The darknes of atheism dispelled by the light of nature a physico-theologicall treatise / written by Walter Charleton ...

SECT. IV.

HAving, with perspicuity equal to the highest expectation, demonstrated the necessity of Ʋniversal Providence, from the nature both of the Agent and Patient; God and the World; it remains only that we withdraw that curtain of objections, where∣with the Impiety of its adversaries hath darkned the prospect of less ocular discerners, and terminated the vision of those whose opticks have not been strong enough to transfix it.

The first, we may remember, was that vanity of Epicurus, that the condition of a blissful and immortal Nature (such was his character of Divinity) is inconsistent with the necessary perturba∣tions and perplexities of business.

But alas! how grosly must he delude himself, who fathoms the extent of an Infinite, by the unequal geometry of a Finite, and limits incomprehensible Omniety to the narrow circumscrip∣tions of Humanity; which in comparison is but one remove from Nullity? Had God, indeed, been, as he conceived him, of Humane figure; it had been no error in the Court of Reason to have concluded him not much superior in the capacity of his Intellect: but when the Divine Nature, as himself acknowledged, must transcend all other in perfection and excellencies; how palpable a contradiction did he fall upon, in commensurating the latitude of its Power and Wisdome, by the span of an imperfect and caduce nature, betwixt which and Omnipotent-omniscience are so many degrees of difference, as all the figures and cyphers of Arithmetick cannot amount to their compute, nor is mortality qualified to conceive. To paint a Sound, is a far easier task, then to describe the impervestigable manner of Gods operations: and to deny the possibility of that, whose reason we cannot explore, is to pro∣claim our ignorance of any nature more perfect then our own; and that upon consequence, is to make our nature more imperfect then really it is, by rendring it uncapable of the greatest Truth; nay, of that truth, upon whose certitude, the assurance of all possible cognition doth necessarily depend. This had the rash Epicurus considered, doubtless he never had disparaged the na∣ture of man, by equalizing it to Gods. I say, disparaged; be∣cause to conceive a Finite essence, as perfect as an Infinite, is openly to confess that nature, which can conceive so horrid and sensible an Absurdity, to be far more frail and contemptible, then all other of its actions declare it to be: not but, in direct verity, tis the greatest disparagement, and no less then blasphemy to the infinitely sacred majesty of God, to be put in the scales a∣gainst vile, ignorant, and impotent Man.

And while his thoughts flagged so many sphears below the Empyreum of all perfection, twas no wonder that he was staggered at Ʋniversal Providence; that being a notion impossible to be instilled into any mind, that is not first prepared with the beleif of an Ʋniversal Intelligence.

Again, to draw into a sharper angle, and render the absurdity

of this Comparison more ridiculous; the Reasons why a man, though of the strongest brain▪ and greatest abilities for business, must of necessity suffer disquiet, distractions and wearisome solici∣tude from the multiplicity of cares, are (1.) the narrowness of his Understanding, which cannot he expansed to take in all the re∣mote, proxime, and confederate Causes, events, dependencies, connexions, circumstances, &c. of occurrences: (2.) the short∣ness of his Power, which cannot stretch to furnish him with all things necessary as well to the prevention and remove of all inci∣dent impediments, as to the molition, promotion, and accomple∣tion of his designes: and (3.) the restraint of his Person to Time, Place and distance. But, on the other side, God is Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipraesent; and therefore in the praeordination, direction and compulsion of all things to the causation of those effects, which his Will hath decreed, he knows infinitely less of labour or disquiet, then the healthiest man doth in the motions of respiration, in his soundest sleep.

That God is not subject to the restraint of Time, is manifest from his Eternity; for that is indivisible, and knows no distincti∣on of tenses: and therefore what we (whose imperfect reason cannot compute the duration of things, but by the successive in∣stances, or concatenated moments of time) call Praedestination, is really no praedetermination of what's to come, in respect to God, but an act of his will already accomplisht, and as soon ful∣filled as decreed; and so we may truely say, that in relation to himself, there is no Foreknowledge in God, all things which to our inferior Capacities seem either past, or to come, being actually praesent to him, whose whole duration is altogether, or but one constant and permanent point, one 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, entire in unity, and uncapable of division into successive minutes, or articles.

That he is not subject to the restraint of Place, is evident from his Omniety, his being all in all; Ʋbiquity being the proper and inseparable Attribute of his nature. His being All in All. not only ratione Praesentiae, but ratione Essentiae also; he being the chief Soul not only of all Bodies, but of all Spirits also. And for this reason we cannot offend Theology, if we affirme, that God

is as fully Present in Hell among the accursed, as in Heaven among the blessed natures though not so comfortably; and that the Devils would rejoyce if they could conceive it possible for him to be absent thence: since their existence, and so their Tor∣ments would then cease, his presence being the original and sup∣port of all existence.

Now if all this be amassed into one demonstration, and that duely perpended; I demand as well of the most contumacious in∣fidelity, as the rankest ignorance, what can remain desirable, in order to the full information of our reason; that if there were a million of Worlds, nay as many as there are individuals in this, and in each a 1000000 times more business then in this: yet could the oversight and gubernation of them all, and the regular managery of every the smallest occurrence in them, put Divinity to no more trouble, disquiet, or interruption of felicity, then the simple Act of Volition doth induce upon the soul of man.

