A REFUTATION OF Some of the False Conceits in Mr. LOCKE's ESSAY concerning Humane Ʋnderstanding.
Essay concerning Humane Ʋnderstanding, Book 1. Ch. 2. TO Imprint any thing on the Mind, without the Mind's perceiving it, seems to me hardly intelligible.
Answ. Almighty GOD, the ONE Being Absolutely Infinite, is in All Creatures, and in a peculiar manner, in All Rational Souls, in that they are capable of Reflecting upon Him, being in themselves, and in All other Creatures.
The First Act of the Rational Soul is the Perception, or Apprehension of Being Absolute or Ʋniversal: For 'tis impossible the Soul should Perceive or Apprehend this, or that to be, without any Notion or Appreheesion of Being Absolute, or Universal, which Being is GOD.
In the Notion, or Idea of GOD is implied the Idea of All Things; since He is the Fountain of All Being.
To imprint any thing on the Mind, or Rational Soul, without the Mind's perceiving it, is as Intelligible as to make or create the Mind without the Mind's perceiving it. When we say, That GOD has imprinted an Idea of Himself upon the minds of All men: Our meaning is this, That he has made [Page 11] use of such a Nature or Mode of Being, that whensoever we REFLECT, [...], (according to such a State in which we were Created), upon our own Souls, we cannot but have some Notion or Perception of Him, In whom we Live, and Move, and have our Being.
The Corruption of Humane Nature chiefly consists in the Defection of the WILL from the Divine Goodness, to which Onely it ought to be Fully and Absolutely Inclin'd; and in the Defection of the ƲNDERSTANDING of the One Infinite Essence; which Defection of the UNDERSTANDING arises from the Perverseness of the WILL being Bent upon such Objects, as if they were Absolutely Good, which are but Vanity and vexation of Spirit; unless they are affected by the WILL or Intellectual Appetite, ( [...]) Onely in Reference to GOD the Fountain of All Goodness; i. e. the One Being Absolutely Infinite.
To make Reason, says he, discover those Truths thus imprinted, is to say, that the Use of Reason discovers to a man, what he knew before.
Answ. By the Use of Reason, or Exercise of our Understanding; we discover, or come to the Knowledge of that which was in our Understanding before, though we did not Actually Apprehend or Reflect upon it. Hence it appears that this Gentleman's most Confident Assertion is no better than a Gross Falshood: ‘That we may as well think the Use of Reason necessary to make our Eyes discover Visible Objects, as that there should be need of Reason, or the Exercise thereof, to make the Understanding see what is Originally engraven in it.’
We hope this Gentleman, upon a more mature Consideration, will not deny, That 'tis Necessary that any Object should be in the Ʋnderstanding, [Page 13] as imprest upon it, or propos'd to it, before it can be Perceiv'd, Known, or Assented unto, as a Verity, or that which Really is.
A thing visible must be in sight; that is to say, it must make some impression upon the Visive Faculty, before it can be seen. So an Object of the Intellect must make some Impression before it can be Actually Perceiv'd, or Known.
Chap. 3. Sect. 1. The Ignorance wherein many men are of them; (viz. Practical Principles;) and the slowness of Assent wherewith others receive them, are manifest Proofs that they are not Innate.
Answ. This Ignorance and Slovvness are manifest Proofs that there is a Perverseness in the WILL, Hindring the Ʋnderstanding from a due Reflection upon those Practical Principles vvhich are all implied in the Notion, or Idea of the ONE Being [Page 14] Infinite in All Perfection: For nothing can be more manifest than this, That this Being is to be Lov'd vvith all our Heart, and vvith all our Soul. Upon this depend All other Practical Principles.
Chap. 3. Sect. 8. Conscience is nothing else but our own Opinion of our own Actions. And if Conscience be a Proof of Innate Principles, Contraries may be Innate Principles, since some men, with the same Bent of Conscience, prosecute what others avoid.
Answ. Conscience is not Opinion, but that Faculty of the Rational Soul, by which, if Rightly Exercis'd, we Reflect upon our own Actions with a certain Notice of their conformity or Difformity to the Law of GOD.
An Opinion that any man has, That he pleases GOD in what is Really Wicked, is not Conscience, but the Defilement, or Pollution of Conscience.
