pleas'd every Day whereas formerly they were oft times forc'd to spread their Tarry Sails and with avidity catch the Drops of Rain any kind Cloud did spare them or were forc'd to drink putrid Waters that caus'd the Miscarriage of many Rich Ships and the Death and loss of many brave Seamen Some boast of their Atchievements in Wars by Land others of their Successes by Sea it is only the Vertuous Man that feels true Content and Pleasure in controlling his own unruly Passions by bringing them in Subjection to the Rules of Right Reason and of the Will of God. It is said of Alexander the Great that he wept when he heard there was no more Worlds to conquer Time has now disprov'd that great Philosopher Hipocrates and Physicians Maxim Ars longa vita brevis What part of the World which of the Elements has not your Stupendious Wit penetrated and still are ready with a more than Herculean Force to Attempt and surmount those things that to others seem impossible to be effected But Words are too weak to display the least of your Merits your own Works will better transmit your Memory to Posterity therefore knowing too much Commendation though never so well deserv'd is a burden to Modest Ears I shall restrain my Pen from so Pleasant a Theme and subscribe my self Honoured Sir Your Faithful Servant ever to be Comanded JOS. WALKER THE PREFACE Done from the French. Wherein is shew'd in what manner these Thoughts were Written and Collected what deferr'd the Publishing of them what the Authors Design was in this Work and how it was that he spent the last Years of his Life MOnsieur Pascall did not long persist in Reading the Mathematicks Physick and other Prophane Studies although he therein for the time made as great Progress as any that handled those Matters About the Thirtieth year of his Age he apply'd himself to weighter and more serious things and to addict himself wholly as much as his Health would permit to the Study of the Holy Scriptures the Fathers and Christian Morality And though he no less excell'd in these Sciences than he did in others as has appear'd by Treatises made by him which are esteem'd perfect enough in their Kind yet it may be truly said that if God had given him space to have labour'd some longer time on that he had a Design to do concerning Religion and about which he intended to spend the residue of his Life this Work had very far surpassed all the rest of his Writings because that his Knowledge and Light on this Subject was infinitely greater than that he had of other things I suppose there is no body but will easily believe so by seeing the little now expos'd to view how imperfect soever it seems to be especially knowing the manner he did it in and the whole History of the Collecting and disposing of it Monsieur Pascall contriv'd the design of this Work several years before his Death yet it is not to be thought strange that it was so long before he committed it to Writing for he was wont to Ruminate a good while of things and to digest them in his Mind before he made any shew of them fully to consider and weigh which part to set foremost and which should follow and the best way of Marshalling them that so they may produce the Effect he desir'd And being endow'd with an Excellent and as may be said a Prodigious Memory he often said he never forgot any thing he had once imprinted in his Mind so that when he once apply'd himself to a Subject he never fear'd that the Thoughts he conceiv'd should pass out of his Memory therefore he often deferr'd Writing them either for want of leisure or that his Health would not suffer him to apply himself closely and effectually to it being almost always very languishing and sickly This was the Reason that at his Death the greatest part of what he had already conceiv'd touching his Design was lost for he had not scarce noted any of the principal Reasons that he intended to use as grounds whereon to raise his Building and the Order he intended to observe which doubtless was very considerable All this was so deeply rooted in his Mind and Memory that having neglected to write it when it may be he was able it happen'd that he could not at all do it when probably he would have done it However about Ten oâ— Twelve years ago there fell out an occasion wherein he was oblig'd not to write what was in his Mind touching this Subject but to declare something concerning it by Word of Mouth he did it in Presence and at the request of several very considerable Persons of his Acquaintance In few Words he discover'd to them the whole design of his Work he represented to them the Subject and Matter of it he related to them succinctly the Reasons and Grounds of it and he explain'd to them the Order and Method of things he intended to Treat of These Persons being as capable as may be to judge of things of this Nature freely confessed that they never heard any thing finer weightier nor more Pathetical and Convincing that they were charm'd at it and that what they saw of this Project and Design in a Discourse of Two or Three hours long made Extempore without any notice or time of Preparation made them conjecture what it might be one day if it ever came to be executed and brought to Perfection by a Person whose Capacity and Parts they had such Knowledge of for he was wont so to revise his Works that he scarce ever was satisfy'd with his first Thoughts how good soever they appear'd to others and has sometimes done a thing Eight or Ten times over which others would have judg'd to have been extraordinary well at first Having represented to them what were the Evidences that make the greatest impression on the Minds of Men and the fittest to perswade them he undertook to shew that Christian Religion had as many Marks of Certainty and Evidence as those things which are believed most undoubtedly in the World. To this effect he first of all begins with a Description of Man wherein he omits nothing that might make him known both Internally and Externally even to the most secret Thoughts of his Heart Then he imagins a Man that having always liv'd in a general ignorance and indifference of all things and especially of himself at length comes to consider his own Portraicture and to Examin what he is he is surpris'd therein to see several things that he never dreamt of and he cannot without Wonder and Admiration believe what Monsieur Pascall mentions of his Greatness and of his Misery of his Privileges and of his Infirmities of the little Knowledge and Light he has left and of the great Ignorance wherewith he is encompass'd And to conclude of the many strange Contrarieties that are in his Nature he cannot after all this remain in a State of
â—e looked on as Persons void of Wisdom or Judgâ—ent and in effect desire such to give an account of their Opinions and the Reasons whereâ—ore they call Religion in question they express â—hemselves so weakly and frivolously that they â—o but the more confirm others in the contrary â—elief what a Person said to such is very pat â—o the purpose If says he you continue to disâ—ourse after this manner truly you will convert â—e And he was in the right for who would â—ot be afraid to continue in those Opinions where he is accompany'd with such wicked Persons So that those which only counterfeit these Opinions are very unhappy in constraining their Temper to imitate the most impertinent Perâ—ons in the World. If they be really troubled â—or not having more knowledg then let them â—ot dissemble it will be no shame to own it â—here is no shame but in being shameless Nothing does more discover a greater weakness of Mind than not to know a Man's Misery without God nothing more demonstrates a meanness of Spirit than not earnestly to desire the enjoyment of Eternal Promises nothing is more stupid than to appear obstinate against God Leave then these extravagancies to those that are so wretched as to be capable of them if they will not be good Christians let them forbear being profligate and at last own there are but two sorts of Men which may be called reasonable either those who serve God with all their Heart because they know him or those which seek after him with all their heart because they do not yet know him It is then for such Persons as seek sincerely after God and that confessing their Misery truly desire to be freed from it that it is just to contribute what help may be to asist and direct theâ— to the light they seek for But as for those who live without knowing or seeking God they judge themselves so unworthy of their own case thaâ— they are not worthy others should be concerned for them and one ought to have all the Charity of the Religion they despise not to slight theâ— so far as to abandon them to their Folly. Buâ— because this Religion obliges us to have a tenderness for them during Life as being capable â—â— enjoying the Grace which may enlighten them and to believe they may in time be replenish'â— with a greater Measure of Faith than we anâ— and that we also may fall into the ignoranâ— wherein they be we must do for them as wâ— would desire others should do for us were wâ— in their Condition and stir them up to have piâ— on themselves and at least endeavour to attaâ—â— some degree of light Let them afford some of the Hours they waste elsewhere in reading this Work happily they may find some profit by it at least they can be no great losers But as for such as shall read it with true sincerity and a desire of knowing the Truth I doubt not but they will find satisfaction and that they will be fully convinc'd of the Proofs of so Holy a Religion as is contained in it §. II. Marks of the True Religion 1. THe Sign of true Religion is to oblige Men to love God. This is very just nevertheless no other Religion but ours commands this It ought also to know the frailty of Man and the weakness he is in of acquiring Virtue by his own strength it should prescribe the Remedies whereof Prayer is the chief Our Religion doth all this no other Religion never sought of God to love and follow him 2. * To manifest a Religion to be true it must fully understand our Nature for the true Nature of Man his real Happiness true Virtue and true Religion are things whose knowledg are inseparable It ought to have a right understanding of the Happiness and Misery of Man and the Reason of one and the other What other besides the Christian Religion hath known all these things 3. * Other Religions as that of Pagans is more Popular for they consist all in outward shew but they are not approved by Wise Men a Religion more Spiritual would be more suitable to Prudent Persons but then it would not be so fit for the common People The Christian Religion alone is proportion'd to all regarding both the exterior and interior It raises the People to Contemplate inwardly and abaseth the Proud in the exteriour and is not perfect without the one and the other for the People must understand the Spirit of the Letter that the Learned should submit their Spirit to the Letter in performing the exterior Part. 4. * We deserve to be hated Reason convinces us of this Truth Now no other Religion but the Christian Religion doth teach to hate themselves no other Religion than should be allowed by those that know their own unworthiness 5. * No other Religion whatsoever besides the Christian Religion has understood that Man is the most Excellent and also the most Miserable Creature some that have understood the reality of his Excellence have esteemed as low and mean the Opinions Men have naturally of themselves and others that have known how true this Misery of Man is have as much on the other hand despis'd those Opinions of Grandeur which are so natural to Man. 6. * No Religion but ours has taught that Man is born in Sin no Sect of Philosophers has taught it none therefore said true 7. * God being invisible any Religion that teacheth not that God is invisible is not true and that Religion that gives not the Reason of it is not edifying ours doth all this 8. * That Religion that consists in believing the fall of Man from a State of Glory and Communion with God into a State of Sorrow of Penitence and Absence from God but that in the End he should be restor'd by a Messias to come has always been in the World All things are passed away and that abides for whom are all things for God designing to make himself a Holy People that he would separate from all Nations that he would save from their Enemies that he would gather into a place of Rest promis'd to do it and to come into the World to that effect and foretold by his Prophets the time and manner of his coming and in the mean time to confirm the hope of his Elect in all Ages he gave them Types and Figures and never left them without great assurances of his power and good will for their Salvation for at the Creation of the World Adam was the witness and depository of the Promise of the Saviour that was to be born of the Seed of the Woman And though Men were yet so near the Infancy of the World that they could not forget their Creation and their Fall and the Promise God made of sending a Redeemer nevertheless in those first Ages of the World suffering themselves to be carry'd away by all sorts of disorders yet there were some Holy Men as Enoch Lamech and others
things in the World thereupon and you will find all things tend to the establishing these two Principles of Christian Religion 15. * If one does not know himself to be full of Pride Ambition Covetousness Weakness Misery and Injustice he must be very Blind And if in knowing it one desires not to be deliver'd from this State what can be thought of so unreasonable a Man Should not such a Religion then be highly esteem'd as does so well understand the Infirmities of Man and how earnest should our desires be for the truth of a Religion wherein such comfortable Remedies are to be found 16. * It is impossible to consider all the Proofs of Christian Religion altogether without being convinc'd of the force of it the which no Reasonable Man can contradict Consider its first Establishment that a Religion so opposite to Nature should settle it self so easily without any force or violence and yet so firmly that no Torments could hinder Martyrs from professing it and that all this should be effected not only without the assistance of any Prince but also in despight of all the Kings of the Earth that resisted it Consider the Holyness the Greatness and the Humility of a Christian Soul. The Antient Philosophers acquir'd a higher degree of Reputation than other Men by their orderly manner of Living and by certain Opinions that had some conformity to those of Christianity but they never looked upon that as Virtue which Christians call Humility they would even have thought it inconsistent with the other Virtues they made profession of It was only the Christian Religion that knew to unite things that till then appear'd so contrary and that first taught Men that Humility is so far from being inconsistent with other Virtues that without it all other Virtues are but Vices and Defects Consider the infinite Wonders of the Holy Scriptures which are Marvelous the greatness and sublimity more than Human of things which it contains the admirable simplicity of its Stile having nothing forc'd nor affected and that bears such a Character of Truth as cannot be disown'd nor gainsaid Consider the Person of Jesus Christ in particular whatever Opinion one has of him it cannot be deny'd but he was endeu'd with great and wonderful Wisdom of which he gave sufficient Testimonies in his Infancy before the Doctors of the Law nevertheless instead of improving those Tallents by Studdy and frequenting the Company of Learned Men he spent Thirty years of his Life in a Handy-craft Trade and a kind of retirement from the World and during the Three years of his Ministry he took into his Company and chose for his Apostles ordinary Persons without Learning or Reputation and incurr'd the hatred and displeasure of those that were esteem'd the Wise and Learned Men of the time a very strange conduct for one that intended to Establish a new Religion Take a serious view of the Apostles chosen by Jesus Christ those Persons who were ignorant and unlearn'd of a sudden were found sufficiently able to put to silence the Wisest Philosophers and Couragious enough to oppose the greatest Kings or Tyrants that resisted the Christian Religion which they taught and preached Then consider the wonderful Succession of Prophets which follow'd one another for near Two Thousand years and that in different manners all foretold even to the least Circumstances the Life and Death of Jesus Christ his Resurrection the Mission of the Apostles the Preaching of the Gospel the Conversion of the Gentiles and several other things touching the Establishment of the Christian Religion and the abolishing of the Law. Consider the admirable accomplishment of these Prophesies so fully and perfectly in the Person of Jesus Christ that it is impossible but to know him therein unless one will be wilfully ignorant Consider the State of the Jewish Nation before and after the coming of Jesus Christ their flourishing State before his coming and their miserable and wretched State after they had rejected him for to this day they continue without any Mark of Religion having neither Temples nor Sacrifices dispers'd over the face of the Earth and the scorn and refuse of all Nations Consider the Duration of Christian Religion having subsisted since the beginning of the World whether it be in the Saints under the Law who lived in expectation of Christ Jesus to come or in those that received and believed in him since his coming there being no other Religion that hath been perpetual which is the principle Mark of the true one To conclude let the Holiness of this Religion be consider'd its Doctrine giving an account of all things even of those that are most discordant in Man and all other particularities Supernatural and Divine that shine in all its parts After all which how can it any way be doubted that the Christian Religion is the only true Religion and whether there was ever any other that was like it §. III. The True Religion prov'd by the distances that are in Man and by Original Sin. 1. THe greatness and Miseries of Man are so visible that true Religion must needs teach us that there is in him some Principle of Greatness and at the same time some great depth of Misery True Religion must of necessity have a distinct knowledg of our Nature that is to say it must understand what it hath of Greatness and all it hath of Misery and the Cause both of the one and the other It must also know how to satisfie us of the strange distances that are therein to be seen if there is but one sole beginning of all things and but one end of all then True Religion must teach us to love and adore him only but finding our selves unable to Worship what we do not know and to love something besides our selves true Religion which instructs us in these Duties doth also inform us of our unability and also affords us necessary Remedies To make a Man happy Religion must teach him there is but one God that 't is our Duty to love him that 't is our perfect Happiness to be his and our greatest Misery to be separated from him this Religion should shew us that we are so full of ignorance that it hinders us from knowing and loving God so that our Duty obliging us to love God and our Corruptions hindering us shews that we are full of unholiness It must make us sensible of the a version we have to God and to our own welfare It must teach us the remedies and the means to obtain those Remedies Let a Man examin all the Religions in the World in this regard and see if there be any but the Christian Religion that answers these particulars Is it what the Philosophers taught who propos'd the good inherent in us to be the chiefest good Is this the chiefest good Have they discover'd the Remedy for our Sorrows to heal the presumption of Man is it to have equall'd him to God and those which have equall'd us with
