An essay upon literature- or, An enquiry into the antiquity and original of letters; proving that the two tables, written by the finger of God in Mount Sinai, was the first writing in the world, and (14724641296)

Identifier: essayuponliterat00defo (find matches)
Title: An essay upon literature: or, An enquiry into the antiquity and original of letters; proving that the two tables, written by the finger of God in Mount Sinai, was the first writing in the world, and that all other alphabets derive from the Hebrew ; with a short view of the methods made use of by the antients to supply the want of letters before, and improve the use of them, after they were known
Year: 1726 (1720s)
Authors: Defoe, Daniel, 1661?-1731
Subjects: Alphabet
Publisher: London : Printed for Tho. Bowles ...
Contributing Library: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign



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f infinite Atoms ; nor the JEternal Matter ofAriflotle; nor Confufon oi Nature with the Divine Suhflance, asthe Stoics held : But, Firfl, the dark and, to us, impervious Abyfsof eternal Duration, wherein God alone exifted, preceding all createdand material Forms, as reprefented by Orpheus in Clem. Alex, The Worlds creating Monarch reigns alone,and then a little further , But my weak Sight beholds him not: His ThroneA Cloud impervious hides. No Mortal EyeCan the All-feeing God, who Natureformd, defcry.Secondly, the new-created Mafs of material Nature, or Tohu vaBohu of Mofes ; this Herm. calls Hater ; which Thales with the mod:early Greeks, thought under that Idea to be the firfl Principle of allThings. And Thirdly, the Power of the Divine Almighty Spiritmoving upon the Face of that Water, and producing thereout allSpecies of living Forms, according to the Will of the EternalMind, the 7725,? ancient, felfperfeft, fapient Love of Orpheus,mentiond by P,oclus in Tim. Emblem MORAL EMBLEMS.
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Emblem VI. Creation o/Man. T TE1L, veil, thy opning Eyes, the Kumen plays Around thaftonifhd Soul, too dazzling RaysFor thy weak Senfe to bear! Eehold thy FormUnknown, with moving, living Nature warm.Arife, inanimated Earth! ExtendThy untryd limbs, an Arm, a Foot, a Hand,Unconfcious of thy Powr, and half afraid.To find thy Will by aflive PowV obeyd. Look MORAL EMBLEMS. Look round and fee thy Fellow-Creatures, lye Watching each Glance of thy Imperial Eye, Thou (a) King of Nature, for whofe Sovereign Ule Omnipotence itfelf has been profufe, The Wealth of Infant Worlds on thee beftows,1 The Terms, Obedience, the Return, thy Tows. Spare but to fin, the fatal Tree forbear, Behold the Charm, but, O ! that Charm beware. Immortal then, eternal Joys are thine, And all thy Tranfports, like thy Soul, Divine. Deaths fable Gloom fhall neer thy Life invade, Nor Peace, nor Innocence, nor Glory fade. N O T E on E m b l e m VI. (a) King of Nature — That the inferior Parts of Nature werecreated for t