Book 2, Chap. 16. Sect. 8. This is observable in Number, That it is that which the Mind makes use of in measuring all things that by us are measurable; which principally are Expansion and Duration; and our Idea of Infinity, even when applyed to those, seems to be nothing but the Infinity of Number.
Ans. Number is not Infinite in the most strict and proper sense of the word Infinite: It is indeed Indefinite, or Indeterminate, but it implies a Contradiction that it should be Infinite, because it had a Beginning; and so was Bounded à Parte Ante.
Its being Indefinite, or Indeterminate, clearly suggests the Idea of the ONE Being Absolutely Infinite, which is the Foundation, or Origine of Every Ʋnite in Number, which we could not cenceive to be Multiplicable [Page 16] in Infinitum, if we had not some Conception, or Idea of ONE whose Power is Infinite, which is the Only True GOD.
Chap. 17. Sect. 14. They who would prove their Idea of Infinite to be positive, seem to me, to do it by a pleasant Argument taken from the Negation of an end; which being Negative, the Negation of it is positive.
Answ. We say, there is nothing but what is Transcendently Positive in the Idea we have of that Infinite, which we Attribute to GOD: Conceiving that he has no Bounds, or rather, that he is beyond all Bounds, or Modes of Being; we conceive that He Is Actually ALL that CAN Be: So that it implies a Contradiction that any thing should ever Exist, but what Derives its Being from Him, and retains it only in a Continual Dependence upon Him. In the Coversation I have had in the [Page 17] World, the Divine Providence has given me many occasions to make Observations of Rational Souls, in Reference to their Notion of the Deity, far Different from those which have been made by this Learned Man. I have Observ'd many Women, and Chilaren, and Iliiterate Men that have had a much clearer Perception of the Divine Essence, more Pure, and Unmixt with Error, than He with all his Wit, and Learning has Attain'd unto. They in the Simplicity of their Hearts have Reflected upon That which may be known of GOD manifest in them, Viz. That Notion, or Idea of GOD, which GOD Himself has Given, Propos'd, or Enhibited to their Ʋnderstanding, or Spiritual Perceptive Faculty; whereas this Author Averting his Mind (as much as He can) from the Apprehension of any such Idea, Frames to himself an Idea of the Creator, which Implies a Conceit that the Divine Excellence, or Perfection differs, In the Degrees of the same Kind of Perfection. [Page 18] from that which is in Men and Angels. Here the Learned, and Pious Reader may Perceive how this Author by deserting the Ground of all Right Ratiocination, the Innate Idea of GOD, and Phantasying that the Best Idea he can have of Him, must be the Result of his own Ratiocination, he becomes (as the Apostle speaks) Vain in His Imaginations concerning Him, by Attributing to Him, Perfection of the SAME KIND with that which we find in our selves, and in other Creatures, and so putting Bounds, or Limits to the TRANSCENDENCY of the Divine Being.
That the Judicious Reader may see, that I do not wrong this Author; I shall here Recite those Words of His, upon which I ground this charge against him.
Chap. 23. Sect. 33, 34, 35. If we Examine the
Idea we have of the Incomprehensible Supreme Being,
[Page 19] We shall find that we came by it the same way; and that the complex
Ideas we have both of God, and separate Spirits, are made up of the simple
Ideas we receive from
Reflection, v. 9. having from what we experiment in our selves, got the
Ideas of Existence, and Duration, of Knowledge, and Power; of Pleasure, and Happiness; and of several other Qualities, and Powers, which it is better to have than to be without when we would frame an
Idea, the most suitable we can to the supreme Being, we enlarge every one of these with our
Idea of Infinity; and so putting them together, make our complex
Idea of God. For that the mind has such a Power of enlarging its
Idea received from Sensation and Reflection, has been already, shewed.
Here he plainly Refers to those Words,
Chap. 17. Sect. 13. I think, it is evident that the Addition of Infinite things together (as are all lengths, whereof we have the positive Ideas) can never otherwise produce the Idea of Infinite, than as Number does; which consisting of Additions of Finite Unites one to another, suggests the Idea of Infinite, only by a Power we find we have, of still increasing the Sum, and Adding more of the SAME KIND, without coming one jot nearer the end of such Progression.
