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
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
our Speculative Judgments but in the Disproportion of our Practical Judgments or Affections for a Temporary Good above the Degree of Affection it has for Eternal Goods For it may be a Truth that the Objects of Sin were Agreeable to the Man in this Mortal State especially taking him as thus circumstanced which made him apply his Thoughts only to them and by that means he came to conceit strongly the Good he found in them and so by oft-repeated Acts he came to beget in his Soul Unattentive and Unapply'd to other Goods which were incomparably Greater vast Practical Iudgments impelling him to act for them and pursue them or which is the same by a long Converse with them he got a strong Addiction to them and most ardent Affection for them But the reason why he came to fall into such Pernicious Sin was because he did not to the same degree apply his Thoughts to Eternal Goods nor so carefully and studiously consider the incomparable Excellency of them as he did the Trifling Good of the others Which had he done as he ought it would have bred in him such solidly-grounded and strong Iudgments and Affections for Heaven that it would have corrected either wholly or to a high degree the Affections to Creatures The Falshood then which may have accompany'd the Practical Judgments of a Sinful Soul will be corrected in the State of Separation because she knows then all Created Truths and Truth and Falshood they being Contradictions and therefore opposite to the Notion of Being the only Object of our Understanding cannot consist together in an Intellectual Substance but the Predominancy or over-proportion of the Practical Judgment or Affection to Creatures whether it proceed from Falshood or as it does generally and perhaps always from a more frequent and more hearty Application of the Soul to Creatures does and must ever remain in her and withall the consequent Sad Effects mention'd in case the Man dies with those Bad prevalent Judgments Unretracted 32. Hence all those Knowledges whether Physical Moral Mathematical Metaphysical Theological or of From the former Principles it follows that all those several Kinds of Knowledges we had here will be Elevated to an Unmeasurable Excess in the State of Separation what kind soever they be in which the Man had particularly cultivated his Soul here will in the State of Separation be Elevated to a very Deep or Proportionable Penetration of the Objects of those Sciences in the State of Separation whence a peculiar Accidental Satisfaction is by the Design of Nature apt to accrue to every such well-employ'd Soul whatever But with this Distinction that those Souls which are Good besides what Natural Means gives them will have a particular Content or Accidental Joy in seeing the Supreme Reasons for the Truth of those respective Sciences in the First Cause Whereas in the Wicked they only serve to exâ—… a more vehement Thirst of seeing the Highest Grounds of their Truth in the First Truth it self â—â—â— Original Author of all Being which avails â—â—â—m nothing but to increase their Grief and Torment 33. From the same Principles 't is clearly deduced that all the Virtuous and 〈…〉 Affections which Good Hence also all the Virtuous Affections which good Souls had here for Friends Relations and Acquaintances will remain in the Next Life and make them ardently wish and pray for their Salvation â—â—â—â—â— had for Friends Relations â—â—â— Acquaintances in this world 〈◊〉 remain in them after Death â—â—â— that too in a higher meaâ—â—â—â— and affect them more heartâ—â— than they did here Whence â—â—ey cordially wish and pray for 〈…〉 Progress in the way to True â—â—â—piness They are Glad when 〈…〉 do well are Sorry if their 〈◊〉 would permit it when we Sin at least have â—…cidental Joy than they would have had if 〈…〉 liv'd virtuously Which Propension 〈…〉 Natural or Acquir'd here is exceedingâ—â— enhanced by true Charity in which Best of â—…ues they do now abound more than we are 〈◊〉 to conceive They take it kindly that we 〈◊〉 for the Consummation of their Bliss and â—â—â— the Coming of Christ's Kingdom when the New Hierusalem the Church Militant and Triumphant joyn'd in one Body shall without the least spot or wrinkle of Vice or Imperfection and Adorn'd with the Lustrous Gems of the Purest Virtues descend from Heaven like a Bride to meet her Spouse and Saviour They require our Devout Wishes with their Powerful Prayers Particularly they rejoyce at any Good of ours to which themselves have been Instrumental The same Joy have all those B. Saints Apostles Martyrs Confessors Virgins and with them the Holy Angels also when we keep their Festivals to the end that we may Honour their Virtues follow their Instructions imitate their Holy Lives obsequiously comply with their good Inspirations Repent our Sins and improve in Virtue The same do those Good Souls departed in an Inferiour â—â—gree of Grace who as most hold need our Prayers and Oblations They are glad and have Ease and Refreshment by knowing that we have not forgot them as Worldlings do who love for petty ends but that we dutifully and charitably remember to pray for their Deliverance and Final Happiness By which Doctrine we see how that Article of our Creed the Communion of Saints is explicated maintain'd and shown agreeable to Reason by Metaphysical Principles Nay even the Damned in Hell retain a Natural Affecâ—â—â—â— for their surviving Friends and Relations as appears by Dives his Request to Abraham that he would send to warn his Brethren to beware â—â— coming into his place of Torment 34. It may be thought that all these Particuâ—â—rs are said gratis because to That each Particular Deduced here is Demonstrable by the Principles laid formerly Shown by repeating those Principles avoid Prolixity I have not apply'd each of them to it 's Proper â—inciples But if it shall please any â—â—ponent to challenge me with â—â—y Flaw in this Discourse or â—â—etend to show that they are â—â—t well-grounded I shall not â—â—ubt but to demonstrate them from the Prinâ—â—â—les already fore-laid and fore-prov'd viz. That our Soul is Immortal That when out of the â—ody she is a Pure Act and of a Superiour nature 〈◊〉 Body That in that State she knows all Natural 〈◊〉 and is Unchangeable That she remains 〈…〉 the same Affections which she had in her 〈…〉 were unretracted when the Man died 〈…〉 that they are most exceedingly heighten'd 〈…〉 State of Separation Lastly That those â—…violent Affections and Unretractable in that 〈…〉 have conformable Effects issuing from them 〈…〉 â—eavenly Joy Hellish Sorrow or penallyâ—…â—â—ded Hope 35. Corollary XII From this whole Discourse is naturally and necessarily deduc'd Wherefore there is not the least Thâ—ught Word or Action Good or Bad which we ever had or did in this Life but will have it â— Corsequent and Proper Effect Adjusted and Proportion'd to it in the Next this Corollary as a Summary of all that has been said hitherto
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
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
Transnatural Philosophy OR METAPHYSICKS Demonstrating the Essences and Operations of all BEINGS whatever which gives the Principles to all other Sciences AND Shewing the Perfect Conformity of Christian Faith to Right Reason and the Unreasonableness of Atheists Deists Anti-trinitarians and other Sectaries With an Appendix Giving a Rational Explication of the Mystery of the most B. TRINITY By I. S. LONDON Printed by the Author Sold by D. Brown at the Swan and Bible without Temple-Bar Abel Roper at the Black Boy Fleet street and Tho. Metcalf in Drury-Lane 1700. To the Right Honourable JAMES Lord Drummond MY LORD DID I think that the Present I here make Your Lordship needed any Man's Patronage to set it off I should instead of doing You an Honour disparage Your good Judgment by such an Address TRUTH is of Another Kind of Mettal than that Rich Oar which Avaricious Worldlings dig out of the Bowels of the Earth Her Worth is wholly Intrinsick nor can she owe any part of Her Valuableness to the Face of a Heroe or a Caesar stampt upon her to make her more Current and Authentick and it would argue she wanted Worth should she beg it 'T is her Prerogative never to go out of her self Nor does this Restrain or Imprison but Enlarge her The whole Vast Extent of BEING is her Ordinary Purlew and within the Precincts of her far-stretcht