Repentance his Book not being made to incline to Piety he was not indeed obliged thereunto but one is always bound not to divert any from it Whatever may be said to excuse his too extravagant Opinions upon several things one cannot in any manner excuse his Heathenish Opinions touching Death for one must renounce all Piety if one won't at least dye like a Christian now he throughout his whole Book teaches to dye securely and in ease 44. * What usually deceives us in comparing what 's past heretofore in the Church with what 's seen at present is that commonly one looks upon St. Athanasius St. Theresius and other Saints as Crown'd with Glory now that time has clear'd up things it appears to be truly so But at the time this great Saint was persecuted he was a Man that was called Athanasius and St. Theresius in her time was a Religious Person like the rest Elias was a Man subject to like Passions as we are saith St. James to disabuse Christians from this false Idea that makes us reject the Examples of Saints as disproportionable to our Condition They were Saints say we 't is not like us 45. * To those that have an aversion for Religion one must begin to instruct them by shewing it is not contrary to Reason then after that it is Venerable and give it respect then render it Lovely and create a desire to wish it were true then shew by undeniable Proofs that it is true shew its Holiness and Antiquity by its Greatness and Authority And to conclude that it is Aimable because it promiseth the chiefest Good. 46. * One word of David or of Moses like this that God will Circumcise their Hearts shews what their Souls desire Let all the rest of their discourse be ambiguous and be it uncertain whether they are Philosophers or Christians a Word of this Nature determins all the rest so far the Ambiguity may hold but no farther 47. * To be cousen'd in thinking the Christian Religion true there can be no loss but what a Misery will it be to think it is false 48. * The ways of living the easiest according to the World are the most difficult to live according to God and on the contrary nothing is so difficult in the Worlds esteem as a Religious Life there is nothing easier than to live so according to God Nothing is pleasanter than to be in a great Employment and to enjoy great Riches in the esteem of the World nothing is more difficult then to live in these things according to God and not to be affected with delight and pleasure in them 49. * The Old Testament contain'd the Types of future Happiness the New contains the Means of attaining them The Figures were Happiness the Means are Repentance and yet the Pascal Lamb was eat with bitter Herbs cum amaritudinibus to signifie that Joy could not be attain'd but by sorrow 50. * The word Galilee being spoke as 't were by accident by the Multitude of the Jews in accusing Jesus Christ before Pilate gave Pilate occasion of sending Jesus Christ to Herod wherein was accomplished the Mystery that he should be Judg'd by Jews and Gentiles Hazard seems to be the cause of fulfilling the Mystery 51. * One told me on a day that he was full of Joy coming from Confession Another told me that he was in fear on this I thought that of these two might be made one good and that both of them fell short because they had not the Opinion of each other 52. * There is pleasure to be in a Vessel tossed with a Tempest when one is in no danger of Shipwrack Persecutions which afflict the Church are of this Nature 53. * As the two Springs of our Sins are Pride and Sloath God has revealed to us two Qualities in him to cure them his Mercy and Justice the Nature of Justice is to abate Pride and the Nature of Mercy is to destroy Idleness by stirring up to good Works according to this passage The mercy of God inviteth to Repentance and this other of the Ninevites Let us Repent and see if he will have mercy upon us So that the Mercy of God is so far from indulging Sloath that nothing is a greater Enemy to it and that instead of saying Were there not Mercy in God we ought to do all our endeavour to fulfil his Laws we should say on the contrary That 't is because there is Mercy in God one should do all one can to keep his Commandments 54. * The History of the Church ought properly be called the History of Truth 55. * All that is in the World is the Lust of the Flesh the Lust of the Eyes and the Pride of Life libido sentiendi libido sciendi libido dominandi Unhappy is that accursed Land that is overflown and burnt up rather than watered with these three Rivers of Fire Happy they who being on these Rivers are not carried away by them nor plunged into them but remain steadfastly fixt not standing but sitting in a low and safe place from whence they will not rise till the light appear and after having rested in safety stretch forth their hands to him that will deliver them to make them stand upright in the Gates of the new Jerusalem where they shall no longer fear the assaults of Pride and who weep in the mean time not to see the decay of all these perishable things but in the remembrance of their dear Country of the Heavenly Jerusalem which they continually breathe and thirst after in continuance of their Exile 56 * Some will say A Miracle would confirm my Faith Men say so when they do not see it Reasons brought from a great distance seem to limit our sight but do not when one more nearly considers them one begins to look farther nothing stops the quickness of our Mind It is said There 's no Rule without an exception nor Truth so general but it has something that may seem defective 'T is sufficient that 't is not absolutely Universal to give us a pretence of applying the Exception to the present Subject and to say It is not always true then there are some cases where it is not There remains only to say this is one and one must be very stupid not to discern it 57. * Charity is not a Figurative Precept To say that Jesus Christ who is come to take away Figures and to establish Truth should only come to settle the Figure of Charity and to take away the Substance which was before this is horrible 58. * The Heart has its Reasons which Reason doth not comprehend one finds it in a hundred things It is the Heart that finds God and not Reason See then what true Faith is God known to the Heart 59. * How many Bodies has Telescopes discover'd to us that were not known to the Antient Philosophers The Truth of the Scriptures were boldly question'd for making mention of such great
that so being fill'd with thee it might no longer be I that do live and suffer but that it might be thou that dost live and suffer in me O my Blessed Redeemer and that so having some little part of thy Sufferings thou mayest fill me intirely with the Glory they brought thee unto in which thou livest with the Father and the Holy Ghost World without End. Amen Amen FINIS A DISCOURSE Upon Monsieur PASCALL'S THOUGHTS Wherein is endeavour'd to shew the Scope of his Design As also another DISCOURSE On the PROOFS of the Five Books of MOSES As also a TREATISE Wherein is shew'd that there are DEMONSRATIONS of another kind and that such may be given for the Christian Religion London Printed for Jacob Tonson at the Judge's Head in Chancery-lane near Fleet-street 1688. ADVERTISEMENT THis Discourse was intended for a Preface to the Collection of Monsieur Pascall's Thoughts but it was not made use of to that purpose it being too long and 't was very fit it should give place to that prefixt to his Book were it for nothing else but that no Foreign Matter should be mixt with Monsieur Pascall's Thoughts and that nothing should be join'd to it but what proceeded from the same Family and the same Spirit But since it being suppos'd this Discourse might not be wholly useless to shew near-hand what was Monsieur Pascall's Drift it was thought fit to Publish it the Design being so weighty and important that 't was thought convenient not to neglect any thing how small soever it appeared that had any relation to his Works It is for this same Reason that to this Discourse there is added another proving the Truth of the Books of Moses which was not intended to have seen the Light no more than the Treatise wherein is made appear there are Demonstrations of another kind and as certain as those of Geometry and that such may be given for the Christian Religion What ever success either of them find would be accounted a great Happiness if God who makes the meanest things advance his greatest Design so that any Person whatever may reap profit thereby TO THE HONOURABLE SIR John Hewet BARONET Honoured Sir WHen a Man is upon taking a long Journey he prepares himself accordingly and Emploies what time he has to spare in settling his most Important Affairs Daily Experience shews the uncertainty of Life the World is but a Passage how many do we see come to their Journeys End by the Sword Sicknesses and a Thousand sorts of Accidents In the Graâ—e there is neither Action nor Invention therefore what I find requisite to be done I love to do it with all my Might The Body with the Sensitive part relating to it shall be gone hence and be seen no more till the general Audit and who can tell how soon But the Will the Memory the Intellective part of Man shall never Die it shall to all Eternity be Happy or Miserable by looking back on what it Acted in the Inch of Time was lent in this World. Next to my acknowledgment to God for making me in his own Likeness and for restoring his lost Image in me by his Blessed Son I endeavour and desire to shew my Gratitude to all my Worthy Friends and Benefactors for their kindnesses to me And amongst them I should think my self guilty of a Crime punishable by the Judges not to own the great Obligations I have to Sir John Hewet in particular It is not yet twice Seven years since my Honour'd Friend your good Father of his own Inclination was the Instrumental Cause of settling me in a Publick Imployment in His Majesties Service where amongst many other Pleasures and Benefits I enjoy'd I design'd to Translate the History of the Eucharist into English and in order thereunto I had writ and perfected near one Fourth part of it But that Work and Subject was of too great Weight and Purity to be handled by a Publican therefore God who sees not as Mansees was pleas'd to call me from the Receipt of Custom and whâ—n at a convenient time and place of Retiremen◠〈◊〉 thought to have reassâ—m'd my Business seeking the Papers I thought I had in advance by me by some Accident or other they miscarry'd so that not finding them I was struck into such a damp that I had Thoughts of wholly quitting my Design about that Book God was not pleas'â— any part of the Old Materials should serve in the Building he would have it all of a new Lump so I set my self a work De novo and with Gods Blessing and Assistance accomplish'd my desire as well for my own satisfaction as to gratifie my Friends I have liv'd a good while in the World and have concern'd my self but with few Persons nor Businesses nor do I much desire it I desire as Dr. Donn did to swim like a Fish quietly to my Long Home Those Providence has directed me unto are of the best sort and Curious enough as some very well know What is within the compass of my little Power to do or give or say I do it with a great deal of Fidelity and Chearfulness If I have not succeeded in some things Almighty God has abundantly heard me in others that it may be are more Expedient You are pleas'd to tread your Fathers Steps in making me participate of your Favours at Waresly at Cambridge and in London I freely own the great Honour and Respect I bear to your self and your Noble Family and being desirous to make what slender Retaliation I am able for all your Favours I draw out a Detachment from Monsieur Pascall's Book for which the Generous Mr. Boyle will excuse me and commit it to your Patronage and Conduct being assured Sir John Hewet and his Friends in and about Cambridge c. know very well how to Exerâ—â—se and Improve it to the best advantage Amongst some other Remarks of this present Year 1687. I have had the Pleasure to observe the Concurrence of certain Planets that have their Course East and West and concenter'd at the same Epoche a Phaenomena no less Rare than Propitious to some Illustrious Families I do not see but the like or greater Felicities aboad them in this next ensuing Year 1688. In these Lines you see scatter'd at least some of my Thoughts and hearty Wishes If I fall short of Rendering you any Real Services I will not do so in constantly owning to all the World that with all Integrity I desire to be lookt upon as Honoured Sir Your most Obedient Affectionate and Humble Servant JOS. WALKER A DISCOURSE ON Monsieur PASCALL'S Thoughts and Meditations Done from the French by J. W. WHAT has hitherto been seen of Monsieur Pascall's has given so great a Testimony of the Profoundness of his Judgment that 't is not to be thought strange knowing he had a deâ—ign to write of the Truth of Religion that many with impatience desir'd to know what was found in his Papers after his
neither depth of Knowledge nor fineness of Wit without admiring him Here let us reflect on the Description I have made and on what we see of the greatest Essay of the Wit of Man And let us see if it be able to mount so high Let Socrates and Epictetus come and at the same time though all Men in the World confess themselves inferior to them in good Living yet they themselves confess that all their Righteousness and all their Vertue is nothing in the sight of Jesus Christ They teach indeed that whatever does not depend on us does nothing concern us That Death is nothing That we should do by others as we would they should do to us It were something were there only Man and that 't were no more but to Govern a kind or Republick and to pass ones Life quietly along But how hard is it thus to dispise Death when we approach the Confines of Eternity And how little are these Thoughts able to Comfort us And if there is a God whom they thought was easie to be pleased and that this Vertue of our own that neither came from God nor relates to him which is grounded only on our Interest and Profit can give us but little hope at Death nor of any kind usage at his hands if we have any Sense of the Duty we owe unto our Creator What is it they have taught us but to be unconcern'd in the midst of Trouble And when they have gone as far as they could have they discover'd to us the ground and bottom of our Frailty and from whence it is we should expect the Remedy This Self-love which is so predominant in all things and Pride or at least the Self-commendation wherewith we flatter our selves instead of Glory and Riches have they healed them by their Precepts How many are there that have exactly observ'd all their Maxims and have preferr'd themselves before others who nevertheless would be asham'd to have what passes in their Heart be known All the goodness of Man to judge rightly of it is nothing but a false imitation of Charity in regard of that Divine Vertue Christ came to teach us and it never comes near to it how much soever it strives to imitate still it falls short or rather does nothing to purpose seeing it hath not God for its only Aim For whatever those say that have gone farthest this way the Righteousness they pretend to has but very narrow Bounds and they judge of things no farther than as they tend to their own private Interest and to Men's outward Conveniencies It is only the Followers of Jesus Christ that are of the Order of true Universal Righteousness and fixing their sight on that which is Infinite do judge of all things by an Infallible Rule that is to say by the Righteousness of God. What do they therefore not owe to him who dissipated the Clouds that darkned them so long a time and taught them they should think of and prepare for Eternity and use the true Means of attaining thereunto And how can they take him for a Common Man like others Him that not only so well knew this Righteousness but that also so punctually practis'd it because to judge rightly It is no less above Man to Live as he Liv'd and as he would have us Live than to raise the Dead and remove Mountains To conclude if there be not a God it is not to be conceiv'd that so great an Idea as that of Christian Religion should ever be conceiv'd in the Mind of Man and that he should conform his Life thereunto And if there be one Jesus Christ must have had so Familliar Converse with him to speak so as he has done that he deserves to be Credited of all he has said so as not to doubt being his Child it being impossible so great a Fraud should be accompany'd with so many Graces One can make but very weak Essays to express ones Thoughts of the Greatness of Jesus Christ and how weak soever the Notions be that one has yet they very far surpass our Expressions And it may be I may only lessen what Monsieur Pascall has left us in some Essays that he had just begun yet so lively that it is easily seen but very few have attained a higher measure of Knowledge than he I will only add That as the Doctrine of Jesus Christ is the fulfilling of the Law his Person also is that of our Evidence and that he has so admirably fulfill'd all the Wonders the Prophets foretold of him That it is hard to say which is most Extravagant either to doubt as Atheists do If a Messias was promis'd or to believe with the Jews that he is yet to come Let those that feel any doubt herein and who are no way touch'd with this Divine Life Examin themselves strictly and they will assuredly find the difficulty they have to Believe does not come but only from their unwillingness to Obey and that if Jesus Christ was content to live as he did without expecting to be imitated they would be content to look on him as a worthy Object of their Adoration But at least let this render their Doubts suspicious and if they know the power of the Heart and after what manner the Mind is always led let them look on themselves as Judge and Parties and to judge Equitably they indeavour for a time to forget the wretched Interest they may therein have otherwise they must never expect to receive Light the hardness of their Heart will ever resist the Proofs of their Mind and nothing will be able to dispel the Clouds of their Understanding This is strange yet very true not only the things that must be felt depend on the Heart but also those that belong to the Spirit when the Heart may have any share in them So that though they have more Light and Verity than is needful to convince yet they never do it and never incline to Act till the Heart be first gain'd and without that it would be to no purpose And this is it which causes the Merit of good Deeds and the Guilt of ill ones for whilst the Spirit only Acts either it judges well and this is only to see what that is wherein there is no Merit or if it judges ill it fansies to see what it doth not which is only an Errour of Fact which cannot be counted Criminal But when once the Heart becomes concern'd and that it makes the Will judge well or ill thereafter as it loves or hates it happens that either it fulfils the Law in loving what it ought to love which cannot be without a kind of Merit or that in loving what it should hate he violates the Law which is never excusable which is the cause also that God not willing Men should attain to know them as they do Geometry wherein the Heart is not interessed and in which Crime the Good have no advantage over others in that study he has been
would only have render'd them squallid and would have depriv'd them of their greatest Ornament which is to say much in a few Words An Instance may be seen hereof in one of the Fragments of the Chapter of the Proofs of Jesus Christ by Prophecies pag. 85. conceiv'd in these Words The Prophets spake of particular things and of the Messias to the end that the Prophecies of the Messias should not be without Proofs and that particular Prophecies should not be without Fruit. In this Fragment he shews the Reason wherefore the Prophets that only look at the Messias and that should chiefly have Prophesy'd of him and of his Reign nevertheless often foretold particular things which seem'd but little to concern their Design He says it was to the end that these particular Events being Daily accomplish'd in the sight of all Men just as they were foretold they were undoubtedly own'd for true Prophets and by that means the certainty of what they Prophesy'd of the Messias was not in the least to be question'd So that by this means the Prophecies of the Messias did in some sort inferr their Certainty and Authority from these particular Prophecies which were verifyed and accomplished and these particular Prophecies thus serving to prove and Authorize those of the Messias they were not unfruitful and useless this is the Sense of this Fragment being explain'd It appears also necessary to undeceive some Persons that happily may expect herein to find Proofs and Geometrical Demonstrations of the Existence of God of the Immortality of the Soul and several other Articles of the Christian Faith this was not Monsieur Pascall's Aiâ—â— He design'd not to discover these Truths of Christian Religion by such kind of Demonstrations grounded on evident Principles able to convince the most obdurate Persons nor by Metaphysical Disputations which for the most part rather divert than perswade the Mind Nor by common places drawn from the divers Effects of Nature but by Moral Proofs which more touch the Heart than the Understanding that is he endeavour'd more to affect the Heart than to convince or perswade the Judgment knowing very well that Passions and Evil habits which corrupt the Heart and the Will are the greatest hindrances that obstruct our Faith and that if those Lets can be remov'd it would be no hard matter to convey into the Understanding those Reasons which may effectually convince it One shall be easily convinc'd of the Truth hereof in Reading this Treatise But Monsieur Pascall has explain'd himself in one of his Fragments found amongst his Papers not Inserted in this Collection Thus he speaks in this Fragment I will not here undertake to prove by Natural Reasons the Existence of God or the Trinity or the Immortality of the Soul nor other things of this Nature not only because I should not think my self able to find in Nature sufficient to convince obstinate Atheists but also because this Knowledge without Jesus Christ is useless and barren Though a Man should be perswaded that the proportion of Numbers are Truths Immaterial Eternal and depending of a former Truth wherein they subsist and which is called God yet I should not think such a one much advanc'd in his Salvation It may be some will think strange to find such a great Variety of Thoughts in this Collection some of which seem so little to relate to the Subject Monsieur Pascall undertook to Write of to this may be reply'd that his Design was far greater than many do imagin and that he did not just Limit himself within the Bounds of Confuting the Arguments of Atheists and of such as deny some Articles of the Christian Religion The great Love and singular Esteem he had for Religion so wrought with him that he could not only admit that it should be wholly destroy'd but also endeavour'd it should not be injur'd nor corrupted in any part of it so that he bid open defiance to all those that oppos'd either the Truth or Holiness of it that is as well Atheists and Infidels as Hereticks who refuse to submit the false Lights of their Reason unto Faith and that do refuse to believe the Truths which it teacheth us also he doth the like to Christians and Catholicks who being within the Pale of the Church do not however Live according to the Purity of the Gospel Precepts which is the Rule and Pattern by which we ought to direct and govern all our Actions This was his main Design and it was vast and large enough to comprehend most of the things contain'd in this Collection Nevertheless some few may be found that have but little relation thereunto and which indeed were not intended for it as for Example most of those that are in the Chapter of Divers Thoughts which indeed were found amongst Monsieur Pascall's Papers and were thought fit to be added to the others for this Book is not Publish'd barely as a Work made against Atheists or touching Religion but as a Collection of Thoughts touching Religion and some other things There remains no more to end this Preface but to say something of the Author having spoke of his Work I not only think this to be necessary but also believe that what I intend to say will be useful to shew how it was Monsieur Pascall came to have so high an Esteem and Love for Religion as to undertake the Design of this Work. It has already been shewn briefly in the Preface of the Treatises of the Weight of Liquors and of the Weight of Air how it was that he passed his Youth and the great Progress he made in a short time in all human and prophane Sciences that he set about and especially in Geometry and the Mathematicks the strange and surprising way that he learn'd them at Eleven or Twelve years old the little Works he sometimes perform'd which always surpass'd the strength of a Person of his Age the Wonderful and Prodigious Effect of his Understanding and Wit which appear'd in his Machine of Arithmetick invented by him when he was but Nineteen years of Age And to conclude the Learn'd Experiments of Vacuity which he perform'd in Presence of several Persons of Learning and Quality of the City of Roüan where he Resided whilst his Father Monsieur Le President Pascall was Employ'd there in the Kings Business as Intendent of Justice so that I 'll omit relating any of that in this place and shall only repeat in few Words how he slighted all these Honours and how it was that he passed the latter Years of his Life wherein he shew'd no less the Greatness and Solidity of his Vertue and Piety than before he had shewn the Vastness and Admirable depth of his Wisdom In his Youth by Gods particular Care and Goodness he had been preserv'd from all those Vices whereunto most young People are Subject and what is not very usual to so great a Wit as his he was never inclin'd to Novelty in what related to Religion having ever
