The Improvement of Human Reason: Exhibited in the Life of Hai Ebn YokdhanIbn Tufayl, Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Malik
Islamic
The Improvement of Human Reason: Exhibited in the Life of Hai Ebn Yokdhan
Ibn Tufayl, Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Malik
Islamic philosophy -- Early works to 1800
Sec. 10. Nor did any of the Prophets, which came after him, ever advance
any such refin'd way of Worship; but constantly blam'd the People for
not observing the Law of _Moses_, and neglecting the Statutes and
Ordinances which he had left them. And the Sum of their Prophecies
consists, either in Exhorting, Reproving, Promising or Threatning, and
some Hints of the _Messias_. But not one Syllable concerning any such
abstracted Worship, nor any Mention made of Mens attaining the
_Beatifick Vision_. Notwithstanding which, there have been, and still
are, a great many deluded Souls, who imagine that the warm Conceptions
of distemper'd Brains, are a great Measure of that Holy Spirit by which
the old Prophets spake; and pretend to such a Familiarity and intimate
Conversation with God; such an entire Communication and Intercourse,
that they might, if what they said were true, seem to be glorified
Spirits, rather than _Prophets_, subject to the like Infirmities with
other Men; and to have left the Church Militant to take their place in
the Triumphant. Not considering, that all this is only a pleasing sort
of an Amusement, a Fool's Paradise, and grounded upon no better Reason
or Foundation, than the Man that was distracted had to fancy himself an
Emperor, and all that came about him his Subjects. These Men do not
consider that we live in such an Age of the World, as we are not to
expect such extraordinary Effusions of the Spirit: All that we can
reasonably expect, or that God has promis'd, is, to give his Holy Spirit
to those that ask it of him; that is, so to guide them by his gracious
Assistance, as that they may overcome their Spiritual Enemies, and be
crown'd hereafter with Glory and Immortality; which certainly ought to
content any reasonable Man, without aspiring to _Immediate Revelation,
Prophecy_, obtaining the _Vision of God_, and such like Things,which God
has deny'd to us, whilst in this State.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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