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Licensd, 
 
 November i. 1689. 
 
REFLECTIONS 
 
 UPON THE 
 
 CONDUCT 
 
 O F 
 
 3i tmum IMt : 
 
 With reference to the Study of 
 
 Learning and Knowledge. 
 
 In a Letter to the Excellent 
 Lady, the Lady Mafham. 
 
 By JOHN NORRIS, M. A. 
 
 and late Fellow of jtil-Souls-Coltege 
 
 in Oxford. 
 • • ■ — ~ • — 1 
 
 • To which is annex'd, a 
 
 Vifitation SERMON, 
 
 By the fame Author. 
 
 The Second Edition, with Large Additions. 
 
 London, Printed for S. Manfiip, at the 
 Black. Bull in Corvhil. M DC XCI. 
 
1 
 
 i 
 
, , — i 
 
 MADAM, 
 
 SINCE the great Happinefs 
 or Mijery of Human Life 
 depends wholly upon the right or 
 wrong Con&utt of J£ /j£ that fiiali 
 point out any of its Irregularities 
 or MijlakfSj .ought to be lookf up- 
 on as an Univerfal Friend ^ and 
 a Promoter of the Public Happi- 
 nefs: And the more felpere he is 
 in his Cenfure (proDided it be true 
 and well-grounded) the more cha* 
 tit able u he in his Undertaking^ 
 and the more likely to be fer- 
 ipiceable in his Performance* 
 
 But then efpecially will he be 
 fa if the Irregularities which 
 J 3 he 
 
he finales out be fucb^ as are net 
 only Great and of ill Confequence y 
 Popular and Frequent^ Inveterate 
 and of longjlandingi but fuch as 
 he jecret and unobferDed y and 
 baToe all along faffed under the 
 Notion and Charaller of Excel* 
 lencies^and been made rather mat- 
 ter of particular Commendation than 
 ofDifparagement. If the Light 
 that is in thee be Darknefs,/^ 
 our Bleffed Lord y how great is 
 that Darknefs ! And fo may I 
 fay 0 If thofe things that go for 
 great Excellencies are real Faults^ 
 bow great are fuch Faults^ and 
 how worthy to be ctnfuredl He 
 therefore that reflects upon fuch 
 MifconduBs as thefe^ does adou^ 
 hie piece of Service^ and obliges 
 by his Difcovety as well as by 
 
 m Reproof. 
 
This Confideration^ Madanjj 
 has engaged my prejent Cenfure 
 upon that fide of Human Life 
 which refpeBs the Study of Learn- 
 ing and Knowledge^ the greateji 
 Faults of which ( if I mijlafe 
 mt ) haroe been^ and are filly by 
 * k}nd of unaccountable Superfli- 
 tion^ CanomzJd for Vertues ; and 
 tho really neittoer fewer nor lefs 
 tnormous than thofe of the Moral 
 Part^yet haDe been Jo little Dif- 
 cern d or Confiderd^ or at leafk 
 Animadverted upon^ that a Cen- 
 fure of this Nature looks life a fort 
 of a Defideratum in the Learn- 
 ed World] and fuch as eDen for 
 the Singularity of it ought m 
 longer to be Omitted, 
 
 The Truth is y the Faults of 
 the Inulle&ual Way have this pe- 
 J 4 culrir 
 
culiar in them^ that they are not 
 fo liable to be DiicoverU That 
 Light which divulges other Mif 
 carriages^ will be fure to hide 
 theje : For be fides that they, are 
 vifible only to a few 5 life the 
 private. Slips of a Religious Con- 
 Vent y fel9wn only to ihofe of the 
 fame Order; (for none can judge 
 of the Faults of the Learned 
 without Learning) 1 Jay befides 
 this j thofe fea> that do difcern 
 them^ have yet feldom Ingenuity 
 enough to confefs and acknowledg 
 them. For either they are fo 
 Proud as not to be willing, to own 
 themfelves to have been fo long 
 under a MifiaOe ; or elfe fo Ill- 
 natured that they dorit care others 
 fbould be direUed to a better Way 
 than they themfelves haVe traveled 
 ?«) but will have Po ferity trudge 
 ♦ on 
 
on in the fame . ditty -miry Road 
 after their Forefathers. 
 
 How far I am from ^his nhfo 
 row and illiberal lemfer of Soul 
 the following Reflexions may give 
 Evidence 5 in which according 
 to that meafure of Underjland- 
 ingGod has,giVenme^ lhaVe 
 endeavour d to marl^ out fome of 
 the grower and lejs obfervd Mif- 
 condutts of Human Life . in refe- 
 rence to the Study of Learning 
 .iW Knowledge^ wherewith I my 
 J elf have been too much and tot 
 long impofed upon^ and which after 
 all my ConVilhon^ ( jo mVimihh 
 are the Imprejfons of an early Pre- 
 judice) I can hardly yet find pow* 
 er to correal : For Education 
 the great Bias of Human Life^and 
 there is thu double Witch-craft: 
 
 in 
 
in ity that 'tis a long time before 
 a Man can fee any thing amijs in 
 a way which he has been ufed to^ 
 and when he does^tis not Very eafie 
 after that to change it for a better. 
 
 What Success thefe RefieBions 
 may haDe towards the Reforming 
 the Jbufes here toucht upon^ is be- 
 yond the reach of my eye-fight to 
 frefage. I am fatisfed that they 
 carry Reafon and Evidence enough 
 with them to jiand their ground 
 againfi any Oppofite Reafon that 
 may be offer d againji them ; but 
 whether this will make them an 
 equal Match for Authority and 
 contrary Prefcriptionyj* not fo cer- 
 tain. But let the Event be what it 
 will 0 here I fancy will lie the 
 Contejly between Reafon on one 
 fide ^ and Education and Autho- 
 rity 
 
rityonthe other. New which of 
 thefe will prevail^ k*iow not: But 
 lhpow which fliould. 
 
 In the mean while Imv fome of 
 the rigid Votaries and Profefjors of 
 Old Learning will relijb thefe 
 Reflections^ 1 can more eafily D/- 
 'Vine. Thefe are fuch Bigots in 
 their way y that a Man were as 
 good go to convert the Jews as to 
 reafon with any of thefe ftiff- 
 necked Gentlemen. I do not 
 therefore exfett to coyroince many 
 cf theje. For tho Reafon may do 
 great things ^yet it can neDer worl( 
 Miracles. And a Man may 
 as foon put the Sun cut of the 
 Ecliptic 3 or the Rivers out of 
 their CcurfeSy as turn thefe Men 
 tut of their Way. They are Con- 
 jured, into a Circle^ and nothing 
 
iefs than rnfte powerful Magic 
 can eDer zet them qui. 
 
 1 do not therefore expeft ^ I 
 fajj to d& great Cures upon the 
 Men of this Complexion^ or to me* 
 nt any Thanks from them. J 'Tis 
 well if I do not proDokg them^ and 
 niakg them Angry with me for tel- 
 ling out of School. But if I 
 happen to bring over here and there 
 an ingenuous and umnjlaDed Spi- 
 ntj Jome of thofe who^ are not 
 fucl(d in too far within the common 
 vortex of the World^ I /hall not 
 thinly my Labour ill bcflowd ^ nor 
 much regard the Magifienal Cen- 
 fures of thofe State4owi-Stu- 
 dents^ whofe great and long Study 
 has had no better effett upon them^ 
 hut only to make them too wife (or 
 Conviction. 
 
/ do not take your Lady/hip U 
 be concern d but only in the kit of 
 tbefe Reflexions. The two for- 
 mer may give you Entertain- 
 mentj but they are not intended 
 for jour InftrttdHoil. Tour La- 
 dyjhh is not to leurn either the 
 ©bjedi, or the Method of Study y 
 but only to be jb.chped inyow Ve- 
 hement Prof ecu tion of it. Teu take 
 the right Path^ but you run toofajl 
 im ity and are therefore dejtred to 
 • moderate your Pace^ not only for 
 fear you jliould outjlrip us^ but lejl 
 you JhouJd grow too wife for your 
 Self and for the World you live 
 tny and to your own great coji 
 find that weighty Reflection of the 
 Wife Man to Iqp true^ which you 
 tvere better take upon his Authori- 
 ty^ that in much Wifdora is 
 
 much 
 
much Grief, and that he that 
 increafes Knowledge,increafes 
 Sorrow. 
 
 The 
 
( I ) 
 
 The Firft Reflection. 
 
 Wherein the general ConduSl of 
 Human Life is taxd 5 for 
 f lacing Learning and Know- 
 ledge^ in fuch things as are 
 little or nothing ferfettiipe of 
 the Under ft anding. 
 
 t 
 
 BEING Naturally more than 
 ordinarily difpofed xoThougbu 
 fulnefs, and from the circumftan- 
 ces of my prefcnt Solitude and 
 Retirement further invited to it 5 
 I began one day to fall into a deep 
 Meditation upon the Conduit of 
 my own^ and of Human Life. 
 What Reflections I made upon 
 
 my 
 
( a ) 
 
 my own , are too peculiarly. Cal- 
 culated for my proper Circum- 
 ftances, to be of any General life, 
 and therefore I (hall not trouble 
 you with them. Bat as for thofe 
 paft upon the Conduft of Human 
 Life, I think they are of too ge- 
 neral ufe,and withal of too Weigh- 
 ty Confequence , not to be Com- 
 municated. Thefe therefore I (hall 
 think worth while to draw up into 
 a little more orderly form than 
 wherein they were firft conceived, 
 and prefent to your Ld^/j/p's Con- 
 federation. 
 
 IT. 
 
 Firft then I confider that the 
 Conduft of Huttian Life muft be 
 to the End of Human Life* which 
 is the fame with the End of Man, 
 which is Happinefs. This Conduft 
 therefore muft be, and necefla- 
 filyis, in Grofs to Happinefs. But 
 now whereas there are two Fa- 
 culties or Powers of Man, by the 
 right ordering of which this Hap - 
 pinefs is to be attain'd, TJnder- 
 
 jianding 
 
( 3 ) 
 
 flanging and Will % therefore more 
 immediately and diftinftly, this 
 Conduft of Human Life is in or- 
 der to the Government and Exer- 
 cife of theft two Faculties , the 
 due Regulation of which is the/w- 
 mediate End , to which Human 
 Life is to be Conduftcd. There 
 is therefore a double Conduft of 
 Human Life, Intelleftml and 
 Moral. 
 
 III. 
 
 As to the Moral Conduft of Hu- 
 man Life, I do not intend at pre- 
 fent to fpend any Refleftions up- 
 on it. Not becaufe 'tis Unexcep- 
 tionable, but becaufe 'tis too Ob- 
 noxious, the general Impertinence 
 and Irregularity of it being too 
 open and expofed, to need any. 
 And befides 'tis a Butt, that has 
 been (hot at fo often, ever fince 
 Preaching and Writing has been in 
 the World, that 'tis now fo thick- 
 fet with holes, that there is fcarce 
 room left to faften a mv> Arrow 
 in it. 
 
 B IV. 
 
(4) 
 
 IV. 
 
 But tho the Moral Conduit of 
 Human Life ftands fo much in 
 the way, and has been fo much 
 refle&ed upon, yet it has fared 
 otherwife with that which is here 
 called Intellectual , which ftands 
 not fo fair a Mark^ nor has been 
 fo often hit. Not that 'tis really 
 lefs faulty (for perhaps we (hall 
 be found to be as much out in the 
 Conduct of our Underftandings 
 as in that of our Wills) but be- 
 caufeits faultinefs is lefs notorious , 
 and lies further in, and muft be 
 drawn forth into View by a Chain 
 of Confequences, which not over 
 many have either difcernment e- 
 nough no ma\e^ or Vatitnce enough 
 to attend to. 
 
 V. 
 
 This is the Reafon why this 
 part of Human Conduft has hi- 
 therto fcaped fo well the Cenfure 
 and Animadverfion not only of 
 the vulgar, but of the Mafters of 
 Realbn , who have generally 
 
 emptied 
 
( 5 ) 
 
 emptied their Quivers upon the 
 Moral part} and this is the Reafon 
 why I am not willing it (hould e- 
 fcape now. And I think a good 
 Reafon too , fince next to the 
 Greatnefs of an Irregularity, no- 
 thing renders it fo fit for Refle&i- 
 on, as its Privacy and Retirement* 
 VI. 
 
 The Subjeft therefore of the 
 prefent Reflections, is the Intelle- 
 ctual Conduct of Human Life, or as 
 I exprefs it in the Title, the Con- 
 duct of Human Life,with reference 
 to the Study of Learning and 
 Knowledge. It is here fiippofed 
 that this Conduft is faulty arid 
 irregular , in its being made the 
 Subject of Reflection. What its 
 Faults and Irregularities are , I 
 (hall (hew, by ranging them into 
 thefe three Orders, with reference 
 to the End, Means and Degree of 
 AffeBion. 
 
 i. The placing of Learning 
 and Knowledge in fuch things as 
 are little or nothing Perfe&ive of 
 rfie Underftanding, B 2 & 
 
( 6 ) 
 
 2. The undue and irregular 
 method of profecuting what is 
 really Perfeftive of it. 
 
 3. The too Importunate and 
 over-eaineft purfuit after Know- 
 ledge in General. 
 
 Thefe are the three Cardinal 
 Irregularities I have obferv'd in 
 the Intelle&ual Conduft of Hu- 
 man Life, and upon each of thefe 
 I lhall beftow a Reflection. 
 VII. 
 
 The bufinefs of this firft Re- 
 fle&ion (hall be to Tax the 
 General Conduft of Human Life, 
 for placing Learning and Know- 
 ledge, in fuch things as are little 
 or nothing Perfe&ive of the Un- 
 derftanding. This I confefs to be 
 a Charge of more than ordinary 
 Severity and Boldnefs 3 becaufe it 
 fattens an Imputation of Folly up- 
 on the Learned Order (for with 
 them only is my prefent Concern) 
 and not only fo, but alfo in that 
 very thing wherein they think 
 their Wifdom aud Intellectual ac- 
 complement 
 
( 7 ) 
 
 complifhment confifts, and upon 
 which they value themfelves above 
 the reft of Mankind. To queftion 1 
 their conduft in any thing elfe s 
 would be but a trivial Charge, 
 and fuch as they wouU not only 
 readily Pardon, but Acknowledge 5 
 it being a common thing with 
 Learned Men not only to own, 
 but ftudioufly to affeS Ignorance 
 in things befides their Profeffion, 
 as in Secular bufine/s, the com- 
 mon Affairs of Life, the Myfteries 
 of Trades and the like. But to 
 cenfure them as defe&ive in 
 that one thing they pretend to, 
 to make that their Blind Side, 
 where they think they fee clear- 
 eft 3 to maintain that they are 
 not only not really wife and know- 
 ing, but that generally they don't 
 fo much as know what true 
 Knowledge is, aad that they ge- 
 nerally place it in (uch things as 
 contribute little or nothing to 
 the perfe&ion of that, whereby 
 they redly excel the Brutes, and 
 B 3 would 
 
( 8 ) 
 
 would be thought to excel the 
 Common fort of Men 5 this is (b high, 
 and fo difobliging a charge, that 
 I fear thofe who from the force of 
 what (hall be here urgM, may be 
 convincd of the Truth of it, will 
 hardly forgive the Boldncfs of it. 
 VIII. 
 
 But as high a charge as it is, \ 
 queftion not but that it may be, 
 and will be here made good. And 
 that it may appear to be true, we 
 will firft of all by way of Addrefs 
 or Preparation, confider what an- 
 tecedent grounds of probability 
 there are, that Men fhould gene- 
 rally place Learning and Know- 
 ledge in fuch things as are little 
 or nothing perfe&ive of the ratio- 
 nal Part , and then in the fecond 
 place we will proceed dire&ly to 
 prove that they do fb. 
 
 IX. 
 
 As to the firft , your Ladyflup 
 cannot be fo little acquainted ei- 
 ther with hidden Springs, or out- 
 ward Workings of Human Nature, 
 
 as 
 
(9 ) 
 
 as not to have obferv'd that how- 
 ever ftrong and univerfal isthede* 
 fire of Knowledge, yet Men are 
 generally more in Love with the 
 Fame arid Reputation of it , than 
 with the thing it felf There are in- 
 deed here and there a few humble 
 retiredSouh that are otherwife dif- 
 poled, and like your Lady/hip, are 
 fb far from loving the Fame and 
 Credit of Knowledge before Know- 
 ledge it felf,that they don't love it 
 at all, but are content to court 
 Wifdom privately, and enjoy their 
 own Light in the Dark. * For it 
 " may be they confider, that be 
 " their Attainments what they 
 f will, Fame is a thing of infinite 
 cc uncertainty • and contingency 
 " that it depends more upon the 
 cc Humours of Men, or fome more 
 cc fecret unaccountable Fate, than 
 " upon real excellency and merit 3 
 " that (bme have the luck to be 
 " popular, and cry'd up for no- 
 66 thing, when in the meaa while 
 ^. others that are really and highly 
 B 4 "de- 
 
. ( 10 ) 
 
 4C deferving can fcarce keep their 
 cc Heads above Contempt 5 that the 
 u World is feldom juft to true 
 cc Merit , and that nothing is 
 M weigh'd in a falfer Ballance than 
 <c real Excellency, whether Moral 
 cc or Intelle&ual 3 and that there 
 " is little reafon toexpeft it (hould 
 " ever be otherwife as long as En- 
 cc vy and Ignorance hold the Scales. 
 " Then again it may be they con- 
 " fider with themfelves, that fup- 
 <c pofe true Worth were ftcure of 
 c * Reputation , yet what a poor 
 <c flender good is it ! For what 
 cc is it to be tailed of, or pointed 
 u at ? Should a Man be never fo 
 " Popular,the Antipodes will never 
 <c hear of him 5 or if they do, 
 " what is he the better for what is 
 " faid of him there .<? And (hould 
 "his Fame, like the Sun, Travail 
 <c round the whole Globe, befides 
 " that he is but Mafter of a Point 
 "when hehasAl!, he can enjoy 
 " no more of it but juft what he 
 "bears, which is inconfiderable. 
 
 " And 
 
( II ) 
 
 <c And yet as inconfiderable as it 
 <c is. 'tis like to be his whole Porti- 
 " on. For as for Pofihumous Qlory, 
 ct it comes too late to be any 
 " thing valuable. He will either 
 tt not be fenfible of it, or defpife 
 " it. For certainly it muft needs 
 " be mightily beneath the im~ 
 u provements of a feparate ftate 
 Cc to put any value upon the in- 
 cc judicious praifes of poor Mortals 
 " here below. Or fuppole that a 
 cc Deceased Spirit could take any 
 cc Delight in reflefting upon the 
 cc Fame he has left behind him, 
 cc yet 'tis to be confidered that the 
 w Fajhion of this World faff es away y 
 " that thofe in whofe Praifes he 
 " outlives himfelf,muft alfo (hortly 
 " dye, and that then his Fame will 
 " have a Funeral, as well as him- 
 <c felf. Thefe perhaps, or fuch like 
 Confiderations , may prevail with 
 your Lady/hip and a few more 
 thinking Perfons, to have but a 
 very cold and indifferent regard 
 for the Reputation of Learning 
 
(»2) 
 
 and Knowledge: But as for the 
 generality of Mankind, it muft be 
 own'd that they are fond of it to 
 a Arrange degree, and are more 
 concern'd to be accounted Wife 
 and Learned, than really to be fo. 
 Otherwife I queftion whether our 
 Libraries Would be fo full as they 
 are. 
 
 X. 
 
 But now, tho the generality of 
 men be fo paffionately and keenly 
 let upon the fame of being Learn- 
 ed and Knowing, yet (fo little 
 hath Nature defign'd to gratify this 
 ambitious Humour ) there are but 
 a very few that have either a Ge- 
 nius and Inclination for Learning 
 7t felf or a Capacity of attaining 
 to it. Not an Inclination^ becaufe 
 there is a great Variety in the Spe- 
 culative^ as well as Moral Inclinati- 
 ons of Men, one being naturally 
 difpofed to this fort of Study, and 
 another to that 5 whereas true 
 Knowledge, whatever it be (which 
 fball be confider'd in its due place) 
 
 is 
 
( »a ; 
 
 is of one determinate kind or nature 
 in general, ^nd confequently muft 
 require a certain peculiar frame 
 and difpofition of mind. Not a 
 Capacity , becaufe the g^erality of 
 Men are known to have but indif- 
 ferent Intelle&uals, fnited to the 
 exigencies of common Life, when as 
 true Knowledge (whatever it be) 
 muft be (uppofed to be a thing of 
 uncommon difficulty, and the ftu- 
 dy of it a Work fit only for fub- 
 limer Wits, the more elevated and 
 Awaken d part of Mankind. 
 XL 
 
 Now put thele two things to- 
 gether, that almoft all men would 
 fain be thought Learned and 
 Knowing, - and that there is but 
 here and there one that is natu- 
 rally made and fitted for true 
 Knowledge , and then confider 
 what is like to be the refill t of this 
 Complication. Why, the Latter. 
 Few may fiicceed well in the fearch • 
 of what they were naturally quali- 
 fied for, and having attain d to a 
 
 Com- 
 
( i4 ) 
 
 Competency of true Knowledge, 
 fuch as is perfedtive of the Un- 
 derftanding, they find themfelves 
 under no Temptation to place it in 
 any thing elfe, or to bring into 
 Credit any other fort of Know- 
 ledge. Becaufe having arrived fo 
 far, they are either wife enough 
 to undervalue the Fame of being 
 Learned, or elfe defpair not of at- 
 taining it by their Proficiency in 
 True Knowledge. Here therefore 
 they take up their reft. 
 
 XII. 
 
 But now what (hall we do with 
 the others} Are they to be per- 
 .1 waded that they are not of a 
 Make for the Study and attain- 
 ment of Learning? You'll find 
 it tough Work to convince them 
 of that. But fuppofe it poffible 
 that they could be made fenfible 
 that thsy are not like to Com- 
 mence very Learned and Know- 
 ing, yet all the World fhall never 
 be able to perfvvade them to lay 
 afide that Natural Itch of being 
 
fo accounted. But you'll fay, tho 
 this Inclination be too Natural 
 and Inbred to be quite laid afide 9 
 yet there's hopes it may be Go- 
 vern d. No, nor that neither. They 
 muft put in for the Prize^ and 'tis 
 in vain to diffwade them from it. 
 But they muft defpair of ever 
 winning it in a fair way, being 
 fuppofed not able to reach the 
 Tree of Knowledge. True, They 
 have therefore but one way left, 
 and that is , to turn the Tables, 
 and cry up fomething or other for 
 Learning which they are capable 
 of No matter whether it deferve 
 that Name, that is, whether it be 
 really perfeftive of the Rational 
 Part or no, 'tis enough if they can 
 reach it. For thofc that can't com- 
 pafs true Riches, and yet will have 
 the Name and Credit of it, are put 
 upon the Neceffity of Coyning and 
 Counterfeiting. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 And truly this Suppofition 
 feems to me fo very reafonable. 
 
 that 
 
that were Experience altogether 
 Silent in the Cafe, and were I 
 utterly unacquainted with the 
 ftate of Learning in the World, 
 yet if I had a Draught given me 
 of Human Nature, and were told 
 how much the Ambition of being 
 efteem'd as Learned and Knowing, 
 exceeds both the Defire and the 
 Ability to be fo, and were then 
 -ask'd what I thought would be the 
 Intelleftaal Conduft of Human 
 Life, I fhould without any further 
 enquiry conclude, that in all pro- 
 bability Men would generally 
 place Learning and Knowledge in 
 fuch things as fignifie little or no- 
 thing to the Perfe&ion of the Un- 
 derftanding. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 But from grounds of Proba- 
 bility that they (hould do fo, let 
 us proceed to prove direUly that 
 they'do fo. Now in this Charge 
 there is fomething foppofed, and 
 fomething ajjerted. TheSuppofi- 
 tion is, that there are fome things, 
 
 the 
 
( 17 ) 
 
 the Knowledge of which is little 
 or nothing Perfeftive of the Un- 
 derfilling. The Aflertion is, 
 that Warning is generally placed 
 in the Knowledge of fuch things. 
 The Proof of the Suppofition will 
 engage my Pen upon the dilcuffi* 
 on of a very curious and weighty 
 <%Heftion^ wherein the Perfe&iqn 
 of the Underloading does confift, 
 or what it is that is Perfe&ive of 
 the Underftanding ? Which when 
 we have duly fix'd and ftated, we 
 {hall then have a certain Meafttrt 
 to go by in the Proof of the Af- 
 fertion. 
 
 XV. 
 
 To the Queftion then I anfwer, 
 That the Perfection of the Under- 
 ftanding, as that of the Will, is 
 either Formal or Objective. The 
 Formal Perfection of the Under- 
 ftanding, as that of the* Will, is no 
 other than its Exercile or Operati- 
 on, which is Thinking and Percep- 
 tion^ that of the other is Willing 
 and Ckufing. According to the 
 
 vulgar 
 
( i8 ) 
 
 vulgar Maxim, that the Perfecti- 
 on of every thing is its Operation, 
 which rauft be underftoflri only 
 
 of the -Formal Perfection. T he Ob- 
 jective PerfeSion of the Under- 
 ftanding is Truths as that of the 
 Will is Good The Refult of thefe 
 two Perfections joyn'd * together, 
 is what in the Underftanding we 
 call Knowledge, and what in the 
 Will we call Vertue. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 Our concern is not at prefent 
 with the Formal, but with the Ob- 
 jective Perfection of the Under- 
 ftanding. This we have faid in 
 general to be Truth, as that of the 
 Will is good. And thus far there 
 is neither Difficulty nor Controver fie. 
 All therefore that further remains 
 to be here confidered, is, what 
 Truth that is which is the Obje- 
 ctive Perfection of the Undeftand- 
 ing, or, what Truth that is, in the 
 Knowledge of which the Perfecti- 
 on of the Underftanding does con- 
 fift. 
 
 XVIL 
 
• ( I*.)' 
 
 XVIL 
 
 Now fince there is fb great a 
 Proportion and Correfpondence 
 between the Underftanding and 
 the Will, and the Perfe&ion of 
 each, the firft Entrance we (hall 
 make upon the.Refblution of this 
 Queftion (hall be to confider,what 
 good that is which is the ObjeSive 
 Perfection of the Will, or, what 
 good that is in the defiringand 
 embracing of which the Perfection 
 of the Will does confifr. Which 
 being determin'd , will afford at 
 leaft a Fair Ground and Occa(ion y 
 tho not an infallible Meafure for the 
 determination of the other. 
 XVIII. 
 
 Here then 'twill be neceffary to 
 premife a Confideration of the 
 Kinds of good. The moft general 
 diftributiori of which I conceive 
 to be into tht&'two^NeceJJary and 
 Contingent good.. By neceffary 
 good I underftand that which can- 
 not but be good , that which is 
 always and immutably good. And 
 C this 
 
/ 20 \ ' 
 
 tfris comprizes under it the good 
 of the End which is defirable for 
 itfelf, commonly called Pleafant 
 Good. And the good of the Means ^ 
 which has an immutable Con- 
 nexion with it, and is defirable 
 for the other , commonly call'd 
 Profitable Good. By Contingent Good 
 I underftand that which may, or 
 may not be good , and is good, 
 whenever it is fc, only upon a Po- 
 fitive account, becaufe enjoyn'd 
 by the Will of a Competent Au- 
 thority. This can never be the 
 good of the End, or a felf-defire- 
 able Good 5 nor can it be fuck a 
 good of the Means as has a Natu- 
 ral and Immutable Connexion with 
 it 5 but is always an Arbitrary and 
 Mutable Means. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 This being briefly premifed, I 
 {hall venture to affert, That that 
 Good which is the Objeftive Per- 
 fection of the Will, is Neceffary 
 Good. Either that which is Self- 
 defirabk 7 as God the Universal, or 
 
 any 
 
(- *< ) 
 
 any other particular pleafant good. 
 Or elfe that which has an immuta- 
 ble Connexion with it, as Moral 
 Good. As for Contingent Good, 
 that is no otherwife perfeftive of 
 the Will, than in the force and 
 vertue of the neceflary Good. For 
 Obedience to a pofitive Law is no 
 othenwife a Vertue, than as 'tis in- 
 cluded in fome general, natural 
 Law, whereof 'tis a contingent in* 
 ftance. Which is alio the ground 
 commonly affignd by Cafuijlsj/vhy 
 Human Laws oblige in Conference. 
 According to that of Aquino* ,Lex 
 Humana Obligat in Confcientia* 
 quatenus participat legem* aeter- 
 nam & naturalem. An Human 
 Law obliges in Confcience as much as 
 it partakes of the Eternal and Na- 
 tural Law. That is, as far as it is 
 founded, or relies upon the immu- 
 table Will of God and the Diftate 
 of Natural Reafon. 
 
 XX. 
 
