his mistake tion. CHRISTIAN READER, thou hast here the testimony of Mr. Mr. Hobbes Hobbes, that "the questions concerning necessity, freedom, of the quesand chance," are "clearly discussed" between him and me, in that little volume which he hath lately published". If they be, it were strange; whilst we agree not much better about the terms of the controversy, than the builders of [Gen. xi. 7.] Babel did understand one another's language. A necessity upon supposition (which admits a possibility of the contrary) is mistaken for an absolute and true necessity. A freedom from compulsion is confounded with a freedom from necessitation. Mere spontaneity usurpeth the place of true liberty. No chance is acknowledged, but what is made chance by our ignorance or nescience,-because we know not the right causes of it. I desire to retain the proper terms of the Schools; Mr. Hobbes flies to the common conceptions of the vulgar; a way seldom trodden but by false prophets and seditious orators. He preferreth their terms as more intelligible; I esteem them much more obscure and confused. In such intricate questions, vulgar brains are as uncapable of the [Epistle to the Reader, prefixed to "The Questions concerning Liberty, Necessity, and Chance, clearly stated and debated between Dr. Bramhall Bishop of Derry and Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury," 4to. Lond. 1656.—in BRAMHALL. P which the whole of Bramhall's Defence PART Mr. Hobbes his princi tice. things, as of the terms. But thus it behoved him to prevaricate, that he might not seem to swim against an universal stream; nor directly to oppose the general current of the Christian world. There was an odd fantastic person in our times, one Thomas Leaverb, who would needs publish a logic in our mother's tongue. You need not doubt but that the public good was pretended. And because the received terms of art seemed to him too abstruse, he translated them into English; styling a subject an inholder, an accident an inbeer, a proposition a shewsay, an affirmative proposition a yeasay, a negative proposition a naysay, the subject of the proposition the foreset, the predicate the backset, the conversion the turning of the foreset into the backset and the backset into the foreset. Let Mr. Hobbes himself be judge, whether the common logical notions or this new gibberish were less intelligible. "Hæc a se non multum abludit imago c." But, reader, dost thou desire to see the question discussed ples refuted clearly to thy satisfaction? Observe but Mr. Hobbes his pracby his prac- tics, and compare them with his principles, and there needs no more. He teacheth, that all causes and all events are absolutely necessary; yet, if any man cross him, he frets and fumes and talks his pleasure ; A "Jussit quod splendida bilis "." Doth any man in his right wits use to be angry with causes that act necessarily? He might as well be angry with the sun, because it doth not rise an hour sooner; or with the moon, because it is not always full for his pleasure. He commands his servant to do thus to as much purpose, if he be necessitated to do otherwise, as Canutus commanded the waves of the sea to flow no highere. He punisheth him, if he transgress his commands, with as much justice, if he have no dominion over his own actions, as Xerxes com b ["The Arte of Reason, rightly termed WITCRAFT, teaching a perfect way to argue and dispute: Made by Raphe Lever:" 8vo. Lond. 1573:-in four books, pp. 233, with "A note to understand the meaning of neue devised Termes" subjoined. Bramhall's recollection of the book is substantially accurate. The other new devised terms" are if possible more ludicrous 66 than those quoted in the text: e. g. a definition is a "say-what," a category is a "storehouse," a mood is a "seat," &c.] d [Horat., Sat., II. iii. 320.] [See Sharon Turner, Hist. of Anglo-Saxons, bk. vi. c. 11. vol. ii. pp. 342-344. 8vo. edit.; from Matt. Westmon., Henry of Huntingdon, &c.] II. manded so many stripes to be given to the Hellespont for DISCOURSE breaking down his bridgef. He exhorts him, and reprehends him; he might as well exhort the fire to burn, or reprehend it for burning of his clothes. He is as timorous in a thunder or a storm, as cautelous and deliberative in doubtful causes, as if he believed that all things in the world were contingent, and nothing necessary. Sometimes he chideth himself;"how ill advised was I, to do thus or so!"