However, for further illustration, I cannot think it unnecessary to superadd this; that since Man himself doth ordinarily perform some actions, particularly those, which he is not only qualified and impowered, but also inclined to doe, by the native virtue, or congenial propensity of his Essence, as to Cogitate, Desire, Love, Rejoyce in the manifestation of his good parts or endowments, &c. not only without labour and inquietude, but even with super∣lative delight and content: it cannot but be concordant to reason to assert, that God is so far from sustaining any difficulty, mo∣lestation, or diminution of felicity, in the constant act of Ʋni∣versal Providence; which is the natural effect of his Infinite In∣telligence and Indefatigable Activity, that tis rather a part of his Beatitude so to exercise and manifest his Divinity. Not that the abyss of his Happiness was not full before the World was; but because, being moved by his own immense Goodness to create a convenient subject, whereon to actuate his Munificence, he is pleased still to delight himself in the continued diffusion and com∣munication of his excellencies, by the conservation and regulation of the same, according to the most prudent laws of his Will.

I have often consulted the most knowing and best ordered

minds, with whom I could attain the blessing of a free conversa∣tion (and such, doubtless, are the only competent judges of de∣light) wherein lay the Philosophers stone of Content in this life, and in what actions of their lives they discovered the highest and most permanent pleasure: and they all concurred in this determi∣nation, Aliis prodesse, & quám licet plurimis bene facere. And this upon no slender ground, since the Beatitude of Man doth ra∣dically and totally consist in his appropinquation to God, and we never come so neer him, in this remote vale of tears, as when we go out of our selves to relieve the necessities, lighten the oppressi∣ons, and prevent or repair the ruines of others. For Charity is the only excellence, wherein we may, in some sort, rival our ma∣ker: and were but our Wills constantly fixt upon the practise of this virtue, and our Abilities of doing good but half so infinite as our Wills (for the wings of our Ʋnderstanding are, indeed, but short; but those of our Will are long, and have a liberty to sly at all, as shall be singularly proved in convenient place) we might anticipate no small part of the joys of heaven, while we sojourne upon earth, and should need no other Heraldry to testifie our selves the off-spring of Divinity. Now if it be so intense a delight to the mind of man, which is but a beam deradiated from that immense Sun of Charity, to do good: ought we to think it a trouble to God, who is most intelligent, and so best knows the ne∣cessities of all things; most beneficent, and so most ready to re∣lieve them; most rich, and so not obnoxious to impoverishment by the continual profusion of his favours; to be a general bene∣factor by his Providence?

To conclude; if the visible and perishable Sun can with un∣cessant liberality, diffuse his consolatory and all-impregnating streams of light, heat, and influence on all parts of the sensible or adspectable World; and so concurre to the generation, vitality, growth, perfection and conservation of all sublunary Natures; and this without labour, lassation, or exhaustion: Why should not the Invisible, Ʋnperishable, and Infinite Sun (of which the other is but a dark and contracted shadow) be allowed to have his Wisdome, Power, and Goodness (which Trinity of Attributes

make the unity of Providence, as I have formerly hinted) in all places, and at all times diffused, in their operations, over all his Works, with the same facility.

And as it can be no Interturbation to the serene Felicity, so neither can it be a Dishonour or disparagement to the superexcel∣lent Majesty of God, to transmit the rayes of his Providence to the most minute, and seemingly most trivial and contemptible transactions on this great exchange of the world. And therefore Pliny, who said, necesse est ut Deus tam tristi, tamque multi∣plici ministerio poliuatur; might with less absurdity have affir∣med, that the Sun doth an action much below the dignity of so glorious a creature, and must have the purity of his light suffer di∣minution and contamination, when it projects its radiant beams upon sordid and putrid bodies; when it cooperates to the pro∣duction of Toads, Serpents, worms and other the like base ver∣min; and when it promotes the fertility of noxious and deleteri∣ous weeds, as well as wholsome and medical plants. For those things which appear vile, despicable and ugly to the queazy judg∣ment of man; are not so really to Nature: since she knowes no de∣formity, and therefore all her pieces must be amiable: not really so to the eyes of the Author of Nature, since he hath thought good to configurate them according to the most exact ideas in his own wise intellect; and therefore Beauty is best defined by the confirmity every thing holds to its primitive exemplar in the Intellect of its Creator: not so to themselves, since they have ob∣tained a perfection congruous to their species, and enjoy an abso∣lute pulchritude respective to their distinct kinde; and therefore no Animal is so insensible of the perfection of its Forme, as to desire either to lose, or exchange it.

Again, those Actions, which seem various, cary the face of mul∣tiplicity, and fill up whole sheets, in the diary of man; stand but for an unit in the Arithmetick of Nature and make but a monosyllable in the book of Fate: it being the natural preroga∣tive of Ubiquitary Omnipotence, to doe all things at once.

