrection from a Corruptible to an Incorruptible Condition the â—…rangest Change Matter can possibly bear will be made in a moment in the twinkling of an Eye that is in the least time we are able to conceive 26. Corollary VIII Whence it being so consonant to the Natures of Things Hence the Wonderful Effects recorded in Holy Writ to have been done by Angels are Consonant to Metaphysical Principles viz. to the Activity of Angels and to the Passiveness of Matter our meer Naturalists need not wonder that the Prophet Habbacuc was carried so suddenly Dan. 14. 35. by an Angel impetu Spiritus sui as the Scripture expresses it to Daniel in the Lion's Den at Babylon a place unknown to the Prophet and therefore very far off so quickly which can scarce be conceiv'd possible to be done so suddenly without strangely disordering and even killing him without taking from the Air all power of Resistence Nor need it be wonder'd at that a Light shone so suddenly in St. Peter's Prison nor that his Chains fell off and that the Iron-Gate open'd to them of it's own accord Act. 12. nor that all the Guards were stupify'd with a dead Sleep Nor that Angels so suddenly make to themselves a Body of Air to appear in and as suddenly disappear again Nor at many other such like Effects related in Holy Writ None of these I say ought to appear Wonderful to any Solid Philosopher who attends to his Principles and True Reason For since the Motion of Bodie and therefore all Action springs from Angels as the Immediate Causes their Activity upon Bodily Substances so Inferiour tâ— them must needs be very Soveraign and Powerful Nor is there any thing in thâ— whole Discourse or in any of these anâ— such like Particular Actions which does not subsist upon Solid Grounds and is not built upon and is consonant to Evident Principles of Reason 27. Corollary IX From what has been deduced formerly we may Collect as most Agreeable to Rational That the Ordinary Ministring Spirits or the Guardian Angels of particular Persons are the Lowest sort of Angels Principles that those Angels or Ministring Spirits who by their Office are to work upon Matter and are with good reason hold to be those of the lowest Quire and particularly the Angel Guardians should at the General Resurrection be employ'd in Changing the Mass of pre-existent Matter for we cannot think Creation begins a-new when the World is near an end into Human Bodies fitted according to the respective Dispositions of the Holy and the Wicked Souls as is seen Mat. 13. where the Harvest is said to be the Resurrection and the Angels the Reapers gathering the good Seed to be eternally preserv'd and the Tares to be burnt We may hence also clearly gather that the Chief Overseeing that Grand Affair belongs to the Superiour Influence of an Arch-Angel signify'd Metaphorically 1 Thessal 4. 15. by the Voice of an Archangel and his Trumpet blowing to summon the Dead to appear before Christ's Dread Tribunal Which understood literally is the putting them or making them to appear in their Distinct Ranks according to their several Merits or Demerits that Christ may judge them by discriminating the Sheep from the Goats that is by Beatifying the Former and Establishing them in Sanctity and the Reward of it Glory and the Later as the Nature of their State requires unchangeably in Sin and consequently Damnation as is emphatically exprest in our Saviours Words Apoc. 22. 11. He that is Unjust let him be Unjust still and he that is Filthy let him be Filthy still and he that is Righteous let him be Righteous still and he that is Holy let him be Holy still Which Final Sentence forbids and precludes to the Damned all hope of Change or fruitful Repentance and fixes them Unalterably and for ever in their Sinful State and consequently in Eternal Death which is the Reward and Connatural Effect or Fruit of Sin Whence also we see the reason of that severe Saying Ex inferno nulla Redemptio and why their Bad and Unchangeable Affections which so strongly detain them there are called Rudentes Inferni 2 Pet. 2 4. 28. Corollary X. For the reason given above all the Affairs of very High moment are said to be done by But the Greater and Weightier Affairs are transacted by Archangels â— an Archangel Thus Michael made head against Lucifer and subdu'd him Thus Gabriel the Archangel was the Messenger of the Incarnation Nor can it be doubted but the Head of those Angels which gave the Law on Mount Sina as is written Acts 7. 38. and v. 53. was of the same Dignity Nor that those Intelligences which give and continue Motion to the Matter of ours and of all the other Suns if that opinion may be allow'd which holds all the Fixed Stars to be so many Corpora per se lucentia or so many Suns are all
them so that the Honour done to them does interfere with that Supreme Honour due by a thousand Titles to their and our Infinitely Perfect GOD and Creatour To treat of whose Adorable Majesty we consecrate our next Endeavours Transnatural Philosophy OR METAPHYSICKS BOOK III. Of the most Pure Actuality of Being the Adorable DEITY CHAP. I. Of the Existence Essence and Attributes of GOD. § 1. THERE must be Something whose Dem. I. Essence is a most Pure Actuality of Being without any That there must be Something which is a most Pure Actuality of Being Demonstrated Potentiality whatever For since Names are invented to signifie the Natures of the Things we â—…ceive and none of the Names â—f those Beings which we call Creatures whether they be Angels Men or Bodies as Michael Peter a Stone a Tree c. do imply Actual Being or Existence in their Signification It follows that they Abstract from and are Indifferent to Existing and Not-existing or are a meer Power or Potentiality to that Act call'd Existence But from a meer Power Potentiality or Indifferency nothing can follow or issue much less such a Noble Effect as Actual Being Wherefore were there not some Other Thing which has no Potentiality or Indifferency to Existing but has of it's own Nature Actual Being neither it Self nor any other Thing could ever have been Actually But we know certainly that our selves and many Other Things are Therefore as sure as it is that any Thing is and that we know the Meaning of the Words which we intelligently use and by which we intend to express our Conceptions which 't is Self-evident we do since without doing this we could be sure of nothing we say so Certain and Evident it is that there must be Something whose Nature or Essence it is to have no Potentiality or