Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	body_n	earth_n	element_n	4,634	5	9.8975	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61893	A reply unto the letter written to Mr. Henry Stubbe in defense of The history of the Royal Society whereunto is added a Preface against Ecebolius Glanville, and an answer to the letter of Dr. Henry More, containing a reply to the untruthes he hath publish'd, and a censure of the cabbalo-pythagorical philosophy, by him promoted.	Stubbe, Henry, 1632-1676.; Sprat, Thomas, 1635-1713. History of the Royal Society of London.	1671 (1671)	Wing S6063A; ESTC R31961	66,995	80

hath found out but others have not for when a man praiseth God with understanding for what he discovers particularly in the wonderful works of Gods own hand his praises must needs be more suitable on the same subject then are those general thanksgivings wherein a man that hath not meditated on the works of Creation blesses God still for them but cannot say how far these exceed the utmost productions of art or the improved power of natural causes Thus the commendation of any workmanship if given by a great Master in that Art is more satisfactory to the Artificer then the admiring noise of the multitude who probably may misplace their greatest wonder upon that wich is the least thing in it And now pray what harm in all this and yet the Authour as far as I can see speaks no worser but much very well in the following clauses against Atheism But if I may ask you to what end do you change his words Praises into Prayers was it that you might prove as you do that Christ is our Mediator he never did deny it But methinks this would be a pritty Medium to prove the not-suitableness of experimental Philosophy to a Christian. You then proceed to make an apology for Ignorance because that of those who were first called there were not many wise after the flesh To which may by replyed that this will avail little if it be considered that by the phrase wise after the slesh is meant subtle and designing persons who by their politick managery of a cause though not good might propagate and spread it for self ends so that it should find a general entertainment in the world There was no such thing as this in the first advancement of Christian Religion But that the ignorance of the professors hereof was not acceptable to the Authour of our Faith is manifest for that he endowed his Scholars with the gift of tongues and such utterance which their enemies were not able to resist You add immediately after the Text that it was intended of the Virtuosi why so Is it because they are wise I am confident you will not say that this is the reason They have taken that course that will scarce ever make them appear wise to the half-witted World they are too timerous in what they affirm they lay by much of that wordy Philosophy which furnishes men with expressions hard to be understood and therefore is admirable it makes a brave found to the ear nay more then all this it supplies one with such useful distinctions that he may affirm plausibly whatsoever he will but instead hereof they practice a plain Trades-man like Profession in Philosophy instead of axiomes and good old sayings concerning nature and matter and substantial Forms which have salved a thousand difficulties Nothing will serve them for proof in Physicks but experiments and some what that is obvious to the sences they must have new Fashion'd Telescopes wherewith to gaze upon the Heavens and Glasses invented to espy Atomes and Furnaces for dissolution of bodies and for other unheard of curiosities and yet though they do dissolve the compositum into its constituting parts they would never yet reveal to the Aristotelian what kind of a thing their substantial Form is which they are well assured is one principle in that body Whereas Sir you have a nearer way to learning then that wherein they go on You became an excellent Astronomer by reading a Systeme of the Ptolomaean Hypothesis and have no reason to suspect or search further as long as you believe nothing about the Doctrine of the Sphere out what you have learn'd from those institutions you need not to pore with a microscope upon those minute figurings of bodies thereby to guess how they produce such such effects You can answer any ordinary question in nature by the 4. first qualities their seconds by the conjugation symbolicalness of the qualities by natures abhorrency of a vacuum by the keen Appetite which the first matter of which we know very much Negatively bears towards a Form Nay further if any man should demand a Resolution of the greatest problems as of the Loadstone or the like you are not constrained to make such a pittifull Reply as many others must do you can readily inform them that it is either done by Familiarity of substances which causes similar attraction or by a sympathy and that the Loadstone and the Iron do earn till they arrive at their mutual embraces but if any one be so much a Novelist as to urge that such affections as these cannot be found except there be in these bodies at least a sensitive Life you can bid them then take this answer for your last I say it is performed by an occult quality There is yet another piece of learning that is Chymistry in which with a little adoe you can equal their attainments had through a process and tedious course For the whole of what they pretend in this drudging Art is no more then the solution and coagulation of bodies by the first of these they with a great deal of cost indeavour to separate their three Elements but you Sir more cheaply can shew your four Elements parting asunder at the dissolution of the mixt body It is but laying of a green stick upon the other fuell already inflamed immediately the Element of Air comes away in smoak that of fire in the warm blaze the Elementary water is that hissing juice at the end of the stick and the Element of the earth is the remaining Askes which if it be in the Grate will by its own inward propensity if it can slide away down to the Hearth because the Hearth is nearer to the Center of the Earth then the Grate is for it is well known that every weighty body hath a great affection to that Center So that I think now you have outdone them at this trick and you will not be behind them at the other to wit Coagulation They are pleased to say that they Coagulate a body when they bring it from a liquid or humid to a solid substance This fine feat you so well understand and it is so much beneath you that you leave it to the Apothecaries boy when you prescribe troches for colds besides Rose-water and Sugar c. to make this solid you appoint White Starch q. s. and then refer it to the discretion of the lad to be made S. a. and here is so good a Coagulation that you never desire to learn any other kind of it as long as you live except it be the secret of making the hard Sea-bisket No more at present of the comparison betwixt your Philosophy and theirs As I read on further in your censure I saw you were angry with this Authour whom you have chosen for an Adversary because he saith that Religion ought not to be the subject of disputation in the sense wherein he speaks it he is not singular nor left almost alone