Consider we, with what ease and quiet the pale and feeble Soul of a Tree can at once provide for the Vegetation as well of each

leafe and blossome, as of the trunck and root, and cook the insipid juice of the earth into an Aliment conveniēt to the conservation and growth of each single fiber and filament both of the cortex or bark, and of the inte••ior and medullary substance: in a word, transfuse a vital influence through each indivisible particle of that great mass, of which it is composed.

Consider we, how easily the more luminous and energetical Soul of an Elephant can at one and the same time, in one and the same blast, or deradiation of virtue, administer its nourishing in∣flux to each particle of that vast body; and omitts not to take care of every single haire among so many myriads as cloth the skin, in its common doale or distribution of Vitality.

And when we have thus gently informed our selves, that tis as easie to the weak and evanid soul of a Plant (which the best Physiology defines to be nothing, but a certain modification of matter volatilized, or a contexture of smooth, globular equal and so of calefactive Atoms, woven by the seminal virtue or plastick Faculty of that particular species, and soon dissolved again, upon a variation of figure and situation of those insensible particles, of which it is composed) to make provision for the lively∣hood & sustentation of all parts in that mass, as for any one of them: that tis as genuine and familiar to the Soul of an Animal (which is also a Corporeal substance, or the more spiritual part of the bloud subtiliated by vital heat, traduced from its genitor) to ani∣mate and govern all parts of its body, as any one: we cannot but acknowledge, that the Procuration and Administration of all the affairs of the world, is as facil and natural to the Providence of God (who is the Soul of all Souls, and the life of Spirits) as to take the care of any one individual Nature.

If the oversight and regency of but half so many different ope∣rations, as that immaterial Empress, which keeps her invisible Court somewhere within us, doth every minute, even when we are fast lockt in the narcotick armes of Morpheus, and all our thoughts keep holy day, order and effect, while she maintains the oeconomy of the body; were charged upon the hands of our un∣derstanding, but for one houre: without question, the burden would prove insupportable, nor could either the skill or strength

of our limited reason, in any measure responsible, suffice to the due administration of so large a Province. When, therefore, to fathom the depth of that immense natural prudence, and sove∣raign virtue, wherewith the soul of man is richly endowed, and which she constantly declares in the prosperous exercise of her Monarchy, with the short line of our intelligence; or to estimate her Providence according to the rate of our cheaper faculties; is both ignorance and unjustice: how infinitely more stupid and un∣warrantable a course doth that wretch take, who adventures to commensurate the superexcellent knowledge and almighty virtue of God, whereby he procures and moderates the affairs of the World?

That man is, for the most, incurious of smal and trivial occur∣rences; is so far from being a wonder, that contrariwise those, who could tripartite their thoughts to the contrivemēt of but three different businesses, at once, as Caesar, have been lookt upon as Prodigies: and he that can lay the grounds of but one popular designe, so as to have it succeed without impediment, or the intervention of cross accidents; is reputed a profound Politician, and his head a whole sphear above the vulgar. This, I am not ignorant, the haughtiness of his spirit hath referred to the fixation of his thoughts upon objects either of his pleasure or ambition; when in modest truth, this pretension of sublimity is but a gloss, or specious vernish to conceal the imbecillity and limitation of his intelligence. For that being two narrow, to be extended to the forecast and reguiation of many things at once; and his stomach too high to descend to a due acknowledgment of the imperfecti∣on of his nature: he guilds over the poverty with the pride of his minde, and endevours to excuse his frailty, by insimulating, that to attend the study of trisles, and in the interim supersed the pro∣jection of matters of importance, is a disparagement to the no∣bility of his Intellectuals. When if his reason were so capacious, as to admit the care of petty affairs, without the confusion, or neg∣lect of others of more concernment; nothing, though nere so mean and ordinary, could seem below the dignity of his Provi∣dence. But that God should be incurious of any action in the world, is absolutely impossible; since contrapugnant to the Ʋni∣versality

of his Cognition and Praesence: for what is Omniscient and Ʋbiquitary, can be ignorant of nothing; and consequently it can be no more either of Profanation to the Sanctity, or disho∣nour to the glorious Majesty of the Deity, to extend his Provi∣dence to the meanest contingents in nature, then it can be to the Soul, to vegetate and inspire each single hair of that body she informs.

Notes

• Article 1. The Atheists first Antiprovi∣dential Argu∣ment refuted, by the Perfection of the Divine Nature: and their absurdity, in commensurating the excellen∣ties of God, by the infinitely inferlor Faculties of man, detected.
• Article 2. Divinity de∣monstrated su∣perior to the circumscripti∣on both of Time and Place.
• Article 3. That the pro∣curation of all the infinitely various actions of second cau∣ses, in the World, cannot be any inter∣turbation of God•• serene fe∣licity, proved by an Argu∣ment à minori.
• Article 4. The same il∣lustrated by a second com∣parison.
• Article 5. Th••t the admi∣nistration of petty occur∣rences can be no indignity or d••s••aragement to the sacred Majesty of God; but, on the contrary absolutely essen∣tiall to him, firmly evicted, from the uni∣versality of his Cognition and Presence.