The Court of the Gentiles, Discourse · Part 1 · Book 1 · Chapter 1
Chap. I. The Original of all Arts and Sciences from God.
That there is one firſt Being God. His infinite perfections and incomprehenſibility. His Underſtanding, and eternal Ideas, which are the great Exemplar of all his Creatures. The Divine Wiſdom impreſſeth ſome created Ideas on the creature, conteined in the Law of Nature, whereby all things are governed and directed to their reſpective ends. This Light of Nature, is the objective Idea or matter of all Arts and Sciences; which are but reflexe Images of thoſe natural Ideas which God has impreſt on things. The Light of Nature being darkened, God gave a Divine revealed Light, whence Arts ſprung.
§. 1. That there is a God.THat there is one, firſt, eternal, ſimple, and abſolutely neceſſary Being, whom we call God, is evidently manifeſt both by ſenſible and rational Demonſtration. For were there not a firſt Being, nothing elſe could be. We may as well, or better doubt of our own beings than of Gods. In things Subordinate, take away the firſt, and you take away all the reſt: as in motions &c. Neither is it poſſible to conceive, that a finite, ſubordinate Being ſhould be independent, or eternal: infinite Contradictions would attend ſuch a poſition. Therefore this Propoſition, God is, is the firſt truth; whence all other truths flow: & were not this true, nothing elſe could be true or falſe, affirmed or denyed. So that Speculative Atheiſme is not only unnatural, and monſtrous; but very difficult, if not impoſſible, to be impreſt on a human ſpirit. For though ſome have been ſufficiently willing, yet have they not been able to raze out thoſe connate, and eſsential Ideas of a Deity ſo deeply ſtampt on their natures. See Derodon L'Atheiſme convaincu.
§. 2. The Infinite perfection of God.God is the moſt pure, independent, and perfect Act, comprehending all Divine perfection, in his nature, without the leaſt compoſition of matter, or power, to receive farther degrees of perfection. This Grandeur and ſovereign Perfection of God conſiſts principally in his being the firſt principle and laſt end of all things: from whom all things at firſt flow as from the Plenitude of Being: St Cyran lettres chreſtiennes.to whom they again have their refluxe, as rivers to the Ocean. So that ev'ry thing is more or leſſe perfect, as it draws near to God foreign, the first beauty and light; the great Archetype and original Idea of all good; as Plato ſtiles him, foreign. Thoſe Glorious Eminences, and ſingular excellences of God, are all comprized in, and drawn from that eſsential name foreign Exod. 6.3. as being of himſelf, Exod. 6.3.and giving being to all things elſe out of nothing; and able, when he pleaſes, to reduce all things to nothing: which beſpeaks him alſo infinite, eternal, and immutable in all his perfections. For to make ſomething out of nothing, requires an active power infinitely high, becauſe the paſſive power is infinitely low, or rather none at all. Again, where there are no bounds to the eſsence, there can be no bounds to the duration: whence reſult eternity and immutability.
§: 3. The incomprehenſibility of God.God Being one, pure Act, a ſimple, infinite Being, cannot be comprehended by a finite compound capacity; neither can he be truly apprehended but in his own light and workes. Indeed, the knowledge of cauſes by their effects does comprehend the beſt, and moſt certain part of our Philoſophy: Derodon L'Atheiſme convaincu pag. 4.how much leſſe then may we preſume to contemplate the firſt cauſe; the Father of lights ſave in his own light, ſhining in the book of Nature or Divine Revelation? That our natural underſtanding ſufficeth not to penetrate the Divine eſſence, is evident: becauſe all knowledge ſuppoſeth ſome proportion betwixt the faculty and the object, in order to the reception of its Idea, and image: but the diſproportion 'twixt our natural apprehenſions and the Divine perfection, is infinite. Yet are we not left deſtitute of all means for the apprehending the Divine perfections, by way of cauſality, negation, and eminence; as he is the firſt cauſe of all things, and infinitely diſtant from all things cauſed by him: beſides his own immediate revelation by his word.