continued learning Greek and Latin and besides this before and after Meals my Father discoursed him sometimes of Logick sometimes of Physick and other Parts of Philosophy and this is all that he was taught having never had any other Tutor nor having been sent to any College One may imagine what pleasure my Father took in the progress my Brother made in the Sciences but he was not aware that the great and constant Study of so tender an Age might prove prejudicial to his health and in truth it appear'd to diminish very much as soon as he was 18. years old But as the pains he felt then were not yet grown very strong they hinder'd him not from proceeding in his usual Exercises so that 't was at that time and in his 19th year that he invented that System of Arithmitick whereby one not only cast up all sorts of Accounts without Pen Ink or Counters but 't is done also without knowledge of any Rules of Arithmitick and infallibly certain This Work was lookt upon as a new thing in Nature to have reduced a Science that consists wholly in the Understanding into a System and to have found out the means of making all the Operations of it with an absolute certainty without the help of Reasoning This work weakned him very much not for the invention or labour which he soon found out but for making the Workmen understand all things relating to it so that he was two years in putting it in the condition 't is in at present So that this weariness and the inconstancy of his health some years past cast him into inconveniences that never left him so that he sometimes told us that ever since he was 18. years old he never was one day without pain however these Pains not being always alike grievous as soon as he felt any mitigation his Mind was carry'd to the search of some new Matter It was at that time and in his 23. year that having seen Toricelli's Experiment he afterwards invented and performed the other Experiences that are called the Experiments That of Vacuity that proved so clearly that all the Effects that till then were attributed to the horrour of Vacuity are caused by the heaviness of the Air this work was the last that he imployed his Thoughts about in human Sciences and though he invented the Roulette afterwards that does not hinder the Truth of what I say for he discover'd it unawares and in such a way as shews clearly that he study'd not much after it as I shall shew in its place Presently after this Experiment being not yet 24. years of Age the Providence of God having given an occasion that obliged him to read Works of Piety God was pleased so to enlighten him by this means that he perceived plainly that Christian Religion obliged us to live only to God and that he should be our chief Object and this Truth appeared so evident so necessary and so profitable to him that it put an end to all his human Studies and from thenceforth he laid aside all other Sciences to apply himself solely to that one thing which Jesus Christ calls necessary He had been to that time by the special Providence of God preserv'd from the Vices of Youth and which is most of all to be admir'd that notwithstanding his great Wit and the Reputation he had gain'd yet he never was given to any Extravagancy about matters that concern'd Religion having still confin'd his Curiosity about things Natural he told me several times that he was obliged to my Father for this as well as for other things who being very Religiously disposed himself had infus'd it into him from his Infancy giving him these Maxims That whatever is the Object of Faith cannot be of Reason and much less can it be subject to Reason These Maxims being often reiterated to him by a Father for whom he had so high an esteem and in whom he found much Learning as also a clear and strong way of Reasoning all which made such a deep impression on his Mind that whatever Discourse he heard made by prophane Persons he was no way moved by it and though he was very young he looked upon them as Persons that held this wrong Principle That human Reason is above all things and that they knew not the Nature of Faith and so this Soul so Great so Vast and so fullof Curiosity that sought with so much exactness the Causes and Reason of all things did at the same time submit unto all things in Religion like a little Child and this humility reigned in him to his Death so that since the time that he resolved not to follow any other Study but that of Religion he never medled about the intricate questions of Divinity but apply'd his whole mind to know and practise the perfection of Christian Morality whereunto he devoted all the Talents God had bestowed upon him doing nothing the whole remainder of his Life but to meditate on the Law of God both day and night And though he had not made it his business particularly to study School Divinity yet was he not ignorant of the Decisions of the Church against the Heresies that were invented by the subtlety of Mens Wits and it was against such that he had no little antipathy and God was pleas'd about that time to give him an occasion to shew the Zeal he had for Religion He was at Roüen where my Father was imploy'd about the Kings Affairs at which time there chanc'd to be a Man that taught a new Philosophy which drew many to hear him out of Curiosity My Brother being importun'd to go hear him by two young Gentlemen of his Acquaintance went along with them but they were much surpriz'd in the Discourse they had with this Doctor for in relating to them the Pinciples of his Philosophy he drew Consequences on matters of Faith that were contrary to the Doctrines of the Church He proved by his Arguments that the Body of Jesus Christ was not made of the Blood of the Virgin Mary but of some other matter made on purpose and sundry other things to the same effect They would have oppos'd him but he continu'd obstinate in his Opinion So that having amongst themselves consider'd the danger there was that such a Man should be suffered to infuse his Erroneous Principles into his Pupils they resolved first to give him warning and if he continu'd obstinate then to make it known to his Superiors It happened even so for he slighted their advice so that they thought it their Duty to make the business known to Monsieur Du Bellay who then managed the Episcopal Affairs in the Diocess of Roüen by Commission of the Archbishop Monsieur Du Bellay cited this Man before him and being examin'd he was deluded by an Equivocal Confession of Faith which he deliver'd under his hand and besides was not much concern'd at an information of this importance given against him by three young Men. Nevertheless when
that patiently waited for the Messias promis'd from the Foundation of the World. Afterwards God sent Noah that see the wickedness of Men in the highest pitch and drowning all the rest of the World saved him by a Miracle which sufficiently shewed the Power he had to save the World and his Good-will in doing it and in causing that to be born of a Woman that he had promised This Miracle was sufficient to confirm the Faith of Men and the Memory of it being still fresh in their Minds God renewed his Promise to Abraham who was incompassed with Idolaters and fully instructed him in the Mystery of the Messias which was for to come In the Days of Isaac and Jacob Iniquity had spread it self over the Face of the Earth but these Holy Men lived by Faith and Jacob at his Death blessing his Children cryed out with a Holy Extasie that interrupted his Discourse O my God I have waited for thy Salvation Salutare tuum expectabo Domine The Egyptians were corrupted with Idolatry and Witchcraft the People of God were also corrupted by their Examples nevertheless Moses and others see him that the greatest part perceived not and ador'd him looking to those Eternal Recompenses that he prepared for them The Greeks and Romans afterwards adored false Divinities Poets invented several Religions Philosophers were divided into a Thousand different Sects in the mean while there was in Judea Select Men that foretold the coming of the Messias which was known only to them He appeared at last in the fulness of time since which though there has ensu'd so many Schisms and Heresies such overturnings of States and Kingdoms and great changes this Church that Adores him that was ever ador'd doth subsist without interruption And that which is admirable incomparable and wholly Divine is that this Religion which has always been oppos'd doth still subsist It hath many a time been almost quite extinguished and yet God has always been pleas'd to raise and recover it by the Wonders of his Goodness and Power and what is also very observable is that it has never submitted to yield or bow to the Will or Power of Tyrants 9. * Kingdoms would fall to decay if the Laws did not give way to necessity But Religion never us'd this course nor submitted to this Rule yet such accomodations must be or do Miracles It is not strange to escape danger by complyance yet this cannot properly be call'd preservation in the end they vanish quite away there is none that have subsisted 1500. years But that this Religion should alway subsist and continue unalterable is altogether Divine 10. * It would shew too much of obscurity should not Truth have some visible Marks It is a very admirable one that it hath been always presery'd in a Church and visible Assembly of Believers It would give too great a Lustre were all the Church of one Mind and Opinion but to know the right you need only seek that which has been always believed for 't is most certain the Truth has been always believed and that no false Error has been always believed 11. * The Messias has been always believed Adam's Tradition was fresh in Noah and Moses the Prophets foretold it and in fortelling other things the success whereof being from time to time accomplish'd in the sight of Men proved the truth of their Mission and by consequence the truth of their Prophesies touching the Messias They all confessed the Law they had was but till the Messias should appear that till then it should continue but that of the Messias should dure Eternally that so their Law or that of the Messias whereof it was a Promise should always abide in the Earth In effect it hath ever subsisted and Jesus Christ is come in all the Circumstances that were Prophesied of him He wrought Miracles and the Apostles also whereby the Gentiles were converted whereby the Prophesies being verified the Messias is unanswerably proved 12. * I see many different Religions and by consequence all of them false but one Every one would be believ'd by their own Authority and threaten those that allow them not for that Reason I do not approve of them Every one may say so every one may say I am a Prophet But I see the Christian Religion wherein I find Prophesies accomplish'd and a great number of Miracles so well asserted that it cannot in reason be doubted this is what I do not find in any other Religion whatsoever 13. * The only Religion contrary to Nature in the State 't is at present in that thwarteth our Sensual Pleasures and that at the first view appears contrary to our common Sense is that alone which has always been 14. * The whole Course and Current of things ought to tend chiefly to the promotion and establishment of Religion Men should have Opinions suitable to what it teacheth and to conclude it ought in such a manner to be the Object and Center all things should tend unto that whoever knew the ground of it should be able to give an account of the Nature of Man in particular and of the State of the whole World in general Upon this Account the Prophane take liberty to blaspheme the Christian Religion because they understand it not aright they think it consists only in Adoring one God consider'd as Great Powerful and Eternal this is properly Deism almost as different from Christian Religion as Atheism which is quite contrary to it And from hence they conclude this Religion is false for if it were true God would manifest himself to Men by such Signs that it were impossible but that every one must know him But let them conclude what they please against Deism they can conclude nothing against Christian Religion which teaches that since the Fall God doth not manifest himself to Man with that clearness that he may do were it consistent with his Will which is properly done in the Mystery of the Redeemer who uniting in himself the two Natures Divine and Human has deliver'd Man from the Corruption of Sin and reconciled him to God in his Divine Person True Religion teaches Men these two truths that there is a God they are capable of attaining unto and that there is such a Corruption in Nature as render them unworthy so great a Happiness it concerns Men equally to understand both these things and it as dangerous for Men to know God without being sensible of their own Misery as it is to see his Misery without knowing his recovery out of it by a Redeemer One of these Knowledges alone occasion'd the Pride of Philosophers who knew God but not their own Misery and the despair of Atheists who perceive their Misery without any hopes of a Saviour So that as it is equally necessary for Men to understand these two Points it is also just God in his Mercy should make them known to us Christian Religion doth it it is therein it doth consist Consult the Oeconomy of all
things of the World But Desire enjoys God and useth the World whereas on the contrary Charity useth the World and enjoys God. Now it is the end that denominates things all that hinders us to attain to it is called Enemy so that the Creatures though good are Enemies of the Just when they divert them from God and God himself is looked upon as an Enemy by those whose Lusts he interrupts So that the word Enemy relating to the latter end the Just understood it of their Passions and Carnal Men understood by it the Babylonians so that these Terms were only obscure to the unjust and 't is what is said by Isaiah Signa legem in Discipulis meis and that Jesus Christ shall be a stone of stumbling but blessed are those that shall not be offended in him The Prophet Hosea also saith plainly Where is the wise and he shall hear my words for the ways of God are straight the just shall walk in them but the wicked shall fall Nevertheless this Testament made after this manner light to some and dark to others did clearly shew in those whom it darkned the truth which was to be known by others for the outward visible things they received of God were so great and Divine that it was evident enough he had the power to give them the invisible things and also the Messias 13. * The time of the first coming of the Messias is foretold that of his second coming is not foretold because his first coming was to be privately whereas his second is to be more publick and so manifest that even his Enemies shall know it But as he was to come obscurely and to be known only by such as search'd the Scriptures God so dispos'd things that all contributed to make him known the Jews proved him in receiving him for they were the keepers of the Prophesies and they proved him also in not receiving him because therein they accomplished the Prophesies 14. * The Jews had Miracles Prophesies that they see accomplish'd and the Doctrine of their Law was to Love and Worship one God it was also perpetual it had therefore the Marks of the true Religion and so it was But you must distinguish betwixt the Doctrine of the Jews and the Doctrine of the Law of the Jews Now the Doctrine of the Jews was not true though it had Miracles Prophesies and Perpetuity because it wanted this other Point of not Adoring and Loving but God only The Jewish Religion should be consider'd differently in the Tradition of their Saints and the Tradition of the People The Moral and Felicity of it areridiculous in the Tradition of the People but they are incomparable in their Saints the Foundation is admirable It is the antientest and most authentick Book in the World And whereas Mahomet to make his Religion subsist forbid its being Read Moses to Establish his commanded that all the World should Read his 15. * The Jewish Religion is wholly Divine in its Authority in its Duration in its Perpetuity in its Moral in its Conduct Doctrine and Effects c. It was form'd on the pattern and likeness of the Messias and the truth of the Messias was acknowledg'd by the Jewish Religion which was the Type of it The truth was only in Type amongst the Jews in Heaven it is openly seen in the Church it is vail'd and known by relation to the Figure the Figure was taken from the Truth and the Truth was known by the Figure 16. * Whosoever judges of the Jews Religion by the exteriour cannot rightly understand it It is visible in the Holy Records and in the Tradition of the Prophets who have sufficiently shew'd that they did not understand the Law by the Letter so our Religion is Divine in the Gospel and Apostles but in those that corrupt it it is quite disfigur'd 17. * There were two sorts of Jews one soâ—t had only vain Pagan Affections the others had Christian Desires 18. * The Messias according to the Carnal Jews should be a great Temporal Prince according to Carnal Christians he came to exempt us from loving God and to give us Sacraments that operate without us neither of these is the Christian nor Jews Religion 19. The true Jews and Christians believ'd a Messias that enjoyn'd them to love God and by this Love to triumph over their Enemies 20. * The Vail which is over the Scriptures to the Jews is also to bad Christians and to all such as abhor not themselves but how easily do we understand them and know Jesus Christ when we truly censure and abhor our selves 21. * The Carnal Jews keep the midle betwixt Christians and Pagans the Pagans know not God and love only Worldly things the Jews know the true God and love the World only Christians know the true God and do not love the World. Jews and Pagans love the same Riches Jews and Christians know the same God. 22. * It is visibly a People made expresly to be Winesses to the Messias they keep the Records and love them but don't understand them and all this is foretold for it is said Gods Law is given into their Custody but like a Book seal'd 23. * Whilst the Prophets were in being to defend the Law the People were negligent but â—ince there have been no Prophets Zeal has succeeded which is an admirable Providence §. XI Moses 1. THe Creation of the World beginning to be far off God provided a Contempoâ—ary Historian and appointed a whole Nation â—o keep this Book to the end this History might be the most Authentick History in the World and that all Men should be inform'd of a thing so necessary to be known and which can be known by no other means 2. * Moses was very Wise and Learned that 's certain had he then had a design to impose on the World he would have done it in such a manner as that he might not have been accus'd of deceit He has done the quite contrary for had he told Lyes there had not been a Jew but would have discover'd his Imposture Wherefore for Example did he make the Lives of the first Men so long and so few Generations He might have hid himself in a multitude of Generations but he could not in so few for 't is not the number of Years but the multitude of Generations which render things obscure Truth doth not vary but by the change of Men. Nevertheless he places two things the most memorable that ever hapned viz. the Creation and the Deluge so near one another that they almost touch by the fewness of Generations he places betwixt them so that when he wrote these things the remembrance of them was fresh in the Mind of all the Jews 3. * Shem who saw Lamech who saw Adam did at least see Abraham and Abraham saw Jacob who saw those that saw Moses therefore the Deluge and the Creation are true This concludes amongst certain Persons who know it very
and not to Redeem it §. XVI Divers Proofs of Jesus Christ 1. NOt to believe the Apostles it must be said they were deceiv'd or went about to deceive others both one and the other is difficult As to the former it is impossible to be mistaken in taking a Man to be risen again and as for the other the Hypothesis that they were deceived is strangely absurd trace it all along Let it be imagin'd these twelve Men assembled after the Death of Jesus Christ combining together to say he was risen again they thereby resisted all the Magistrates and Government The Heart of Man is strangely inclin'd to inconstancy lightness change to promises and to Riches But not one of these Men were shaken by any of these advantages no nor by threats of Prisons Torments or Death if they had they had all been undone Let this be consider'd 2. * Whilst Jesus Christ was with them he might encourage them but afterwards had he not appear'd to them what is it made them proceed 3. * The Stile of the Gospel is admirable in an infinite number of ways and amongst others in that there is no invective to be seen us'd by any of the Historians against Judas or Pilate nor against any of the Enemies or Persecutors of Jesus Christ Had this modesty of the Evangelical Historians been affected as well as so many other touches of so fine a Character and that they had not affected it but only to have it be taken notice of had they not dared to have observ'd it themselves they would not have failed to have got friends that would have made these remarks in their behalf But as they acted in this manner without affectation and by a motion wholly without Self-interest they have not made it be observ'd by any I know not if it hath been observ'd to this day and 't is what shews with what Simplicity the thing was done 4. * Jesus Christ did work Miracles and the Apostles after him also the first Christians did many because the Prophesies not being yet accomplished and being fulfill'd by them nothing gave full Evidence but the Miracles It was Prophesied the Messias should Convert the Gentiles how was this Prophesie accomplish'd but in the Conversion of the Nations and how could the Nations be converted to the Messias unless they saw this last effect of the Prophesies that prov'd it Before he Died before his Resurrection and the Conversion of the Gentiles all was not accomplish'd and so Miracles were requisite all that while Now there needs no more for Proof of the truth of the Christian Religion for the Prophesies accomplish'd are a standing Proof 5. * The condition the Jews are yet in is also a great Proof of the Christian Religion it is a wonderful thing to see that Nation subsist so many Ages and in so miserable a Condition it being necessary to prove Jesus Christ that they should subsist and that they should be miserable because they Crucifi'd him and though it be very contrary to subsist and be miserable yet they still subsist in spight of their misery 6. * But were they not almost in the same Misery in the time of the Captivity No the Scepter was not departed by reason of the Babylonish Captivity because their Restoration was promis'd and foretold When Nebuchadnezzar led away the People fearing least it should be thought the Scepter was departed from Judah they were told before that they should be there but for a short time and that they should be restor'd again they were always comforted by their Prophets and their Kings continu'd But the second destruction is without any Promise of Restoration without Prophets without Kings without comfort or hope because the Scepter is departed for ever It was in a manner not to be Captives to be so only for Seventy years with assurance to be restor'd again to Liberty but now they are so without any hope 7. * God promis'd them that though he scatter'd them to the ends of the Earth yet if they kept his Law he would restore them they keep it very punctually now and yet are kept under The Messias must then be come and the Law that contain'd these Promises is accomplished by establishing another new Law. 8. * Had the Jews been all Converted by Jesus Christ we should only have had doubtful Witnesses and had they been quite destroy'd we should have had none at all 9. * The Jews deny'd him but not all the Righteous believ'd in him not the Carnal Jews And this is so far from being against his Glory that it is the highest pitch of it The reason they had and what is only found in their Writings in the Talmud and the Rabbins is only because Jesus Christ did not Conquer the Nations by force of Arms. Jesus Christ say they was slain he was overcome he did not conquer the Gentiles by force he gave us not their Spoiles he brought us not any Worldly Riches Is this all they can say It is therein that he is Amiable I would not have such a one a Christ as they figure to themselves 10. * How pleasant it is to see with the Eye of Faith Darius Cyrus Alexander the Romans Pompey and Herod acting unawares to themselves for the glory and advancement of the Gospel §. XVII Against Mahomet 1. THe Religion of Mahomet has for its Foundation the Alchoran and Mahomet But this Prophet that was to be the last and great expectation of the World was He foretold And what mark has he but what every Man may have that will call himself a Prophet What Miracles doth he say himself that he wrought What Mysteries did he teach according to his own Traditions What Morals and what Felicity 2. * Mahomet is without any Authority his Reasons then had need be very strong having only their own weight 3. * If two Men discourse of things that appear mean but that the Discourse of one of them has a double Sense to those that hear them and the Discourse of the other has but one Sense if one that is not Privy to their Design hear these two Men speak after this manner he will judg they are both alike But if afterwards in the Rest of the Discourse one of them speaks of Angelical things and the other always of mean and common and even of impertinencies he will judge the one speaks mystically and not the other the one having sufficiently shewn he did not approve such Follies and was capable of Mysteries and the other that he was uncapable of Mysteries and capable of Impertinencies 4. * It is not that there 's any thing very obscure in Mahomet and that it should be thought he had a mysterious Sense that I would have things judg'd but because things are clear by his Paradise and the rest It is therein he is ridiculous It is not so of the Scriptures I grant there may be some dark Passages but there are things wonderfully clear and Prophesies manifestly
