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
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
Essential Form and therefore their Consistency or Constancy of being such suppos'd must constitute them Distinct Agents in Nature of Distinct Bodies 9. Notwithstanding that these last-named Accidents do thus concur yet 't is chiefly their Rarity and Density Yet Rarity and Density are the Principal and most Intrinsecal which gives those Mixts and Demixts that Nature in which consists their most Intrinsecal Temperature and Constitution For since Rarity and Density are those Primary Qualities the partaking of which within some certain Degree did constitute the Simple Bodies and all the Mixt Bodies are essentially compounded of Simple ones those two First Qualities must needs be more Intrinsecal to them than are those others which acâ—ru'd to them by the Division of Matter tho they also concur each in his way to determine the Matter so that the Mixt or Compounds may have Different Operations in Nature and thence become Distinct Things or Distinct Mixt Bodies Conformably to what Aristotle asserts Lib. Physic 8. Cap. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Of all the Affections or Determinations of Matter Density and Rarity are the Principal or the Beginning and Origin of all others 10. Corollary I. Hence all the Followers of Democritus whether Epioureans Cartesians or others who Hence the Corpuscularians can give no account of the Intrinsecal Constitution of any Natural Body put no Parts of their Matter to be distinguisht by Rarity and Density which as is prov'd are most Intrinsecal and affirm that they have only in them these two Accidents Extension and Figure the former of which being Common to them all cannot without wronging clear Reason distinguish them and the Later of them it being only the Termination of Quantity is rather Extrinsecal or belonging to the Surface of the Bodies And is evidently impossible to give the Body which has it it 's Inward Constitution hence they cannot possibly give any account of the most Intrinsecal or Essential Constitution and Distinction of their Mixts and Demixts nor consequently of what it is in which the Essence of any particular Body which must certainly be most Intrinsecal to it does consist 11. Of this last sort of Demixts are all Minerals Gems Coral Clay Marl all the several sorts of Earths Of the several sorts of Demixts and such like Which are Differenced by the Proportion Size and Figures of their Rare and Dense particles and not a little by the Situation or Manner of their Texture Whence they come to be more or less Solid or Compacted Light Heavy Clammy Friable Porous Pellucid Fusible Malleable c. To treat of which particularly and reduce them into their Proper Causes belongs to Physicks or Natural Philosophy Nor is it very hard to do this were true Principles of Nature taken up at First and pursu'd home by Immediate Consequences 12. The same Accidents and particularly the Figure and Situation of Parts give Bodies their different manner The Ground of Sensible Qualities of affecting our Senses For 't is not hard to show that all Colour and it 's several kinds are chiefly produced by These as also the Qualities of Odoriferous Stinking Sweet Sharp Sowr Rough Smooth Bodies Tho' Sound and it's Varieties spring from the Greater or Lesser Tension Thickness or Smart Force of the Instrument that makes the Different Motions of the Air. 13. Corollary II. If the Duration of those Bodies be Transitory and Unconstant in comparison of others that seem Of Imperfect Mixts of the same sort they are call'd in a Common Appellation Imperfect Mixts such as are Winds Snow Hail Smoak Mists Meteors c. and therefore wanting that Constancy an Argument of their not being well united they are less properly Entia or Things than the Perfect Mixts are as is shown Ch. 2. § 17. And perhaps they are no more but Aggregates of more Distinct Bodies lighting together casually or approximated to one another and sticking together by virtue of some Physical Quality for some short time which is not enough to make those Compounds to be Constant and Distinct Agents in Nature or Distinct and Perfect Natural Bodies 14. When the Parts of a Demixt are exexceedingly Different in their several Temperaments and withall Of Living Bodies One of them the Common Causes of the World setting them on work is apt to move Another that Body is said to be LIVING For since the Notion of LIFE is A Principle of Self-Motion and there are no Actual Parts in any Compound whence we say All Actions and Passions are of the Suppositum it follows that the Action or Motion of each of those Parts is the Action or the Motion of the Whole Thing tho' consider'd particularly according to such a Part of it Hence such a Thing one Part of which moves another is truly said to move it self or to be LIVING 15. The Simplest Lowest and Ignoblest sort of Living or Self-moving Things are those which are meer Vegetables Of Vegetables For since all Proper Differences are more and less of the Generical Notion and Life is Self-Motion that is One sort of Motion and to move Swiftly and Slowly is to move more or less it