Jurisdiction Tho' her Steps are Steady and Wary yet she ranges over All Nature Her Unconsined Progress takes it's Rise and starts from Principles Sciences are her Stages whence she makes Excursions into Endless and Numberless Conclusions Nor does she content her self much less affect to walk on even Ground The Paths she treads are all up-hill and she knows no Resting-place in her long Ascending Journey till she settles her self in the Clear Contemplation of the FIRST BEING These Considerations will make it seem very Improper for a Man who professes to regard nothing but the Promoting of TRUTH to Preface his Book with a Dedicatory which in the Common Opinion of the World makes a Show of courting a Patronage I do once more assure Your Lordship this was not my Aim For no Man can patronize Errour and Truth needs no Man's good Word or Authority to abet her Not all the Power of Alexanders or Caesars can make a Bad Proof conclude nor hinder the Consequence of a True Demonstration Arguments grounded on Evident Principles are of such a Stiff and Sullen Nature that they can neither how out of Respect nor fawn out of Complement nor shake out of Awe or Fear Since then Applications of this Nature can no Ways advantage my Cause what Excuse can I make to the World why I am so Inconsistent with my Profession or why I would needs do such a needless thing as to Particularize to Your self what I had intended for the Common Good of all my Learned Readers 'T is Natural my Lord for us all when we apprehend some sinister Imputation to lay the Blame on others and 't is Honest too when those Others are really the Cause or Occasion of our incurring that Censure Pardon me then my Lord if to save my self Harmless I lay the Good Fault at Your door and openly declare that 't is none but Your self who has made me Guilty of this odd Singularity Had there been nothing in Your Lordship above the Common the Common should have taken my Book among them without any Restriction Had there been no Particular Qualification in Your Lordship which Distinguisht and Signaliz'd You my Indifferency had yet remain'd Undetermin'd This Specialty in Your Lordship if I can with Truth make out and prove to the World and under Favour to Your own face too and that 't is of such a Nature as became Me to take Notice of it my Credit is acquitted and Your Lordship must answer for it I believe Your Lordship is not aware Your self what this Distinctive Mark is which could oblige a Man in my Station to single You out thus from Your Peers I will take leave then to make my Approaches to the telling the World what it is by acquainting them first what it is not Were my Talent Heraldry I would then blazon in the best colours the Antiquity of Your Noble Family how it came first into Scotland with St. Margaret the then Queen I would lay open the Royal Alliances of it by the Marriage of the Lady Annabel Drummond with Robert the Third King of Scots how from Her by the Mother's Side descended the Family of the STUARTS who in a long Succession Raign'd in Scotland and afterwards in England too By which means some of the Royal Blood of those Great Monarchs was deriv'd from that of the DRUMMONDS and by consequence is Ally'd to that which circulates now in Your Lordship's Veins Were I skill'd in such matters I could with Truth declare how far your Lordship outstript all your Equalls in those Exercises in which Noble Gentlemen use to be train'd up to that Degree of Skill and Vigour that whereas You came thither as a Learner You arriv'd in a short time to the pitch of a Master I could add were my Profession Souldiery what Bravoure Your Lordship shew'd in War even in the Bud of your Youth and how You durst even then look Danger in the Face with an Undaunted Courage I could recount your Travells thro' the most polite Nations of Europe culling out of each all that 's Commendable and conduces to accomplish a Personage of your Rank and leaving behind you whatever was Unworthy and Misbecoming I could out of a fair Experience dilate upon your Noble and Civil Deportment which claims at once a High Respect and wins the Love of all that Converse with you Know You How the native Sweetness of your Genius secures you from having any Enemies and the Greatness of your Mind from fearing them Lastly how your Friendly Affability and Unpretended Courtesy is neither deprest by mean Condescensions nor rais'd above its just Level by the least Disrespectful Height Which make up a Mixture so Charming that 't is impossible to know you and not pay you the double Duties of Esteem and Love All these are very great Embellishments to your High Extraction and make a great Esclat in the Eye of the Generality of well-bred Persons But what are all these to Mee whose sole Addiction is to pursue Truth and to bend the whole Intention of my Mind to promote that Best and in comparison only valuable End Tho' the Lustre of these do burnish Honour and is so Conspicuous and Bright in you that it casts a shadow on others of your Quality and Age yet these were not my Chief Motive why I give this Book a particular Reference to your Lordship No my Ld. there is another piece of your Character left yet untoucht which in my Esteem excells all these which is that you are a Hearty and Sincere Lover of Truth 'T is This 't is This my Ld. which gives you
annexâ— in all Creatures have Transferr'd it to GOD and â—â— it had been not Injurious but Serviceable to the Explication of that Mystery But he having in his Eye the words of some Scholasâ—icâ—s who fail'd of thus Distinguishing it and besides did not explain it Literally but call'd it in a Metaphorical Expression Supporter of the Accidents had good reason to say that such a Notion of Substance no farther nor better explicated was very Obscure especially if they made it a kind of Entity supporting other feebler Entities as some of them did IX Now to supply their defect and give the Literal Meaning of that Metaphorical Word Supporting the onely good Sense can be made of it is clearly This. The Proper and Precise Notion of Substance as 't is Distinguish from all other Abstracted or Inadequate Notions we make of a Thing or Individuum is This that it is Capable of Existing which as 't is thus Conceiv'd is its Definition Whereas let us Define Quantity Quality Relation c. We find that they do not at all imply in their Notion that is in the precise Signification of those Words any Capacity of Being at all as did the Other most expresly but of Modifying or Determining after their several Ways the Thing which is Capable of Being because in our Mind we must first conceive the Thing Capable to Bee ere we can conceive it Capable to be Modify'd Since then we see Accidents are and yet out of their own precise Notion are not Capable to bee they must be conceiv'd to Bee by Virtue of the Notion of Substance which is of its own Notion or as signify'd by that Word Capable of Being whence they are said by a Metaphorical Expression to be Supported in Being by Substance Which also is the true Sense of those Sayings Accidentis Essentia est Inhaerentia Accidentis Existentia est Inexistentia and such like which sutes with the Natural Notions of Substance and Accidents both if Bad Art does not make Disagreement between them Whence 't is to be noted that this Supporting here explicated must signifie the Priority and Dependence one Notion has to the other in our Minds or which is the same which the Thing as thus Conceiv'd has to the same Thing as otherwise Conceiv'd there being a Natural Order or Priority of one Notion to Another in our Mind and consequently a Dependence on one another for to think there is a Priority or Dependence on one another in re as two Things in Nature of which one is Stronger the other Feebler which I doubt too many led by the Sound of Words imagin is most ridiculous Nonsence Unity or indivision within its self is the Property of every Ens or Individual Thing and therefore it remains as in its self One or Undivided till our Understanding comes to divide it after its Fashion into more Formal or as we call them Metaphysical Parts by her Abstractive Way of Conceiving it by Inadequate Notions For Answer to the Third Objection I refer my Reader to the Close of my last Reflexion in Solid Philosophy Asserted where this Objection is Clear'd even to the Weakest Understanding X. Lastly as to the pretended Uselesness of Metaphysicks I cannot but admire at the short Speculation of those who object it