 This is too plain to need much 
 Proof , though not fb plain but 
 C 2 that 
 
 * 
 
( ** ) 
 that it 'may be demonftrated. if 
 then a Reafon be demanded why 
 the Objective Perfection of the 
 Will is only neceflary, not contin- 
 gent good, 'twill be lufficient to 
 fay, that that only is Perfe&ive 
 of the Will, which naturally and 
 of it felf, makes it Happy , and 
 wherein (he can acqmefce with fi- 
 tisfa&ion and delight. But this 
 is only neceflary good, that which 
 is efTentiaHy, intrinfically, and im- 
 mutably good, either as the End, 
 or as having a Natural Connexion 
 with it, either of which involves 
 Happinefs. As for contingent 
 good,* that is fuppofed to be of it 
 felf indifferent as to Happinefs 5 
 and tho by politive Ordination it 
 may be made a condit'iQn of ir, 
 yet ftill it contributes to it only a3 
 an Arbitrary Means, which has no 
 inward goodnefi in it felf, and 
 whofe whole Moral Excerlency is 
 deriv'd from fbme general Law of 
 Pceafotf, whereof 'tis an Inftance 
 by accident, and in vertue where- 
 
( n ) 
 
 of it obliges. Thus Mofe/s ftri- E ^i7.$. 
 king the I\ock, and nothing mo- 
 rally good or perfe&ive of theWill 
 in it, but only as 'twas an Inftance 
 of that General Law of obeying the 
 Divine Will in all things. Nor did 
 the Vertue of Mofes confift, pro- 
 perly and ftri&ly fpeaking, in flri- 
 hjng the Rock, but in Obeying God 
 by ftriking the Rock. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 By this it appears what good 
 that is, in the defiring and embra- 
 cing of which the Moral Perfe&i- 
 on of the Will does properly and 
 ultimately confift. That it is Ne- 
 ceffary ,not Contingent good. Whence 
 we may take Inftru&ion how to 
 ftate the Perfe&ion of the Under- 
 ftanding , which we fhall do by 
 following the fame Common Mea- 
 fare. Firft then be it here alfb 
 premifed , that as in relation to 
 the Will^allgood is either necefjary 
 or contingent^ lb in relation to the 
 Underftanding, all Truth is either 
 Negeffary or Contingent. For be* 
 C 3 fides 
 
( H) 
 
 fides the immediatenefs of the 
 Gppofition, which is Contradicto- 
 ry, I further confider, that that 
 Kuft be the Adequate Divifion of 
 Truth which is of Beings Truth 
 being a property of Being, and 
 fuch an one, as tho formally and 
 abftra&ly different (for the Sub- 
 bed muft never be included in the 
 Precife Reafon of the Property)l 
 is yet Materially, and Concretely 
 the fame with it. But now Ne- 
 ceffary and Contingent is the Ade- 
 quate Divifion of Being, therefore 
 alfo of Truth. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 By Neceffary Truth I under- 
 ftand that which cannot but be 
 True, thar which is always and 
 immutably True. Such is God 
 among Simple Truths, who is im- 
 mutably what he is, and all the 
 
 nd. Rea- Divine Ideas which (as I have elft- 
 where abundantly explain d it) are 
 
 p*g.%2. th e v ^ry Effence of God, as vari- 
 oufly imitable or participable,thus 
 or thus. Such alfo among Complex 
 
 Truths 
 
( 2 5 ) 
 
 Truths are all Propofitions of Eter- 
 nal Truth, whether Abfolute or 
 Hypothetical, with all their regu- 
 lar Inferences and Conclufions, 
 which ( as I have allb elfewhere 
 (hewn J are nothing elfe but the 
 Divine Ideas themfelves as they vid. the 
 refpeft each other according tof ameTy ^ 
 their feveral immutable Habitudes 2^3. f*' 
 and Combinations. 
 
 XXIII. 
 By Contingent Truth I under- 
 hand that which may or may not 
 beTrue} that,whofe Truth depends 
 not upon the Eflence of God. 
 CThat Ground and Pillar of all 
 Neceffary Truth J but only upon 
 his Meer m Will and free Pleafure, 
 either decreeing or permitting. 
 Such among Simple Truths are all 
 Created Beings, the whole Eclypal 
 World, and all things in it, which 
 tho made according to the Eternal 
 and Immutable Patterns of the 
 Divine Ideas or Archetypal World, 
 yet in themfelves are Temporary 
 and Mutable. Such alfo ameng 
 C 4 Complex 
 
( ^ ) 
 
 Complex Truths are all thofe Pro 
 pofitions, the Terms of which have 
 no Effential or Immutable Con- 
 nexion with each other, but are 
 fo and fb combined and related, 
 meerly by the Decree or Permifc 
 fion of him, who is the Author of 
 whatever is befides himfHf 
 XXIV. 
 
 Under the Firft Order of Truths 
 are comprehended all thofe things 
 which are theMatter of thofe Art* 
 and Sciences which are built upon 
 liable and immovable Foundati- 
 ons, which depend not upon the 
 Syftem of the prefent World, but 
 were antecedent to it, and might 
 have been ftudy'd beftfre 'twas 
 made, and according to which 
 the World it felf was made, iuch 
 as Theology, Metaphy fich^ \ Morality, 
 Geometry, &c. together with all 
 thofe unchangeable Rules and . 
 Mealures of Reafon and Confe- 
 quence which are to be ufed about 
 them all, which is the Subjeft 
 of that Art or Science we call 
 
 Legfc. 
 
( 2 7 ) 
 
 Logic. Under the fecond Order 
 are comprehended all Matters of 
 Faff \ all Temporary Events , all 
 Natural or Artificial EffeSs , &c. 
 Which are the Matter of all Ar- 
 bitrary and Mutable Sciences 5 as 
 Hifiory ; Chronology, Knowledge of 
 Tongues^ &c. Which began with 
 this Mundan Syfiem^ and ftand or 
 fall with it. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 Now as that Good which is 
 primdy and properly Perfe&ive 
 of the Will, is Neceffary Good$ fb 
 following the fame Proportion I 
 (hall not doubt to afTert,That that 
 Truth which is Primely and Pro- 
 perly Perfe&ive of the Under* 
 (landing, is alfb Necefiary Truth, 
 And as Contingent Good is no o- 
 therwife Perfective of the Will, 
 than in the Force and Vertue of 
 the Necejfary Good ( as was above 
 Explain a) fo likewife Contingent 
 Truth, is no otherwife Pcrteftive 
 of the Underftanding than in the 
 Force and Vertue of Neceffary 
 
 Truth, 
 
( 28 ) 
 
 Truth, that is, of the Divine Ideas 
 wherein 'tis contain'd. As for 
 Example, when I fpeculate fbme 
 particular Artificial Triangle,which 
 is a Contingent Simple Truth, it is 
 no otherwile Perfe&ive of my 
 Underftanding, than as it is be- 
 held in its Neceflary and Immuta- 
 ble Nature, or ("which is all onej 
 in the Divide Idea. And thus a- 
 gain, when I form a Proportion 
 concerning this Triangle, by as- 
 cribing to it fome Property,or o- 
 ther, which is a Contingent Com- 
 plex Truth, this again is no other- 
 wife Perfedtive of my Underftand- 
 ing than as it belongs to, and is 
 beheld in the Nature of a Tri- 
 angle in Common^ which is Nece£ 
 firy and Immutable, , being no o- 
 ther than an Idea, *or a Determi- 
 nate Mode of the Divine Qmni- 
 formity. So that at length the Per- 
 fection of the Underftanding is 
 refolv'd into the Knowledge of 
 neceflary Truth, which is its on- 
 ly Qbje&ive Perfe&ion } that 
 
 whifh 
 
( 2* ) 
 
 which is Contingent being no way, 
 perfeftive of it, but only in vertue 
 of the other. 
 
 XX VI. 
 I am ( Madam ) very fenfible 
 how ftrange and Paradoxical this 
 way of Philofophizing will feem 
 to thofe who are either un»addi<3> 
 ed to Meditation in general, or 
 not converfant in Theories of this 
 kind 5 and therefore for their fakgs y 
 rather than for any inevidence of 
 the Argument^ I will give fbme 
 Proof and Confirmation of it, 
 which I will fo order, that it (hall 
 be an Explanation at the lame time. 
 I will therefore firft {hew that 'tie 
 fo, and fecondly, how and why 'tis 
 to. That it is fo I prove thus : 
 Firft , I fuppofe that God was 
 once when- there was nothing be- 
 tides God. Again, I fuppofe that 
 as the Being of God did go before 
 all other being in Order of Time, 
 fo in Order of Nature it was ante- 
 cedent even to the Will of Crea- 
 ting, putting, or permitting any 
 
 thing* 
 
( 3° ) 
 
 thing: Again , I fuppofe that 
 there was therefore then no other 
 Truth but neceflary Truth, that 
 is, the Divine Ideas with their fe- 
 veral Habitudes and Complicati- 
 ons. I fuppofe again, that there- 
 fore God muft be conftdzrd as 
 knowing then only thefe mceffarj 
 Truths. And yet I fuppofe again, 
 that God was a* perfedt then as he 
 IS now s and confequently , that 
 the Divine TJnderjianding was as 
 perfeft then as now, the Nature 
 of God requiring not only that he 
 fliould be Abfolutely Perfeff , but 
 that he fhou!d be fo in himfelf. 
 Whence I infer, that therefore the 
 whole Perfeftion of the. Divine 
 ilnderftanding is to be refolv'd in- 
 to the fole Knowledge of nccejfary 
 Truths and that the Knowledge of 
 Contingent Truth gives no Perfecti- 
 on to it, any otherwife than as 'tis 
 beheld in that which is neceflary, 
 as was find before. 
 
 XXVII. 
 From this Proceftof Reafoning, 
 
 I 
 
( 3i ; 
 
 I prefume'tis fufficiently evident, 
 that the Obje&ive Perfection of 
 the Divine Underflanding is only 
 Neceffary Truth , which I take in 
 the firft place to beaftrongground 
 of preemption, that the Perfe&i- 
 on of Human Understanding does 
 alfo confift in the (ame. But to 
 make it further plain that it does 
 fo, I fuppofe again, that nothing 
 were to exift but only God, and 
 one Intelligent Being 5 and that 
 this Intelligent Being had the full 
 and perfeft fruition of God. Upon 
 this fuppofition I enquire, whether 
 this Intelligent Being would be 
 perfe&ly Happy or no ? Without 
 all queftion he would, as enjoying 
 an AU-fufficient Good. • Well, if fo., 
 then he muft be perfectly happy 
 in his Under Banding. And yet 'tis 
 mod: certain, that he could then 
 have the knowledge of very little 
 more than Necejfary Truth 5 for all 
 that he could poffibly know be- 
 fides, would be only that he him- 
 felf did exift, and that he knew 
 
 thefe 
 
( 3 2 ) 
 
 thefe Neceflary Truths, and that 
 he was happy in the knowledge of 
 them, and the like.. And left the 
 knowledge of fuch Contingencies 
 fhculd be thought any Accumu- 
 lation to his Happinefs, we will 
 ' carry our Hypothefis a little fur- 
 ther, by fuppofing that this Intel- 
 ligent Being were not to attend to 
 any of his own Perfections, or to 
 any of thole few Contingent 
 Truths refulting from them, but 
 were only to Contemplate God 
 and the Divine Ideas 5 and then I 
 demand whether his Undefftand- 
 ing would be (ufficiently perfe&ed 
 or no ? 'Tis neceflary to anfwer in 
 the Affirmative, whence 'tis alfo 
 as necellarv to conclude, that the 
 only Objeftive Perfe&ion of our 
 Underftanding is Neccjfary Truth. 
 XXVIII. 
 This I think fufficient to prove 
 that 'tis fo. I (hall now briefly 
 explain the Mode of it, by (hew- 
 ing how and wty 'tis fo 5 and I ac- 
 count for it after this manner, 
 
 Neceflary 
 
( 33 ) 
 
 NecefTary Truth is the fame with 
 the Divine Ideas, and accordingly 
 Plato, I remember, calls Science 
 a Participation of Ideas, and the 
 Pivine Ideas are the very Eflence 
 of God, as 'tis varioufly imitable 
 according to its Omniformity : Ne-* 
 ceffary Truth therefore is no other 
 than the Eflence of God, the very 
 Subjlance of the Divinity. More 
 particularly, it is the fame with 
 the Divine Aoyg?L, the fecond Per- 
 fon in 'the Holy Triad, who is 'H 
 dtyjrnnr(&, crp&iyi^as Philo (peaks, 
 the Archetypal. Seal, and tco?fA@J 
 ra-ros, the IntelkUual World, and ^ 
 dpy4TV7rw '3>%^ &iy/Lict,t he Archetypal 
 Paradigme, and iSict the 
 Idea of Ideas. Whom alio the Scrip- 
 ture reprefents as the Wifdom of 
 his Father, and as the Light of the 
 World, and who enlightens every 
 Man that comes into it, not only 
 "Efficiently (as 'tis vulgarly under* 
 ftood) but alio Formally, he him- 
 felf being the Truth and the Lights 
 in which we lee all things. 
 
 XXIX. 
 
( 34 ) 
 XXIX. 
 
 Thefe things (Madam) I only 
 hint to you, referring you for fur- 
 ther fatisfa&ion to your deferved- 
 ly admired Monfieur Malebranch$ 
 in his de la Recherche de la Verite] 
 and to a Treatife of mine call'd 
 Reafou and Religion 3 where I have 
 purpofely treated of the Divine 
 Ideas^nd of our feeing all things in 
 them: In which however whatever 
 is deficient fhall be fuppliedin ano- 
 ther Latin Treatife of a larger 
 compafs, now under my hands* 
 and which I {hall communicate to 
 the World e're long (if God pleafe 
 to continue my Life and Health) 
 under the Title of Theoria Mnndi 
 ldealk^fivt MetaphjificaPlatomca. 
 XXX. 
 
 However , left I fhould be 
 thought to proceed upon a preca- 
 rious ground, I will here give you 
 one (hort and evident Demonftra- 
 tion, that Neceffary Truth is the 
 very Effence of God , and then 
 advance. That God is the caufe 
 
 of 
 
( 35 ) 
 
 of whatever is befides himfel£ ot 
 that whatever is, is either God, or 
 the efFed of God, is a clear and 
 acknowledge Principle. Upon 
 which I thus argue: Neceffary 
 Truth is either God, or the Effed 
 of God : But it is not the Effect 
 of God, therefore it is no other 
 than God himfelf 
 
 XXXL 
 That it is not the Efied of God, 
 is evident ffwlp the many Abfur- 
 dities that would follow upon that 
 Suppofition. For firft, God would 
 be then a Neceffary Agent 5 for if 
 Neceffary Truth be an EffeSfj 'tis 
 a NeceJfarj/EfiedL, and aNeceflary 
 Effed rauft have a Neceffary Caufe* 
 Again, God would not only be a 
 Necejfary Agent, but alfo (which 
 is worfe) an Unintelligent Agent. 
 The confequence is unavoidable, 
 for if Truth be the Effed of God, 
 ithen antecedently to the effe&ing 
 jof it, there was no Truth, and 
 confequently no Knowledge .Again, 
 [if Neceffary Truth be the Effeft 
 D of 
 
of God, then the Perfection of the 
 Divine Underftanding muft be 
 ftppofed to depend upon fome- 
 thing that is not God} nay, upon 
 fomcthing Created by God. 'Twill 
 follow again, that God has made 
 (bmething which he cannot de- 
 ftroy. And laftly , to add no 
 more, if Neceflary Truth be the 
 EfFed of God, then there will be 
 fomething Necejjary , Immutable, 
 and Eternal, &c. befides God. 
 The Confequences are all plain^ and 
 fo are the Absurdities. Thelaft 
 of which appeared fo great to the 
 Excellent Monfieur Poiret* a ftiff 
 Oppofer of your beloved Male* 
 • Cogitaiio- branche, and of the Ideal Philofo- 
 7ies Rat-;,, phy^ that he urges this as one Ar- 
 l1o e ; p % 6 gument againft the very being of 
 Neceflary Truth , becaufe then 
 there would be fomething Necejfa- 
 ry befides God, not confidenng 
 that this Neceflary Truth is really 
 one and the fame with God hitn- 
 felf And this alone puts by the 
 force of his Argument againlt the 
 
(37) 
 
 leing of Neceflary Truth, which 
 however is fufficienly conclufive 
 to the purpofe we now aim at, 
 that Neceflary Truth is not the 
 EffeS of God. For if it were, 
 then his Abfurdity would come 
 in, and there would be fomething 
 Neceflary befides God. Since 
 then Neceflary Truth is not the 
 EfFed of God, it remains by Ver- 
 tue of the premifed Disjunction , 
 that it muft be no other than the 
 very Subftance and Eflence of the 
 Deity. 
 
 XXXII. 
 I further confider , that the 
 Eflence of God is intimately and 
 immediately united to the mind of 
 Man } this is plain from Scripture, 
 which tells us, that in God is our 
 Life, our Motion, and our Being. 
 And from Philofophy^whxch aflures 
 us, that what pervades all things, 
 mud needs be immediately united 
 with every thing. And for this, De 
 you have the Authority of your ) a 
 excellent Malebranche, who there- p 
 D 2 fore 
 
( 3§ ) 
 
 fore calls God the Place of Spirits, 
 as Space is the Place of Bodies. 
 XXXIII. / 
 Now upon thefe twc< Supposi- 
 tions, that Neceffary Truth is the 
 fame with God himfelf, and that 
 the E3ence of God is immediately 
 united to the Mind of Man, 'tis 
 eafie to Conceive how and why 
 Neceflary Truth fliould be the 
 Obje&ive Perfe&ion of our tin- 
 derftanding s fince to make an 
 Objedt Perfeftive of the Faculty^ 
 nothing elfe is requinte, than that 
 it be its proper good^ and that it be 
 intimately Prefent to it. And this 
 will alfo fufficiently give us to 
 underftand , that Contingent Truth 
 cannot be the ObjeSive Perfe&ion 
 of the Mind } firft, becauft that is 
 a Created Being , whereas God 
 alone is our proper Good. And fe- 
 condly, becaufe 'tis without us,and 
 cannot be immediately united to 
 our minds, without which condi- 
 tion, were it never fo Perfective 
 otherwife 9 it could contribute 
 
 nothing 
 
(39) 
 
 nothing to the Perfection of our 
 llnderftandings. 
 
 There is no Firft Principle feems 
 to me more Evident, than that the 
 whole Perfection of the Mind does 
 confift in its Union with God, who 
 is her only as well as true Good. 
 For the good of the Mind muft of 
 neceffity. be fomething Spiritual^ 
 otherwife it would be of a Nature 
 inferiour to her felf, and fonot 
 capable of being her Perfeftion. 
 But neither is that enough. What- 
 ever is the good of the Mind muft 
 not be only of a like Nature with 
 the Mind, that is, of a Spiritual, 
 but of a Superior Nature too. It 
 muft be fomething above the Mind 
 that can be its Perfeftion, and that 
 can aft upon it, and .enlighten it, 
 $nd reward it, and raife pleafing 
 Senfations in it, otherwife how can 
 it add any thing to its better Be- 
 ing or Perfeftion } And in order 
 to all this it muft be intimately 
 united with it, otherwife how can 
 it fo aft upon it ? But now God is 
 D 3 the 
 
( 40 ) - 
 
 the only Spiritual Being,whom we 
 can poffibly conceive thus qualifi- 
 ed to be the Good of our Minds. 
 Whence it follows, that he only is 
 fb, and that we cannot become 
 either more Perfect or more Hap- 
 py in any Kind or Degree, but by 
 our Union with, and Poffeflion of 
 God. Whence it further follows, 
 that Truth could not be any Per- 
 fection of our Underftandings, if 
 it were not the fame with the Di- 
 vine Eflence , and confequently 
 that that Truth only is a Perfection 
 of the Mind, which is the fame 
 with God. And fince that is only 
 Ideal or Necejfary Truth,! conclude, 
 that this and this only is the Obje- 
 ctive Perfeftion of Human Minds. 
 XXXIV. 
 And thus have I given a full 
 Refolution to that Curious and 
 Important Queftion which the 
 Proof of my Suppofition engaged 
 me upon, and which is to be the 
 Meafure of what follows in this 
 Refleftion. It is plain from hence, 
 
 that 
 
( 4' ) 
 
 that there are fome things the 
 Knowledge whereof is little or 
 nothing perfe&ive of the Under- 
 ftanding. For as I have fhew/?, 
 'tis not Contingent^ but Neccjfary 
 Truth, wherein the Perfection of 
 the Underftanding does confift. 
 Whence it folio ws,that True Learn- 
 ing ought to be placed in the 
 Knowledge of Necejfary Truth , in 
 the Comprehenfion of thofe Arts 
 and Sciences, whole Foundations 
 are not Arbitrary, but Stable and 
 Immutable, and in underftanding 
 the Eternal and Unchangeable 
 Laws and Mcafures of Reafon and 
 Conference. He therefore is the 
 truly Learned and Knowing Man, 
 who has furnifhM his Mind with 
 bright and clear Ideas , lodg'd 
 them orderly and regularly in his 
 Head, and fetled the Relations 
 and Confequences of one to ano- 
 ther. He that is able to think 
 clearly and diftinftly (for fo much 
 a Man knows, as he diftinftly un- 
 derftands, and no more) to judi e 
 D 4 truy 
 
( 42 ) 
 
 truly and folidly, and to reafon 
 dependently and confequentially. 
 In fhort, he that fees moft of the 
 Divine Ideas , is moft familiarly 
 converfant in the Intelligible 
 World, and has the largeft and 
 the cleared View of the Field of 
 Truth. This I hold to be Learn- 
 ing, and Intelle&ual Perfection 3 
 and befides what Arguments I have 
 ailed ged in behalf of this Hy- 
 pothefis , it is further Confirmed 
 by the Authority of Plato , when 
 be makes the Happinefs or Per- 
 fection of Man ( for 'tis all one) 
 to confift in the Contemplation of 
 Ideas. 
 
 XXXV. 
 But notwithftanding the un- 
 queftionable Certainty of the Pre- 
 mifes, this is not that Meafure 
 which the generality of the World 
 has thought fit to proceed by. 
 Learning is generally placed in 
 the Knowledge of Contingent^ not 
 of Necejfary Truth. For your 
 Ladyjhip very well knows that the 
 
 World 
 
(43? 
 
 World does not efteem him a 
 Learned Man, whofe Learning has 
 clear'd his Underftanding , who 
 is arrived to Clearntfi and Di- 
 ftinftnefs of Conception, and is a 
 thorough Mafter of Notion and 
 Difcourfe : No, 'twill coft great 
 Pains, great Labour of Mind, and 
 Anxiety of Thinking to arrive to 
 this Pitch. Nor will all the Pains 
 in the World do, unlels a Man he 
 Naturally made for it, unle/s he 
 be of a Notional Complexion, and 
 has had his Head caft in a Meta- 
 phyfical Mould. Whereupon this 
 Attainment is like to be the Lot 
 of a very Few. This therefore 
 muft not be Learnings but fome- 
 thing elfe muft , that lies more 
 within Common reach, tho of no 
 real Moment to the Perfeftion of 
 the Underftanding. Such ( as I 
 have (hewn) are Contingent Truths , 
 and yet Learning is generally 
 placed in the Knowledge of 
 thefc. 
 
 XXXVL 
 
( 44) 
 
 XXXVI. 
 For firft/tis reckon'd a notable 
 point of Learning to underftand 
 variety of Languages. This alone 
 gives a Man a Title to Learning 
 without one Grain of Senie 5 and 
 on the other fide, let a Man be an 
 Ang^l for Notion and Difcourfe , 
 yet unlefs he can expreis the fame 
 Thoughts in variety of Words, he 
 may go for a Rationalism will by 
 no rneans be efteemM a Learned 
 Man. And this brings to my mind 
 a Parage which I met with not 
 long fince in London, where being 
 in Company with an Ingenious 
 French Man, I ask'd him of what 
 repute M. Malebranche was with 
 the Learned in France? He told 
 me, that he was looked upon as a 
 great Mafter of Notion and Specu- 
 lation, but as a Man of no great 
 Learning. I ask'd him,Why ? Be- 
 am le, faidhe, he underftand s but 
 few Languages. How much that 
 excellent Author's Talent may lie 
 that way I am not concerned. But 
 
 what* 
 
( 45 ) 
 
 whatever it he, the mod Learned 
 of them all muft give me leave to 
 fay, that I would rather be Mafter 
 of a Quarter of his Senfe, than of 
 all the Languages that may be 
 form'd out of the Alphabet. But 
 is it not a ftrange thing that fb 
 much Strefs ftiouid be laid upon 
 filch a Trifle ? For what am I the 
 better for being able to tell what 
 'tis a Clock in feveral Languages? 
 What does this fignifie to the Fer- 
 feftion of my Underftanding? 
 Words are purely in order to 
 Thought and Senfe , and therefore 
 are of no further value than as 
 they ferve as helps either to Icarn^ 
 or to Communicate the other. To 
 affeft them therefore for them- 
 [elves, is to turn the Means into 
 the "End, than which nothing is 
 more al-fard. And yet this vain 
 piece of Pedantry has prevailed all ' • 
 the World over, and with feme 
 to that degree,that they have con- 
 founded Ideas with Words , and 
 have made all Scieme to terminate 
 
 in 
 
'(4*-) 
 
 In the latter. Thus the Philofb- 
 
 phers of the Nominal way \ and 
 particularly W[x.Hobbs\ who makes 
 Rcafon to be nothing elfe but 
 Sequela Naminum , a well-order'd 
 Train of Words. Never certainly 
 was there a groffer piece of Ido- 
 latry, nor a plainer Argument of 
 the great degeneracy of Minkind. 
 And tho all the Multipliers of 
 Tongues are not Comprehended 
 under this latter charge,yet it may 
 concern then? to confider , how. 
 great a Folly it muft needs be, to 
 place Learning in that, which is 
 one of the greateft Curfes upon 
 Earth, and which (hall utterly 
 lOx.nS.Ceafe in Heaven. 
 
 XXXVII. 
 Again, it pafTes for an extraor-j 
 dinary part of Learning to under- 
 ftand Eiftory, that is, in other 
 words, to know what a company 
 ' of filly Creatures, caird Men, have 
 been doing for almoft this 6000 j 
 years. Now what is my Under- I 
 ftanding the Perfe&er for know- 
 ing 
 
( 47 ) 
 
 ing this? I deny not but that thet£ 
 are (bme matters of Fad, as the 
 more remarkable Turns of Eccle- 
 fiafticalHiflory, together with the 
 greater Revolutions of the Civil 
 World, that may be of Moment to 
 be known 5 not that the knowledg 
 of them as fuch is Learning, or 
 Perfe&ive of the LInderftanding 5 
 but becaufe by difcovering to us 
 theConduft of Divine Providence 
 they fupply us with occafions of 
 adoringand glorifying the wifdom 
 and goodnefs of God. I am not 
 therefore againft the knowing thefe 
 things, but only I would not have 
 men think themfelves the Wifer or 
 more Learned for fuch Knowledge. 
 For 'tis one thing to fay that a 
 \ thing deferves to be known, and 
 another to (ay that his Learning or 
 Wifdom to know it. For a thing 
 may deferve to be known, not as 
 ferfefting the Understanding, but 
 meerly as touching upon our Inte- 
 rcft. I grant therefore that it may 
 be of Conference to know Ibme 
 
(4* ) 
 
 Hiftcrical Paflages, if we are any 
 way concerned in them , and fo it 
 may to know the Clock has (truck 
 One, if I have appointed anJjfig- 
 nation at that time 5 but fure the 
 hare naked Theory of the Clocks 
 having ftruck One, can add but 
 little to the ftock of my Intel- 
 lectual Perfection. The moft: tri- 
 vial matter of Fad in the World 
 is worth knowing, if 1 have any 
 concern depending upon it 5 and 
 the greateji without that is utterly 
 inGgnjricant. So that 'tis not from 
 the perfecting of our Under ' {landings 
 but from the Relation they have to 
 our lnterefi 0 that thefe things de- 
 ferve to be known. 
 
 XXXV1IL 
 This is fufficiently plain from 
 the Meafure we have premifed, 
 by which no Truth is perfective of 
 thellndeiftanding but only Necef- 
 farji Truth. But to addrefs my felf 
 more Convincingly to the great 
 Magnifiers of Hijlory^ I (hall only 
 defire their Anlvver to this one 
 
 Queftion. 
 
r 49 ; 
 
 Queftion. Suppofe fuch and fiicb 
 Matters of Fa& 5 on the knowledge 
 of which they Found their Title to 
 
 t Learning , and perhaps glory 
 more in the knowing them, than 
 the Aciors themfelves did in the do- 
 ing them. SuppofeJ fay, fuch mat- 
 
 i ters of Fa ft had never been done 5 
 luppofe Fabius had never Wea- 
 ther'd out Hannibal by Delays 5 
 nor Cyrus took Babylon by drain- 
 ing the River into the Ditches, 
 what lofs or diminution would 
 this have been to the Perfection of 
 their Underftandings ? They can- 
 not (ay it would have been any* 
 And why thenfhould the knowing 
 them now they are done, be reck- 
 on'd as an Intelleftual Improve- 
 ment ? And yet we find that 'tis 
 fo, and that Men ftudy thefc 
 things not only for their ufe, (for 
 that I allow) but for >their meer 
 Theory, placing Learning in fuch 
 Hiftory , which has npthing to 
 commend it, but only that it tells 
 you fuch and fuch things were 
 
 done. 
 
Cs°") 
 
 done. Of this impertinent fort is 
 thegreateft part of the Roman and 
 Grecian Hiftory, which fhad not 
 the World Voted it for Learning) 
 would no more concern a Man to 
 know, than that a Bird has dropt 
 a Feather upon the Pyrencean 
 Mountains. 
 
 XXXIX. 
 Again , it goes for a Notable 
 Piece of Learning to underftand 
 Chronology, to be able to adjuft the 
 Intervals and diftances of Time, 
 to know when ftich an AcYion was 
 done, when fuch a Famous Man 
 flourifh'd, and who and who were 
 contemporary, and the like. Now 
 I deny not, but that while Men 
 live in this World, they may be 
 concerrid to have fome acquain- 
 tance with thefe things, by reafon 
 of fome intereft or other that de- 
 pends upon*it. It may therefore, 
 I fay, for fome purpofes, be con- 
 venient to know that. For in- 
 ftance, there is a two-fold Jfira (or 
 date) of the Vi&ory at Aftium^ 
 
( 5 1 ) 
 
 the one reckoned from theFight at 
 the Promontory of ASium, ac- 
 cording to the account of Dio and 
 Xiphilinus , the other from the 
 taking of Alexandria , and the 
 Death of Cleopatra, according to 
 Ptolemy, Jofephus, Eufebius, and 
 Cenforinus. But however, concern- 
 ing this may be, with re/ped to 
 its ufefulnefs, yet certainly as to 
 any IntelleSud Perfection that 
 accrues by it, it rauft needs be a 
 very unedifying Stuff age of Mind 5 
 and yet 'tis counted a great Accom- 
 pliftiment and Enrichment of it. 
 XL. 
 
