MADAM,
Your Author having assigned Indivisibility to the Soul or Spirit that moves and actuates matter, I desire to know, how one Indivisible Spirit can be in so many dividable parts? For there being Infinite parts in Nature, they must either have one Infinite Spirit to move them, which must be dilated infinitely, or this Spirit must move severally in every part of Nature: If the first, then I cannot conceive, but all motion must be uniform, or after one and the same manner; nay, I cannot understand, how there can be any dilation and contraction, or rather any motion of the same spirit, by reason if it dilate, then, (being equally spread out in all the parts of Matter,) it must dilate beyond Matter; and if it contract, it must leave some parts of matter void, and without motion. But if the Spirit moves every part severally, then he is divisible; neither can I think, that there are so many Spirits as there are Parts in Nature; for your Author says, there is but one Spirit of Nature; I will give an easie and plain example: When a Worm is cut into two or three parts, we see there is sensitive life and motion in every part, for every part will strive and endeavour to meet and joyn again to make up the whole body; now if there were but one indivisible Life, Spirit, and Motion, I would fain know, how these severed parts could move all by one Spirit. Wherefore, Matter, in my opinion, has self-motion in it self, which is the onely soul and life of Nature, and is dividable as well as composable, and full of variety of action; for it is as easie for several parts to act in separation, as in composition, and as easie in composition as in separation; Neither is every part bound to one kind or sort of Motions; for we see in exterior local motions, that one man can put his body into several shapes and postures, much more can Nature. But is it not strange, Madam, that a man accounts it absurd, ridiculous, and a prejudice to Gods Omnipotency, to attribute self-motion to Matter, or a material Creature, when it is not absurd, ridiculous, or any prejudice to God, to attribute it to an Immaterial Creature? What reason of absurdity lies herein? Surely I can conceive none, except it be absurd and ridiculous to make that, which no man can know or conceive what it is, viz. an immaterial natural Spirit, (which is as much as to say, a natural No-thing) to have motion, and not onely motion, but self-motion; nay, not onely self-motion, but to move, actuate, rule, govern, and guide Matter, or corporeal Nature, and to be the cause of all the most curious varieties and effects in nature: Was not God able to give self-motion as well to a Material, as to an Immaterial Creature, and endow Matter with a self-moving power? I do not say, Madam, that Matter hath motion of it self, so, that it is the prime cause and principle of its own self-motion; for that were to make Matter a God, which I am far from believing; but my opinion is, That the self-motion of Matter proceeds from God, as well as the self-motion of an Immaterial Spirit; and that I am of this opinion, the last Chapter of my Book of Philosophy will enform you, where I treat of the Deitical Centre, as the Fountain from whence all things do flow, and which is the supream Cause, Author, Ruler and Governor of all. Perhaps you will say, it is, because I make Matter Eternal. 'Tis true, Madam, I do so: but I think Eternity doth not take off the dependance upon God, for God may nevertheless be above Matter, as I have told you before. You may ask me how that can be? I say, As well as any thing else that God can do beyond our understanding: For I do but tell you my opinion, that I think it most probable to be so, but I can give you no Mathematical Demonstrations for it: Onely this I am sure of, That it is not impossible for the Omnipotent God; and he that questions the truth of it, may question Gods Omnipotency. Truly, Madam, I wonder how man can say, God is Omnipotent, and can do beyond our Understanding, and yet deny all that he is not able to comprehend with his reason. However, as I said, it is my opinion, That Matter is self-moving by the power of God; Neither can Animadversion, and Perception, as also the variety of Figures, prove, that there must be another external Agent or Power to work all this in Matter; but it proves rather the contrary; for were there no self-motion in Matter, there would be no Perception, nor no variety of Creatures in their Figures, Shapes, Natures, Qualities, Faculties, Proprieties, as also in their Productions, Creations or Generations, Transformations, Compositions, Dissolutions, and the like, as Growth, Maturity, Decay, &c. and for Animals, were not Corporeal Matter self-moving, dividable and composable; there could not be such variety of Passions, Complexions, Humors, Features, Statures, Appetites, Diseases, Infirmities, Youth, Age, &c. Neither would they have any nourishing Food, healing Salves, soveraign Medicines, reviving Cordials, or deadly Poysons. In short, there is so much variety in Nature, proceeding from the self-motion of Matter, as not possible to be numbred, nor thorowly known by any Creature: Wherefore I should labour in vain, if I endeavoured to express any more thereof; and this is the cause that I break off here, and onely subscribe my self,
Madam,
Your faithful Friend
and Servant.