follows that Velâ—city and Tardity are the First Differences of all Motions of which to move it self is one and consequently that to perform their Primary Operation more quickly and more slowly does essentially distinguish Living Things as they are Living Wherefore since Experience shows and it will be more clearly manifested hereafter that Vegetables or Plants do more slowly and more dully go about their Primary Operation than other Self-moving Things v. g. Brutes or Men do it follows that those Bodies we call Vegetables or Plants are the Simplest Lowest and Ignoblest of Self-moving of Living Things 16. The Primary Operation of meer Vegetables is to nourish the Compound For since as any attentive Speculater The Primary Operation of Vegetables may observe every Thing is ordain'd to preserve it's own Unity and Entity as much as it can this preserving it self is most Natural and Intrinsecal to it and therefore not a Secondary but it 's Primary Action Wherefore those Individual Vegetables which have a Power in them to concoct their Proper Juice or Sap and so make it fit Aliment for them which is the Preserving themselves from Withering or Decay must be ordain'd in the first place or primarily to perform this Operation Especially since whatever other or Secondary sorts of Actions they may be Useful for in Nature will be better accomplish'd by their being first nourisht duly and as they ought which by perfecting them in Being does make them more-perfect Agents 17. Wherefore the Form of Vegetables is that Complexion of Accidents as fits the Vegetable for that Operation The Form of Vegetables and it 's Essence consists in this that the Matter of it's Parts has such a Complexion of those Modes or Accidents in it as sits one of them to work upon or move another in order to 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
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
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
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
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
they have their Essences from the Ideas in his Divine Understanding and their Existences by his Peculiar and Immediate Act of Creation He still conserves their Essence in Being by the same Continued Action and at the same time all their Faculties and Powers by which they act on one another He puts them forwards to exercise those several Faculties and actually to produce their Operations on one another according to their Natures by Motion which is given them by his Chief Officers in administring the World Angels and continues their Motions and Operations by their Incessant perpetuating of that Motion So that both their Essences their Actual Being their Power to act their Exercise of that Power and consequently whatever belongs to the Action it self as far as it is Positive or has Entity and Goodness in it and amongst the rest the Determination of our Will to what 's Good and Virtuous do all of them Entirely depend on GOD and are Deriv'd from Him Ipâ—â— Honor Gloria in saecula saeculorum Amen MEDITATION THe Essences of Things which give all Bodies their several Sorts of Operation being estaâ—…t by GOD and Vacuum being own Impossible from the Contiâ—â—ity That GOD's Ordinary Providence carries on the Course of Nature by Proper Causes still producing Proper Effects Demonstrated à priori of Quantity which is it's â—â—d of Unity or Entity It folâ—â—â—s that all the Bodies of the â—aterial World do immediately conâ—â— upon or touch one another â—â— therefore being set on work â—pusht forward by Motion which iâ— given and continu'd to them by the Angelical Nature they must necessarily affect or work upon one another and this according to their respective Essences or as we express it in Philosophical Language Proper Causes must still produce proper Effects And seeing this Reason holds in all Bodies whatever since the Creation was finisht and Natural Causes begun to move in a Regular Order â—â—sequently the whole Course of Nature to show and â—â—plain which is the Work of a Natural Philosopher â—â—sists in the Production of such Effects as are Proper â—d suteable to the Genius of their Causes Thus is the Providence of our Great GOD adâ—inistring the World after the Wisest â—anner Demonstrated a Priori Conâ—irm'd Because otherwise Mankind could not possibly have any Science nor know what to do in their ordinary Actions And that this way of Governing the Material World does most become His Divine Wisdom appears hence that as was lately said all our Acquir'd Wisdom in Natural things or all our Science is entirely grounded on our Knowing this Connexion of such Causes with such Effects insomuch that all Mankind would be a pack of Ignorant Fools if the Consequence of these later from the former were not Certainly establisht since in that case they could never know what things they were to make use of to compass any Effect they intended nor know what to eschew and what to pursue No Proportion of any Means to the End being Possible to be known in case such Determinate Causes were not apt to produce such Determinate and Proper Effects or which is the same if every thing did not Act as