two Natures and one Person We believe the substance of Bread being changed into the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ makes him Really present in the Sacrament this is one Truth Another is That this Sacrament also is a Figure of the Cross and of Glory and a Comemmoration of both this is the Catholick Faith which comprehends these two Truths which seem to be opposite to each other The Heresie of this time not conceiving that this Sacrament contains at once the Presence of Jesus Christ and his Figure and that he is both a Sacrifice and the Commemoration of a Sacrifice thinks one of these Truths can't be admitted without excluding the other For this Reason they hold that this Sacrament is Figurative and therein they are not Hereticks They think we exclude this Truth and therefore 't is they make so many Objections upon the passages of the Fathers that say it To conclude they deny the Real Presence and therein they are Hereticks Therefore the readiest way to hinder Heresies is to instruct all things that are true and the surest way of refuting them is to make them all manifest 5. * Grace and Nature will always be in the World there will still be Pelagians and Catholicks because the first Birth produces the one and the second Birth the other 6. * The Church doth merit with Jesus Christ as being inseparable from him the Conversion of all those which are not in the true Religion And afterwards 't is these Converts that do succour the Mother which deliver'd them 7. * The Body can no more live without the Head than the Head can without the Body whoever separates from one or the other is no longer of the Body and belongs not to Jesus Christ all kind of Virtue Martyrdom Fasting and all manner of good Works avail nothing out of the Church and the Communion of the Head of the Church which is the Pope 8. * It will be one of the Torments of the Damned to see that they shall be condemned by their own Reason whereby they pretended to condemn Christian Religion 9. * There is this of common betwixt the Life of the generality of Men and of Saints that they all aspire to Felicity and they differ only in the Object wherein they place it both one and the others call those their Enemies that hinder them from attaining to it 10. * We should judg of what is Good and Evil by the Will of God which can be neither unjust nor ignorant and not by our own Will which is always full of Error and Malice 11. * Jesus Christ has in the Gospel given this Mark to know those that have true Faith which is that they shall speak with new Tongues and indeed the renewing of the Thoughts and the Desires doth cause that of the Discourse for these new things which cannot be displeasing to God as the Old Man cannot be pleasing to him are different from the new things of the Earth inasmuch as the new things of the World how new soever they be do soon decay whereas this new Spirit the longer it continues is so much the more strengthened and renewed Our Old Man dieth saith St. Paul and we are renewed day by day and we shall not be fully renew'd until we enter into Eternity where we shall for ever sing the new Song spoken of by David in the Psalms that is to say the new Song of the Spirit proceeding from Love. 12. * When St. Peter and the Apostles abolished Circumcision where there was any thing to be done against the Law of God they consulted not the Prophets but the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Persons of those that were Circumcised they judged it surer that God had approved those whom he had filled with his Spirit than that heed should be given to the keeping the Law they knew the end of the Law was but the receiving the Holy Ghost and so seeing it was received without Circumcision it was no longer necessary 13. * Two Laws may suffice to rule the whole Christian Republick better than all the Polliticks in the World To Love God and our Neighbour 14. * Religion is proportion'd to all sorts of Men the ordinary sort stop at the State and Establishment it is in and this Religion is such that its only Establishment is sufficient to prove the Truth of it Others ascend to the Apostles the most refin'd go farther even to the beginning of the World Angels see it yet plainer and farther off for they see it in God himself 15. * Those to whom God has given a feeling Sense of Religion in the Heart are very happy and fully convinced but as for those that have it not we cannot procure it for them but by Reasoning until such time as God himself imprints it in their Hearts without which Faith is not profitable to Salvation 16. * God to reserve to himself the power of instructing us and to shew us the difficulty of our unintelligible Being has hid the Mystery of it so far from our sight that we were incapable of attaining to it So that 't is not by the force of our Reason but by the meer submitting of our Reason that we can come rightly to understand our selves 17. * The Wicked that make Profession of following Reason had need be strangely fortify'd with Reason What is 't they say Don't we see say they Beasts live and dye as well as Men and the Turks as well as Christians They have their Ceremonies their Prophets their Doctors their Saints their Religious Orders as well as we Is this contrary to the Scripture Don't it speak of all this If you are indifferent of searching out the Truth here 's room enough you may lye down in ease but if you desire with all your Heart to know and find it 't is not enough to seek it by Halves that may serve for a vain Question of Philosophy but hear your All lyes at stake nevertheless after a slight Reflection of this Nature c. 18. * It is a horrible thing to find all one possesses to wast continually and yet to set ones Heart upon it without seeking if there be not something that is more permanent 19. * We should live otherwise in the World according to these divers suppositions if one could abide there still if it be certain we shall not bide there long and uncertain if it shall be one Hour this last supposition is ours 20. * Let us imagin to see a great many Men in Chains and all condemned to Death some of which are daily executed in sight of the rest those that remain see their own Condition in that of their Companions and looking upon each other with sorrow and without hope expect when it will be their turn This is the representation of the Condition of Men. 21. * By the parts you should concern your self in seeking the Truth for if you dye without seeking the true Good you are ruin'd But you will
nothing wherein it is harder to impose upon them and wherein there is less occasion of Dispute So that when it is demonstrated to them that Christian Religion is inseparably join'd to Deeds the truth of which cannot justly be contested they must and ought submit to what it teacheth or that they abandon all Sincerity and right Reason If Moses for Instance was and that he wrote the Book that is attributed to him then the Jewish Religion is true If the Jewish Religion be True Jesus Christ is the Messias and if Jesus Christ be the Messias all must be believed that he said The Trinity the Incarnation Resurrection Ascension and all the Rest It is by this Divine chain of Truths God conducts Men to the true Faith and that they might shew there is nothing more reasonable than the submission they give to the most incomprehensible Mysteries very far from censuring them of Weakness and Imprudence And as this great Body of Christian Religion is compos'd of a great many different Parts which all tend to the same End and that it has subsisted Six thousand years it cannot but be by a Chain of infinite Truths that every Age has added a new Accumulation of Proofs and that at what Part soever one begins at what Point soever one apply themselves one still finds such a great abundance of Light that 't is impossible not to be convinc'd But one is so much the more obliged to apply themselves exactly to the seeking these Proofs God ordering it so that they should not consist in common Principles and so plain that they should presently be discover'd and that they should be alike seen of all Men. It is rather a heap of Circumstances that every body does not put together or don 't consider after the same manner which yet nevertheless are plain to the most ordinary Capacity when they ever so little open their Eyes and when they are all together produce a certainty if not greater at least more intimate and natural than that we have by speculative and abstracted Demonstrations because the manner of it is more proportion'd to the Mind of Man and that there 's no body but finds the Principles in themselves It is in this design that to give an Essay of the way that one should consider these Deeds which by their certainty do necessarily perswade that of our Religion we will make choice of the particular History of Moses and the Truth of his Books which serve as the Foundation of the Jewish Religion as this doth of the Christian according to St. Paul. I do not think my self bound presently to prove that if there was effectively a Man who lookt on himself to be sent on Gods part and that not desiring he should be believed on his bare Word or by Actions which are known to be but little above those of the power of Man has given for greater Evidence that wonderful Succession of Prodigies which is to be seen in the Pentateuch who was seen to have dispos'd of Life and Death to have Commanded the Elements and made the whole Frame of Nature stoop to his Orders I make no question I say but all the World will confess but this Man does best desérve to be believ'd of what he has writ concerning God in whose Name it was he wrought all these Wonders and that the Religion he Establish'd should be accounted as True and Divine The most obstinate Spirits will as 't were be at a loss under the weight of these Wonders and find no other means to satisfie the Inclination they have to Unbelief but to seek vain Reasons to question the Truth of these Miracles and of the Book which contains them But if they have any remains of Honesty and Sincerity left in them they cannot possibly proceed very far in these Doubtings and they will find them so dissipated by the abundance of Proofs which attend this History that they must be forc'd either to confess it to be true or be reduc'd to the dulness of those who to avoid believing what Religion Commands do rather chuse never to think at all of it For by what Suppositions do they think to shake the certainty of what is writ in these Books and put their Mind in a State of thinking that it all amounts to nothing Let them give all the scope they can to their Imagination and let it feed them with all the Chimera's it can they will never find any thing that has the least shadow of likelihood and which a Judgment never so little solid would not be asham'd to propose Will they say Moses never was and that all that is said of him is only a Fable invented at pleasure But let them consider that it is not Jews and Christians only that have been heard speak of this Moses seeing it is also known that Prophane Historians make mention of him and if that were not so let them also look on all the Histories in the World but as Fables seeing there is not one of them can be Credited if it were permitted to doubt that there was a Man called Moses who brought the Jews out of Aegypt after a long Captivity For all the Reasons whereby Men judge the truth of other Histories do equally appear in that of Moses For Instance we do not doubt but that there was an Alexander and a Cyrus because several Authors have writ of it and that no body ever thought of making any question of it neither has ever any body seriously question'd if there was a Moses It was constantly own'd and believ'd amongst a very Numerous People and by all those that knew them and that had any dealing with them without ever having been deny'd by any body But there is moreover this difference that Moses has particular Proofs and such as are not to be found in others for never was a Book preserv'd with so much Care and Affection as that which contains his History and nevertheless Men had never greater and more powerful Reasons to destroy the Truth of any Book if they could have found any colour for doing it than the Jews had in regard of this seeing that at once they might have freed themselves from a Law that was the most troublesom the most painful terrible and Injurious that could be to be observ'd so that one can see no Motive that should incline them to bear it but the firm perswasion of the Truth of it Incredulity not being able to subsist in this Chimera it must of necessity pass to some other and that for Example one must say That it is true there was a Man call'd Moses and that he was Chief of a great People he brought out of Aegypt but that he was a great Impostor which deceiv'd that People by false Miracles and forged all the Prodigies he Relates in his Book to subject them to the Law which he gave them and by that Law to himself in making them look upon it as come from Heaven and making
retain the design of moving his Tongue and so he would not pronounce one Word if he stirr'd it to speak it would be only Words that he before had form'd in his Head and that being put together would signifie nothing because he would put them together though they signifi'd nothing and so would not make a Speech that had any Sense or if he would that their putting together should signifie any thing it could not be the Speech whereof he had no Notions see here a thing that consists only in Multiplications and yet whereto it is impossible chance should ever attain And what is Admirable is that this divers assembling of Letters that Composes a Speech of Cicero's extending to all Languages are incomparably in much greater Number than the Words of the French Tongue that the President spoke and that yet nevertheless it was not impossible but this Speech might be hit on and that it is evidently the same this Man found out But it is as has formerly been said that the Hand that ranges these Letters at hazard is it self in the Hands of Chance and that this Man that speaks is govern'd by a Will and a Mind that are not at all subject thereto hazard never making a Man act against his Will nor lifting him above his Understanding It may easily be shewn that the Wager that Rome is is of this Nature and that hazard has nothing to do with it For of all those that have said there is a City so call'd there is not one but have had a Mind to say so but knew what they did in saying so and that also had some End or other in saying it All which things have no dependance at all upon hazard And as it cannot be but amongst them there were great Numbers that knew this City was not if it had not been in Effect one must be out of their Senses to imagin that hazard should make them all have Reasons to chuse rather to stand in this Lye than to tell the Truth or that all should desire so to do without any Sense or Reason It is needless to urge this any farther it would but weaken its force to Dilate more upon it to those that do not comprehend it at first view But one may boldly affirm it is impossible but it should be felt as much as a first Principle and that if the Existence of the City of Rome be not demonstrable to those that have not been there it follows there are things not demonstrable which are more certain as may be said than Demonstrations themselves Christian Religion is undoubtedly of this kind and whosoever had Understanding Knowledge and Reading sufficient and would diligently apply himself thereunto would plainly and easily make it out For let one seriously think of so many great and wonderful things as have accur'd for these Six thousand years past in the view of all Men and whereof Foot-steps are to be seen throughout the whole World and the Antiquity of the History that contains what is known of greatest Antiquity in the same the Verity whereof has never been question'd by any Let us consider of the Reflections Nature may be induc'd to make upon the Events and Mysteries which are taught us by the Christian Religion the manner how things have past down to us of the Stile Uniformity and Education of those that have transmited the Holy Scriptures to us of the Profoundness of the Truths they above all other Writings have discover'd to us as well touching the Nature of the Divinity as that of the human Nature also concerning what relates to Vertues and Vices Let the infinite distance be consider'd which there is betwixt these Holy Persons Notions and their manner of Thinking Expressing and Acting from that of all other Men and you would think thâ—m to be quite another thing The original Perfection they so peculiarly enjoy'd shews that all that ever was spoke by Men that seem'd to savour good Sense is only a weak imitation of their Copy and also that the Spring of their Errors and Abjurations is only a gross depravation of their solid Works And the Means whereby all we believe is Establish'd has hitherto subsisted doth yet subsist and will in all likelihood subsist as long as the World indures To conclude let all that so many great Men have writ on this Subject be summ'd up and let what they omitted be added thereunto for that 's but just because the weakness of Man's Understanding not admitting him to see things but imperfectly the abundance of what he discovers does infallibly shew that which is yet wanting I say let them consider all this and seriously ponder it and it will be evident that such an Accumulation of Proofs may be shewn for the certainty of our Religion that there is no Demonstration could be more convincing and it would be as hard to doubt of it as of a Propo sition of Geometry if one had nothing else but the very light of Reason to direct us For although it may be in the strictness of Geometry one may not be able to shew that these Proofs severally are not indubitable nevertheless being put together they have such a force that they do more fully convince ones Reason than all that does that Geometricians call Demonstration and the Reason is because Proofs of Geometry do only for the most part impose a kind of silence without diffusing any Light in the Understanding nor shew the thing plainly whereas these do as one may say lay it open before ones Eyes and that because they are adapted to our Capacity and we comprehend them with more care and safety than we can Principles of Geometry whereto few Heads do reach insomuch as infallible as these Demonstrations seem to be Geometricians themselves are oftentimes puzzl'd and deceiv'd in them FINIS At Port Royal Des Champ. This Thorn is at Port Royal in Suburbs St. James 's at Paris See Monsieur Pascall 's Thoughts 1 Cor. 1. 25. Psal 118. 36. 1 Cor. 1. 25. 8. 16. 8. 14. Mat. 11. 6. 14. 10. Gen. 12. 3. Ibid. 22. 3. 8. Luk. 2. 32. Psal 127. 20. Joel 2. 28. Jer. 23. 7. Isa 15. 7. Jer. 31. 33. Ide 32 40. Isa 5. 2 3 4 c. Ide 65. 2. Deut. 28. 28 29. Ezek. 17. Ezek. 30. 3. 13. Mal. 1. 11. Mal. 3. 1. Isa 9. 6. Mich. 5. 2. Isa 6. 8 29. Isa 42. 55. Isa 53. Isa 28. 26. Isa 8. 14. Ibid. 15. Psal 117. Dan. 2. 35. Zach. 11. 12. Psal 68. 22. 21. 17 18 19. Oze 6. 3. Psal 110. Psal 2. 2. Isa 60. 10. Jer. 31. 36. Joh. 19. 15. Isa 8. 14. Deut. 19. 20. Isa 63. 16. Deut. 10. 17. Jer. 4. 4. Deut. 30. 6. Gen. 17. 11. Deut. 30. 19 20. Deut. 32. 20 21. Isa 65. Psas 72. Amos. 5. Isa 66. Jer. 6. 20. Mal. 1. 11. 1 King 15. Oze 6. 6. Jer 31. 31. Isa 43. Jer. 3. 16. Jer. 7. 12 13. Mal. 1. 10 11. Psal 109. Isa 56. Oze 3. Jer. 31. 16. Rom. 19. Isa 43. 15. Mat. 11. 27. Deut. 13. 2 3 and Mar. 9. 38. Joh. 15. 24. Joh. 3. 2. Isa 1. 18. Ibid. 5. 4. John. 10. 26. 2 Thes 2. 10 11. Apoc. 2. 17. Isa 45. 15. Isa 53 3. Prov. 8. Joel 2. Psal 81. Isa 40. Eccles 3. 18. Mat. 25. Jam. 5. 17. Rom. 2. John 4. 3. Ezekiel 1 Cor. 6. 17. Gen. 8. 21. Heb. 9. 14. Heb. 10. 5 7. Psal 39. 7 8 9. Luk. 24. 2. Heb. 5. 8. Ibid. Phil. 3. 20.
