Philosophical Letters: or, modest Reflections upon some Opinions in Natural Philosophy. Duchess of Margaret Cavendish Newcastle
can supernatural and natural effects be mixt together, no more then material and immaterial things or beings: Therefore it is probable, God has ordained Nature to work in her self by his Leave, Will, and Free Gift. But there have been, and are still strange and erroneous Opinions, and great differences amongst Natural Philosophers, concerning the Principles of Natural things; some will have them Atoms, others will have the first Principles to be Salt, Sulphur and Mercury; some will have them to be the four Elements, as Fire, Air, Water, and Earth; and others will have but one of these Elements also some will have Gas and Blas, Ferments, Ideas and the like; but what they believe to be Principles and Causes of natural things, are onely Effects; for in all Probability it appears to humane sense and reason, that the cause of every particular material Creature is the onely and Infinite Matter, which has Motions and Figures inseparably united; for Matter, Motion and Figure, are but one thing, individable in its Nature. And as for Immaterial Spirits, there is surely no such thing in Infinite Nature, to wit, so as to be Parts of Nature; for Nature is altogether Material, but this opinion proceeds from the separation or abstraction of Motion from Matter, viz. that man thinks matter and motion to be dividable from each other, and believes motion to be a thing by its self, naming it an Immaterial thing, which has a being, but not a bodily substance: But various and different effects do not prove a different Matter or Cause, neither do they prove an unsetled Cause, onely the variety of Effects hath obscured the Cause from the several parts, which makes Particular Creatures partly Ignorant, and partly knowing. But in my opinion, Nature is material, and not any thing in Nature, what belongs to her, is immaterial; but whatsoever is Immaterial, is Supernatural, Therefore Motions, Forms, Thoughts, Ideas, Conceptions, Sympathies, Antipathies, Accidents, Qualities, as also Natural Life, and Soul, are all Material: And as for Colours, Sents, Light, Sound, Heat, Cold, and the like, those that believe them not to be substances or material things, surely their brain or heart (take what place you will for the forming of Conceptions) moves very Irregularly, and they might as well say, Our sensitive Organs are not material; for what Objects soever, that are subject to our senses, cannot in sense be denied to be Corporeal, when as those things that are not subject to our senses, can be conceived in reason to be Immaterial? But some Philosophers striving to express their wit, obstruct reason; and drawing Divinity to prove Sense and Reason, weaken Faith so, as their mixed Divine Philosophy becomes meer Poetical Fictions, and Romancical expressions, making material Bodies immaterial Spirits, and immaterial Spirits material Bodies; and some have conceived some things neither to be Material nor Immaterial but between both. Truly, Madam, I wish their Wits had been less, and their Judgments more, as not to jumble Natural and Supernatural things together, but to distinguish either clearly, for such Mixtures are neither Natural nor Divine; But as I said, the Confusion comes from their too nice abstractions, and from the separation of Figure and Motion from Matter, as not conceiving them individable; but if God, and his servant Nature were as Intricate and Confuse in their Works, as Men in their Understandings and Words, the Universe and Production of all Creatures would soon be without Order and Government, so as there would be a horrid and Eternal War both in Heaven, and in the World, and so pittying their troubled Brains, and wishing them the Light of Reason, that they may clearly perceive the Truth, I rest
Madam,
Your real Friend
and faithful Servant.
III.