Is it of no Use to settle all the First Principles of our Understanding without which as I have Demonstrated in my Non ultra we could know nothing Is it of no Use to acquaint us with the Essences of all Beings whence proceed all the Common sorts of their several Operations And to give us amongst the rest the Essence of Man and consequently shew what Actions are becoming or misbecoming a Being of such a Nature Is it to no Use or Purpose to Demonstrate the Immortality of the Soul a Tenet upon which all Religion depends How it will fare with her when she is Separated from the Body or What Dispositions in her when the Man dies will make her Eternally Happy or most Miserable Is it of no Use to Christian Life or the Good of our Neighbour to stand up for God's Honour and preserve others from the damnable Tenet of Atheism by Demonstrating that there is a Great GOD who governs the World who is All-powerful and Infinitely Iust Good Merciful c. Is it of no Use to demonstrate the Existence Essence and Operations of Angels and how by their Means and the Virtue of other Second Causes GOD's Wisdom administers the World in the Best and most Providential manner and that therefore Things are not Govern'd by Chance nor by the Stoical Fatality Lastly is it of no Use to explicate the Mystery of the most B. Trinity and other Articles of Christian Faith so clearly as to show they are perfectly Agreeable to our Natural Notions and to all the Maxims of True Reason which wipes off the Scandal with which Atheists Deists and Anti-trinitatians bespatter them as Perfect Contradictions and meer Nonsense on the Verity of which Tenets as will be shown depend all the most Effectual motives to Raise Mankind to Heaven and dispose them for Eternal Happiness in Explicating and Defending which Fundamental Articles of Christian Faith Metaphysicks has the Chief Hand Certainly if these things be of no Use it may certainly be concluded that no part of Knowledge Theology excepted which also depends in great part on Metaphysicks is Useful But these Objectors discourse as if there were no Use at all to be made of any Science or Art whatever but of Handicrafts Agriculture and such like As if they had forgot there was any such Thing as Virtue Truth Religion Faith Soul Salvation or even GOD Himself that deserves to be heeded or regarded To obviate this Calumny I have added Meditations at the End of each Chapter to show as the Matter would bear how Applicable and Useful the foregoing Speculations are to the Improvement of our Mind in Virtue And I hope I may without Immodesty say thus much for my Metaphysicks that there never was yet any Speculative Piece written that makes Reason more Subservient to Faith nor Philosophy more serviceable to True Divinity than it does I wish the Example may propogate to others XI But let us suppose that all this which is plainly shewn to the Reader 's Eye were False and that there were no other Good in the Study of Mâ—… physicks but the Enriching our Minds with Multitudes of High Solid Truths would not this Alone be sufficient to make every Considerate Man apply his Thoughts to that Noblest Science even tho' it had no farther Effects nor any Exteriour Use to be made of it What is there of more Use than the Mathematicks And yet Plutarch tells us in the Life of Marcellus that Plato was offended with those who did corrupt and disgrace as he judged the Noble and Excellent Science of Geometry by making it descend to the contriving Engines in which the Base and Vile Handy-work of Man was to be Employ'd And
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
Corrupted Much less in Man or totally Disabled that are necessary for Ratiocination which is the Primary Operation of his Species Man 24. Hence the Individuality of a Simple Body or Element if there be any such now would be alter'd if the Degree of Rarity When the Individuation is lost in Simple Bodies and Density be so notably chang'd that a vastly different Operation follows from it and that the Subject which is thought to succeed does enjoy that Degree not meerly successively or in transitu but with some kind of Constancy or for some time so that it will not be immediately reduced to it's former state by Natural Causes For in this case that Degree alters the Species it self of the Simple Body as is shown Ch. 2. § 21. and consequently the Individuation 25. Hence the Individuality of First-Mixt Bodies is lost when they are dissolv'd into Simple Bodies because When in First-Mixt Bodies this changes the Specifick Nature of a Mixt. See Ch 3. § 2 3 4. 26. Hence Demixts are Individually Chang'd when the Proportion of the First-Mixts is alter'd to a high Degree When in Demixts and continues so with some Constancy See Ch. 3. § 7 8. 27. Simple Division if perfectly such takes away the Individual Unity in Homogeneous Bodies For since When in Homogeneous Bodies to Divide is to make more of oâ—â— and what divides the Thing or Individuum as 't is an Ens divides it as 't is Unâ—â— and therefore takes away it's Unity and on the other side since Homogeneous Bodies are such that each part of them does according to it's pitch perform the same kind of Primary Operation It follows that meer Division if it be perfected takes away the Individual Unity Again since neither part of the Divided Body is by Division annihilated each of them after Division â—s Capable of Existence and consequently they being made Two at least by Division they become duo Entia and since they can and do exist Two Individuums 28. Yet meer Division does not necessarily alter the Divided Individuum essentially if it be very Heterogeneous When in very Heterogeneous or Organical Bodies â—â— Organical For since the former Individuum is in that case if not always under such a Species aâ— is Constituted by such a Complexion of Accidents as fits it for it's Primary Operation and the Individuum has moreover a peculiar Complexion of it's own both which being Essential to them they must consequently continue essentially the same while the same Formal Constituent remains because it is still Capable to perform the Substance of it's former Operation It follows that the former Individuum and Species too must continue unless the Division is such that it destroys the said Complexion which as was shown Ch. 2. § 16. and here § 9. is their Essential Form Wherefore the former Individuum is in these only chang'd Accidentally that is â—oses only some virtuality or potentiality of it's Matter some part of it's Quantity or some Qualities immediately affecting that part which is taken from it none of which are Essential to it and these Accidents which the Matter of that part had formerly being sufficient to Determine the Matter of which a New Individuum is made that Matter is so dispos'd before-hand that there needed little but to put it out of the condition of being any longer a Port to fit it for Existence 29. Two contra-distinct Natures may very connaturally if things be well order'd compound One Individual Two contradistinct Natures may Compound One Thing Ens or One Thing And therefore the Soul and Body may make up that One Thing call'd A Man For there can be no doubt but that Things of the most opposite Natures can and do perfectly agree in the Common Generical Notion of Thing and that therefore all their Disagreement Opposition and Inconsistency does spring from their Differences or that we may bring the Discourse from Logical to Metaphysical Language from the Act from which only and not from the Power all Distinction and consequently Contradistinction comes Wherefore when there are not two Distinct Substantial Acts in the Compound as there is in Hirco-ceruus and other Chimera's nothing can hinder their Coalition into One Thing On the other side since there can be no difficulty for the Proper Parts of any Compound to make up One Whole and it has been shown Chap. 1. § 17 18. that the Proper Parts of a Compound Ens as such are Power and Act 't is Clear that there are not more Contradistinct Acts in such an Ens. Wherefore if the Matter or Power on the Body's side can by the Author of Nature be so dispos'd as to require a Form of a Spiritual Nature the Bodily Part will thence become the Proper Matter of that Compound Ens and that Spiritual Nature will be the Proper Act or Form of such a Body and this verè essentialiter as the Council of Vienna has defin'd and so both together will friendly conspire to make up that One Ent call'd a Man The main