Reflections upon learning wherein is shewn the insufficiency thereof, in its several particulars, in order to evince the usefulness and necessity of revelation / by a gentleman.

PREFACE.

A Work of this nature, that would so hardly find a Patron, will stand the more in need of a Preface; Men that write in commendation of Learning, usual∣ly seek out some great Genius to pre∣fix to their Book, whom they make an Instance of all the Learning and Per∣fections that are described in it; were I to chuse a Patron, consistently with my design, I must Compliment him with the weakness of his Parts and shortness of his Vnderstanding, which is such a Compliment, as I presume I shall willingly be excus'd from. But th••n a Preface will be the more

necessary to give an account of my undertaking, which is rather to en∣quire into the abuses, and to show the insufficiency of Humane Learning, than wholly to descredit its use. No Man e••er did this, without disp••∣raging his own Vnderstanding, nor decry'd Learning but for want of it; it having been an old Observation, that will hold perpetually, That Knowledge has no Enemies except the Ignorant. An attempt of this nature would be utterlly impracti∣cabl••, for either it would be well perform'd, and then it must be done by reasons borrow'd from the Stores of Learning, by which means by reasoning against Learning, we must at the same time reason for it, and all our Arguments must return upon us; or if the performance were un∣learned, it would be to no purpose, and might as well be let alone. This then is no part of my design.

All that I intend, is, to take it down from its suppos'd heights, by exposing the vanity of it in several particulars, its Insufficiency in the rest, and I believe I might say, its difficulties, in all: And there is the more need of this in an Age, in which it seems to be too much mag∣nifi'd, and where Men are fond of Learning almost to the loss of Reli∣gion. Learning is our great Diana, nothing will pass with our Men of Wit and Sense, but what is agreea∣ble with the nicest Reason, and eve∣ry Man's Reason is his own Vnder∣standing: For if you examine them to the bottom, these mighty Preten∣ders ha••e no truer grounds to go upon than other Men, only they af∣fect a liberty of judging according to themselves, and (if they could be allow'd it) of making their own judg∣ment a Standard of others. They plead for right Reason, but they mean their own, and talk of a rea∣sonable

Religion, whilst their own false Notions are mistaken for it; and while they seek the Goddess, they embrace a Cloud. In the mean time, they take us of from our surest Guide, Religion suffers by their Con∣tentions about it, and we are in dan∣ger of running into Natural Reli∣gion.

Where these things will end, God only kmows, it is to be suspected, they may at last end in the thing we fear, and may bring us about to that Religion, for which of all others, we have the most abhorrence: For after Men have try'd the force of natural Reason in matters of Religi∣on, they will soon be sensible of its weakness, and after they have run themselves out of breath and can cen∣tre no where, they will be glad of any hold where they think they can find it, and rather than be always wandring, they will take up with an Infalli∣ble Guide. I am unwilling to enter∣tain

such hard Thoughts of a Neigh∣bouring Church, as to think they are sowing Discord among us to that pur∣pose, but I much fear, we are doing their Work for them, and by our own Divisions, are making way for a Blind Faith, and Implicit Obedi∣ence; And may it never be said, That as Learning was one grea•• In∣strument under God, to bring about a Reformation, so the Abuse of it, by the Divine Permission, has brought us back to the same place from whence we came, and that our Enemies have done that by secret Engines, and Do∣mestic Distractions, which by open A••tempts they were never able to do. It is the sense of such Dangers and such Abuses ••ha has drawn from me these Reflections, and has inclin'd me to harder Thoughts, and possibly, to say, harsher things of some parts of Learning, than will be agreeable to the Humor of the Age, and yet if any one who thinks thus of me, will

••nly suspend his Censure so long, till I draw my Conclusion, I am willing to hope, that the goodness of the End will a••one for the hardest things, that shall be said in the Book.

