Page images
PDF
EPUB

dance in his Writings; and tho' there are likewife long Periods, longer Sentences, and more Parentheses than he who reads only to divert himself would chufe; yet whoever reads with any Care will find himself abundantly paid for his Trouble, and be able to recall to his Mind with Pleasure what he has read; and if in fome Parts he is not so easily underftood, he is eafily remembered when he is underftood. He is to be understood, however, which is more than you can say of any Treatife on Philosophy; the Trinity, and fome other Parts of Divinity, which fifty Years backwards have produced; Words for occult Qualities are never to be understood, unless Words can be understood where the Things they should refer to are not. Afk the polite Writers on Gravity, Attraction, Magnetifm, Electricity, (that Puzzler of the Puzzlers, &c.) whe

ther

Afk

ther they understand themfelves; if they fay they do, afk them what the Qualities are they talk about, and you will foon fee they do not. the Metaphyfician if he understands Infinity, Space, the Senforium of the Deity, neceffary Exiftence, Neceffity being the Caufe of the Exiftence of the firft Caufe; with numberless other fenfelefs Phrafes and Delufion of Words; thefe are not to be underftood. Words appropriated to Things that exift; that ftand for Ideas in Nature, the School God has placed us in, may be understood. The Senfes can take in Ideas, and the Words may be compared with the Things; and if one who copies from Nature, and is defcribing what does really exist, doth not confult the Cadence, fo much as the Propriety of his Words, and directs himself to the Understanding rather than the Ear, is he not the

wifer Man, the more ufeful and valuable Author? But there is a great deal of Reason to think that they, who complain moft, do understand him, and think him too plain; he makes others understand them, and Things better than they chufe they fhould. However, if they who do not like his Stile will mend it, we will embellifh the next Edition with their Emendations; or, which is more to the Purpose, let them try to expose his Reasoning; fhew he doth not deferve to be understood, canvafs his Arguments, raise their Objections to the Truth of his Difcoveries, and do what they have in private long threatened us with, fhew the Weaknefs and Fallacy of his Scheme, and then nobody will defire to understand him; I suppose they who have given out fuch Speeches did understand him, or they would not have talked of con

futing him. What! is all the Learning of the Age attacked, vilified, alarmed, enraged, and not a Word in Print to defend it! But ftay, we shall be told of the Obfervations and Remarks by nameless Authors both of them; recalled almoft as foon as published, and forgot now, as much as if they had never been. But then a Modeft Apology has appeared for those great Men not encouraging these Writings, who never faw themNo Name to it; nobody owns it, and the Author himself declares over and over again, he had never read the Writings he undertakes to apologize for the Neglect of. He could never be fet to work by any Perfons of Note; our great Men are Men of too much Candour to condemn what they know nothing of; and must disapprove of one fo ill qualified to defend their Conduct, could their Conduct be fuppofed

posed to stand in Need of an Apology, which nobody but this Author has had the Affurance to fuppofe. It is faid a Mr Langford is the Author of this Apology, tho' a Mr Langford doth not care publickly to own it. The World may know him better than we do; and they who read his Apology will know him better than they did before. His Abilities are not to be called in Question; a Man must have an uncommon Sagacity to understand what he never faw. His Modesty perhaps may be fufpected, notwithftanding his own Voucher for it, by fome who may think it would have been modeft to have known what it was he did condemn, before he had condemned it; but they mistake the Cafe, fome People have a Privilege, they cannot err; the Apologift is one of them, and Zeal makes it true Re ligion in him to charge one who pre

fump

« PreviousContinue »