The Publisher to the Reader.

Exodus 35:31

Antidote, Book 2, Chapter 2, Sections 7–14; Chapter 12, Sections 1–3, etc. Immortality of the Soul, Book 3, Chapters 12 and 13.

...indication that he looked upon it as a gift of God in Nature. Besides, every great thing in Nature, according to the Hebrew idiom, takes its name from God. Therefore, to be filled with the Spirit of God in wisdom and understanding, etc. is to possess a great measure of wisdom and understanding in those specific things. Just as, without question, Descartes original: "Des-Cartes" possessed a great deal of intelligence and insight original: "Wit and Sagacity" to discover the most plausible material causes for the phenomena original: "Phænomena" of the world, and to organize them into the most impressive framework original: "specious Contexture" possible to create a mechanical philosophy. But this great admirer original: "Encomiast" of his declares as plainly in several places—just as the author original: "Contriver" of these current dialogues does—that these things can neither arise nor hold together without a higher principle to superintend and guide them.

But regarding the author of Philosophy, the Interpreter of Scripture original: "Philosophia Scripturæ Interpres"; a controversial 1666 work often attributed to Lodewijk Meyer which argued that philosophy should be the tool for biblical interpretation, I must confess I am quite surprised original: "much admire" that, after working so hard to prove his argument, he should choose Descartes’ philosophy as such a reliable oracle for interpreting the meaning of Scripture. It is true that several aspects of it are very fittingly applied to a philosophical interpretation of the six-day Creation. However, those are elements already included in the Pythagorean framework of the universe and they correspond with the ancient Cabbala The "Cabbala" here refers to the idea of a secret, mystical tradition of divine knowledge supposedly passed down from Moses; they are not new inventions of Cartesian intelligence. The truth is, what makes Descartes’ philosophy look so impressive original: "augustly" is that he has interwoven into it that noble system of the world according to the tradition of Pythagoras and his followers—or, if you prefer, the most ancient Cabbala of Moses. But the rest of his philosophy is more clever original: "pretty" than great; and in the sense that he intends—that of pure mechanism—it is enormously and ridiculously false.