HAving altered the Method of this Treatise, and made considerable Additions to it, it may justly be expected that I should give some Account thereof to the Reader. In the Preface to the former Edition, I acquainted him, that I had taken Notice of five Matters of Ancient Tradition. 1. That the World was formed out of a Chaos, by the Divine Wisdom and Power. 2. That there was an universal Flood of Waters, in which all Mankind perished, excepting some few which were saved in an Ark or Ship. 3. That the World shall one day be destroyed by Fire. 4. That there is a Heaven and a Hell, an Elysium and a Tartarus, the one to reward good Men, and other to punish wicked, and both eternal. 5. That bloody Sacrifices were to be offered for the Expiation of Sin. And that of four of them I had occasion to treat in this Book; of two, that is to say, of the Dissolution of the World by Fire, and the Eternal State that was to succeed (in reference to Man) either in Heaven or Hell, more directly: of the other two, viz. The Primitive Chaos and Creation, and the General Deluge, occasionally and by way of digression, at the request of some Friends. But now this Treatise coming to a second Impression, I thought it more convenient to make these several Discourses upon these Particulars, substantial Parts of my Work, and to dispose them according to the priority and posteriority of their Subjects, in order of time, beginning with the Primitive Chaos.
Concerning these Traditions, it may be enquired what the Original of them was, Whether they were of Divine Revelation, or Humane invention. In answer whereto,
As to the Second, That there was once a General Deluge, whereby this whole sublunary World was drown’d, and all Animals, both Man and Beast destroyed, excepting only such as were preserved in an Ark; it being matter of Fact, and seen and felt by Noah, and his Sons, there can be no doubt of the Original of that.
The First, concerning the Chaos and Creation of the World, if it were not ancienter […] Scripture, it is likely it had its Original from the first Chapter of Genesis, and the Chaos from the second Verse, And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. But if it were more ancient, it must still in all likelihood be Divinely revealed, because Man being created last, and brought into a World already filled and furnished: And God being an Omnipotent, and also a Free Agent, who could as well have created the World in a moment, or altogether, as successively, it was impossible for Man by reason to determine, which way he made choice of.
The Third, Concerning the future Dissolution and Destruction of the World by a General Conflagration, there being nothing in Nature that can demonstrate the necessity of it: and a second Inundation and Submersion by Water, being in the Course of Nature an hundred times more probable, as I have shewn in the ensuing Discourses: And therefore we see God Almighty to secure Man against the apprehension and dread of a second Deluge, made a Covenant with him, to give him a visible Sign in confirmation of it, never to destroy the World so again: And the Ancients who relate this Tradition, deivering it as an Oracle or Decree of Fate. Ovid Metamorph. 1. Esse quoque in fatis reminiscitur affore tempus, &c. was likewise probable of Divine Revelation.
The Fourth, That there shall be a Future State, wherein Men shall be punished or rewarded, accordingly as they have done ill or well in this Life, and that State Eternal: thô the first part may be demonstrated from the Justice and Goodness of God, because there being an unequal distribution of Good and Evil in this Life, there must be a time to set things streight in another World; yet it being so difficult to Human Reason, to reconcile the Eternity of Punishments, with the Justice and Goodness of God, this second part of the Tradition had need be well back’d by Divine Authority to make it credible and current among Men.
As for the Last, tho’ I meddle not with it in this Treatise, yet I will take leave to say so much concerning it, That I think those who held Sacrificing to have been a positive Command of God, and to have had its Original from Divine Institution, have the better reason on their side. For that it is no eternal and indispensable Law of Nature, is clear, in that our Saviour abolished it. And many of the Ancient Fathers look upon Sacrificing as so unreasonable a Service, that therefore they thought God commanded it not to the Primitive Patriarchs; and though he did command it to the Iews, yet he did it only in condescension to their weakness because they had been used to such Services, and also the Nations round about them, to restrain them from Idolatry, and Sacrificing to strange Gods, Origen. Homil. 17, in Numer. Deus sicut per alium Prophetam dicit non mandiscat carnes taurorum, nec sanguinem hircorum potat. Et etiam, ut alibi scriptum est, Quia non mundavi tibi de Sacrificiis vel victimis in die qua deduxi te de terra Aegypti. Sed Moyses hoec ad diuritiem cordis eorum, pro consuetudine pessima qua imbuti fuerant in Aegypto, mandavit e[…]s, ut qui abstinere se non possent ab immolando, Deo saltem & non Daemoniis immolarent. Other Quotations to this purpose may be seen in Dr· Outram De Sacrificiis Indeed it seems absurd to think or believe, that God should take any pleasure in the slaughter of innocent Beasts, or in the Fume and Nido[…] of burnt Flesh or Fat: Nor doth the reason these Fathers alledge of the Institution of Sacrifices or injoyning them to the Iews satisfie, whatever truth there may be in it: For it is clear, that the main end and design of God in institutiing of them, was for Types and Adumbrations of that great Sacrifice of Christ to be offered upon the Cross for the expiation of sin: and consequently it is probable, that those also that were offered by the Ancient Patriarchs before the Law, had their Original from some Divine Command or Revelation, and the like reason of their Institution, in reference to Christ.
But to leave that, I have in this Edition removed one subject of Apology, and added another, so that there still remain as many things to be excused or pleaded for. They are,
First, Writing so much; for which some perchance may censure me, I am not ignorant, that Men as they are mutable, so they love change, and affect variety of Authors as well as Books. Satiety even of the best things is apt to creep upon us. He that writes much, let him write never so well, shall experience, that has last Books, though nothing inferiour to his first, will not find equal acceptance. But for […] own part, tho’ in general I may be thought to have written too much, yet is it but little that I have written relating to Divinity. It were a good Rule to be observed both by Writer and Reader, Not how much, but how well· He that cannot write well, had better spa[…]e his […] and not write at all. Neither[…]s he to be thought to write well, who though he hath some good things thin set and dispersed, yet […]n[…]mbers and accloys the Reader with a deal of useless and impertinent stuff. On the contrary, he that writes well, cannot […] too much. For as Pliny the younger saith well, Vt aliae bonae res, it a bo[…]ms Liber eò melior est quisque quo major: As other good Things, so a good Book, the bigger it is, the better is it: which holds as well of the Number as Magnitude of Books.
Secondly, Being too hasty in huddling up, and tumbling out of Books: wherein, I confess, I cannot wholly acquit my self of blame. I know well, that the longer a Book lies by me, the perfecter it becomes. Something occurs every day in Reading or Thinking, either to add, or to correct and alter for the better. But should I defer the Edition till the Work were absolutely perfect, I might wait all my Life-time, and leave it to be published by my Executors. Now my Age minding me of the approach of Death; and Posthumous Pieces generally proving inferiour to those put out by the Authors in their Life-time, I need no other excuse for my hast in publishing what I write. Yet I shall further add in extenuation of the fault, if it be one, that however hasty and precipitate I am in writing, my Books are but small, so that if they be worthless, the Purchase is not great, nor the Expence of Time wasted in the perusal of them very considerable. Yet is not the worth of a Book always answerable to its bulk. But on the contrary, […], is usually esteemed, […]; for […].
Thirdly, The last thing for which I had need to Apologize, is the rendring the former Edition of this Treatise worthless by making large Additions to this latter: in excuse whereof I have no more to say than I have already written in an Advertisement to the Reader, premised to my Discourse concerning the Wisdom of God, to which therefore I refer those who desire satisfaction in this particular.
Contents · Discourse 1. Of the Primitive Chaos and Creation of the World →