In the 34th Section of this 23d Chap. He has these Words—
And to Frame the
Idea of an Eternal Being: The Degrees, or Extent, wherein we ascribe Existence, Power, Wisdom, and all other Perfection (which we can have any
Ideas of) to that Soveraign being which we call GOD, being all Boundless, and Infinite, we
[Page 21] Frame the best Idea of him our Minds are capable of.
Sect. 35. Tho in his own Essence GOD be but Simple, and Uncompounded, yet I think I may say, we have no other
Idea of him, but a Complex one of Existence, Knowledge, Power, Happiness,
&c. Infinite and Eternal.
To what he speaks of a Complex Idea of GOD, we answer, That a Complex Idea, in reference to his Essence, must needs be False: But we may have such a Conception or Idea of Him, in reference to his Works, which may be called a Complex Idea: But any such Idea may be Resolv'd into the Simple Idea of His Essence, Viz. Of Being Absolutely Infinite. In that He grants that the Idea of GOD implies Existence without Beginning, or End (Sect. 34.) He plainly discovers the Force of the Innate Idea of GOD in His own Soul: For that which Is without Begining, or End, Infinitely Transcends any Object, the Idea whereof implies NUMBER, or DEGREES of Perfection. We grant, that the Notion of Finite [Page 22] Perfections Growing, or Increasing In Infinitam, Suggests to us the Idea of GOD, or rather Prompts us to Reflect upon It: But we deny that this Idea Implies any other Being than that which Infinitely Transcends ALL DEGREES of Wisdom, Power, Goodness, &c. That Are, or can be. But this Author talks of Degrees Boundless, and Infinite: And how can we conceive any Being to Transcend such Degrees? To this I Answer, that DEGREES, or PROGRESSIONS must have a Beginning, and so be Bounded a Parte Ante, and consquently can never be Boundless, or Infinite.
Sect. Tho, says He, in his own Essence GOD be simple, and uncompounded, yet I think we have no other Idea of him, but a Complexion of Existence, Knowledge, &c.
To this I Answer, First, That the Simple Idea of NECESSARY EXISTENCE, implies the Infinity of Knowledge, Power, &c.
Secondly, here I observe another Instance of the Force, and Efficacy of the [Page 23] Innate Idea of the Divine Essence in the Soul of this Man, in that he Acknowledges that GOD in his own Essence is Simple, or Uncompounded, which every Man must Acknowledge to be True, so far as he Reflects upon the [...], as the Onely Ground of All True Rationcination.
Sect. 36. This farther is to be observed, that there is no Idea, we Attribute to God, which is not also a part of our Complex Idea of other Spirits.
Ans. Any Conceit of the Nature or Essence of GOD, which does not imply Absolute Infinity, is not the True Idea of GOD, but an IDOL.
Book 4, Chap. 10. Sect. 7. I think, this I may say, that it is an ill way of establishing this Truth, and silencing
Atheists, to lay the whole stress of so important a Point, as this, upon that sole Foundation: And take some Mens having that
Idea of God in their minds (for 'tis evident some Men have none.
[Page 24] and some worse than none, and the most very different) for the only Proof of a Deity; and out of an over Fondness of that Darling Invention, Cashier, or at least endeavour to invalidate all other Arguments, and forbid us to hearken to those Proofs, as being weak, or Fallacious, which our own Existence, and the sensible parts of the Universe, offer so clearly and cogently to our Thoughts, that I deem it impossible for a considering Man to withstand them.
Ans. We affirm, that Every Creature, Every part of the Universe Proves the Existence of the CREATOR, as the Prime Cause of all THINGS, and EVENTS (Sin only excepted.) But we affirm also, that what He Signified to MOSES by calling himself, IAM, He signifies to every Rational Soul, That He Is Absolutely, or Ʋniversally: He is Actually ALL that Can Be: This Signification, Idea, or Intellectual Representation of the Divine Essence, Every Creature, Every EFFECT of the Divine Power, that comes to our Notice, Suggests unto us, [Page 25] or Proposeth to our CONTEMPLATION. This Truth is most certainly Signified by these Words of the Blessed Apostle, Rom. 1. 20. [...].
