BURNET, Thomas, English divine and philosopher: b. Croft, Yorkshire, about 1635; d. London, 27 Sept. 1715. He was educated under Dr. Ralph Cudworth at Cambridge, and afterward traveled as tutor to several young noblemen. In 1681 he made himself known by his Theoria Sacra,' which he subse quently translated into English. In 1685 he became master of the Charterhouse and after the revolution of 1688 was appointed chaplain in ordinary and clerk of the closet to King William. In 1692 he published 'Archaeologic; Philosophicte, sive Doctrina Antigua de gerum Originibus,' but the freedom of opinion dis played in this work led to the removal of the author from the clerkship of the royal closet. Two posthumous works of this author appeared In 1727— the treatise 'De Fide et Officiis ChristianorunV ; De Statu Mortuorum et Resurgentium.' All the works of Burnet ex hibit him as an ingenious speculator, rather than as a patient and sober inquirer concerning the moral and natural phenomena of which he treats. His great work, the 'Theory of the
Earth,' is one of the many systems of cos mogony in which Christian philosophers have attempted, to reconcile the Mosaic • account of the creation, paradise and the deluge, with the traditions of the ancient and the principles of modern science. His speculations are recom mended by sublimity of description and elo. quence of style. In his Philo sophicm> he has combatted the literal interpre tation of the history of the fall of man; and to expose its improbability he has introduced an imaginary- dialogue between Eve and the serpent, which, as coming from the pen of a divine, is singular enough. It is duly to be found in the first edition of the work.