Indifferency to Being and consequently which is of it's self a most Pâ—râ— Actuality of Being 2. Dem. II. Nothing is more Evident than that Actual Being is not contain'd in the Notion Nature oâ— From the acknowledg'd Potentiality of Being necessarily and manifestly annext or rather Essential to Creatures Essence of some of those Beings call'd Creatures for we experience that such and such Trees Animals c. sometimes arâ— sometimes are not whence we can with Truth predicate or say of them according to the Notion of Thing and using the same word which signifies the same Individual Thing in respect of those several times that they are Existent or Not-existent which we could not do were it their Nature or Essence to be Existent for in that case this Proposition Peter is not-existent would be the same as Peter is not Peter which is against an Identical Proposition and the greatest of Falshoods whereas all Mankind grants that these Propositions Such a Man Animal or Tree now are not may be Certain Truths Hence I subsume But we find no more of Actual Being in the meaning of those words Gabriel Michael or any other Finite Being we can imagine than there is in these A Stone a Tree Bâ—…cephalus or any other Thing which we see is Corrupted and therefore we truly say of it that it is not Wherefore not one of those Finite Beings we call Creatures have Actual Being in their Essence or Nature Therefore all we can say of them in order to Being is that they can be or have a Power to be Actually But that which â—â— a meer Power to any Act cannot give it self 〈…〉 Act for then Water which has a Power â—…e Hot might make it self Hot and every thing in Nature might give it self whatever â—…al or Accidental Acts the Matter or Power 〈…〉 bear that is every Body in Nature might 〈…〉 it self any thing Wherefore since none â—…ose Potential Beings could exist of themâ—…s or by virtue of their own Nature or Esâ—…e It follows necessarily that there must â—…ome Other Being whose Nature and Essence 〈…〉 is to have no Potentiality to Being in it or which is the same which is a Pure Actuality of â—…ng 3. Dem. III. Were there any Thing whether Body Man Angel or whatever Higher Being we can imagine Because what is not cannot Act. that were of it's own Nature only a Potentiality of Being or a Power to Bee and yet gave it self to be Actually it must be conceiv'd in priority of Reason as yet not to have that Being which it gave it self But 't is a flat Contradiction to conceive that what has Not Being or is not should act or produce Being in it self Therefore there must have ever been a Pure Actuality of Being 4. Dem. IV. This is enforced because Actual Being is the Noblest Effect that can be imagin'd and far more Because Actual Being is the Noblest Effect imaginable Excellent than a Power to bee as it is contra-distinguisht to Being Actually as appears hence that the Power to any Form is but a kind of Disposition Order or as it were a Means or Way to that Form or Act to which 't is a Power or rather the Form is the End that Disposition was order'd for and to which that Way led Whence in case a Power or Potentiality of Being should give it self Actual Being it would act beyond the Virtue of such a Power that is beyond it's self and therefore would do what it cannot do which is a direct Contradiction 5. Dem. V. No Cause can produce an Effect contradictory to it's own Nature Because no Power can produce an Effect which is Contradictory to what it is it self or to its own Nature or Essence But if a Power which is essentially Indeterminate should give it's self it 's Form or Act which is essentially Determinate that Cause would work contradictorily to it's Nature which would destroy all Causality and all Order of Natural Operation Therefore what is it self but a Power to be can never make it self be actually 6. So that from the plain obvious Notions of Power and Act this Great Conclusion The foresaid Demonstration summ'd up and Enforc'd is by a Metaphysical Medium that is ab Altissimis Causis most evidently demonstrated that since from a Potentiality or Power of Being no Actual Being could have been produc'd Hence had all Beings been Potential nothing could ever have been and therefore there must necessarily be some Being whose Nature or Essence is Pure Actuality of Being Which as will be shown is the Notion of the First Being or the Deity 7. Hence follows that this Actuality of Being did Create or give Being to all other things For since it has This Actuality of Being gave Being to all other Things been demonstrated here that none of their Essences has Actual Being in their Natures but were Potential to that Act call'd Existence nor conâ—…ntly could give themselves to be actually 〈…〉 the very Terms evince that all Things that aâ—e must either have Actual Being in their Natures or not have Actual Being in their Natures 〈…〉 follows evidently that they must
GOD who is a Self-subsistent Existence 46. Hence the Names of our Best Virtues are Metaphorically said of GOD. For were they Properly said of GOD Hence even the Names of our best Virtues are not in every regard properly spoken of GOD. there would be some Notion Univocal to GOD and Creatures contrary to what was prov'd §§ 43. 44. Besides we had the Notions of those Virtues first from Creatures therefore the First Signification of those Words which express them was what we observ'd in Them and we transferr'd them to GOD because He produces such like Effects as we had remark'd those Men did who were endow'd with those Virtues 47. Hence follows also that GOD as in Himself is not without some Impropriety denominated Omnipotent Nor Omnipotent Creatour or such like all our Language having some tang of Imperfection Annext to it â—â—â—-knowing c. because Power and Knowledge which are included in those Words are with some Impropriety spoken of God and not Properly and Univocally And tho' Creatour Lord and such like are thought by some to be Extrinsecal Denominations and therefore refund no Imperfection upon GOD if spoken of Him yet â—…s not so for Relations are Intrinsecal Denominations and as us'd amongst us which gives them their First Signification they signifie either â—…ty of Nature or some Coordination in Acting or Suffering as is shown at large Method to Sciâ—… B. I. Lessâ— 7. and it cannot agree to GOD to have any Order to his Creatures or Coordination with them as is shown there § 12. 