it Is but that Any thing might do or not do Any thing Nor is this Connected Tenour of managing the Material World by Proper Causes and Effects less Evident a posteriori The same Great Truth Demonstrated a posteriori For let us pitch our thought upon any one Effect done at present and let it be the Greatest or the most Inconsiderable one as it may seem to us for this alters not the case Plainest Reason will tell us that either it had some Cause or it had none If it had none and yet is it must have been Self-Existent Which is both against Experience for we see it lately produced and against our Reason too because to be Self-Existent is an Incommunicable Attribute of the DEITY If it had a Cause then that Cause was either Indifferent to produce this or any other Effect in which caâ—e it could produce Nothing since Ex indifferenti nihil sequitur Besides every Effect whether it be a Thing or a Mode of Thing is Determinate for whatever is produc'd â—s and whatever is is Determinate since nothing in common can be and an Indeterminate Cause cannot produce an Determinate Effect for in that Supposition it would work contradictorily to it's self It must then be Determinately apt or Proper to produce this kind of Effect and no other This Effect was therefore put because there was such a Determinate or Proper Cause to produce it This seen let us make the same Discourse concerning that which was the Proper Cause as we did now concerning its Effect now mention'd and so of all the Antecedent Causes in the World since Time first started into Motion Each of them Existed or was in it's Season None of them could exist of themselves therefore each of them had a Cause and that by our former Discourse a Determinate or Proper one Nothing therefore is or can be more Demonstrable nor more immediately reducible to Self-Evidence than it is that the whole Course of Nature is carry'd on by Proper Causes and Proper Effects This Consideration made that Great Aristotelian and truly Christian Philosopher Boetius begin his Devout Rapture in Hence the Course of GOD's Work manship the Fabrick of Nature is Close and Indissoluble these Words O qui perpetua Mundum Ratione gubernas The whole Current of our Reason runs upon this Ground and proceeds every step in this beaten Track that every Cause produces such Effects as are Agreeable and Proper to its peculiar Nature and this perpetually or thro' the whole Course of the World For were the Line of Causality interrupted by Chasms and Interstices our Reason would be at an utter Loss This it was also which made that Divine Writer the Author of Ecclesiasticus speaking of the Manner in which the World is Administer'd by the Divine Wisdom deliver his comprehensive Thoughts in these Emphatical Words Attingit a fine in finem fortiter disponit omnia suaviter It reaches from the Beginning to the End or carries it quite thorow Strongly for what stronger than the Infractile Chain of Causality establisht on this Great and Self-Evident Truth that Nothing can make it self or which is the same Nothing that is only Potential or meerly in power to work an Effect can reduce it Self to Act as to that Effect Or what Disposition more Sweet or farther from offering Violence to the Nature of any Cause than 't is to order that it should work connaturally or Act as it is Notwithstanding the Greatest and Clearest Truths can never want Enemies while there is Errour in the World Nor will The Epicurean Tenet of CHANCE Governing the World is most Absurd and Senseless there ever want Errour as long as Men either carelessly or wilfully decline the only Paths that lead to Truth which are to bottom their Discourse at
down and breaks his Neck Now all these are said to be done by Chance But does any of these who say so hold that there was no Cause at all which made the Glass the Tyle or the Man fall No certainly for every Man of Common Sense holds that no Effect can be without a Cause and will deny that a Tyle or a Glass did move themselves Their meaning then is and they tell you they did not fore-see or fore-know that any of these would fall being Attentive to some other Object or Business CHANCE then is an UNADVERTED or Unforeseen Cause for had they foreseen that such Causes taking them all together would have brought those Disasters it had been Willfulness and Design in them to have come in the way of such Misohievous Causes and Design is Opposite to the Notion of Chance In this Sense then Christianity allows us to say the Chance or an Unforeseen Cause wrought these Effect â—â— But since nothing is Unforeseen to GOD who laid and order'd all those Causes What is Chance to Us is Providence if we regard Him nor is there any Thing Distinct from Him call'd Chance which has the least hâ—nd in administring the World but He is the only Adequate Governor of it 'T is not without some loathness I am forced to take notice that some of our Modern Ideists tho' I hope with a good How groundlessly some Christian Philosophers the Ideists do in part violate this Best Method of GOD's Ordinary Providence now Demonstrated Intention do violate this connected course of Causes and Effects in which GOD's Ordinary Providence consists Whoever