conspicuous marks of Gods Justice Nay by wicked means they are prosperous and happy 3. The best Men are often in the worst condition and merely upon the account of their Goodness They are opprest because they do not make resistance and loaden with sufferings because they endure them with patience They are for Gods sake made the spectacles of extreme misery whilst the insolent defiers of his Majesty and Laws enjoy all visible felicities Now in the judgment of Sense can Holiness be more afflicted if under the displeasure of Heaven or Wickedness more prosperous if favour'd by it But this is such a monstrous incongruity that unless we abolish the natural Notions of the Divine excellencies it cannot in the least degree be admitted If therefore we confine our thoughts to humane affairs in this life without taking a prospect into the next World where a new order of things presents it self what direful consequences will ensue This takes away the Sceptre of Providence from the hands of God and the reverence of God from the hearts of Men as if the present state were a game wherein Chance reigned and not under the inspection and disposure of a wise just and powerful Governour If there be no Life after Death then Natural Religion in some of its greatest Commands as to Self-denial even to the suffering the greatest evils rather than do an unjust unworthy action and to sacrifice Life it self when the Honour of God and the publick Good require it is irreconcilable to that natural Desire and Duty that binds and determines Man to seek his own felicity in conjunction with the Glory of his Maker But it is impossible that the Divine Law should foil it self that contrary obligations should be laid on Man by the wise and holy Lawgiver And what terrible confusion would it be in the minds of the best Men What coldness of affection to God as if they were not in the comfortable relation of his Children but wholly without his care What discouragements in his Service what dispair in suffering for him What danger of their murmuring against Providence and casting off Religion as a sowre unprofitable severity and saying Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocency or exclaming with Brutus in a desperate manner when he was overcome in battel and defeated of his design to recover Rome from Tyranny O infoelix Virtus itane cum nihil nisi nomen esses Ego te tanquam rem aliquam exercui And the enemies to Holiness restrain'd by no respects to a superiour Power will obey their brutish Lusts as their supream Law And if such diseases or troubles happen that the pleasant operations of Life cease they may release themselves by a voluntary easy Death and fall into a sleep never to be disturb'd so that they would be esteem'd the only happy persons In short if we onely regard things as they pass in the sensible World we shall be in danger of being over-tempted to Atheism and to rob God of his Glory and Worship and that Faith Fear Love and Obedience that are due to him Of this I will produce only two Examples Diagoras saw a Servant of his stealing from him and upon his denial of the theft brought him before the Statue of Jupiter thundring and constrained him to adjure Jupiter for the honour of his Deity and of Justice and Fidelity to strike him dead at his feet with Thunder if he were guilty of the fact and after three times repeating the dreadful Oath he went away untouch'd without harm Upon the sight of this Diagoras cryed out as in the Poet Audis Jupiter haec nec labra moves cum mittere vocem Debueras vel marmoreus vel ahaeneus Dost hear This Jove not mov'st thy lips when fit it were Thy Brass or Marble spoke And whereas he should have been convinc'd that a Statue could not be a God he impiously concluded that God was nothing but a Statue and from that time was hardned in irreclamable Atheism So that other Atheist reports of some of the Romans that they successfully deceived by false Oaths even in their most sacred Temple in the presence of their supream Deity the reputed Avenger of Perjury And because Vengeance did not immediately over take Guilt he acknowledged no other God but the World and Nature unconcern'd in the governing humane affairs The disbelief of the future state strikes through the vital principles of Religion that there is a God the rewarder of Mens good or evil actions It may be objected That God's Dominion over the reasonable Creature is absolute For Man ows to him intirely his Being and all that his Faculties can produce so that without reflection on Justice God may after a course of obedience annihilate him To this I answer The Sovereign Dominion of God in its exercise towards Men is regulated by his Wisdom and limited by his Will that is Holy Just and Good Hence though the Creature can challenge nothing from God as due to its service yet there is a Justice of condecence that arises from the excellencies of his own Nature and is perfectly consistent with the liberty of his Essence to bestow the eminent Effects of his Favours on his faithful Servants His Holiness inclines him to love the image of it in the Creature and his Goodness to reward it His Government is paternal and sweetned by descending Love in many Favours and Rewards to his obedient Children There is a resemblance of our duty to God and his rewards to us in the order of Nature among Men. Parents may require of their Children entire obedience as being the second Causes of their natural Life And Children may expect from their Parents what is requisite for their welfare Now God who is the Father of Men will be true to his own Rules and deal with them accordingly but in a manner worthy of his infinite Greatness There is not the least obligation on him but his unchangeable Perfections are the strongest Assurances that none of his shall obey him to their final prejudice 'T is a direct contrariety to his Nature that Men for Conscience of their Duty should part with temporal Happiness in hopes of eternal and lose both 2. It may be objected That such is the essential beauty of Holiness that it should ravish our Affections without Ornament or Dowry that 't is its own Reward and produces such a sweet Agreement in the Rational Faculties as fully compensates the loss of all lower delights and sweetens the troubles that befal a vertuous man in the sincere practice of it And on the contrary that such is the native foul deformity of Sin as renders it most odious for it self that 't is its own punishment being attended with inward disquiets and perplexities much exceeding all its seeming pleasures Therefore we cannot certainly infer there will be future recompences But this receives a clearer Answer 1. 'T is true that Holiness is most amiable in it self
