The Improvement of Human Reason | Page 4

them, that they will occur to him
spontaneously, without any exercise at all; and then, as soon as he
perceives any thing, he applies himself to the Divine Essence, so as to
retain some impression of it; then something occurs, to him on a
sudden, whereby he begins to discern the_ Truth _in every thing; till,
through frequent exercise, he at last attains to a perfect Tranquility; and
that which us'd to appear to him only by fits and starts, becomes
habitual; and that which was only a glimmering before, a constant
Light; and he obtains a constant and steady Knowledge._ Thus far
Avicenna. Besides, he has given an account of those several steps and
degrees by which a Man is brought to this perfection; till his Soul is
like a polish'd Looking-glass, in which he beholds the _Truth_: and
then he swims in pleasure, and rejoyces exceedingly in his Mind,
because of the impressions of Truth which he perceives in it, When he
is once attain'd thus far, the next thing which employs him is, that he
sometimes looks towards Truth, and sometimes towards _himself_; and
thus he fluctuates between both, till he retires from himself wholly, and
looks only to-ward the Divine Essence; and if he do's at any time look
towards his own Soul, the only reason is, because that looks to-wards
God; and from thence arises a perfect Conjunction [with God.]
And, according to this manner which he has describ'd, he do's by no
means allow that this Taste is attain'd by way of Speculation or
Deduction of Consequences. And that you may the more clearly
apprehend the difference between the perception of these sort of Men,

and those other; I shall propose you a familiar instance. Suppose a Man
born Blind, but of quick Parts, and a good Capacity, a tenacious
Memory, and solid Judgment, who had liv'd in the place of his Nativity,
till he had by the help of the rest of his Senses, contracted an
acquaintance with a great many in the Neighbourhood, and learn'd the
several kinds of Animals, and Things inanimate, and the Streets and
Houses of the Town, so as to go any where about it without a Guide,
and to know such people as he met, and call them, by their names; and
knew the names of Colours[10], and the difference of them by their
descriptions and definitions; and after he had learn'd all this, should
have his Eyes open'd: Why, this Man, when he walk'd about the Town,
would find every thing to be exactly agreeable to those notions which
he had before; and that Colours were such as he had before conceiv'd
them to be, by those descriptions he had receiv'd: so that the difference
between his apprehensions when blind, and those which he would have
now his Eyes were opened, would consist only in these two great
Things, one of which is a consequent of the other, _viz._, a greater
Clearness, and extream Delight. From whence 'tis plain, that the
condition of those Contemplators, who have not yet attain'd to the
UNION [with GOD] is exactly like that of the Blind Man; and the
Notion which a Blind Man has of Colours, by their description,
answers to those things which Avenpace said were _of too noble a
nature to be any ways attributed, to the Natural Life,_ and, which God
bestows upon such his Servants as he pleases. But the condition of
those who have attain'd to the UNION, to whom God has given that
which I told you could not be properly express'd by the word POWER,
is that second State of the Blind-man cur'd. Take notice by the way,
that our Similitude is not exactly applicable in every case; for there is
very seldom any one found that is born with his Eyes open, that can
attain to these things without any help of Contemplation.
Now (my Dear Friend) I do not here, when I speak of the Ideas of the
Contemplative, mean what they learn from the Study of Physicks; nor
by the notions of those who have attain'd to the UNION, what they
learn from the Study of Metaphysicks (for these two ways of learning
are vastly different, and must by no means be confounded.) But what I
mean by the Ideas of the Contemplative is, what is attain'd by the Study

of Metaphysicks, of which kind is that which Avenpace understood;
and in the apprehension of these things, this condition is necessarily
requir'd, viz. that it be manifestly and clearly true; and then there is a
middle sort of Speculation, between that, and those who have attain'd to
the UNION, who employ themselves in these things with greater
perspicuity and delight.
Now Avenpace blames all those that make any mention of this