Sadduces and Fanaticks to rail against Philosophy is not at all strange 'T is no more than what may well be expected from such Cattel Philosophy is their enemy and it concerns them to disparage and reproach it But for Religious and sober men to do any thing so unadvised and so prejudicial to Religion is wondeâ—…ul and deplorable To set these right in their Judgment about Philosophical inquiry into Gods Works is the principal design of these Papers and in order to the further promoting of it I advance to the last Head of Discourse proposed viz. CHAP. VII That the Ministers and Professors of Religion ought not to discourage Philosophy The slanders and objections against it answered viz. That of Atheism and the other of its tending to the lessening our value of the Scriptures fully confuted It teacheth no Doctrines contrary to Gods Word Those of the motion of the Earth and terrestrial Nature of the Moon consider'd as they refer to the Scriptures SECT I. IV. THat the Ministers and Professors of Religion ought not to discourage but promote the Knowledge of Nature and the Works of its Author This is the result of the whole matter and follows evidently from all that went before which though it will not infer a necessity of all mens deep search into Nature yet this it will That no Friend or Servant of Religion should â—…inder or discountenance such inquiries And though most private Christians and some publick Ministers have neither leisure nor ability to look into matters of natural research and inquisition yet they ought to think candidly and wish well to the endeavours of those that have and 't is a sin and a folly either in the one or other to censure or discourage those worthy undertakings Upon which accounts it grieves me to see how apâ—… some are that pretend much to Religion and some that minister in it to load those that are studious of Gods Works with all the odious names that contempt and spigâ—…t can suggest The Irreligion of which injurious carriage nothing can â—…xcuse but their ignorance Aâ—…d I will rather hope that they neither know what they say nor what they do than believe that they have any direct design against the Glory of their Maker or against any laâ—…dable endeavours to promote it I know well what mischief prejudice will do evâ—…n upon minds that otherwise are very honest and intelligent enough And there are many common slanders and some plausible objections in the mouths of the Zealous against Philosophy which have begot an ill opinion of it in well-meaning men who have never examined things deeply For the sake of such I shall produce the most considerable allegations of both sorts and I hope makâ—… such returns to them as may be â—…fficient to satiâ—… those whose minds are not barr'd by obstinacy or ignorance SECT II. I Speak first of the bold and broad slanders among which that I. Of Atheism is one of the most ordinary But certainly 't is one of the most unjust accusations that malice and ignorance could have invented This I need not be industrious to prove here having made it appear that Philosophy is one of the best Weapons in the World to defend Religion against it and my whole Discourse is a confutation of this spightful and ridiculous charge 'T is true indâ—…ed the men of the Epiâ—…urean sort have left God and Providence out of their accounts But then other Philosophers have shewn what fools they are for doing so and how absurd their pretended Philosophy is in supposing things to have been made and ordered by the casual hits of Atoms in a mighty void A d though their general Doctrine of Matter and Motion be â—…xceeding ancient and very accountable when we supposâ—… matter was at first created by almighty Power and it's motions ordered and directed by omniscient Wisdom Yet the supposal that they are independent and eternal is very precarious and unreasonable And that all the regular motions in Nature should be from blind tumultuous jumblings is the most unphilosâ—…phical phaâ—…e and ridiculous dotagâ—… in the world So that there is no â—…ason to accuse Philosophy of a fault which Philosophy sufficiently shames and disproves and yet I doubt there are many have great prejudice against it upon this score and 't is a particular brand upon some of the modern men that they have revived the Philosophy of Epicurus which they think to be in it 's whole extent Atheistical and irreligious To which I say that the opinion of the world's being made by a fortuitous jumble of Atoms is impious and abominable This those of Epicurus his elder School taught whereas the late Restorers of the Corpuscularian Hypothesis hate and despise the vile Doctrine But yet they thus far think the Atomical Philosophy reasonable viz. as it teacheth That the operations of Nature are performed by subtile streams of minute bodies and not by I know not what imaginary qualitiâ—…s and forms They think That the various motions and figures of the parts of matter are enough for all the Phaenomena and all 〈◊〉 varieties which with relation to our senses we call such and such qualities But then they suppose and teach That God creâ—…ted matter and is the supreme Orderer of its motions by which all