48. Lastly Negative Notions such as are Immense Infinite Immaterial and â—â—n like seem to have the fairest Nor yet Negative Notions as Immense Infine Immaterial c. â—…le to be properly said of GOD in regard they distinguish Him from all other Beings or from 〈…〉 Creatures But neither are these Notions 〈…〉 from all Impropriety for we use these words as Differences to distinguish the several sorts of Things which implies there is some Generical Notion common to both Sorts which is thus Divided or Distinguisht by those Differences â—â—g when we say Creatures are Finite and GOD 〈…〉 Infinite these Differencing Notions do suppose there is some Univocal Notion Common to both which is thus Distinguisht or Differenc'd But this puts in GOD's Essence a Composition of Genus and Difference and the Generical Notion being Essentially Potential in respect of it's Differences and they Actual in respect of it is utterly against the Nature of Pure Actuality of Being which is GOD's Essence Therefore neither are these Words or Notions of ours with due Propriety to be attributed to GOD as He is in Himself 49. Moreover from our former Principles it follows that there can no Priority No Priority or Posteriority either Real or made by our Reason conceiving the least Ground for it in the Thing can be attributed to GOD. or Posteriority either Rei or Rationis be put in GOD much less any such Respects as have the least show of inducing the want of any thing belonging to Being for one Instant or Signum as some call it For this is altogether Repugnant to the Notion of Purest Actuality of Being or the Godhead Nor yet of Formal or Virtual Distinction in his Essence for this is against GOD's Perfect Simplicity and withal implies some Negation which is an Imperfection Nor is either of these Positions against the Mystery of the B. Trinity rightly explain'd where the Notion of Origin Principiation Prâ—cession c. do debar both these Priorities and imply nay necessitate perfect Simultaneousness Much less can any such Words be attributed to GOD as savour in the least of the Notions of any thing in Him which is Cause or Effect Nor lastly which is next akin to it which induces the Dependence of GOD's Knowledge or of the Decrees of his Will on Creatures whether Existent or Possible Which â—â— unworthy the All-ordering Providence of the First Cause which prevents all such Considerations 50. Notwithstanding what 's said all the Metaphorical Words mention'd §§ Notwithstanding that all these are with some Impropriety spoken of GOD yet all of them but the last are Truly said of Him 44 45. nay all those which frequently occurr in Holy Writ and are designedly made use of there in Accommodation â—o the Rude Understandings of the Vulgar are True and Truly said of GOD tho' they have some and â—ivers of them a Great Degree of Impropriety in them For since we know that GOD is Infiâ—â—tely above the Rank of his Creatures and that they are as Nothing in comparison of His Sublime â—ssence which is in every regard most Perfect sâ—ch Users of those Words do intend while they â—â—e them to depure and strip them of whatever is â—â—perfect in their Signification and do only â—â—â—an to apply them to GOD as far as they sure â—â—me Notion of ours which by Analogy has â—â—â—e Perfection Resembling what 's in Him For â—xample In regard we call such Persons Wise â—â—â—â— Good Merciful c. from whom we have â—â—serv'd such Effects proceed as are Proper to â—â—ese Virtues therefore holding as we do â—â—â—t the same Effects proceed from GOD we do â—â— this reason denominate Him or apply such attributes to Him as we gave to such Virtuous Persons And therefore those Propositions are most True because he does indeed and that with an incomparably more Excellent manner produce the same Effects which was the Reason of our transferring those Notions to Him Yet all the while we abstracted from the manner how those Virtues are in GOD in regard this being utterly Unknown to us could not enter into our Intention when we thus Transferr'd them our Intention or Meaning and our Notion being the same thing Again since when our Saviour is call'd a Lamb or a Lion which being taken from Animals are some of the Worst and more Ignoble sort of Metaphors by reason of his Meekness and Courage these Spiritual Qualities are the only Consideration we intend or mean when we apply those words to Him and therefore those Propositions are exactly True because our Meaning or Notion signify'd by those Words was only such Much more is he truly â—aid to be Good Iust Wise c. Which are by far less Metaphorical and less Unlike Him than are the other 51. To clear this Point more fully and withal to show that Mystical Theology which some apprehend to be The Solid Ground of Mystick Theology nothing but Eâ—statick Fancy proceeds upon Solid Grounds viz. Metaphysicks assisted by Logick I Discourse thus Let us take two Perfections which some conceive to be Formally in GOD viz. Mercy and Iustice. Reflecting upon the Meaning of those two Words we shall find that we have two Forms or Acts in our Mind whereof one is not the other for a Man may be Iust and not Merciful or Merciful and not Iust. If then these two Forms thus Distinct be in GOD then we must put Formal Distinction in GOD which
immediately from GOD who is Esâ—…l EXISTENCE it follows that tho' it be such 〈…〉 Imperfect Effect it may yet proceed congruâ—…y enough from an Angel who he being a â—…râ— and as such having no Prerogative in â—…s regard over his Fellow-Creatures has Noâ—… as oâ— Himself or Non-Existence inâ—… in his very Being which fit him in every â—…rd to be the most Proper Immediate Cause of â—…tion Lastly 't is a most senseless opinion to think â—…at GOD as the Cartesians hold gives all Created â—â—â—â—es their Being and endows them with Faculâ—… and Powers to perform such or such Operatiâ—…s and yet will not permit them to perform them â—…t does all the lowest and meanest Effects immediately by Himself which is at once Derogatory 〈…〉 GOD 's Supreme Majesty and makes those â—owâ—rs themselves Useless Frustaneous and â—…d for Nothing which is against the Metaphyâ—…al Bonity or Goodness which is a Property of â—…eir Entity as has been shown B. 1. Ch. 2. 〈…〉 11 12 13. 