 Another thing there is which 
 saffes for wonderful Learning, 
 #hich .1 cannot well reduce either 
 :o jNeceffary or Contingent Truth 5 
 br indeed it does not belong to 
 Truth at all,and that is omSopkijli- 
 al way of Difputation. And in- 
 leed it may well be call'd fo, for 
 s 'tis generally manag'd, 'tis no- 
 hing but meer Quibbling and 
 efting, not Arguing but Punning^ 
 E For 
 
( 5* ) 
 
 For fuppofe the Queftion be, Whe< 
 ther he that has Faith (hall be 
 laved? No, fitys the Opponent, 
 If the Damn'd have Faith, then 
 not every one that has Faith (hall 
 b^ faved 5 But the Darnn'd have i 
 F^ith. Therefore, &c. Here 'tis 1 
 pjain that the Word Faith^ tho it t 
 has Something in Common fn both \ 
 rropofitions, yet according to the I 
 intire Idea, fignifies one thing ir S 
 one Propofition, and another it d 
 another. And why then is noi 1 
 the whole Procedure to be re li 
 je&ed as Idle and Impertinent 21 
 As for down-right Fallacy anc tl 
 Equivocation, where there is ; fc 
 Manifeji Ambiguity ( as betweei ta 
 Dog and Dog , one fignifying* ; U 
 Celeftial Sign, and the other m 
 Terreftrial Animal) this is ever m 
 where defpifed and laught at 3 m 
 unbecoming both the Acumen an que 
 the Gravity of a Difputant. Anar 
 we think we have Efficiently di tfo 
 charged our Hands of fuch ac 0 ! 
 Argument, by Crying out thi^ 
 
( 53 ) 
 
 there are Four Terms in the Sjllo- 
 gifm. But now I would fain know 
 whether it be not the fame to all 
 real purpofes in the fbremention'd 
 Inftance, which is after the com- 
 mon way of our Scholaflic Difpu- 
 tation ? Is not Faith and Faith 
 there, as much an Ambiguity as 
 Dog and Dog here ? For my part 
 lean perceive but this only Dif- 
 ference, that Dog and Dog have 
 nothing in Common but theName, 
 whereas Faith and Faith have 
 fbme Generical Part wherein they 
 agree. But what does this mend 
 the Matter? For tho there be 
 fome Generical Agreement , yet 
 take 'em according to their whole 
 Ideas, that is, take the Generical 
 part with its Contracting Difference^ 
 and 'tis plain that they fignifie 
 :wo different things, and confe- 
 ijuently that there is really as great 
 m Ambiguity here as there. And 
 his we plainly Confefs when we 
 :ome to Difiinguijh. For what is 
 j Difiinftion but a Pointing out of 
 hi E 2 an 
 
( 54 ) 
 
 an Ambiguity ? What is it elft but 
 to fay, that fuch a thing is True 
 in this Senfe , but not in that^ 
 True in that Senfe wherein the 
 Point of the Queftion is not con- 
 cern d^ but not in that wherein it 
 is. No? why then, notwithftand- 
 ingthe Generical Agreement the 
 Procedure is as fallacious and im- 
 pertinent^ when the Queftion be- 
 ing about Star-Dog, the Oppofition 
 is about Land-Dog. And yet (fijch 
 is the Inconfiftency of Human 
 Judgment) the one is counted Tri- 
 flings and the other Seriotts Ar- 
 guing, Whereas indeed no Argu- 
 ing can be fo,but where the Terms 
 of the Queftion are firft Defined 
 (as is done in Geometry") and then 
 always ufed according to the firft 
 Stated Senfe. All Difputing any 
 other wife than lb, iuuft necefTari- 
 ]y be nothing elfe but meer Pun* 
 ning 3 only much worfe than what 
 is in common ufc, becaufe WsPun- 
 ning when a Man Pretends to be 
 Serious. And yet this is made a ! 
 
 . con- 
 
( 55 ) 
 
 confiderable Part of our Acade- 
 mical Education and Learning 5 a nd 
 he is efteern'd the greateft Profici- 
 ent, who is moft vers'd in this Fal- 
 lacious Trickjfi way of Difputing, 
 and is arrived to the grqpteft 
 Sleight of Hand'm this Philofophi- 
 cal Juggle, which notwithftanding 
 all that Credit and Reputation it 
 has had among the Profeflbrs of 
 Learning, both in our own, and 
 in other Univerfities 5 I take to be 
 fo far from being any real fub- 
 ftantial part of Learning, that 'tis 
 one of the greateft Abufes and 
 Corruptions of it, and is one of 
 the firft things that I ihould offer 
 to be Reform'd at a Philofophic 
 Vtjitation. 
 
 XLI. 
 
 For this Scholaftic way of Dis- 
 puting may be confidefd, either 
 as ar Acquirement, or as an Exer- 
 cife, and either way (as 'tis ufual- 
 1y manag'd ) it will be found to 
 be no better than a Pompous Tri- 
 ♦fle. If you confider it as an Ac- 
 E 3 qnirement^ 
 
( 56 ) 
 
 quiretnent^ 'tis nothing elfe but an 
 Habit, or rather a Trick of feem- 
 ing to prove fomething, when re- 
 ally you prove nothing. And I 
 think Monfieur Gajjendi in his Pa- 
 radoxical Exercitations has given a 
 true Image and Reprefentation of 
 it, when he tells of the Six Eggs 
 which the Country-man Order cl 
 to be provided for the Entertain- 
 ment of his Son, when he return'd 
 home from the Univerfity. The 
 Father ' would have him boyl Six 
 Eggs, two for him, two for his 
 Mother, and two for himfelf But 
 the Son, having an Itch to (hew a 
 Proof of his Scholaftic Improve- 
 ment, boy I'd but three. When 
 his Father ask'd him, Why he had 
 not provided Six ? Why, fays he, 
 are there not here Six ? How fo ) 
 fays the Father,I can fee but three. 
 No, replies the young Sophifter, 
 is not here one (telling them out) 
 and is not there two, and is not 
 there three? And don't i, 2, and 
 3 make Six > Well, fays the Fa- 
 ther 
 
( 57 ) 
 
 ther, then Til take two, and your 
 Mother (hall have one, and you 
 fhallhave the other three. And 
 now I think all was right and as it 
 (hould be. The Son for his part 
 gave a true Specimen of his Uni- 
 verfity Learning : ( For in earned 
 I don't take our vulgar way of 
 Deputing to be one Jot better 
 than this piece of Egg-Sophiflry ) 
 and the Father fervM him very 
 r well, and in his kind } that is, 
 
 fhe w'd him Trick for Trick, 
 i XLII. 
 
 Nor is there any thing more in 
 i> it confider'd as an Exercife. As the 
 . Acquirement has nothing in it, Co 
 i the Exercife contributes to nothing. 
 | As the Former is an infignificant 
 worthlefs Habit, fothe Latter is 
 J an idle fruitlefs Employment. As 
 it fprings from Nothing, fo it tends 
 to Nothing, but is all over Shuffle 
 ) and Legerdemain. It does not di£ 
 t cover one Truth, nor enlarge any 
 J One Science. It ferves neither to 
 ] clear the Mind, nor to clear the 
 c E 4 Argu- 
 
( $8 ) 
 
 Argument, but rather to fnarl and 
 perplex both. The Truth is, I 
 can find nothing in this lb . magni- 
 fied £xercife but Punning and 
 Canting.Punning I call ufing Words 
 in various Senfo : Canting I call 
 ufing Words without any real Senfe 
 or Notion under them : And thefe 
 two I believe will go near to di- 
 vide our Scholaftic Exercifes be- 
 tween them. For as far as I could 
 ever obferve for thirteen years to- 
 gether, this great Myftery of Dis- 
 putation is nothing elfe but a meer 
 ToJJing of Words backward and 
 forward, fometimes without any 
 meaning, which is Canting j and 
 fometimes with more Meanings 
 than one, which is Punning. Up- 
 on which Confideration I mnft 
 needs own (whether it be my Ig- 
 norance or no, I can't tell) that I 
 had ever a very mean Opinion of 
 this fort of School Errantry^ and 
 that I always thought the Time 
 fpent at the Public Schools to be 
 as much Loitering^ as that in the 
 Tennis-Court. XLIIL 
 
( $<? ) 
 
 XLIII. 
 
 I could here run out much fur- 
 ther, but that I find my felf pre- 
 vented by the Excellent Monfieur 
 Rohault, who in his Preface to his 
 Philofophy gives this true Account* 
 of this whole Bufinefs, That it is 
 not a way to the Acquifition of New 
 Truths , nor as fuch intended,but on- 
 ly a fort of Exercife or Sport of the 
 Mind, whofe end is nothing elfe but 
 only to mix and int angle Truth with 
 Falfehood, by the help of fome little 
 •Tricks and Quires, by which either 
 fide of the guejlion may be main- 
 tained, and neither of the Litigants 
 feem to yield, tho the Proportions 
 they hold be never fo Abfurd, and 
 the Re aj on to the contrary never fo 
 Strong. And truly this is the Or- 
 dinary Iffke of all Public Exer- 
 cife s, * where oftentimes in the fame 
 C hair contrary Opinions are difpnted 
 by turns, and are equally Viitorioits, 
 while in the mean time the matter 
 is not at all cleared, and Truth lies 
 as near the bottom of the Well as it 
 
 did 
 
( 60 ) 
 
 did before. This is the true ftate 
 of the matter, and I am glad to 
 find fo great an Authority on my 
 fide, not lb much to Confirm the 
 Truths to take off from theSingu- 
 larity and Boldnefi of the Genfure. 
 And to this I add this further Re- 
 mark, that 'tis reckoned a notable 
 Excellence to be able to Spin out 
 an Argument to a great length, and 
 he is counted the beft Arguer that 
 can thus Pun longeft. Whereas 
 indeed did a Man fpeak to the 
 purpofe , Brevity would be his 
 gteateft Excellence. 
 
 XLIV. 
 
 There are many other things 
 which the unaccountable humour 
 of the World has turtid up for 
 Learning , which Ignorance will 
 never be the better for, and which 
 Wifdom does not need. Thus 'tis 
 counted Learning to have tumbled 
 over a multitude of Books, efpe- > 
 daily if great ones, and old ones 
 and obfcure ones, but moft of all, 
 if Manufcripts 5 the recovery of 
 
(6i ) 
 
 one of which is reckon'd fo much 
 added to the Commonwealth of 
 Learning, as they call it. A Well- 
 read Man fignifies the very feme 
 as a Learned Man in moft Mens 
 Dictionaries , and by Well-read 
 they don't mean onethac has read 
 well, that has clear d and improv'd 
 his Underftanding by his reading, 
 but only one that has read a great 
 deal, tho perhaps he has puzzled 
 » and confounded, his Notions by 
 doing fo. Thus again it goes for 
 Learning, to be acquainted with 
 Mens Opinion's, elpecially of the 
 Ancients, to know what this or 
 that Philofopher held, what this 
 j or that Author fays, tho perhaps 
 he C ys aothing but what is either 
 Abfurd^ or Obvioujly True. Thus 
 for inftance , What can be more 
 Abfurd than that Fancy of Empe- 
 docles, that there are two Semi- 
 ) circles , compaffing betwixt them 
 the Earth, cine whereof was com- 
 i pofed of Fire, the other of Air, 
 | and that the former made the Day^ 
 
 and 
 
( 62 ) 
 
 end the latter Night ? And yet to 
 know this is Learning. And what 
 again is more obvioufly true, than 
 that Grave Doftrin of Arrfiotle^ 
 that Privation mnft go before the 
 introduction of the Form in all 
 Generation? And yet 'tis Learn- 
 ing to know that he taught thus, 
 tho it be a thing fo plain , and fo 
 near the' Surface, that a Child can't 
 mifs of it. To know the thing 
 is nothing, becaufe fo plain and 
 eafie 5 but to know that Arifiotle 
 held it, that's the Learning. Nay, 
 to inftance in a matter of a greater 
 difficulty, tho I know very well, 
 and am able to demonftrate the 
 grounds of the Atomical Philofophy, \ 
 or the Motion of the Earth, or the , 
 Circulation of the Blood, yet I 
 (hall not be admitted into the Or- t 
 der ot the Learned ^ unlefs I ani 
 able to tell that hlofcus the Phoeni- 
 cian invented the firft, and that 1 
 Democritus and Lettcippus after* > t 
 wards improved it, and that the t 
 two latter owe their Difcovery to 8J 
 
 Coper* 
 
( *3 ; 
 
 Copernicus and Harvey. So much 
 more Learned an Atchievement is 
 it to knew Opinions than things 5 
 and accordingly, thofe are reck* 
 on'd the moft Learned Authors, 
 who have given the greateft Spe- 
 cimens of this kind of Knowledge. 
 Thus is Vicu* Mirandula more ad- 
 mired for the Examination he has 
 made of the Doftrin of the Pa- 
 gans\ than any of them were for 
 what they deliverd} and Plutarch 
 has got more Credit from the 
 Hiftory he gives of their Opinions, 
 in the 2d Tome of his Works, 
 than from any of his Rational and 
 Moral Difcourfes. And were he 
 not accounted Learned for the 
 Former^ I queftion whether the 
 Latter^xho far more excellent than 
 they are) would ever have given 
 him that Title. 
 
 XLV. 
 
 Now {Madam) what an hard 
 and unreafonable Impofition is 
 this, that tho I am able to think 
 and Write never fo much like an 
 
 Angel 
 
( *A) 
 Angel my felf, yet I muftnotbe 
 accounted a Man of Learnings 
 unlefs I can tell what every whim- 
 fical Writer has faid before me ! 
 And how hard will this fall upon 
 thofe, whole lot is to breath in the 
 laft Ages of the World, who muft 
 be accountable for all the Whims 
 and Extravagancies of fo many 
 Centuries} And yet this is made 
 fo great a part of Learning, that 
 the Learning of moft Men lies in 
 Books rather than in Things 3 and 
 among Authors, where one writes 
 upou Things^ there are twenty that 
 write upon Books. Nay, fome 
 have carried this odd Humour on 
 fofar, that Vis thought Learning 
 to know the very Titles of Books, 
 and their feveral Editions ,with the 
 time and place, when and where 
 they were Printed. And I have ! 
 met with feveral my felf , that 
 have valued themfelves not a little 
 upon this Mechanical faculty, tho 
 they knew no more of what was 
 in them, than they do of what 
 
 is 
 
 v; 
 
if M ) 
 
 is written in the Rolls df Deftiny* 
 XL VI. 
 
 From this placing of Learning 
 in the Knowledge of Books, pro- 
 ceeds that ridiculous Vanity of 
 Multiplying Quotations , which is 
 alio reckoned another piece of 
 Learning, tho they are ufed fo 
 unfeafonably and impertinently, 
 that there can be no other end in 
 them , but only to (hew that the 
 Author' has read fuch a Book. 
 And yet 'tis no luch Convincing 
 Evidence of that neither, it being 
 neither New nor Difficult, for a 
 Man that's refolvd upon it, to 
 quote fuch Authors as he never 
 Read nor Saw. And were it not 
 too Odious, as well as Obvious a 
 Truth, I could name to your La~ 
 dijhip , fome of thofe Author* 
 Mongers, who yet pafs for Men 
 of fhrewd Learning , and vaft 
 Reading. 
 
 XLVII. 
 
 Thefe, and many other jfach 
 (things (for 'twere endlefs to reck- 
 on 
 
(66) 
 
 on up all) are by the Majority of 
 the World Voted for Learning, 
 and in thefe we fpend our Edu- 
 cation, our Study, and our Time, 
 tho they are all of them Contin- 
 gent Truths ,that are not Perfective 
 of the Underftanding, ("nothing 
 being fo but only NeceflaryTruths, 
 or the Divine Ideas, the Eternal 
 ■%6y&,, the Word and Wiidom of 
 the Father) and alfo moft of them 
 impertinent and unconcerning ones. 
 So that in (hort, the Charge of 
 this Refleftion amounts to thus 
 much, That Learning is generally 
 placed in the Knowledge of fuch 
 things, which neither the Intel- 
 lectual Perfe&ion , or any other 
 Interest of Man is concern'd to 
 know. 
 
 The End of the Firfi Reflection* 
 
 The 
 
( 6 7 ) 
 
 The Second Refle&ion. 
 
 Wherein the General ConduSl 
 of Human Life is taxd ^ 
 for ttfing undue and irre- 
 gular Methods 5 in Profe- 
 cuting what is really Per- 
 fetliDe of the tlnderftand- 
 zng. 
 
 I. 
 
 IN the preceeding Refle&ion,thc 
 Intelle&ualConduft of Human 
 Life was cenfured for the general 
 MifplaciKg of Learning , for pla- 
 cing it in luch things as are not 
 Perfeftive of the Underftanding. 
 In the prefentPvefledtion fuppofing 
 it to be Free from that Fault , we 
 hall confider it as Chargeable with 
 F another 3 
 
( 68 ) 
 
 another, namely, with an undue 
 and irregular Method of profecu- 
 ting what is really perfe&ive of 
 it. The firft was an Errour about 
 the End: This Second is an Er- 
 ror about the Means , which are < 
 the two Hinges upon which all j 
 Ptudence , and all Impudence I j 
 turns. t 
 
 H. o 
 f ' That the Truth of this Charge 0 
 may appear, we muft here alfo 8 | 
 propofe a Meafure, whereby we d 
 may proceed , as we did in the t\ 
 Former Refle&ion. And as there jo 
 we took upon us to determine M 
 what that is which is Objectively j \ 
 perfective of the Understandings fo \ 
 we muft here confider what is the k 
 Right Method of Profecuting what w 
 is fo. Which being ftated will be 
 a Meafure to us in this, as the o- j 
 ther was in the former Refle&ion. 
 
 III. J 
 I defign not here a juft and par- g n 
 ticular Treatife concerning 1fa\fa 
 Method of Study, or Inquiry afteri^ 
 
 Truth, 
 
 i 
 
( 69 ,; 
 
 Truth, this Province being already 
 Profefledly undertaken, atid Excel- 
 lently adorn'd by two as great 
 Mafters of Thinking as ever were, 
 or are like to be in the World, 
 Carte flus and Makbranche, of both 
 which your Lady/hip is lb much a 
 Mtjirefs, that a further Under- 
 taking of this kind would be as 
 needlefs to your better Informati- 
 on, as to the Argument it felf, 
 after the Management of it un- 
 der fiich Excellent Hands, How- 
 ever fomething I muft fay, it be* 
 ing impoffible to (hew that wrong 
 Methods are ufed in this Grand 
 Inqueft, but by predefining which 
 is the Right. This therefore I (hall 
 do, but briefly only , and in Ge- 
 neral. 
 
 IV. 
 
 0 Since therefore that Truth 
 \ >vhich is Perfe&ive of the Under- 
 handing is Necejffary Truths and 
 jj ince this NecefTary Truth is the 
 flame with the Divine Ideas (both 
 ; which being already proved , are 
 m F 2 here 
 
(7°) 
 
 here ftppofed) following -the 
 thred of the fame Hypothefis, I 
 find it neceffary to affirm, that the 
 right, and indeed only Method of 
 Enquiry after that Truth, which 
 is perfeftive of thellnderftanding, 
 is by Confulting the Ideal World, 
 where only it is, or the Divine 
 Afygl , who fays of himfelf that 
 he is not only the Truth , but alfo 
 the Way. 
 
 V. 
 
 Here I fuppofe two things. Firft 
 that this Divine Ao'^©., or Ideal 
 World is intimately united with, 
 and prefential to the Mind. Se- 
 condly, That we fee and under- 
 ftand all things in him, That he 
 is our Light and our Wifdom, the 
 Light hy which we See, and the 
 Light which we See, that he is 
 the very A^©, iv$t£3*1©» 9 the in- 
 ward Word and fubftantial Con- 
 ception of our Minds, as he is of 
 the Father, and that in this Senfe 
 he enlightens every Man that 
 cotnes into the World. This I 
 
 need 
 
( 7i ) 
 
 need not prove now, becaufe I V i<*e 
 have done it profeffedly elfewhere, 
 only I (hall pafs one neceflary 1 
 Remark upon the manner of our, 
 being enlightned by the Divine 
 Afy*§l, who may be faid to en- 
 lighten us in a double refpeft, ei- < 
 ther Fundamentally and potentially, 
 by putting us into a Capacity of 
 Illumination, by his intimate 
 Union and Prelence with us 5 or 
 elfe Effectually and ABnally, when 
 we attend to his Divine Light, 
 which is always prefent to us, tho 
 we are not fo to it. In the Former 
 Senfe he enlightens every Man, in 
 the latter only thofe who duly 
 confult him and attend to him. 
 VI. 
 
 For I confider, that the Divine 
 xSy@, is an lnlightner in the fime 
 Proportion as he is a Redeemer. 
 Now he redeems us either by putf 
 ting us in a Salvable and Recon- 
 cilable State, which is a Rederp- 
 ptjon TJniverfal Inconditionate and 
 Antecedent^ or by a&ually recon- 
 F 3 ciling 
 
( 7* ) 
 
 ciling and Saving us, which de- 
 pends upon, and is confequent to 
 certain Conditions 5 and is con- 
 ferred only upon thofe who are 
 qualify'd accordingly. And as his 
 Redemption is double, fo is his Illu- 
 mination. He inlightehs either by 
 putting us in a ftate or portability 
 of Illumination ,by 'being intimately 
 prefent withus,and furreundingus 
 with his Divine Ideal Lights which 
 is a Benefit Common to all, or by 
 a£tu&\\y informing ourllnderftand- 
 ings when we apply our felves 
 with due attention to his all-dif- 
 fufed Light, which is ever prefent 
 to us, and to the whole Creation, 
 John i. $. anc * Shineth eveli in the Darknefs^ 
 tho the Darknefs comprehend it not. 
 VII. 
 
 And I was not a little glad to 
 find the Grounds of this diftin&i- 
 on in the Writings of that Elevated 
 Heathen Hierocles^ which I (hall 
 give you in the Words of my own 
 Tranflation. This bright Heathen 
 Commenting upon that Myftical 
 
 Prayer 
 
( 73 ) 
 
 Prayer of Pythagoras, 0 Father 
 Jupiter, either free all from their 
 manifold Evils, or clfe difcover to 
 all what Daemon they ufe, Moves 
 this Queftion, Since they that know 
 God and themfelves are free from 
 Mortal Pajfions, why then are not all 
 freed, fince all an fufjiciently ajfifted 
 with the Opportunities of this Know- 
 ledge <? To which he firffc gives 
 this general Anfvver, Becaufe the 
 gratejl /art of Men embrace evil 
 of their own accord, fince they neu 
 ther fee nor hear neighbouring 
 good. Then a little after he is more 
 particular in this Account. Since 
 therefore ( fays he) that any thing 
 may be fiewn to any one , 'tk necef- 
 fary that the Actions of two Perfons 
 concur 5 (for how can you {loerv what 
 you have a mind Jlwuld be jhewn^ 
 to a Blind Man, although you offer 
 it to him a thoufand times ? Or how 
 can you flew to one that fees, if you 
 offer nothing to his fight? ) both thefe 
 muji be prefent, fome good propofed 
 by him that /hews , and an Eye ca- 
 F 4 fable- 
 
{ 74 ) 
 
 fable of feeing in him to whom it is 
 to be floervn } fo that from a vifible 
 Objeff, and a faculty of feeing, may 
 re fait a Manifejlation. This being 
 fo, let us fuppoje that all would be 
 freed from evil, if their Maker did 
 fhew to all the knowledge of his own 
 Nature, and what Daemon they them- 
 f elves ufe. But we find thai all are 
 Tiot delivered from evil 5 it follows 
 therefore that he does not nyikg this 
 difcovcry to all, but to thofe only 
 who of their own accord endeavour 
 to free t he mf elves from evil, and 
 voluntarily fix their Eye upon what 
 is /hewn by the intention of Contem- 
 plation. And again a little after, 
 Thus every Illumination of God by 
 the Concurrence of our Vjjion, becomes 
 a Difcovcry. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 In all which Procefs this refined 
 Heathen fuppofo that God is 
 ready on his part to enlighten all 
 Men 5 nay, that he does enlighten 
 them all fo far, as to put them in 
 the way, and within the Pofiibili- 
 
( 75 ) 
 
 ty of Illumination , which then 
 becomes AffttalandEffeffital when 
 they yield due Attention to the 
 Divine Light. He dees not in- 
 deed defcend to fo much Nicety 
 and Particularity as to afcribe this 
 Illumination to the Divine Afygl, 
 or Ideal World, but only to God 
 in general 5 nor does he determin 
 'whether God does enlighten us 
 only Efficiently, by infufing Ads 
 or Habits of Knowledge ( as is 
 more vulgarly held, thanunder- 
 ftood, and indeed is no way in- 
 telligible) or formally by being 
 himfelf the very Formal Light of 
 tour Minds, and the immediate 
 Objeft of our Knowledge. This 
 [I fay he dots not determin,nor do 
 |[ cite him to this purpofe, having 
 jfufficiently Explaindand Eftablidit 
 this Theory elfewhere, but only to Rcafon mid 
 Whew his Concurrence with me in Reli & im - 
 this Difiin&ion of the double- Illu- 
 mination of God. 
 
 IX. 
 
 Thefe Suppofals being premifed, 
 
 Firft 
 
( 7^ ) 
 
 Firft,that that Truth which is Peil 
 feftive of the Under ftanding, il 
 Neccffury Truth : Then Second!) 
 that this Neccffary Truth is th 
 fame with the Divinejdeas } thei 
 Thirdly, that the Divine Ao^^, oi 
 Ideal World, it intimately unite<j 
 with, and Prefential to the Mindi 
 then Fourthly, that we lee and n uni 
 derftand all things in him,and tha 
 'tis he that is our Inlightner } ancj 
 that laftly, tho he inlightens al[ 
 Fundament ally and Potentially^ ye 
 this Illumination is not reduced t(j 
 Act, and made EffeSuai but bj 
 the intervening of fome Conditio^ 
 on our parts , which is duly tc 
 confult and apply our felves tc 
 him. From theft Premi/es the fzmt 
 Conclufion which we touch'd on 
 before, neceflarily and evidently 
 follows, that the Right and only, 
 Method of Enquiry after thati 
 Truth which is Perfeftive of thej 
 Underftanding,is to confult the Di- 
 vine Asygi, or Ideal World. For 
 this is the Region of Truth, and 
 
 here 
 
( 77 ) 
 
 Acre are hid all theTreafures ofWif- Col-M* 
 \om and Knowledge. This is that 
 ;reat and Univeml Oracle lode'd 
 ™i every Man s Breaft, whereof the 
 Ancient TJrim and Thummim was 
 
 0 n Expreffive Type or Emblem. 
 This is Reaf:n> this is Conference , 
 his is Truth , this is that Light 
 
 Within to Darkly Talk'd of, by 
 a bme who have by their aukward, 
 
 1 into ward, and "Unprincipled way 
 ^ )f reprefenting it, dilcredited one 
 c >f the Nobleft Theories in the 
 
 World. But the thing in it felf 
 ightly underftood is true } and if 
 }| my (hall yet call it guakeriftx, or 
 t( Lnthufiafrn, I (hall only make this 
 l{ ^epiy at prefent , that 'tis fuch 
 -Ouakcrifm as makes a good part 
 i pf St. Johns Gofpel, and of St. 
 1 Aufin/s Works. But to return, 
 i his, 1 fay, is that Divine Oracle , 
 i frhich we all may, and mu.ft con- 
 1 Salt, if we would inrich cur Minds 
 3 with Truth, that Truth which is 
 fl Perfective of the Underftanding. 
 111 And this is the true Method of be- 
 ing 
 
I 7* ) 
 
 ing truly wife. And this is n< 
 other Method, than what is ad 
 vifed us by this Divine Koy(& 9 thj 
 
 Prov.8.34. Subftantial Wifdom of God. BleJ 
 fed is the mm that heareth me^watck 
 ing daily at my Gates, waiting I 
 the pojisof my doors. And again 
 fays the fame Subftantial Wifdom 
 
 C. 9. 4. Who Jo is fimple, let him turn h 
 hither. And again, 1 am the Ugh 
 of the world, he that follows mi 
 or ( as the word more properl; 
 fignifies) he that confbrts or keep 
 Company with me, walketh not h 
 
 J oh < 8 ' 2 - Darkpcfs. This therefore is Vu 
 lntelligent7£,xht Way and Methoc 
 of true Knowledge, to apply oui 
 felves to the Divine AfygL, to con 
 fult the Ideal World. 
 
 X. 
 
 Thus in general. If now it b< 
 further demanded how this is tc 
 be done } I anfwer, that there art 
 three ways of doing it, and I catj 
 think of no more. The Firft ift 
 by Attention. The fecond is, by 
 Purity of Heart and Life. And 
 
 thi 
 
(79)' 
 
 jthe Third is, by Prayer. Upon 
 each of which I (hall beftow fome 
 few Remarks, fuch as may rather 
 give hints than full entertainment 
 to your thoughts, becaule I know 
 your Lady (hip loves to have 
 Ibmething left to work-out by your 
 felf in your own private Medita- 
 tions. Which Confideration has 
 made me all alcnjf ufe lefs Prolix- 
 I ity than the gnaintnefs and Weigh- 
 tinefs of my Argument would 
 otherwile juftifie. 
 