difficulty then objected is quite taken away and superseded For since only Two Substantial Acts can distinguish and multiply Entia or Things and here is but One Act determining the Power or Matter to This Entity and consequently to Unity under the notion of Thing 't is demonstrable by a Metaphysical Argument as it was Ch. 4. § 1. by a Logical one that Man made up according to this Doctrine of Soul and Body is most truly and properly One Thing as much as any other Natural Compound whatever and not Two Things This Discourse supposes there can be some Dispâ—â—â—ion in a Body requiring a Form which is not educible out of the Power or Matter by Natural Causes Of which see Ch. 4. especially § 10. and the Preliminary there cited 30. There is no show of Impossibility why the Divine and the Human Nature may not join in one Suppositum And the Human Na ture may subsist in the Divine Suppositum or rather why the Human Nature may not subsist in a Divine Person For since an Infinite Being as the Divine Nature iâ— has eminently in it's self all the Perfections belonging to Being of which as was shown above Coroll 6. Subsistence or Standing alone by it's own virtue is one and consequently it can supply by it self immediately any such Perfection so it does not induce any Imperfection in GOD only which can render it impossible it follows that Humane Nature may be made to subsist in a Divine Suppositum provided it draws not after it any Imperfection or Unbecomingness Unworthy of GOD which cannot be said in this case For to communicate or impart it's Subsistence or Personality to another is most Agreeable to an Infinite Goodness when his Wisdom sees it most fit and most Necessary for the Good of a very considerable Portion of the Creation Nor does this put the least degree of Potentiality or Imperfection in the Divine
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
of that Saying of the Schools Accidentis Essentia est Inhaerentia And the Notion of Thing or as the Schools call it Substance being That which is Capable of Being or which is the same a Power to Existence It follows that the Notion of Thing relates to its Act Existence and that the Ens or Substance which is Capable to be or is the Power to be does respect it as such Whence follows that Existence has no Respect at all in the Line of Ens to any other Notion whatever that perfects it there being none more Actual than it self is nor has it any Reference or Order to any thing but to GOD our Creatour who is the Immediate Cause of it on whom only it depends and whom only of all our Natural Notions for it's Indivisibility Simplicity and Actuality it most resembles From which Discourse 't is clearly seen that Existence or Actual Being is the only Absolute Notion we have and that all the rest either Immediately as Ens or Mediately as the Modes of Ens or Accidents are Respective to It. To begin then with the only Absolute Notion Existence I argue thus 7. Demonstration VI. That Subject is Indivisible or Immaterial that has Objects in her which are every way Indivisible by § 1. But the Soul when she has in her Dem. VI. Because she has the No tion of Existence in her which is every way Indivisible the abstract Notion of Existence has an Object in her which is every way Indivisible Therefore the Soul it self is Indivisible or Immaterial That the Soul has the Notion of Existence in her is Evident by Experience for we know nay cannot but know that we have the Notion of what 's meant by the word is since without this we could neither Affirm nor Deny And 't is farther Demonstrable because the Soul has no Notion at all in it but tâ—â—o ' it or in Order to it For the Ens or Thing with all it's Complexion of Modes in it which constitute the Individuum is no more formally but a meer Power to Existence and every Power is nothing but a kind of Order Degree or Step towards it's Act nay 't is so Confus'd a Notion staying in the Notion of meer Power that 't is no way Distinctly Intelligible without some Order to the Act from which all Distinct Knowledge in our Mind proceeds And that the Notion of this most Distinct and most Perfect Act call'd Existence is every way Indivisible is Evident For it cannot be Divisible Quantitatively or Physically that is Materially since all such Division is done by way of Local Motion that is by Degrees or Part after Part whereas there are no Degrees or Part after Part in the Notion of meet Existence We no sooner alter the Actual Being of a Thing but we destroy it and make it not-bee Nor is there any Middling or Gradual passage from the one to the other it being impossible a Thing should half-be half-not-be or which is the same neither be nor not bee Again even in Material Things Existence presupposes all the Matter Quantity and the Complexion of all the Modes which constituted the Individuum nay it presupposes too all the Motions that anteceded and terminated the precedent Operation of Natural Agents which caus'd the perfect Determination of the Matter or Power to be This Thing which fitted it for Existence and fixt the Thing in Actual Being as is shown above Ch. 5. § 16. Nor is the Notion or Nature of Existence Divisible Metaphysically by our framing different Conceptions of it as we do of other Objects for being in it's self most Simple 't is impossible it should afford us Ground to make different Notions of it as appears by this that No Wit of Man can invent or assign a Genus or a Difference for it nor consequently resolve it into Metaphysical Parts by Defining it Therefore the Notion of Existence is every way Indivisible and consequently it 's Subject the SOUL is also Indivisible and Immaterial 8. We come now to consider those Notions which are Respective Which directs That the Soul has Actual Respects in her us in the first place to reâ—â—ect what a Respect in common means or is and whether it can be any Material Thing or Mode of Thing or can be represented by a Material Similitude A Respect then is an Order Reference or a kind of Alliance which one Thing or Mode has to another Now who sees not that such a thing as Respect is not to be found nor has any place in Material Nature There are nothing in the Material World but such and such Individual Bodies each of which has it's own Distinct Complexion of Accidents by which it is aparted and Distinguisht from all others is Independent on them and enjoys it 's proper Existence and Subsistence Each stands on it's own Bottom without having any thing to do with any other Whence comes then this General Nature as it wâ—re of being Respective to others which we observe is found in all the Notions which belong to all the last Nine Predicaments It is certain that all our Notions except that of Existence are of this Respective Nature as appears by all their Definitions The Modes or Accidents do respect the Thing or Substance as a kind of Form which makes it be such or of such â— Manner as they are apt to determine and denominate it and the Thing is Capable to Exist and so respects Existence as it's Act or Perfection But tho' we run over the whole Beadroll of Individuums in the world we find nothing in any of them which answers to the word Respect Each Thing is what it is and it's Accidents or Modes are the Accidents of that Thing and of no other or respect no other Thing but that which is their Proper Subject And there are in Nature nothing but particular Substances and their Accidents nor have we except the Absolute Notion of Existence any other Natural Notions There is indeed found in them what grounds or gives the Reason why they should be Referr'd to another or respect it when they are put together in a Comparing Power But where is this Reasoning Faculty or Comparing Power found in Matter by which we consider build upon and make use of this Ground or Reason or which is Attentive to lay hold of this Reason why it ought to be Referr'd and make Things actually respect one another and thence actually denominate them Genera or Species Predicate or Subject Inherent that is Dependent for their Being or Independent which we call Subsistent This Notion of Actual Respect then is not to be found in any of the Lordships Territories or Purlews of Material Nature Hence I argue 9. That Subject which has Affections or Determinations in her which are no where found in Matter is Immaterial This Demonstration enforced But the Soul is the Subject of such Operations or Affections viz. Actual Respects Therefore the Soul is Immaterial 10.
