I must rank Malebranch in the same Order with Mr. Poiret, whose Recherche has furnished out such refin'd and abstracted Metaphysicks, as if they were design'd for Comprehensors; he has exalted Ideas to their utmost Height, and because they bore not with them Certainty enough, whilst they were barely Operations of the Mind, or Representations from external Objects, he has placed them in Subject that cannot err, to wit, in the Wisdom of God himself, whom having suppos'd to be the place of Spirits, as Space is of Bodies, and that there is an intimate Union betwixt God and the Soul of Man, by attending to him, who is always prefential to our Minds, we are to see all things [Page 13] in this Ideal or Intelligible WorldRech. L. 3. Par 2. Sect. 6.. Now tho' there can be no doubt, but God can lead us into all Truth, by displaying himself to us, and perhaps may deal thus with us when we are in Heaven, yet this way seems too supernatural whilst on Earth, and too clear for weak and frail Men, who are yet to know by Vision; and is withal so like the inward Light of a new Sect of Men, as not to make it over reputable: To which purpose it is very remarkable, that Malebranche's Opinion having been espoused of late, by an ingenious Person of our own, with all the Advantages of Beauty of Style and Perspicuity of Expression, yet the Men of new Light have taken such hold of it, as to make it necessary for him to write an Apology to disengage himself from the Quakers, who would needs have it thought they had gain'd a Proselytevid. Cond. of Hum. Life, page 183.: Wherein tho' he has distinguish'd himself from these People, yet thus much he owns, That if the Quakers understood their own Notion, [Page 14] and knew how to explain it, and into what Principles to resolve it, it would not very much differ from his.
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WHEN you have settled your grand Affair with Mr. Stationer concerning the Purchase of this Golden Manual, you are desired to receive a modest Address from the Author. Some thing must be said to a Person of your Character and Office, towards rendring him attent and docile, especially where the subject Matters are profound and intricate, as well as important; and some Civilities must needs pass between Author and Reader, towards introducing a better acquaintance, before they proceed to their main Business. It must indeed be own'd, that many Readers of great Candor and Judgment, being endued with a mighty timerous Constitution, can never enter upon a Preface, Introduction, or Apparatus without the utmost Circumspection, and very great [Page 20] Uneasiness, lest in every Line some fly thing should be lurking to circumvent their Judgments. Now I am willing to do all I can towards easing their Minds of such Jealousies, and therefore assure those Faint-hearted Gentlemen, upon the Word of an honest Author, (if an Author can be honest in these times) that they may boldly and safely venture thro', even to the Catastrophe, nay the very Peroration or final Period of All. The only thing to be apprehended, is that by too great Precipitancy, many Graces of Composition may escape notice; much Watchfulness and Advertency of thought being necessary to discern them all, as you go on, where they are strowed so thick in your way. For, tho' I have clothed this Body of Philosophy in the most proper and pellucid Dress, yet the Beauties of it are too Fine to be easily distinguished at first View, as they are too Dazling to be long contemplated. There is also a vigorous Spirit pervading the Whole, and pregnant with Sentiments of a surprizing Nature, being either wonderfully Sublime, or vastly [Page 21] Profound, but generally both; which shews how mighty a Capacity is required to comprehend them. However, there is nothing to trepan any inadvertent Reader, nor the least Design upon him, but what is purely and solely for his own Good. Alas, I am so far from drawing up a subtle Harangue to bespeak your good Will, or prepossess you in Favour of an idle, unorthodox, or injudicious Book, that I am fully resolved to make this very Preface almost as valuable as the Book it self, and perhaps twice as long. Nay I can witness this for my self, that I have had much Debate in my own Thoughts which would serve best for the Book, and which should stand for the Preface; whether it agrees with the Rules of Grammar, or of Heraldry, that the Book should be accounted the more Worthly, or the more Honourable, of the Two. Due Examination being had, and all Arguments weigh'd on both sides, I could not in Equity, but give it for the Preface; as well because, by the universal Consent of Nations, it was always allow'd the Precedence, as because the [Page 22] Book has no other Office but that of filling up a Gap in the Middle,See the Treatise in Praise of the Gout. when it happens that a few useless Inter-leaves may be spar'd from the Introduction and the Index. This shows us what a strange Absurdity our modern Innovators have run into, who bring in the Book before their Chief Preface, or which is all one, put off what was promised in the Title-page, till the Candid Reader begins to grow impatient; for who can bear to see things so preposterously disposed, that all the principal Matters, which have an undoubted Right to be admitted in the Preface, should violently be kept out, and reserv'd to make up a pitiful Appendage, that is appointed to come servilely in the Rear of it: as if the Head should be forced to change place with the Belly, or the Brains thrust down to take their Seat in the lower Region.