 XL 
 
 The Firft Method affign'd, is 
 | Attention, or Application of Mind 
 to the Intelligible World, the 
 World of Truth, which Mr. Male- 
 branche calls the Natural Prayer of 
 the Soul to God for further Illu- 
 mination. For indeed it is a filent 
 Addrefi and Application of the 
 Soul to the Fountain of Light and 
 \ Truth 5 'tis an Interrogation of 
 I the Divine Oracle , the Eternal 
 [Word of God, and a patient and 
 ! quiet waiting upon him for an An- 
 
 fwer 
 
( 8o f 
 
 fwer $ 'tis in one Word, a Vertua 1 
 Mental Prayer, an Aft of Intelle- 
 ctual Devotion to the Father ol 
 Lights, and fuch as 5 if more ex- 
 prefly utter'd and unfolded, be- 
 ipeaks him in the Words of the 
 Royal Supplicant, Give me Wifdom 
 that fitteth by thy Throne. This is 
 the fame with Thinking or Specula- 
 ting, which if intelligibly account- 
 ed for, will be found to be no- 
 thing elfe but theConverfion of the 
 Mind to the Ideal World, or Om- 
 niformity of the Divine Effence , 
 which as it is the Firfl, fo is it alfb 
 the Diretteft and moft Compendi- 
 ous Method of Science. For this 
 is to go direftly to the Spring- head, 
 to the Lucid Fountain of Good, 'tis 
 to take hold of Eflential Truth na- 
 kedly as it is in it felf (as a very 
 Tattler ser. Contemplative Perfon expreffes it) , 
 
 25m?" ' tis to fix the £ y e of the Mind u p- 
 
 on the Intellectual Sun, upon him 
 who is Subftantial Truth, and the 
 Light of the World. Which muft 
 needs be the moft ready way to be 
 
 enlight- 
 
(St) 
 
 [jenlightned. For the more need- 
 fully we attend to the Ideal World, 
 the more we (hall fee and difcover 
 of it 5 and not only fo, but ahb 
 more clearly diftingmfo what we 
 do difcover. For fo a Man that 
 carts a (hort carelefs Glance upon 
 the Galaxy, fees only a Confufed 
 Whitenefs arifing from the nume- 
 rous mixture of little Splendors : 
 But when the fame Perfon fixes 
 his Eye with fteadinefs and delay 
 of Application, he begins to difcern 
 fomething more diftinftly a new 
 Star ever and anon arifes under his 
 infpe&ion, not difcoverM before, 
 and ftill the longer and harder he , 
 looks, the more he difcerns, till 
 at length he has difcover'dasmilch 
 as he can well attend to at once, 
 and has fatiated his Faculty with 
 the Brightnefs and Multitude of 
 Light. The Application is as Ob- 
 vious , as the Figure is Pertinent, 
 and therefore I (hall only remark 
 this one thing more upon this 
 !part ? that this was the Method of 
 
( 82 ; 
 
 the firft Inventors of Artsard Sc: 
 ences, who made their way int 
 the Coafts of Learning by mee 
 dint of Thinking $ and further 
 that this is the very Method tha 
 has been ufed by the greateft Im 
 provers of them ever fince, fuel 
 as Bacon, Boyle, Dcfcartes, Galilee 
 Harvey, Merfennus, Digby, Male 
 branche , Poiret , and ( whom 
 name with particular Honour anc 
 Reverence) otir Excellent Frienc 
 Dr. More. All thefe muft be al- 
 low cl, and I think are to be greai ! 
 Improvers of Learning, and thai 
 'twas by this Method they did it 
 And I dare Prophefie 0 that if evei 
 any extraordinary Advancement 
 be for the future made in the 1 
 World, 'twill be done by Thinks 
 ing. • 1 
 
 XII. 
 
 This as to Thinking in General. 
 But now as to the Order of Think- 
 ing, if your Ladyfhip can be fup- 1 
 pcfid to need any Inftrudion 
 about it, I cannot recommend | 
 
 you 
 
( S3 J 
 
 \you to a better Tutor than your 
 | Friend Af. Malebranche, in his Se- 
 Icond Part of his Sixth Book of In- p. 4I £ 
 Iquiry after Truth, where he pur- 
 Jpofely defcribes the Method of 
 jThinking) which you may remem- 
 Iber he reduces to thefe few fol- 
 lowing Rules. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 The firft Law is, That Evidence 
 *e maintained in our Reafonings* 
 r rom this Principle depends this 
 general Law concerning the Mat- 
 er of our Studies, That we ought 
 [J wt to Reafon but only of thofe things 
 |j ^hereof we have clear Ideas , and 
 J »y Neceffary Confequence, That 
 J >e ought always to begin with the 
 ; - wfi fin/pie and eafie things , and 
 fo to dwell long upon them, before 
 e advance to the in qui fit ion of 
 rings more Complex and Difficult. 
 XIV. 
 
 Upon the fame general Princi- 
 e, depend the Laws concerning 
 tj c e manner whereby we are to 
 d oceed in the Solution of Quefti- 
 G 6ns. 
 
( *4 ) 
 
 ens. The firft of which Laws is 
 this, That the Jtate of the £hteftion 
 to be folved^is to be moji dijlinUly 
 Conceived. Befides, tne Ideas of 
 the Terms ought to be diftinft, 
 that they may be compared with 
 one another, and that the Relati- 
 ons which are fought for, may be 
 Known. 
 
 XV. 
 
 But when the Relations of 
 things to one another cannot be 
 Known by immediately Compa- 
 ring them, then the Second Law 
 is, that we fhould employ our thoughts 1 
 to find out one or more middle Ideas, 
 which we may ufe as a common Mea* 
 Jure to Know by their Help the Rela* 
 tions that are between thofe things. 
 And withal he advifes that we 
 ftiould ftudy to have thole Ideas 
 clear and cliftinfr, proportionably 1 
 to the Accuracy and Numerous 
 ^nels of thofe Relations which we 1 
 endeavour to deprehend. 
 XVI. 
 
 But when theQueftions are Dif- 
 ficult 
 
( §5 ) 
 
 . ficult, and require a long Exami- 
 nation , then the third Law is, 
 that from the matter in hand all 
 thofe things foould he removed whofe 
 examination is not neceffary to the 
 difcovery of the fought for Truth, 
 Becaufe the Capacity of the Mind 
 is not to be without reafbn divi- 
 ded, but all its force is to be im- 
 ploy'd about thofe things from 
 which it may perceive Light. 
 And all thofe things which can be 
 removed , and which being re- 
 rnov'd, the Queftion remains in- 
 tire $ they are the things that do 
 lot belong to the Queftion, 
 XVIL 
 
 When the Queftion is included 
 within a few Terms , then the 
 r purth Rule is, That the matter of 
 mr Meditation is to be divided by 
 arts, and thofe parts to be handled 
 mgly according to their Natural 
 Irder, by beginning with the more 
 nmple, that is, with thofe which 
 nclude feweft Relations* And that 
 >f Jhonld mt pafs on to the more 
 Q 2 Complex, 
 
( ) 
 
 Complex ) till the more Simple be 
 difiin&ly known, and render d fami- 
 liar. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 When by Meditation thefe 
 things become Familiar to us, 
 then the Fifth Rule is, That the 
 Ideas of all thefe are to he Contraff- 
 ed, and difpofed in the Imaginati- 
 on 3 or to be written down in Pa- 
 per, that they may no longer fill the 
 Capacity of the Mind. This Rule, 
 tho always ufeful, yet he makes 
 it neceffary only in the moft diffi- 
 cult Queftions, which require a 
 great Capacity of Mind. And he 
 lays withal, that the ufe of this 
 and the following Rules, is not 
 to be Accurately known but only 
 in Algebra. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 When the Ideas of all things 
 neceflary to be confider'd , are 
 clear, familiar, contrad, and 
 orderly digefted in the Imaginati- 
 on, or exprefs'd in Paper 5 then 
 the Sixth Law is, That all things 1 
 
 fir* 
 
( £7 ) 
 
 are to be Compared or Collated ac- 
 cording to the Laws of Combination^ 
 alternately among one another^ either 
 by the fole Intuition of the Mind^ 
 cr by the motion of the Imagination^ 
 joynd with the Intuition of the Mind* 
 or by the Calculation of the Pen y 
 joynd with the Attention of the 
 Mind and of the Imagination. 
 XX. 
 
 , If none of all thofe Relations 
 which refult from all thofe Col- 
 lations, be that which is fought 
 after, then again from all thofe Re- 
 lations thofe are to be removed 
 which are of no ufe to the Solution 
 of the gueflion : And ih& others 
 are to be made Familiar, to be Con- 
 tracted^ and to be orderly difpofed 
 in the Imagination , or expre fsd in 
 Paper, and to be compared with 
 jeach other, according to the Laws of 
 Combination* And then we are to 
 fee whether the Compound Relation 
 which is fought for be any one of all 
 thofe Compound Relations which re- 
 fult from thefe new Comparifons. 
 
 G 3 XXL 
 
- (88) 
 
 XXI. 
 
 If none of thofe found Relati- 
 ons include the Solution of the 
 Queftion, then again from all thofe 
 Relations , the unferviceable are to 
 be cafl away , the other are to be 
 made familiar^ &c. And by pro- 
 ceeding in this manner, the Truth 
 or Relation fought for, be it never 
 fo Complex, will at laft be found, 
 provided we are able fufficiently 
 to extend the Capacity of our 
 Mind, by Contra&ing Ideas, and 
 that in all our Operations we al- 
 ways attend to the End and Scope 
 which is to be arrived at. For in 
 every ftep of this Intelle&ual Pro- 
 grefs, we ought to have our Eye 
 perpetually fix'd upon the State 
 of the Queftion. To all which 
 he adds one Caution more, that 
 we ftiould beware left we ftiould I 
 fit down Contented with a falfe 
 Light or Appearance, and fo be 
 deceived. And that therefore our 
 Collations in order to the finding 
 out the Truth we look after , be 
 
 fo 
 
jib often repeated, till we can no 
 longer withhold our aflent without 
 being fecretly chid and reprehend- 
 ed by a certain Mafler Anfwering 
 from within to our Queftions, that 
 is, to our Labour, Application of 
 Mind, and Defire of Heart. By 
 which Majie r within this admirable 
 Theorift can mean nothing elfe 
 but the Divine Aq^l, or Ideal 
 Worlds that Univerlal Oracle of 
 Mankind, and of all the Intelligent 
 Creation. 
 
 This is a ftiort View of thole 
 Laws which the Excellent WL 
 Malebranche has given concerning 
 the Method of Thinking. And I 
 believe if an Angel had been in- 
 gaged in the under taking, he could 
 not have given Better. They are 
 all Natural, Clear, Diftinft, Eafie, 
 and depending 5 few enough not 
 to burthen or dijlraff the Mind, 
 and yet many enough to inform it. 
 And therefore I (hall not be guilty 
 of fo much Presumption and Im- 
 pertinence as to prefcribe any other, 
 G 4 thinking 
 
{ 9° ) 
 
 thinking it fufficient to confider i 
 and praftife thefe. And fo much! ( 
 for the firft way of Confulting theJ t 
 Ideal World, which is by Think-! i 
 ing. ,i 
 
 The ftcond way is by Purity of J 
 Heart and Life. This I confefi 
 has a more immediate and fpecial 
 influence upon the Knowledge of 
 Spiritual and Moral Truths, ac- 
 
 Joh.7.17. cording to that of our Saviour, if 
 any man will do his will^ he (hall 
 know of the Do&rin^ &c. and that 
 of his Prime Apoftle, The Animal 
 
 iCor.2.14. wan pcrceiveth not the things of 
 God) &c. But its Efficacy is not 
 confined here, but has a larger 
 Sphere of a&ivity, and ferves to 
 the difcovery even of all Ideal or 
 ' Necejfary Truth. For as viciouf- 
 nefs not only proceeds from Igno- 
 rance, but alfo caufes it, by befct- 
 ting and clouding the Under (land- 
 ing, fo Purity of Heart and Life 
 not only proceeds from Light and 
 Knowledge, but alfo produces it, 
 
 XXIII. 
 
( $n ) 
 
 and helps the Soul to fee more 
 Clearly and Diftin&ly. Hence 
 the Pythagorick xA Platonick 
 w3a,gnKJii xht Method of Purifi- 
 cation and Purgation fo much 
 talk ? d of by Porphyry, lamblich^ 
 Plotinm, and particularly by Hie- 
 rocks in his Imrodu&ion to his No- 
 ble Comment, where he has thefe 
 Words, As a blear Eye cannot be- 
 hold a very bright Object till it be 
 Purged, fo a Soul not yet Clarify d 
 and refined by Vertue is not qualify d 
 to gaze upon the Beauty of Truth. 
 And the feme Method is no lefi 
 recommended in Scripture, Wif i WHa.4. 
 dom will not enter into a Polluted 
 Spirit, fays the Wife Man. And 
 fays the Angel to Daniel* Many Dan.15.10 
 /hall be Purify* d and made white , 
 and none of the wicked /hall under- 
 /land, but the wife /hall under/land. 
 And fays the Pfalmift, I am ivifer ^ { j? 
 than the Aged, becaufe I keep thy 
 Commandments. And to this pu*- 
 pofe alfo is that of our Lord to be 
 underftood , He that follows me, 
 
 that 
 
that is, that lives after my E*| 
 John 8.12. ample, Walketh not in Darknef 
 The Purity of his Heart will be J 
 Light to his Underftanding. | 
 XXIV. i 
 But to reprefent this more di 
 fiin&ly, there are two way 
 whereby Purity of Heart ferves t<| 
 the acquirement of Knowledge 
 By Natural Efficacy , and by the! 
 Divine Grace and Benediffion. Andi 
 Firft, It does it by Natural Effica- 
 cy, either by clarifying the medi- 
 ttm^ or by ajfi&ing the faculty. The 
 former L conceive and reprefent 
 after this manner. I fuppofe in 
 the firft place that the Soul fees 
 through a Medium : Secondly, 
 That this Medium is our Tcrreflri- 
 al Vehicle : Thirdly, That theG™/- 
 nefs of this Medium hinders the 
 Vifion of the Soul. All which I 
 ground upon thofe Words of the ! 
 i Cor. 13. ADoftle,AW we fee throuah aGlafsA 
 * 2 - darkly. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 This Suppofedj it follows that 
 
 what- 
 
 A 
 
( 93 ) 
 
 '-whatfoever clarifies this Medium 
 does alfo help the Vifion of the 
 agoul. And this Purity does, efpe- 
 :ially that more Emkieat part of 
 it, which confifts in Chaftity and. 
 ^Temperance. For firft, It compo- 
 ses the Pajfions, efpecially that of 
 by that the Animal Spirits, 
 and by that the Blood. For the 
 Motion of the Paflions Ferments 
 the Spirits, and the Fermentation 
 of the Spirits agitates the Blood, 
 and by agitation raifes all the fe- 
 culent and droffie parts of it 3 
 and makes it like a troubled Foun- 
 tain, thick and muddy. And this 
 [ take to be one true reafon why 
 Men in any Paflion can't reafon 10 
 clearly as when they are in more 
 quiet and fdence of Spirit. But 
 now by Purity of Heart all this 
 difturbance is allay'd and com- 
 pofed, the Paflions are becalrn'd, 
 the Spirits fix cl , the Fountain 
 of the Blood clears up, and lb 
 all the inner part of that Glafs 
 the Apoftle (peaks of, becomes 
 
 more 
 
(94) 
 
 more bright and pellucid, mor 
 apt to tranfmit the Rays of th 
 Ideal Light , and confequentl 
 we fee more clearly through 
 Tho it be ftill but Darkly in com 
 parifon of what we (hall do here 
 after. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 But this is not all $ This Puritj 
 does alfb Clarifie the outward par 
 of the Glafs too. Firft, By Con 
 fequence, bzcank the finer the Spi 
 rits and Blood are, the finer wil 
 be the Threds of the outward 
 Veil alfo. Then more direftly 
 becaufe Temperance does refine 
 and Subtilize the Texture of the 
 Body,dimini(hes from its Bulk and 
 Grofinefs, and unloads the Soul 
 of a good part of that Burthen 
 which not only prefles down her 
 Ajpirations, but alfo hinders her 
 Sight : And befides, it refines the 
 inner part too, by bringing 
 frefii Supplies of fine Spirits. This 
 was that Temperance which mad 
 Dan. 1. 1 5' the Faces of Daniel, Hananiah 
 
F (93) 
 
 Mifhael, and Azariah^ look 'Clear 
 ^and Fair, and which made them 
 Vfife too, gave a quick and deli- 
 cate Air to their Countenances, 
 indlet in the Light of the Ideal 
 ^World upon their Souls. This was 
 :hat Philofophical Temperance of 
 :he Pythagoreans^ which ( to ufe 
 he Words of Dr. More Comment- 
 ng upon that Place) is the Mother 
 if that Wifdom which makes the 
 
 1 race to jhine, and nourifies the Lu* 
 P Hform Vehicle of the Soul. 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 2 And as this Purity does Clarifie 
 
 3 he Medium, fo does it alfo Ajjijl 
 he Faculty. And this it does by 
 
 " be fame general way whereby it 
 f! Jarifies the Medium, that is, by 
 501 :ompofing the Paffions. For the 
 le! >affions not only trouble and 
 ^ hicken the Medium (as was noted 
 nd explained before) but alfo di» 
 ide and differ fe the Faculty. For 
 he more things a man defires^ the 
 ore things he will be engaged to 
 hink. upon* and the more things 
 
 he 
 
cm 
 
 he thinks upon at once, the morel 
 Languid and Confute will hisCori-l 
 ception be. But now this Purity! 
 by compofing the Paffions con- 
 tra&s the Defires , and by con-l 
 trading the Defires , it contra&s 
 alfo by confequence the Thoughts, 
 and by this the Man is reduced to 
 a greater Unity , Simplicity , and| 
 RecoHeSion of Mind 3 and having 
 but few Thoughts to divide him, 
 he is the better enabled to think 
 clearly and diftinffly. 
 
 XXVIII. 
 And thus have I given a clear 
 and diftinft Account how Purity 
 of Heart ferves to the Acquire- 
 ment of Knowledge by a Natural 
 Efficacy. This it does alfo Second^ 
 ly, by the Divine Grace and Be- 
 nediction. Purity of Heart is that 
 Heavenly Lure which invites not 
 only the Holy Spirit, but alfo the 
 Divine Ao^©L, to come and dwell 
 in the Soul, and to enrich it with 
 his Ideal Communications. This 
 we miy bealfured of from his own 
 
 mouth, 
 
f 97 ) 
 
 month, He that lovethme, Jhall fcjoI1.14.ti 
 lov*d of my Father, and I will love 
 him, and mamjejl my felf to him. V. 23, 
 And again, If a man love me, my 
 Father will love him, and we will 
 come nnto him, and make our abode 
 with him. The pure, chafte and 
 y good Soul (hall not only be loved 
 by the Divine Aoy^,, but be alio 
 of his Council and Privacy. For 
 ; this is the Spoufe of the WordEter- 
 t t?al, who firft aiTumed Innocent 
 \ Nature, and then a flumes innocent 
 1 Perfons, the firft by a Natural, the 
 lecond by,a Myftic Union. This is 
 the Beloved Difciple who has the 
 priviledge to lean upon the Bofom 
 of his Lord, and to be admitted to 
 his more fecret Communications. 
 And therefore lays the Pfalmift, 
 The fecret of the Lord is with them ii,2 *' I3< 
 that fear him, and he will /hew them 
 his Covenant. And (ays our Lord 
 himfelf , Bleffed are the Pure h? 
 Heart, for they /hall fee God. And 
 concerning the Four Children 
 that refilled to defile themselves 
 
 with 
 
(98) 
 
 with the Portion of the Kingii 
 Meat, it is laid , that God gave 
 them Knowledge, and Sk^U in aL 
 Learning and Wifdom 5 and that 
 
 Dan. 1.1 7. Daniel had under fanding in all Vi* 
 fions and Dreams. For they Were 
 not only Pure and Temperate,but 
 Religioufly fo,in obedience to the. 
 Law of their God, the God of If 
 raeL Which the faid God rewarded 
 with Knowledge and Skill in all 
 Learning and Wifdom in them all^ 
 hut in Daniel peculiarly, with a fa- 
 culty of interpreting /Enigmatical 
 Dreams and Vifions 5 as the Learn-! 
 
 Pag. y . edDr.Mtfre obferves in his excel- 
 lent Comment upon that place. 
 XXIX. 
 
 The third and laft way of con- 
 futing the Ideal World is by Pray- 
 er. This is a method which the 
 Scripture alfo advifes us to: If any 
 of youlack_wifdomJet him askjofGod^ 
 that giveth to all men liber ally > and 
 
 Jam.1.5. *pbr*idetb not, and it Jhall he given 
 him. And this we know was the 
 
 iKing.3.9. method whereby the Wifeft of Merj 
 
 attaint 
 
X 99 J 
 
 Jittain'd his unparallel'd Wifdom. 
 for as Wifdom washisC^7Ve,fothe 
 pethod of his feeking and gaining, 
 t was by Prayer. And 'tis further 
 )bfervable that he addrefs'd him- 
 elf to the Divine Ao'ygL, or Ideal 
 i/Vbrld in particular, as you may 
 ee in that folemn Prayer of his 
 ecorded in the Book of Wifdom, 
 \ive me Wifdom that fitteth by thy 
 n hrone^ &c. Which I commend to 
 our Ladyjhips perufal at leifure. 
 XXX. 
 
 And thus (Madam) have I 
 , ned and by Scripture and Realbn 
 >roved 9 what is the Right Method 
 f profecuting that Truth which 
 > perfe&ive of the underftanding. 
 'his in general I have (hewn to 
 onfift in Confulting the Ideal 
 Yorld 5 the manner of doing 
 rhich I have alfo (hewn to be, 
 irft, by Thinking, the Order of 
 hich is alfo defined. Secondly, 
 y Purity of Heart and Life 5 and 
 aftly by Prayer. This I take to 
 e Via Intelligently^ the Way and 
 H , Method 
 
( 100 ) 
 
 Method of Wifdom, whofe Hmfe 
 I think is New Built, tho not up- 
 on Seven, yet upon Three Subftan- 
 tial Pillars^ and I (hould be glad 
 if any one would be fo kind as to 
 fliew me the Weaknefs of the 
 Ground upon which they ftand. 
 XXXI. 
 
 And now {Madam) I think I 
 need not Uie many Words to 
 Chew, that as Learning is generally 
 placed in fuch things as are not 
 Perfeftive of the Underftanding, 
 fo that what is (o is generally pro-, 
 fecuted by undue Methods. For J 
 Vis but to compare the Methods 
 in common ufe with that which we! 
 have premifed and demonftrated, 
 and you will immediately per-, 
 ceive the falfenefs and irregularity 
 of them. For Firft, whereas the 
 Firft and general Method of Wit. 
 dom and Knowledge, is by con- 
 fulting the Divine Aq^/@o, or Ideal 
 World, the World of Light , that ; 
 Light which inlightens every Man 
 that comes into thk World, the 
 
 gene- 
 
( 1*1 ) 
 
 generality of Students don't Co 
 much as Dream of this, nor make 
 any (bch Application, but apply 
 themfelves altogether to the E8y~ 
 pal World , to the World of 
 Darkpefs and Obfcurity. ■ I call it 
 the World of Darknefs and Ob- 
 fcurity, for 'tis moft certain that 
 this material Wotld is not in it ftlf 
 either Viftble or Intelligible^nov can 
 any way a& upon our Minds, 
 much lefs can it teach or inform 
 them. Body can never enlighten 
 Spirit. It cannot reprefent it felf 
 to it, much lefs can it reprefent 
 other things. For not being inti- 
 mately united to the Mind, what- 
 foever Reprefentation it (hall be 
 foppoied to make, muft be tranf- 
 afted by Ideas. But now Corpo- 
 real Ideas can never reprefent In- 
 tellectual Ohjefts, nor can Bodies 
 )e fuppofed to lend forth any that 
 ire Incorporeal. Whatever comes 
 xom Body muft be of a Material 
 Mature, and what is fo, can be no 
 pt Inftrument to Illuminate the 
 H 2 Mind. 
 
( 162 ) 
 
 Mind. This Material World there- 
 fore ( notwithftanding all that a 
 Late Author has pleaded for our 
 receiving our Ideas from our 
 Senfes) may be very truly and pro- 
 perly called the World of Dark- 
 nefs, as having no Light in it, nor 
 being capable of producing any. 
 The Ideal World is the true and 
 only World of Light, and is there- 
 fore with a particular Emphafis 
 call'd, The Intelligible World. As J 
 for the other, it is all throughout 
 DarknefsandObfcurity } and tho 
 God has placed a Senfible Light 
 in it , or rather fomething that 
 may be an occafional Caufe of 
 fuch a Senfation,yet as to any pur- 
 pofe of Intelle&ual Illumination, it 
 is ftill a blind confuted Chaos, and 
 Darkneft does ftill fit upon the 
 Face of the Deep. And yet to 
 this dark obfcure World, which in| 
 it felf is every whit as unintelligi- 
 ble as a Non £«/,do Men generally 
 apply themfelves for Light and 
 Knowledge , without Jiaving any 
 
 recourfe 
 
( io3 ) 
 
 recourfe to the true World of 
 Light, the Ideal World : So veri- 
 fying that complaint of God by 
 the Prophet, My People have for- 
 faken me the Fountain of Living 
 Waters, and have diggd to them- 
 felves broken Cifierns, that will hold 
 no Water. 
 
 XXXIL 
 
 Then again , whereas another 
 more Particular Method is by At- 
 tention and Thinking, this is gene- 
 rally fo little regarded,that no fort 
 of Men think fo little for the moft 
 part as they that are ingaged in 
 the Profeft Study of Learning and 
 Knowledge. This they don't 
 reckon as any part of Study, nor 
 | as any Progrefs in the Stage of 
 \ Learning, but only as a Graver 
 way of being Idle/ 5 Tis then only 
 they Study > when they are hang- 
 ing their Heads over an Old Mufty 
 Folio, and are making huge Com- 
 mon- places, and fluffing their Me- 
 i mories with Grey Sentences, and 
 Venerable Sayings: And thus they 
 H 3 fpend 
 
( ;°4 ) 
 
 fpend their Time and their Jtf^and 
 having Scambled through a com- 
 pany of Books- (m oft of which 
 perhaps were Written to as little 
 purpofe, as they are Read) they 
 think themfelves Learned Men, 
 and the World is too often of their 
 Opinion, tho they have not made 
 themfelves Matters of any Senfi 
 or Notion, nor are able to demQn- 
 ftrate one (ingle Truth upon folid 
 Principles, and in a Confequential 
 Procels. 
 
 XXXIIL 
 And this is the Method not on- 
 ly of thbfe who Mifplace Learn- 
 ing, but alfo of the moft of thcfe 
 that place it aright. For even 
 tho(e that place it in Ideal Truths^ 
 do not generally Tkinl^iox it, but 
 Read for it 5 feek it not in their 
 Souls, but in Bookj. And this 
 methinks I can never fafficiently 
 Wonder at. Indeed as for thofe 
 that place Learning not in being 
 able to frame Clear and Diftinft 
 Conceptions of ones Own, but in 
 
 Knowing 
 
 • 
 
(»5 ) 
 
 Knowing the Opinions of Others^ 
 Ws no wonder that they take this 
 Method 5 for tho it be Not a 
 Means to the End they fiould pro- 
 pofe, yet 'tis a Means to the End 
 which they do propofe. But the 
 wonder is, how thofe that place 
 Learning as they (hould, in the 
 Clear Conception of Ideal Truths* 
 i Ihould think to find this meerly 
 by tumbling over Books. 
 XXXIV. 
 I deny not but that Reading is 
 One way of Knowing (otherwife 
 I (hould not be at the Pains to 
 write this to your Ladylhip) but 
 then 'tis only by Accident that it is 
 lb, as it gives hints and occafions 
 for Thinking. And therefore Think? 
 ing is the only thing to be regard- 
 ed even in Reading, ( for Reading 
 as fuch is Nothing) and then we 
 Read to mod purpole, when we 
 are thereby moft enabled tolhink- 
 So that Thinking is. the End of 
 Readings as'Underftandiog is the 
 End of Thinking, We ought 
 H 4 there- 
 
( io6) 
 
 therefore to read only in order to| 
 Thinking. And yet this Method 
 is generally fo much inverted, thatj 
 the main ftrefs is laid upon Read- 
 ing. Nothing but Read, Read, as 
 long as Eyes and Speftacles will! 
 hold, not regarding whether thei 
 Head be Clear, fo that it be full. 
 XXXV. 
 