—"O that I had thought better upon it!" or "had done otherwise!" Yet all this while he believeth, that it was absolutely necessary for him to do what he did, and impossible for him to have done otherwise. Thus his own practice doth sufficiently confute his tenets. He will tell us, that he is timorous and solicitous because he knows not how the causes will determine. To what purpose? Whether their determination be known or unknown, he cannot alter it with his endeavours. He will tell us, that deliberation must concur to the production of the effect. Let it be so; but if it do concur necessarily, why is he so solicitous and so much perplexed? Let him sleep or wake, take care or take no care, the necessary causes must do their work. to do and refuted. Yet from our collision some light hath proceeded towards Freedom the elucidation of this question; and much more might have not to will arisen, if Mr. Hobbes had been pleased to retain the ancient 734 School terms; for want of which his discourse is still ambiguous and confused. As here he tells thee, that we "both maintain, that men are free to do as they will, and to forbear as they will." My charity leads me to take him in the best sense, only of free acts, and then with dependence upon the First Cause. That man who knows not his idiotisms, would think the cause was yielded in these words, whereas in truth they signify nothing. His meaning is, he is as free to do and forbear, as he is free to call back yesterday. He may call until his heart ache, but it will never come. He saith, a man is free to "do" if he will, but he is not free to "will" if he will. If he be not free to will, then he is not free to do. Without the concurrence of all necessary causes it is impossible that the effect should be produced. But the concur [Herod., vii. 35.] a, p. 209, Epist. to Reader.] [Ibid.] III. PART rence of the will is necessary to the production of all free or voluntary acts. And if the will be necessitated to nill, as it may be, then the act is impossible; and then he saith no more in effect but this-a man is free to do if he will that which is impossible for him to do. By his doctrine, all the powers and faculties of a man are as much necessitated and determined to one, by the natural influence of extrinsecal causes, as the will. And therefore, upon his own grounds, a man is as free to will as to do. The points wherein he saith we disagree are set down. loosely in like manner. What our tenets are, the reader shall know more truly and distinctly by comparing our writings together, than by this false dim light which he holds out unto him. He is pleased, if not ironically, yet certainly more for his own glory than out of any respect to me, to name me a "learned school divine;" an honour which I vouchsafe not to myself. My life hath been too practical to attend so much to those speculative studies. It may be, the Schoolmen have started many superfluous questions, and some of dangerous consequence; but yet I say, the weightier ecclesiastical controversies will never be understood and stated distinctly without the help of their necessary distinctions*. Reader, I shall not in this rejoinder abuse thy patience with the needless repetition of those things which thou hast seen already, nor quest at every lark which he springs; but wheresoever he hath put any new weight into the scale, either in his answers or objections, I shall not omit it in due place. i [Questions &c., Epist. to Reader.] [Compare the Vindic. of Grotius and Episcop. Divines against Baxter, c. vii; above in vol. iii. pp. 567, 568, note a, Disc. iii. Pt. ii.] AN ADVERTISEMENT FROM THE AUTHOR TO THE READER. MARCH 11, 1658. STILO NOVO. CHRISTIAN READER, by the slowness of this edition, and by the errors of the press, which do ordinarily happen to authors that are absent, thou mayest judge of the difficulties and remoras which we meet withal in such occasions. The greatest part of the errata are obvious to an intelligent reader; I intreat thee to correct them with thy pen. Some of the chiefest (which did seem to alter or obscure the sense) I have collected, and appointed them to be set down at the foot of this advertisement; so many as I could observe in once reading over the copies cursorily, for I have had no more time since I received them. Be pleased further to take notice, that yesterday came to my hands a copy of Mr. Serjeant's treatise called Schism Dispatched, written against Doctor Hammond and myself, it being the first time that I have viewed it. I wish I had had a graver adversary in this cause, who had consulted more with his own judgment and experience, and less with passion and prejudice. The contention is not equal, between an ancient doctor and a young prevaricator, whose office is to make freshmen laugh and gape. When Mr. Serjeant hath wearied himself twenty or thirty years longer in the study of theology, he will grow less impetuous and censorious, [The Castigations were first printed in 1657, as appears by a title-page to the tract, which to half the impression forms the only title, and which bears this date. The work of printing the book however lasted until 1658; when four leaves were added to the remaining copies; two before the original title-page, containing a new title-page, dated 1658, as follows-Castigations of Mr. Hobbes his last Animadv. in the case concerning Liberty and Univ. Necessity, with an Appendix concerning the Catching of Leviathan or the Great Whale, the other leaf being blank; two after the Answ. to the Пpoλeyóueva, containing the above Advertisement and a Table of Errata. In other respects, the several copies of this the original edition, one or two trifling corrections excepted, are identically the same.] [Schism Dispatch't, or, A Rejoynder to the Replies of Dr. Hammond and the Ld. of Derry, by S. W. 8vo. n. p. 1657. See above in vol. ii. Preface, and pp. 358. note j, 363. note a; and vol. i. p. xxviii.] P [See above in vol. ii. pp. 356. note b, 358. note j.] |