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That this is the true Reason of thefe Matters, is manifeft enough from holy Scripture, and Reafon (16) alfo gives its Suffrage thereto. The Scriptures exprefly tell us, that every good Gift, and every perfect Gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights. S. James 1. 17. Solomon, Prov. 2.6. faith, The Lord giveth Wisdom: out of his Mouth cometh Knowledge and Understanding. And Elibu is very exprefs, Job. 32. 8. But there is a Spirit in Man and the Infpiration of the Almighty giveth thems Understanding, von Toned Toy's dura, as the LXX render it, The Infpiratus, the Afflatus of the Al mighty, is their Instructor, Mistress or Teacher. And in Scripture, not only the more noble, Superiour Acts of Wisdom or Science, But much Inferiour alfo, bear the name of Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding, and are afcrib'd unto GOD. 'Tis well known that Solomon's Wifdom is wholly afcribed unto GOD and the Wisdom and Underftanding which GOD is faid to have given him 1 King. 4. 29. is particularly fet forth in the following Verfes, by his great Skill in moral and natural Philofophy, in Poetry, and probably in Aftronomy, Geometry, and fuch other of the politer Sciences, for which Egypt, and the Eastern Nations were celebrated of old (17): And Solomon's Wifdom excelled the Wisdom of all the Children of the Eaft Country, and all the Wisdom of Egypt. For be was wiser than all Men, than Ethan, &c. And be pake

3000

(16) Nemo igitur vir magnus fine aliquo afflatu divino unquam fuit Cic de Nat. Deor. 1. 2. c. 66.

(17) Egypt, and fome of the Eafterh Nations are celebrated for their Skill in polite Literature, both in Scripture and prophane Story. Job was of thole Parts. fo were the Zocal and Mo201, the Brachmans and Gymnofophifts. Mofes and Daniel had their Education in thefe Parts and Pythagoras Democritus, and others, travelled into thefe Parts for the fake of their Learning,

Book V. 3000 Proverbs: and bis Songs were 1005. And he Spake of Trees from the Cedar to the Hyop of the Wall, (ie. of all forts of Plants) alfo of Beafts, Fowl, Creeping things, and Fishes. So likewise the Wisdom of Daniel and his three Companions is afcrib'd unto GOD, Dan. 1, 17. As for these four Children, God gave them Knowledge, and Skill in all Learning and Wisdom, and Daniel bad Understanding in all Vifions and Dreams. And accordingly in the next chap ter, Daniel acknowledgeth and praiseth God, v.20. 21. Daniel answered and faid, Blessed be the Name of God for ever and ever, for Wifdom and Might are bis.

He giveth Wisdom unto the Wife,and Knowledge to them that know Understanding. But not only Skill in the fuperiour Arts and Sciences, but even in the more inferiour Mechanick Arts, is called by the fame Names, and afcribed unto GOD. Thus for the Workmanfhip of the Tabernacle. Exod. 31.2. to 6, v. See, 1 have called by Name Bezaleel. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in Wisdom, and in Understanding, and in Knowledge, and in all manner of Workmanship. To devife cunning Works, to work in Gold, Silver, and Brafs; and in cutting of Stones, to fet them, and in carving of Timber, to work in all manner of Workmanship. So the Spinfters, Weavers, and other Crafts-people, are called Wife-hearted, Exod. 34. 10.25. and other places. And in Exod. 36, 1.&c. the LORD is faid to have put this Wisdom in them, and Understanding to know how to work all these manner of Works, for the Service of the Sanctuary. And laftly, to name no more Inftances, Hiram the chief Architect of Solomon's Temple, is in 1 King. 7. 14. and 2. Chron. 2. 14. called a cunning Man, filled with Wifdom and Understanding, to work in Gold, Silver, Brass, Iron, Stone, Timber, Purple, Blue, fine Linnen, and Crimson; also to grave, and find out every Device which fhould be put to him.

Thus

Thus doth the Word of God afcribe the Contrivances and Crafts of Men, to the Agency or Influence of the Spirit of God upon that of Man, And there is the fame Reafon for the Variety of Genii or Inclinations of Men allo; which from the fame Scriptures may be concluded to be a Defignation, and Tranfaction of the fame Almighty Governour of the World's Affairs. And who indeed but H E could make fuch a divine Substance, endowed with those admirable Faculties, and Powers as the Rational Soul hath; a Being to bear the Great Creator's Vice-gerency in this lower World; to employ the feveral Creatures; to make ufe of the various Materials; to manage the grand Bufineffes; and to furvey the Glories of all the visible Works of God! a Creature, without which this lower World would have been a dull, uncouth, and defolate kind of Globe! who, Ifay, or what less than the Infinite GOD could make fuch a Rational Creature, fuch a divine Substance as the Soul! For if we fhould allow the Atheift any of his nonfenfical Schemes, the Epicurean his Fortuitous Concourfe of Atoms, or the Cartefian (18) his created Matter put in Motion, yet with

what

(18) As we are not to accufe any falfly, fo far be it from me to detract from fo great a Man as Monfieur Cartes was whofe Principles, although many have perverted to Athei ftical Purpofes, and whofe Notions have, fome of them, but an ill Afpe&t; yet I am unwilling to believe he was an Atheift, fince in his Principia Philofophia, and other of his Works, he vindicates himfelf from this Charge, and fre quently fhews feemingly a great Refpect for Religion: befides, that many of his fufpicious Opinions are capable of a favou rable Interpretation, which will make them appear in a better Form, Thus when he difcardeth Final Caufes from his Philofophy, it is not a Denial of them, but only exclnding the Confideration of them, for the fake of free Philofophi