 As to the particular Order in 
 Thinking propofed by At Male- 
 hranche, I refer your Lady (hip to 
 the fame Excellent Author, to 
 (hew you how much it is tranf- 
 grefs'd. Which he does at large, 
 and to Wonderful Satisfaction, 
 (hewing firft that the School- Philo- 
 fophers do not obferve that Ge- 
 neral Law concerning the matter 
 of ftudy, which is the caufe of a 
 great many Errors in their Phyfio* 
 logy. Then (hewing that the (e~! 
 cond part of the General Law isi 
 not obferved by the Common; 
 Philolbphers, and what extraordi- 
 nary advances Cartefins made in 
 Learning by the exaft obfervation 
 
( 107 ) 
 
 i of it. Then he proceeds, to explain 
 ||the Principles of Arifiotles Phi- 
 tlofophy, where he fhews that he 
 jnever obferved the fecond Branch 
 tfpf the General Law,and refle&s Up- 
 ton thofe Errors of his Philofophy 
 fljoccafioned by his not doing fo. But 
 for a fuller account in thefe things 
 1 1 refer you to the Author himfelf 
 I XXXVI. 
 I Then again, whereas Purity of 
 faeart and Life is another Method 
 mf arriving to the Light and Know- 
 ledge of Ideal Truth, your Lady- 
 mpjp cannot but; know, and 'tis a 
 lad as well as a true Obfervation, 
 |:hat this is not only neglefred a- 
 inong that part of Mankind that 
 Jit down contentedly in Ignorance, 
 flind afpire to no greater ftock of 
 olinowledge than what they 
 Iprought with them into the world, 
 put alfo among the generality of 
 Ifhofe few that addift themfelves to 
 j he Cultivation and Improvement 
 |)f their Minds. Nay thefe in prop- 
 ortion to their Number feem 
 
 more 
 
more guilty of this negleft thai 
 the other.and nothing fo commo 
 as to fee Men of Cmious and In 
 quifitive Tempers, and of fame^ 
 Learning, who yet are very Cor 
 jupt in the Moral ftate of thei 
 Minds, and live very ill Liver 
 Whence fome have taken occafi 
 on to reprefent Learning, as an E 
 nemy to Religion, and have crvV 
 up Ignorance $s the Mother of De 
 potion. And tho the Conclufton o 
 thele Men be notorioufly weal 
 and abfurd, yet it muft be confefl 
 that the Ground upon which they 
 build it is too true. Men famed foi 
 Learning, are oftentimes as infa- 
 mous for Living 5 and many that 
 ftudy hard to turnilh their Heads, 
 are yet very negligent in purifjl 
 ing their Hearts, not confideringi 
 that there is a Moral, as well as a 
 Natural Communication between 
 one and the other, and that they 1 
 are concern'd to be pure in Heart 
 and Life, not only. upon theGw*-. 
 won Account^ in order to a happy 
 
 ftate 
 
 i 
 
( i°9 ) 
 
 [l:ate hereafter, but alfb in purfu- 
 Ince of their own particular way 
 jdd end here. 
 
 XXXVII. 
 i Then again Laftly , Whereas 
 jnother Method of Wifdom is 
 frajier $ I do not find that the 
 jenerality of Students do at all 
 jpply themfelves to this Method, 
 ray indeed ('tis to be hoped) 
 ley do for other things, which 
 ley think lie more out of their 
 each } but as for Learning and 
 nc vvledge, they think they can 
 ;>mpa(s this well enough by their 
 wn proper Induftry , and the 
 =]p of good Books, without be- 
 g beholden to the aiiiftance of 
 eaven : And this, tho they do 
 ace Learning in the knowledge 
 7 Necejffary Truth. Which pro- 
 
 idure of theirs I cannot refolve 
 to any other Principle, (I mean 
 to thofe that a& by any) but 
 ae meer want of knowiagor con- 
 ^Alering that this NecefTary Truth 
 ■really the lame with God him- 
 
 fel£ 
 
( no ) 
 
 felf. For did they attentive 
 confider, That God k Truth* an 
 that fo much as they poffefs 4 
 Truth, fo much they have < 
 God, 'tis not to be imagined the 
 fhould be fo indifferent in ufir 
 Prayer, or any of the other pr< 
 ceding Methods of ConfultingGo 
 for his own Light. 
 
 The End of the Second Refle3ion< 
 
 Tbi 
 
( in ; 
 
 |The Third RefMion. 
 
 therein the General ConduB 
 of Human Life is taxd 
 with a too importunate j 
 and oVer-eamejl Purfuit 
 after Know/edge in Gene- 
 ral. 
 
 L 
 
 JAvrng pafs'd over the two 
 7X firft Stages of the Intelleftu- 
 Conduft of Human Life, that 
 the End^nd that of the Means $ 
 id reflefted upon the Irregulari- 
 es of each, by (hewing how both 
 re generally miftaken and miC- 
 aced s I am now arrived to the 
 hirdand Laft, which confifts not 
 i the choice of the Ohj$£f 9 or of 
 
 the 
 
( my 
 
 the Method to k ( tl ?t belongir 
 to the two forme/; butintheD 
 gree of Affe&ion wherewith the 
 are proleeuted. Which part of oi 1 
 Imelle&uai Conduit, as it is equa 
 ]y Capable of being faulty , (b | 
 (hall here make it my bufinefs t 
 (hew that it is actually as fault 
 and irregular, if not more tha 
 either of the two former. And th 
 fault that I tax it w^th, is, A h 
 importunate and over-earnefl purfn* 
 after Knowledge in General. 
 IL 
 
 The Charge of this Refle&ioi 
 is of a larger compafi and exten 
 than either of the two Preceding 
 thofe being directed againft fuc! 
 as either mifplace the ObjeU , a 
 e\Cc miftake the Method of Learn 
 ing and Knowledge 3 but thi 
 takes in both together, and other 
 alfo not concerned in either ofthit 
 former. For not only thofe thai 
 err in the placing of Learning, 01 ,J 
 in the method to it, but alfo thofi ' 
 \\ ho are Right in both> come under' 
 
 the 1 
 
(n3) 
 
 theCenfure of the prelent Refle- 
 xion , they all agree in this, in 
 >eing too importunate and vehe- 
 lent in the Purfuit of Knowledge. 
 III. 
 
 Now in the making cut the. 
 'ruth of this Charge, we muft 
 lere alfo, according tothe Method 
 ibferv'd in the two former Refle- 
 ions, firft lay down a common 
 Ineafure of proceeding, by dating 
 [he due Bounds of our prefent At- 
 feftion to, and fearch after Know- 
 ledge : Or, How far it becomes " 
 [an to imploy himfelf in the Pro- 
 bation of Learning and Know- 
 ;dge? The dueftating of which 
 [iieftion,will be a certaindireftion 
 us in the Determination of this., 
 Aether our general Inqueft after 
 knowledge be immoderate or no. 
 [ow for the Determination of the. 
 |rft, it will be nccefTary to draw 
 the true State or Hypothecs of 
 lan, according to the Poflurc 
 herein he now ftands. Which 
 [Qiall do diftinftly in theie follovv- 
 ig Considerations. ffi* 
 
( H4) 
 
 IV. 
 
 Firft I confider, that the utmoft I 
 Pitch of Knowledg Man by his ut-l 
 moft Endeavours can arrive to in] 
 this World is very inconfiderableJ 
 God indeed has given us Reafonl 
 enough to diftinguifh us from thel 
 Brute part of the Creation, and! 
 We may improve it fo far as to 
 diftinguifh our felves fromOneano* 
 ther, and fo one Man may defervc 
 to be callM Learned and Knowing 
 in comparifon of another that is 
 either Naturally more ignorant, 01 
 more unimproved ? but abfolutely 
 (peaking, the moft that any or all 
 of us either know, or can know 
 here,is of little or no Confideration 1 
 What we know of God is but little ! 
 for as the Apoftle fays, We fet 
 through a Glafs^ darkly : What we 
 know of our felves perhaps is lefs. 
 and what we know of the World' 
 about us is not much* We havt t 
 Ecd 43. feen but a few of God's works-* as the. 
 Wife Man obferves, and we under- 
 fiand yet fewer. There are almofi 
 
 an 
 
( n5 ) 
 
 an infinite number of things V/hich 
 we never fo much as thought of, 
 and of moft things we conceive very 
 darkly and uncertainly, and there is 
 not one thing from the greateft to 
 the kafi, which we do or can under- 
 hand thoroughly. Thofe that ap- 
 ply their whole ftudy to any one 
 :liing, can never come to the End 
 3f that one thing 5 for not only 
 *very Science, but every particular 
 )f it has its unmeafurable depths 
 ind recefles , and 'tis confefs'd by 
 \ great Inquirer into the Nature of 
 Antimony ( as 'tis related by the 
 honourable Mr. Boyle} that His Na t.Hijt. 
 mpojjible for one man to understand 
 hroughly that one Jingle Mineral only. 
 iiid if a Man cannot underftand 
 ill of fo little, how little mufl he 
 Ihderftand of AU\ Suppofe fur- 
 her,that all the Knowledge of the 
 .earned were put together/t would 
 yeigh but Light f> for what one Art 
 JJr Science is there that is brought 
 !p any tolerable Perfe&ion ? And 
 l J the Common Stocky be fo little, 
 I how 
 
( ) 
 
 how fmall a Pittance is it that 
 muft fall to every particular Man's j 
 (bare ! And where is that Man. 
 who after all his Poring and Stu- 
 dying, is able to anfwer all the 
 Queftions, I will not fay which 
 Job 3*. God put to Job, but which may 
 be askt him by the next Idiot ht\ 
 meets? 
 
 V. 
 
 'Twere an endlefs undertaking 
 to reprelent at large the little that 
 we know 9 orare capable of know- 
 ing. Nor do I defign to turn a fe 
 cond Agrippa, and entertain yom 
 Ladylhip with a . long Harangu< 
 about the Vanity of Humane Sci 
 ences^ only give me leave to toucl 
 upon two notorious inftances o 
 our Ignorance, and in that very 
 Science which is pretended to b< 
 at the very Vertical Point of Im 
 provement. Tis concerning th< 
 the Maximum and the Minimm 
 Naturale, the Greatefi and the Leal 
 thing in Nature, As to the firft 
 the Queftion is, whether the Extenl 
 
 fioi 
 
( ii7 ) 
 
 fion of the Univerfe be Finite or 
 Infinite ? If you fay 'tis Pofitively 
 Infinite , befides the difficulty of 
 conceiving how any thing can be 
 fo extended, Will follow, that 
 God himfelf cannot add the leaft 
 further Dimenfion to it. If you 
 (ay 'tis Finite , fuppofe your felf 
 in the utmoft extremities of it, 
 and try whether it be poffible for 
 ;you todif-imagin further Extenfi- 
 ;on. Then as to the Second, the 
 ;Queftionis, whether every, even ' 
 the leaft affignable Part of matter, 
 [be infinitely Divifible or no ? If 
 iyou fay Yes, then 'twill unavoida- 
 bly folio w,that the leaft Atom will 
 pave as many Parts as the whole 
 World. If you fay no, then you 
 muftfay that Matter may be Divi- 
 ded fo long,till at laft you come to 
 \ Part that dees not contain more 
 Other Parts 5 if fo, then I enquire 
 las this uncontaining Part Figure, 
 )r has it not ? If not, then 'tis in- 
 inite, Figure being only the Ter- 
 nination of Quantity. But if it 
 I 2 has 
 
i n8.) 
 
 has, then it has more other Parts I 
 
 above^ below^ and of each fide^ and I 
 confequently may again -be divi- I 
 ded, contrary to what you fop- J 
 pos'd. So that you fee here are I 
 Defperate Difficulties on both fides,! 
 fay what you will you are equally! 
 baffled 3 and yet 'tismoft certain! 
 that one only can be true,they be- 1 
 ing two oppofite parts of a Con- 
 tradiction, but which is fo, is be- 
 yond the Capacity of Human Un- 
 derftanding to determin. 
 VI. 
 
 The like Difficulties we meet 
 with, when we inquire concerning 
 Ttme^ whether it be Infinitely divtj 
 fib!c, or only into Moments ? Anc 
 fo again in the Bufinefs of Motion 
 whether there be any fuch thing a 
 the Extream Degree of Swiftnej 
 and Slorvnefs^ or no? Neither oj 
 which can be defined without mai 
 nifeft Abfurdity. But 'tis fuperfiu 
 > oils, as well as endlels, to difpla; 
 the particulars of our Ignorance 
 tho indeed when all Accompts ar 
 
 cal 
 
( H97 
 
 caft up, that will be found to be 
 our befi Knowledge. This only in 
 General, our Life is fo fhort, our 
 Progreft in Learning fo flow, and 
 Learning in it felf fo long and te- 
 dious, and what we do or can 
 know fo very little, that the Pa- 
 trons of Scepticifm had much more 
 reafon to conclude from the Dif- 
 ability of our Faculties, and the 
 flight ne J s of our Attainments , than 
 I from the uncertainty and inftability 
 I of Truth , that there is no Know- 
 ledge. 
 
 j VII. 
 
 Secondly, I confider, that as we 
 can here know but Little, fo even 
 that very little which we do,ferves 
 more to our Trouble andDiiquiet, 
 than to our Pleafure and Satistafti- 
 on. And here comes in that ex- 
 perimental Refleftion of the Wife 
 Man 5 In much V/ifdom k mmh ^ 
 Grief, and he that increafes K now- 1 3 
 ledge, increafes Sorrow. This Pro- 
 poiition is not true, Abfolutely con- 
 liderd, Knowledge being the Per- 
 I 3 . feftion 
 
{ 120 ) 
 
 fe&ion of Human Nature, the 
 C0M310 j ma g 6 ofGod^ni the Principal In- 
 gredient of our Future Happinefs, 
 but only with relation to the pre- 
 fent State and Pofture of Man.. 
 And in this refpeft it is abun- 
 dantly true. Firft, Becaufe the 
 more we know , the more we 
 (hall difcover of our Ignorance, 
 (that being the chiefeft thing we 
 learn by our ftudy) which we th^ll 
 find to be of an infinitely larger 
 Sphere than our Knowledge, and 
 confequentlyfhall be more troubled 
 for what we do not know, than 
 fleas d with what we do. Second- 
 ly, Becaufe theProfpeft of what 
 yet further remains to be known 
 will inflame our Thirft after it. For 
 Wifdomfaysof herfelf, They that 
 Eat of me jhall yet be Hungry^ and 
 they thai Drink of me Jhall yet b% 
 Thirjly, Which tho it be a great! 
 Commendation of Wifdom , and 
 an Argument of her inexhauftible 
 Excellence, yet 'tis withal a great 
 Inftrument of Puniftiment to thofe 
 
 who 
 
r ; 
 
 who can attain fo little of it, as 
 I cannot fatisfie that Thirft which it 
 I has in flamed. Thirdly, Becaufe the 
 [more a Man improves bis thinking 
 Faculty, the more apt he will be 
 to be difgufted and offended with 
 the follies of Society 5 as the moft 
 i delicate Touch is the fooneft put to 
 I pain. There being a thoufand Im- 
 [pertinences that will ftrike very 
 difagreeably upon a difceming 
 [Mind, which won't fo much as af- 
 feft a groffer Underftanding. 
 VIII. 
 
 But the Principal Ground of 
 this Affertion, and which, did not 
 the quickneft of your. Ladyjhip's 
 Apprehenfion oblige me to Bre- 
 vity, I could be Voluminous upon, 
 is this. Tis moft certain that Man 
 is now placed in the Midft of Va- 
 lines and unfatisfying Obje&s, and 
 chat his True Good is not with- 
 in his reach , and confequently 
 whatever Pleafare he takes in thole 
 things that are, is purely owing to 
 lis Ignorance of their Vanity. Well* 
 I 4 if 
 
( 122 ) 
 
 if fo 5 then VsSapientiJVo be to the] 
 Wife Man. This is not a place toi 
 be Wife in. There is nothing here 
 Solid enough to endure the Teft ol 
 % Wifdom. The Wife Man cannot 
 find a Paradice here, tho the Fool 
 can. The more he knows, the 
 more he difcovers the Vanity ol 
 all pretended Enjoyments, and th£ 
 more he does this, the more he 
 {heightens and retrenches his De* 
 lights ^ and the more he does this, 
 the more he retires and withdraw* 
 himfelf from all Worldly Diverfi- 
 ons, and this fets him the more a 
 Thinking and Muting} and this 
 again prefents to his Mind a frefh 
 and more lively Convi&ion df the 
 Worlds Vanity,and this makes him 
 again retrench his Delights, and 
 fo on in this returning Circle, till 
 at length he finds nothing but his 
 bare Wifdom to delight in. And a 
 little more Thinking makes him 
 fee the Vanity of that too. And now 
 alls gone. Todifpatch this part 
 in one word, this is the Fruit of 
 
 being 
 
( ) 
 ! being Wife, to be able to tafte no- 
 I thing that's Prefect, nor to flatter > 
 \ ones felf with the Profpett of what 
 ! is to n?*#e,which is a ftate of hor- 
 rible Privation and Sterility. This 
 is the thorough Wife Man's Lot, and 
 t every advance in Wifdom is a ftep 
 • towards this Condition. So true 
 I is it, that he who increases Wifdom^ 
 increafes Sorrow, while in the mean 
 time the Fool Laughs , and is 
 Merry. 
 
 IX. 
 
 Thirdly, I confider, that if our 
 Knowledge could yield us more 
 Satisfa&ion than it octafions Trou- 
 ble, yet cur Life is fo fhort, and 
 fo incumberd, that we can make 
 but little of the enjoyment , fo 
 'little, that 'tis not anfwerable to 
 the nicer Labour we undergo in 
 acquiring it. All the Morning of 
 our days is fpent in the Prelimina- 
 ries of Learningjn Learning Words 
 and Terms of Art, wherein there 
 is nothing but toil and drudgery, 
 and before we can tafte any of the 
 
 Fruits 
 
( J 2 4 ) 
 
 Fruits of the Tree of Knowledge] 
 before we can relifh what is lntel\ 
 leUual and Rational in it 5 our Sum 
 is got into the Meridian, and then 
 it prefently begins to decline, andi 
 oar Learning with it 5 our Light) 
 onr Strength, and our Time make 
 frafte toconfume} nothing increa-i 
 fes now but the Shadows, that is,| 
 our Ignorance and Darknefs oil 
 Mind 5 and while we coniider and 
 look about us, the Sun Sets, andi 
 all is concluded in the Darknefi 
 and Shadow of Death. But often- 
 times the Sun is intercepted by ai 
 Cloud long before it Sets, and wel 
 live backward again, grow weak 
 and Childifh , filly and forgetful, 
 and unlearn fafter than we learnt $ 
 or if it chance to (hine bright to 
 tthe lafr, then we improve too much, 
 and grow too wife for our felves,\ 
 and rejefl' the greateftpart of what 
 we learnt before, as ifdle and infig-i 
 nificant. So that we are under a 
 Neceffity of unlearning in a fhort 
 time moil" of what we have fo\ 
 
 dearly 
 
( i*5 ) 
 
 learly learnt, either through for- 
 htfulnefs, or improvement of Judg- 
 ment. 
 
 Fourthly, I confider, that there 
 ; no Necejjhy of our being lb won- 
 erfully learned and Knowing 
 iere. Tis neither NecefTary, as 
 *i]oyn!d by God, nor as a Means 
 o any confiderable End. We can 
 >e Good, and we can be Happy 
 /ithout it. And as to the Intereft 
 if Communities and Publick Soci- 
 ties, 'tis Civil Prudence and Ho- 
 efty,m<\ not Learning which makes 
 hem Happy. Rome for the firft five 
 mndred years was without any Fi- 
 ;ure orChara&er forLearning^and 
 et it Flourifti'd in all that time, 
 nd was a Pattern to the reft of 
 he World both of Vertue and Va~ 
 ?ur. And left any advantage in our 
 fter-State fhould be ailed ged for 
 tsNecefiity, this makes it more 
 innecefiary than any Confiderati- 
 >n belides. For tho we are never 
 b unlearned now, provided we 
 mow enough to do our Duty,and 
 
( 12^ ) 
 
 live well, we (hall in a fhort tin 
 arrive to fuch a Degree of Knovt 
 ledge as is requifiteto ourSupreai 
 Perfection, to which our Prefer 
 Learning cannot add , and froi 
 which our Prefent Ignorance w\ 
 fjot Dimimfo. I do not fay th 
 will be immediately upon our dii 
 charge from the Body, there bein 
 fome realbnable Controverfy abou. 
 that, (which would be too grea 
 a DigreJJion at prefent to purfue)th< 
 'tis moft certain that even the, 
 there muft needs be great mlarge\ 
 mentsofc Underftanding: Howeve 
 'tis molt unquelViooable that thi 
 our Intellectual Accomplijhment cai 
 be no further off than our en 
 joyment of the Beatific Vijion, Wi| 
 lhall then commence inftantane 
 oufiy Wife and Learned , and b<; 
 fully poflefs'd of the Tree of Know 
 ledge , as well as of the Tree o 
 Life. For then that Glafs throug 
 which we now fee Darkly, (hall bi 
 laid afide, and there (hall be ncTo 
 ther but the Speculum Deitath, th< 
 
 * GlaC 
 
( » 2 7 ) 
 
 Clafs of the Divinity, which is no 
 Dther than the Ideal Worlds which 
 [hall be now more intimately uni- 
 ted to us, and more clearly dis- 
 play M before us. And tho even 
 now there (hall be Degrees of 
 Knowledge, according to the vari- 
 ous Participation of the Ideal 
 [Light} yet the variety of this Di£ 
 penfation (ball not proceed by the 
 degree of our Knowledg in this Life, 
 but by feme other Mcallire. For, 
 XL 
 
 Fifthly 7 \ confider,that tho there 
 is no neceffity of our being fo very 
 Learned and Knowings yet there is 
 an Abfolute Neceffity of our being 
 Good and Vertuous. This is Necel- 
 fary both ways, as Commanded 
 by God, and as a Means to our 
 Final Perfe&ion. And befides, 'tis 
 neceffary now^ there being no other 
 opportunity for it. If we don't 
 know here, we niay know here- 
 after, and (hall infallibly do To if 
 we are but Good here } but if we be 
 not good here, we (hall neither be 
 
( ) 1 
 
 Goo^ tJappy, nor Knowing hereail 
 ter. The Main Opportunity fo| 
 Knowledge is after this Life,but th 
 only opportunity for being good i 
 Now. And if we take care to im 
 prove this, we are fufficiently ft 
 cure of the other, and of what! 
 ever elfe appertains to the Perfel 
 ftion of our Natures. But if thi! 
 be neglefted,all is loft. This there] 
 fore is indifpenfably neceflary,anc 
 'tis the only thing that' is fo 3 and 
 'tis necefTary Now, neceffary noi 
 only to our Happinefs in General 
 but alfo to that of our IntelleSm 
 Part in Particular. For, 
 XII. 
 
 Sixthly, And Laftly, I confident 
 that thus ftands the Cafe between! 
 God and Man. Firft, Man is fup- 
 pofed to be made in a ftate of In- 
 nocence and Perfeftion, in perfeft 
 Favour and Communion with God,! 
 his true Good, and in a Capacity 
 fo to continue. From this Excel- 
 lent ftate he is fuppoftd to Fall, 
 and by his Fall (b to difabk himfelj\ 
 
( 129 ) 
 
 :hat he cannot by his own ftrengtfa 
 Repent and Live well, and fo to 
 provoke God, that tho he could and 
 $id Repent, yet he would not be 
 pardon'd and Accepted, without 
 tatisfe&ion made to Divine Juftice, 
 fhis Satisfa&ion Man is fuppofed 
 iiot able to make, nor any other 
 Creature for him. Whereupon God 
 n great Mercy and Pity is fup- 
 }>ofed to ordain a Mediator^ his 
 pwnSon, God and Man, between 
 \intfelf and his Laps'd Creature^who 
 i»y the Sacrifice of himfelf fhould 
 llffeft two things, anfwerable to 
 he double Neceffity of Man, firft 
 pake Repentance available,which 
 kherwife would not have been fo 5 
 bd fecondly Merit Grace for him, 
 hat he might be able to Repent. 
 Lnd this is what we are to under- 
 pand by the Reftoration or Redem- 
 ption of M3n,which thus far is Urn- 
 \erfal and Inconditionate. 
 XIIL 
 
 But ftill notwithftanding ajl that 
 lis Mediator hath done for him, 
 
 Man 
 
( 13° ) 
 
 Man isfuppofed only fohrreftorea\ 
 as to be put in a Pardonable an< 
 Reconcilable State (for as for ou 
 being aUually and immediately re 
 conciled.by the Death of Chrifl 
 that's a {illy,forid y Antinomian con; 
 ceit, and no way confident witl 
 the Great Myftery of Godlinefs) 
 fay Man is yet only in a Capacity 
 or Poffibility of Pardon and Res 
 conciliation , which is then, and 
 then only reduced to acf, when hi 
 aftually performs the Conditions o 
 Reconciliation, when he Believes; 
 Repents,and leads a good Life,n?i^ 
 which he may, % and without whictl 
 he JloaB not be Pardon'd and Sa-i 
 ved, notwithftanding that Chrifl) 
 has Dy'd for him. The Defign oil 
 whofe Death was not to make 
 a good Life unneceffary^ but onlj 
 to render it Efficacious and Avail- 
 able, not to procure a Priviledgei 
 of being faved without it, (as fomej 
 fancy) but that we might be fa-l 
 yed with it. If this Qualification 
 be wanting, we (hall be fo far fromi 
 
( 13! ) 
 [being any thing advantaged from 
 [the Redemption purchased by our 
 ■Mediator, that we (hall be Account- 
 able for it, to the great aggravati- 
 on both of our Guilt and Mifery. 
 It therefore highly concerns Man 
 to improve with all diligence this 
 [hort and only opportunity ef 
 waking his Great Fortune, to adorn 
 lis Mind with all Moral and Re- 
 igious Perfe&ions, and his Life 
 vith all good A&ions, fince with 
 his he may be Happy in all his Ca- 
 lcines, and without it he (hall 
 lot only fall into a ftate of unut- 
 erable Mifery, but be alfb ac- 
 ountable for the Pojjibility he had 
 >f efc aping it , for neglecting fo 
 ;reat Salvation, fo great an Off or- 
 unity of being; fived. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 Theie things being premifed 
 oncerning the preient Hyfothejts^ 
 r ftate of Man, Firft,that he can 
 here know but very little. Second- 
 f,that even that little Knowledge 
 rhich he can attain to 9 ferves more 
 K to 
 
( i3* ) 
 
 to his Trouble than Satisfa&ion. 
 and fo is not only Vanity^ but alfa 
 Vexation of Spirit. Thirdly, that 
 fuppofing it as Pleafint as may be. 
 yet fuch is the (hortrteis and in- 
 cumbrance of his Life, that the 
 enjoyment of it is not anfwerable 
 to the Labour of acquiring it 
 Fourthly,That there is noNeceffi- 
 ty of (uch a deal of Learning anc 
 Knowledge,either as to this World 
 or to the next, and that e re lorn 
 he (hall have his fill of Knowledge' 
 in the Beatifick Vifion of the Idea 
 Worlds one Glance whereof thai 
 Inftruft him more, than an Eterna 
 poring upon all the Books in this! 
 and undijiinguifi the greateitDo£fc\ 
 from the moft ignorant Peafani! 
 Fifthly, That there js an Abfolut* 
 NecefTity of his being Good anc 
 Vcriuous, this being the conditio! 
 not only of his Happinefs in gel 
 neral, but alio of the accomplish 
 ment of his TJnderJianding in par 1 
 fictilar. And that Now is the onl; 
 opportunity for it. Sixthly an< 
 
( 133 ) 
 
 lLaftly,That the Attainment of Hap* 
 pineft and Intelle&ual Perfe&ion 
 upon this Condition was the Pur- 
 chafe of his Saviours Death, who 
 has alfb Merited Grace for his at- 
 (iftance in the Performance of it. 
 Which if he ncgleft, he (hall not 
 pnly mifi of Happinefs , but be 
 alfo anfwerable for fo Great and fo 
 Dear an opportunity of gaining it 5 
 From theft Premifes 'twill, I think, 
 follow with no lefs than Mathemat- 
 ical Evidence. 
 
 XV. 
 
 Firft, that Learning and Know- 
 )tdge is not the thing for which 
 3od defign'd Man in this Station, 
 lor confequently the End or Rea- 
 bn of his beftowing upon him 
 hofe Intelle&ual and Rational 
 *owers which he h2s. For had this 
 >een the End and Defign of God, 
 le would have made it more Pof- 
 jble for him, and withal more his 
 x ntereSi and Concern to attain it. 
 I Secondly, 'twill follow that the 
 pnd for which God intended Man 
 K 2 here 
 
{ 134 ) 
 
 he_re,and the Reafon why he made 
 him a Rational Creature, was that 
 he might live vertuoufly and well 
 fo ferve him here, that he migh 
 be rewarded with Happinefs anc 
 perfeff Knoirlcdge hereafter } Ka 
 ving furnifh'd him withlntelleftua 
 Abilities fufficient for thk, tho no 
 for the other. Thirdly and Laftly 
 'twill fbllow,that the principal can 
 and concern of Man both becaufi 
 of his own Interefl ,and out of com 
 pliance with the Defigns of Goc 
 ought to be to Live a good an< 
 regular Life, to accomplifh thj 
 Moral part of his Nature, to fut 
 due his Paffions,to redtifie his Lov< 
 to ftudy Purity of Heart and Lift 
 in one word, to perfect Holincfs i 
 the fear of God> and (which is whs 
 we have been hitherto enquirin 
 after) that he ought to bufie him 
 ftlf in the Study of Learning am 
 Knowledge no further, than as'ti 
 conducive to the Intereft of Reh 
 gion and Vert ne. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 This therefore is the Me afore t 
 
 1 
 
( 135 ) 
 
 be obferv'd in our profecution of 
 Learning and Knowledg.We are to 
 Study only that we may be Good, 
 and confequently ought to profc- 
 cute fiich Knowledge only as has 
 an aptnefs to make us fb, that 
 which the Apoftle calls the Truth, 
 which is after Godlinefs. For that's 
 |the only bufinefs we have to do in 
 this World. Whatever Knowledge 
 we profecutebefides this,or further 
 than 'tis conducive to this end,tho 
 it be absolutely confiderM, never lb 
 excellent and perfective of our Ra- 
 tional part, yet with refpeS to the 
 prefent pofture andftation of Man, 
 'tis a Culpable Curiofity, and an 
 unaccountable Vanity, and only 
 i more folemn and laborious way 
 bf being Idle and Impertinent. 
 
 xvu. 
 