Monsieur PASCALL'S THOUGHTS Meditations and Prayers Touching Matters MORAL and DIVINE As they were found in his Papers after his Death Together with a DISCOURSE upon Monsieur Pascall's THOUGHTS Wherein is shewn what was his Design As also another DISCOURSE On the PROOFS of the Truth of the Books of Moses And a TREATISE Wherein is made appear that there are DEMONSTRATIONS of a different Nature but as certain as those of Geometry and that such may be given of the Christian Religion Done into English by Jos Walker Licensed by R. M. LONDON Printed for Jacob Tonson at the Judge's Head in Chancery-lane near Fleet-street 1688. TO THE HONOURABLE Robt. Boyle ESQUIRE A Member of the Royal Society Honoured Sir IT being my Fortune to Live some Years in a Port where your Immortal Brother for so his Deeds has made him the Earl of Orrery came to take Shipping for Ireland his Lordship was pleas'd to shew me a small Treatise writ I think by the Baron De Isola intimating it was worth Translating into English I on my part yielded a ready compliance and his Lordship was pleas'd to say it was done to his satisfaction The Approbation of so great a Judge incouraged me to set on farther Attempts of that kind so that hearing by a Judicious Person that Monsieur Pascall's Works would be well accepted I got one of the Books and have used my Endeavours about it and observing a Parity there is in some things betwixt your Honour and our Author I thought I could not commit the so much Admir'd and Esteem'd Monsieur Pascall and his Precious Remains into safer and better Hands than the Famous Master Boyle's nor recommend him to Travel the Kings Dominions under a better or safer Conduct than that of your Honours Favourable Approbation and Acceptance If the Translation has not the Advantages of Art and Elegancy it requir'd and deserves I cannot help it the Will must pass for the Deed much Silver cannot be expected out of a Lead Mine I have kept to the Authors Sense as near as I could and have given way that any one else might have perform'd it better if they pleas'd Monsieur Pascall was Nobly Descended and a great lover of Vertue and Learning from his Infancy Every body knows Sir you Eminently enjoy these Advantages He was call'd a Christian Philosopher and Mathematician who knows not but your Honour deserves these Epithets by the many Learned and Profound Treatises you have Compos'd He made all his Works and Actions of his Life tend to the Temporal and Eternal good of Men You have Employ'd your whole Life and Estate in Laborious Studying the abstrusest Recesses of Nature for the Glory of God of Religion and the good of Manking as appears by your Excellent Treatise of the Stile of the Holy Scritures c. Monsieur Pascall was Eminently Charitable Pious and Exemplary in his Morals hating and reproving Vice in himself and others wherein he surpast most of the Clergy These things Sir cannot be deny'd you to such a Degree that for disapproving Vice you acquir'd the Title of Lay-Bishop for those truly deserve double Honour who throughly Reform themselves and do sincerely reprove Sin and Vice impartially in all sorts of Persons whatsoever The Prophets Christ the Apostles and all Good Men have done so Those who are indifferent in this regard and that manage themselves and Interests with a kind of human Policy thinking thereby to scape in a whole Skin let such tremble for a Monsieur Pascall and a Master Boyle will Rise up in Judgment and condemn them such doings will not turn to Account in the End as appears by our next Neighbours sad Experience I observe and could Instance other particular Strains in Monsieur Pascall's and your Honours Works and Life which the World would be Proud to know but I hold my Hand and referr so weighty a Work to be perform'd by your Panegyrists It is very seldom such Vertues as were in him are found in those of the Communion wherein he Liv'd But when I consider and compare his Writings and Life with a Lord Treasurer Manchester a Master Herbert and many other Worthies that have liv'd and shin'd in the English Climate I will not presume but shall leave it to the Learned World to judge the apparent differences may be discern'd It is true Monsieur Pascall is Dead but his great Purity of Life and Zeal according to what he could discern through the Mists of Superstition and part of his Remains in this Treatise and you Illustrious Sir in the Numerous Issue you have enrich'd the World with I say the Pious and Learned Master Boyle and Monsieur Pascall in their Excellent Works do yet and Will for ever Live and Shine and speak aloud in the Temple of Fame and will be rever'd in the Memory of Good Men and thereby have acquir'd a Name better than of Sons and Daughters I know it is a common Practice to Expose Pieces as the Real Product of a Couper a Carrachio a Vandike c. and to impose on Men Spurious Brats for Legitimate Children because they may have some Features of their Parents I dare not assure the World that the Account here given us of Monsieur Pascall's Life and Works are a Lively and Perfect Representation of him on the contrary having seriously consider'd the Solidity and Design of his Book in most parts of it I am rather apt to believe there are many Strokes and Alterations made by other Hands through that which some call pia fraus that were never intended by him had he liv'd to have seen his own Works finish'd It is Recorded of Epaminondas that he earnestly desir'd he might obtain one of the Prizes at the Olympick Games that his Mother might partake with him the Pleasure of his Happiness What an exceeding great Contentment must it needs be to your Illustrious Relations to see you for so many years successively enjoy in the sight of all Europe greater Honours than that so Passionately desir'd by that Famous Graecian You were not Content to search into the Secrets and Nature of all things in the Elements over and under us but you at length lanched out into the Boundless Ocean not precipitately as it is said the Prince of the Ancient Philosophers did but by your Rare and Indefatigable Studies You I may say Inverted the Order for the Prophet made the Waters Potable by casting Salt into them whereas you make Salt Waters Sweet and Wholsom by taking the Fire and Salt out of them What Cause has all Europe to thank Heaven for the Blessing they do or may if they be not wanting to themselves receive by your Contriving and perfecting those Engines and Materials for making Salt 〈◊〉 water Fresh A Secret no less Profitable than Pleasant Almighty God was pleas'd you should discover and in this last Age of the World communicate to Men to refresh and Cherish them in their Sea Voyages with what Quantity of Wholsom Water they
Indifferency if he has the least Spark of Reason and how stupid soever he has been coming to know himself he ought to consider whence he came and what shall become of him Monsieur Pascall having reduc'd him to this Condition of desiring to be inform'd of so weighty a Doubt in the first place he directs him to Philosophers and having there discover'd to him all that the greatest Philosophers of all manner of Sects have said of the State of Man he shews so many Defects so many Weaknesses Contradictions and Absurdities in what they have alledg'd that it is no hard matter for Men to judge that they cannot there find any safety Then he makes him reflect on the whole Universe and on all Ages and shews the many Religions that is Profess'd but at the same time he shews him by undeniable Arguments that all those Religions are compos'd but of Vanity and Folly of Errours and Extravagancies and that he cannot yet therein find any thing may satisfie him At length he makes him look on the Jews and in them he shews such extraordinary Circumstances that they easily Attract his Attention having shew'd what this People had that was Peculiar he particularly insists in mentioning an only Book whereby they are Govern'd and which contains both their History their Law and Religion One no sooner opens this Book but that one finds the World is the Work of God and that it is the same God who did make Man after his own Image and that he invested him with all Benefits of Body and Mind suitable to that State. Although there has been nothing yet that convinc'd him of this Truth yet it is very grateful to him and Reason alone suffices to shew that he finds more likelihood that God made Man and all things in the World than in all that Men have fansy'd by their own Imaginations What most puzzles him is That by the Description made of Man he is very uncapable of Possessing the Privileges that belonged to him when he first came out of the Hands of his Creator but he does not long continue in this Doubt for persisting to Read this same Book he therein finds that Man being Created by God in the State of Innocence and enjoying all manner of Perfection the first thing he did was to Rebel against his Maker and to employ all the Benefits he received to displease him Monsieur Pascall makes him understand this was the greatest Crime that could be in all its Circumstances it was punish'd not only in the First Man who thereby falling from his first State was plung'd in Misery in Weakness Errour and Ignorance but also all his Posterity are thereby Polluted and Corrupted to all ensuing Generations Then he shews him several places in this Book wherein he has discover'd this Truth he lets him see that there is scarce any more mention made of Man but in reference to this State of Weakness and Corruption that it is often repeated that all Flesh is Polluted that Men have given up themselves to their Lusts and that they are prone to Evil from their Birth He shews also that this first Fall is the Spring not only of what is most incomprehensible in the Nature of Man but also of a great many Effects that are without him and whereof the Cause is unknown to him To conclude he represents Man in such Lively Colours in this Book that he does not appear to differ from the first Original that he found out 'T is not enough to have shewn to this Man his State of Misery Monsieur Pascall shews him farther That in this same Book he shall find matter of Comfort and in Effect he shews him that 't is said that the Remedy is in the Hands of God that it is to him we must have Recourse to have the Helps we stand in need of that he will be intreated of us and that he will send a Saviour to Men that will pay a Ransom for them and that will restore them to Life and Happiness Having explain'd unto him a great many particular Remarks touching this Book and People he farther makes him consider that it is that alone that makes due mention of the Soveraign Being and that gives a Right Notion of a True Religion he represents the most sensible Marks which he referrs to those contain'd in this Book and he inclines him particularly to consider that it makes the Essence of true Worship consist in Loving and Adoring God which is a peculiar Character and that does visibly distinguish it from all other Religions whose falseness appears by want of this Essential Mark. Though Monsieur Pascall had led this Man on so far whom he intended insensibly to convince having not yet said any thing to him that might confirm him in the Truths that he discover'd to him nevertheless he put him in a State of receiving them with satisfaction provided he may be assur'd that he ought so to do and wished with all his Heart that they may be certain and well grounded seeing he therein found such great Benefit for his Repose and for satisfying his Doubts This is the State every Reasonable Man should be in if he duely consider'd the Consequences of the things Monsieur Pascall Treated of and it might justly be hoped that then he would soon submit to the Proofs that he after alledged to confirm the certainty of the weighty Truths which he asserted and which make up the ground of the Christian Religion which he design'd to teach To speak something briefly to those Proofs having shew'd in General that the Truths in Agitation were contain'd in a Book the certainty whereof no Man of Sense ever question'd he insisted particularly on the Books of Moses wherein these Truths are more especially to be found and he shew'd by a great many undeniable Circumstances that it was alike impossible that Moses should have Recorded Untruths or that the People to whom he committed them should suffer themselves to be Cheated had Moses a design to do so He spake also of all the Miracles that are mention'd in this Book and being of great concern to the Religion therein contain'd he made appear it was impossible but they must needs be true not only by the Authority of the Book wherein they are contain'd but also by the Circumstances wherewith they are attended and which render them Infallible He shew'd also how all Moses's Law was Figurative that all which hapned to the Jews was only the Figure of the Truths accomplish'd at the coming of the Messias and that the Veil that cover'd these Figures being taken off it was easie to see their accomplishment and full Consummation in regard of those that believed in Jesus Christ Monsieur Pascall afterwards undertook to prove the Truth of Religion by Prophecies and he inlarged very much on this Subject more than on any other having taken much pains therein and having particular Abilities to this purpose he explain'd them in a very full and clear manner
bounded his Curiosity to things Natural And he was often heard say that he added this Obligation to all the others he owed his Father who being himself very Pious and Religious he infus'd the same Thoughts into him from his Infancy laying him down this Maxim That whatever is the Object of Faith cannot be of Reason and much less can be Subject to Reason These Instructions being often inculcated by a Father whom he mightily esteem'd and in whom he saw there was much Knowledge accompany'd with a powerful way of Expression did so work on his Mind that what ever Discourse he heard made by Debauch'd Libertines he never was much concern'd at it and though he was very young he look'd upon them as Persons holding this wrong Principle That human Reason is above all things and as such who could not distinguish Nature from Faith. But to conclude having thus passed his Youth in Employments and Divertisements that seem'd harmless enough in the sight of Men God so wrought on him that he made him clearly perceive that Christian Religion obliges us to Live wholly to him and to make him our chief End and Object And this Truth appear'd so evident to him so profitable and so necessary that it made him resolve to sound a Retreat and by little and little withdraw himself from all Worldly concerns that he may thereunto the better and more effectually apply himself This Design of sequestring himself that he might lead a more Christian and Austere Life enter'd into his Mind in his younger Years and even then it inclin'd him to leave off his Study of Prophane Sciences that he might the better apply himself to those things that concerned his own Salvation and also that of other Men. But frequent Sicknesses whereto he was subject hindered for a time the executing his Designs until he came to be about Thirty years Old. It was about this time he began to set about it in good earnest and the better to effect it and at once to shake of all Impediments he remov'd his Habitation and afterwards went into the Country where he remain'd some time being come back he so well shew'd he intended to quit the World that at last the World forsook him In his retirement he fix'd the manner of his Living on two chief Maxims which was to renounce all Pleasure and Superfluity these things he had ever in view and he indeavour'd to persevere and perfect himself therein daily more and more It was his continual Practice of these two Maxims which made him shew so much Patience in all his Sickness and Sufferings by which he was scarce ever free from Pain all the Course of his Life it made him Exercise very strict and severe Mortifications on himself so that he refus'd not only to deny his Senses what might be pleasing to them but also would without difficulty or regret and with Pleasure take those things that were irksom to them whether it was Food or Physick this inclin'd him also daily to deny himself every thing that he suppos'd was not absolutely necessary as well in Apparel as Diet as also in Furniture and in all other things whatsoever and this inspir'd him with such a great Love of Poverty that it was always in his Thoughts and when he intended to undertake any thing he would presently consider if it might be consistent with a State of Poverty so that he had such a Tenderness and Compassion for the Poor that he never refused an Alms to any Poor body and many times he gave very considerably even out of that which he wanted for his own support this made him that he could not indure to study his own Conveniencies and that he often condemn'd this over great Curiosity and desire of excelling in all things as of being serv'd by the best Workmen in having always apparel of the best and most Fashionably made and a thousand other such things as are done without difficulty it being thought there is no hurt in it but he did not think so and to conclude it made him perform several other Remarkable Christian Exercises which I will not here relate to avoid Prolixity it being not my design to write a Life but to give some Ideas of Monsieur Pascall's Piety and Vertue to those that did not know him for as for those that did and were acquainted with him the last Years of his Life I do not pretend to inform such and make no question but they know very well that I pass over in silence many other things that might be here inserted Approbation of the Bishop of Amiens WE have Read the Posthumus Book of Monsieur Pascall which required the Authors care in finishing it although it contains but Fragments and seeds of Discourse yet therein may be perceiv'd great Curiosities and Beams of Sublime Light. The force and loftiness of the Thoughts do sometimes amaze the Mind but the more they are weigh'd the plainer they are seen to be drawn from the Philosophy and Theology of the Fathers A Work so imperfect fills us with Admiration and Grief that there is no other Hand that can finish these first Essays but that which knew how to ingrave so lively and great an Idea nor that can Comfort us for the Loss we suffer by his Death The World is oblig'd to the Persons that have preserv'd such Precious Remains although they are not fil'd and polish'd such as they are we make no doubt but they will be very useful to those that love the Truth and their own Salvation Given at Paris where we chanc'd to be about the Affairs of our Church the 1st of November 1669. Francis of Amiens Approbation of the Bishop of Cominges THese Thoughts of Monsieur Pascall shew the Beauty of his Wit the Solidity of his Piety and his Profound Learning they give so Excellent an Idea of Religion that without any great difficulty one submits to what is more abstruse in them They so fully teach the chief Points of Morality that they presently discover the Spring and Progress of our Disorders and the Means of avoiding them and they so savour of all other Sciences that it may easily be perceiv'd Monsieur Pascall was not ignorant of any Human Learning Although these Thoughts are only the first Lines of Reasonings he mus'd upon yet nevertheless they contain a great depth of Knowledge They are but Seeds yet they produce Fruit as soon as they are sown One Naturally finishes what this Learn'd Man intended to say and the Readers themselves become Authors in an Instant by making but a little serious Reflection Nothing therefore is fitter profitably and pleasantly to entertain the Mind than the Reading of these Essays how imperfect soever they at first seem to be and according to my Judgment the perfectest Productions that has for this long time appear'd do not better deserve to be Printed than this imperfect Book doth At Paris September 4th 1669. Gilbert Bishop of Cominges Approbation of Monsieur Camus Dr.
in Divinity of the Faculty of Paris Counsellor and Almoner in Ordinary to the King and Bishop of Grenoble â—T hapned to me in Examining this Work in the State it is in as it will almost to all those that will Read 〈◊〉 which is more than ever to lament the Loss of the â—uthor who only was able to finish what he so happily â—â—d begun To conclude if this Book imperfect as it is â—â—th nevertheless mightily work upon Reasonable Perâ—â—s and discover the Truth of Christian Religion to â—ose that Sincerely seek after it What would it not â—â—ve done if the Author had liv'd to have perfected it â—nd if these rough Diamonds do here and there cast â—â—th such shining Light what Mind would they not â—â—ve dazl'd if this Skilful Artist had liv'd to have â—â—lish'd and finish'd them Moreover had he liv'd his â—â—cond Thoughts had doubtless been more Methodical â—an the First which are made Publick in this Treaâ—â—e but they could not have been Wiser they might â—â—ve been better polish'd and cemented but they could â—â—t have been more Solid and Resplendent It is the Teâ—â—imony we give of this Work and that we find noâ—â—ing in it contrary to the Doctrine and Belief of the â—hurch At Paris 21st September 1669. Bish Le Camus Dr. of the Faculty of Divinity of Paris Counsellor and Almoner to the King. ADVERTISEMENT THe Thoughts contain'd in this Book having bâ— Writ and Compos'd by Monsieur Pascall in 〈◊〉 manner as hath been related in the Preface that to say just as they came in his Mind and with any continuance it cannot be expected much Order to be found in the Chapters of this Collection whâ— is compos'd for the most part of many Thoughts â—â—stinct the one from the other and that are â—â—ranged under the same Title but because they see to Treat near hand of the same Subject And thoâ— it be easie enough in Reading each Chapter to juâ—â— if it be a continuation of what preceeded or 〈◊〉 contains a New Thought nevertheless it was judgâ— the better to distinguish them to make some partâ—â—â—lar Mark. So that where at the beginning of â— Article this Mark * is seen it imports this â—â—ticle contains new Matter that relates not to 〈◊〉 went before but is distinct of it self and by 〈◊〉 same Rule it will be found that the Articles 〈◊〉 have not this Mark make but one Discourse 〈◊〉 were found in this Order in Monsieur Pascall's Oâ—â—ginals yet in some places the Articles being 〈◊〉 Two or Three of them are included in one Paragraph It hath also been thought convenient at the End â—â— these Thoughts to insert some Prayers Compos'd â—â— Monsieur Pascall during a great Sickness he had in 〈◊〉 younger years they have been Printed formerly twiâ—â— or thrice on imperfect Copies it being done withoâ—â— the knowledge of those that give this Impression to thâ— Publick THE LIFE OF MONSIEUR PASCALL Writ by Madam PERIER his Sister MY Brother was born at Clermont the 19th of June 1623. My Father's Name was Stephen Pascall President of the Court of Aids and my Mother was Antoinete Begon My Brother was no sooner of Age to be discoursed with but he gave pregnant Marks of an extraordinary Wit by the ingenious Replies he made to those that spake to him but much more by Questions he proposed on the Nature of sundry things to the admiration of those that heard him this hopeful Beginning was not without good ground for as he grew in Years and Stature so he increased in Wisdom and far surpassed what could be expected from one of his Age. My Mother departed this Life in the Year 1626. at which time my Brother was but Three years old My Father being left as 't were alone apply'd himself more closely in looking after his Family and having no other Son but this the quality of an only Son and the signs of a towardly Wit which he observ'd in this Child made him so much delight in him that he could not resolve to commit him to be educated by any body else and even then resolv'd to instruct him himself which he did My Brother never was bred up at any College nor had any other Master or Tutor but my Father In the Year 1631. my Father retired to Paris and took us all along with him and there made his Residence My Brother being about Eight years of Age found much benefit by this remove upon account of my Fathers design of educating him for 't is certain he could not have been so careful of him in the Country where the discharge of his Employment and the continual resort of Company that abounded at his House might have hinder'd him but at Paris he was free and at full liberty he made it his sole business and had all Books and helps that the care of so wise and affectionate a Father could procure His chief Maxim in the course of his Education was always to keep my Brother above his Work and 't was for this Reason he would not begin to teach him Latin till he was Twelve years old that so he might learn it with the greater ease and delight During this interval he left him not Idle but entertain'd him with all things whereof he found him capable He shew'd him in general what Languages were he shew'd him how they were reduced into Grammar by certain Rules that those Rules had Exceptions which were to be observ'd and that thereby the means was found out of making all Languages communicable from one Country to another This general Idea of things opened his Understanding and made him comprehend the Reason of Grammar Rules so that when he came to learn them he new the meaning of them and apply'd himself preisely to those things only which were most necessary to be learned After these general Notions my Father instructed him in other things he often discoursed him of the extraordinary effects of Nature as of Gun powder c. which are surprizing when one considers them My Brother was much pleas'd with this kind of Discourse but he was very curious to know the Reason of all things and as they are not always well known when my Father did not answer him or that he gave him those Answers that are commonly alledg'd which are for the most part but meer evasions he was not satisfied therewith for he had ever an admirable clearness of Judgment to discern things and it may be truly said That at all times and in all things Truth was the sole Object of his desire and nothing could satisfie him but the knowledge of it so that from his Childhood he could not submit to any thing but to what appeared to him plainly and evidently so that when Reasons were offer'd him that were not solid he sought out others himself and when he fixed on any thing he would not forsake it till he found some others that he liked better One time amongst others one chancing at Dinner to strike a China