those diversities are made And hereby Piety and the Faith of Providence is secured This as far as we know any thing of elder times was the ancient Philosophy of the World and it doth not in the least grate upon any Principle of Religion Thus far I dare say I may undertake for most of the Corpuscularian Philosophers of our times excepting those of Mr. Hobb's way And therefore I cannot but wonder that a person of so much reason learning and ingeâ—…ty as Mr. Baxter should seem to conclude those Modern Philosophers under the name and notion of such Somatists as are for meer matter and motion and exclude immaterial beings This I take it he doth in his Defence of the Souls Immortality at the end of his Reasons of Religion whereas those Philosophers though they owne matter and motion as the material and formal causes of the Phaenomena They do yet acknowledge Gods efficiency and Government of all things with as much seriousness and contend for it with as much zeal as any Philosophers or Divines whatsoever And 't is very hard that any number of men should be exposed to the suspicion of being Atheists for denying the Peripatetick Qualities and Forms and there is nothing else overthrown by the Corpuscularian Doctrines as they are managed by those Philosophers So that methinks that Reverend Author hath not dealt so fairly with the great names of Des-Cartes and Gassendus where he mentions them promiscuously with the meeâ—… Epicurean and Hobbian Somatists without any note to distinguish them from those Sadduces For both those celebrated men have laboured much in asserting the grand Articles of Religion against the Infidel and Atheist This inadvertency of that pious Divine I thought
discoveries we find still more beauty and more uniformity of contrivance whereas if we survey the most curious piece of humane ingenuity by that glass it will discover to us numerous flaws deformities and imperfections in our most elegant mechanicks Hence I gather That the study of God's works shewing us more of the riches of nature opens there by a fairer prospect of those treasures of wisdom that are lodged within it and so furnisheth us with deeper sences and more arguments and clearer convictions of the existence of an infinitely intelligent being that contrived it in so harmonious and astonishing an order So that if any are so brutish as not to acknowledge him upon the view of the meer external frame of the Universe they must yet fall down before the evidence when Philosophy hath opened the cabinet and led them into the Jewel-house and shewn them the splendid and artful variety that is there Thus though the obvious Firmament and the motions of the Sun and Stars the ordinary vicissitudes of seasons and productions of things the visible beauty of the great world and the appearing variety and fitness of those parts that make up the little one our selves could scarce secure Galen â—…rom the danger of being an Aâ—…st Yet when he pryed further by â—…mical enquiries and saâ—… the wonderful diversity apâ—…ness and order of the minutest strings pipes and passages that are in the inward fabrick He could not abâ—…ain from the devoutness of an anthem of acknowledgment And that the real knowledge of nature leads us by the hand to the consâ—… of its Author is taught us by the Holy Pen-man who saith that the visillâ—… things of the Creation declare him The plebeian and obvious world no doubt doth but the Philosophical much more So that whosoever saith that inquiry into nature and Gods works leads to any degree of Atheism gives great ground of suspicion that himself is an Atheist or that he is that other thing that the Royal Psalmist calls him that saith in his heart there is no God For either he acknowledgeth the art and exactness of the works of nature or he doth not if not he disparageth the divine Architect and disables the chief argument of his existence If he doth and yet assirms that the knowledge of it leads to Atheism he saith he knows not what and in â—…ct this That the sight of the order and method of a regular and beautiful contrivance tends to perswade that chance and fortune was the Author SECT II. BUt I remember I have discours'd of this elsewhere and what I have said for Philosophy in general from it's tendency to devout acknowledgments is not so true of any as of the experimental and mechanick For the Physiology of the modern peripatetick schools creates notions and turns nature into words of second intention but discovers little of its real beauty and harmonious contrivance so that God hath no Glory from it nor men any argument of his wisdom or existence And for the Metaphysical proofs they are for the most part deep and nice subject to evasions and turns of wit and not so generally perswasive as those drawn from the plain and sensible Topicks which the experimental Philosophy inlargeth and illustrates This then gives the grand and most convictive assurance of the being of God and acquaintance with this kind of learning furnishetâ—… us with the best weapons todefend it For the modern Atheists are pretenders to the mechanick principles and their pretensions cannot be shamed or defeated by any so well as by