Imatges de pàgina
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INTRODUCTION.

Have in the first Part traced Moses his Description of the Creation, of the first Motion, the Forma

tion of Light, and their Consequences, an Expanfion and its Effects in forming the first Shell, or Shell of the first Earth, carrying down the Waters, forming the Surface, &c. and through the Diffolution of that Earth, and a Repetition of those Acts, or Reformation at the Flood; and by indisputable Registers, I have convicted several Kidnappers, and reftor'd the Children to their proper Fathers: Tho' I have walked with the Inspir'd Light in my Hand, yet we are to remember, that so far it was chiefly intended to thew the manner of Forms which exist not now, and of Actions which are ceas'd, or tranfacted otherwise; and so are the Objects VOL. II.

B.

of

of our Conception or Understanding by Faith and not by Sense; and those Parts which admit of Obfervations and Experiments, are some flightly touch'd, because the manner of the Reformation, or making of those Forms which exist, and are brought to the Test of Sense by a large Appendix, which has been shew'd and is ready to prove its Truth by vast Numbers of Obfervations, cannot take effect, till that Part of the Revelation, which shews the Formation and Manner of the Operation of the fettled Agent which formed them; and will likewife come under the Cognizance of Sense and Reafon, be explain'd. This might have appeared in publick fooner, had not the Adversaries suggested, that Mofes had his Philosophy from the Egyptians; and so made it necessary for me, first, to shew that his chief Business was to determine Natural Philofophy, which I hope they will acquiefce in; and left that should not fatisfy fome who have given Occafion to enter into such Enquiries, I shall in their proper Places give them some Evidence out of their own Scriptures: But though it plainly appears, that this Part of the Revelation was writ to cure the Madness of the Naturalifts and Star-gazers; yet still they from time to time have brought in many strange Whims, and at last for them rejected this Scripture; fo I must reject all their Dreams, and take the Scripture as at first. As there is no real material Cause offer'd to begin or carry on any Motion or Action in any Article, of any Natural Philosophy now existing, that I have fo much as heard of; nor any thing but Names, and unintelligible, and incomprehenfible Words, intended to reprefent Ideas of incommunicable Powers, which amount to no more than : So fome Things come together by Sympathy, I call Sympathy a mutual Consent or Attraction of Things without any apparent Cause; as Antipathy a Sluggishness, or Vis Inertia. These Properties run through Animals, Plants, Stones, &c. (a)".-As St. Paul said to the Athenians, The God that they ignorantly worship'd, he shew'd unto them; so I may say of Mofes, The Causes of the Operations which ye ignorantly attribute to imaginary Names or Powers, them sheweth he unto you: Such a Philosophy as every reasonable Man has either understood or fearched for.Enquiry, which without a new Genera tion shall contain in itself the Cause of its own Continuance (b)." As I am for reviving this Material Philosophy in Motion, &c. and am by and by to bring in the Addition of Sense so far as that can go, and of comparing Revelation with the things seen, and of drawing Deductions from either or both; and as none of the present Philofophers were so much as the Inventors of the Words, they use for their imaginary Powers; and as they may still have the Lone or Liberty of using the old Tables to estimate the comparative Velocity of each Globe, &c. to find out an Eclipse, or &c. or of telling us they improve them; I can have no great Difference with any of them who are in Being at present; nor can I fall under the Difpleasure of the Divines, since those modern Authors who have meddled most, and as fome tell me most learnedly with a few general Names of the Gods of the ancient Heathens and their Worship, and the Worship of God under the Mofaick Law, have made the Men stupid, their Objects first living, and then dead Kings, those dead Kings Devils, whether real or

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a Motion as this is the proper Subject of

(a) Cardani de Subtilitate, Lib. 18. p. 638.

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(b) Cardani de Subtilitate, Lib. 17. p. 625.

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