Observations, censures, and confutations of notorious errours in Mr. Hobbes his Leviathan and other his bookes to which are annexed occasionall anim-adversions on some writings of the Socinians and such hæreticks of the same opinion with him / by William Lucy ...

Sect. 5.

* 1.1Thus, the nature of a Son explained, let us examine how it may be applyed to our blessed Saviour, the Son of God: first it is evident, and no man will deny, that our Saviour was an intellectuall substance, and that he was produced; the chiefe querie will be, upon these two last Clauses; whether produced naturally? and whe∣ther of the same nature? and first that he was produced naturally, that will appeare out of this; that being pro∣duced by God the Father, as all agree, he must be either a Creature, or else naturally produced; indeed, taking naturally in a large sense, for whatsoever opposeth vio∣l••nce, a man may say, that a Creature is produced natural∣ly, by God, because that no violence can force the om∣••ipotent to doe any thing; and the Creatures have im∣printed in their very natures a passive obedience to God, by which they submit themselves to his sacred will; but in this place we understand naturally, in a more strict meaning, as it opposeth, not onely violence, but arte facta, things made by art; for those things, which

are done by the nature of any thing, are done primò et per se, not per accidens; of the nature, bent, and disposi∣tion of the agent, not because of any accidental addition, which happen's to it: this is principally discerned b•• the constancy of that action or motion, for when things are accidentall, they appeare seldome, and, many times, are not such, but things▪ or actions, that flow naturally from any, are so constantly, and, when opportunities are offered, are alwayes such: so it is accidental to me, that I write at this time, I doe not alwaies do so, no, not when I am provoked by reading, or studying an un∣truth, no, not this selfe same untruth which I write against; but that I should eat meate at dinner, is a na∣tural action, I alwaies doe it, unlesse some accidentall thing intervene, to hinder it, and then, the not eating is accidental, but the eating were natural, because this last ariseth out of the disposition and temper of my bo∣dy; the former, not eating, from some accidental di∣stemper.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The particu∣lars in the de∣finition apply••ed to our Sa∣viour.