 And this will be found (if well 
 =xamind) to be nothing different 
 rorn the Cenfure of the Wife 
 Treacher, And 1 gave my Heart to 
 \nort> Wifdom, fays he, and I pcr- 
 vivd that this alfo is Vanity and 
 T exation of Spirit. Not that he 
 R 3 now 
 
now firft applied himfelf to th<! 
 ftudy of Wifdom. No, he hac 
 beeninfpired with that before, anc 
 by the help of it had difcover'd th< 
 Vanity of all other things. Bm 
 that Wifdom which (aw tbrougl 
 all other things, did not as yet per 
 ceive the Vanity of it felf H< 
 therefore now gave his Heart tc 
 Know WifHom, that is, to reflei 
 upon it, andConfider whether thi 
 might be excepted from his gene 
 ral Cenfure, and ftruck out of th< 
 Scroll of Vanities. And upon deej 
 refle&ion he found that it coulc 
 not, and that even this alfo was a 
 much a Vanity as any of the reft 
 Now this Propofition of Solomon \ 
 cannot be underftood Abfohtel) 
 (Knowledge being an undoubted 
 Perfe&ion of Human Nature) buj 
 only with refped to the preftn; 
 pofture of Man in this World. Nei 
 ther can it be underftood of ai 
 kind of Knowledge even in thi 
 Life, fome kind of Knowledge be 
 ing neceflary toqualifie him fb 
 
 Happinef 
 
( J 37 ) 
 
 Happinefs in the next.Itmuft there- 
 fore Neceflarily be underftood of 
 all that Knowledge which contri- 
 butes not to that great End. So 
 that from thefe two Neceflary Li- 
 mitations the Senfe of Solomons 
 Proposition (if it have any) muft be 
 this 3 that to Man in this pre/cnt 
 junfture all Knowledge that does 
 not contribute to the intereft of 
 his After-ftate 3 is downright Vani- 
 ty and Vexation of Spirit, 
 XVIII. 
 
 For, to what purpofe (faould we 
 Study fo much, confidering that af- 
 ter all we are able to know forlHtkg 
 Confidering that even that //^/e is 
 enough to trouble and difquiet us 3 
 confidering that our Life is as 
 much too fhort for the enjoying 
 what Knowledge xvehave^ as for 
 compaffing what we would have j 
 and withal confidering that there 
 lies no manner of Obligation or 
 Necefiity upon us to do thus. But : 
 (which is what I would moft of all 
 inculcate) to what purpofe ima- 
 K 4 ginable 
 
ginable fhould we be fo bufie, and 
 vehement in the purfuit of Learn- 
 ing, of any Learning, but what h 
 of u(e to the Moral Conduct of om 
 Life, confidering thefe two things. 
 Firft, that 'tis but to ftay a little 
 while and we fhall have all that 
 Knowledge Gratk, from the Com- 
 munications of the Ideal World. 
 which we fo unfuccefsfully drudgt 
 for here, to the negleft of more 
 important and concerning exer- 
 ciles. And Secondly, confidering 
 that there is fuch an abfolute ne- 
 ceflity of being Good.nnd °f Living 
 well, and that this fhort uncertain 
 Life is the only time for it, which 
 if neglefted, this great work muft 
 lie undone for ever. Upon the/w> 
 vter consideration this Studious, 
 Bcokifl) Humour, is like laying out 
 a great Sum of Mony to purchafe 
 an Eftate, which after one Weak, 
 dropping Life will of Courfe fall in- 
 to hand. And I am fure he would 
 be reckon'd Fool or Mad, that 
 ftiould do fo. And upon the latter, 
 
 'tis 
 
I ( 139 ) 
 
 Visas if a Man that was Riding 
 Poft upon Bufinefs of Life and 
 Deaths fhould as he paffes through 
 a Wood, (land ftill to liften to the 
 Singing of a Nightingale, and fo 
 forget the main and only bufinefs 
 of his Journey. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 Tis moft certain that the two 
 Cafes here fuppofed, are as great 
 inftances of Folly and Imperti- 
 nence as can well be conceiv'd,and 
 jyet (however it comes to pafs that 
 we are not fenfible of it) 'tis cer- 
 tain, that they are very applicable 
 to the Intellectual Conduft of Hu- 
 man Life as 'tis generally managed. 
 And tho we are all ready enough 
 to call fuch Men Fools as fhali do 
 as in the two mentioned inftances 
 isfuppofed, yet 'tis moft certain 
 that we do the very lame or worfe, 
 that we are too much concerned in 
 the Application of the Parable, and 
 that of moft of us it may be truly 
 faid, Thou art the Man. 
 
 XX, 
 
( i4P ) 
 
 xx. 
 
 t or I demand, what difference 
 is there between him that now 
 labours and toils for Learning and 
 Knowledge, which in a little time 
 he (hall be ea/iljand fully poffeftofj 
 and him that dearly buysanEftate 
 which would other wife come to 
 him after a fhort Interval? What 
 difference is there, but only this, 
 that he that buys the Eftate.,tho he 
 might have /pared his Mony, yet 
 however he gets what he laid out 
 his Mony for 5 his expence indeed 
 was neerfleff >but not in vain. Where- 
 as he that drudges in the purfait 
 of Knowledge, not only toils for 
 that which in a fbort time he (hall 
 have with eafe 9 and in abundance^ 
 but which after all he cant compafs 
 in any confiderable meafiire, and 
 fo undergoes a vain as well as unne- 
 cejfarji Labour^ and is therefore 
 the greater Fool. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 Again I demand, What diffe- 
 rence is there between him who 
 
 when 
 
( hi ; 
 
 when heisemployd upon bufinefs 
 of Life and Death (hall alight from 
 his Horfe, and ftand Idling to hear 
 a Nightingale Singing in the Wood, 
 and him who having an Eternity 
 of Happinefs to fecure by the right 
 ordering of his Life and Manners, 
 and having only this Point of time 
 to do it in, (hall yet turn Vertuofo, 
 and fer up for Learning and CnrU 
 oftty. Tis true indeed, the Nightin- 
 gale Sings well, and 'twere worth 
 while to ftand (till and hear him, 
 were I difingaged from more con- 
 cerning Affairs 5 but not certainly 
 jwhen I am upon Life and Death. 
 And fo Learning and Knowledge 
 are excellent things, and fuch as 
 would deferve my Study, and my 
 Time, had I any to /pare, and were 
 more at leifure 5 but not certainly 
 when I have fo great anlntereft as 
 that of my Final State depending 
 upon the good ufe of it. My Bu- 
 finefs now is not to be Learned, but 
 to be Good. 
 
 XXII. 
 
( 14* ) 
 XXII. 
 
 For rs my Lifefo long, am I i 
 ovcr-fiocl£<\ with Time, or is m 
 depending Intereft fo little, or is i 
 fo eafily lecured, that I can fn> 
 leifure for unncceffary Curiofities <? ] 
 this Conduit agreeable to the pre 
 fent ftation and pofture of Mar 
 whofe entrance into this World 
 and whofe whole ftay in it,is pure 
 ly in order to another ftate ? O 
 would any one imagin this to b< 
 the condition of Man by fuch j 
 Conduct ! Shall a Prifbner wh< 
 has but a few days allow'd him tc 
 make a Preparation for his Trial 
 ipend that little opportunity if 
 Cutting and Carvings and fuch like 
 MechamcalContrivances f Or would' 
 any one imagin fuch a Man to be 
 in fuch a Condition, near a doubt-, 
 fill Trial of Life and Death, whom 
 coming into a Prifon he finds fo 
 employ'd? And yet is there any 
 thing more Abfurd and Imperti- 
 nent in this, than in the pre- 
 fent Suppoiition, to have a Man, 
 
 who 
 
( 143 ) 
 
 [who has lb great a Concern upon 
 pis Hands as the Preparing for E- 
 ternity,all bufie and taken up with 
 Quadrants^ and Tckfcofes^ Furnaces^ 
 Syphons , and Air- Pump ? 
 XXXIIL 
 When we would expo/e any 
 Signal Impertinence, we common- 
 ly illuftrate it by the Example of 
 Archimedes , who was bufie in 
 making Mathematical Figures on 
 th£ Sands of Syracufe^ while the 
 City was taken by Marcellus, and 
 fo, though there were Particular 
 "Orders given for his Safety, loft 
 his Life by his unfeafonable Study. 
 Now I confeft there was imperti- 
 nence and abfurdity enough in this 
 inftance to confign it over to Po- 
 fterity. But had Archimedes been 
 a Chrijlian, or otherwife allured of 
 the Great Concerns of another 
 World, I fhould have faid, that 
 the Main of his Impertinence did 
 not lie here, in being Mathemati- 
 cally employed when the Enemy 
 was taking the City, but in laying 
 
 out 
 
Cm) 
 
 out his Thoughts and Time upoi| i 
 fuch an infignificant unconcerninj;; i 
 Study, while he had no left a con- Ic 
 cern upon him, than the fecurin'jj n< 
 his Eternal Intereft : Which mujll 3 
 be done now or never. Nothing I 
 certainly is an Impertinence , if thiil % 
 be not, to hunt after Learning and 0 
 Knowledge in fuch a junSure atj f 
 this. I ii 
 
 XXIV. I i 
 
 Sure I am, and your Ladyfiij, 
 too very well knows, that many 
 other Proceedings in the Condu&i 
 of Life are condemned of Vanity 
 and Impertinence upon the very 
 fame Grounds, tho not half fb in-j 
 confident with the Chara&er oft 
 Man,nor lb di/agreeable to his pre-! 
 fent Pofture in this World. Fori 
 is not the World full of Inve&ivesJi i 
 And have not the*Pens of Moral\ » 
 Writers been all along employ'd : 
 againft thofe that apply themfel veil tn 
 to Secular Acquirements, fpendlfi 
 their fhort and uncertain Lives,! a 
 which ought to be employ 'diathe 0 
 
 Purfuit 
 
C '45 ) 
 
 ^urftiit of an infinitely higher In- 
 ereft.in gaping up and down after 
 fcmours and Preferments, in long 
 nd frequent attendances at Court, 
 n raifing Families, getting Eftates, 
 nd the like ? Thefe things I fay, 
 md fuch like, are condemn'd and 
 tenlured, not only upon the ftock 
 )f their particular Vicioufnefi, as 
 Crimes of Ambition or Covetoufnefs 
 •efpeftively , but for what they 
 lave in Common^ as they are vnif- 
 >endings of Time, and unconcern- 
 ng Excentrical employments. 
 XXV. 
 
 But now I would fain know, 
 vhether any of thefe MifconduSs 
 >f Life be more expenfive of our 
 ■ime,more remote and alien from 
 he main bufinefs of it, more nn- 
 xlating to our Grand Concerned 
 :onfequently more Iwpcrtinentjhm 
 o be bufily employ'd in the Nice- 
 ies and Curiofities of Learning: 
 ind whether a Man that loiters 
 iway Six Weeks in Court- Attend- 
 mccs for a place of Honour, be not >~ 
 
 every 
 
( I** ; 
 
 every whit as accountably employ \ 
 with refpeft to the End of Man ii 
 the other World, and his Bitfinejs \\ 
 thk, as he that fliall fpend fo mucl 
 time in the Solution of a Mathe 
 matical guefiion^ as M. Defcartes j 
 remember confefies of himfelf ii 
 one of his Epiftles. And why thei 
 the Profecution of Learning ftiouk, 
 be the only thing excepted from tht 
 Vanities and Impertinences of Life: 
 I have not Head enough to un 
 derftand. 
 
 XXVI. ^ I 
 
 And yet fo it is. All other Ex 
 centrical unconcerning Occupati 
 ons are cried down meerly for be 
 ing fo, as not according with the, 
 prefcnt Charafter and State o 
 Man. This alone is not contentec, 
 with the reputation of Innocence 
 but ftands for pofitive merit and ex-\ 
 cellencefox Praife and Commenda- 
 tion. To fay a Man is a Lover oij 
 Knowledge, and a diligent Inquirer 
 after Truth, is almoft as great an 
 Encomium as you can give hirh,and: 
 
( i47 ) 
 
 the time (pent in the Study % thd 
 in the fearch of unedifying Truth, 
 reckon'd almoft as laudably be- 
 ;ow'd as that in the Chanel 5 and 
 [b inconfiftent with its fel f is 
 uman Judgment) 'tis Learning 
 nly that is allow d not only to 
 lividc, but to devour the greateft 
 >art of our fhort Life, and is the 
 >nly thing that with Credit and 
 \blic % allowance ftands in Competi* 
 ion with Religion and the ftudy of 
 ^ertue. Nay, by the mod is pre- 
 rrM before it, who would rather 
 I counted Learned than Piom. 
 XXVII. 
 
 But is not this a ftrangeand un- 
 tenable Competition ? It muft 
 ■deed be confefs'd, that the Per- 
 son of Man is double , of the In- 
 :jleftual as well as of the Moral 
 art, and thatKnowledg is a very 
 iivine Excellence* But certainly 
 eSitude of Willxsz, greater Or- 
 imeot and Perfe&ion than Bright- 
 :fs of Understanding, and to be 
 ood is more Divine than to be 
 
 L mjk 
 
(148) I 
 
 Wife and Knowing, that being th i 
 Principal^ perhaps only differenol 
 between an Angel and a Devil 
 And tho Solomons Choice be uni! 
 vierfilly applauded, yet I think thai 
 of Mary is to be preferred before it 1 
 and (to ufe the Expreffion of th 
 Cogitat. Excellent Monfieur Poirei) that 3 ti 
 deD™.' better like an Infant without tnuc 
 p. 622. reafoning to love much , than like th 
 Devil to Reafon much without Lovt 
 XXVIII. 
 But fuppole Knowledge were , 
 much Diviner Excellence than 'tii 
 fuppofeit were more perfedtive qj 
 and Ornamental to Human Nature 1 
 than the Habit and PraUice c 
 Vertue} yet ftill this Competitio; 
 would be utterly againft Reafor 
 For 'tis to be confidend (as I hav' 
 already fuggefted) that the Forme 
 we can't have now in any Meafuri 
 and (hall have it hereafter withoh 
 Meafure , but the latter we ma; 
 have now (for we may Love mud 
 tho we can t know much) and can 
 not have it hereafter. Nowth 1 
 
 Queftio: 
 
( H9 ) 
 
 |)ueftion is, whether we otight to 
 »e more Solicitous for that Intel- 
 \Uual Perfection which we can't 
 ave here,and thall have hereafter} 
 r for that Moral Perfection which 
 iQ may have here 5 and cannot 
 ereafter > And I think we need 
 ot confult an Oracle, or conjure 
 p a Spirit to be refolv'd of this 
 meftion. 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 And this one Solitary Confidera- 
 on (much more in Conjunction 
 mh the other parts of the Human 
 haraBer) I take to be fufficient to 
 aftifie the Truth of what meafure 
 'e have prefcribed to our Intel* 
 :£tual Conduft, that we ought to 
 rofecute Learning and Know- 
 ;dge no further than as'tiscon- 
 ucive to the great Ends of Piety 
 id Vertue. And confequently that 
 fhenever we ftudy to any other 
 urpofe, or in any other Degree 
 lan this, we are unaccountably 
 npertinently, I may add Sinfully 
 rnploy'd. For this is the whole of 
 L 2 Man, 
 
c ; 
 
 Ecclef 12. Matt) fo fear God and keep fti$Cm 
 * 3 ' mandments, the whole of Man i 
 this Station, and confequently th 
 ought to be the only Scope of a 
 his Studies and Endeavours. 
 XXX. 
 
 And accordingly 'tis obftrvabll 
 that the Scripture , whenever 
 makes mention o{lV/fdomwnh an 
 mark of Commendation, it alvva 1 ]! 
 means by it either the very Pradtic 
 of Religion and Vertue, or fm 
 Knowledge at lead: , that has 
 near and ftrong influence npo 
 it $ thereby implying, that t'hat i 
 the only Wifdom which become 
 the Study of Man. Remarkabl 
 above the reft to this purpofe is th 
 28th Chapter of jM>,wherehavini 
 run through feveral Inftances c| 
 Natural Knowledge, at length, fay 
 
 V. 1 2 . he, But where flail Wifdom be found j 
 And where is the place of under fl and 
 ing ? As much as to fay, that iij 
 none of the other things mention* 
 did confift the Wifdom of Man 
 
 v '3- Then it follows, Man knowethno 
 
 tk 
 
( 151 ) 
 
 ' fie price thereof, neither is it found 
 %n the Land of the Living , The V. 
 Depth faith, it is not in me, And the 
 Sea faith it is not in me. Not in 
 the Depths of Learning, nor in 
 the Recefles of Speculation,/^//;^ 
 it is hid from the Eyes of a ll v 
 Living, and kept clofe from the Fowls 
 of the Air, from Men of high and 
 Towring* Notions , and fublime 
 Theories. DelhuUion and Death , V- 
 fay, vpe have heard the Fame thereof 
 with our Ears. As much as to fay, 
 that after this Life, and then only, . 
 unlefs perhaps about, the hour of 
 Death, Men begin to have a true 
 Senfe, and lively favoury Pvelifh of 
 his Wifdom. But in the n^ean 
 irne, God underjlandeth the way V. 
 hereof, and he knoweth the place 
 hereof. And unto Man he faid, be- V. 
 wld the Fear of the Lord, that is 
 Vifdom,, and to depart from Evil, 
 hat is ZJnderJlanding. To Man he 
 aid 5 Had it been to another Crea- 
 ure, iuppofe an Angel, in a ftate 
 jf Security and Confirmation, he 
 L 3 would 
 
( 152 ) 
 
 would perhaps have recommended 
 for Wifdom the Study of Nature, 
 and the Curiofities of Philofophy, 
 but having to do with Man> a pro- 
 bationary and unfixt Creature, that 
 fhall be either Happy orMiferable, 
 according as he demeans himfelf in 
 this fhort time of Trial, the only 
 Wifdom he advifes to fetch a Crea* 
 ture in fetch a Station, is to look 
 well to his Moral Conduct^ to ftudy; 
 Religion and good Life. 
 
 XXXI. 
 And now (Madam) fince we 
 are upon Scripture Authority ( for 
 indeed fb little has this matter been 
 confider'd, that I have fcarce any 
 other to follow) will your Lady flip 
 give me leave in further Confirma- 
 tion of the Meafetre propos'd, to 
 commend to your Consideration 
 two great Scripture-Examples^ both 
 of Men Eminently Wife, and of a 
 Learned Education. The Men 1 
 inftance in are Mofes and St. Paul 
 The latter of which profe(Tedly de- 
 i Co r>2< clares, that he determirid to 'knon 
 
 nothing 
 
( '53 ) 
 
 nothing, lutjefus Chrifl, and him 
 Crucify d, that is, nothing bin what 
 concerns either the Faith or the 
 Pra&ice of Chrifuanity. And the 
 former complaining of the groft , 
 Ignorance of the People committed 
 to his Charge, and defiring they 
 would become wifer , breaks out 
 into this Paffionate With, 0 that Dellt ^ 
 they were wife, that they tinder ~ ^. 
 flood this, that they would confider 
 their latter End, 
 
 XXXII. 
 
 Mofes had been bred a Scholar, 
 as well as a Courtier, and was well 
 inftru&ed in all the Secrets of the 
 /Egyptian Philofophy 5 which was 
 then the beft in the World.Refides, 
 he was himfelf a wife Man, a Man, 
 that befides the Advantages of " 
 Pharaohs Court, had the Divine 
 X6y@^ himfelf for his Tutor, and 
 convers'd perfonally with his Ma- 
 ker, and therefore rnuft needs be 
 fuppofed to know what was true 
 Wifdom. But now this he does 
 not make to confift either in the 
 L 4 , Ac- 
 
( '54 ) 
 
 Accomplishments of Courtly Edu 
 cation, or in the deep Myfterie 
 of Philofophy, but in the confide 
 ration of our latter End. He wi(he 
 that his People were Wife, and t< 
 this End he does not wifh tha 
 they were as Well-bred as he, or a 
 Learned as he, but only that thei 
 underftood this, this one thing 
 that they would confider thei 
 latter End. Which he makes th 
 Sujnmary and Abftraft of all Wi£ 
 dom. Much like that of Plato 
 when he defines Philofophy to be 
 The Theory of Death. 
 
 XXXIII. 
 And here, if your Ladyjhip wl 
 difpenfe with a (hort Digreifion, 
 a Digreflion from the immediatt 
 Thred of my Difcourfe, tho not 
 from the General Defign of it , tl 
 would upon this occafion briefly 
 reprefent to you what an excellent 
 part of Wildom it is for Man feri^ 
 pufly to confidcr his latter End. 
 To make this difiindily appear, I 
 (hall proceed upon thele two 
 
 grounds: 
 
 i 
 
 t 
 
(ISO 
 
 grounds: Firft, That the Confide* 
 ration of Death is the moft proper 
 Exercife that a wife Man can be 
 employed about. And Secondly, 
 that this is the moft compendious 
 way of making him wife that is 
 not fo. 
 
 XXXIV. 
 And Fii ft, it is the moft proper 
 exerci/e that a wife Man can em- 
 ploy himfelf about. For Wifdom 
 conlifts in a due eftimation of 
 things 5 and then things are duly 
 eftimated,when they are meafured 
 and rated.; firft as they are absolute- 
 ly in therxfehes } and fecondly, a$ 
 they ftand in Relation to us. If 
 they are great and extraordinary, 
 then they deferve to be conlider'd 
 for their oven fakes \ and if they 
 nearly relate to us, then they de- 
 ferve to be conlider'd for ours. 
 And upon both thefe accounts, 
 Death and its Confequcnces are 
 highly deferving a Wife Man's 
 Thoughts and Reflections. 
 
 XXXV. 
 
( i56 ) 
 
 XXXV. 
 
 For firfr, they arc great and ex j 
 traordinary Tranfaftions, barely aii 
 in themfelves confider d , and ai 
 fuch would defervedly engage tht| 
 rnoft attentive confideration, ever 
 of a ftander-by,cf any other indif* 
 ferent Being , fuppofe an Angel\ 
 thatcanbenootherwife concerned 
 in it, than as 'tis a great Event) a 
 Noble Scene of Providence, a mat- 
 ter of Wonder and Curiofity. I fay. 
 upon this fingle Account, Death 
 with its Confequences is as fit a 
 Subjeft for the Contemplation of 
 a Wife Man as any in Nature. 
 XXXVI. 
 
 Or if there be within the Sphere 
 of Nature things of a greater and 
 more Bulky appearance, yet ccr^- 
 tainly there is nothing wherein 
 Man is fb nearly concern'd,fb high- 
 ly intereiTed as in Death. Since 
 upon the manner of this depends 
 his Eternal Happinefs or Ruin. 
 There is therefore nothing that fo 
 much deferves to be confiderM by 
 
 him. 
 
 J 
 
(157) 
 
 lim. Whether therefore we regard 
 the Abfolute greatnefs of the thing, 
 or its Relative greatnete with re- 
 fpeft to us,as we are interefled and 
 :oncerned in it,but efpecially if we 
 weigh both, the confideration of 
 Death is as proper an Exercife as a 
 Wife Man can be employ'd about. 
 
 XXXVII. 
 And as Vis fo fit an employment 
 for him that is Wife already, fo fe- 
 condly,is it the moft compendious 
 Way of making him wife, truly 
 wife, that is not fo. For all Wif- 
 dom is in Order to Happinefs^ and 
 to be truly wife, is to be Wife unto 
 Salvation. Whatever Knowledge 
 contributes not to this, is quite be- 
 fide the Mark,and is, as the Apoftle 
 calls it, Science faljl j jo called. The 
 Knowledge it felf is vain^ and the 
 Study of it is impertinent. 
 
 XXXVIII. 
 Now the only way to HappU 
 nefs is a good Life,and confequently 
 all Wifdom being in Order to Hap- 
 pinefsjthat's the only W r ifdom that 
 
 ferves 
 
(i 5 3) "1 
 
 fcrves to the promoting of gooil 
 Lite, according to that of Job be, 
 fore cited, And to man he faid, be 
 hold the fear of the Lord that iswif 
 doW) and to depart from evil is un 
 derjiandwg. That therefore is th< 
 mod compendious way of makinj 
 a Man mfe^ that fooneft makes hirr 
 good^ and reduces his Mind to a 
 moral Regularity. And nothing 
 does this fo fpon and fo well as the 
 ferious and habitual consideration 
 of Death. Ajjd therefore,fays the 
 wife Man, Remember Denth and 
 Corruption, and l^eep the Command' 
 merits. The Ihorteft Compendium 
 of holy living that ever was given. 
 As if he had iaiJ, Many are the 
 , Precepts and Admonitions left us* 
 by wife and good Men, for the mo- 1 
 ral Conduft of Life 5 but would 
 you have a port and infallible £)/-* 
 rc&ory of living well ? why, re- 
 member Death and Corrupt ion. } Do ! 
 but remember this, and forget all 
 Other Rides if. you trill t and your 
 JQt/tj if you catu 
 
 XXXIX. 
 
( T 59 ) 
 
 v xxxix. 
 
 And what is here remarked by 
 one wife Man is contented to by all. 
 Hence thofe common Practices a- 
 mong the Ancients, of placing Se- 
 pulchres in their Gardens, and of 
 ufing that celebrated Motto, Me- 
 mento mori. Hence alfo that Mo- 
 dern as vvell as Ancient Cuftom of 
 putting Emblems of Mortality in 
 fchurches, and other Vublic places, 
 by all which 'tis implied, that the 
 Conftderation of Death is the 
 greateft fecurityof a good Life. As 
 indeed it muft be upon this general 
 ground, becaufe it does that at a 
 Blow , which other Confederations 
 do by Parts, and gives an entire 
 defeat to the three great Enerniesof 
 our Salvation at once. It fees m a- 
 Jbove the Temptations of the World, 
 the Flcfi, and the Devil For h*W 
 can the World captivate him, who 
 confiders he is but a ftranger in it, 
 and that he muft (hortly leave it ! 
 How can the Flefn inihare him,who 
 has his Sepulchre always in his Eye, 
 • ♦ , . and 
 
 / 
 
( i6o ) 
 
 and refle&s upon the cold Lodging 
 he (hall have there ! And how can 
 the Devil prevail upon him, who 
 remembers always he muft die.ani 
 then enter upon an unchangeable 
 State of Happinefs or Mifery, ac- 
 cording as he has either re/tjledor 
 yielded to hk Temptations ! Of fo 
 vaft confequence is the conftant 
 Thinking upon Death above all 
 other things that fall within the, 
 compafs even of ufeful and PraQi- 
 Meditation., and fo great Rea- 
 fon had Mofes for placing the Wis- 
 dom of Man in the C on f deration of 
 his latter End. 
 
 XL. 
 
 But to return ( if being ftill in 
 purfuit of my General Defign, I 
 may well be faid to be out of the 
 way) I now perfwade my felf that 
 from the Character I have drawn 
 of Man and his prefent Circumftan- 
 ces, together with thofe Refle&i-* 
 ons built upon it, and interwoven 
 with it 5 and laftly, from Divine 
 Authority ^ the Meafure we have 
 
 given 
 
( i6i ) 
 
 |given,is fo well Eftablifh'd, that if 
 your Ladjfljipbe not yet, you ought 
 [to beconvinc'd, that however Na- 
 turally defirous we may be of 
 'Knowledge, yet that this Appetite 
 is to be govern'd as well as thole 
 that are Senfual 3 that we ought to 
 ikidulge it only fo far as may tend 
 to the Moralizing our Souls, and 
 the conducing our Lives, and the 
 fitting us for that Happinefs which 
 God has promifed not to the 
 Learned^ but to the Good. And 
 that if it be gratify 'd to any other 
 purpofe, or in any other Meafure 
 than this, our Curifioty is imperti- 
 nent, our ftudy immoderate, and 
 the Tree of Knowledge ftill & forbid- 
 den Plant. 
 
 XLI. 
 
 And now {Madam) having fix'd 
 and dated the Meafure of our pre- 
 fent Affe&ion to, and Inquiry after 
 Learning and Knowledge, which £ 
 think is eftablifh'd upon irrefutable 
 Principles, I may leave it to your 
 Ladj/fiip to confider how much 'tis 
 
 ebferv'd 
 
( i6z ) 
 
 obferv'd in tjie general Condu& c| 
 _our Studies. 'Tis plain that Yij 
 not obferv d at all For thefe tvv(j 
 things are too Notorious to neec 
 any more for their Proof,than onlj 
 to look abroad into the Worldi 
 Firft,that very little of that which 
 is generally made the Subject o 
 Study,has any manner of Tendency 
 to Living well here, or Happilji 
 hereafter. And Secondly , thai 
 thefe very Studies which have ncl 
 Religious or Moral influence upop 
 Life, do yet devour the greateft; 
 part of it. The Bejl and Moji o 
 our Time is devoted to Dry Learn-, 
 iffgjhis we make the Courje of our 
 Study, the reft is only by the b)A 
 and 'tis well if what is Devotional^ 
 Praftical, or Divinely- reli(liing,can! 
 find us at leifure upon a Broken 
 piece of a Sunday or Holiday, Butj 
 the main Current of our Life runs, 
 in Studies of another Nature, that| 
 don't fo much as glance one Iqnd 
 Afpcft upon good Living, 'tis weBj 
 if fome of thern don't hinder it. 
 
 I 
 
( 1*3 ) 
 
 it am fare St. AuJIin thought fo, Cmfef. 
 and makes it part of his Peniten- Llb<I C ' 
 fah. 
 
 XLII. 
 
