6 that we reafon and demonftrate; fo that we ⚫ know from within ourfelves that intelligent Beings, not only may have fuch abftract Ideas as are mentioned in the Propofition, but that fome actually have them'. Thefe Objects he affirms are adequately known to the Mind, as alfo thofe Relations or Refpects, which any of those Ideas bear immediately to each other. ، THIS at firft Sight looks like Reasoning, but, if it be a juft Way of Reasoning, all I have faid, or can fay, is Mistake; an immediate Object of the Understanding, must be an Object which the Mind can contemplate without Media; the Mind must have fuch Access to the Object, and the Object to the Mind, that nothing is between; without this it cannot be an immediate Object: Now what Object this can be, I cannot conceive; all the Works of GoD, every Thing in Nature, are Objects of the Intellect, fo we are in no Danger of being intelligent of nothing, or not intelligent; but how it follows, if these are not immediate Objects in their own Nature, or by the Intervention of others that are fo, they are no Objects of the Understanding, is to me utterly inconceivable. The Sun, Moon, Stars, Rocks, Rivers, Thunder, Lightening, &c. are Objects of my Understanding, but not immediate Objects, nor do they enter by the Media of immediate Objects; if they do, what are thofe immediate Objects? IN the next Propofition we are told an intelligent Being, among the immediate Objects of his Mind, may have fome that are Abstract and General; here the Author artfully avoids enquiring how the Mind comes by them, by telling us it Matters not how. But the Mode of this wonderful E 2 wonderful Way of enriching the Mind is of the laft Importance; an Inftance would probably have brought us immediately acquainted with it, but 'till one be given I muft remain in my Unbelief. IT is worth while to be at a Point here, for this Account, or it's contrary must be fabulous; and 'till we know which is fo, as we shall be at a Lofs about the Limits of our Understandings, fo we shall have no certain indubitable Rule to think by. I will not take upon me to fay, what Methods, and fuperior Rules of Reasoning, Mr. Woolafton might be in Poffeffion of, I confefs fome of them very extraordinary; but own myfelf one of those who Reason about Particulars, in order to Reafon from and by them, by their Inftrumentality I mean : For in Fact, I find not within myself thofe Logical, Metaphyfical, and Mathematical Ideas, comprehending whole Claffes, and Kinds: The best Way to prove any one has them, is to tell the World how he came by them; and the rather, because I find they furnish the Mind with an adequate Knowledge, not only of the Objects, but alfo of the Relations and Refpects which they bear to each other; which is what Mankind has hitherto complain'd for want of. I HAVE neither Time nor Inclination to trace this wonderful Author through his dark Labyrinth; but cannot quit him without remarking the uncommon Pains he has taken to fill his Margin with learned Quotations from the Talmud. (of all Books the most accurfed) How well he understood that stupid devilish Performance, I know not; but his Skill in Hebrew may (notwithstanding his writing a Grammar of that Language) be gathered from his marginal Note [F], Page 12, without any farther Note Note of mine. I had taken no Notice of this, had he not been so fevere on Solomon, marginal Note, L. Page 142. Whether the Sneer falls on Solomon or himself, I fhall leave the Reader to judge, when I דרך גבר בעלמה,have taken the Liberty to fay tranflated, the Way of a Man with a Maid, reads truly, the Way of the strong one in the hidden or fecret Age. If the reft of the Verse be truly tranña-X ted, (which I doubt) it proves too much for the Moderns; for then Solomon talks of a Ship in the Heart of the Sea, which must mean more than a Coafter, and proves the Knowledge of the Mariner's Compafs, and at least some Skill in Navigation; which, I think, our Connoiffeurs will not allow any one had at that Time, but make it a modern Discovery. THAT Navigation, and the Mariner's Compafs have been improved by the Moderns, may be true, and the Reason is very plain; but it is true, and as plain, they have declined in other Arts; and our modern