"We may see God indeed in his Works, for the Heavens declare his Glory, and there may be an impression of his almighty Power upon our minds some other way than by our own Reasoning or making Inferences from the things that strike our Senses."
— Forbes of Pitsligo, Alexander Forbes, Lord (1678-1762)
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for J. Osborn and T. Longman
Date
1734
Metaphor
"We may see God indeed in his Works, for the Heavens declare his Glory, and there may be an impression of his almighty Power upon our minds some other way than by our own Reasoning or making Inferences from the things that strike our Senses."
Metaphor in Context
LUCINUS
But this divine Love seems to be quite lost since the Sin of Adam, Faith which is previous to that Virtue being now extinguished. Before we can love we must believe, since (according to the old Maxim) there is no desire of a thing unknown. All the Faith natural Men can pretend to, is work'd up by their Reason, *the things of God appearing Foolishness to them. We may see God indeed in his Works, for the Heavens declare his Glory, and there may be an impression of his almighty Power upon our minds some other way than by our own Reasoning or making Inferences from the things that strike our Senses: but this is only what they call believing à posteriori, and we could give no Demonstration of the Existence of God to others who doubt of it, but that either they must believe it, or they must believe a Contradiction; as Dr. Clarke very well argues in his Discourses upon Mr. Boyle's Establishment; the substance of which is this.
(pp. 145-6)
But this divine Love seems to be quite lost since the Sin of Adam, Faith which is previous to that Virtue being now extinguished. Before we can love we must believe, since (according to the old Maxim) there is no desire of a thing unknown. All the Faith natural Men can pretend to, is work'd up by their Reason, *the things of God appearing Foolishness to them. We may see God indeed in his Works, for the Heavens declare his Glory, and there may be an impression of his almighty Power upon our minds some other way than by our own Reasoning or making Inferences from the things that strike our Senses: but this is only what they call believing à posteriori, and we could give no Demonstration of the Existence of God to others who doubt of it, but that either they must believe it, or they must believe a Contradiction; as Dr. Clarke very well argues in his Discourses upon Mr. Boyle's Establishment; the substance of which is this.
(pp. 145-6)
Categories
Provenance
ECCO-TCP
Citation
Three entries in ESTC (1734, 1762, 1763).
See Essays Moral and Philosophical, on Several Subjects: Viz. A View of the Human Faculties. (London: Printed for J. Osborn and T. Longman, 1734). <Link to ECCO-TCP>
See Essays Moral and Philosophical, on Several Subjects: Viz. A View of the Human Faculties. (London: Printed for J. Osborn and T. Longman, 1734). <Link to ECCO-TCP>
Date of Entry
08/18/2013