16. All Motion is a Perpetual Novelty or a â—ontinu'd New Effect For since Every part of Motion is a New Effect â—o Succeeding part of Motion is while the foregoing ones are â—…ssing nor can possibly be any of those parts which went before it follows that each of them is made a-new or is a New Effect 17. Therefore Motion requires a Continual Influx of the Moving Cause For since no part of Motion can be Therefore it requires a Continual Influx of the Moving Cause of it self and every part of it is a Distinct or New Effect also since to move a thing thus far is not to move it farther and the same reason holds all along thorow the whole Course of Motion It must needs require continually either a New Cause or a Continually New Effort of the same Moving Cause to produce its Continuance otherwise it might cease in any part of it's Flux were it not still helpt forward 18. This Continuance of Motion is perform'd by the Operation of some Chief Angel incessantly Rarefying the Matter of the Solar Bodies and consequently darting This Moving Cause is some Chief Angel Rarefying the Matter of the Solar Bodies out it's Rays of Light or Fire to those Bulks of Matter which are within it's Influence For since this Continual Rarefaction forces the preceeding Particles or Rays to fly forwards to make place for the succeeding ones and this with a quickness proportionable to the Penetrativeness or Tenuity of those Particles which is Inconceiveably such and these affecting and piercing by degrees more Solid Bodies do set all their several parts a playing according to their respective Natures from which must necessarily ensue the several Motions of Division Impulse Attraction and consequently of Rarefaction and Condensation which are the Parents of all other more particular Operations from which as even Experience tells us do proceed all the Effects in Nature It follows that this Continual Rarefaction of the Solar Matter is the Cause of the â—…tinuance of all our Motion As Experience 〈…〉 say also teaches us in the Change of the Seaâ—…s of the year whence Common Reason asâ—…res us that should that Angelical Operation â—…se for some considerable time all the Earth â—…ould be nothing but a frozen unactive and unâ—oveable Mass. 19. Angels are Pre-mov'd by the First Being to â—ove the Material World even to the least Atome or Circumstance Angels are Pre-mov'd or Directed by GOD to move Matter as iâ— most sutable to His Eternal Decrees of it in such a Manner as 〈…〉 most Agreeable to his Eternal â—…d Immutable Decrees For â—…ce it belongs to Infinite Wisâ—… to administer the whole â—…eation or the Universality of his Creatures â—…ording to the Wisest and Best Manner and tâ—â— Managery of the Material World is carry'd â—â— by Motion and Motion is effected by Angels â—â— its Immediate Causes and Angels are Intelligent Beings which act by Knowledge â—…d are Premov'd or Determin'd to act by Motives and the Best Motives to make Faithful Servants â—ct is to Know their Master's Will Nor could â—â—ey know his Will or his most hidden and Inâ—…able Decrees by which they were to square â—…ir Actions unless GOD had some way or other â—â—nifested them It follows that these Maniâ—…tions of his Divine Pleasure are the Proper Motives to them to move and order all Material â—ature as He had Decreed Which this Order â—f the World being the Best reaches to the â—ost Minute Parts and Least Circumstances of â—… 20. The First or Chief Bodies thus mov'd by Angels do in their manner Premove that is Determine and Continue The First mov'd Bodies do Determine and Continue the Motion of the rest the Motion given them at first by the Angelical Nature For since an Instrument is Movens Motum or such a thing as being Mov'd by another has a power to produce immediately the Effect it is Design'd for and 't is evident from what 's said above that Bodies have a Power in them to Divide Impel Attract and thence to Rarifie and Condense others as Immediate Agents 'T is manifest that by the First of these Effects the Bulk Figure Situation and consequently the Mixture or Texture of the Component Parts of the other Bodies which they do thus move are made and from the other motions their Intrinsecal Temperament or the Rarity and Density of those Parts proceeds All which being Determinate Effects proceeding from Bodies as their Immediate Movers 'T is Evident that this Determination and Continuance of Motion springs immediately from the Motion of the next precedent Body which by its Motion premoves and determines the Motion of the following ones 21. Hence Angels and the Bodies they move do as Second Causes Immediately Determine the Individuation Hence Angels and the Bodies they Move do as Second Causes determine the Individuation of all New-made Bodies of all Bodies whatever For since the Complexion of Accidents is the Essential Form which by distinguishing it from all others does constitute every Individual Body by making it to be Determinately or Individually This as has has been â—…ov'd B. 1. Ch. 2. and consequently renders 〈…〉 Capable of Existence or an Ens and this â—omplexion of Accidents is chiefly caus'd by the â—utting together Rare and Dense Parts in such a â—roportion and the Bulk Figure and Situation â—f those Parts do concur also and help in their way to form it into such a Constant or Coherent â—…s and to distinguish it from others and all these are immediately produced by the Operations mention'd in the foregoing § which are caus'd by Angels as Moving Bodies and by the Bodies themselves as the Instrument of Intelligences or â—â— Moved by them 'T is evinced that Angels and bodies as Second Causes are the Immediate Determiners of the Individuation of all new-made bodies whatever 22. 'T is beyond the Power of those Second Causes to give Existenâ—e to the least Body in Nature For since But 't is beyond their Power to give
Existence by § 2. the Nature or Quality of the Operation follows from the Nature or Quality of the Agent and as will be seen shortly is finally refunded into the Essence of the Cause whence it springs and none of those Things call'd Bodies nor yet Angels which move them have Existence in their Essence but are meerly Capable of Being and as far as is of themselves may not-be it follows that however they may by their Operation impart to the new-made Ens Motion Rarity Density or other such Effects as either were Essential to them or sprung out of their Essence yet they could never communicate to them Existence this being Extrinsecal and Accidental to them and of an Excellency incomparably above or beyond their Essence as much as the Notion of Act or Actual Being is above that of meer Power or Possibility of Being which is beyond all Proportion 23. Therefore it can belong only to GOD the First Cause to give Actual Which therefore is peculiar only to GOD. Being or Existence because only his Nature is Essentially Existent 24. Therefore for the same reason it belongs to Him and to Him only to As also to Conserve things in Being Conserve them in Being For since the reason as far as is on His part why His Goodness gave them Being at first was because they were Determinate Entia or Individua and only Capable of Being and wanted it and they are still for every moment afterwards Entia or Capable of Being and as far as is of themselves may for every moment not-be it follows that for the same reason for which He gave them Being at first it belongs to Him still to conserve it And that none else can support them in Being is hence Evident because all Creatures they being of their own Nature meerly capable to be do want a Support themselves Besides that Actual Being even when Creatures have it is Extrinsecal to their Essences from which only the Nature or Quality of the Effect proceeds by §§ 2 3 4. 