of this Great and most Important Trâ—â— How Unreasonable then and Unnatural would it â—â— in us not to bestow our Chief if not Only carâ— â—â— provide for the Eternal Welfare of our Soul which â—â— so Precious in it self and so neerly ally'd to Us tâ—â— 't is a Part and by far the Best Part of this Thing â—â— are call'd Man What will it profit a Man sayâ—â— who is the Eternal Wisdom to gain the Whoâ—â— World and lose his own Soul How Senseless â—â— Foolish must we appear in the Sight of GOD and â—â— Angels â—o prefer the Conveniencies of this Momeâ—tary Life for all Time could we live while it lâ—st is but a Moment to the Endless Duration of a Spirâ—â— before the Mâ—ans to live Eternally Happy in the Oâ—â—â—â— How Vile to enslave our Affections here to Riches â—â—â—â—oâ—eal Pleasures or Airy Honour which are so inâ—â—itely below us being indeed nothing but Shining Clay well figur'd and colour'd Earth and Articulate Air which are perhaps the Basest of all Material Beings What Generous heart if not infatuated even to Madness would so debase his Dignity as to subject himself and all his dearest Concerns to his Underling or Slave and such a Slave as will certainly ruin him by his over-kind Condescendency Knowledge and Virtue are the Only True and the â—â—â—t Perfections of our Soul while she is in the Way to her Last End Whence we may be Certain they â—â—â— Agreeable to her Nature The Increase in these gives her Growth and Strength and consequently must advance her towards the Right End for which Nature ordain'd her Whereas what 's made of this corruptible Trash Matter must needs depress â—er High-born Nature and disgrace her Extraction â—â—deed those Material Creatures may by our Sober â—se of them serve as Drudges to assist our other Compâ—rt the Body with necessary Conveniencies They may also be a means to raise the Soul to the Knowledge of her self and her Great Maker but â—f we affect them farther than as they are subservient to those Laudable Ends we shall put the Order of the Creation out of it's Frame and Irrational Love especially if Excessive being a perfect Slavery we shall invert the Gradual Series of Beings of which the world consists turn the Climax of Causes with the â—eels upwards and make our Soul servilely truckle to those Despicable things which were made to do her Homage Lest our Fancy not much assisting our Memory in things above us we may forget what we lately demonstrated of how Our former Demonstrations for the Immortality of our Soul summ'd up and Recapitulated surpassing an Excellency and how Refin'd a perfection of Being our Soul is above this Dross of Matter of which our Bodies are â—neaded let us review once more the Product of some of our most Attentive and Deliberate Thoughts We have seen it clearly Demonstrated that our Soul's Capacity which is of Knowledge contrary to the Nature of Material Containers is Infinite Whence she is so far from being fill'd by the accession of such Objects as this Material World can afford her that even now while here they serve but to enlarge her said Capacity that is to encrease â—er Thirst of knowing still more From which follows that in her future State when she is all Mind and constantly and most eagerly Attentive and addicted to her only Natural Perfection Knowledge she will being then a Pure Act and operating accordingly strain her incredible Activity to attain the Sight of the First Cause of all things and to know what he is in himself and thence must remain ever in a vehement Longing and Tormenting Dissatisfaction unless she attain that only Soul-satiating Contemplation of Him who is Infinite Truth and the First Cause of all those Created Effects the Knowledge of which transported her with such an Insatiable Desire of seeing him We have seen that as the Purest and most Refined Gold cannot incorporate with Dust the Natures or Qualities of Corporeal Beings when in thy Knowing Power cannot mingle with thy Purer and Nobler Essence nor as Proper and Connatural Affections do use alter it or bring it to their Nature But they stand aloof from it and tho' they be in thee yet they keep their Distance and contrary to the Genius of Corporeal Modes they are there â—s Objects that is as Other Things or as Distinct from thee We have shown that by our Apprehending what Existence or Actual Being is which 't is Evident we do since we know the Meaning of those words thou hast the Nature of Existence in thy Knowledge that is in thy self which is impossible to be shadow'd or represented but only in a Spiritual Mirrour Nay by having what 's meant by the word Existence in thee which Abstracts from all Limited or Particular Manners or Degrees of it thou hast in thee the Nature of Existence in Common or in it's whole Latitude Unconfin'd to this or that Subject which demonstrates that thy Nature is Capable to comprehend the whole Creation and to see clearly even that Soveraign Being it self whose Nature is Unconfin'd or Infinite Existence We have seen by thy framing Respects of one thing to another that thou hast in thee a Power of Ordering them and consequently the Nature of that Order it self whereas there is nothing in the Material World but so many Singulars each of which is ultimately Determin'd by it's Individuating Principles and therefore is Independent and Absolute in it self without the least Reference or Actual Respect to one another We have seen clearly demonstrated that thy Essâ—â—ce is Superiour in the Line of Being to the whole â—â—ture of Continu'd Quantity tho' stretcht out to the vast Expansion of the Heavens and even as far as the World's Surface and that thy Knowing Power is able to fathom it all without straining it's Capacity beyond it's reach We have seen also how it is capacious enough to contain the whole Nature of Discrete Quantity tho' it fills all those Boundless Rooms in the Long Row of Number algebraically repeated All those short Items of particular Times and Places summ'd up into one Total are compriz'd and writ in short hand in thy Indivisible Essence The whole Progress of Motion and Time and it 's Untraceable Antiquity from the First Winding up the Clock of Nature till it's Line is run out at the World's last Period when the sick Tapour of dying Nature and the Eye of the World the Sun shall begin to wink and become bloodshot till 't is darken'd and Extinguisht All this Long Race of Time I say is far too short to be commensurated with thy Essence and Duration The Former sort of Quantity is but as it were a Point the later but an Instant when resum'd after an Indivisible manner in thy Comprehensive Being All the Permanent parts of the one are in Thee without the least Extension or Distance and all the Succeeding Parts of the Other whether Past or Future when vested with thy manner
of Being amount but to one still-Present Now. Nor can this seem Incredible to any Christian since we all hold that Spiritual Natures are Capable of seeing GOD's Essence as in it self which as is Undeniable infinitely surmounts all the whole Machine of this Material World We have seen that all Physical Qualities do enjoy when in thee another manner of Being and affect Thee their Subject after a quite different way from what they had when they were in Material Nature The most Opposite ones which are perpetually contrasting and restlessly striving to expell one another do by thy Soveraign Power remain at peace in thy Steady Essence which is of 〈…〉 High a Dignity to be mov'd or disturb'd by their Petty Quarrels We have seen that thy Abstracting Power can â—…de these Lower Beings more Subtilly than can the Operation of Fire or any Chymistry of Nature assisted by Art and can take in pieces their very Essences and the Essences of their several Modes by cutting them into their Metaphysical Parts which are too delicate for our Bodily Sight tho' assisted with the best Microscopes to discern or make Observations how they differ Each of which Parts too tho' naturally Impartible have a Distinct Being given by Thee and can be wrought upon by thy Understanding as if they were so many Wholes and this with that most perfect Distinction that they do not in the least interfere in thee tho' they â—â—â— All of them confusedly blended as they stand in Rude and Unpolisht Matter We have seen how by the cement of Existence exprest by the short Monosyllable is thou dost iâ— thy Comparing Power the Laboratory where Truths are fram'd re-connect those thus-divided Parts into Propositions and this with an Union so Close that 't is absolutely Indissoluble by the utmost