 And becaufe the Authority of fo 
 Great and fo Good a Man may 
 convince fome, whom the cleareft 
 Difcourfe would leave unperfwa- 
 ded, it may be of fome life and 
 Confequence to let the Reader fee 
 low he exprelfes himfelf upon this 
 3ccafion. Speaking of the Infti- 
 :ution and Difcipline of his Youth, 
 ays he, I learnt in thofe things ma- 
 ty ufeful Words, hut the fame might 
 dfo be learnt in matters that are not 
 win, and that indeed is the fafe 
 vay wherein Children ought to be 
 rained up. But Wo unto thee thou 
 n orrent of Human Cufiom ! Who is 
 ble to refifl thee ? How long will it 
 e before thou wilt be dried up? How 
 Mgwilt thou roll along the Sons of 
 We into a great and formidable Sea 9 
 ihich they can hardly pafs over? 
 lave not I read in thee Jupiter both 
 hundering and Fornicating at the 
 M fame 
 
( >«4 ) 
 
 fame time ? Sec. And yet 0 thouX 
 
 Helli/hTcrrent, the Sons of Men art\ 
 fill tojfed in thee, and are invitecA 
 by Rewards to learn thefe things A 
 Tour Pretence indeed k 5 That thk 
 is the way to learn Words \ and to ge 
 "Eloquence , and the Art of Perfwa 
 /ion. As if we fhould not know the/ 
 Words , Golden Showr, Lap, Cheat 
 the Temple of Heaven, &c. unlej, 
 Terence had brought in alewdyoun 
 Man propofing Jupiter to himfelf a 
 a Prefident for Whoring , while h 
 beheld in a Wall a Piece reprefentin 
 how Jupiter conveigBd himfelf int 
 the Lap of Danae in a golden Shorn 
 and fo cheated the poor W oman. Bh 
 fee how the young Man imourage] \\ 
 himfelf to Lnfl by this Heavenly Pre b 
 fident : What God is this, fays he 
 Even he that flakes with Thunder tl 
 Temple of Heaven 5 and /hall I the 
 a poor Mortal flicks t0 do the fame . 
 Noiv this Immorality does not 
 id! advantage the learning of tl 
 Words, but the Words do greatt 
 zncpurage tie committing of the bn\ 
 
 morality 
 
 Ji 
 
( 1*5 ) 
 
 piorality. Not that 1 find fault 
 with the Words them/elves, they are 
 pure and choice Vejfels, but with that 
 Wine of Error which in them is 
 handed and commended to us by our 
 fottifl) Teachers : And yet unlefs we 
 drank, of it.we were beaten, nor had 
 we any fober Judge to appeal to. And 
 yet I, 0 my God, in whofe Prefence 
 I now fecurely make this Recollection, 
 willingly learnt thefe things, and like 
 a Wretch was delighted with my Ex~ 
 ercife, and for this I had the Name 
 of a Good, Towardly, Hopeful Boy. 
 
 By this you may fee what the 
 Judgment of this Holy and Vene- 
 able Perfon was in his private Re- 
 lrements, and at the moft ftrious 
 ntervals of his Life, concerning 
 he general Ccurfe of thofe Studies, 
 hich draw out the Firji Runnings 
 our Age, and which are of To 
 reat Credit and Authority in the 
 orld, as to go under the Name 
 Ingenuous and Liberal Education. 
 ou fee he not only condemns and 
 ifparages them, but reckons them 
 M 2 among 
 
(166) . 
 
 among thofe Sins and Irregularities 
 of his Youth, whereof he thought 
 himfelf obliged to make a par- 
 ticular Confeflion in this his Great 
 Tenitential. 
 
 XLIII. 
 
 And here let me not be thought 
 Immodeft, if upon great Confide-i 
 ration and full Convi&ion, I pre?! 
 fiime to tax the Management of| 
 our Publick Schools in the Inftita- 
 tion of Youth. Many Mifcarriagej 
 I might note, but I fhall concerr 
 my ftlf only with fuch, asfrotr 
 the Principles laid down, lam led 
 to condemn: Which I comprehenc 
 under thefe two General Heads o 
 Complaint. 
 
 I. That they take up fo mud 
 Time in their Education. 
 
 II. That they teach them fuel p 
 frivolous and unprofitable thing I; 
 as they do. 
 
 In relation to the Firft, I cannc c 
 with any Patience refleft, that ot 
 
 < 
 
1 167 ) 
 
 of fuch a fliort Compafs of time, 
 as that of Human Life, confiding 
 it may be of 50 or 60 Years, (feu: 
 where one' lives longer Hundreds 
 come fliort) 19 or 20 fhall be 
 (pent between the Di&ionary and 
 the Lexicon in hammering out a 
 little Latin and Greek , and in 
 learning a Company of Poetical 
 Fi&ions and Phantaftic Stories. If 
 thefe things were never fb fit and 
 neceffary to be known, yet 'tis 
 Barbarous and Inhuman to make 
 People fpend lb much of their lit- 
 tle ftock of Time upon them. 
 This is to make a Cure of Human 
 Ignorance, and to deal with the 
 Infirmities of the Mind, asfome 
 ill Surgeons do by the Wounds of 
 the Body : And, it may be, for 
 the fame R.eafon. If one were to 
 judge of the Life of Man by that 
 Proportion of it that *is fpent at 
 School, one would think the An- 
 tediluvian Mark were not yet 
 out D and that we had a Profped* 
 of at leaft 960 or a 1000 years 
 M 3 before 
 
{ ) 
 
 before us. The Truth is, ? tis an 
 intolerable Abufe that it (hould be 
 fo 5 and I wonder that the Wif- 
 dom and Authority of this im- 
 proved Age of the World will let 
 it be fo$ efpecially confidering 
 what late Examples we have had 
 of more compendious Methods 
 beyond the Seas, It does not be- 
 come me, nor am I fb fond of the 
 Office of an Undertaker^ as to pro- 
 ved a Scheme of School- Difciplinej 
 I leave this to more contriving 
 Heads. Only in the mean time 1 
 may venture to lay, that the com- 
 mon way is a very great Tax upor 
 Human Life : For certainly th< 
 ftiort Life of Man can very ill fparc 
 fo large a Portion of it to be la- 
 vifb'd away, upon the firft Ele- 
 ments of Learning } and I believe 
 when all ^hings are computed, thi< 
 will be found to be the -mofl 
 chargeable part of Education. 
 
 But my greateft Quarrel againfl 
 the Wifdom of thefe Seminaries 
 \s the frivoloufiiefs of the thing} 
 
 the} 
 
( 1*9 ) 
 
 I they teach. I blame them not on- 
 ly for taking too great a Cornpals 
 for the Inftru&ion of Youth in the 
 things they teach them, but for 
 teaching therg. fuch things at all. 
 Men may make Mony of Leather 
 if they will, by giving it a Current 
 Stamp : But fetting afide Opinion 
 and Fancy, what real Improve- 
 ment or Per fe&ion is it to the 
 Mind of a Rational Creature, to 
 pe overlaid with Words and Phra- 
 fes, and to be full charged with 
 Poetical Stories, Dreams and Fan- 
 cies? How many excellent and 
 ufeful things might be learnt in the 
 Mathematics, and other ingenious 
 and profitable Sciences,whi!e Boys 
 are Thnmming and Murdering He- 
 feod and Homer, which then they 
 do not underftand , and which 
 when they do, they will throw by 
 and defpife : And that juftly too. 
 [For of what fignification is fuch 
 I Stuff as this, if the Humour of the 
 i World had not turnd it up foil 
 \ Learning, to the real Acccpmpli(h- 
 M 4 ment 
 
( i7o ) 
 
 rnent of a Reasonable Soul? What 
 Improvement or Perfe&ion can it; 
 be to my Underftanding to know 
 the Amours of Pyramus and Thy/be, 
 or the Adventured *>{ Hero and 
 Leander ? Do Men retain any va- 
 lue for thefe things when they 
 grow up and know better, or en- 
 deavour to prefcrve the Memory 
 of them ? Do they not rather ftu- 
 diouflv forget them, and caft them 
 afide? And is it not reckon' d an 
 ungenteel piece of Pedantry to 
 makeufe of them either in Wri- 
 ting or Conversion ? And why 
 then mud Poor Boys be condem- 
 ned with fo much Pains and 
 Drudgery to learn fuch things, 
 which when th^y are Men they 
 mud and will unlearn again? I ask 
 again, and 'tis a very pertinent 
 Queftion, why muft Boys be forc'ct 
 with fo great expence of Time' 
 and Labour, to learn fuch things 
 as are of no (landing conftant 
 life ? So far from that, that they 
 are dangerous and hurtful, as well 
 
 as 
 
( i7i ) 
 
 as unprofitable. For I appeal to 
 the common Senfe and Experience 
 of Mankind, whether it be advi- 
 fable to entertain the gay Catching 
 Fancies of Boys with the Amorous 
 Scenes of the Poets. Whether it 
 be convenient oV fafe to (eafon 
 their green Imaginations with fiich 
 impure and obfcene Images as are 
 there fet forth to the Life : Or is 
 not this rather the direft way to 
 corrupt them, to fbw in their ten- 
 der Minds the Seeds of Impurity, 
 and to lay a ftanding Foundation 
 for Debauchery ? Let any Man 
 but confider Human Nature as it 
 comes down to us from Adam , 
 and tell me, whether he thinks 
 that a Boy is fit to be trufted with 
 Ovid de Arte Antandi* For my part 
 I (hould as foon and fooner trufc 
 him with a Conjuring- Book. For 
 I think he were better raife the 
 Devil without him 5 than raife a 
 Devil within him. I do not con- 
 demn this fort of Learning out of 
 Ignorance 5 for I my felf had my 
 
 Educa- 
 
( IJ2 ) 
 
 Education in , a very eminenl 
 School, that of Winchefler^ wher< 
 I made no fmall Proficiency ii 
 Clajjic Learning, as 'tis called 3 anc 
 I have fince plied it very hard,anc| 
 run through all the Critieifms of it 
 But upon a ferrous Review I taki 
 no Satisfaction either in thofe Stu 
 dies, or in thofe Acquirements 
 Nay, I am fo far from that, that j 
 heartily with that fort of Vail 
 Learning (after all my pains in it] 
 were quite out of Credit, anc 
 that the Books that contain it hac| 
 the fame Fate in our Common! 
 wealth, that the Authors of then 
 had in Flato's. For I do not/ un« 
 derftand upon what Principle, ei 
 ther of Prudence or Piety, fucfcl 
 Books as thele fhould be read bj 
 any, but efpecially by Boys 5 non 
 why fuch Pains* (hould betaken,] 
 and fo much Diligence ufed to 
 make them underftand 'em. 1 
 think they were better continue 
 Ignorant, than to accomplifh theuj 
 , Underftandings with the hazard' 
 
 of 
 
( i73 ) 
 
 j)f their Morals, upon which fueh 
 jtudies as thefe can derive no ve- 
 •y wholfom Influence. And yet 
 :o thefe our Youth is dedicated, 
 tnd in thefe fome of us employ 
 our riper Years 5 nor do we fee 
 the Vanity and Impertinence of it 
 in old Age. And then when we 
 die, this very thmgj makes one 
 great part of our Funeral Elegy , 
 that we were fo diligent and inde- 
 fatigable in our Studies, and fo in- 
 quintive in the fearch of Knowldg, 
 perhaps that we procured an early 
 interment by it, when, according 
 to the Principles before laid down, 
 we were as impertinently employ 'd 
 all the while, as if we had been 
 fo long picking Straws in Bedlam. 
 I (ay as impertinently tho perhaps 
 not fo innocently. The Sum of all 
 comes to this : The meafure of 
 profecuting Learning and Know- 
 ledge is their ufefulnefs to good 
 Life. Confequently all Profecuti- 
 on of it beyond or befide this End, 
 is impertinent and immoderate. 
 
 This 
 
I m > 
 
 This has been fully proved by evi 
 dent Principles. But now of thi 
 fort is the general Profecution o 
 Learning and Knowledge , as i 
 plain by appealing to the genera 
 Conduft of Study. The Cohclufi 
 on therefore unavoidably follows 
 That the Intelle&ual Conduft p 
 Human Life is juftly chargeable 
 with an immoderate and imperti- 
 nent purfuit of Knowledge. Whicl 
 was the Propofition to be made 
 out, and I am forry to fee it fo ml 
 proved. 
 
 The End of the Third Reflexion. 
 
 ■ 
 
 The 
 
( 175 ) 
 
 The Condition. 
 
 A ND now (Madam) having fi- 
 l\ ni(h'd my Threefold Reflection 
 upon the Intellectual Conduft of 
 Human Life, I have a double Ap- 
 plication to make, one to your 
 Ladyfiip, and another to my felf 
 That to your Ladyfljip is this, that 
 you would confider to what a nar- 
 row compafs^by vertue of the pre- 
 ceding Difcourfes,thefe three things 
 are reduced, which before ufe to 
 take up fo large a roomys Learn- 
 ing-it felf the Method, of Learnings 
 and the Defire and Rr of edition of 
 Learning. The firft of which is 
 comprized within the Limits of 
 NeceJJary Ttuth\ the (econd within 
 thole of Thinking^Purity and Prayer? 
 the third within its ufefulnefsto the 
 furtherance of good Life. Thefe in- 
 deed are great ret rench?nents^ but I 
 think fiich as axe juft and neceffa- 
 ry to the Regulation of our Intel- 
 lectual 
 
X 17^ ) 
 
 le&ual Conduft, which I am gla c 
 to find fo compendious and dific p 
 cumbered, that being a Mark of n« [ 
 Itnall Probability to confirm me ii t: 
 the Truth of it, as the Righteft Lin ' c 
 is always the Shorteft. 
 
 And fince both Learning iffeli ^ 
 its Method, and limits of Profecuti ff 
 0* are all fo reduced, I would fur ar 
 ther commend to your Ladyfhip u 
 Confideration i whether from thi: ^ 
 great Abridgment you can forbeai n< 
 deducing thefc two Corollaries ; th 
 Firft, That this BookjJIy Humour. 0 
 which every where fo prevails* is 11 
 one of the Spiritual Dyfcrafies, or \ 
 M<?n*/ Difeafes of Mankind, one of 1 
 the moft Malignant Reliques of 1 
 Original Depravation 3 it carrying ' 
 in it the very Stamp and Signature 1 
 of Adam s TranfgrefSon , which 
 owed its Birth to Curiofity, and; 
 inordinate defire of Knowledge. 
 Secondly,that thofe who have Ejes 
 may in a great meafure /pare them, 
 and that thofe who have «^ 5 (hould 
 not, upon the account of Learning, 
 
 much 
 
( i77 ) 
 
 much lament the want, of them, 
 which is therefore addrefled to the 
 Private Confideration of all thofe 
 that labour under that fad Mi£ 
 fortune. 
 
 Now as to my own particular 
 Concern, the Refiilt of what I have 
 written is this r I am fo inwardly 
 and throughly convinced of the cer- 
 tainty of thofe Principles I have 
 here laid down, that I think I am 
 not only under a particular Obliga- 
 tion^ but almoft under a Necejfity 
 of conducing my Studies accord- 
 ing to the Meafures propofed. The 
 lafi of which has left fuch a ftrong 
 influence, fuch a deep impreflion 
 upon me, that I think I (hall now 
 follow the Advice of the Hea- 
 then (M. Antonius as I remember) 
 t}w Si BibAKw $iy\av rid my 
 
 felf of the Thirfi after Books, and 
 ftudy nothing but what ferves to 
 the advancement of Piety and 
 Good Life. 
 
 I have now fpent about Thir- 
 teen, years in the moft celebrated 
 
 Univerfity 
 
( '78 ) 
 
 Univerfity in the World, and, ao l 
 cording to the ordinary Meafures, 
 perhaps not amifs, having accom- 1 
 plifh'd my felf in a competent de-| 
 gree, both with fuch Learning as| 
 the Academical Standard requires,! 
 and with whatever elfe my own 
 Private Genius inclined me to. 
 But truly I cannot fay that I have 
 ordered my Studies in that Theatre 
 of Learnings fo much to my own 
 SatkfaBion, as to my Reputation 
 with others. To be free with you, 
 I muft declare, that when I refleft 
 upon my part IntelleUual ConduH, 
 I am as little fatisfied with it as I 
 am with that of my Morals, and 1 
 that I think I have nigh as much 1 
 to anfwer for the Former, as I 
 have for the Latter, being very 1 
 Confcious ; that the greateft part 
 of it has been employ'd in Uncon- 
 cerning Curiofities, fuch as derive 
 no moral influence upon the Soul 
 that contemplates them. 
 
 But I have now (if I fufficiently 
 nnderftand my felf) a very difFe- 
 
 rent 
 
( m ) 
 
 ent Tafte and Apprehenfion of 
 hings, and intend to fpend my 
 ncertain remainder of time in fttz- 
 lying only fiich things as make 
 3r the Moral improvement of my 
 lind, and the Regulation of my 
 .ife, not being able to give an ac- 
 Dunt upon any rational and con- 
 ftent Principles, why I fhould 
 udy any thing elfe. 
 More particularly I think I fhall 
 jiefly apply my felf to the Read* 
 g of fuch Books as are rather 
 erfivafive than InftruSive^ fuch as 
 •e Sapid, Pathetic and Divinely^ 
 lifting, fach as warm, kindle and 
 large the Inttrionr, and awaken 
 e Divine Senfe of the Soul , as 
 mfidering with my felf that I 
 ve now, after fb much Reading 
 d Speculation, more need of 
 eat than of Light. Tho if I were 
 r more Light ftill , I think this 
 3uld prove the bed Method of 
 umination , and that when all's 
 me, the Love of God is the beft 
 iht of the Soul. For I confider 
 N with 
 
( ) 
 
 VI: com- with the Excellent Cardinal Bon 
 gndii ad That a Man may have Knowled^ 
 j™!* 1 * P without Love. But he that Love 
 altho he wants Sciences humanly 
 quired, yet he will Iqtow more tfa 
 Human Wifdom can teach him, b 
 caufe he has that Mafter within wi 
 teaches Man Knowledge. Purity \\ 
 Heart and Life being one of tl 
 Methods of Confulting the Ide\ 
 World, as was (hewn in the Secon 
 Part. 
 
 And now (Madam)! cannot w<| 
 prefage how your Ladyfhip w 
 . relifh this Renunciation of all Studi 
 Meerly Curious, from one who 
 you apprehended (perhaps npc 
 too juft grounds) to have been | 
 naturally difpofed to them, and J 
 deeply ingaged in them. Perha| 
 you'll fay I am already Country fy 
 fince I left the Dnwerjity. Hoi 
 far that Metamorphojis may leis 
 upon me, I can't yet tell 5 if Sol 
 tude and Retirement be enoug 
 to bring it, I am, I confefs, in grei 
 Danger, being now got into | 
 
( i8i ) 
 
 little Comer of the World, where I 
 , muft be more Company to my 
 j felf than I have been ever yet. But 
 the beft on't is, I have not been fo 
 great a Stranger to my own Com- 
 pany all along, as to fear any great 
 alteration by it now. Nor do I 
 think the Management of the Pre- 
 fent Undertaking zfign of any fuch 
 change. 
 
 Whether I fhould have had the 
 fame Thoughts in the Univerjity 
 or no, I cant fay } I rather believe 
 they are owing to my Country-Re- 
 tirement ( as I hinted in the Begin- 
 ning) but however that be, fare I 
 am they were entertain'd upon the 
 deepeft and fevereftConfideration$ 
 and I believe are fo well grounded* 
 that the more your Ladyflrip con- 
 ftders, the more you will be con- 
 vincd both of the Truth of what I 
 lave Difcours'd, and of the Reafon- 
 Menejs of what I defign 5 which is 
 to devote my felf wholly to the 
 accomplifhment of my Moral part, 
 &nd of my Intelle&ual, only fo 
 N 2 fa r 
 
( i80 
 
 far as is Subfervient to the other 
 And dow (Madam) having bic 
 farewel to all unconcerning Studies 
 all the dry and ufavoury parts o 
 Learning, 'tis high time to take 
 my Leave of your Lady/hip too i 
 which I do with this Hope, tha 
 you are by this time in fome mea- 
 sure Convinced, as well as Enter- 
 tain 'd, by what has been fuggeftec 
 to your Confideration in the fore 
 going Difcourfes. And with thi 
 Ajfarancc, that if thefe Difcourfe: 
 be too V/eak^to bring you over tc 
 my prefent Opinion, they will how- 
 ever prove jirong enough to worl 
 you into a Better , which is to be- 
 lieve, that I ftill continue in aL 
 Reality, 
 
 Your Lady/hips 
 
 Moll Faithful Friend 
 and Servant, 
 
 TQevoton St. Loe , > 
 
 John Norris, 
 
( i*3 ) 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 I T)Eing informed that the Quakers 
 13 took great hold of the former 
 Edition of this Book, giving but 
 that it made for their way, I think 
 it convenient in a few Words to 
 undeceive them, left they fhould 
 reckon upon more Profclytes than 
 they ha ve. I fuppofe, if the Qua- 
 kers underftood their own Notion, 
 md knew how to explain it, and 
 tnd into what Principles to refolve 
 t, it would not very much differ 
 rom mine. But as they ufually 
 eprefent it, the difference I con- 
 eive to be very great 5 and he that 
 hinks I fymbolyze with the Qua- 
 ers in my Notion of the Divine 
 ight, underftands neither Me nor 
 'hem , as may appear by thefe 
 Mowing Inftances of Difference. 
 
 N 3 I. The 
 
( *84 ) 
 
 I. The Quakers ufually talk of 
 this Light within, as of fome Di- 
 vine Communication or Manifestati- 
 on only, whereas I make it to be 
 the very Ejfence and Subjiance of 
 the Deity, which I fuppofe Vertu-I 
 ally to contain all things in it, and 
 to be intimately united to our 
 Minds. 
 
 II. The Quakers reprefent this 
 Light within, as a fort of Extraor- 
 dinary Infpration ( whence they 
 have the Name of Enthujiafis) 
 whereas I fuppofe it to be a Man's! 
 Natural and Ordinary way of Un j 
 derftanding. 
 
 III. The Quakers (if I miftake 
 not) confine their Light within, to 
 fome certain Objefts, namely Mo- 
 ral and Spiritual Truths, in order 
 only to the Dire&ion of Practice, 
 and accordingly make it 3. Supple- 
 ment to Scripture^ which they fay 
 is not fufficient without it, nor in- 
 deed any more than a meer Dead 
 Letter : But now I do not appro-; 
 priate this Divine Light to Moral 
 
 oj 
 
or Spiritual things, but extend jit 
 as far as all Truth 5 yea, as far as 
 all that is Intelligible, which I fup- 
 pofeto be perceiv'd and under- 
 ftood in this Divine Light, as I 
 have explain'd it. 
 
 IV. The Quakers make their 
 Light within, a fpecial Priviledge 
 of a certain Order of Men, their 
 own Party. Not indeed as to the 
 T?oj]ibility , becaufe they iuppofe 
 all Men to be indifferently capable 
 of this Divine Illumination, as may 
 appear from their contending a- 
 gainft Predeftination, and for uni- 
 verfal Grace. But tho they do 
 not make, it a fpecial Priviledge as 
 to the Pojjibzlitji, yet they do as to 
 the A3, making none but thofe of 
 their own Way to be actually en- 
 lightned by it. Whereas accord- 
 ing to my Principles this is no fpe- 
 cial Priviledge, but the common 
 and univerfal Benefit of all Men 5 
 yea, of all the Intelligent Creati- 
 on, who all fee and underftaikl in 
 this Light of God, without which 
 N 4 there 
 
( I8«) 
 
 there would be neither Truth nori 
 Understanding* ■ 
 
 V. The Quakers by their Light I 
 within, underftand feme determi-i 
 nate, Formid Diftate or Propofi-. 
 tion, exprefly and pofitively di- 
 reding and inftru&ing them to do \ 
 fo or fo : Whereas my Light is 
 only the EjfentUl Truth of God, 
 which indeed is always prefent to 
 my Underftanding, as being inti- 
 mately united with it, but does 
 not formally inlighten or inftrufl: 
 me, but when I carefully attend to 
 it and Confult it , and read what j 
 is witteninthofe Divine Ideal Cha- \ 
 rafters. 
 
 VI. And Laftly, The Quakers 
 do not offer any rational or intel- 
 ligible Account of their Light with- f 
 in, neither as to the thing, nor as 
 to the Mode of it, but only Cant 
 in fome loofe general Expreffions 
 about the Lights which they con- 
 firm with the Authority of St Johns 
 Gofpel, tho they underftand nei- 
 ther one nor t'other. Whereas I 
 
 have 
 
r 187 ) 
 
 have offerM aNatural,Diftin<a and 
 Philofophical way of explaining 
 (both, namely by the Omniformi- 
 ty of the Ideal World, or the Di- 
 vine who has in himfelf the 
 iEffences and Ideas of all things , 
 land in whom the fame are per- 
 ceiv'd by us and all Creatures. 
 
SERMON 
 
 Preach'd in the 
 
 ABB.Y CHURCH 
 
 BAT H, 
 
 BEFORE THE 
 
 Right Reverend Father in G O D, 
 
 THOMAS, 
 
 Lord Bifliop of BATH 
 
 .tmdfVELLS: 
 
 Athis VISITATION held 
 there July 30. 1689. 
 
 By John Norrtf, M. A. and late Fellow of 
 All-Souls College in Oxford. 
 
 London, Printed in the Year 1691. 
 
C i»9 ) 
 
 John 21. v. I 5- 
 
 So when they had Dined) Jefus 
 jaith to Simon Peter - Simon 
 Son of Jonas 5 LoVeJl thou 
 me more than theje ? He 
 faith unto him 5 Tea Lord ; 
 Thou kpowejl that I LoVe 
 thee. He faith unto him^ 
 Feed my Lambs. 
 
 THS Words coafift of Three 
 confiderable parts. Firft,of 
 aQueftion put by our Lord to St. 
 Peter. Secondly, of St. Peter's An- 
 fwer. Thirdly, of a Command by 
 way of inference from it. The 
 Queftion was, Whether St. Peter 
 Loved him beyond the'reft of his 
 Difciples then prefent. This De- 
 
 muncl 
 
t ) 
 
 mand of our Lord was not fo higl 
 as were St. Peer's former Profeffion 
 and Preienfions. This warm and; i 
 Zealous Apoftle had always pro- 
 fe(s 7 d a more than Ordinary Adhe- 
 fion to his Lord and Mafter, and 
 pretended to as great a Supremacy \ 
 of Love 0 as his Succeflbrs do oi ' 
 Knowledge and Jurifdiition. He 
 feemM to be among the Apojlles 
 what the Seraphim are among the 
 Angels^ to out-ftiine and out-burn 
 not this or that yulgar Difciple 
 only, but the whole Apoftolical 
 Order in Zeal,Courage, and Flames 
 of Divine Love. For no left can 
 that Eminent Profeffion of his im- 
 iiar.26.33. port, Tho all Men Jhould be offended 
 becaufe of thee, yet will I never be 
 offended. But not having mack 
 good his high Pretenfions, our 
 Lord now puts the Queftion to him 
 in terms more moderate thanthofe 
 wherein he had before voluntarily 
 boafted of his own Fidelity 3 and 
 whereas he had before made (hew: 
 of a Superlative Love beyond All 
 
 the 
 
( i9i ) 
 
 the Difciples, our Lord only asks 
 him this Modeft Queftion, Lovejl 
 thou me more than thefe ? 
 
 The good Apoftle having now 
 partly from the late experiment of 
 his own frailty^and partly from the 
 manner of our Lords Queftion, 
 learnt more Humility and Mode- 
 fty, returns filch an Anfwer as 
 was fhort, not only of his former 
 Frofejjions^xxt even of the gueftion. 
 too. He does not reply , Lord, 
 thou knoweji that I love thee more 
 than thefe. No, he dares not ven- 
 ture any more lb much as to dc- 
 termin any thing concerning the 
 Meafure of his Love, but is con- 
 tented barely to aver the Truths 
 and Sincerity of it. And for thb 
 he fears not to appeal at laft to the 
 Divine Omni fcienceJLord thou know- 
 eji all things^ thou knowejl that I love 
 thee. 
 
 Our Lord takes the Anftver, 
 and does not at all queftion the 
 Truth and Sincerity of it, only he 
 gives him a Tefi whereby it might 
 
 be 
 
( i92 ) • 
 
 be tried and juftified, both before 
 God, himfelf, and the World, by 
 fubjoyning this Illative Command* 
 Feed my Lambs, as it is in the Text, 
 or as in the two following Verfes, 
 Feed my Sheep. 
 
 This whole intercourfe between 
 our Lord and St. Peter , may I 
 conceive, as to the fullftreft and 
 fcope of it, fitly be reduced to 
 this fhort Hypothetical Scheme of 
 Speech, If thou loveft me, feed my 
 Sheep. Like that of our Saviour, 
 upon another occafion, to his Dis- 
 ciples in common, If ye love me, 
 keep my Commandments. This un- 
 der a (horter view takes in the full 
 force of the Words* and I (hall ac- 
 cordingly difcourfe upon them, 
 as if they had ftood in this Po- 
 fture. 
 
 Hence then (hall I take, occafion 
 to confider thefe three things, as 
 naturally arifing from the Words, 
 and as no left pertinent to our pre- 
 fent Concern. 
 Firft,The great Love of our Lord 
 
 Chrifi: 
 
( i93 ) 
 
 Chrift to his Church, which he 
 here calls hk Lambs^ and his Sheep^ 
 which he here commands St. Peter 
 ias he loved him,tofeed ; and which 
 ;laftly,he would not abfolutely and 
 finally commit to his Charge, till 
 after three dijiintt Inquiries whether 
 he truly loved him. 
 
 Secondly, I (hall confider the 
 Command here given, and fhew the 
 great Obligation that lies upon all 
 fpiritual Paftors and Guides of 
 Souls to feed this Flock of Chrift, 
 which is ft) dearly beloved by him. 
 
 Thirdly,I (hall confider the Con* 
 nexion and Dependance that is be- 
 tween the Practice of this Com- 
 mand and the Love of Chrift. If 
 \hou tovefi me, feed my Sheep. 
 