Order of the March attend Bring up the Troops and punish all delay How could they propound such ends and devise means proper to obtain them 'T is evident from their constant and regular actings that an Understanding above man's who often fails in his designs signs imprest their unerring instincts and directs their motions CHAP. III. The Body of Man form'd with perfect design for Beauty and Usefulness A short description of its parts The fabrick of the Eye and Hand admirably discovers the Wisdom of the Maker The erect stature of the Body fitted for the rational Soul Man by speech is fitted for society How the affections are discovered in the Countenance The distinction of Persons by the face how necessary The reasonable Soul the image of a wise and voluntary Agent I Will now briefly consider Man with respect to both the parts of his compounded nature wherein are very clear evidences of a wise Maker The Body is the most artificial of all perishing things in the World 'T is justly called the store-house of proportions 'T is equally impossible to add any thing but what is superfluous or to take a-away any thing but what is necessary How many internal parts diverse in their qualities and figures are dispos'd with that providence that all operate according to their proper Natures and not one can be I do not say better but tolerably in any other place as well for its special as the common benefit All are so justly ordered with that mutual dependence as to their being and operations that none can be without the whole nor the whole without it So that if with attentive Eye we consider this it might seem that in making the Body the design was only respecting convenience and profit But if we turn our thoughts from that which is within this unparallel'd Piece and regard the various forms and structure of the outward parts the graceful order that adorns them we might imagine that the Maker only designed its regular visible beauty As Phavorinus comparing the Writings of two famous Orators observed that if one word be taken from a sentence of Plato you spoil'd the elegance if from Lycias the sense So the taking away the least considerable part from the Body spoils its comliness or usefulness Two great Philosophers have left excellent Discourses of the parts of the Body justly esteemed among their most noble works Galen after an exquisit observation of the Symetry of this Fabrick challeng'd the Epicureans to find but one of all the numerous parts that compose it the least Vein or Fibre that was not serviceable for its proper end or might be better if chang'd in its form temperature or place and he would embrace their opinion that Chance was the Authour of it And for this reason he says that by describing the use of the parts he compos'd a true Hymn in praise of the wise Maker What knowledg is requisit to describe all that is wonderful in it the contempering the differing humours in just weight and measure the inviolable correspondence establisht between all the parts for the performance of natural vital and animal operations To touch upon a few things The Stomach that by an unknown virtue prepares the nourishment the Heart and Liver the two Seas of blood the one more gross the other more refin'd and spirituous the Veins and Arteries their inseparable companions that diffuse themselves into innumerable rivolets and convey the blood and spirit of Life the Nerves the secret channels that from the Brain derive the spirits of sense and motion the Muscles that give it various motions the fleshy parts of different substance and quality according to their various Offices the Membrans in that diversity some finer some thicker weav'd according to the quality of the part they cover the inward fat that preserves the warm Bowels from drying up the Marrow wherewith the instruments of motion are oiled and made nimble and expedite the Bones that support the building of such different forms proportions qualities and so fitly joyn'd these are a full conviction that a Divine Mind contriv'd it a Divine Hand made and fashion'd it I will more particularly consider the curious fabrick of the Eye and Hand The Eye is a work of such incomparable Artifice that who ever understands it hath a sufficient proof of his Skill that form'd it This is most evident by dissecting it and representing the parts separate one from another and after reuniting them and thereby discovering the Causes of the whole Composure and of the Offices proper to every part That that may be understood without seeing it is that there is no member in the whole Body compos'd of more parts nor more different nor ordered with more exact wisdom between themselves in one frame Their situation is so regular and necessary that if any of them be never so little displac't the Eye is no more an Eye It includes three Humours that are transparant and of different thickness the one resembling Water the other Glass the other Chrystal and from them borrow their names to vary the place the distance the less or greater thickness the figure that is peculiar to each of them would render the Eye altogether useless for seeing for the refractions of the light that enters through the pupil would be disordered and the rays not be united in a point to paint in the Retina the images of visible objects which is the last disposition from whence the act of seeing follows Several tunicles involve it one of which is perforated as much as the little Circle in the middle that is called the pupil to give open passage to the images flowing from their objects The Muscles by their agency raise or cast down turn or fix it The Nerves fasten'd to