Force of all the Causes in Nature Nay that thy Spiritual Essence can in some manner Create by giving a kind of Being in Thee to Not-Beings or Nothings In a word we have seen that all the whole Material World and every Part of it that ever came to thy Knowledge do enjoy a New sort of Being in Thee and such a one as is contradictorily Opposite to the Being they had in their Material State All these high Prerogatives dilating thy Essence and Duration to a kind of Infinity above this Narrow World we The most Important Use we ought to make of this Doctrin That our Soul is Immortal have found clearly to be no more but thy Just Due however Unreflecting Atheists whose groveling Souls immerst in Matter cannot or will not raise themselves above Fancy do use their misemploy'd Foolish Wit as the World calls it to devest themselves of their own Dignity and like so many worst Feloes de se by maintaining their Soul is Mortal do give themselves to be Guilty of Eternal Death or which is worse than Death of Annihilation by granting their Souls incapable of Surviving But let us to whom the Providence of our Good Makeâ— has indulg'd these Clear Informations make oâ—â— Right Use of them Since these are Great Truths let Truth have it's Due Effects 'T is so Gross at Errour that it is below Confute to imagine that any Truth is an Idle and Fruitless Speculatiâ—â— The Knowledge of Truth in Particular things does of it's own Nature tend to direct our Outward Actions and Universal Truths such as these are do naturally conduce to enlarge our Soul raise â—â— to High Contemplation and to breed in us Conformable Affections Since then we have the best â—…rance Clear Demonstration can give us that this Material World is below our Essence 't is most fit we should esteem it to be also below our most Serious Thoughts and our Best Affections Let us â—â—ancipate our selves then from the Slavish Adoration with which Worldlings devote themselves to that Dull and Senseless Idol And seeing Evident Reason has perfectly convinced us there is no shadow of Likelihood that our Soul is Mortal let us bend all â—â—â— carefullest Endeavours to provide she may be Happy in her Eternal State when she comes to be â—â—â—â—â—dg'd from her terrene habitation and has got clear of her Body and this World nay is got above it which is the only True Wisdom To the Consideration of which State of hers we advance in our next Discourse Transnatural Philosophy OR METAPHYSICKS BOOK II. Of PURE ACTS VIZ. Of the SOUL SEPARATED and ANGELS CHAP. I. Of the State of the Soul Separated from the Body and what Dispositions in her when the Man Dies will make her Eternally Happy or Miserable 1. THE Soul does at her Separation The Soul at her Separation receives some Change according to her Manner of Existing and Suppositality receive from GOD as he is the Author of Nature some Change according to her Existence and her Subsistence or Suppositality For since in her former State of Union with her Body she was the Form of that Body and therefore Form and Matter being the Parts of every Compound Ens only a Part of Man and a Part of an Ens is not an Ens or Individuum nor consequently capable of Existing much less of Subsisting which as is shown above B. 1. Chap. 5. § 17. superadds some Perfection to the Notion of Existence It follows that seeing the same Soul when separated from the Body she being by Book 1. Chap. 7. Immortal does Exist and also Subsist in regard she Sustains her own Nature and as will be prov'd shortly her Modes too she must be made apt to Exist and Subsist which she was not while in her former State that is she must be Chang'd according to those Considerations or Respects and made an Existent and Subsistent Thing and consequently a Kind of Suppositum And that it belongs to GOD as he is the First Cause to give the Soul this highest Perfection of Being is hence demonstrated For it belongs to an Infinite Actuality or an Infinite Goodness to give to his Creatures all the Goodness and Natural Perfections they are capable to receive especially such as the very Nature he has given them makes them require Now 't is evident that the Nature of the Soul she being Immortal is capable of and requires still to Exist and also to Subsist and be a Suppositum because she had while in the Body Power to have in her as in their Subject that is to Sustain or be the Suppositum of innumerable Accidents Notions or Knowledges which they being Spiritual or Indivisible could not be received in a Divisible Subject the Corporeal part of Man and therefore could only be peculiarly in Her Whence it follows that since 〈◊〉 Ordain'd the Dissolution of the Man or the 〈◊〉 Separation from the Body and had also mâ—de the Soul Immortal it became His Goodness to give her when separated Existence which her Immortal Nature requir'd and also the Power of Subsisting and of being the Subject or Suppositum of those Accidents â— How this is done we may learn by this
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
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
of them of the same high Excellency since upon that Motion given by them every single Action of all the Bodies throughout the vast Regions which those Luminaries do enlighten and influence does wholly depend 29. From the Unchangeable Nature of a Pure Act or an Angel which we have Demonstrated above 't is The Lower Angels receiv'd Intellectual Light from the Superiour in the same Instant they were Created evidently Deduced that whatever Intellectual Light the Inferiour Angels did as was most Requisit and Fit receive from the Superiour ones was imparted to them as soon as they were or was Co-aeve to their Being This is evident from the Immutability of a Pure Spirit and needs no farther Proof since if they had any thing a-new they must have been Chang'd 30. 'T is likewise Evident That since every Angel did comprehend all Material Nature and consequently every least circumstance of it they did from In what manner the Good Angels perform the Will of their Maker without New Instructions the very Creation as far as was on their part stand over Ready and Bent with their Will to act upon Matter in such precise junctures and in that very manner in which and according to which they knew they were by the Divine Appointment to exert their Active Power without needing any New Motive or any New Change fitting or Disposing them to act hic nunc This follows manifestly from the same Principle Wherefore the Resistance of one Angel to another and such like Expressions neither ought nor need be so interpreted as to a gue their Ignorance of what they were to do Defeat of their Intentions or Opposition to one anothers Will but in the plain obvious Sense as when we use to say I had gone about such a Business but that such Causes made me see it was impracticable or imprudent to attempt it or I could not come till it had done Raining So that it was a Natural Opposition as it were and not a Moral on which is between the Good Angels For Example The Angel of the Princâ— of Persia had a desire to do the Persians all the good he could it being his Province and Duty which was to keep the Iews there still by which means the Persians might better learn the Knowledge of the true GOD. And the Angel of the Iews desir'd to deliver them from Captivity that so they might serve GOD and observe the Law better in their own Country These were the particular Inclinations of each of them all other Considerations being Abstracted or set aside GOD had prefixt a determinate time of their Deliverance and of comforting Daniel in the Interim Both of them knew GOD's Will and submitted to it Yet the Angel of Persia acting for his Province and detaining the Iews till the prefixt time came was the reason why the Jewish Angel could not till that time came act for their Deliverance Whereas had there been another state of things and had not he obviated the particular propension of the Jewish Angel he had sooner assisted them and come to Daniel 31. From the Nature and Genius of Good and Bad Angels and from this consideration that GOD's Wisdom That GOD makes use of Holy Angels to procure our Good and of Bad ones to afflict and punish Mankind as His Divine Wisdom sees Fitting makes use of the properest Instruments to perform his Will we may conclude that as he orders the Good Angels to protect guide and inspire Pious Souls and procure their Good so he sends and orders Bad and Malignant Spirits his Executioners to inflict Punishments on Misdeservers to do which their inveterate Malice to Mankind gives them most eager Propensions As appears in the Disasters which befel Iob and may also be collected from Psalm 78. 