_MADAM,_
In my last, I remember, I told you of your _Authors_ opinion concerning
the seat of Diseases, _viz._ that Diseases are properly in living
bodies, and consist in the life it self; but when I consider his
definition of Life, and of a Disease, I cannot conceive how they
should consist together; for he describes[1] _a Disease to be a real,
material and substantial being, truly subsisting in a body; but life
to be a meer nothing, and_ _yet the immediate mansion of a disease,
the inward subject, yea, and workman of the same; and that with the
life all diseases depart into nothing._ Surely, _Madam_, it exceedeth
my understanding; for, first, I cannot conceive how life, which is a
meer Nothing, can be a lodging to something? Next, how Nothing can
depart and die? and thirdly how Something can become Nothing? I think
your _Author_ might call a dead Carcass as well No-thing, as Life; and
since he names Diseases the Thieves of Life, they must needs be but
poor Thieves, because they steal No-thing. But your _Author_ compares
Life to Light, and calls it an Extinguishable Light, like the light of
a Candle; which if so, then the old saying is verified, That life goes
out like the snuff of a Candle. But I wonder, _Madam_, that grave and
wise men will seriously make use of a similising old Proverb, or of a
Poetical Fancy, in matter of natural Philosophy; for I have observed,
that _Homer, Lucian, Ovid, Virgil, Horace,_ &c. have been very
serviceable to great Philosophers, who have taken the ground of their
Fictions, and transferred them into Natural Philosophy, as Immaterial
substances, Non-beings, and many the like; but they can neither do any
good nor hurt to Nature, but onely spoil Philosophical Knowledg; and as
Nature is ignorant of Immaterials and Non-beings, so Art is ignorant
of Nature; for Mathematical Rules, Measures, and Demonstrations,
cannot rule, measure nor demonstrate Nature, no more, then Chymical
Divisions, Dissolutions and Extractions (or rather distractions, nay,
I may say destructions) can divide, dissolve, extract, compose, and
unite, as Nature doth; Wherefore their Instruments, Figures, Furnaces,
Limbecks, and Engines, cannot instruct them of the truth of Natures
Principles; but the best and readiest way to find out Nature, or rather
some truth of Nature, is sense and reason, which are Parts of Natures
active substance, and therefore the truest informers of Nature; but
the Ignorance of Nature has caused Ignorance amongst Philosophers,
and the Ignorance of Philosophers hath caused numerous Opinions, and
numerous Opinions have caused various Discourses and Disputes; which
Discourses and Disputes, are not Sense and Reason, but proceed from
Irregular Motions; and Truth is not found in Irregularities. But to
return to Life: it seems your _Author_ hath taken his opinion from
_Lucian's_ Kingdom of Lights, the Lights being the Inhabitants thereof;
and when any was adjudged to die, his Light was put out, which was his
punishment: And thus this Heathenish Fiction is become a Christian
Verity; when as yet your _Author_ rayls much at those, that insist upon
the Opinions and Doctrine of Pagan Philosophers. Wherefore I will leave
this Poetical Fancy of Life, and turn to Death, and see what opinion
your _Author_ hath of that. First, concerning the cause or original of
Death; _Neither God_, says he,[2] _nor the Evil Spirit, is the Creator
of Death, but Man onely, who made Death for himself; Neither did Nature
make death, but Man made death natural._ Which if it be so, then Death
being, to my opinion, a natural Creature, as well as Life, Sickness,
and Health; Man, certainly, had great Power, as to be the Creator of a
natural Creature. But, I would fain know the reason, why your _Author_
is so unwilling to make God the Author of Death, and Sickness, as well
as of Damnation? Doth it imply any Impiety or Irreligiousness? Doth
not God punish, as well as reward? and is not death a punishment for
our sin? You may say, Death came from sin, but sin did not come from
God. Then some might ask from whence came sin? You will say, From the
Transgression of the Command of God, as the eating of the Forbidden
Fruit. But from whence came this Transgression? It might be answer'd,
From the Perswasion of the Serpent. From whence came this Perswasion?
From his ill and malitious nature to oppose God, and ruine the race of
Mankind. From whence came this ill Nature? From his Fall. Whence came
his Fall? From his Pride and Ambition to be equal with God. From whence
came this Pride? From his Free-will. From whence came his Free-will?
From God. Thus, _Madam_, if we should be too inquisitive into the
actions of God, we should commit Blasphemy, and make God Cruel, as to
be the Cause of Sin, and consequently of Damnation. But although God
is not the Author of Sin, yet we may not stick to say, that he is the
Author of the Punishment of Sin, as an Act of his Divine Justice; which
Punishment, is Sickness, and Death; nay, I see no reason, why not of
Damnation too, as it is a due punishment for the sins of the wicked;
for though Man effectively works his own punishment, yet Gods Justice
inflicts it: Like as a just Judg may be call'd the cause of a Thief
being hang'd. But these questions are too curious; and some men will
be as presumptuous as the Devil, to enquire into Gods secret actions,
although they be sure that they cannot be known by any Creature.
Wherefore let us banish such vain thoughts, and onely admire, adore,
love, and praise God, and implore his Mercy, to give us grace to shun
the punishments for our sins by the righteousness of our actions, and
not endeavour to know his secret designs. Next, I dissent from your
_Author_,[3] That _Death and all dead things do want roots whereby they
may produce_: For death, and dead things, in my opinion, are the most
active producers, at least they produce more numerously and variously
then those we name living things; for example, a dead Horse will
produce more several Animals, besides other Creatures, then a living
Horse can do; but what _Archeus_ and _Ideas_ a dead Carcass hath, I can
tell no more, then what _Blas_ or _Gas_ it hath; onely this I say, that
it has animate Matter, which is the onely _Archeus_ or Master-workman,
that produces all things, creates all things, dissolves all things,
and transforms all things in Nature; but not out of Nothing, or into
Nothing, as to create new Creatures which were not before in Nature, or
to annihilate Creatures, and to reduce them to nothing; but it creates
and transforms out of, and in the same Matter which has been from all
Eternity. Lastly, your _Author_ is pleased to say, That _he doth not
behold a disease as an abstracted Quality; and that Apoplexy, Leprosie,
Dropsie, and Madness, as they are Qualities in the abstract, are not
diseases._ I am of his mind, that a disease is a real and corporeal
being, and do not understand what he and others mean by abstracted
qualities; for Nature knows of no abstraction of qualities from
substances, and I doubt Man can do no more then Nature doth: Besides,
those abstractions are needless, and to no purpose; for no Immaterial
quality will do any hurt, if it be no substance; wherefore Apoplexy,
Leprosie, Dropsie, and Madness, are Corporeal beings, as well as the
rest of Diseases, and not abstracted Qualities; and I am sure, Persons
that are affected with those diseases will tell the same. Wherefore
leaving needless abstractions to fancies abstracted from right sense
and reason, I rest,
Madam,
_Your faithful Friend_
_and Servant._
[1] _Ch._ Of the knowledg of diseases.
[2] _Ch._ Called the Position.
[3] _Ch._ Of the knowledg of diseases.