33 ADVANCEMENT OP LEARJTINO. [bOOKI 



it back to religion;*! For on the threshold of philosophy, 

 where second causes appear to absorb the attention, some 

 oblivion of the highest cause may ensue ; but when the mind 

 goes deeper, and sees the dependence of causes and the works 

 of Providence, it will easily perceive, according to the mytho- 

 logy of the poets, that the upper link of Nature's chain is 

 fastened to Jupiter's throne.'f To conclude, let no one weakly 

 imagine that man can search too far, or be too well studied 

 in the book of God's word, and works, divinity, and philo- 

 sophy ; but rather let them endeavour an endless progression 

 in both, only applying all to charity, and not to pride — to 

 use, not ostentation, without confounding the two different 

 streams of philosophy and revelation together. ^ 



The reflections cast upon learning by politicians, are these. 

 1. " That it enervates men's minds, and unfits them for 

 arms ; 2. That it perverts their dispositions for government 

 «and politics ; 3. That it makes them too curious and irre- 

 solute, b}' variety of reading ; too peremptory or positive by 

 strictness of rules; too immoderate and conceited by the great- 

 ness of instances ; too unsociable and incapacitated for the 

 times, by the dissimilitude of examples ; or at least, 4. That 

 it diverts from action and business, and leads to a love of re- 

 tirement ; 0. That it introduces a relaxation in government, 

 as every man is more ready to argue than obey ; whence 

 Cato the censor — when Carneades came ambassador to Rome, 

 and the young Komans, allured with his eloquence, flocked 

 about him, — ^gave counsel in open senate, to grant him his 

 despatch immediately, lest he should infect the minds of the 

 youth, and insensibly occasion an alteration in the state."' 



The same conceit is manifest in Virgil, who, preferring the 

 honour of his country to that of his profession, challenged 

 the arts of policy in the Romans, as something superior to 



1 See the author's essay on Atheism, and Mr. Boyle's essays upon 

 the Usefulness of Philosophy. 



' Iliad, viii. 19; andconf. Plato, Theaet. i. 153. 



• The dispute betwixt the rational and scriptural divines is still on 

 foot : the former are for reconciling reason and philosophy with faith 

 and religion ; and the latter for keeping them distinct, as things incom- 

 patible, or making reason and knowledge subject to faith and religion. 

 The author is clear, that they should be kept separate, as will mora 

 fully appear hereafter, when he comes to tr;'at of theology. Shav. 



« Pluta-ch in M. Cato, 