those who throughly understand them These indeed perceive sometimes that there is only nature in some things that are taken to be supernatural and miraculous and the shallow naturalist sees no further and therefore rests in nature But the deep Philosopher shews the vanity and unreasonableness of taking up so short and discovers infinite wisdom at the end of the chain of causes I say if we know no further then occult Qualities Elements Heavenly Influences and Forms we shall never be able to disprove a Mechanick Atheist but the more we understand of the Laws of matter and motion the more shall we discern the necessity of a wise mind to order the blind and insensible matter and to direct the original motions without the conduct of which the universe could have been nothing but a mighty Chaos and misâ—…n mass of everlasting confusions and disorders This of the FIRST viz. That the knowledge of nature serves Religion against Atheism and that it doth also CHAP. III. Philosophy Helps Religion against Sadducism in both its branches viz. As it denies the existence of spirits and immortality of humane souls None so well able to disprove the Sadduce as those that understand the Philosophy of Matter and motion The Hypothesis of substantial Forms prejudicial to the Doctrine of the Immortality of the soul. SECT I. II. AGainst Sadducism 'T is well known that the Sadduces denyed the existence of Spirits and Immortality of souls And the Heresie is sadly receiv'd in our days What a Spirit is and whether there be Spirits or not are questions that appertain to the disquisition of Philosophy The Holy Scripture that condescends to the plain capacities of men useth the word spirit commonly for the more subtile and invisible bodies and 't wil be difficult from thence to fetch a demonstrative proof of Spirits in the strict notion That there are Angels and Souls which are purer then these gross bodies may no doubt be concluded from thence But whether these are only a finer sort of matter or a different kind of beings cannot I think be determin'd by any thing deliver'd in the divine Oracles The Inquiry therefore belongs to Philosophy which from divers operations in our own Souls concludes That there is a sort of beings which are not matter or body viz. being self-motive penetrable and indivisible Attributes directly contrary to those of matter which is impenetrable divisible and void of self-motion By these properties respectively the distinct nature of spirit and body is known and by the same that there are spirits in the strictest sâ—…nce as well as corporal beings Now by stating the nature and proving the existence of spirits a very considerable service is done to Religion For hereby our notion of the adorable Deity is freed from all material grosness in which way those must conceive him that acknowledge nothing but body in the world which certainly is a very great dis-interest to his Glory and suggests very unbecoming thoughts of him And by the due stating of the Notion of a spirit that silly conceit of the Souls Traduction is overâ—…hrown which either ariseth from direct Sadducism or a defect in Philosophy Hereby our Immortality is undermined and dangerously exposed But due Philosophical disquisition will set us â—…ight in the Theory For the former of the mention'd errours the Anthropomorphite doctrines that make God himself a corporeal substance they cannot be disproved but by the use of the
principles of Philosophy since let us bring what Arguments we can from the Scriptures which speak of the Perfection Infinity Immensity Wisdom and other Attributes of God all these no doubt will be granted but the Quaery will be whether all may not belong to a material Being a question which Philosophy resolves and there is no other way to search deep into this matter but by it's aids So likewise as to the Traduction of the Soul The Arguments from Scripture against it are very general yea many expâ—…ions there 〈◊〉 at â—…irst â—…ght to look that way And therefore this other help Philosophy must be used here also and by the distinct representation which it gives of the nature of spirit and matter and of the operations that appertain to each this errour is effectually confuted which it cannot be by any other course of procedure This Philosophy befriends us against Sadducism in the first branch of it as it explodes the being of Spirits SECT II. THE other is the denyal of the Immortality of our Souls The establishment of this likewise the Students of Philosophy and Gods Works in all Ages have attempted and they have prov'd it by the Philosophical considerations of the nature of sense the quickness of imagination the spirituality of the understanding the fredom of the will from these they infer that the Soul is immaterial and from thence that it is immortal which Arguments are some of the most demonstrative and cogent that thâ—… meer reasons of men can use but cannot be manag'd nor understood but by those that are instructed in Philosophy and Nature I confess there are other demonstrations of our Immortality for the plain understandings that cannot reach those heights The Scripture gives clear evidence and that of the