“Nature” is only the order of causes — who authored that order?
Ask the nature-only crowd: what do you mean by nature?
Usually: the order of causes — plant begets plant, seasons turn.
That order itself needs an author — who made heaven, sun, earth?
Latin
XXXVII. Verum ut magis adhuc urgeamus impios illos, qui nolunt aliam rerum causam agnoscere, nisi brutam quandam naturam: Rogamus eos quid nomine naturae intelligant. Nam vulgo per naturam, quae casui opponitur, & iis quae ex consilio & deliberatione agunt, intelligitur ordo & series causarum, quibus constat hoc universum. Juxta quem ordinem videmus in terra fieri varias generationes, & in elementari regione alias & alias mutationes: Sic enim, quum planta plantam, & animal aliud animal simile generat, opus esse naturae dicimus: & similiter quum nives per hyemem terram operiunt, aestate vero terra aestu fatiscit, ad naturam ista referimus: Sed hic frustra ad istam naturam recurritur. Nam natura illa, ut patet ex dictis, nihil aliud est, quam ordo agentium & patientium, quibus hoc universum constat. Sed hic quaeritur hujus ordinis author, & quid est illud quod coelum, solem & terram produxit, & quo videmus ordine disposuit? Quaenam est ergo natura, quae, naturae hujus, quae jam operatur, causa est?
About this text
Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu, Sedan Theses, newly rendered from Latin: from theology proper through the Roman theses I–77 and the Reformed theses of Part Two. The theses only — not the collected works.
English follows locked Pitt Latin through Imaginum CLOSED + Sanctorum Cultu Romana CLOSED + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL. 1675 PDF ~384-390 (book ~370-376); Vision OCR + pdftotext + tess. No modern English. This slice densifies Sanctorum Pars Secunda I-XL. Next: Pars Secunda XLI–fin (~CI). Claim stays claimed (book densify not done).
Catalogue & scope
ESTC R17887; Wing L802. IA bub_gb_eOkHAW4G0-wC (+ EEBO 1675 for gap leaves). Densify through Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL (Pars Secunda not closed; not whole folio).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Theologia I-XLIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Checked print Internet Archive PDF of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
- Checked print pdftotext of De Theologia pages (Latin)
- Checked print Internet Archive DjVu OCR of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Fide I-XXII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Authoritate Scripturae Pars I I-XLVII + Pars II I-XXXV + Pars III I-VIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Scripturae plenitudine densify (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.