as do the Cartesians make all Second Causes which have Powers or Faculties given them to work such Effects to be Useless as to those Effects even as Instruments Whoever puts on the Creature 's side only OCCASIONS which they say are No Causes for every Act of Knowledge Mankind has and perhaps for every Effect in Nature Whoever puts Determinate Ideas to be produced by Indeterminate and therefore Improper Causes as the Soul was before she did elicit them as they pretend of her self Whoever puts such Idea's Annext voluntarily to such Motions which were not at all Like them or No Causes of them alledging gratis that GOD Wills it Whoever maintains the Annexing of one Thing or Mode of Thing to another otherwise than by being the Proper Cause of it does fall into the same ill-grounded Errour of interrupting the Course of GOD's Ordinary Providence by Second Causes and destroys the Laws of Causality As has been over and over Demonstrated in my Ideae Cartesianae Indicatio Tertia from § 30. to § 50. and in my Solid Philosophy Asserted Reflexion 4. § 3. and 5. It will run in the Fancies of some less Intelligent Intelligent Readers who take things at the first rebound and pass a The Folly of the Stoical FATALITY confuted and exploded peremptory Iudgment on what they understand but by halves that this Settled Order of Providence I here assert does introduce a kind of Fatality into the World Now if by the word FATUM they mean what is Spoken or Decreed by GOD I must own the Position and stand to it as clearly demonstrated above Which leads me to the Other sort of the Opposers of Providenoe I mean those who maintain a Stoical FATALITY a Tenet widely Different from our Thesis or rather perfectly Contradictory to it For ours proceeds upon a Continued Connexion of Natural Causes with Consequent Effects which are Suteable and Agreeable to their Natures Theirs regards no Influence of any Causes at all but is built on the force of this Contradiction Either such a thing will be or will not be Wherefore say they since it inevitably follows that both of these cannot be True and yet one of them must be True 't is a Folly to endeavour to avoid any Harm or to pursue any Good since out of the force of not-admitting Contradiction what will be will be But this tho' the Wittier of the two is a Pure Folly since as Common Experience tells us and Common Sense assures us nothing is done but by Means of Causes nor not-done but because there wanted Causes able to do it But they fancy to themselves by the Words will be and will not be there is a certain kind of Self-Existence or Non-Self-Existenee in the Futurity of Events Whereas none of them has or can have any Existence or Non-Existence at all but as they stand under Determinate Natural Causes â—r no Causes Whence we who know this to be so are bound in Prudence to endeavour as much as lies in us to put those Causes if we would have the Effect follow They forget too that We our selves are part of the Rank of Causes and that the using our own Reason in chusing and applying those other Causes is the Supreme Superintendent Cause and the very Best of all the rest They reflect not also that since Future Effects are not neither of those Propositions they put and rely on has any Truth in it at all nor has the Futurity of it any Certainty but as it stands under Determinate or Proper Causes which will produce that Effect from which only it has Title to the name of Future So that the Proposition Such a thing will be or is future is an imprudent saying and not be spoke by any Man of Sense unless he sees the Causes will certainly make it be These Discoursers do therefore argue from a Logical Impossibility found only in our Mind considering the Nature of Ens and that it excludes Non-Ens out of it's Notion to a Physical one which is wholly grounded on the Nature of Causes Lastly This Thesis is manifestly convicted of Folly by the Consent of all Mankind and even of themselves too who do all of them lay means for the Effects they aim at Nor could the World continue or subsist if this whimsical Doctrine stands as by applying it to a Harvest next year the using ways for Trade and Traffick or for defending our Country and a thousand such particulars does manifestly appear For either Success will follow or not follow whither we endeavour or not endeavour to lay Means for such Effects which consideration will also help to cure those weak Discoursers who so perplex their thought about Predestination All which depend on the same Principles and can disrellish no Man unless he be offended that GOD is the First Cause and that Good comes to us from Him by Second Causes laid in the Best Order imaginable But in how different a manner does our way of Philosophy discourse of GOD's Ordinary Providence from that of those other Philosophers and particularly from that of the Ideists It puts no blind Suppositions nor Conceits taken from Fancy but is entirely built on Principles and such Principles as are either Self-Evident or so neerely remov'd from them that they are easily reducible thither viz. Every Thing acts as it is and therefore is a Proper Cause
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