The Invisible things of Him being understood, being [...], MINDED, Observ'd, Reflected upon, [...], by the things that are made, As the means, or Occasion of such Reflection, [...], are clearly seen, are Perceiv'd, or Apprehended by a kind of INTUITIVE Knowledge; The Eyes of the Ʋnderstanding being Fixt upon an IDEA, An Intelectual Image, or Representation of HIM: Which Image, is That concerning which we have this Divine Testimony, Genes. 27. GOD Created Man in his own IMAGE. Power, and Godhead are Synonymous Terms, each of them Signifying, The ONE ALMIGHTY, The ONE Being Infinite in All Perfection Of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are All things:
To whom be Glory for ever. AMEN. ΕΡΧΟΥ ΚΥΡΙΕ ΙΗΣΟΥ.
Gerardus de Uries In Exercit. 2. Sect. 7. haec Verba habet:
QUaelibet, aiunt, ex nostris Ideis requirit causam, in qua vel formasiter, vel erninenter contineantur perfectiones, quae in Idea representantur. Habemus autem Ideam Dei, Tanquam Entis infinite perfecti: Ergo aliqua ejus causa erit, in se vel formaliter, vel eminenter perfectiones illas continens, quae in Idea tali repraesentantur, id est, infinitas. In Nullo ero Finito infinitas perfectiones existunt. Ergo datus aliquod infinite perfectum, in quo omnes illae perfectiones contineantur,
[Page 27] quod
(que) adeo sit illius Ideae causa. Quod ipsum est Deus. Ad quae notandum, Ideam, quae per omnia Deum representat, sic ut a parte sui existit, necessario poscere infinitam sui causam, quia & ipsa talis est infinita. At vero ejusmodi Ideam ut mens humana habeat, tantum abest ut ne quidem habere possit. Constat enim, vim concipiendi, non esse ipsa mente majorem; quare, cum haec finita sit, etiam illam esse talem. Unde conficitur non posse finitam nostram mentem clara aliqua Idea sibi positive repraesentare, perfectiones infinitas tanquam tales; Cognoscere tamen pro modulo infinite perfectum, fateor; verum non aliter quam perfectiones finitas multiplicando; iis
(que) omnes limites ac imperfectiones detrahendo; ac deni
(que) judicando majus id esse, quam quod a finita mente comprehendi queat. Quae omnia cum a mente nostra fieri possint, Ideae infiniti entis causam aliquam extra mentem quaerere nil est necesse; nedum ut et statuatur infinita,
Non aliter, inquit, quam Perfectionor Finitas Multiplicando. Resp. Nequaquam Coneipimus SIMPLICITER INFINITUM, seu DEUM Verum & Aeternum, Perfectiones Finitas Multiplicando: Nam hoc esset existimare Perfectiones in Creaturis esse Ejusdem Generis cum Perfectionibus, seu Attributis Divinis, Quae nihil aliud sunt, quam ipsa Divina, sou Ipsum Simpliciter Infinitum a Meate nostra Conceptum sub Variis Cogitandi Modis cum Respectu ad Varios Ejusdem INFINITI Effioientis in rebus Finitis Effectus.
Dissertat de Conceptu Infiniti, Sect. 7. Ego prorsus autumo Conceptum Infiniti, qua talis, in mente nostra Negativum esse, non Positivum: Demonstro: Quicquid Positive concipimus id Intellectui nostro tanquam illi approportionatum occurit. Fieri nam (que) non potest, ut aliquid positive a mente nostra attingatur, quod captum ejus excedit, in quantum ni mirum eum excedit, quoniam implicat intellectum nostrum positivo modo versari circa id, quod sua natura est extra ejus sphaeram activitatis.
Resp. Contradictionem implicat, ut Id non sit summè Positivum, quod Mens nostra Aprehendit sub Ratione, seu IDEA SIMPLICITER INFINITI, Quod, manifestum est, Infinitè nostram Excedere Sphaeram Activitatis Intellectivae, adeo ut Id nullo modo Possit Mens nostra Comprehendere: Nec tamen hinc sequitur, quod Ipsum INFINITUM a Mente nostra, seu Intellectu Positive non Attingatur. Quicquid id est, quod Mens nostra Concipere potest per aliquam Ideam, seu Conceptum a seipsa Formatum, hoc certe est ipsi Intellectui Approportionatum; sed Nulla est Proportio inter Mentem nostram at (que) Ipsum Simpliciter Infinitum, DEUM Opt. Max Cujus Notio, seu Idea ab Ipso DEO in Mente nostra est Formata, in quam Mens nostra seu Intellectus se Potest Reflectere, sed nullo modo Potuiteam Formare, seu Efficere.