resurrection of the holy Jesus is palpable But yet the Philosophical proofs are of great use and serve for the conviction of the Infidel with whom the other inducements are nothing and the deeper knowledge of things is necessary to defend this great Article of Religion against these since they alledge a sort of reason to prove the soul to be mortal that cannot be confuted but by a reason instructed in the Observations of nature For the modern Sadduce pretends that all things we do are performed by meer matter and motion and consâ—…quently that there is no such thing as an immaterial being and therefore that when our bodies are dissolv'd the man is lost and our Souls are nothing which dismal conclusion is true and certain if there be nothing in us but matter and the results of motion and those that converse but little with nature understand little what may be done by these and so cannot be so well assured that the elevations mixtures and combinations of them cannot be at last improv'd so far as to make a sensible reasoning being nor are they well able to disprove one that affirms that they actually are so whereas be that hath much inquired into the works of God and nature gains a clear sight of what matter can perform and gets more and stronger Arguments to convince him that it's modifications and changes cannot amount to perception and sense since in all it's varieties and highest exaltations he â—…inds no specimens of such powers And though I confess that all Mechanick inquirers make not this use of their inquisitions and discoveries yet that is not the fault of the method but of the men and those that have gone to the greatest height in that way have receded furthest from the Sadducean Principles Among such I suppose I may be allowed to reckon the noble Renatus Des-Cartes And his Metaphysicks and notions of Immaterial beings are removed at the greatest distance from all Corporeal affections which I mention not to signiâ—…ie my adherence to those Principles but for an Instance to shew how that deep converse with matter and knowledge of its operations removes the mind far off from the belief of those high effects which some ascribe to Corporeal motions and from all suppositions of the Souls being bodily and material SECT III. THus Philosophy is an excellent Antidote against Sadducism in both the main branches of it But then I must confess also that the Philosophy of the late Peripatetick Writers doth rather contribute assistance to it then overthrow this dangerous Insidelity I mean in what it teacheth concerning substantial Forms which I fear tends to the dis-abling all Philosophical evidence of the Immortality of our Souls For these Peripateticks make their Forms a kind of medium between Body and Spirit Beings that depend upon matter are educed from it and perish when they cease to inform it But yet â—…rm that they are not material in their constitution and Essence Such Forms those Philosophers assign to all bodies and teach that the noblest sort of them are sensitive and perceptive which are the Souls of Brutes If this be so that Beings which are not spirits but corruptible dependants upon matter may be endowed with animadversion and sence what Arguments then have we to shew that they may not have Reason also which is but an improvement and higher degree of simple perception 'T is as hard to be apprehended how any of the reâ—…s of matter should perceive as how they should joyn their perceptions into reasonings and the same Propositions that prove the possibility of one prove both so thâ—…t those who aâ—…rm that beasts also are in a degree reasonable speak very consonantly to those Principles If then such material corruptible Forms as the Peripateticks describe are sufficient for all the actions and perceptions of beasts I know not which way to go about to demonstrate that a more elevated sort of them may not suffice for the reasonings of men To urge the Topicks of proof I mention'd from Notions Compositions Deductions and the like which are alledged to prove our Souls Immaterial I say to plead these will signiâ—…e nothing but this That humane Souls are no portions of matter nor corporeal in their make and formal Essence But how will they evince that they are not educed from it depend not on matter and shall not perish in the ruines of their bodies Certainly all those Arguments that are brought for our Immortality are in this way perfectly disabled For all that we can say will prove but this That the Soul is no body or part of mâ—… but this will amount to no evidence if there are a middle kind of Essences that are not corporeal and yet mortal So that when I say that Philosophy serves Religion against Sadducism I would not be understood to mean the Peripatetick â—…ypotheseis but that Philosophy which is grounded upon acquaintance with real Nature 〈◊〉 â—…y leaving this whole 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of beings out of it s accounts 〈◊〉 â—…ings for which there is no shadow of ground from Reason or Nature but plentiful evidence of their non-existence from both disappoints the Sadduce of the advantage he hath from this needless and precarious principle And