have Parochial Cures to attend upon, whofe Hands are full, whofe Engagements great, whose Interruptions many, who live in Noife and Hurry, much to others, and little to ourselves, and whofe Time is render'd yet more short, for want of Health, it may be, to imploy it, we must do not as we would, but as we can, and take it for a Favour if the World will at all confider our Difadvantages, and make any allowance for them to excuse the shortness of our Performances.

But the difficulty of the Subject is to be regarded, as well as the difadvantageous Circumstances of the Writer. And if that may be admitted as a favourable Suggestion, perhaps I may now have as good a Plea as ever any Writer had: For fure never was there any Subject of a more abftract Nature, nor many of a larger Compass. For the abstractness of it, had I the Metaphyficks of Men and Angels, I could here imploy and bury it all; and for the Compass of it, could I live till the Revolution of Plato's Year, I could never hope to wade through it. Think not then to find the Subject here exhaufted; I pretend only to make a kind of a Vifto into the Intelligible World, and to have open'd Some of the Head-Fountains of this great Deep, leaving my contemplative Reader to go on with the Streams of it in his own private Thoughts; to which, as a Suppliment for my Defects and Omiffions, I leave what remains untouch'd of this immenfe Subject, as I do what I have perform'd in it to his Pardon: Whereof I am fenfible I shall have

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but too much occafion, fince I find in many places that I need even my own.

For indeed when things are so very Fine, Subtile and Abstract, 'tis a hard matter to be always Clear or Intelligible, either to ones felf, or to others. Clear in ones Conceptions, or Intelligible in ones Expreffions and Reprefentations of Things. And when one is so oppress'd and overlaid with abundance of Matter, as in fo copious an Argument as this is it must needs be, that one can hardly fee Wood for Trees, to think of every thing, and to fet every thing in its due and proper Place for the avoiding Confufion and Disorder, and to fettle and difpofe the Cardinal Parts in an orderly Syftem, according to the natural Dependencies of one thing upon another is a Work of more Trouble and Difficulty than Men of mere Bookish Learning can well be aware of, or than will easily be imagin'd even by the Thoughtful, without fome Trial and Experience. Upon the whole, the best Judges will be the most fenfible of the Difficulties I have labour'd with in this Undertaking (as knowing how hard it is to write well upon any Subject, much more upon one fo abftrufe as this is) and accordingly 'tis from them that I promife my felf most Favour and equitable Allowance in their cenfures of it. Perito Judice nihil æquius. And 'tis well that Skill and Favour go together, fince we treat of great Things, fuch are hard to conceive, harder to explain,

I do not pretend to the Character of a clear Writer, because I think it to be the greatest Qualification of its kind. Or if I could pretend to it in

a Sermon, or any other practical Difcourfe, or even in the management of fome ordinary ChurchControverfy where the Way is beaten before me, and little falls under Confideration that is much out of it, yet I should not be forward to pretend to it here. And yet as Abftrufe as the Argument of this Theory is, and as defective as my Abilities are to manage it as it deferves, I cannot but think however, that by Care and heedful Attention I have exprefs'd my felf fo Intelligibly, that any Reader of a competent Apprehenfion, and that is not in too much haft to be at the end of the Book, may make a shift to understand me in fome measure, and that becaufe I find I understand my felf. So that I hope there will be no great Difpute about what I mean, however unfatisfy'd any may be about the Truth of what is advanc'd. With the Commentators of Ariftotle, the Truth of what he affirms is fuppofed, and all the Question is about what the Philofopher means. That's a certain Argument, or at least a strong Prefumption of an obfcure Writer, as the other is of a fuperftitious and bigotted Reader, to be fo devoted to Humane Authority as to rest and acquiefce in it with an implicit Faith. 'Tis enough to pay that Deference to Scripture.

I fuppofe my Reader to be fomething acquainted with the Terms of Art, and Distinctions of the School, which, for the fake of those that are not, I should not have used fo much as I have, if I had known any better, or as good wherein to exprefs my Senfe, or illuftrate the Truth. But indeed I do not; for however the Phyficks, or Natural Philofophy

lofophy of the Schools does not please me, as partly proceeding too much upon the falfe and confufed Ideas of Senfe, and partly as explaining the particular effects of Nature, by the general and indeterminate Notions of pure Logick, yet I have a great Value and Efteem for their Metaphyficks, and for their Theology. And tho' here they may fometimes start Questions, fome of which may be too trifling and fuperfluous, and others too curious and intruding, and may perhaps ⚫ be too Elaborate in difcuffing the former, and a little too bold and peremptory in the determination of the latter, and too much influenc'd by Authority in both; yet whatever their Matter be their Form and Method is always excellent and the Terms whereby they express themselves, most happily (indeed admirably) fitted for the illuftration and compendious Conveyance of their Noti

ons

tho' perhaps every one that uses them may not rightly apply them; nor, it may be, they always themselves. And indeed I am pretty much

Opinion, that nothing of any moment, either in Philofophy, or in Religion, can be either distinctly stated, or well understood, without the help of their useful, I might fay, neceffary Diftinctions: Which, whojoever is well inftructed in, has a great advantage over him that has not, tho' otherwise uever fo ingenious; whereof I need go no further for an Inftance than the Controverfy concerning Liberty and Neceffity between Bishop Bramhall and Mr. Hobbes, who, tho' a Man of fome natural

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Wit and Parts, yet for want of Scholaftick Education and Learning, was extreamly Confufed and Defective, not only as to the Truth of his Notions, but as to the clearness of their Delivery, and fo upon the whole became a cheap and eafy Triumph to his acute and learned Adverfary. But whether I use the Terms of the School, or my own, my great Endeavour is to be clear and intelligible, that the Reader may comprehend my Meaning with as little Trouble as may be, for fear left it should not be found to deferve a great deal.

Not that I think Clearness (as great a Perfection as it is in Writing) to be always of fuch advantageous Confequence. It contributes indeed to the Eafe and Pleasure of the Reader, and to the greater Perfection of the Work itself, but the Writer has not always that advantage by it. Those who write in the Clouds, as we say, involving their Senfe in hard Words, as the Chymifts, or perplexing it with ambiguous Expreffions, or who keep within the Sphere of loofe and indefi nite Generalities, especially if they have fuch flow of Words as to draw out their Periods to great lengths, that the parts of the Argument may lie at a distance from one another, and are withal fo much Mafters of Style as to give their Sen-. tences a tunable turn, a fmooth Movement, and a round graceful Clofe, they have the happiness not only to hide their Faults (fince no body can fee very far in a Mift) but are oftentimes admired for their Profoundness. They walk in the Night, and tho' for that Reason they stumble ever now

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and