Sect. 2. Quamvis sit certissimum nos merito ob validas rationes judicare id, in re infinitâ plus est quam in Finitâ; & per quod res infinita constituitur in esse Infiniti, esse a parte rei, quam maxime positivum; negatur tamen illud plus
[Page 28] realitatis, quod est in re Infinita, eam
(que) Infinitam facit, Te Ideâ quadam positiva concipere; quod docuisse omnino necesse fuerat ad conficiendum, nos
Infinitum per veram Ideam, & non'tantum per Negationem Finiti percipere. Resp. Hinc constat nos illud Plus Realitatis Ideâ Positivâ Concipere, quod explicite, & directe Concipiamus, Illud esse Summe Positivum; nempe Infinitum omnia Creata, seu Finita ipsâ Realitate, seu Entitate Infinite Excedere.
Diatr. de Ideis Innatis, Sect. 8. Sufficit ad id, ut Ideam Dei infinite perfecti formet Mens ipsa, si perfectionibus, quarum Ideam ex creaturis hausit, sic fines detraxerit, ut nullam amplius in eis advertat limitationem, quam advertit omnino in rebus creatis; Hoc vero cur excedat mentis vires audire lubet.
Respondeo, Veram Dei Infinite Perfecti Ideam non aliquam includere Perfectionem Ejusdem Generis cum istiusmodi Perfectionibus, quarum Ideam Mens ipsa ex Creaturis hausit: Sed quaelibet Creatura Cogitata, seu Intellectu Percepta [Page 29] Sufficit, ut Instrumentum Providentiae Divinae, ad excitandum Intellectum, ut Reflectat fese in Ideam DEI Opt. Max. UNIUS Simpliciter Infiniti; hoc est, in ipsam nostri Intellectus Modificationem, quae provenit, seu emanat a Peculiari Modo, quo DEUS, Essentia Simpliciter Infinita Inest in omni Anima Rationali. Percipere INFINITUM, nisi per Ideam ab Ipso INFINITO Provenientem, tantum abest, ut Valeat Humanus Intellectus, quantum, ut Valeat Corpus suis ipsius viribus e Terris ad Astra ascendere.
Sect. 2. At vero telum hinc in me coniiciendum erat trabale. Nimirum 'Cum D. de Ʋries Ideam Dei Innatam neget, & per discursum eam formari doceat ab ipsa mente, non video, ait, qua ratione eam propositionem, Deus Existit, ad immediatas, noeticas, & innatas referre queat. Uti (que) tamen queo: quia innatam Dei notitiam sola assentiendi pronitate definivi.
Resp. Ego dico illam huic; Propositioni Deus Existit; Assentiendi Pronitatem aliunde non oriri, nisi ab Innata DEI Opt. Max. Ideà, quae scilicet nihil aliud est, nisi [Page 30] ipsa (ut supra dixi) Nostri Intellectus Modificatio, &c. Quicquid est in Rerum Natura, Intellectui Humano Applicatum, Sufficeret, si Pravitas Voluntatis non obstaret, ad excitandum Intellectum, seu Facultatem Intellectivam ad Actum Intelligendi seu clare, ac distincte Percipiendi CREATOREM in omni Creatura, Peculiari Modo in omni Anima Rationali, Existentem. Tò clare ac distincte CREATOREM Percipere includit Tò Percipere Virtualiter, seu Implicite; vel Formaliter, seu Explicite Eum Esse UNUM Simpliciter Infinitum.
Vale, Amice Lector. Faxit Deus Opt. Max. ut ad summam Summae Veritatis Notitiam Amando potius, quam Disquirendo pervenire annitamur: Nec unquam nobis licere censeamus Quaestiones discutere, an hoc vel illud sit Verum, nisi sanctissimo istiusmodi Studio adducti, ut OMNI VERO Cum OMNIO BONO in Aeternum perfruamur.
San. AUGUSTINUS in Psalmum 27. Non est Lumen Nostrum Ex Nobis, sed Tu Illuminabis Lucernam meam, DOMINE. ΕΡΧΟΥ ΚΥΡΙΕΙΗΣΟΥ
FINIS.