25. For the same Reason if the Thing be Nobler that is fit for more or Nobler Operations a Nobler Existence And to give to a Nobler Essence a Nobler Existence must be given it else a Contradiction would follow viz. â—… That Thing would be otherwise than it should be â—…d consequently otherwise than 't is Capable to be which is a Contradiction 26. For the same Reason if Matter rais'd to it's highest pitch come to â—â— so dispos'd that it requires For the same Reason a Spiritual Form will be given to Matter connaturally Disspos'd for it 〈…〉 Form of a higher or Spiritual Nature that Capacity is Supply'd by the First Being according to the Exigency of that Matter and a Form of a Spiritual Nature or a Soul will be in it And because Matter and Form compound an Ens oâ— a Thing Capable of Existence therefore at the same instant an Existence suitable to bâ—th â—â—ose Natures that is Corporeo-Spiritual will by § 25. be given it by GOD's Redundant Goodness and Steady Emanation of Being 27. For the same Reason also even in Spiritual and Supernatural Endowments those who are Dispos'd The same holds also in Supernatural Gifts which are also carried on by Dispositions by an Ardent Desire of them aâ—d apply to the Giver of them by Fervent and Frequent Acts of their Will relying with perâ—â—ct Confidence on his Ungrudging Bounty may be Infallibly sure to receive them Which is the greatest Comfort and Encouragement to Weak and Well-meaning Souls and debars rechless and wicked Sinners from all hope of Excuse since there had needed no more to make them Virtuous Saints than only to have ask'd it with Humility Faith and Perseverance 28. For the same Reason GOD who is Self-Existence and therefore Infinitely Perfect cannot be the Cause Hence GOD is not the Cause of any Defect much less of Sin or not-Being of any Defect whether it be Natural or Moral which we call Sin but such Defects are refunded into the Incapacity of Creatures that were to receive these farther Perfections or into their Defectiveness in Operating Much less can he be the Cause of the Greatest or rather Total Defect Not-being 29. Hence is seen that all the several sorts of Operations that are have been or can be are finally refunded into How all these Sorts of Operations do spring from the Respective Essences the Essences of the Things that operate For the Operation must be such as the Power to operate is nor can be at all without it for otherwise a Thing might do what it has no Power to do that is might do what it cannot do And the Power of Acting is such as the Essence is and among Creatures springs from It as it Root being a Property of it To show this particularly The Operation of Attraction is grounded on the Unity that is the Essence of Quantity which is Continuity The Operation of Impulse springs from the Impenetrability of Quantitative Parts which is either the Nature of Divisibility or Quantity or else next a kin to it as is shown above § 12. The Operations of Rarefaction and Condensation by § 13. clearly arise from the former and therefore from the Essence of the same Cause on which those Former Operations were grounded The First Motion or Action of all Bodies and the Continuance of â—â—â—m is refunded into the Essence of Angels which on the one side being Pure Acts are the â—â—est Agents to be the Origin of Action which â— done by Motion On the other side having noâ—â—â—ng of Actual Being or Existence in their Naâ—â—â—e they can only produce that Inferiour Effect â—â—â—d Motion in such Beings as are below them â—â—stly the Operation of Creating or Giving Actual Being springs peculiarly from the Essence of the First Being which is Self-Existence By which is seen without need of particularizing â—â—w Wisely the FIRST BEING administers His World by Reserving to Himself to be the Immeâ—â—â—e Cause of the Noblest Effect and most resemâ—â—ng Him Existence and appointing his Underlings and Journeymen the Angels to move every part of the Material World according to their respective Natures By which means the well-compacted Frame and Course of Nature hangs together by the Indissoluble Connexion of Proper Causes with their Proper Effects And â—â—ce all the Exact Knowledge or Science we have is built on this His Creative Wisdom does by this Means give Knowledge to those Cognoâ—â—ive Creatures which because they are not â—ure Acts and consequently have not Knowledge due to them by their Creation are to Acâ—â—re it here from Natural Objects affecting their â—oul by means of their Senses and by Reflexion on the Notions they imprint 30. From what has been prov'd hitherto it has been demonstrated how our Great and Wise GOD does all That GOD does all that 's Good in All and in what Manner and by what Means that is Good or has Being in it in all things For
