Abstract
ABSTRACT As a prominent theologian of Dutch Reformed orthodoxy, Samuel Maresius wrote De abusu philosophiae cartesianae (1670) to denounce the dangers of Cartesian theology. Despite its importance in the history of early modern Cartesianism, a crucial question about the work remains to be answered: which aspects of Cartesian theology did Maresius condemn as the most dangerous for Reformed orthodoxy? The present paper answers this question by selecting and analyzing four topics from De abusu: (1) freedom and grace, (2) the Trinity, (3) the world system, and (4) the origins of things. It shows that Maresius identified the danger of Cartesian theology as propagating heresies under the guise of benefitting the Reformed Church. He thus feared that Cartesian theology would destroy orthodoxy from within.
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