§. 4. God the firſt intelligent and his Divine eſſence the firſt intelligible or original idea of all things.God being the firſt, living, moving, Being and Act, void of all matter, or paſſive power, he muſt of neceſſity alſo be the firſt Intelligent. For every thing is by ſo much the more perfect in Knowledge, by how much the more it partakes of immateriality. In God (who is a pure Act) the intelligent, intellect, intelligible ſpecies, the act of underſtanding, and the thing underſtood are but one and the ſame. For God underſtandeth himſelf, and all things without himſelf, which were, or are, or ſhall be, or may be, under any hypotheſis; as alſo the ſeveral foreign, modes, orders, and reſpects of all things among themſelves; and that not by ſpecies or abſtract images received from the objects, but in the glaſſe of his own Divine Eſsence; not ſucceſſively, but by one intuition, without diſcourſe: and laſtly not in time but in his own eternity. God contemplating himſelf beholds in his Divine Eſsence or ſufficience, by an act of ſimple intelligence, the eternal Archetype and Ideas of all things poſſible: as alſo by an act of viſion he contemplates all things future in his will, their efficient cauſe: as if we could ſuppoſe a body full of eyes, it ſhould ſee all things about it in a moment.
§. 5. Divine wiſdom end Decrees the univerſal idea or exemplar of all things made.God being the firſt intelligent, and his Divine Eſſence the univerſal idea of all things intelligible; it neceſſarily follows, that the Divine underſtanding and Decrees be the firſt, great Exemplar or original idea of all things made. For look, as in every Artificer, who works judiciouſly, there is an idea preexiſting in his mind, according to which he frames and formes his work: ſo with much greater reaſon muſt we conceive in God (who produceth all things in the moſt perfect meaſure, weight, order, and wiſdom) ſome preexiſtent Idea, as the Archetype or original pattern of all things made. Plato in Timaeo.This is that which Plato (receiving it by Tradition from the Jews) underſtood by his Univerſal Ideas, which he makes to be the foreign, the great Exemplar and image of all ſingulars. Theſe eternal increated ideas, Plato, in his Parmenides, and elſe where, termes the Intelligible, ideal world &c. whence it is apparent that theſe original ideas of Divine wiſdom are the platforme and meaſure of all that beauty, light, truth, and wiſdom which is lodged in the creature.
§ 6. Divine Wiſdom and Will the effective cauſe of all that Wiſdom and truth which is brancht forth in the Creation.Neither are the Divine Decrees, and wiſdom only the ideal cauſe or exemplar, but alſo the effective, productive principle of all that wiſdom, and truth which is impreſsed on the creatures. God being an increated, infinite Sun of light and wiſdom, has ſhed ſome raies thereof on all the works of his creation. This whole Machine has ſome prints and footſteps of the wiſdom and skill of this great Architect. There is not the moſt inconſiderable part of this great Univerſe, but has ſome beams of Divine Wiſdom ſhining in it. The world is an univerſal Temple, wherein man may contemplate natural images and pictures of Divine Wiſdom and goodnes. The Sun, Moon and Stars, yea this dul element of the earth, furniſheth us with ſome Divine Characters, ideas, and repreſentations of eternal Wiſdom. Notwithſtanding the many monſtrous defects of Nature, which ſin has brought upon it, there are a great quantity of productions, which give us almoſt infinite Marques of that increated wiſdom, whereby they were produced. But nothing affords more ſparkling ideas and images of the Divine Sapience; than the human ſoul; eſpecially when 'tis clothed with thoſe Divine glorious raies of ſaving light and wiſdom.
§. 7. Divine Wiſdom ſhining in the ordering and governing things.As the Wiſdom of God diſcovers it ſelf in the framing and compoſing all things, ſo likewiſe in the ordering and governing of all. This is greatly manifeſt from the order, harmony, beauty and ſubordination of things. You ſee how the more imperfect ſubſerve the perfect; the inanimate the animate; as the earth the plant: the animate ſerves the animal; as the plant is fruitful for the beaſt: and the animal the rational creature. Now where there are many things void of underſtanding, and yet keeping a regular motion and due ſubordination, there muſt needs be an infinite wiſdom that frames, orders, and diſpoſeth theſe things. Derodon L'Atheiſm convaincu.The ordering variety of things to one common end, cannot proceed but from a Divine Diſpoſition. An eſtabliſhed order, and harmony among multiplicity of things void of underſtanding, cannot flow from any, but infinite underſtanding. The ordering the world is a work of Intelligence: for order being nothing elſe but an agreeable diſpoſition of things, according to their dignity and uſages; it is neceſſary fot the right diſpoſing of them, to compare them together, and underſtand their natures, dignity and uſes; and then to order them accordingly: which preſuppoſeth a moſt ſovereign intelligence and infinite wiſdom.