to the Effect it produces Distinct Essences have Distinct Powers and those Powers when pusht forwards by Motion must actually work on their Immediate Patients and this according to the Nature of their several Essences Every Thing except the First Cause is an Effect and as no Effect can be without Something to effect it so no Determinate or such an Effect can be without a Determinate or Proper Cause Thus is the Course of GOD's Providence in administring the World shown to be aâ— becomes the All-wise Contriver of it Orderly Steady Coherent and all of a piece From these Footsteps of the Divine Wisdom imprinted on Creatures we gain all our Science either proceeding a priori from Proper Causes to their Proper Effects or a posteriori from Proper Effects to their Proper Causes only which ways of Discoursing can beget True Science Whence the Cartesians who decline that Method and contrary to all Logick and Common Sense which oblige us to argue from what 's better known to what 's Unknown or less known instead of proving their Theses from the Nature of Things do introduce Arbitrary and Voluntary Reasons for Effects and to palliate their Ignorance pretend that GOD Wills such or such an Effect should follow which Will of his they neither prove nor can prove nor go about to prove And when their Arguments are Destitute of Connexion they put GOD to Annex one thing to another as their Necessity when they are at a Non-plus requires such Men I say who affect this way frequently and advance many Wild and Unprov'd Suppositions at their pleasure gratis are hence convicted to be no Philosophers but to obstruct the Common Road to Science and seem to bid Defiance to all Principles Connexion and Common Logick sham all Philosophy and Science too and set up in their stead a Gentile Farce of Witty Groundless and Unconnected Talk But to leave them and return to our own Doctrine and the consequences of it Hence with an easie Reflexion may be gather'd how all Truths are necessarily in one another as links in the same Chain of Causes and therefore may all be seen at once by the Soul when she comes to enjoy the Priviledge of a Pure Act is above Time and no longer ty'd to the slow Motion of Corporeal Phantasms in performing â—er Operations Having thus laid open the Deviations of other Mistaking Speculaters let us my Soul recommended to our Self and to our The Application of this Doctrine to ouâ— own Duties Readers to take heed lest we run counter in our Practice to the Truth we which have Evinced and Establisht Since then all Nature and Evident Reason consent to tell us that every Essence has such an Operation as is Peculiar and Propâ—r to it 's Nature and our Essence is Rationality let not us be guilty of that worst Singularity to act contrary to our Essence and degenerate from our Nature by acting Irrationally and this in the Highest Degrce The Chief Powers of our Rational Being are our Understanding and our Will The Primary Operation of the First is to see or know TRUTH and that of the later is to pursue GOOD And Metaphysicks has Demonstrated to us clearly that nothing but the Knowledge of an Infinite Truth can satisfie the One and the Possession of an Infinite Good satiate the other as also that neither of these can possibly be had save only in the Unveiled Sight of the First-Being the Glorious and Glorifying DEITY Let it then be our not only Principal but in Comparison Only care to cultivate those Dispositions of our Will which we have Demonstrated to be the only Steps by which we may ascend to Eternal Happiness and to râ—â—t out thâ—se Inordinate Affections for Creatures which indispose us for Heaven and consequently after they have turmoil'd and vext us here must render us after this short life Eternally most miserable To this end let us make that use of our Understanding as by due consideration to advance these Speculative Knowledges we â—…ve gain'd here into conformable Practical Iudgments or Virtuous Affections Which as it was the Chief Intention of the Author so it shall be â—â—s Prayer it may work that Best Effect upon his Readers A Rational Explication OF THE MYSTERY OF THE MOST BLESSED TRINITY The PREFACE 1. HAVING as I hop't settled the Way of Exact Reasoning in my METHOD to Science and reduced the Notions of which we make use in more Sublime Subjects to a Distinctness in my METAPHYSICKS I cast about to find out some Particular Point to which as a Proper Instance I might apply my Speculative Productions and thence manifest that they were not high-flown Fancies as some incompetent Readers may imagine but Solid and Useful Truths Nor could there need any Long Enquiry to make my Thoughts come to a Determination I had to my great trouble observ'd how rudely the Mystery of the most B. Trinity had been attackt of late by some Witty and Fanciful Gentlemen and had received Information also that the Boasts of their wonderful Performances by the way of Reason had given great Advantages to Deists and Atheists who siding with them did thence take occasion to ridicule Christianity whose prime Fundamental was as they pretended a piece of Pure Nonsense I saw very clearly that all their Objections proceeded upon most gross Mistakes and which I am loath to say from Unskillfulness in Logick or the Rules of Right Reasoning and from perfect Ignorance in Metaphysicks The former of which by Distinguishing exactly our several Notions or Respects is to give us Light to know what is truly a Contradiction what not and the other instructs us how we are to discourse of the First Being and his Attributes The Principles and Deductions in which Sciences being in so high a Degree Evident I could not but discover clearly and therefore the weight of the Circumstance requiring it I dare confidently declare and offer to maintain that all their Objections against that Mystery are not only perfectly Groundless but when they come to be sifted and examin'd by those Tests of True Reason extreamly Weak even to Childishness 2. And indeed they deliver those Objections of theirs in so sleight a Manner as if themselves made account they writ to none but half-witted Readers who stand ready to give up their Assent upon every Pretty and Plausible Saying that surprizes their Ignorance or pleases their Fancy â—or not so much as One Principle do they lay â—or observe any steady Tenour in Deducing any Determinate Conclusion Nay they do not so much as Distinguish exactly those Notions which belong to the Subject in Dispute much less Define them nor state the Question liquidly and clearly but fall to work hastily propose the Point crudely and descant upon it superficially confusedly and â—amblingly only they take care to use some little Wit in the Expression As if they presum'd that either there are no Praecognoscenda requisite to explicate or Determine such a Sublime Point or else that
