An essay on the first principles of natural philosophy. Wherein the use of natural means, or second causes, in the oeconomy of the material world, is demonstrated from reason, experiments of various kinds, and the testimony of antiquity : in four books illustrated with copper-plates / by the Reverend William Jones.

  • Jones, William, 1726-1800.
Date:
1762
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An essay on the first principles of natural philosophy. Wherein the use of natural means, or second causes, in the oeconomy of the material world, is demonstrated from reason, experiments of various kinds, and the testimony of antiquity : in four books illustrated with copper-plates / by the Reverend William Jones. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    228/306 (page 206)
    firft book of the Satur7ialta of Macrobius^ from the begin¬ ning of the feventeenth to the end of the twenty third chap¬ ter : from all of which, he cannot ealily fail of imbibing forne tafte for the heathen mythology; a branch of the an¬ cient learning, very curious in itfelf, and not without its ufe- fulnefs, when it falls into proper hands. A s the Greeks borrowed both their learning and their re- ligibn frorn the Egyptians^ it is highly probable, that the philofophy and theology of that ancient people muft have coincided, even from the earlieft times, with thefe placits of the Grecian fages. And this is confirmed by the moft early account we have of the Egyptians^ in the facred writings. For the miracles in Egypt feem to have been chiefly calcu¬ lated to aflert an over-ruling power of the true God, and diftinguifh it from the above-mentioned philofophical objeds of the heathen worfhip, which were no other nor better than the works of his hands, though ignorantly and pro¬ fanely dignified with the exalted attributes of omnifcience and eternity. The Lord is faid to have executed judgments upon the gods of Egypt ^; which I cannot but fuppofe to have happened, when their light was turned into darknefs; the wind brought locufts, and fcattered the afhes of the fur¬ nace over the whole land; the heavens fcnt down a ftorm and tempeft upon them, and fire ran along upon the ground, devouring and laying wafte the fruits of the earth. These elements they worfhipped, not, according to ‘ Plato\ excellent diftindlion, as fecondary infiruments in the hands of God, but as the primary caufes of all things, and the fupreme Governors of the world; denying and rejecfling the fupremacy of that God of the Hebrews^ who created * Numb, 33. 4. See Exod. t8. ii. which is very exprefs. the i