Architecture, Machinery, &c. afford us fhameful Proofs of it. Be this as it will, I am very well fatisfied the Ancients were not fuch Fools as we think, nor fuch as we ourselves are; nor was Solomon ignorant of marine Affairs, for I read, 2 Chron. ix. 21. and 1 Kings x. 22. that he import Meafurers of וקופים ותוכים ed every three Years the Seafons, Quarters or Points of the Heavens ; and Revolvers on Centers, not Apes and Peacocks. Dp is the Root of the first, and n of the second Word; now when the learned World can find Apes or Peacocks in either, let the Sneer fall upon me. -Jha the Adul אשה מנאפת So the Way of trefs; fhe did eat, and fhe wiped her Mouth, and faid, I have wrought no Iniquity. If Mr. Woolafton had not had a Scheme of a very extraordinary Nature, he would have feen, that Iba the Adul trefs trefs in the Text, is the fame who committed fpiritual Adultery against God in the Garden of Eden, which as well as the Way of an Eagle in the Heavens, the Way of a Serpent upon a Rock, the Way of a Ship in the Sea, he putteth among the Infcrutables wrapt. up in Darkness; but not quite fo thick as that which our Author's Scheme left me in fome Years ago. I could not help this Digerffion. But to return; FROM what has been faid in the foregoing Pages, the Neceffity of a true natural Philofophy will appear; for if we come at the Knowledge of fpiritual Things, by comparing them with natural ones, and discovering their Analogy; then in Proportion to our Mistakes about natural Objects, fo will be our Miftakes about fpiritual ones. For Inftance; fuppofe we mistake the Egreffions and Regreffions of a Fluid in Radii from the Center to the Circumference of a Sphere, and vice versa, for the circular Revolutions of a compacted Globe, fhall we ever reafon right from fuch a mistaken Principle? No furely. Pfal. xix. 7. will prove this. THE material Images made ufe of in the Old, and all the Parables in the New Testament, make this incontestable; fo that it would be affronting. the Reader to add any Thing more to prove it. TRUTHS, as a learned Author fays, are like the Principles in Trigonometry, with one true one we may investigate another, and Errors are the fame, only act contrariwife but to apply this to our Purpose, we are told, Gen. i. 2. The Spirit, of the Elahim 'moved upon the Face of the Waters. Now if we take Spirit, of the Elabim in this Place to be the Holy effential Spirit of God (which I believe has been the Cafe of all our Commentators) What shall we do with, or how fhall we un derstand derftand the following Texts, Gen. xxxii. 16. Exod. xv. 10. Numb. xi. 31. 1 Kings xviii. 45. xix. II. 2 Kings iii. 17. Job vii. 7. Fobi. 19. vi. 26. Jer. v. 13. Amos iv. 13. and many more Places. FROM what is contained in the foregoing Pages, no candid Reader, or right Reafoner, will charge me with militating against the Doctrine of the Trinity in Unity, in its true fcriptural Senfe, nor with fetting afide the Teachings of GOD the Spirit, or the Holy Spirit, John iv. No; God forbid! I believe the former with the fame Confidence, that I believe my own Existence; and as fure as I know any Thing, I know that Jehovah Elabim exifts in a triune Manner; and that his Manner of Exiftence is neither unreasonable nor unfcriptural, but conformable both to Scripture and Reafon; and that to help our Conceptions concerning this fublime Doctrine, he has given us the Similitude of it, in the Mechanifm of the Natural World; and he who fees it not there, and in the Bible too, I will venture to fay, and undertake to prove alfo, understands neither the Mechanifm of the Natural World, nor the Bible; lefs ftill does he understand Christianity, for Christianity is abfolutely founded on this great Doctrine; this is its Root, this is its Life; hence did it flow, from hence does its Benefits arife. If you destroy this Doctrine in the Chriftian Syftem, and its falutary Effects upon the Sinner, you rob him of his Object of Worship, of that Source from whence his Salvation fprings, of the Efficacy of the Blood of his Saviour, and of any Poffibility of its Application, of his hope of Pardon, by Means of it, and of his Comfort. And what has he more? When you have taken thefe Things away, you may take all; for befides thefe, there's Nothing lefc |