Beasts and that have given us the Enjoyments of the Earth for our Portion Have they found a remedy for our Concupiscences Lift up your Eyes to God say some behold him whom you resemble and that has made you to adore him you may make your selves like him Wisdom will liken you to him if you will follow it others say bow down your Eyes to the Ground miserable Worms that you are and behold the Beasts whose Companions you are What then will become of Man Shall he be equal to God or to Beasts What a vast distance is this What will become of us What Religion is it will teach us the cure of Pride and Concupiscence What Religion will teach us our Happiness our Duties our Imperfections that hinder us from it the remedies that may cure us and the means to obtain those remedies Let us see what the Wisdom of God says to us on all this and speaks to us in the Christian Religion It is in vain O Man that thou seekest in thy self the remedy of thy Miseries all your knowledg will only reach to know that Truth and solid Good is not to be had in thy self Philosophers have indeed promis'd it but they could not perform it they did not know neither thy true Happiness nor thy true State how was it possible they should give a remedy of your Miseries seeing they never fully knew them your greatest evils are Pride which estranges you from God and Concupiscence which draws you after the World and they have always cherish'd at least one of these Evils If they propose God to you for your Object it was only to increase your Pride they made you think that by Nature you resembl'd him and those which have seen the Vanity of this pretension have flung you into the other Precipice in shewing you that your Nature was like that of Beasts and inclin'd you to seek your Happiness in Sensualities which is the Portion of brute Beasts These are not the means to inform you of your Transgressions expect not therefore neither Truth nor Consolation from Men I am he that form'd thee and that alone can shew thee what thou art but you are not now in the State I set you in I made Man Holy Innocent perfect I fill'd him with light and understanding I communicated my Glory and Majesty to him Man did then with his Eye behold the Glory of God he was not in darkness that blinds him nor in the Mortality and Miseries that surround him but he did not long enjoy that Glory but fell into presumption he would needs become his own Center and live without my support he withdrew himself from my Rule and equalling himself to me through a desire of finding a Felicity in himself I left him to himself and causing all the Creatures I had put under his Feet to revolt from him I made them become his Enemies so that now Man is become like to the Beasts and so far estrang'd from me that there is scarse any little light of his first Author to be found in him his Faculties are so much confus'd or so near extinguish'd his Sences either independent of his Reason or for the most part overcoming his Reason leads him away to the love of Pleasures all Creatures either tempt or afflict him and either sway him by prevailing over him by their force or charm him by their delights which is the more imperious and dangerous slavery of the two 2. * This is the State of Man at present there is as yet remaining in him some little glimering light of the Happiness of his first State but he is overwhelm'd in the Miseries of his ignorance which is become his Second Nature 3. * From these Principles which I briefly lay down you may easily discern the cause of so many vast contrarieties which have divided and astonish'd Men. 4. * Now take notice of the several desires of Greatness and Glory which the sense of so many Miseries cannot extinguish and see if the cause of this be not a second Nature 5. * Know then O proud Man what a Paradox thou art to thy self weak Reason humble thy self frail Nature be silent know that Man doth infinitely surpass Man and expect to understand thy true State from thy Maker which thou art utterly ignorant of 6. * For if Man had never been defil'd by Sin he should with safety have enjoy'd Truth and Happiness and had he been always corrupt he would never have had any Idea of Truth nor of Blessedness But wretched Creatures that we are and the rather as though there were no greatness in our Condition we have a desire after Happiness but cannot attain to it we feel a Notion of Truth and yet possess nothing but a Lye unable quite to be ignorant and cannot know certainly so sure it is we were in a State of Perfection from whence we are miserably fallen 7. * What is it then that this weakness and avidity intimates to us but that there was formerly in Man a real good and there now remains only the Foot-steps of it which he in vain strives to fill up with what he sees round about him seeking in things absent the succour he cannot find in those present and which neither the one nor the other is capable of affording him because this wide Gulf cannot be fill'd but by an Object which is infinite and unmoveable 8. * Nevertheless it is a thing very wonderful that the Mystery farthest off from our Knowledg which is that of the Transmission of Original Sin is such a thing that without it we cannot have a right knowledg of our selves for there is no doubt to be made nothing does more startle our Reason than to say the Sin of Adam doth make those to be guilty which seem to be uncapable of participating of it by reason of their great distance from the Fountain this infection seems not only to be impossible but it also seems to us to be unjust For what seems more contrary to the miserable Rules of our Justice than eternally to Damn an Infant that hath not the power to will for a Sin wherein it seems so little concern'd that 't was committed 6000 years before it had any Being certainly nothing seems more difficult to us than this Doctrine Nevertheless without this Mystery the most incomprehensible of all others we are incomprehensible to our selves the Mystery of our Condition is complicated in this Abyss so that Man is more inconceivable without this Mystery than this Mystery is unfathomable to Man. 9. * Original Sin is foolishness to Man it is granted to be so the want of Reason should not be urged in this Doctrine for it is not expected Reason should attain to it But this foolishness is wiser than the Wisdom of Men Quod stultam est Dei sapientius est hominibus for without this what would they say Man is his whole State depends of this invisible Point and how should he discover it by
Reason seeing it is a thing above his Reason and that it is a thing so far from being contriv'd by his Reason that his Reason is lost when it is presented to him 10. * These two Estates of Innocence and Corruption being laid down it is impossible but we should be convinc'd of them 11. * Let us follow our own Sense let us observe our own selves and try if we do not find the lively Characters of these two Natures 12. * So many contradictions would they be found in a single Subject 13. * This duplicity of Man is so visible that some have thought we had two Souls a single Subject appearing to them uncapable of such great and sudden varieties from a boundless Presumption unto an extraordinary lowness of Spirit 14. * So that all these contrarieties which seem most to alienate Men from the knowledg of Religion are the very things should most of all direct them to the knowledg of the Truth As for my particular I freely confess that as soon as the Christian Religion discovers this Principle that the Nature of Man is Corrupt and fallen from God it presently enables me to see clearly the Character of this Truth for Nature is such that in all things it shews plainly the loss of God both in Man and without Man. Without these Divine Lights what were Man able to do unless he rais'd himself up in the little remainder of the Thoughts of their last Dignity or cast themselves down in the sense of their present Misery for not having a clear view of the Truth they could never attain to perfect Virtue some considering Nature as corrupted others as irreparable they could not have avoided Pride or Sloth which are the Springs of all Vice seeing they could not shun falling therein by weakness or be freed by Pride for did they know the Excellency of Man they would be ignorant of his Corruption whereby they would avoid Sloath but would be plunged into Pride And did they know the Infirmity of Nature they would not know its Dignity whereby though they avoided the Vanity of it yet it was by running head-long into despair From hence proceeded the divers Sects of Stoicks Epicureans Dogmatists and Accademists c. It is Christian Religion only is capable of curing these two Evils not in making them expel each other by Worldly Wisdom but in expelling both of them by the Simplicity of the Gospel For it teacheth the Just whom it lifteth up to the participation of the Divinity it self that in this exalted State they yet have in them the Spring of all the Corruption which during the course of Life renders them subject to Error Misery Death and Sin and it informs the most guilty that they are capable of the favour of their Redeemer whereby it makes those fear whom it justifies and affords Comfort to those it Condemns It doth with so much evenness temper fear with hope by this double capacity which is common to all of Grace and Sin that it humbleth infinitely more than Reason can do but without casting into despair and elevateth infinitely more than the Pride of Nature yet without puffing up shewing plainly thereby that being free from Error and Vice it only appertains to her both to correct and instruct Men. 15. * We cannot comprehend the glorious Estate of Adam the Nature of Sin nor the manner how it reacheth unto us these things were transacted in a State of Nature diflerent from ours and do surpass our present capacity and indeed all those things are unnecessary for our Knowledg to free us out of our Miseries all that behoves us to know is that by Adam we are miserable corrupt estranged from God but Redeemed by Jesus Christ and of this we have admirable Proofs upon Earth 16. * Christianity is surprising It enjoyns Man to confess that he is vile and abominable and at the same time it commands him to endeavour to be like God without such a Ballance this elevation would render him extreamly Vain or this lowness would render him horribly Contemptible 17. * Misery inclines us to despair greatness doth inspire presumption 18. * The Incarnation discovers to Man the height of his Misery by the greatness of the Remedy that it wanted 19. * There is not to be found in Christian Religion that degree of Misery which makes us incapable of Happiness nor a State of Holiness that is exempt from Sin. 20. * There is no Doctrine more suitable to Man than this it informing him of his double capacity of receiving and losing Grace by reason of the double danger whereunto he is always exposed of Despair or of Pride 21. * Philosophers never prescrib'd any means proportion'd to these two States they inspired only thoughts of Pride and Greatness and this is not the true State of Man they inspir'd also Toughts of meanness and that is not neither the State of Man there must be thoughts of meanness not of the abjectness of Nature but of Repentance not to rest in it but to proceed on to Greatness there must be thoughts of greatness but of that greatness which proceeds from Grace not Merit after having been humbled 22. * No body is so happy as a true Christian nor so Virtuous Reasonable and Aimable With how little Pride doth a Christian think he is united to God how unconcernedly doth he compare himself to the Worms of the Earth 23. * Who then can refuse to believe these Heavenly Lights and to Adore them For is it not as clear as the Light that we feel in our selves indelible Characters of Excellence and is it not also as certain that we feel every Moment the Effects of our deplorable State What then doth this chaos and horrible confusion inform us but the truth of this double State with such a loud Voice that 't is impossible to resist §. IV. It is not incredible that God should unite himself to us WHat most of all hinders Men from believing that they are capable of being united to God is nothing else but the musing upon their own wretchedness if they think on it sincerely and extend it as far as I have done that they confess this vileness to be indeed very great and that we are of our selves uncapable of knowing if his Mercy cannot make us worthy of him For I would fain know how this Creature that confesses himself so Vile comes to limit the Mercy of God and to set it the bounds that his Fancy doth suggest Man knows so little what God is that he doth not know what he himself is and being troubled at the sight of his own State how dares he say God cannot render him capable of communicating himself to him I would ask him if God requires ought else of him but to know and love him and wherefore he should think God should not make himself be known and loved of him seeing he is naturally capable of Love and Knowledg for there 's no question to be
made but that at least he knows that he is and that he loves something If he then sees something in the dark state wherein he is and finds something on Earth that deserves his Love If God be pleas'd to infuse into him some Beams of his Essence wherefore should it be thought strange that he should be made capable of knowing and loving him as he shall be pleas'd to communicate himself to him These kinds of reasoning therefore are very presumptuous though they seem to be grounded on a kind of Humility yet it is not sincere nor reasonable unless it makes us confess that not knowing of our selves what we are we cannot know it of any but God. §. V. The submission and use of Reason 1. THe farthest Reason can go is to confess that there are infinite numbers of things that are above it It is very weak if it proceeds not so far 2. * One must know to doubt where there 's cause to doubt assure where there is cause and submit when one ought who doth not these things don't understand the force of Reason There are many that do not observe these three Principles either they assure all as demonstrable in not rightly knowing what demonstration is or in doubting of all not knowing where to submit or in submitting to all not knowing where to judg 3. * If all be submitted to Reason our Religion would have nothing mysterious and supernatural in it if the Principles of Reason are violated our Religion would be absurd and Rediculous 4. * Reason saith St. Austin would never submit if it did not judg that there are certain occasions wherein it ought to submit It is therefore just it should submit when it judges that it ought to submit and that it should not submit when upon good grounds it ought not to submit but great care must be taken of not being deceiv'd 5. * Piety is very different from Superstition To advance Piety to Superstition you destroy it Hereticks charge us with superstitious submission it were to do what they charge us with if we requir'd this submission in things indifferent There is nothing so conformable to Reason as to lay aside Reason in matters of Faith and nothing more contrary to Reason than the disusing of Reason in things that do not concern Faith These are two extreams alike dangerous to exclude Reason and to admit nothing but Reason 6. * Faith teaches things which Sense doth not but never nothing contrary to it it is above but not contrary to Reason §. VI. Faith without Reasoning IF we see a Miracle say some Men we would be converted They would not speak in this manner did they know what Conversion means They think there is no more in it but to believe there is a God and that to Worship him consists only in certain Forms of Words much like those the Gentiles used to their Idols True Conversion consists in humbling our selves before that Soveraign Majesty we have so often provok'd and who might justly every Minute destroy us to confess that we can do nothing without him and that we have deserv'd nothing but his displeasure it consists in acknowledging that there is a great enmity betwixt God and us and that without a Mediator we could have had no access nor favour Do not think it strange to see common People believe without Reasoning God works in them a love of Holiness and a hatred of themselves he inclines their heart to believe One shall never believe with a true saving Faith unless God inclines the Heart and as soon as he inclines it one shall believe And it is what the Prophet David knew very well when he said Inclina cor meum Deus in testimonia tua Those that believe without having examin'd the Proofs of Religion it is because they have an inward Holy Disposition and that what they hear said of our Religion is wholly conformable to it They feel that God has made them they will love none but him they will hate none but themselves they find their own weakness and that they are unable to go to God and that if God don't vouchsafe to come to them they can have no Communion with him and they find it is said in our Religion that we must love God and hate our selves but being wholly depraved and uncapable of coming to God God became Man to unite himself to us There needs nothing more to perswade Men who have this Disposition in their Heart together with this knowledg of their incapacity and Duty Those whom we see to be Christians without the knowledg of Prophesies and Proofs do nevertheless judg as well as those that have this Knowledg they judge by the heart as the others do by the understanding It is God himself that inclines them to believe and therefore they are very effectually perswaded I grant that one of these Christians that believes without knowing the Proofs may not it may be know so well how to convince an Infidel who may say so much of himself But those that understand the Proofs of Religion can easily prove that a believer is truly inspired of God although he cannot tell how to do it himself §. VII That it is more advantageous to believe than not believe what is taught by the Christian Religion Advertisement MOst of what is contained in this Chapter concerns only certain Persons who not being satisfy'd with the Proofs of Religion and much less with the Reasons of Atheists remain in suspense betwixt Faith and Infidelity the Author pretends only to shew by their own Principles and the light of Natural Reason that they should judg it is their Intrest to believe and that 't were their wisest course so to do did this choice depend of their own Will. Whence it follows that till they have found means to convince them of the Truth they should do what may most tend that way and avoid all those Courses which hinder them from getting true Faith which are principally Passions and vain Amusements 1. UNity joyn'd to Infinity adds nothing to it no more than a Foot does to an infinite Measure the Finite disappears in presence of the infinite and becomes nothing so doth our Wisdom in the sight of God and our Righteousness before the Divine Holiness There is not so great a disproportion betwixt Unity and Infinity as there is betwixt our Righteousness and that of God. 2. * We know there is an Infinite Being but are ignorant of his Nature as for Example we know it is false that Numbers are Finite then it is true there is an Infinity in Number but we know not what it is It is false that 't is even it is false that 't is odd for in adding the Unity it changes not Nature So we may plainly see there is a God and not know what he is and you ought not conclude there is no God because we do not perfectly know his Nature To convince you of his existence I
will not insist upon the Faith by which we certainly know him nor of all the other Proofs which we have seeing you will not submit to them I will deal with you only by your own Principles and I don't doubt by the usual way that you discourse daily of things of the least Moment you will see how you should discourse of this matter and what side you should take in discussing this important Point of the Existence of God. You say we are incapable of knowing if there is a God nevertheless it is certain there is a God or there is not there is no Medium but which side shall we take Reason you say can determine nothing in the case there is an Infinite chaos that separates us at this infinite distance there will a chance happen Cross or Pile what will you lay by Reason you cannot assure one nor the other by Reason you cannot deny neither of both Do not then blame those of falshood that have made a choice for you can't tell if they have done ill or chosen wrong no you will say but I blame them not for having made this choice but for making any choice and as well he that took Cross as he that took Pile have both done ill the best way had been not to have lay'd at all Say you so but there 's a necessity we must lay it is not at our liberty you are imbarqu'd and not to lay God is is to lay he is not which of the two will you bet Let us consider the loss and gain in betting to believe God is if you win you win all if you lose you lose nothing lay then that he is without hesitating Well I must lay but it may be I risque too much let us see seeing there is the like hazard in winning and losing had you but two Lives to win for one you may well lay and were there Ten to be gain'd you would be very unwise not to venture your Life to win ten at a Game where there is no more hazard of losing than winning But here there is an infinite number of Lives infinitly happy to be won with the like hazard of winning as of losing and what you risque is of so little value and short continuance that 't is a meer Folly to spare it in this occasion For it avails nothing to say it is uncertain if one shall win and that 't is sure one does venture and that the infinite distance which is betwixt the certainty of what one lays down and the uncertainty of what one shall win does equal the finite good which one lays down to the infinite good which is uncertain This is not true All Gamsters do venture certain in hopes to win and yet he certainly risques the finite to gain uncertainly the infinite without any contradiction of Reason There is not an infinity of distance betwixt this certainty of what one lays down and the uncertainty of winning that is not true there is indeed infinity betwixt the certainty of gaining and the certainty of losing But the uncertainty of wining is proportion'd to the certainty of what one ventures according to the proportion of the hazards of winning and losing and thence it is that if there be as many hazards of one side as there is of the other the Game is equal and then the certainty of what one plays is equal to the uncertainty of the Game it is so far from being infinitly distant and so our Proposition is in full force when the Finite only is hazarded at a play where there is as much probability of winning as losing and the Infinity to be won this is Demonstration and if Men are capable of admitting Truth they ought to receive this I own I grant it but is there not yet other means of seeing more clearly yes by the Scriptures and by all the other Proofs of Christian Religion which are very many and clear Those who expect to be sav'd you will say are happy in such a State but then they are often terrify'd with the fear of being Damn'd But who is it has more cause to fear Hell either him that thinks there is no Hell and sure to be damn'd if there be one or him that is certainly perswaded there is a Hell and in hope to be preserved from it if there be one Whoever had but eight Days to live and would think the best way was to believe it fell out so by hazard must needs have lost his Senses now were we not sway'd by our Passions eight Days and a hundred Years would be but the same thing What danger can it be to you to resolve on this Course it will make you Faithful Honest Humble Thankful Sincere and Charitable It s true you will not live in filthy Pleasures in Vanity and Fleshly delights But shall I gain nothing else I tell you even in this Life you will be a Gainer and as you proceed in this way you will find so much certainty of profit and so much of emptiness in what you risque that at last you will find you have betted for a thing certain and infinite and that you have given nothing for obtaining it But you say you are so made that you cannot believe Learn at least your own inabillity to believe seeing your Reason tells you you should and yet have not power to do it strive therefore to overcome your self not by desiring more Proofs on Gods part but by diminishing your own Passions You would walk in Faith and do not know the way you would be heal'd of your infidellity and seek not the Remedies inform your self of those that have been in your State and that now are free from Doubts they know the way you would willingly go in and are cured of the Evil you would be freed from follow the Course they took follow their outward Examples if you cannot as yet enjoy their inward Dispositions lay aside those delays wherewith you have been hinder'd I should soon have quitted these Pleasures you will say if I had but Faith and I tell you you would soon have Faith if you would forsake these Pleasures Now 't is your part to begin If it were in my power I would give you Faith but I cannot and by consequence am not able to prove the truth of what you say but you may easily quit these Pleasures and try if what I say be true 3. * Let us not be ignorant of our selves we are Flesh as well as Spirit and thence it is that the instrument which perswadeth is not the only Demostration How few things be there that is demonstrated Proofs do only convince the Understanding Custom gives us the strongest Evidence it inclines the Senses which insensibly draws the understanding after it unawares Who ever demonstrated that to morrow it would be Day and that we shall Dye and yet what is there more universally believ'd therefore it is Custom perswades us hereunto it is that makes so many Turks and
