When, many Years ago, I was induced to write something about the Subject of the following Treatise; I did it, partly to give some Satisfaction to a Friend, and partly to impose upon myself an Obligation, to consider the more attentively upon what Grounds it may be asserted, That there is no Inconsistence between a Man’s being an Industrious Virtuoso, and a Good Christian. How little fond I was of troubling the Publick with a Discourse of this Nature, may be guessed by my having thrown it aside, among other neglected Papers, for several Years. And it had still continued in that Obscurity, if the, formerly unprevalent, Desires of those that would have it appear in Publick, had not been enforced by an Observation or two, that I could not but make. For I could scarce avoid taking notice of the great and deplorable Growth of Irreligion, especially among those that aspired to pass for Wits, and several of them too for Philosophers. And on the other side, it was Obvious, that divers Learned Men, as well as Others, partly upon the Score of their Abhorrence of these Infidels and Libertines, and partly upon that of a well-meaning, but ill-informed, Zeal, had brought many Good Men to think, that Religion and Philosophy were incompatible; both Parties contributing to the Vulgar Error, but with this difference, That the Libertines thought a Virtuoso ought not to be a Christian; and the Others, That he could not be a true One.
‘Tis like, it may seem to some Readers, that I have too much enlarged the Notion of Experience, and too much insisted on the Proofs deducible from that Topick: But ‘tis not improbable, that others may approve the Reasons, with which that ample Notion of Experience is, where it is proposed, accompanied. And the Ingenious Person, I was chiefly to please, being a great Lover and Valuer of Experience, and of Arguments grounded on it, the Desire of gratifying Him enticed me to say so much, that when I took up the Thoughts of making this Treatise publick, I found the Effects of my Complaisance so interwoven with the other Parts of the Discourse, that I could not make any Great Alteration, (for some I did make) without almost spoiling the Contexture of it.
I hope the Equitable Reader will not expect to find every Subject, of which I have occasion to discourse, fully Treated of: For I neither designed nor pretended to write a Body of Natural Theology, nor a Demonstration of the Christian Religion; but thought it sufficient for me, to consider the Points I wrote of, as far forth as was Necessary, or very Conducive, to my Purpose. And therefore I thought myself, not only Warranted, but Obliged, (in point of Discretion) to decline the mention of several Arguments and Reflections, that would indeed have been very Proper, if my Design had been, to shew, why One should be a Christian; but Impertinent, to shew, that a Virtuoso, while such, may be a true Christian. But, as for this Reason, I omitted many Things, that would have Enrich’d or Adorn’d my Discourse; so I have endeavoured to make some Amends, both by suggesting some new Subjects, and by adding on those that have been already Treated of by others, divers Thoughts, into which I was led by the Attentive Consideration of the Subject itself; on which score, they may probably not have yet occurr’d to the Reader, and may appear to him, either to be new, as to the Substance; or, if any of them be coincident with the more known Ones, to have something of peculiar, as to the way of Propounding, or of Applying, them. And, I confess, I was somewhat Encouraged to communicate my Thoughts on these Subjects, by considering, that (thô is ought not to be so, yet) ‘tis Notorious, that in the Age we live in, there are too many Persons that are like to be found more indisposed to be Impress’d on by Arguments, in favour of Religion, from profess’d Divines, how worthy soever, than from such as I, who am a Layman, and have been look’d upon as no undiligent Cultivator of Experimental Philosophy. And that the Style might not be unsuitable to the Writer, and the Design; I thought fit, in my Arguments and Illustrations, both to employ Comparisons drawn from Telescopes, Microscopes, &c. and to make frequent use of Notions, Hypotheses, and Observations, in request among those, that are called The New philosophers. Which I the rather did; because some Experience has taught me, that such a Way of proposing and elucidating Things, is, either as most clear, or, upon the account of its Novelty, wont to be more acceptable, than any Other, to our Modern Virtuosi; whom thus to Gratify, is a good Step towards the Persuading of them. For ‘tis easie to observe, that some Men are more accessible to Truth, and will be more prevailed upon by it, when it is presented to them in One Dress, than when it appears in Another: As we daily see, that some Persons will be more easily prevailed with to take a Medicine, and that it will have a more kindly Operation upon them, if it be exhibited in that Form and Consistence, that is best lik’d by the Patients; whereof some love to have the Ingredients, the Medicine is to consist of, offer’d them in a Liquid, others in a Soft, and others in a Dry, Form.