 Laftly, I (hall clofe all with an 
 earneft exhortation to the Confci- 
 sntious Pra&ice of the Duty en- 
 ioyned. 
 
 The firft thing I (hall confider 
 is the great Love of Chrift to his 
 Church. And certainly if there 
 >e any Secret in Religion fit for 
 O Angels 
 
( 194 ) 
 
 Angels to Contemplate , and too 
 high for them to comprehend 5 i 
 there be any Love that has Breadth 
 and Length,2ind Depth,znd Heighth 
 if there be any Love that faffe\ 
 Knowledge j{ there be any love tha 
 is Jironger than Deaths and deare, 
 than Life, if there beany, laftly 
 that is truly wonderful^ and tha 
 paffes love not only of Women, bu \ 
 of the whole Creation , 'tis thi 
 Love of our Lord to his Church, 
 We he have no Line long enougl 
 to fathom fo vaft a Depth, nor car 
 Mortality furnifh us with Ideas t( 
 conceive, or with Words to utte; 
 fo deep a Myftery. If there bi, 
 any words that can reach it, the], 
 muft be fuch as St. Paul heard ii 
 his Rapture, ftrange Words, appii 
 pi/>ta7a, Words that cannot be pro, 
 nounced by an Human Tonguej 
 and that would be meer Barbarifm 
 to a Moral Capacity. 
 
 But however, that we may tak< 
 fome Meafure of that which realty 
 has none, and be able to fraim 
 
c 195 ; 
 
 fome Notion of this Love of Chrift, 
 which, as the Apoftle tells xx^pajfes 
 knowledge^ we will exhibit a Pro* 
 fpeft of it in a Double Light : Firft, Ephef. 3, 
 n thofe verbal Reprefentations 
 which the Scripture gives of it : 
 f\nd Secondly, in tho(e real and 
 *&ual Proofs whereby Chrift him- 
 lelf has expreft this his moft cxcel- 
 ent, and other wife incredibleLove. 
 
 As to the Firft : The Scripture 
 ;vc know is full of great things , 
 ind thofe fet forth with as great 
 nd magnificent Expreffions. The 
 Ihetoric andStyle of Scripture runs 
 □comparably high, beyond that 
 >f any other Writings, in whatever 
 t treats of But there are three 
 hings more efpecially , in the de- 
 bription of which the Holy Spirit 
 ?ems to Labour, and be at a Stand 
 3r Exprejfion. And thefe are the 
 ilories of Heaven^ the Miferies of 
 7e//, and the Love of Chrifi to his 
 hurch. Thefe the Scripture repre- 
 »nts under all the variety of Sym- 
 ols, Figures and Images that can 
 O 1 \ be 
 
( i9« ) 
 
 be fuppUed either from the Intel- 
 k&ualor Material World } that fo 
 what isr warning in each fingle Re- 
 prefentatton, might be made up 
 from the Multitude and Combina- 
 tion of them, that if one fhould 
 mifs, another might ftrike us, to 
 make,, if poffibie, feme impreffion 
 of fo ftrange and fo concerning 
 Truths upon the Minds of Men. 
 
 But the laft of thefe, as 'tis mod 
 wonderful and myfterious (it be- 
 ing a greater Wonder that God 
 fhould Love Man, than that eithei 
 there fhould be fo much Happinefs 
 in the Enjoyment of God , or fc| 
 much tnifery in the Lofi of him^ 
 fo is it more frequently inculcated, 
 and more Jirongly reprefented. Sci 
 frequently inculcated is it,that wen 
 it not for the Myftery of the thing 
 and that there is no Tautology in 
 Love, The Scripture would feed 
 Chargeable with vain Repetitions, 
 Every Page almoft in Holy Writ! 
 breaths forth this Myftery of 
 pine Love$ and befides that, there! 
 
( 197 ) 
 
 is one whole Book particularly im- 
 ploy'd in the repretentation of it, 
 by all the Flowers and Delicacies 
 of the moft exalted Poetry 5 it may 
 be faid of the whole Sacred Vo- 
 lume, that 'tis but one continued 
 Expreflion of Love from Chrift to 
 his Church, one Larger Canticles. 
 
 And as 'tis thus frequently in- 
 culcated, fo is it no lefj ftrongly 
 'reprefented. 'Tis reprelented by 
 that which is the moft proper 
 Effetf, and the laft End and Ac- 
 complifhment of all Love, by Union. 
 For thereare three moft admirable 
 Unions propofed to our Faith in 
 :he Chriftian Religion. The Unity 
 bf Eflence in the Trinity,the Unity 
 [>f Perfon in Jefus Chrift, and the 
 Union that is between Chrift and 
 ais Church. The firft of thefe is 
 in Example and Prefiguration as it 
 lYere to the Second,and the Second 
 :o the Third. For we cannot bet- 
 ter reprefent the Union of Chrift 
 pith his Church, than by the Hjr 
 
 i 
 
( 1*8 ) 
 
 foftatic Vnion^ or the Union of th 
 7ioj@L with Human Nature. 
 
 ForFirft, as in this Myftery tfo 
 Plurality of Nature is confiften 
 with the Unity of Perfon, fo doe 
 Love effeft the (ameMiracle in th 
 Union between Chrift and hi 
 Church. For here alfo wemee 
 with a new Theanthropy, a ftrangi 
 Compofition of God and Man,tw< 
 vaftly different Subftances, whicl 
 without Confufion of either JV* 
 tares or Properties^ make up on< 
 and the fame Body. For if Chrifi 
 be Head of the Church, he is alfc 
 one Body with it. And fo St. Ah 
 flin, Totus Chriftus fecundum Eccle- 
 pant &> Caput & Corpus efl. 
 
 Again, as in the Myftery of the 
 Hypoftatic Union there is a Com 
 munication of Idioms or Properties 
 whereby what primarily and ab- 
 ftra&ly belongs to one, may fe« 
 condarily and concretely be at 
 tributed to the other, as that God 
 is Man, and Man is God, fohas 
 Love introduced the like Commu- 
 nication 
 
( 199 ) 
 lication between Chrift and his 
 Church, which may befaidtobe 
 
 \appy and glorified in Chrift, as he 
 s faid to fuffer in his Church. 
 
 Again, as in the Myftery of the 
 ^ypoftatic Union^heWVd uniting 
 t felf to Human Nature adorn d 
 ind exalted it, not only by the 
 Priviledge of (b (acred a Confede- 
 racy, but alfo with many diftinft 
 3races and Excellencies, whereby 
 it was necejfarily tho not forcibly 
 determin'd to love the Divinity, 
 ind highly fitted to be loved by it, 
 (b is it alio in this Union between 
 Chrift and his Church. He has 
 not only ennobled h^r by folacred 
 an Alliance 3 but is ever conferring 
 upon her his Gifts and Graces, and 
 will never ceafe to do fo, till at 
 length he prefent her to himfelf a 
 Glorious C^iw £,without [pot or bk~ a £ 
 mijh, and make her in (bme mea- 
 fure worthy of fo great a Love, and 
 fo intimate an Union. For 'tis obr— 
 fervable, that in Scripture Jefiis 
 Chrift is fet out as the Author and 
 O 4 Difpencer 
 
( 20O ) 
 
 Difpencer of all Grace, to him is 
 afcribed the Work of the Second as 
 well as of the Firjl Creation, from 
 his fulnefi we all receive, and the 
 Apoftle fays expreflys that to every 
 Ephef.4.7. Q ne 0 f UJ gj ven Grace according to 
 the meafure of the gift ofChrijt. 
 
 But not to purfue this Metaphy- 
 seal Parallel any further, let us re- 
 turn to confider this Union, as tis 
 reprefented inHolyScripture.Now 
 there are but two forts of Union 
 in the World, Natural and Moral 
 And the Holy Spirit has made 
 Choice of the Clofeft of each, 
 whereby to Figure out to us the 
 Union between Chrift and his 
 Church. The clofeft of Natural 
 Unions is that between the Head 
 and the Body 5 and the clofeft of all 
 Moral Unions is that between the 
 Husband and the Wife. And both 
 thefe are by the Holy Spirit appli 
 cd to this Myftery. 
 
 Thus is Chrift oftentimes called 
 the Head of the Church, and the 
 Church the Body of Chrift. Thus 
 
 again 
 
( *ot ) 
 
 again is he ftyled the Bridegroom^ 
 and the Church honour d with the 
 Name of his Spoufe. And becaufe 
 this Latter Figure carries in it more 
 of fenfible endearment,therefore is 
 it of more frequent nfe, and withal 
 of more Ancient Date. For befides 
 that Adam firft open'd this Mjijiery, 
 and by his Miraculous Marriage 
 typified to us that of Chrift with 
 his Church, which came out of the 
 Wounded Side of our Lord,asEae 
 was taken out of Adam's 5 the Pro- 
 phets have alfo given our Lord the 
 Title of Bridegroom in the Old Te- 
 ftament. The 45th Pfalm is a 
 plain Spiritual Epithalamium , and 
 fo is the Whole Book of Canticles, 
 and the Holy Baptift, in whom 
 both Types and Prophefie expire, 
 calls him exprefly by the Name of 
 Bridegroom. 
 
 Strange Miracle of Humility and 
 Love! That ever God fhould 
 come down to feek a Spoufe upon 
 Earth! Was it not enough,0 Ble£ 
 fed Jefu, that thou waft one with 
 
( 202 ) 
 
 the Father and Holy Spirit, in the 
 Eternal Trinity ? Was it not enough 
 that thou hadft made thy felf one 
 with our Mortal Fleth, by aflfuming 
 our Nature , but that thou muft 
 yet heap Myftery upon Myftery, 
 and as if thou wert not yet near 
 enough allied to us, muft alfb 
 make thy felf one with thy Church ? 
 But fuch is thy Love to Man, as 
 not to be contented with one fingle 
 Union with him? And fo great 
 thy Condefcention^s if thou need'ft 
 a Pdrtner, to compleat thy Hap- 
 pinefi, and as if it were no more 
 good for the fecond, than 'twas for 
 the firji Adam to be alone. 
 
 The/e are the two Principal iv- 
 gures^ under which the Scripture 
 Pictures out to us the Love of 
 Chrift to his Church , and his Uni- 
 on with it. Not that they rife up 
 to the heighth of the Myftery, but 
 becaufe they come the neareft of 
 any to it. For indeed they fall 
 vaftly ftiort, and give but a faint 
 Ihadowy refemblance of what they 
 
 are 
 
( 20 3 ) * 
 are intended to reprefent. And 
 therefore as we have hitherto re- 
 preftnted the dearnefs between 
 Chrift and his Church, by that be- 
 . tween the Head and the Members, 
 and the Husband and Wife, fo we 
 • may, and with better reaton,invert 
 the Order, and propofe the Former 
 as an Example and Meafare for 
 both the Latter. And 'tis obferva- 
 ble that St. Paul does fo : For, (ays 
 he, Husbands love your Wives, even e pM $] 
 as Chriji loved the Church. And a- 25 * 
 gain, No Man ever yet hated his 
 own Fle/h, hut nourifhes and cherijhes 
 it, even as the Lord the Church. er ' 2 *" 
 Where you fee the Love of Chrift 
 tohisChurchisnot, as before, let 
 out by that of Married Perfbns, 
 and that of a Man to hisownFlefh, 
 but thefe arefet out and illuftrated 
 by the other. So great and tran- 
 fcending all Loves yea, even all 
 Knowledge, is this Love of Chrift 
 to his Church. 
 
 But twill appear yet greater, if 
 we take a Prolpeft of it in the 
 
 fecond 
 
( 2 ^4 ) 
 SeeondLight,namely in thofe Real 
 and Adtual Proofs whereby Chrift 
 himfelf has exprefs'd this his moft 
 excellent and otherwife incredible 
 Love. And certainly they are 
 filch as never were, will, or can be 
 given by any other Lover. For (to 
 make the Pro(pe& as fhort as may t 
 be) was it not an amazing inftance \ 
 of Love for the great and ever- 
 Blefled God,who could neither be 
 advantaged by our Happinefs, nor 
 damaged by our Mifery, to come 
 down and aflume our Nature in its 
 meaneft Circumftances, to live a 
 needy and contemptible Life, and 
 die a painful and execrable Death, 
 and all this to reconcile a Rebel,to 
 reftore an Apoftate ? Indeed the 
 work of Man's Redemption, if we I 
 deeply confider the whole Method 
 and Contrivance of it, is fuch an 
 Heroic Inftance of Love, and (b 
 much exceeding that of his Crea- 
 tion, that 'tis well Man was Created 
 and Redeem d by the fame good be- 
 ing, fince otherwife his obligations 
 
 to 
 
( 20$ ) 
 
 to his Redeemer being fo much 
 greater than thofe to his Creator^ 
 he would be very much divided 
 and diftra&ed in his returns of 
 Love and Gratitude. 
 
 But let us refled a little upon the 
 Life, before we further confider 
 the Death of our Redeemer, It 
 was one conftant Argument, one 
 continued Miracle of Love. He 
 lived as one purely Devoted to the 
 good of Mankind. All hisThoughts^ 
 all his Words b all his Actions were 
 Love. His whole bufinefs was to 
 Glorifie his Father, and (which was 
 his greateft Glory) to exprels his 
 Love to Man , which tho at all 
 times exceeding wonderful , yet 
 toward the Evening of his Life it 
 thicken'd and grew ftronger, like 
 Motion within the Neighbourhood 
 of the Center, and as then he 
 Prayed, fo he Loved yet more earn- Luke 
 ejily. 4* 
 
 For 'twas then that he wept over 
 Condemn djerufalew^nd bedew'd 
 with Tears the Grave of Lazarus. 
 
 Twas 
 
( 20* ) 
 
 'Twas then that with defire he de- 
 fired to eat the Paffover with his 
 Difctples , inftituted a perpetual 
 Monument of Love, his Holy Sup- 
 per, and left another of Humility, 
 by condefcending to wafh their 
 Feet. 'Twas then that he comfort- 
 ed hisDifciples with the variety of 
 the Heavenly Manfions,with a De- 
 claration that he himfelf was the 
 Way, the Truth and the Life, with 
 an aflurance that their Prayers in 
 his Name ftiould be effe&ual, with 
 a Promife of the Holy Spirit, and 
 with a Legacy of his own Peace, 
 to compenfate for the Tribulation 
 they (hould meet with in the World. 
 'Twas then, laftly, that he recom- 
 mended the ftate of his Apoftles, 
 together with his own Glorificati- 
 on, in one and the fame folemn 
 Prayer to his Father,that he would 
 preferve them in Unity and Truth, 
 and at length Glorifie them with 
 the whole Body of true Believers 
 with himfelf in Heaven. And all 
 this at a time when one would have 
 
 thought 
 
( 2o 7 ; 
 
 thought his own concern (hould 
 have been his only Medit;:tio??,and 
 Fear his only Pajfion 5 for now 
 was he within view of his amazing 
 ftifferings, and the fiade was juft 
 ready tc point at the dreadful hours 
 and yet even now his Love was 
 truly ftronger than Death, and the 
 Care of his Difciples prevailed 
 over the Horrors of his approach- 
 ing Agony. 
 
 Which he further (hewed, by 
 giving up himfelf to a cruel and 
 (hameful Death, for the Life and 
 Salvation of the World. A Death 
 (to fay no more of it) of fuch 
 ftrange Sorrow and Anguifti, that 
 the very Profpett of it put him 
 into a Sweat of Blood , and the 
 induring it made him complain of 
 being deferted of his Father. And 
 then that his Redemption might 
 prove effcUual^ after his Re(ur- 
 redion,he gives Commiffion to his 
 Difciples to go and publifh it with 
 its conditions throughout the world 
 and orders them all, as he does 
 
 here 
 
( 2o8 ) 
 
 here St. Peter , to feed his Sheep, 
 And left the Benefit of his Death 
 ftould be again fruftrated for want 
 of Power to perform the Con- 
 ditions, prefently after his z\fcen- 
 fion he lent down the Spirit oft 
 Confolation upon his Apoftles,and 
 does continually confer Grace up- 
 on , and make InterceJJlon for his 
 Church. So tenderly affefted was 
 he toward this his Spoufe,that even 
 the felicities of Heaven could not 
 make him forget her, as he further 
 fhew'd by complaining in behalf of j 
 his Church, when from the midft j 
 of his Glory he (aid , Saul, Saul % 
 why perfecutefi thou me i Which 
 words (hew him as much coneern'd 
 for the Wounds given to his My- 
 fiical, as for thofe he felt in his 
 Natural Body. 
 
 And now fince the Love of our j 
 Lord to his Church is lb exceeding 
 great, it certainly concerns all 
 Chriftians, efpecially thole whom 
 he has intruded with the care of 
 his Church, to be alike minded* 
 
 Which 
 
( 209 ) 
 
 Which leads me in the fecond 
 Jace, to confider the Command 
 lere given, and to fhew the great 
 Obligation that lies upon all fpi- 
 [ritual Paftors^ to feed this Flock 
 of Cfarift, which is fo nearly be- 
 loved by him'. 
 
 Feed my Sheep , fays our Lord to 
 St. Peter ^ and in him to all the 
 Paftors cf the Chriftian Church, 
 who are equally concerned both 
 in the Command and in the Duty. 
 
 And that they arefo, is already 
 diffidently concluded from what 
 las been difcourfed concerning 
 :he great Love of Chrift to his 
 Church. To make you therefore 
 ttore fenfible of this Duty, I need 
 )nly propofe to your Meditation 
 ' how affectionately our Lord 
 \ loves his Church, and how dear 
 ; her Interefts are to him, that out 
 [ of this his abundant Love, he has 
 ; fet apart a diftinft Order of Men 
 • on this very purpofe,to promote 
 and farther her in the way of 
 : Salvation 5 that he has intrufted 
 P "the 
 
( 2IO ) 
 
 * the care of her in their hands. 
 cc and has made them his Vice- 
 cc gerents and Truftees 3 that 'di 
 cc a Charge worthy their greatefl 
 cc Care, for which there needs ncj 
 "other Argument, than that u< 
 cc committed to them,by him whc 
 cc knows the worth of Souls 5 that 
 Ct he ftri&ly commands them , a< 
 " they have any Love or Regard 
 cc for him, to feed his Sheep 5 that 
 <c *twas the very laft. Command 
 46 that he gave them, when he waj 
 Cc juft leaving the World , and upor 
 • <c the very Confines of Glorificati- 
 cc on 5 and that taftly, as this is the 
 V greateft Truft that was ever b) 
 " God repoled in Men, fo then 
 " will be the fevereft account taker 
 " of it at the laft day, at theGrea 
 " Vtfitation of the Bijhop of Souls. 
 
 This is enough, if duly weighed 
 to (hew the Obligation of thi: 
 Command, and to conclude thi 
 part, were it not neceffary to adc 
 lomething concerning the mannei 
 of difcliarging it. Feed my Sheep 
 
 i 
 
(2H) 
 
 is the Command given by Chrift to 
 the Paftors of his Church, and we 
 have feen the obligation of it: But 
 horv are they to Feed them ? I an- 
 fwer, Firft, by Prayer for their re- 
 fpefti ve Charges both in Public and 
 in Private. -This is the Firft thing 
 belonging to the Paftoral Office, 
 and accordingly with this St. Paul 
 begins his Admonition to his Son 
 Timothy, J exhort therefore that firfi x Y xm 
 of all, Supplications, Prayers, Inter- 
 cejjions and giving Thanks be made 
 for all Men. 
 
 Secondly, by Preachings \xh pri- 
 vate Inftru&ion and Admonition, 
 as occafion (hall ferve and require. 
 And here their firft care (fcould be 
 to Preach nothing but what is True. 
 Secondly,to confine theirDifcourfes 
 toZ)fefulTruths,fuch as tend to the 
 promotion of good Life,that which 
 whe Apoftle calls the Truth which is ^fa 
 tfterGodlinefs. Thirdly, to deliver 
 only PlainTruths.Fov there are many 
 Truths which are highly ufeful,and 
 lave a very Pra&ical afpefl: when 
 P 2 they 
 
C 212 ; 
 
 they are once underftood, which 
 are not fo eafie and obvious to be 
 fo. Thefe therefore ought as much 
 to be waved as thofe which are not 
 ufeful, becaufe tho ufeful , fimplj 
 fpeaking, yet refpe&wely they are 
 not. And upon thefe two latter 
 accounts we fhould not trouble our 
 Unlearned Auditories, either with 
 Thorny Queftionsand Knotty Con- 
 troverfies which inthemfelveshave 
 no Practical life, or with more re- 
 fined Theories and School Niceties, 
 which to them are as ufelefsand un- 
 practical as the other. To Feed 
 them with the Former 0 \vou\d be to 
 give themStones inftead of Breads 
 And to Feed them with the Letter, | 
 would be like placing a Man in the 
 Region oipure Ether $ why, he can't 
 breath \n it, and will ftarve by rea-j 
 fon of the over-finenefs of his Diet. 
 
 Nor is it enough that the Truths! 
 we Preach be Ufeful and Plain, un- 
 lefs in the Fourth place they be 
 deliver 'd in a Plain and Intelligi- 
 ble Manner. For what fignifies iti 
 
( *<3J 
 that the things are in ihemfelves 
 Plain, if we make them obfcure in 
 our exprejjing them 5 we- are all 
 ready enough to laugh at the Poor 
 Frier forgoing about to Preach the 
 Gofpel to Beafls and Trees$ and are 
 iiot they alike ridiculous, that or- 
 der Difcourfes fo as not to be un- 
 derftood by thofe that hear them > 
 Don't thefe alfo Preach to Beajis 
 and Trees ? We ought therefore 
 to confult the Capacity of our Hear- 
 ers, and confider to whom^ as well 
 as what we fpeak. 
 
 And to this Plainnefi of Expref- 
 fion we would do well to joy n fotne 
 degrees of Warmth and Concerned- 
 nefs. And this I rather recommend^ 
 Ibecaufe there are fome that affed a 
 [cold, dead, careleft and heartlefi 
 [way of Delivery. But certainly 
 this has as little Decorum in it as it 
 has of Devotion, For fince the things 
 we (peak are (uppofed not only to 
 be Truths , but Concerning arid Im- 
 portant Truths, what can be more 
 abfurd, than to fee a Man deliver 
 
 P 3 a 
 
( 214 ) 
 
 a Sermon as drily and indifferently $ 
 " as one would read a Mathematical 
 Le&urc? 'Tis faid of John th< 
 Baptift, that he was a Burnings ai| ji 
 John 5.35. W ell as a Shining Light; And trulji 
 we have need of fuch in this Cole 
 Frozen Age. Plain Sermons,Preach 
 ed with Warmth and Affe&ion 
 do more than the Reft, Coldly de- 
 li ver'd. You know the Story ir 
 EufebittS) of the Heathen Philofo j 
 pher coming into the Council o. 
 Nice, who was baffled into Chri-' 
 ftianity by the meer Warmth and 
 Heartinefs wherewith the good 
 Old Man addf efs'd him. He could 
 have refifted hisArguments 5 butnol 
 the Spirit and Zeal wherewith hci 
 fpake. And this is all I (hall think 
 proper to remark to you upon the 
 Preaching part. 
 
 The next way whereby the Pa- 
 ftors of the Church are to Feed the 
 Sheep of Chrift, is by duly Admi-j 
 niftring to them the Holy Sacrament^ 
 which is their true Spiritual Food, 
 the Manna that muft iuftain them 
 
 in 
 
( 2I 5 )' 
 in thhWildernefs. This is the moft 
 proper way of Feeding them, for 
 the Body of ChriftisMeat indeed, 
 and his Blood is Drink indeed. 
 
 ' There remains yet one way 
 more of Feeding the Flock of 
 Chrift, without which the reft will 
 fignifie but little, and that is by a 
 good Example. Among the other 
 Properties of a good Shepherd, 
 our Saviour reckons this as one, 
 that he goes before his Sheep , and 
 leads them by his Steps, as well as John 104. 
 with his Voice* There ought to be 
 a Connexion between Hear and D0, 
 but much more between Preach 
 and Do. And he tha't is not careful 
 of this, as he cannot expedt to do 
 much good to others, to he will 
 certainly Condemn himfelf. To be 
 fhort (fori hope I need notinlarge, 
 fpeaking to Wife Men) a good 
 Preacher, who is an ill Liver, is (uch 
 a Monjier as cannot be Match'd 
 in All Africa. And for his State 
 hereafter, I may leave it to be con- 
 fider'd how great a Condemnation 
 P 4 awaits 
 
( 2l6 ) 
 
 awaits him, whom not only the 
 Book^ of God, and of Confcience^ 
 but even his own Sermons (hall 
 Judge at thelaftDay. 
 
 Thefe are the feveral ways of 
 difcharging this Precept, Feed my 
 Sheep 5 to which however I think 
 it necefiary to add one thing more, 
 and that is that we Feed them our 
 felves^nd not by Proxy, or Deputa- 
 tion. For our Lord does not fay to 
 St. Peter, do thou get (bme body 
 to feed my Sheep, but do thou 
 Feed them thy felf 
 
 For however St. Peter's Shadow j 
 might do Cures upon the Body, it 
 muft be his Per/on that muft do i 
 good upon the Souls of his Charge. 
 To fpeak out plainly what I intend, 
 Non-refidency is one of the greateft 
 Icandals o£ the Reform d^ycn. of the 
 Chriftian Religion, contrary to all 
 Reafon and Juftice, as well as Pri- 
 mitive Pra&ice. And whoever are 
 guilty of it, plainly (hew, that they 
 are Lovers of Eafe, Honour or Pro- 
 fit more than Lovers of Chrift. 
 
 For 
 
( 217 ) 
 
 For certainly he that Loves Chrift: 
 as he ought, will not think himfelf 
 too good to feed his Sheep. Which 
 leads me in the Third and Laft 
 place to confider the Connexion and 
 Dependance that is between the 
 Practice of , this Command and the 
 Love of Chrift. Now'this I briefly 
 make out upon a double ground. 
 
 The Firfi Ground is, becaufe the 
 Love of Chrift will naturally in- 
 gage us to Love whatever he Loves 5 
 and confequently fince his Church 
 is fo exceeding dear to him, 'twill 
 ingage us to Love his Church 5 
 and if to Love it,then confequent- 
 ly to be diligent in Feeding it, that 
 being the moft proper inftance of 
 (hewing our Love to it. 
 
 The Second Ground is, becaufe 
 the Perfon of Jefus Chrift confid- 
 ing of a Double Nature, God and 
 Man, the JLove of him muft in- 
 clude the Love of his Humanity , 
 as well as of his Divinity. If there- 
 fore we Love Chrift, we Love the 
 Human Nature as well as the Di- 
 
 vine 5 
 
( 2l8 ) 
 
 vine 5 and if fo , then we Love 
 Man as Man , cohlequently all 
 Men} and if we Love all Men, we 
 (bail defire and endeavour' their 
 Salvation , and accordingly take 
 care to Feed them with the Bread 
 of Life. 
 
 Upon thefe two Grounds it 
 plainly appears, that there is a 
 ftrong Connexion between the 
 Loving of Chriji, and the Feeding 
 of his Sheep) and that fuch Paftors 
 as do not well difcharge the letter, 
 have no right of pretending to the 
 Former. This is the Tefi where- 
 by both St, Peter 's, and every Spi- 
 ritual Paftor's AfFettion to our 
 Lord muft be tried , If you Love 
 me^ Feed my Sheep. 
 
 Let me therefore exhort you all, 
 as you love our Lord Jefus Chrifty 
 and as you defire to be Loved and 
 approv'd of by him, to a fincere 
 and Confcientious Difcharge of 
 your Pafioral Duty , to take heed 
 unto your f elves and to all the Flocks 
 over which the Holy Qhoji has made 
 
 you 
 
( 219 ) 
 
 you Overfeers, to Feed the Church 
 of God, which he has purchafed with 
 hh own Blood. Let me befeech Aa s 
 you to ccnfider what you are, and 
 what you flwuld be. What you 
 • are by your Character and Profejji- 
 on, and what you fhould be in the 
 Exercife of it , and therefore to 
 take heed to your felves, to your 
 DoUrin^ and, above all, to your 
 PublickLife and Converfation. For 
 certainly it cannot be an Ordinary 
 Meafure of Religion that will ftrve 
 our turn, who are concern'd not 
 only to be Good, but Exemplary, 
 and muft Live well for others as 
 well as for our felves 5 what there- 
 fore is Perfection in others, will be 
 but drift Duty in us, The Devo~ 
 tion of our Ordinary Days ought 
 to exceed that of their Fejiivals 5 
 and we (hould Live in as much 
 Warmth of Religion as they Die. 
 
 tuttdv kcl\£v tfr/jov , In all things 
 flawing thy felf a Pattern of good 
 Works: That's our Rule, we ought 
 
 to 
 
( 223 ) 
 
 to be Patterns and Examples of a 
 Holy and refined Conversion. 
 Let your Lamps therefore be al- 
 ways trimmM, and your Lights*' 
 always buttling, and that with fuch 
 Brightmfs^ as to Jfjame thole that 
 will not be allured by the Glory of 
 the Flame. 
 
 And that you may the better do 
 all this, let me defire you all fre- 
 quently and ferioufly to meditate 
 upon the Excellent Example of the 
 great and good Shepherd Chrift 
 Jefus, whofe Life was wholly em- 
 ployd) and at laft laid down for 
 the good of his Sheep. .1 pray 
 you (My Reverend Bf%thren) con- 
 sider this,andall that has been laid, 
 that fo when this great Shepherd 
 lhail return to vifit his Flock, you 
 may all give up the fame Account 
 to him, that he did to his Father, 
 John 1 7. Thofe that thou gaveft me I have 
 1 2 - fypi iin d none °f tk 6 ™ * s l°fi* Amen. 
 
 J 
 
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