45. Prov. 15. 11. Iudges 9. 23. and Kings 22. 22. and divers other Texts MEDITATION LET us now my Soul look down upon those Low and Despicable Essences from which we took our Rise and we shall see to what By what means Metaphysicks has rais'd our Thoughts above the Sordid Mass of Matter to contemplate the Aâ—gelical Nature an Unexpected Height we have climb'd Our Steps were indeed all the way Immediate yet it has cost us some panting Labour ere we could mount to the Superiour Region of Beings We have transcended our own Essence and wound our selves up by the Connected Chain of our Reason twisted of our Natural Notions as high as the Lower Story of Heaven and gain'd some Acquaintance with those Winged Inhabitants of it the ANGELS the Contemplation of whose Essences does confine next upon that of the Adorable DEITY it self We behold with Admiration those Bright Beings whose Understandings are guilded and beautify'd with Pure Rays of Intellectual The surpassing Excellency of their Intellectual Essences decipher'd Light streaming together with their Essence from the inexhausted Source and Luminary of all Knowledge Essential Truth Nay we can moreover take a Steady View of their Eminent Nature without those Astonishing Extasies which so surpris'd Daniel Esdras and the Eagle-ey'd Evangelist himself And notwithstanding we see them all over bespangled with the most glittering Truths yet our Eyes tho' weak are not dazled nor our Thoughts distracted with Fear and Horrour as were those others to whom they appear'd But 't is because we see them at distance thro' the Dull Optick of our Natural Speculation not neer at hand nor clad in those Majestick Resemblances which they put on when they were to represent the great King of Glory whose Embassadors they were Our Reason has ascertain'd us that there may and must be such Things as Pure Acts or ANGELS That being in the Climax of Entities Superiour to Bodies they do therefore Include and Comprehend in themselves after their manner that is Knowingly the very Essences of Bodies their Underlings That being depur'd from that Passive Principle Matter and withall being the Immediate Cause of all Motion and consequently of all Action in the Material World their Nature is in the highest manner Active whence they come necessarily to be endow'd with a Power to work upon Corporeal Nature which is essentially Passive and this with an Incredible Celerity Also that being free from the Alloy of Matter the Principle of all Mutability they are of their own Nature Unchangeable We have gain'd certain Light how they are to be distinguished into their several Ranks or Kinds and that those Lower Sorts of them which are employ'd in the managing Material Nature and procuring the Good of Mankind for whose sake the Corporeal World was made have as is most sitting Larger or Narrower Provinces assign'd them according to the Dignity and Excellency of their Essences to which their Power of Acting is proportion'd We have seen how consonant to Reason those passages of the Holy Scriptures are which deliver to us narratively many Actions done and Effects produced by those Administring Angels and how we are to understand divers Places there in which Sacred
Writers accommodate themselves to our Rude Fancies Tho' GOD's Wisdom has laid Means for our Natural Knowledges in the works of the Creation yet 't is below the Dignity of those Heaven-inspir'd Oracles to teach us literally such Truths as belong to Philosophy or to give Reasons for every particular they mention 'T is Unworthy the Majesty and Authority of the Divine Spirit that Endited them to instruct us Scientifically as if no Credit or Belief were to be given to his Word signify'd How Faith has antecedently enlightned our Reason and that 't is our Duty to Explicate and Defend it against the Empty Flourishes of the Drollish Renouncers of Faith and Reason both to us by such Authentick Instruments writ by his Immediate Commission 'T is Favour enough that he has been pleas'd to give us some Conclusions or acquaint us with some Theses of a higher Nature and to ascertain their Truth by engaging his Infallible Veracity and that by means of our Industrious Study he bestows upon us the Inferiour and more Familiar Light of Scientifical Knowledge to explicate those Truths by showing their Agreeableness to Evident Principles of Nature which the same GOD of Truth has also taught us tho' not so immediately that so we may comfort Faith and make it more Lively and Operative in our selves and others as also defend it against Opposers and confute by Solid Discourses the Fantastick Raillery of Ignorant Unbelievers who chuse rather to mistrust their own Natural Notions than assent to any thing that sutes not with their Imagination and are ready to renounce the best Productions of their Reason reflecting upon Principles than to allow any thing to Faith tho' the same Reason informs them by a thousand Instances that nothing is more Unreasonable than such a restiff humoursomeness So certain it is That No Man can be an Adversary to Faith but he must withal be an Enemy to True Science If any Man complains he is injur'd by this censure I 'll candidly tell him how he may clear himself Let him leave off his Witty Talk and Loose Drollery and laying first his Principles draw thence by Connected Discourses his Conclusions This Method will have force upon Humane Nature whereas when Truth is enquir'd after Raillery satisfies no Man of Sense nor pleases any but Gigglers But alas Their weak Cause forbids them any such Manly Procedure The very Attempting it will convince themselves if Candid that 't is impossible and impracticable and make them confess at least by their carriage and ill performance that they never follow'd the wise Conduct of True Reason but were deluded by the Folly of their Imagination But what Gratitude what Acknowledgments do we owe to those Blessed Spirits for their ever-watchful care over us for What Gratitude Love and Veneration we owe to those Blessed Ministring Spirits preventing our Heedlesness and want of Foresight from falling into a thousand Mischances for keeping us in all our ways Psal. 90. 11. For inspiring us with good Thoughts and pitching their Tents about us to defend us from the Assaults and Fiery Darts of our Ghostly Enemy What Respect ought we to show towards them for the Excellency rf their Nature and their High Station in the Created Universe What Veneration for their Purest Sanctity and for the Glory they enjoy by being Attendants in GOD's Empyreal Court and their seeing daily the Unvail'd and Blissful Face of our Father who is Heaven Mat. 18. 10. Let us then present them with our humble thanks for their Sollicitons care of us and their offering up the Incense of our Prayers in their Golden Censor at the Throne of Grace Rev. 8. 3 4 5. Our Good GOD who has commanded us to honour our Father and Mother and our Magistrates and to be Grateful to our Benefactors whom as Second Causes he has order'd to be Instrumental to our Good will not be offended that we honour his Holy Angels whom he has appointed to assist us in a more Soveraign manner both Temporally and Spiritually and who have a greater power over the World and all material Nature than Alexanders or Caesars Who can reflect upon those words told us by the mouth of our Saviour himself that the Angels do rejoice at the Repentance of a Sinner and not admire at such a disinteressed Goodness and Charity towards us poor Mortals and love honour and thank them for it Common Morality and Nature enjoyn us these Duties and what 's Agreeable to the Laws of Right Nature or Reason can never be opposite to Christianity which establishes and not dissolves those Laws Tho' they need not nor require those Duties at our hands yet we do nevertheless owe them Tho' they do neither more or less assist us whether we apply to them or neglect them yet our Obligation is not the less but rather more for their Love What Benefit we shall reap by keeping up a Spiritual Communication with them to us and such a Love as is not at all Selfish There is not such a Distance between the Church Militant and Triumphant as to render a Mutual and Spiritual Commerce between them Impracticable We are all of us Fellow Servants of the same Common Lord and have the same Head Christ Jesus Nor can Distance at all hinder the Communication of Spiritual Natures which are above the Limited Nature of Quantity They are truly