then they would see and think of themselves and it is this they cannot endure And so 't is after they have toil'd in so many businesses if they have any little respit they strive to spend it in some Divertisements that wholly take them up and steal them from themselves Therefore when I set upon the consideration of the sundry Agitations of Men the Pains and Perils they expose themselves unto at Court at the Wars in the pursuit of their Ambitious Pretensions from whence arise so many Quarrels Passions and wicked and dangerous Enterprises I have often said that all the Misfortune of Men proceeds from their not knowing how to keep themselves quiet in their Chamber A Man that has Means sufficient to live if he knew how to keep at home would not go abroad to Sea nor to a Siege and if one sought only enough to live one should not much need such dangerous Occupations But when I more narrowly consider'd I found that this aversion Men to have rest and of entring into themselves proceeds from a very effective cause that is from the natural Misfortune of our weak and mortal Condition which is so miserable that nothing can comfort us when nothing hinders us of thinking of it and that we see none but our own selves I speak only of such that look on themselves without any interest in Religion for 't is most certain that 't is one of the Wonders of Christian Religion to reconcile Man to himself in reconciling him to God in making him look on himself with any Comfort and to make Retirement and Rest more agreeable to some than the agitation and company of Men. It is not in staying Man in himself that it produceth these wonderful effects it is in carrying him to God and in supporting him in the thoughts of his Miseries by the hopes of another Life which shall wholly free him from them But as for such who act only by the instinct they find in themselves and in their Nature it is impossible they should subsist in this Rest that gives them leisure to consider of it and not to see themselves presently assaulted with regret and sadness Man that loves himself hates nothing more then to be alone with himself he seeks only himself and yet shuns nothing more than himself because when he sees himself he sees not himself such as he would be and finds in himself whole heaps of unavoidable Miseries and an emptiness of real good things which he is unable to fill up Let Men chuse what Condition they will and lay in store all the goods and satisfactions that may seem to satisfie any Man If he that is in this State be without imployment or any Divertisement and that one lets him make reflection upon what he is all this languishing Felicity will not support him he will of necessity fall into tormenting apprehensions of the time to come and if he be not some other ways diverted then he is unavoidably Miserable The Royal Dignity is it not sufficiently great of it self to render him happy that enjoys it by the sole considering what he is What must he yet be diverted from this Thought as the commoner sort of Men I see it is to make a Man Happy to divert him from the sight of his domestick Troubles by filling his Mind with the Thoughts of dancing well But would it be the same to a King And would he be happier in following these vain amusements then in considering his Greatness What more pleasing Object can one offer to his Mind Would it not interrupt his Joy to trouble his Thoughts about ordering his Steps to keep time with the Musick or in compleatly ordering a Ball instead of letting him in rest and quiet enjoy the Pleasure of Contemplating the Majestical Glory wherewith he is invested Let this be put to the Tryal let a King be left all alone without any satisfaction of the Senses without any care in the Mind without Company to think of himself all at leisure and it will be found that a King that sees himself is a Man full of Miseries and one that feels them as well as any other common Person Also this is very carefully avoided and there never fails to have near the Persons of Kings a great many that continually watch to make Divertisements succeeed after Business and observe all their leisure time to supply them with Pleasures and Pastimes that there might be none of their time vacant That is to say that they are compass'd round with Persons that are wonderfully careful that the King should not be alone and in a Condition to think of himself knowing very well that he would be Miserable all King as he is if he should And indeed the Principal thing that supports Men in great Imployments which in themselves are so painful is that they are perpetually hinder'd from thinking of themselves Observe it well What else is 't to be an Intendent Chancellor or President but to have a great number of People about one that come from all Parts so as not to let them enjoy one hour of the Day to think of themselves And when they come out of favour and that they are dismist and sent to their Country House where they have no want of Riches nor Attendants to serve them in need nevertheless they are Miserable because there is no longer any that come to hinder them from thinking of themselves Hence it is that so many delight themselves at Play in Hunting and other Divertisements that take up all their Thoughts it is not that there is any real Happiness in what may be acquir'd by means of these Divertisements nor that 't is imagin'd that true Happiness is in the Money gain'd at Play or in the Game that is hunted one would not accept it if it were offer'd It is not this soft and easie use that would let us think of our miserable Condition that one seeks after but 't is the noise that diverts us from thinking of it which is most grateful Hence it is Men so much love the noise and bustle of the World that Imprisonment is esteem'd such a great Affliction and that there are so few Persons capable of enduring Solitude See then all that Men could invent to make themselves Happy and those that amuse themselves only to shew the Vanity and Meanness of the Divertisments of Men do indeed know some part of their Miseries for it is one great part to be able to find any Pleasure in things so mean and contemptible but they do not know the very ground that even renders these Miseries necessary to them so far they are from being healed from this inward and natural Misery that consists in not suffering us to take a view of our own selves The Hare they bought could not hinder them from this sight but hunting could hinder them so when they are reproached that what they seek after with so much earnestness cannot satisfie them that there is nothing
effects that are true the Common People that can't distinguish which amongst these particular effects are true do believe them all in like manner what occasions to believe so many false effects of the Moon is that there are some true as the Ebbing and Flowing of the Sea. So also it appears to me as evidently that there are not so many false Miracles false Revelations Sorceries c. but because there are true also nor so many false Religions but because there is one True for if there never had been any thing of all this it 's impossible Men could ever have imagin'd it and much less that so many others should have believed it But as there has been very great things true and thereby have been believed by great Men this impression has been the cause that almost all the World are become even ready to believe also false things And so instead of concluding that there are no true Miracles because there be false ones it should be said on the contrary that there are true Miracles because there be so many false ones and that there are no false ones but by this Reason because there are true ones and in like manner that there are no false Religions but because there is a True one this proceeds from the Mind of Man being inclin'd that way by the Truth becomes thereby more pliable to receive Error 17. * It is said Believe the Church but 't is not said Believe Miracles because the latter is Natural and not the former the one had need of a Precept not the other 18. * There are so few Persons to whom God appears by these extraordinary ways that one should make good use of such occasions because it proceeds not from Nature that hides it but to excite our Faith to serve him with so much the more Zeal as we know him with greater certainty If God did continually discover himself to Men it would be no thanks to believe and if he never discover'd himself there would be but little Faith but he commonly hides himself and discovers himself but seldom to those whom he would ingage in his Service This strange secrecy wherein God keeps himself unseen to the Eyes of Men should teach us sometimes to retire our selves also from the sight of Men the better to contemplate his Majesty He remain'd hid under the Veil of Nature that hid him from us till the Incarnation and when 't was requisite he should appear he hid himself yet more in covering himself with his Humanity he was much easier known when he was invisible than when he became visible And at last when he would accomplish the Promise he made to his Apostles to remain with Men till his last coming he chose to abide with them in the strangest and obscurest manner could be to wit under the Species of the Eucharist It is this Sacrament St. John in the Revelation calls the hidden Manna and I believe the Prophet Esay saw him in this manner when he said Truly thou art a God that hidest thy self this is the greatest secresie he can be in The Veil of Nature was search'd into by many Heathens who as St. Paul saith Confessed the invisible God by visible Nature Many Christian Hereticks knew him through his Humanity and Adored Jesus Christ God and Man But as for us we should think our selves happy in that God would enlighten us so far as to know him under the Species of Bread and Wine Unto these Considerations may be added the Mystery of the Spirit of God also hidden in the Holy Scriptures for there are two perfect Senses the mystical and the litteral and the Jews held to the one not so much as thinking there was another and never thought of troubling themselves to find it So also wicked Persons seeing natural effects attribute them to Nature never thinking there is another Author of them The Jews seeing a perfect Man in Christ Jesus never thought of seeking another Nature in him We did not think it was him saith Esay So also Hereticks seeing the perfect appearance of Bread in the Eucharist think not of seeking any other Substance There is a Mystery hid under every thing every thing is a Veil that covers God Christians should acknowledg him in all things Temporal Afflictions cover Eternal Rewards whereunto they lead us Temporal Pleasures cover Eternal Pains which they do occasion Let us Pray to God that he would make us know and serve him in all and for all things and let us give him Infinite Thanks that having hid himself in so many things to others he has manifested himself in so many things and in so many sundry ways to us §. XXVIII Christian Reflections 1. THe wicked which suffer themselves blindly to be led along by their Passions without knowing God or taking any care to seek him do by themselves verifie the Fundamental Faith that they oppose which is That the Nature of Man is in a State of Corruption And the Jews which so obstinately oppose the Christian Religion do also confirm this other Foundation of the Faith they oppose which is That Jesus Christ is the true Messias and that he is come to Redeem Men and free them from the Corruption and Misery wherein they were as well by the State wherein they are at this time and which is found to be foretold by Prophesies as by the very Prophesies themselves which they precisely keep and preserve as undoubted Marks by which the Messias should be distinguish'd and known So that the Corruption of Man and the Redemption of Jesus Christ which are the two chief Truths that establish Christianity is drawn from the prophane who live in an indifferency of Religion and of the Jews who are irreconcileable Enemies to it 2. * The Dignity of Man in his Innocence consisted in his using and bearing rule over the Creatures but now it consists in withdrawing himself and keeping himself humble and low in Heart 3. * Many do Err and so much the more dangerously that they take a Truth to be the Principle of their Error their fault is not in believing an Error but in following one Truth by excluding of another 4. * There are a great many Truths both Moral and Divine which seem repugnant and contrary and nevertheless subsist in an admirable order The cause of all Heresies is the exclusion of some of these Truths And the Spring of all the Objections made against us by Hereticks is the not knowing some of our Truths And for the most part it happens that not apprehending the relation there may be betwixt two opposite Truths thinking owning one of them excludes the other they hold to the one and exclude the other The Nestorians would needs have two Persons in Jesus Christ because there was two Natures in him and the Eutychians on the contrary taught there was but one Nature because there was but one Person The Catholicks are Orthodox because they joyn both Truths together of
say If he would that I should have ador'd him he would have left me Marks of his Will. So he has but you neglect them seek them at least they are well worth the labour 22. * Atheists should speak things very clear Now one must be out of their right Senses to say the Soul is Mortal I think it is not necessary to search into the bottom of Copernicus his Opinion but it concerns our whole Life to know if the Soul be Mortal or Immortal or not 23. * The Prophesies Miracles and other Proofs of our Religion are not of that kind as that one can say they are Geometrically convincing But it shall serve my turn at present that you will grant that 't is not against Reason to believe them They have light and darkness to enlighten some and to darken others but the light is such that it surpasseth or at least equals that which makes to the contrary so that 't is not Reason that can make us not to follow it and can be nothing else but the Malice and Lust of the Heart There is light enough to condemn those that do not believe and not enough to gain them to the end it should appear that in those that follow it it is Grace and not Reason that makes them follow it and that in those that shun it it is Concupiscence and not Reason that makes them shun it 24. * Who can chuse but admire and imbrace a Religion that knows to the bottom that understands the more by so much the more one is enlightned A Man that discovers Proofs of the Christian Religion is like an Heir that finds the Deeds of his Estate Will he say they are false and will he neglect to examin them 26. * There is two sorts of Persons that know God those whose Hearts are humbled and that love Self-denial and Meanness how much or how little Wisdom soever they have or those that have Judgment enough to discern Truth what opposition soever they have unto it 27. * The Wise Men amongst the Heathens that affirmed there was but one God were persecuted the Jews were hated the Christians worse hated 28. * I do not see there is any greater difficulty to believe the Resurrection of the Dead and the Birth of Christ of the Virgin than that of the Creation Is it a harder matter to reproduce a Man than to make a Man And if it had never been known what Generation was would it be thought stranger that a Child should proceed from a Maid alone then from a Man and a Maid 29. * There 's a great difference betwixt Repose and Peace of Conscience nothing should give Rest but a sincere seeking of the Truth and nothing can give Assurance but Truth 30. * There are two Truths of Faith equally constant one wherein Man in the State of Creation or in the State of Grace is raised up above Nature made like unto God and partaker of the Divine Nature the other that in the State of Corruption and of Sin he is fallen from this State and become like to the Beasts These two Propositions are both alike solid and certain The Scripture plainly manifests this when it saith Deliciae meae esse cum filiis hominum Effundam Spiritum meum super omnem carnem Dii estis c. and that it saith in other places Omnes caro foenum Homo comparatus est jumentis insipientibus similis factus est illis Dixi in corde meo de filiis hominum ut probaret eos Deus ostenderet similes esse bestiis c. 31. * The Example of the generous Death of the Lacedemonians and others signifies but very little to us for what is all that to us But the Death of Martyrs doth concern us for they are our Members we have a common Obligation with them their Resolution may frame ours there 's no such thing in the Example of the Pagans we have no relation to them the Riches of a Stranger adds nothing to us but that of a Father or a Husband doth 32. * We never part with any thing without regret One don't feel any yoak when we willingly follow them that lead us but when we begin to resist and to struggle one suffers the more the Yoak is the heavier the Pain the more sensible and this Yoak is our Body which is not broke but in Death Our Saviour said that since the coming of John Baptist that is to say since his coming in every Believer the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force Before one is touched we have only the weight of Concupiscence that bends to the Earth When God wakeneth these two contrary Motions cause such a concussion as God only can appease But we can do all things saith St. Leo with him without whom we can do nothing We must then resolve to suffer this War all our Life for there is here no Peace Jesus Christ came to bring the Sword and not Peace Nevertheless it must be granted that as the Scripture saith the Wisdom of Man is Foolishness with God so it may be said that this War that appears severe to Men is Peace in the sight of God for it is the Peace that Jesus Christ hath brought however it shall not be compleat till the Body be destroyed and 't is this that makes Death be desired yet nevertheless being content to live for his sake who both suffered to die and live for us and that can bestow better things upon us than we can desire or imagin as Saint Paul speaks 33. * We must strive not to be troubled for any thing and to take all that comes for the better I believe 't is a Duty and one Sins in not doing so for the reason why Sin is Sin is only because it is contrary to the Will of God And so the Essence of Sin consisting in having a Will opposite to that we know to be in God it appears visible that when he discovers his Will to us by the Events it were a Sin not to comply therewith 34. * When Truth is forsaken and persecuted it seems to be a time wherein the Service we yield to God in defending it is the more pleasing to God. He will have us judg of Grace by Nature and so he suffers us to consider that as a Prince banish'd from his Country by his Subjects has an extream love for those that continu'd faithful to him in the publick Revolt so it would seem God considers those with a particular kindness that defend the purity of Religion when it is openly opposed But there is this difference betwixt the Kings of the Earth and the King of Kings that Princes don't make their Subjects faithful but they find them so whereas God always finds Men unfaithful without his Grace and makes them faithful when they are so So that whereas Kings for the most part testifie their Obligation to those that continue in their Duty
Being of God in his Works is Eternal and Indelible and the feeling of it can't be resisted unless the Faculties of Knowing and Feeling are quite lost It 's true this Sense is but weak and feeble but yet inasmuch as it knows its own weakness it subsists and may be restor'd and soon or late it shall be if it sincerely owns it and laments it and a Man shall find in his Heart those Foot-steps of God that it in vain should seek after in the dead Works of Nature seeing it could never inform him neither what this God is nor what 't is he requires of him This is properly what was Monsieur Pascall â—s Design he would bring Men home to their Heart and would make them begin rightly to know themselves All other ways though good yet he thought was not so suitable and fit as this to their Nature whereas this appear'd to him to be agreeable to their Heart and Mind and so much the fitter to make them capable of knowing God and believing in him that they incline them to desire his Existence and in making their chiefest Happiness consist in it and all their Comfort to depend of not doubting it It is this which is the chief scope of his Fragments and of several things which were laid aside as being too imperfect and which only intimated the Method he intended to follow But besides this it is known by a Discourse he made one day in Presence of some Friends which contain'd as 't were the Model of the Work which he design'd He spake almost Two Hours and though those who were present are Persons who admire not all they hear as every body would own if I nam'd them yet they freely confess they were Transported at the weight of his Expressions That this transient Essay as little as 't was gave them an Idea of the greatest Design any Man could be capable of and also of a Profound Wisdom and Knowledge of what is most Mysterious in the Holy Scriptures it discover'd to them several things that till then had not been taken notice of in the World and what they discern'd of Monsieur Pascall's deep Knowledge in that little time made them not question in the least but that he was very fit to perform so great an undertaking and Moreover that if he did not finish it it would scarce ever be compleated Whether it be of what was Real and on their part and his there was also added something of that Union of Mind and Spirit which animates and gives new vigour or it was one of those Happy Moments wherein the most able do surpass themselves and wherein there is such deep Impressions made that all Monsieur Pascall then said to them is still fresh in their Mind and 't is of one of them Eight Years after that we were inform'd what shall be now related Having declar'd to them what he thought of the Proofs which are commonly alledged and shew'd how much those which are drawn from the Works of God are disproportion'd to the Natural State of the Heart of Man and how little Mens Brains are capable of Meta-physical Disputes he shew'd plainly that it was only Moral and Historical Proofs and certain natural Notions and things of Experience that are most suitable to the Understanding of Man and he shewed that it was only upon Proofs of this Nature that those things are grounded which are most certainly believed and received in the World And in effect that there is a City called Rome That there has been a Mahomet That 't is true London was burnt are things would be hard to Demonstrate nevertheless it were a madness to doubt of or to fear hazarding ones Life upon the Truth of them were there any thing to be got by it The way whereby we attain these sorts of assurances are no less certain than if we were Geometricians and should nó less incourage us to Act and 't is only hereupon that we ground almost all we do Monsieur Pascall undertook to shew that the Christian Religion was as evidently true as any thing that is undoubtedly believ'd amongst Men. According to his design of directing them to know themselves he began by a Description of Man which though 't was but very compendious yet it contain'd all that ever was best said on that Subject besides what he added of his own which was much more than is usually mention'd Never did those who most of all debased Man so fully display his Infirmity and Ignorance And never was his Grandeur and Privileges more fully represented by those who have most striven to exalt him What is seen in these Fragments touching the Illusion of the Imagination Pride Envy Vanity Self-love the Error of Pagans the Blindness of Atheists c. and also what is therein seen of the Inclination of Man of seeking the chief Good the Sense of Misery the Love of Truth all this shews plainly to what pitch he had study'd and known the Nature of Man and would have known and study'd it much better had God given him time to have perfected his intended Work. Let every one Examin themselves seriously on what they shall find in this Collection and and let them put themseves in a State of one Monsieur Pascall supposes to have some Sense and that he should fansy to convince and overcome thereby to reduce by little and little to the knowledge of the Truth Doubtless one shall find that 't is impossible but in the End he will be amaz'd at what he shall discover in himself and will look on himself as a Monstrous Composition of strange Contradictions That this Love of Truth which cannot be defac'd out of his Mind together with so great an incapacity of knowing it cannot but surprize him That this Pride born with him and which is cherisht in the height of his Misery must needs astonish him That this slow Voice in the midst of all Enjoyments which tells him something is still wanting though he can't tell well what 't is does deject him And to conclude that those involuntary Motions of the Heart which he dislikes and which he can scarce resist when he is at the best and those that give him some disquiet if he do but look into himself how Prophane soever he be must needs abate ones height and make him question if a Nature so full of Contrarieties double and single all at once as he finds his can possible be a Production of hazard or come such out of the Hands of its Creator Although a Man in this State be very far from knowing God however 't is certain that nothing is fitter to perswade him that there may be something else besides what he knows and this unknown thing may be of consequence to be sought for if there be no Created thing that is able to shew it him And one cannot deny but those who are set in this Disposition were otherwise capable of being touch'd with other Proofs of God and that they received
