A key to physic, and the occult sciences / [E. Sibly].

  • Ebenezer Sibly
Date:
1821
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A key to physic, and the occult sciences / [E. Sibly]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    of proportionable bulk than it did before this divifion. The minuteft particles of matter, knock, repel, and refill, one another, juft as the greater do; and that is all they can do : fo that, if we fuppofe nothing eternal, matter can never begin to be : if we fuppofe bare matter without motion eternal, motion can never begin to be: if we fuppofe only matter and motion eternal, thought can never begin to be : for it is impofiible to conceive, that matter, either with or without motion, could have originally, in and from itfelf, fenfe, perception, and knowledge; as is evident from hence, that then fenfe, perception, and knowledge, muft be a property eternally infeparable from matter, and every particle of it. Since, therefore, whatfoever is the firft eternal being, muft neceftarily be cogitative ; and whatfoever is firft of all things, muft neceftarily contain in it, and actually have, at leaft all the perfections that can ever after exift; it neceftarily follows, that the firft eternal being cannot be matter. If, therefore, it be evident, that fomething muft neceftarily exift from eternity, it is alfo as evident, that that fomething muft be a cogitative being. For it is as impofiible that incogitative matter fiiould produce a cogitative being, as that nothing, or the negation of all being, fiiould produce a pofitive being, or matter. This difcovery of the neceffary exiftence of an eternal mind fufficiently leads us to the knowledge of God; for it will hence follow, that all other knowing beings that have a beginning, muft depend on him, and have no other ways of knowledge or extent of power, than what he gives them; and therefore, if he made thofe, he made alfo the lefs-excellent pieces of this univerfe, all inanimate bodies, whereby his omnifcience, power, and providence, will be eftablifiied; and from thence all his other attributes neceftarily follow. Thus, a manifeftation of the Deity is vifible in all his wrorks. There is not the fmallelt part of that immenfe fpace our eyes behold, or our imaginations conceive, that is not filled with His prefence. The worlds which revolve with fo much order, beauty, and harmony, through the immenfity of fpace, the fun, moon, ltars, and planets, are upheld by the light of his countenance; but for which they would drop from their orbs, and, plunged into the vaft abyfs, would return to their primitive chaos. To the mercy of God we owe all the bleflings of this* life, as the reward of good and virtuous aClions. To his anger, we juftly attribute all violent concuftions of the elements, famine, plague, peftilence, &c. brought on a wicked and aban- doned people, like the ftonn of fire and brimftone on Sodom and Gomorrah. The vengeance of the Deity cannot be more awfully defcribed, than by David in his Pfalms; which fiiould a6l as a timely warning to thofe atheifts'and unbelievers, and to thofe wicked, idolatrous, and polluted, countries, againft whofe deteftable crimes thefe terrible fcourges have been fo often fent. The lhaking of the earth; the trembling
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