§. 8. Habitual ideas of Divine wiſdom ſtampt on the creature, which we call the Light of Nature.This Divine wiſdom which beams forth it ſelf thus in the compoſing and ordering all things, leaves ſome created emanations of wiſdom and order upon the things themſelves, whereby they are directed and diſpoſed to thoſe ends and uſages, for which they were appointed. This we uſually terme the Law of Nature which is (as a ſtatute law) that Ordinance of God, whereby every creature is governed and guided to its reſpective end. This Law of Nature, which is deeply engraven on the natures of things, is but the counterpart, or tranſcript of that Eternal Law lodged in the boſom of Divine Wiſdom. 'Tis a created Idea, objective light, and order ſtampt on the beings of things, whereby they reſemble and anſwer unto their Archetype, that increated idea, and are directed to their ſeveral ends anſwerably thereto. For as God, at his firſt creation, produced all things by his fiat, or command, ſo he continues to governe his Creatures to their appointed ends by this Ordinance, Rule or Law of Nature impreſt upon their Beings.
§. 9. Human Arts & Sciences are reflexe ideas of thoſe objective ideas and images of Divine Wiſdom that lye hid in the Creature.As this Light of Nature or created Wiſdom, which the Father of Lights has impreſt upon the natures of things, is but the reflexe irradiation or ſhine of his eternal increated Wiſdom; ſo all human Arts and Sciences, as gathered up into ſyſtems, or inherent in mens minds, are but the reflexe ideas or images of that objective light, or internal law engraven upon the beings of things. For all Arts and Sciences (whether active or contemplative) are but general ideas or notions: and all notions are but foreign, pictures and imitations of things: whence the regular uſe of all Arts, is to be foreign, or foreign, images, manifeſtations, or notices of things to the glaſse of our underſtandings. So that look as thoſe created ideas of light and wiſdom which lie hid in the creature, foreign.are but the parelius or reflexe image of Divine wiſdom, that eternal law, and original idea of all truth: So all Arts and Sciences are but the image or likenes of the things they relate unto.
§. 10. Human Arts originally beams of Divine Wiſdom.Whence it follows, that all human Arts and Sciences are but beams and derivations from the Fountain of Lights, created ideas flowing from, and anſwering unto that one ſimple increated eternal idea of Divine wiſdom; which ſhining forth in things, created, receive ſeveral forms, ſhapes, & denominations according to their reſpective natures & Operations: & thence being gathered up, by the inquiſitive mind of man, under certain general rules and order, they become univerſal ideas or notions; and paſſe under the denomination of Arts and Sciences. So that an Art may be well defined to be an univerſal idea or image of that ſtatute Law or order, which the Divine eternal Wiſdom has ſtampt upon things; whereby he governs them unto thoſe ends, for which they were appointed.
§. 11. The book of Nature being defaced by ſin God ſends forth a book of Grace.But now man by reaſon of his fall being greatly wounded in his Intellectuals; and thereby diſenabled to contemplate that natural Wiſdom or objective light, which ſhines in the book of Nature; it pleaſed Divine Wiſdom to ſend forth a book of Grace, a more reſplendent and bright beam of Scripture Divine Revelation; which as the greater light, irradiates and enlightens the world, not only in the more ſublime myſteries of Salvation, but alſo in many natural, hiſtorical, moral and civil Truths; which the faint glimmerings of Natures light, burning ſo dimly in human underſtanding, could not diſcover, without the aſſiſtant raies of this glorious heavenly Revelation.
§. 12. Whence Arts & Sciences ſprung.Hence the ſcope and tendence of this Diſcourſe, is to Demonſtrate, that moſt of thoſe Arts and Sciences which ſhone among the Gentile Philologers and Philoſophers, were indeed but Traditional beams o… Scripture-Revelation. The wiſeſt of the Heathens were fain to light their candles at the fire of the Sanctuary; to derive their Knowledge from the Oracles of God, ſeated in the Jewiſh Church; as it will evidently appear by what enſues.