'TIS possible I may hardly find Credit among many well-meaning People, when I declare that this Damon is no other, than my own self, tho' still alive; but as for Marcellis, aliàs Flavelia, that appears to be so desperately afflicted for my Death, I must own that she is utterly unknown to me. However, I pity the unfortunate Lady, not doubting but she is a very Lovely and very Worthy Person; for, otherwise, 'tis highly probable she would not be so much concern'd. whoever the Lady be, in composing this Poem, I design'd that after my Death, which at that time was hourly expected by my Heirs, it should pass in her Name, both for her Honour and my own; as by the Whiningness of it, you may believe it was indited in a melancholick Season. But since my [Page 52] happy Recovery, I am taken with a Jealousy, that the said Nymph deals by me disloyally, entertaining my worthless Rival, to her own Dishonour, and my Despair. Therefore I now think it Reason to take to my self the Credit of my own Verses, and make publick my loveing Intention of entitling them to Marcellis, that the World may see the Justice of my Dealings, and what she has lost by playing me false.
Together with this Ditty I had devis'd an Epitaph for my self, that my Memory might be preserv'd in my own Works; besides that I was unwilling to have Marcellis turn her self to Stone on purpose. Now such is the Nature of that kind of Composition, as necessitated my speaking much in my own Commendation, and making a Catalogue of all my extraordinary Endowments. For this reason it might be construed a piece of Immodesty to let it come abroad in my Life-time, and seems therefore more advisable to reserve it for one of my postumous Works. Among these will be found also very particular Memoirs of all, even the very [Page 53] minutest of my Concerns; especially my most material Thoughts, which I never yet discover'd, and the wise Sayings that I chiefly delight in. Of all which I give this publick Advertisement, because it will be a mighty Help to the Learned Person, who is to be the Writer of my Life, for whom I always entertain a very particular Respect, and therefore bequeath to him the said Journal, not doubting but he will perform according to the Dignity of the Subject, and thereby lay the highest Obligation upon Posterity.
The whole Doctrine being thus made out, and illustrated to my hands; it might seem Superfluous to attempt any further Comment, since 'tis evident that nothing can be plainer than the Exposition already given. However in our Volumes upon this Subject that Are to be, we shall a little farther expatiate upon the Quiseity of Amen, as likewise upon the Ensophicality of Aziluth; which to an Understanding rightly prepar'd, will doubtless become like the Odour of the Voice of the Beauty of Sublimated Intelligence. Two-legged Truth shall be caught with Saline Essence upon her Caudality; She shall edify and nidificate in the Petticoats of his Pia Mater, or the supercilious Eaves of his Pericranium; She shall fish for Ideas with his Rete Mirabile and Processus [Page 67] Vermifsormis, and inject them thro' the Infundibulum into the savoury Frying-pan of his Cerebellum. There shall she sit chewing Cuds and Enthymemas, or brooding over infant Sciences; She shall drive him cross the Streets to seek out the Sages that are gone astray, and salute the unknown Children of Philosophy; to salute the unborn by Name, and the unbegotten by Lips Anonymous, is the Delight and Priveledge that Wisdom enjoys from her Successors, and bequeaths as a never-failing Inheritance, to her Fore-fathers.
Agreeably to this, and no doubt upon the same Principles, has the Sage St. E [...] remont determined, concerning naked Goddesses and young Lancashire Witches that the Nymph which Finds her self [...] where, is VASTLY a fine [...] Creature than any that can be Found in Her Se [...], and must upon every Account carry the Golden Apple from all Her Fellows.
[Page 108] The other Party pretend that the whole World must always be in a gradual and growing Declension, because all the very Atoms of which it consists, are for ever in a declining Condition; and that more and more violent every Age; as we learn from undoubted Records, that they declined more in Epicurus his time, than they did in the Days of Democritus.
No sooner has this Inquisitive rightly fix'd the Telescope of his ocular Vision, but immediate Astonishment and Confusion surrounds him; nor can he suddenly believe the Testimony of his own Sence, That the same individual Body, whose external Phases represented it as a Cabinet of portatile Nature and exiguous Dimensions, should prove upon a closer Survey, to be really of such a prodigious Profundity within; where even Lyncean Sight would lose it self, in a [Page 136] more boundless Expanse than the Horizon of the open Heavens could spread out, either from the Aetherial Achme of Teneriffe, or the snowy Mountains of Melambaia. The Speculator continues Speechless, entranced and incredulous, 'till what time exerting his inspective Faculties with more resolute and violent Attention, his Doubts all vanish by the perfect Discernment of undoubted Realities; lofty Mountains, naked Rocks, fierce Savages, bloody Armies, tow'ring Cities, rapid Streams, flowery Dales, beauteous Nymphs, loving Swains, besides Feastings, Fightings, Caballings, treacherous Practices, and barbarous Assassinations. Nor does the faithful and knowing Keeper forget to expound the Nature of these surprizing Objects, or to set forth their famous Histories, by declaring the most secret Thoughts, Plots, Projects, wise Counsels and wicked Machinations of every General, King or Emperour, that shows himself in any Transaction of Affairs; all which this great and experienc'd Minister, by his wonderful Sagacity, either Natural or [Page 137] Acquired, does as perfectly lay open as if he were versed in Astrology, or could see into the inmost Recesses of their very Hearts. 2ff7e9595c
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