A philosophical amusement upon the language of beasts / Written originally in French. By Father Bougeant ... , now confined at La Fleche on account of this work.

  • Bougeant, père, 1690-1743. Amusement philosophique sur le langage des bêtes
Date:
1739
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A philosophical amusement upon the language of beasts / Written originally in French. By Father Bougeant ... , now confined at La Fleche on account of this work. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    r '6 ] in order not to fiiffer fo many Legions of repro¬ bate Spirits to be of no ufe, has diftributed them thro9 the feveral Spaces of the World, to ferve the Defi gns of his Providence, and make his Omni¬ potence to appear. Some continuing in their na¬ tural State, bufy themfelves in tempting Men, about feducing and tormenting them, either im¬ mediately as Job's Devil, and thofe that lay hold of human Bodies, or by the Miniftry of Sorcerers, and of Phantoms. Thefe wicked Spirits are thofe whom the Scripture calls the Powers of Darknefsy and the Powers of the Âir, God, with the others, makes Millions of Beafts of all Kinds, which ferve for the feveral Ufes of Man, which fill the Uni- verfe, and caufe the Wifdom and Omnipotence of the Creator to be admired. By that Means, added he, I eafily conceive how on the one Hand the Devil’s can tempt us, and on the other how Beafts can think, know, have Sentiments and a Spiritual Soul, without any way ftriking at the Dodrines of Religion. I am no longer fur- prized to fee them have Dexterity, Fore-caft, Memory, and Judgment. I fhould rather have Occafion to wonder at their having no more of thofe Qualities, fmce -their Soul very likely is more perfect than ours. But I difcover the Rea- ibn of this. It is becaufe in Beafts as well as in ourfelves, the Operations of the Mind are depen¬ dent on the material Organs of the Machine to v/hich it is united, and thefe Organs being grofs- er and lefs perfect in Beafts than in us, it follows that the Knowledge, the Thoughts, and the o- ther Spiritual Operations of Beafts muft of courfe be lefs perfed than ours ; and if thefe proud Spi¬ rits know their own difmal State, what an Hu¬ miliation muft it be to them, thus to fee them- fclves reduced to the Condition of Beafts ! But, whether
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