causes, and the works of Providence; then, according to the allegory of the poets, he will easily believe that the highest link of nature's chain must needs be tied to the foot of Jupiter's chair. To conclude, therefore, let no man, upon a weak conceit of sobriety, or an ill-applied moderation, think or maintain, that a man can search too far, or be too well studied in the book of God's word, or in the book of God's works-Divinity or Philosophy." The same sentiment, and almost the same words, may be found in his "Meditation on Atheism," in the "Meditationes Sacræ,") and in his "Essay on Atheism" in his Essays. (g) The several passages throughout the current of his writings, in which it appears that Lord Bacon was conversant with God, it would not, I fear, be proper for me in this place to do more than enumerate. They may be found in two volumes, entitled, "Le Christianisme de Francois Bacon, (h) and there is scarcely () Vol. I. p. 215. (g) Vol. I. p. 53. The following similar sentiment is in the general corollary to Hume's Essays: "Though the stupidity of men, barbarous and uninstructed, be so great, that they may not see a sovereign Author in the more obvious works of nature, to which they are so much familiarised; yet it scarce seems possible, that any one of good understanding should reject that idea, when once it is suggested to him. A purpose, an intention, a design is evident in every thing; and when our comprehension is so far enlarged as to contemplate the first rise of this visible system, we must adopt, with the strongest conviction, the idea of some intelligent cause or Author." (h) Published at Paris, An. VII. a work of Lord Bacon's, in which his religious sentiments may not be discovered. Amongst his minor productions, they may be seen; in the " Meditationes Sacræ:"(i) in the "Wisdom of the Ancients;"(k) in the "Fables of Pan,(of Prometheus, (m) of Pentheus,(n) and of Cupid: (0) in various parts of the Essays, but particularly in the Essay on Atheism (r) and Goodness of Nature," (p) in the "NewAtlantis," (q) an imaginary college amongst a Christian people, full of piety and humanity, whose prayer is "Lord God of heaven and earth, thou hast vouchsafed of thy grace, to those of our order, to know thy work of creation, and the secrets of them; and to discern, as far as appertaineth to the generations of men, between divine miracles, works of nature, works of art, and impostures and illusions of all sorts. I do here acknowledge and testify before this people, that the thing which we now see before our eyes, is thy finger, and a true miracle; and forasmuch as we learn in our books, that thou never workest miracles, but to a divine and excellent end, for the laws of nature are thine own laws, and thou exceedest them not but upon great cause, we most humbly beseech thee to prosper this great sign, and to give us the interpretation and use of it in mercy; which thou dost in some part secretly promise by (i) See Vol I. p. 203, and preface to Vol. I. xxiii. (m) Vol. III. p. 68. (n) Vol. III. p. 29. (p) Vol. I. p. 40. sending it unto us ;" and the conditions of entities (r) in the Baconiana, thus concludes: This is the Form and Rule of our Alphabet. May God, the Creator, Preserver, and Renewer of the Universe, protect and govern this work, both in its ascent to his glory, and in its descent to the good of mankind, for the sake of his mercy and good will to men, through his only Son [Immanuel] God-with-us." These sentiments are not confined to the minor productions of Lord Bacon but pervade all his works. They may be seen in his tract,-" De principiis atque originibus secundum fabulas Cupidinis et Coeli sive Parmenidis et Telesii, et præcipue Democriti philosophia, tractata in fabula." The introduction to his "Historia naturalis et Experimentalis, Quæ est Instaurationis magna pars tertia," concludes thus: "Deus Universi Conditor, conservator, Instaurator, hoc opus, et in ascensione ad Gloriam suam, et in descensione ad bonum humanum, pro suâ erga Homines, Benevolentiâ, et Misericordiâ, protegat et regat, per Filium suum unicum, Nobiscum Deum."(s) And in the conclusion of the Preface to the Instauration he says, " Neque enim hoc siverit Deus, ut phantasiæ nostræ somnium pro exemplari (r) Baconiana, 91. (s) May God the Creator, Preserver, and Restorer of the universe, out of his kindness and compassion towards mankind, protect and govern this work, both when ascending towards his glory, and descending to the improvement of man, through his only son, God with us. • Translation of Immanuel. mundiedamus: sed potius benigne faveat, ut apocalypsim, ac veram visionem vestigiorum et sigillorum Creatoris supercreaturas, scribamus. "Itaque tu, Pater, qui lucem visibilem primitias creaturæ dedisti, et lucem intellectualem ad fastigium operum tuorum in faciem hominis inspirasti; opus hoc, quod a tua bonitate profectum, tuam gloriam repetit, tuere et rege. Tu, postquam conversus es ad spectandum opera, quæ fecerunt manus tuæ, vidisti quod omnia essent bona valde; et requievisti. At homo, conversus ad opera, quæ fecerunt manus suæ, vidit quod omnia essent vanitas et vexatio spiritus; nec ullo modo requievit. Quare si in operibus tuis sudabimus, facies nos visionis tuæ et sabbati tui participes. Supplices petimus, ut hæc mens nobis constet utque novis eleemosynis per manus nostras et aliorum,quibus eandem mentem largieris, familiam humanam dotatam velis. (t) (1) May thou, therefore, O Father, who gavest the light of vision as the first fruits of the creation, and hast inspired the countenance of man with the light of the understanding as the completion of thy works, guard and direct this work, which proceeding from thy bounty, seeks in return thy glory. When thou turnedst to look upon the works of thy hands, thou sawest that all were very good and didst rest. But man, when he turned towards the works of his hands, saw that they were all vanity and vexation of spirit and had no rest. Wherefore if we labour in thy works thou wilt make us partakers of that which thou beholdest and of thy sabbath. We humbly pray that our present disposition may continue firm, and that thou mayest be willing to endow thy family of mankind, with new gifts through our hands, and the hands of those to whom thou wilt accord the same disposition. The Treatise "De Augmentis Scientiarum," abounds with religious sentiments, and contains two tracts, one upon natural, (t) the other upon inspired divinity," the sabbath and port of all mens' labours."(u) In the Novum Organum, under the head of Instances of Divorce, (r) there is the following observation: "Atque in radiis opticis, et sonis, et calore, et aliis nonnullis operantibus ad distans, probabile est media corpora disponi et alterari: eò magis, quòd requiratur medium qualificatum ad deferendam operationem talem. At magnetica illa siue Coitiua virtus admittit media tanquam adiaphora, nec impeditur virtus in omnigeno medio. Quod si nil rei habeat virtus illa aut actio cum corpore medio, sequitur quod sit virtus aut actio naturalis ad tempus nonnullum, et in loco nonnullo, subsistens sine corpore : cum neque subsistat in corporibus terminantibus, nec in mediis. Quare actio magnetica poterit esse instantia diuortii circa naturam corpoream, et actioCui hoc adjici potest tanquam nem naturalem. corollarium aut lucrum non prætermittendum: viz. quòd etiam secundùm sensum philosophanti sumi possit probatio, quòd sint entia et substantiæ separatæ et incorporeæ. Si enim virtus et actio naturalis, emanans á corpore, subsistere possit aliquo tempore, (t) Book 3, c. 2, of the Treatise De Augmentis, and in the Advancement of Learning, see Vol. II. of this work, page 128. (u) Book ix. 6, of the Treatise De Augmentis, and Vol. II. page 299, of this work. (x) Instance, 37. |