MADAM,
It seems you are offended at my Opinion, that Nature is Eternal without beginning, which, you say, is to make her God, or at least coequal with God; But, if you apprehend my meaning rightly, you will say, I do not: For first, God is an Immaterial and Spiritual Infinite Being, which Propriety God cannot give away to any Creature, nor make another God in Essence like to him, for Gods Attributes are not communicable to any Creature; Yet this doth not hinder, that God should not make Infinite and Eternal Matter, for that is as easie to him, as to make a Finite Creature, Infinite Matter being quite of another Nature then God is, to wit, Corporeal, when God is Incorporeal, the difference whereof I have declared in my former Letter. But as for Nature, that it cannot be Eternal without beginning, because God is the Creator and Cause of it, and that the Creator must be before the Creature, as the Cause before the Effect, so, that it is impossible for Nature to be without a beginning; if you will speak naturally, as human reason guides you, and bring an Argument concluding from the Priority of the Cause before the Effect, give me leave to tell you, that God is not tied to Natural Rules, but that he can do beyond our Understanding, and therefore he is neither bound up to time, as to be before, for if we will do this, we must not allow, that the Eternal Son of God is Coeternal with the Father, because nature requires a Father to exist before the Son, but in God is no time, but all Eternity; and if you allow, that God hath made some Creatures, as Supernatural Spirits, to live Eternally, why should he not as well have made a Creature from all Eternity? for Gods making is not our making, he needs no Priority of Time. But you may say, the Comparison of the Eternal Generation of the Son of God is Mystical and Divine, and not to be applied to natural things: I answer, The action by which God created the World or made Nature, was it natural or supernatural? surely you will say it was a Supernatural and God-like action, why then will you apply Natural Rules to a God-like and Supernatural Action? for what Man knows, how and when God created Nature? You will say, the Scripture doth teach us that, for it is not Six thousand years, when God created this World, I answer, the holy Scripture informs us onely of the Creation of this Visible World, but not of Nature and natural Matter; for I firmly believe according to the Word of God, that this World has been Created, as is described by Moses, but what is that to natural Matter? There may have been worlds before, as many are of the opinion that there have been men before Adam, and many amongst Divines do believe, that after the destruction of this World God will Create a new World again, as a new Heaven, and a new Earth; and if this be probable, or at least may be believed without any prejudice to the holy Scripture, why may it not be probably believed that there have been other worlds before this visible World? for nothing is impossible with God; and all this doth derogate nothing from the Honour and Glory of God, but rather increases his Divine Power. But as for the Creation of this present World, it is related, that there was first a rude and indigested Heap, or Chaos, without form, void and dark; and God said, Let it be light; Let there be a Firmament in the midst of the Waters, and let the Waters under the Heaven be gathered together, and let the dry Land appear; Let the Earth bring forth Grass, the Herb yielding seed, and the Fruit-tree yielding Fruit after its own kind; and let there be Lights in the Firmament, the one to rule the Day, and the other the Night; and let the Waters bring forth abundantly the moving Creature that hath life; and let the Earth bring forth living Creatures after its kinde; and at last God said, Let us make Man, and all what was made, God saw it was good. Thus all was made by Gods Command, and who executed his Command but the Material servant of God, Nature? which ordered her self-moving matter into such several Figures as God commanded, and God approved of them. And thus, Madam, I verily believe the Creation of the World, and that God is the Sole and omnipotent Creator of Heaven and Earth, and of all Creatures therein; nay, although I believe Nature to have been from Eternity, yet I believe also that God is the God and Author of Nature, and has made Nature and natural Matter in a way and manner proper to his Omnipotency and Incomprehensible by us: I will pass by natural Arguments and Proofs, as not belonging to such an Omnipotent Action; as for example, how the nature of relative terms requires, that they must both exist at one point of Time, viz. a Master and his Servant, and a King and his Subjects; for one bearing relation to the other, can in no ways be considered as different from one another in formiliness or laterness of Time; but as I said, these being meerly natural things, I will nor cannot apply them to Supernatural and Divine Actions; But if you ask me, how it is possible that Nature, the Effect and Creature of God, can be Eternal without beginning? I will desire you to answer me first, how a Creature can be Eternal without end, as, for example. Supernatural Spirits are, and then I will answer you, how a Creature can be Eternal without beginning; For Eternity consists herein, that it has neither beginning nor end; and if it be easie for God to make a Being without end, it is not difficult for Him to make a Being without beginning. One thing more