notice of the praises depends upon the Authors being an Experimental Philosopher I see not that he saith any thing against me therein but that the Historian doth suppose that his Experimentator is a Christian and engrafted into Christ and that the accessional of his merits shall sanctifie his praises yet shall the Praises he shall make be more suitable to God being framed according to the genuine Texture of the Almighty Artist then the more general Thanks givings wherein a Man that hath not meditated on the Works of the Creation blesses God still for them but cannot say how far these exceed the utmost productions of Art or the improved Power of Natural Causes I am sure he changes much the odiousness of the words of the Historian who saith That the praises of God celebrated by an Experimentator shall be more suitable to the Divine Nature then the blinde applauds of the ignorant that is of such as are not Experimentators If it were possible for us ever to come to that perfection of discerning the operations of Nature and the utmost productions of Art I see the Virtuosi will prove beneficial to the Church and 't will be necessary the Convocation desire them to alter the Te Deum c. and to contrive new Anthymns to render our Church praises more suitable to the Divine Nature And Dr. More 's Canto's will put down David's Psalms as well as Hopkins Sternhold I wonder Christ Moses both faithful in their charge forgot so important a recommendation as this of the Virtuosi I see now that the Scriptures cannot make a man perfect thorowly furnished unto all good works or compleatly wise unto salvation through Faith that is in Christ Jesus All that follows upon this subject hath no original from any thing I said If to write thus be not a kinde of extravagance and madness I know not what is I did not at all in the Censure compare the new and old Philosophy I no where else avow the Truth but the usefulness of the Hippocratical and Aristotelian Phylosophy in reference to Physick The whole digression is not only Impertinent but silly He tells me of ways by which I attain'd knowledge which I never pursued and of solving difficulties which I never used being always more ready to profess Ignorance then to yield an unsatisfactory Reason I must renew my Protestations that 't is nothing to the purpose of the Censure before I digress against this ensuing harangue For my Exception against them lies thus the Apostles did not enjoyn the Study of Natural-Experimental Philosophy Christ when he inspired the Disciples with that which was necessary to bring them into all knowledge and when they by Imposition of Hands did confer the Holy Ghost and those Spiritual Gifts by which some were qualified with Hymns and Spiritual songs they were not at all inspired with or directed to this study of Nature so celebrated by the Virtuosi therefore I say it is not requisite to the making of our praises more suitable to the nature of God that we go about to reform the Psalmes of David or otherwise busie our selves about Experimental Philosophy thereby to render our Anthymns and Praises more suitable and pleasing unto the Incomprehensible God of Heaven we may acquiesce in Scripture-expressions though more conformable to vulgar Sentiments then the Corpuscularian Hypothesis Those Praises suit best with the Divine Nature which are consonant to his Word and uttered with true Faith in Jesus Christ. Thus I oppose the Letter of the Historian and am repay'd with an Excursion concerning the Virtuosi their Pains and Industry in comparison of the Peripateticks He says the Virtuosi are timerous in what they affirm This is not true But amnot I so too Do not I scruple to say any Philosophy is true or can be exactly and sensibly demonstrated Do I avow any more then that the Hippocratical and Peripatetick Notions are useful Why am I upbraided with the Ptolomaick Systeme and ridiculous determinations of the cause of Magnetick Phaenomena I am not obliged to reply hereunto yet I say that the Ptolomaick Systeme produceth us true Predictions in Astrology and as good Almanacks as the other and our Navigation is not improved by any new Hypothesis of the nature of the Load-stone He tells me what I can answer about sundry Natural Occurrents give me leave to reply for my self and I assure our Virtuosi that I am always better content to profess my own Ignorance then to render an unsatisfactory account of things except it be in an exoterical and popular way and where the Notions made use of are as useful to practise as if true He tells me I became an excellent Astronomer by reading a Systeme of the Ptolomaean Hypothesis This is news to me and I profess I learnt from Hippocrates not to be sollicitous much about those Enquiries yet they might have known I was not so great a stranger to Galileo and Ricciolus as some of the Virtuosi He proceeds to upbraid me with Chymistry but with so much Incoherence of thoughts that I understand not the Reflection There is yet another piece of Learning that is Chymistry in which with little adoe You can equal their attainments had through a long process and tedious course For the whole that they pretend unto in this drudging Art is no more then the solution and coagulation of Bodies by the first of these they with a great deal of cost indeavour to separate their three Elements But you Sir more cheaply then they can shew your four Elements parting asunder at the dissolution of the mixt Body It is but laying of a green stick upon the other fuel all ready inflamed immediately the Element of Air comes away in smoke that of Fire in the warm blaze the Elementary Water is that hissing Juyce at the end of the stick and the Element of the Earth is the remaining Ashes Were I concern'd in the truth of the Elementary Hypothesis to the defence whereof I will not now be drawn I would tell them that 't is unjust to upbraid a Peripatetick with an Argument of this nature who will not avow that on Earth there is to be found any such thing as any of the four Elements un-mixed or separate and sincere and therefore he will never in rigour of Speech make any such Assertions as are here Ignorantly imposed on him 't is true that Gunter Billichius a Man well versed in Chymistry doth endeavour rudely by this way of Argumentation to evince the Doctrine of the four Elements Take notice that this Writer was an excellent Chymist the Scholar of Angelus Sala and also that Quercetan in the Anatomy of Celandine resolves it into Water Air Earth and Fire nor do the Chymists deny the four Elements Moreover Beguinus doth endeavour to demonstrate the Chymical Principles by as facile and cheap an Operation as our Virtuosi here impose upon the Peripatetick For he writes thus Exordiamur à