[XXIII.]
MADAM,
Concerning the comparison, your Author makes between an Immaterial Spirit, and Light,[1] That, as Light is contractive and dilative, and yet not divisible, so is also an Immaterial substance. Give me leave to tell you, that in my opinion, all that is contractive and dilative, is also dividable, and so is light: As for example; when a Candle is snuff'd, the Snuffers do not onely clip the wick, but also the light: The like when a dark body is interposed, or crosses the rays of the Sun; it cuts those rays asunder, which by reason they cannot joyn together again, because of the interposed body, the light cut off, suddenly goeth out; that is, the matter of light is altered from the figure of light, to some other thing, but not annihilated: And since no more light can flow into the room from the Fountain or Spring of Light, the Sun, because the passage is stopt close, the room remaineth dark: For Light is somewhat of the nature of Water; so long as the Spring is open, the Water flows, and whatsoever is taken away, the Spring supplies; and if another body onely presses thorow it, it immediately joyns and closes its severed parts again, without any difficulty or loss; The same doth Light; onely the difference is, that the substance of Light is extraordinary rare, and pure; for as Air is so much rarer then Water, so Light is so much rarer and purer then Air, and its matter may be of so dilating a nature, as to dilate from a point into numerous rayes. As for ordinary Fire-light, it doth not last longer, then it hath fuel to feed it, and so likewise it is with the light of the Sun; for Light is according to the substance that feeds it; and though it is a substance it self, yet it increases and decreases, according as it hath something that succours or nourishes it. But some may object, that if Light were a body, and did contract and dilate, as I say, it is impossible that it could display it self in so great and vast a compass, and remove so suddenly and instantly as it doth. To which objection, I answer, first, That although I say, Light is a real corporeal substance, and doth contract and dilate it self from a point into numerous rayes, as also in another Letter I sent you before,[2] That Light and Darkness do succeed each other; nevertheless, as for the perception of Light, I am not so eager in maintaining this opinion, as if it was an Infallible Truth, and impossible to be otherwise; but I say onely, That, to my sense and reason, it seems very probable, that it may be so, that the light of the Sun doth really dilate it self into so vast a compass as we see, and that light and darkness do really succeed each other, as all other Creatures do: But yet it seems also probable to mee, that the parts of the Air may onely pattern out the figure of light, and that the light we see in the Air may be onely patterns taken from the real figure of the light of the Sun: And therefore, if it be according to the former opinion, to wit, That the light of the Sun doth really dilate it self into so vast a compass, My answer is, That contraction and dilation are natural corporeal actions or motions, and that there is no alteration of motion in Nature, but is done in Time, that is, successively, not instantly; for Time is nothing else but the alteration of motion: Besides, I do not perceive any so sudden and swift alteration and succession of light, but that it is done by degrees: As for example; in the morning, when it begins to dawn and grow light, it appears clearly to our sight how light doth come forth, and darkness remove by degrees; and so at night, when it grows dark, how light removes, and darkness succeeds; nay, if there be any such sudden change of the motions of Light, I desire you to consider, Madam, that light is a very subtil, rare, piercing and active body, and therefore its motions are much quicker then those of grosser bodies, and cannot so well be perceived by our gross exterior senses. But if it be, that the Air doth pattern out the light of the Sun, then the framed objection can prove nothing, because there is not then such a real dilation or succession of light, but the corporeal figurative motions of the Air do make patterns of the light of the Sun, and dissolve those patterns or figures again, more suddenly and quickly then man can shut and open his eyes, as being more subtil then his gross exterior senses. But it may be said, that if Air did pattern out the light of the Sun, the light would increase by these numerous patterns. I answer, that cannot appear to our Eyes; for we see onely the pattern'd figure of light, and that a great compass is enlightned; also that the further the air is from the Sun, the darker it is; nevertheless, I do verily believe, that the body of the Sun is far brighter then the light we see, and that the substance of light, and the patterns taken from light, are not one and the same, but very different. And thus much of light. As for Penetration, I conceive it to be nothing else but division; as when some parts pierce and enter through other parts, as Duellers run each other thorow, or as water runs through a sieve. And this is the opinion of,
Madam,