and in a better manner Present with us while we are in their Thoughts which is all the Presence of which Spiritual Natures are Capable and we are really United Spiritually with them when we have the same Pious Affections with them They frequently conversed with Mankind under Visible Apparitions in the time of Moses his Law And tho' Better Ordinary Means be now allow'd and therefore such Extraordinary Favours need not be so Frequent yet this is no reason to neglect an Invisible or Spiritual Communication with them Especially since it is our Interest and Benefit to caltivate it by considering their Happy State their Obedience to the Divine Will and their Diligent and Charitable Concern for us They are as Pure in their Morals from Sin as they are in their Naturals from Matter and they purifie and spiritualize our Souls while our Understandings and Wills are employ'd in thinking on such Holy and Pure Objects Our Soul takes a Tincture and a kind of Nature as it is Moral from the Objects it affectionately converses with That Soul which is oft thus thinking of Earthly Things is Earthly Of Corporeal Pleasures is Brutish Of Empty Honour is Aiery and Vain Of GOD is Divine and for the same reason the Soul which thus affectionately applies it's Thoughts and Yet to honour them so as still to remember they are only our Fellow-Servants tho' highly dignify'd by our Common Master Affections to Angels or converses with them spiritually cum Sancto Sanctus eris is ANGELICAL Only let us be sure we honour them for their Masters sake and that we do not venerate
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
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
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
conclude the Point and carry the Cause They have seen my Explication what Grounds I proceed upon and what Principles I build on Wherefore to make short work of it I send them a flat Challenge to produce this one Demonstration of theirs against this Mystery Half a Sheet of Paper will conclude the whole Controversie as far as it depends on the way of Humane Reason to which they have appeal'd from Divine Revelation and from the Iudgment and Doctrine of the Christian Church If they be Sincere they will put it to the Tryal if they refuse they give themselves to be Guilty of persisting voluntarily in an Errour and manifest that they took up this Pretence of Evident Reason for a Stale to draw after them the Ignorant and Unstable but that they do not think it their Interest to stand to the Rule themselves have espoused Fifthly By renouncing this Fundamental of Christian Faith they have by Consequence invalidated all Christian Faith by denying the Certainty of the Ground of All Faith For this was held by the Christian Church upon some Ground which by their Recession as to this Point they have Renounc'd and by consequence have brought all Christian Faith into a Groundless Uncertainty Lastly By their Denial of this Article they accuse the Christian Church of being Idolatrous in the most Fundamental Article of her Faith and in the greatest part of her Worship in Adoring so constantly heartily and devoutly a Man for GOD and a Creature for the Dread Creatour 3. To summe up then this whole Discourse If the taking away the Notion of all Faith and turning it into Science If to renounce by Consesequence Divine Revelation which none but Deists professedly Oppose If the Injury done to Humane Reason besides the misapplying it and the Fourbe put upon weak Souls in setting up for Evident Reasoners without offering so much as One Argument which is in true Speech Evident or Conclusive If the undermining the Ground on which all Faith is built as to our Knowledge of it Lastly If the accusing their former Superiours the Church-Governours so many Venerable Learned and Holy Fathers of the Câ—urch and even so many General and Provincial Councils nay the Christian Church it self of most Gross Idolatry Blasphemy and Prophaneness may be thought sufficient Provocation and Plea for the Governours of the Christian Church to Excommunicate and Declare That they who were by their Office the Depositaries to whom the Preserving of Christ's Faith was committed would have no more to do with such Men who had voluntarily gone out from the Church and who should they be permitted still to remain in her would hazard to infect with their Contagious Doctrine and Practice the Sounder Faithful If these things I say be manifestly so then the Church and her Governours are Acquitted and the Blame and Guilt lie evidently at their Doors This is the true Point to be Decided Which I believe every Man of Common Sense were they of the Jury would quickly determin without needing to go from the Bar to debate it or consider of it 4. But this is not all that may be alledg'd against them There seems moreover to be imply'd in their Discourses that the most perfect Law and most Elevating Principles of Christianity are no better than that most Imperfect State of the Law of Nature which rais'd Men to no higher a pitch than that of meer Moral Honesty in which divers of the Antient Heathens excell'd many Christians What Necessity was there in such a case that Christ our Saviour should come amongst us take such pains in Preaching and working Miracles Suffering a most Cruel Death on the Cross Rising again from the Dead Ascending into Heaven and Sending His H. Spirit c Certainly it had been very Preposterous to have laid so many Supernatural Extraordinary and Prodigious Means to compass such an End as was within the Power of Nature without Miraculous or Supernatural Assistance to atchieve 5. This shews their sleight Opinion of the Christian Law the Nature of it's Principles and the Efficacy of the Motives it proposes which was intended by God's Wisdom to purifie in the best manner the hearts of the Faithful and to raise them to the Love of Heaven by the most Powerful Means Infinite Goodness and Mercy could contrive To apprehend better how highly GOD's Revelation of â—â—e B. Trinity conduces to Mankind's Salvation and â—o cultivate our Minds with Theological Virtues which are the only Dispositions to attain it let us consider how GOD's Revealing Himself to us as to those Attributes of Mercy Justice Goodness Omnipotence Holiness c. did and does promote Virtue in the Church and thence estimate what large Accessions the Belief of the B. Trinity does superadd to them If GOD had not been represented to us and believ'd by us to be Iust what Sinner would not have run on in Sin presuming He was Unconcern'd in Sublunary Actions and would never call him to account for his Sins Or if he held him severely Iust and not Merciful what poor Creature conscious to himself how often he had grievously Offended Him would not Despair of Pardon think all was irrecoverably lost and thence run forwards headlong in Sinning wanting Encouragement or Hope of any Favour in case he should return and repent Who would at all Love Him if he did not think Him Good Believe in Him if He were not Veracious or Trust in Him if He were not Faithful and Powerful Or lastly Who would care to lead a Holy Life if He deem'd that GOD was not Holy Himself So that all sorts of the Best Virtues Faith Hope and Charity would be banisht out of the Thoughts of all Mankind if GOD had not Reveal'd Himself to them under the Notions of these several â—ivine Attributes 4. Let us now consider what incomparably Higher Advances in Virtue the Doctrine of the B. Trinity and all the Train of Innumerable and most Powerful Motives which depend on it as on their Principle do superadd to the Former now mention'd all tending of their own Nature to purâ— our Souls and to raise them to the highest pitch oâ— Perfection They are so many and each of them so pregnant that I must content my self to Select only a Few and leave them to be meditated on at leasure What Man who believes that GOD the Father sent his Only Son Coequal and Coeternal with Himself to take our Nature upon Him to teach us the True Way to Heaven to suffer Hardships Persecutions blasphemous Revilings nay to be Buffetted Scourg'd Crown'd with Thorns and suffer such a cruel and ignominious Death on the Cross and all this to pay the ransom for our Sins and rescue poor Wretched Mankind out of the Jaws of Hell and Eternal Death and by this means to court our Love that by Loving Him we might be Happy What Man I say can seriously and thorowly reflect on this and not to be Transported with Admiration and Love of so Infinite a Goodness
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