Book V. what tolerable Senfe could he, in his Way, produce fuch a divine, thinking, fpeaking, contriving Subftance as the Soul is; endowed exactly with fuch Faculties, Power, and Difpofitions as the various Neceffities and Occafions of the World require from fuch a Creature? Why should not rather all the Acts, the Difpofitions and Contri-, vances of fuch a Creature as Man (if made in a mechanical Way, and not contrived by God) have been the fame? Particularly why fhould he not have hit upon all Contrivances of equal Ufe early as well as many Ages fince? Why not that Man have effected it, as well as this, fome thousands of Years after? Why alfo fhould not all Nations, and all Ages (19) improve in every thing as well

as

fing; it being the business of a Divine, rather than a Philofopher, to treat of them.

(19) For Ages of Learning and Ignorance we may compare the prefent, and fome of the Ages before the Reformation. The laft Century, and the few Years of this, have had the Happiness to be able to vie with any Age for the Number of Learned Men of all Profeffions, and the Improvement made in all Arts and Sciences; too many, and too well known to need a Specification.

But for Ignorance we may take the 9th Age, and fo down to the Reformation. Even as low as Q. Elizabeth, although Learning began to flourish, yet we may guess how Matters ftood, even among the Clergy, by her 53 Injunt. No. 1559. Such as are but mean Readers, fball perufe over before, once or twice, the Chapters and Homilies, to the intent they may read to the better Understanding of the People, the more Encouragement of Godliness. Spar. Collect p. 82. But this is nothing in comparifon to the Ages before, when the Monk faid, Grecum non eft legi, or as Elpencaus more elegantly hath it, Grace noffe fufpectum, Hebraice prope Hereticum. Which fufpicion (faid the learned Hakewill) Rhemigius furely was not guilty of, in commenting upou diffamatus, 1 Thef. 18. who faith that St. Paul fomewhat improperly put that for divulgatus, not being aware that St. Paul wrote

275 as this or that Age or Nation (20) only? Why fhould the Greeks, the Arabians, the Perfians, or the Egyptians of old, fo far exceed thofe of the fame Nations now? Why the Africans and Americans fo generally ignorant and barbarous, and the Europeans, for the most part, polite and cultivated, addicted to Arts and Learning? How

could

in Greek, and not in Latin. Nay, fo great was their Ignorance, not only of Greek, but of Latin too, that a Priest baptized in nomine Patria, & Filia, & Spiritua fanta. Another fuing his Parishioners for not paving his Church, proved it from Jer. 17. Paveant illi, non paveam ego. Some Divines in Erafmus's time, undertook to prove Hereticks ought to be burnt, becaufe the Apoftle faid Hæreticum devita. Two Fryars difputing about a Plurality of Worlds, one proved it from Annon decem funt fati mundi? The other replied, Sed ubi funt novem ? And notwithstanding their Setvice was read in Latin, yet fo little was that understood, that an old Prieft in Hen. VIII, read Mumpfimus Domine,for Sumpfi mus and being admonished of it, he faid, he had done fo for Thirty Years, and would not leave his old Mumpfimus for their new Sumpfimus. Vid. Hakew. Apol. L. 3. c. 7. Sect. 2. (20) There is (it feems) in Wits and Arts, as in all things befide, a kind of circular Progrefs: they have their Birth, their Growth, their Flourishing, their Failing, their Fading and within a while after, their Refurrection, and Reflourish ing again. The Arts flourished for a long time among the Perfians, the Chaldeans, the Egyptians. But after

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wards the Grecians got the start of them, and are now be come as barbarous themfelves, as formerly they esteemed all befides themselves to be. About the Birth of Chrift, Lear, ning began to flourish in Italy, and fpread all over Chriftendom; till the Goths, Hunns, and Vandals ranfacked the Libraries, and defaced almost all the Monuments of Antiquity: fo that the Lamp of Learning feemed to be put out for near the Space of 1000 Years, till the firft Manfor King of Africa and Spain raifed np, and fpurred forward the Arabian Wits, by great Rewards and Encouragements. Afterwards Petrarch opened fuch Libraries as were unde molifhed. He was feconded by Boccace, and John of Ra vesna, and foon after by Aretine, Philelphus, Valla, &c. And thofe were followed by Eneas Sylvius, Angelus Po litanus, Hermolaus Barbarus, Marfilius Ficinus, and Fob Picus of Mirandula. Thefe were backed by Rud. Agricola,

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