him pretending no Skill or Knowledge more than to understand the bare signification of the words in which Faith is conceiv'd But an Explicater is to use all the Skill and Art he has to show the Points of Faith Agreeable to such Other Truths as indifferent Mankind admits at least such as he can by Dint of Reason force his Adversary to grant that so he may comfort and strengthen Faith and make it more Lively and Operative in the Hearts of the more Intelligent Believers and withall Defend it from being Opposite to Right Reason against the Cavils of Unbelievers who impugn it upon that score But the main Advantage which an Explicater of Faith who follows the Principles of True Reason or True Philosophy will gain by this Exact way of Discoursing is this that Let him settle his Principles first and show them to be Evident Let him state the Question clearly and explain the Meaning of the Terms or Words which concern that Question or are made use of in Discoursing of it and then applying them to the Point in hand show it's Consonancy to those Principles all which I shall here endeavour and when he has done this let him peremptorily Challenge his Adversary to take the same Decisive Method to prove his Negative Tenet and it will quickly appear that the Maintainer of Falshood his Cause not bearing such a Test will either decline this only-satisfactory Manner of Discourse in which case he will in effect plainly confess that what he maintains is not True Or if he happens to be so Adventurous as to Attempt it his Principles will easily be seen to be so Unlike what they pretended to be and so Unworthy that Name that all Men of Sense will quickly discern that his Cause has only Superficial Fancy and not True and Solid Reason to support it SECT I. Preliminaries Fore-lay'd as Principles to the Explication of this Mystery § 1. Prâ—â— I. CLearness being the most necessary Qualification of all others for an Explication we are first to reflect that All our Clear and Distinct Knowledges of any thing whatever depend on this Principle that Our Soul works by Abstracted or Inadequate Conceptions which she frames or â—as of the whole Thing This is granted I think by all Men of Learning and is in a manner Self-Evident For let us take any Whole Thing v. g. an Orange and we may find that we make many Several Conceptions of it viz. That it is Round Yellow Heavy Juicy c. which tho' they all belong Intrinsecally to that one Thing and therefore we mean them all Confusedly when we name That Thing yet we cannot discourse Clearly and Distinctly of any one of them while we conceive them as Ioyn'd with great Multitudes of others no not so much as with one of those Others For how can we know that Object Distinctly which is not Distinct it self as being not yet Distinguisht Now 't is only our Understanding that Distinguishes it into those Distinct Parts or Inadequate Conceptions of it Wherefore we cannot Discourse of any Thing Clearly or Distinctly until we have first represented it to our Minds with such a Distinction by making many Distinct Abstracted or Inadequate Notions of it 2. Prel II. Having found or made those Inadequate Conceptions we are next to Discourse consequently of each of those Considerations of the Thing without mingling them with Others For to what end should we Distinguish our Notions in order to discourse Clearly if we do not keep them Distinct but by Confounding them afterwards Distract our Thoughts and draw them in despite both of Nature and Art into Different Considerations at once which must needs hinder us from seeing any one of them Clearly Whence all the most Exact Discoursers do carefully observe and follow this Rule For the Mathematicians treat of Bodies as Long or of Lines without considering them at the same time as Broad and of their Breadth without considering them as Deep or according to all the Three Dimensions tho' in Nature no One of them is found without all the rest And in case they did otherwise their Discourses could never proceed endways nor be Clear and Evident being indeed in that case nothing but a meer Ramble from one Question to another while they speak sometimes of one sometimes of Another Notion or Subject 3. Prel III. Therefore when we Affirm and Deny according to Different Abstract Notions there can be no show of a Contradiction For these Abstract Notions being Different Respects according to which we conceive the Thing diversely and the weakest Logician and every Man of Common Sense being so wise as to know that there cannot possibly be any Contradiction unless we Affirm and Deny according to the Same Respect â—…hing can be more Weak than to pretend 〈…〉 in such a case there is the least show of a â—…tradiction 4. Prel IV. Hence one of those Respects or Consiâ—â—â—ations of the Thing may be Deny'd of the other 〈…〉 which is Equivalent all our Predications when we speak True being of the Thing the Thing â—â— consider'd according to One of those Respects â—ay be Deny'd of it self consider'd according to Another Respect V. G. The Same Man may be both a Father and a Son but that Same Man as â—â— is a Father is not that Man as he is a Son Otherwise the Abstractive Particle as cutting â—â— that precise Respect from all Others it would â—â—llow that the Notions of Father and Son are the â—ry Self-same Notion or Respect Whence we â—â—e oblig'd to affirm that That Man as he is a Father is some way Different from Himself as he â—â—â— Son or according to some Notion or Respect viz. That of Relation Tho' he be still the same according to the Notion of Ens or Thing that is the same Man 5. Prel V. Tho' the Truth of the Propositions or Points of Faith are made known to us by Supernatural Means or by Revelation yet each single word in which they were deliver'd or Preacht at first must be such as was in use then and there to signifie our Natural Notions This is very Evident Because unless Faith had been deliver'd oâ— Preacht to the First Faithful in such Language aâ— every one understood or as suted with their Natural Notions the Hearers having as yet no Notions but what were Natural could not have understood what had been told them nor could have known what it was they were to believe By Natural Notions I mean those which we have by Direct Impressions on the Senses or by such Reflexion as the Generality of Mankind naturally have Tho' this be True and Faith was thus deâ—â—ver'd at first yet it does not follow that an Explicater may not be allow'd to use some words of Art since he writes to Learned Men. 6. Prel VI. Hence those words being Proper to express Men's Natural Notions which they had from Creatures to signifie which they were Agreed on and Us'd by Mankind in that place it follows that
