Wesley Corpus

20 To Margaret Lewen

AuthorJohn Wesley
Typeletter
YearNone
Passage IDjw-letter-1764-20-to-margaret-lewen-001
Words367
Catholic Spirit Religious Experience Universal Redemption
9. Logic naturally follows; and I really think it is worth all the rest put together. But here I am at a full stop; for I know no good treatise on the subject in English, except Aldrich's Logic, and that I am afraid you cannot understand without an instructor. I shall be glad to give you a little assistance in the short time we have together. 10. As to Ethics (or Moral Philosophy) there is full as much of it as you want in Langbain's Compendium. 11. In Natural Philosophy you have a larger field. You may begin with a Survey of the Wisdom of God in the Creation. This contains the substance of Ray, Derham, Niewentyt, Nature Displayed, and all the other celebrated books on the subject. You may add that fine book, Mr. Jones's Principles of Natural Philosophy. Thence you will easily pass to the Glasgow [Edinburgh] abridgement of Mr. Hutchinson's Works. [See letter of Nov. 26, 1756.] The abridgers give not only all his sense, but all his spirit. You may add to these the beautiful tracts of Lord Forbes; and, if you would go a little farther, Mr. Baker's ingenious Treatise on the Microscope. 12. With any or all of the foregoing studies you may intermix that of History. Geography and Chronology are termed the two eyes of history. Geography has been mentioned before; and I think all you want of Chronology may be learned from Marshall's Chronological Tables. 13. You may begin with Rollin's Ancient History; and afterwards read in order, Puffendorf's Introduction to the History of Europe, the Concise Church History, Burnet's History of the Reformation, the Concise History of England, Clarendon's History of the Great Rebellion, Neal's History of the Puritans, his History of New England, and Solis's History of the Conquest of Mexico. 14. Whitby's Compendium of Metaphysics will introduce you to that science. You may go on with Locke's Essay on Human Understanding; Bishop Browne on the Nature, Procedure, and Limits of Human Understanding; and Malebranche's Search after Truth. 15. For Poetry you may read Spenser's Faery Queen; Fairfax's or Hoole's Godfrey of Bulloigne; select parts of Shakespeare; Paradise Lost; the Night Thoughts; and Moral and Sacred Poems.