I am sure I am not singular in this Design, one of the first Restorers of Letters,a 1.1 A Man noted for his Piety as well as Parts, has writ a Book to this purpose, but it having been principally levell'd against Ari∣stotle's Philosophy, which is now so much out of Credit, that it rather wants an Advocate to defend it, than a new Adversary to run it down, the Book it self is as much out of use, as the Philosophy is, that it designs to decry. He was follow'd in his De∣sign by Lodovicus Vivesb 1.2 in bet∣ter Latin, and with greater Eloquence, but Vives's main Talent having been in Philology, and having been less conversant in Philosophical Matters, his Book is both very defective as to

the Particulars it treats of, and be∣ing suited to the Ancient Literature, is less agreeable to the Genius of our Age. What Cornelius Agrippac 1.3 has writ upon this Subject is chiefly declamatory, and fitter for School-Boys, than of any just Moment or Consideration in a serious Enquiry. And a French Bookd 1.4 lately pub∣lish'd upon the same Subject and with the same Title, tho' well and piously Writ, yet has nothing in it of what I expected, and is rather a Sermon, than a Treatise of Science. None of these Authors, nor any other I have yet met with, have come up full to my purpose, nor have I been able to borrow much help from them; where I have, I have quoted them, and if in any other things we hap∣pen to agree, without remembring them, it is a fault of Memory, and I make this acknowledgement once for all.

Sir W. Temple, and Mr. Wot∣ton, have turn'd their Pens the o∣ther way, and have been so much taken up with describing the Beau∣ties and Excellencies of Learning, as to have less occasion to discover its Faults; tho' it was scarce possible, whilst they cross'd one another's Opi∣nion, either to commend Ancient Learning, without entring into the Defects of the Modern, or to prefer the Moderns, without censuring the Ancients; so that by consequence tho' not professedly, they have fal'n into this Controversie. I have, as far as possible, avoided saying any thing that has been observed by them already, (tho' perhaps this may be thought my fault, and I may thereby have said worse things of my own) and if in any other things I have contradict∣ed them, I have done it in so tender a manner, as neither of them could blame, were they yet both Living. I have treated all Men with Decency

and Respect, except Mons. Le Clerc, who has not deserv'd such Treatment. I have seen little of Monsieur Pe∣rault, and a considerable part both of his and Mr. Wotton's Books, come not within my Account of Learn∣ing; for I have nothing to say to Sculpture, Painting, Architecture, Gardening, Agriculture, &c. which I take to be more properly of Mecha∣nical Consideration. But if Learned Men will needs include these likewise within the compass of Learning, it shall give me no disturbance: The Bounds of Learning are of late won∣derfully enlarged, and for oug••t I know, Mr. H's Trade Papers may pass in time for a Volume of Learn∣ing.

Not that there is any need of swel∣ling the Account, for Learning is al∣ready become so Voluminous, that it begins to sink under its own weight, Books crowd in daily and are heap'd upon Books, and by the Mul••itude of

them, both distract our Minds, and discourage our Endeavors. Those that have been writ upon Aristotle, are almost innumerable; In a very few Centuries, from Albertus Mag∣nus, till a short time after Luther, there have been Twelve Thousand Authors, that have either Commen∣ted upon his Books, or follow'd him in his Opinions: This we have from good Authority, tho' the Author that reports and censures it, had surely forgot, that he himself has strengthen'd the Objection, by publishing a gross Volume, only to give an Account of Aristotle, his Writings, and Fol∣lowers. e 1.5 But however their Num∣ber may be in the Old Philosophy, I believe we may reckon by a modest Computation, that since that time to ours, we may have had double the Number of Authors in the New; which tho' some may look upon as an Argument of Learned Times; for my

part I have quite different Thoughts of Things, and must needs esteem it the great Mischief of the Age we live in, and cannot but think we should have more Learning, had we fewer Books.

I have notwithstanding adventur'd to throw in one to the Account, but it is a very small one, and writ with an honest design of lessening the Num∣ber: I propose neither Credit nor Advantage, (for I hope to take ef∣fectual care to be in the Dark) if I may do some little Service to Re∣ligion, and no Disservice to Learn∣ing, I have my End. I am encli∣ned to hope, the Treatise may be of some use, as an Historical Account, in observing the Defects, and mark∣ing the Faults that are to be avoid∣ed by Beginners, and, possibly, it may afford some Hints to Wiser Men. As it is, I offer it to the Public, if it proves useful, I shall

hav•• much Satisfaction in my self, and if otherwise, I shall be very willing to be made a fresh Instance of that which I pretend to prove, The Weakness of Humane Un∣derstanding.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Ple. Mirand. Exam. Van. Doct. Gent. Op. vol. 2. p. 467.
• b 1.2

  De Corrupt. Art. Op. vol. 1. p. 221.
• c 1.3

  De van. Scient.
• d 1.4

  La va∣nite des Sciences, Ams. 88.
• e 1.5

  V. Pr. Patric. Discus. Peripat. ••. 10. p. 145. Bas. Fol.