't is only their Will which is ill at ease But I rather think they are blunder'd by not Distinguishing their Notions Exactly and not Proceeding upon them Orderly Or perhaps as Men led by Imagination use they fancy there must be a just parallel between Corporeal and Spiritual Natures and which is worse between a Finite and an Infinite Being and that they must fit one another exactly as Two Tallies do and if they find they do not sute in every regard their Phantastick Guide has lost his way and complains sadly of the Perplexity in which nothing but his own Rashness or Unskillfulness has plung'd him 3. To breed a Conceit in their Easie and Weak Proselytes that the Doctrine of the Trinity is injurious to the Unity and Pâ—â—â—ection of the GODHEAD they amuze them with several Objections which nothing but the Dotaâ—â—â— of Fancy could suggest V. G. They 'll alledge That if the Son has the Divine Essence from the Father then the Father Pre-exists and therefore the Son cannot be Eternal By which 't is manifest That those Men apprehend there is no Prae-istence but that of Time nay they conceit that Eternity it self is a long Flux of Time or something Like it whereas 't is a Duration of a quite Contradictory Nature to it whereupon the Grossness of their Fancy is presently startled and stunn'd and their Ignorance of such Preliminary Truths does presently furnish them with this as it may with a thousand other such wild Objections To meet with them I desire them to reflect that as there could not be any Instant in which GOD was not so neither could any Instant be Conceiv'd in which He had not all His Perfections and amongst them that of Knowing and Loving Himself and consequently in which his Divine Essence as an Object Known did not communicate it self to the Divine Knower of it They may please to reflect too that there are even amongst us many things before one another nay even as Causes and Effects which are not so much as for one Instant before one another in Time For Example Bodies are therefore Passive because they have Matter in them they are Passive thus or Divisible because they have Quantity in them and Corruptible because they are Divisible nay 't is also in proper Speech True that the following ones proceed from those that are foregoing as their Causes and yet they have Passiveness Quantity Divisibility Corruptibility nay Extension Measurability Proportionability c. in them all at one Time nay they are all so perfectly Contemporaries that there is not so much as one Instant in which Body has one of these and not all of them Whence for much better Reason may the Son proceed from the Father tho' they be both Coeternal They will reply That all these Effects proceed from Formal Causes which may be conceiv'd not to pre-exist before one another And I reply That in this present Explication all the Divine Processions are put to be by the manner of Form and not of Action or Efficiency and I much fear that their Transferring Action to GOD in their Thoughts which implies Motion drew them into this Misconceit of Priority after the manner of a kind of Imaginary Time According to the way of discoursing which I take the Divine Object Inexists in the Divine Knowledge which according to our Natural Notions is call'd Informing it I have produced many Demonstrations both in the Second Preliminary to Solid Philosophy Asserted and others B. I. Ch. 6. in my Metaphysicks to show that our Knowledge can be only made by this that the Object it self is in our Understanding or informs it when we Know and that every Particular Knowledge we have is Specify'd nay Individually Determin'd to be This by the Object and must proceed from it both as to its being at all and also as to it 's Being This. And I dare affirm That let Witty Men beat their Brains till they are weary they will never make any other Sense of what it is to Know than this That the Object Inexists in the Knowiag Power as Another Thing or as some way Distinct from the Knower Moreover this Notion of Knowing abstracts from sooner or later Eternal or Not-Eternal and therefore may in this regard be sitly Apply'd to GOD who Knows Himself Eternally and because as has been often said this Knowledge comes from the Divine Object from all Eternity hence it is and must be also said to Proceed or be Originiz'd from it from all Eternity since he Formally becomes a Knower by means of that Object-Known This is all the Priority Christian Divines acknowledge This abstracts even in us Creatures I mean in Souls Separated and Angels who in the First Instant Know Themselves from all other kinds of Priority Whence 't is very weak to infer hence that the Father is Prae-existent as if there were any imaginable Instant in Eternity in which the Father was and the Son was not or that the Son for that reason is not Self existent since besides the want of such a Priority as they fancy and build their Objection upon it all the Absolute Attributes of the Deity and amongst them Self-Existence and Eternity too are Communicated to Him by and in the Divine Essence Known or from the Father S. Another Bugbear to their Fancy for 't is That and not True Reason that gives the Ground to all their Objections is this That by our Discourse God the Father must communicate his Essence and his whole Essence to the Son which they think is sufficiently overthrown by meerly asking How should both have the same thing especially How should He have it still who has already Communicated it or Parted with it all And this looks very plausibly to those poor Ignorant Souls who never reflected on Spiritual Natures but think we must discourse of them in the same manner as we do of Bodies whereas they being of Contradistinct Naâ—ures the quite Contrary follows For the First â—iz That the Divine Essence is Communicated or that as Known that is as it is by a Relative Name call'd the Father it communicates it self let us see how it agrees with other Divine Attributes and with such acknowledg'd Perfections as we find in Creatures GOODNESS bears in it's Notion and Experience teaches us the same that it is Naturally Communicative of what it has Since then we ascribe INFINITE Goodness to GOD and make it to be Essential to Him it follows that He is INFINITELY Communicative of the Nature or Essence which he has or rather he is Actually and Eternally for he was Eternally Good Communicating it and this INFINITELY Which how it can be Verify'd or how his Exuberant Goodness could have an Adequate Object unless he did Communicate Himself Infinitely in the manner abovesaid is past the Wit of Man to imagine since all Communication of Being to Created Things or Suppositums tho' they were never so Excellent or so Many their Natures and their Number being both of