deceiv'd themselves though they could not perceive wherein Now it can't be doubted but the greatest Authority to prevail on Men to believe is that of Miracles and Prophecies there 's none so senseless to think one can Naturally divide the Sea and walk through it nor foretel a thing Two thousand years before it come to pass And if any should pretend there were some Miracles and some Prophecies amongst the Heathens this indeed were enough to prove that there is something besides or more than Man and 't would be no hard thing to shew that there is nothing in these Miracles and Prophecies if there were any such but what makes for the Credit of Christian Religion It must then be absolutely deny'd there were never any which is nothing strange to affirm because in all the Histories of the World there are none so well confirm'd as those of our Religion and wherein so many things agree to Establish the truth of them It is what Monsieur Pascall would have plainly manifested whether he had consider'd it in the Matter of Fact or in the Matter wholly and at large in it self and every body may judge so by a short Paragraph left on purpose in his Fragments and is but a kind of Table of Chapters he intended to Treat of of every one of which he spake something by the bye in the Discourse I have now made In the first place as for Moses in particular it cannot be doubted but he was as Learned as any Man could be so that had he been an Impostor he would have taken quite other measures than those he practis'd for considering the things purely human 't was impossible he could have succeeded If for Instance what he said of Adam was false there had been nothing in the World easier than to have convinc'd him For he places so few Generations from the Creation of the World to the Deluge and from thence to the Deliverance out of Aegypt that the History of our Modern Kings is not fresher in our Minds than that was to the Isralites And as there were some living in his time that might have seen Joseph whose Father saw Shem and that Shem might have liv'd One hunder'd Years with Methusalem who probably saw Adam he must needs have lost his Senses to dare relate any thing to this People so vigilant in things of this kind and so careful in preserving important Histories of the Events hapned to their Ancestors Can it be imagin'd they would have been so easie of Belief to think their Fathers liv'd Seven or Eight hunder'd years if they had effectually liv'd but One hunder'd and twenty Years and to have receiv'd on their Report the belief of such Extraordinary things as the Creation of the World the Flood c. whereof there was no Footsteps to be seen amongst them and whereof nevertheless by his Reckoning the remembrance thereof should still be fresh in their Memmory He must needs be very weak to have gone so ill a way to work in the vast scope he might have taken of Forgeing and Lying in thinking to have got any advantage by the number of Years and not perceive what he lost in setting so few Generations seeing it needed only a moderate Understanding to judge if it were any hard Matter to perswade a People that knew ever so little of the History of their Fathers that the Fifth or Sixth ascendant was Created with the World and but Two thousand years before This would be to tell them two Ridiculous Lyes for one and the readier way doubtless had been to proportion the Generations to the number of Years the better to have conceal'd ones self in Obscurity Besides did not Moses know with whom he had to do he who understood Men so well and the Jews in particular That Nation so Inconstant so Perverse and hard to be Govern'd It is likely that amongst 600000 Men whom he chargeth with so many Crimes and Ingratitudes whom he sway'd with so much absoluteness and severity that he slew Twenty thousand of them at once that there should not one be found amongst so many that should have cry'd out against his Impostures and false Miracles For what Man was there that ever boasted of doing so many and so great Wonders as he did He not only call'd those to Witness he did his Miracles for but also a whole Kingdom against whom he did them and instead of a few private and obscure Miracles that are attributed to others here are seen Miracles publickly wrought one after another and such as destroy and restore a whole Kingdom as 't were in an instant Certainly it cannot be thought that any Man could have the confidence to pretend so far and that after all has been said of the Plagues of Egypt he could add that the King and all his Army were drown'd in the Sea which he had divided to those that followed him without fearing some amongst the Egyptians might have discover'd the falseness of it as if what he pretends to have done afterwards in the Wilderness where there were present only those of his own Nation could not have suffic'd him But what there is also very strange to consider is What Glory or Benefit does this Man draw from all this what profit to himself or his Family Does he so much as think of securing the Government to any of his Relations And with how great Sincerity does he relate the least omissions and weaknesses of his Brother and himself and it was the want of Faith which above all things appears so strange after all that had befallen him which hinder'd him from enjoying the Fruit of all his Labours To conclude Let the Law he gave the Jews be examin'd how Prudent and Divine it is Let it be consider'd that all the good contained in all the Laws in the World has been derived thence and to what a Degree one must have understood the Wickedness of Man to have so fully prepared Remedies against it And if that be not enough let it yet be consider'd as full of Rights and Ceremonies whereby the least neglect was severely punisht How a People so Fickle and that so much lov'd their ease And how a People that would have liv'd without any Religion or in a Pagan Religion should so absolutely submit unto it unless they had regarded the promulger of it to be a Man sent of God and unless they had been convinc'd thereof by the Greatness and Splendor of his Actions All this is so convincing that if out of Obstinacy one resists by Words it is nothing else but an invincible blindness can hinder from believing it in the Heart and one may boldly defie any Man whatever to forge any supposition thereon wherewith to satisfie one of ever so little Sense It would be but lost labour to go about to disprove any such Suppositions to this end one must enter upon Particulars which the Limits we have set will not admit of and as 't is impossible People
the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Who were they that they should make themselves be believed And what Authority did their Merit or the Power they held amongst the Jews give them to that purpose Could they invent nothing else but such a gross Lye which would have been so easie to have been gain-said and for the which they could have given no other Proof but their own bare Allegation And how can any one imagin they should have been so bold upon such a ground to Attack all the Authority that was amongst the Jews and the greatest powers on Earth and attempt to change a Religion that was as Old as the very World and grounded on as many Miracles which were as publick as this would have been deemed private to them 't was not enough they should be Cheats to form such a strange design they must also have lost their Senses and so the Fraud would soon have been discover'd And if they had been the Wisest Men in the World as they since appear'd to be they would but the better have seen what there was to be fear'd how difficult it would be considering Mens Lightness and Inconstancy but that some of them would suffer themselves to be gain'd by Promises or Threats And to conclude It were the greatest Extravagance for Pleasure to expose themselves to the greatest Dangers and Torments and to unavoidable Death whether the Fraud were discover'd or whether it succeeded to their desire I will not now ingage in speaking any farther of what might be offer'd touching the the Truth of the Evangelical History whereupon Monsieur Pascall has left such fine Remarks but such as are far short of what he would have done had he liv'd a little longer he had a particular Gift of Understanding Prophecies and found the New Testament such an inexhaustible Spring that he would still therein have made new discoveries What would he not have said of the Stile of the Evangelists and of their Persons of the Apostles in particular and of their Writings of the way whereby this Religion was first Establish'd and of the State 't is now in of the great Numbers of Miracles Martyrs and Saints in all Ages And in fine of so many things as show 't is impossible only to be the Work of meer Man Were I as capable as I am deficient to supply wherein he fell short this is not the place to do it That would be to compleat the Work which he only began to describe But though I have done it imperfectly and how ill soever we have it it seems to shew a Glimpse of what it was design'd to be and is even sufficient to produce the Effect he desir'd in the Minds of those that desire to make a right improvement of their Reason For he pretended not to work Faith in Men nor to change their Hearts his drift was to prove there was no Truth better supported in the World than that of the Christian Religion and that those who are so wretched as to doubt of it are apparently guilty of wilful blindness and can complain of none but themselves And 't is what will evidently appear to whomsoever will consider the thing at large as he did and all at once without Passion or Prejudice observe the long Succession and Train of Prophecies and Miracles that relate to it This so continu'd a History is the ancientest that is to be found in the World and is chiefly what is contain'd in this Treatise I say it must be Read without Prejudice for one must decline one part to which we must willingly renounce if one do themselves right that is not to believe but what one sees without any difficulty for if we were not warn'd by God himself of this mixture of Darkness and Light we are so made as that it ought not at all to hinder us There is no doubt but all Truths are Eternal that they are link'd in a Chain and have dependance one on another and this dependance is not only for Natural and Moral Truths but also for Truths of fact which may in some sort be called Eternal because being assign'd to certain Points of Eternity and Space they make a Body that all at once subsists for God. So that if Men had not their Understanding bounded and full of Darkness and that they could plainly discover the large Continent of Truth and that 't were expos'd to their view like a Country in a Geographical Map they would be in the right not to believe any thing but what was extreamly evident and for which they may see the Grounds and Consequences But seeing God has not been pleas'd to deal so favourably with them and that he was not thereto oblig'd they must comply with their State and the Necessity of things and must at least act Reasonably within the extent of their limitted Understanding without reducing themselves to Extremities and so make themselves Miserable and Ridiculous both together Could they but once bring themselves to this very far from resisting as they often do the bright Light that certain connections cast in their Minds they would easily own they ought to content themselves in all things with any moderate Beam of Light that appears to them provided it be a true Light that the convincing Proofs be Real and Positive and the Difficulties but bare Negations occasioned by the want of a full view of things and as there are other Proofs that leave no Obscurity so there are also those that give Light sufficient to shew something after which whatever doubt remains it cannot hinder but that what one sees is certain and 't is no longer but the weakness of him that instructs and cannot make every thing clear or of him that would see and has not sufficient Light of Knowledge For to conclude there are an infinite number of things that yet do subsist though they are incomprehensible to us and 't would be Ridiculous for Instance to dispute against Demonstrations because they may have Consequences the connection whereof may not appear very plain to us Were there nothing incomprehensible but in Religion probably there were something to be said but what is most known in Nature is that almost all we know that subsists is unknown to us past certain Bounds although we have them as 't were before our Eyes and in our Hands whereas Religion has this advantage that what we don't comprehend is found to be grounded on the Nature of God and upon his Justice of which he knows very well that we can know nothing but what he is pleas'd to reveal to us Let us then rest satisfi'd and Bless his Name for having shew'd us sufficient to guide us in safety And those that are displeas'd at our Submission to things that can't be comprehended know their unreasonableness seeing one desires it not of them till after having shewed an infinite Number of Proofs that one must be wholly depriv'd of Reason not to submit to it For can there be any so bold
what is prov'd to them to their own Mind of which one cannot give them an absolute Reason But they do not see the advantage they think to find by believing nothing but what is indisputable is much less than they think and so far from securing themselves thereby from Error that on the contrary it is what plunges them deeper into it in depriving them of the knowledge of many Truths the want whereof is a great and certain Error and yet is scarce perceiv'd or felt for the habit they have taken up of this continual Doubting and of reducing all to Figures and Motion of the matter by degrees spoils their Judgment makes them strangers to their Heart so that they cannot return to it and at last makes them think they are themselves nothing but meer delusion what can there be that is more capable of making them insensible to true Reason and to the Proofs Monsieur Pascall has given although they have the least cause in the World to think that he could be mistaken and that in their way it self they lookt on him or ought to have so done with admiration To conclude There is one sort of Men almost as hard to be found as true Christians and that seem less unlike than others to become such Those that have been sensible of the Corruption of Men their Misery and their great want of Knowledge they have sought Remedies without knowing the Ground of their Distemper and regarding things in a general way as they could humanly do they have seen or believ'd to see what Men were bound to do one to another and some have extended their Speculations and the Notions of Natural Vertues as far as they could were there any thing great amongst Men and that the Glory they receiv'd one of another was of any worth those only could pretend to some share in it And as 't is only amongst such there is any Wit and Civility one would think more were there to be expected than of any others and that they were just on the Borders of Christianity But it is taking it in another Sense what sets them farthest off seeing there are no Sicknesses so dangerous as those that most resemble Health no◠any greater hinderance to perfection than to think one has attain'd it Charity if it be permitted to use the Comparison may be lookt upon as a Curious Work put into the hands of Men and by their neglect and want of care comes to be broken all to pieces they have in some measure been sensible of their Loss and gathering up what remain'd of the Peices they patcht up the best they could that they call Honesty But alas what a difference what spaces what disproportions is betwixt them It is but a wretched Copy of this Divine Original and Woe to him that sits down satisfi'd with it and cannot but see it is his own Work that is to say Vanity Nevertheless this difference as Infinite as it is in it self is not discern'd by those of whom I speak and the State whereto they are advanc'd being indeed considerable enough after the manner as they judge of it they are wholly satisfi'd with it they move and continue in it till Death and nothing is harder than to make them dispise what sets them so much above the rest of Men and to incline them to acknowledge their own Wickedness which is the very beginning and perfection of Christianity This is what gives occasion to think that very few would have been the better for Monsieur Pascall's Book if it had been put in the very State he intended it however let every body consider it it is well worth the Labour and that those that after having adjusted Christian Religion to their own Mind in doing all things as they list as also those that resolve to believe nothing of it Let them know that in Matters of Religion it is the highest pitch of mischief to ingage in any but in the right and that there is but one that is so Whatever Light whatever Knowledge one has there is nothing easier than to be deceiv'd especially when one will and of what likely appearance soever one flatters himself it is most certain one shall repent to have made an ill choice and one shall repent Eternally For to conclude one acts nothing that may be of force to perswade themselves And whatever Ground one finds in ones own Opinions the chief importance is that they are true and that at the fatal Moment that shall for ever determine our State at the drawing of the Curtain that will fully shew us this Truth if we discern more than we did know we should not at least find the contrary of what we believed The End. Approbation of Doctors WE whose Names are here under-written Doctors in Divinity of the Faculty of Paris Certifie that we have Read and Examin'd a Book Intitul'd A Discourse on Monsieur Pascall 's Thoughts Compos'd by Monsieur Du Bois de la Cour wherein we find nothing contrary to Faith and good Manners Dated at Paris the 25th of July 1671. Le Vaillant Curate of St. Christopher Grenet Curate of St. Bennet Marlin Curate of St. Eustach Labbé Fortin Peht Pied T. Roulliard A DISCOURSE ON THE PROOFS Of the Books of MOSES CHristian Religion makes no difficulty to own that the Mind of Man cannot attain to the height of the Mysteries which it teacheth and that it is too narrow to go discover the Foundations of it in the Eternal Springs of Truth where it does appear as visible as the first Principles could his sight reach so far Neither doth it pretend to be absolutely believed by a blind instinct without any Proof and God has not given to Man Reason and Understanding to render so great a Present not only vain but also hurtful in offerring him Objects of Faith against which the very Instrument of his Knowledge should be in a continual revolt This is the Portion of those Schismaticks who are grounded only upon their own rash Capricioes and Fanatical Visions who are not grounded nor do subsist but through the want of Reason like to that which first produc'd them whereas Christian Religion is such that how inpenetrable soever its Mysteries are they cannot be doubted of but by another kind of mistake For to conclude the business is not to Examine the possibility of these Mysteries nor to settle the Mind about all the Difficulties that it finds in submitting thereunto Men would be unjust to desire to comprehend them they who cannot comprehend themselves and yet doubt not of their Existence And it is sufficient to shew them that all these so unconceivable Truths are joined not only to other Truths they know but also to that of all the Truths that are most proportion'd to their Understanding and whereof they may inform themselves by the most known and certain ways If Men know any thing of certain it is Deeds and of any thing that falls within their Knowledge there is
other ground but his own Humour and presume to determine from the dark Dungeon where Nature has exil'd them Miserable Light of his weak Reason that there is no other Being in the whole Universe can Effect such great Wonders and that they are nothing else but a Parcel of Tales and empty Visions But the Reason some Persons are not convinc'd with Proofs that are so plain to others is because their Intrest and Passions so take them up that they see all things else only at halves This is the true cause of all those Doubts that are form'd against Religion because indeed there is nothing so contrary to our Passions as the Life it commands us to lead And so it is no hard matter to understand that it opposes a thing that directly attacks them and that cannot be setled but by their Ruin. This may very well happen in this regard seeing it is observ'd even in Natural things and if sometimes the meer Imagination of an Event one does not like though it be impossible it should come to pass makes one fansy as if one really doubted when indeed one has no Cause to fear how much rather when we are absolutely forc'd to quit what is most dear to us in the World will it be more capable to dazle and make one doubt of a thing to the belief whereof the Heart should be as much concern'd as the Mind One knows for Example a Person of great Sense and Wisdom but so struck with the horror of Death that one asking him if he would not lay his Life there is a City call'd Rome if there was any thing to be got by it the party freely answer'd No. This Doubt certainly had never befallen him and he could never have scrupl'd in the least at any thing else could have been said to him on this Matter But at the Instant the Idea of Death offer'd it self to his Mind it wholly took up his fansy All the Evidence that Rome subsisted vanish'd away and if there came not some real Doubt that all one said was false there past at least something in his Head or rather in his Heart that made him act as if he had effectively doubted I know no body will own that the Love of Pleasures and of this present Life will blind Men to this degree and that every one pretends their Doubts are very Sincere and that the unwillingness Men have in not believing Matters of Religion proceeds only from their Understanding But it is not necessary to press Persons upon this Point because one cannot well make them see that in their Heart which they cannot see there themselves for the Motions of the Heart are not like those of the Understanding these latter are done either by Progress or by a quick and clear Light which makes us take up Resolutions and that set us on Action and it is impossible we should feel them and not know them But as for what we do by the Inclination of the Heart it is quite different these are certain hidden Springs born with us which incline us to things without any Progress of Reason and almost without Knowledge and thence it is that without due consideration and timely care it is almost impossible not to be deceiv'd the Heart if it may be so said so mingling it self with Reason or rather becoming so much Master of it that it is the Principle of all Actions yet so that one scarce perceives that it is any way concern'd But let those that doubt at least own That they do not do their utmost to be enlightn'd which can proceed from nothing but the Will. They will easily own this if they are in the least Ingenious because they cannot deny but the whole Life ought to be imploy'd in seeking out so important a Truth whereas they have scarce ever minded it and that of all things it is probably what they have least thought of When one shall have obtain'd of them this sincere desire of seriously applying themselves to inquire after the Proofs of Religion it will be no hard matter to carry on the Evidence of it farther in taking the Course we have laid down For beside the Matter of Fact whereof we have given a Specimen in this Discourse there are an infinite Number which depend on the Judgment and which present themselves in heaps when one diligently Reads the Scriptures It is to those one ought chiefly to give heed because they have this advantage that in perswading the Truth they also make it to be belov'd without which all signifies nothing It 's true there are but very few so qualifi'd as they should be that is to have a kind of relish of Truth and a sincerity of Heart which very seldom meet together But we must at least endeavour to have it our selves and impart it to others and awaken in them the Thoughts they must have soon or late if they intend to believe so as may be to their advantage The End. Approbation of Doctors WE whose Names are here under-written Doctors in Divinity of the Faculty of Paris Confess we have Read a Small Treatise call'd A Discourse upon the Proofs of the Books of Moses All those who Read it will find much advantage and satisfaction thereby for although Faith be sufficient to Enlighten a Christians Mind and to perswade him of the Truths God has been pleas'd to shew him Nevertheless when Reasons to believe are join'd to this Faith and that one is inclin'd by clear Testimonies allowable by their own Authority to admit of these revealed Truths this Creates in the Soul a Light which fills it with Joy and Peace Deus autem solatii repleat vos omni gaudio pace in credendo This doubtless will arrive unto those that will Read this small Treatise with a desire of being instructed seeing therein is shewn the History of Moses his Government his Miracles his Books c all grounded with so much Evidence and bearing a Relation to Jesus Christ our Divine Mediator that these Proofs alone were sufficient to convince them if Divine Faith did not determine the Matter It is what is our Judgment of this little Treatise which contains nothing â—ontrary to the Catholick Faith nor to good Life Dated at Paris the 1st of May 1672. Le Vaillant Curate of St. Christophers Grenet Curate of St. Bennet Marlin Curate of St. Eustach Labbe Petit Pied T. Roullard ADVERTISEMENT THis little Discourse which follows though very imperfect was not Esteem'd unworthy to be added to Monsieur Pascall 's Thoughts as well because 't is agreeable to his Notions as also for the greatness of those it insinuates for whatever Truth it contains it is nought else to be plain but an Idea and wish the Execution whereof is difficult and a great distance off But it is not impossible and that in a matter of this Nature sufficeth to incline and it may be oblige some or other that think themselves capable to ingage farther in the