the Brain convey a supply of spirits for the sight and transmit the representation of all visible objects without confusion to the internal senses If we consider the Hand by the most exact rule of proportion 't is evident that its substance and shape are most conducive to beauty and service If the Fingers were not divided and separately moveable but joyn'd together with one continued skin how uncomely how unuseful would it be Of an hundred effects ninety would be lost All that require variety of motion subtilty of art or strength could not be perform'd But the Fingers being disjoyn'd 't is fit to do whatever the mind designs or necessity requires It works intirely or in parts it brandishes a Sword or manages a Pen strikes on the Anvil with a Hammer or uses a delicate File rows in the Water or touches a Lute T is fit for all things adapting it self to the greatest and least all which advantages the Philosopher expresses with admirable brevity In divisione manus componendi facultas est in Compositione dividendi non esset Suppose the Fingers were of equal length and bigness great inconveniencies would follow And in this the Divine Wisdom is eminent
stood in awe of their own imaginations The Philosophers privatly condemn'd what in a guilty compliance with the Laws of State they publickly own'd Nay even the lowest and dullest among the Gentiles generally acknowledged one Supreme God and Lord of all inferior Deities As Tertullian observes in their great distresses guided by the internal instructions of Nature they invok'd God not the Gods to their help 3. That the belief of one God is a pure emanation from the light of Nature is evident in that since the extinction of Idolatry not a spark remaining in many parts of the World 't is still preserv'd in its vigor and lustre in the breasts of Men. Since the plurality of Gods have been degraded of their Honour and their Worships chased out of many Countries and the ideas of various ancient superstitions are lost the only true God is served with more solemn veneration Time the wise discerner of Truth from Falshood abolishes the fictions of fancy but confirms the uncorrupted sentiments of Nature To conclude this Discourse what rational doubt can remain after so strong a witness of the Deity External from the Universe Internal from the frame of the humane Soul If we look through the whole compass of natural Beings there is not one separately taken but has some signature of wisdom upon it As a beam of light passing through a chink in Wall of what figure soever always forms a circle on the place where 't is reflected and by that describes the image of its original the Sun Thus God in every one of his Works represents himself tanquam Solis radio scriptum But the union of all the parts by such strong and sweet bands is a more pregnant proof of his omnipotent mind Is it a testimony of great military skill in a General to range an Army compos'd of divers Nations that have grat antipathies between them in that Order as renders it victorious in Battel And is it not a testimony of infinite Providence to dispose all the Hosts of Heaven and Earth so as they joyn successfully for the preservation of Nature 'T is astonishing that any should be of such a reprobate mind as not to be convinc'd by the sight of the World a visible Word that more gloriosly illustrates the perfections of the Creator than the sublimest Eloquence that conceals what it designs to represent When Sophocles was accused by his ungrateful Sons that his Understanding being declin'd with his Age he was unfit to manage the affairs of his Family he made no other defence before the Judges but recited part of a Tragedy newly compos'd by him and left it to their decision whether there was a failure in his Intellectuals upon which he was not only absolved but crown'd with Praises What foul ingratitude are those guilty of who deny the Divine Wisdom of which there are such clear and powerful demonstrations in the things that are seen Abhor'd impiety worthy of the most fiery indignation and not to be expiated with a single death None except base stupid spirits that are laps'd and sunk below the rational Nature as a noble Philosopher justly censures them are capable of such prodigious folly and perversness Yet these are the pretenders to free reason and strength of mind and with a contemptuous smile despise the sober World as fetterd with servil Principles and foolishly soften'd by impressions of an unknown uncertain being and value themselves as more knowing than all others because they contradict all Ridiculous vanity as if a blind Man in a crowd sometimes justling one sometimes another should with impatience cry out Do ye not see when he is under a double blindness both in his eyes and understanding not seeing himself and reproaching those that see for not seeing In short this great Truth shines with so bright an evidence that all the sons of darkness can never put out and can only be denied by obstinate Atheism and absurdity CHAP. VII The duties of understanding Creatures to the Maker of all things Admiration of his glorious perfections visible in them This is more particularly the duty of Man the World being made eminently for him The Causes why the Creatour is not honour'd in his Works are mens ignorance and inobservance Things new rather affect us than great An humble fear is a necessary respect from the Creature to the Divine Majesty and Power Love and Obedience in the highest degrees are due from men to God in the quality of Creator Trust and reliance on God is our duty and priviledg LEt us now briefly consider the indispensible Duties of rational Creatures with respect to the Maker of all things And those are 1. To acknowledg and admire the Deity and his perfections that are so visible in his Works For there must be a first Cause from whom that receives being that cannot proceed from it self In all the forms of things there are some Characters stampt of the Divine Wisdom that declare his Glory some footsteps imprest of his Power that discover him some lines drawn of his Goodness that demonstrate him And so much praise is justly due to the Artificer as there is excellence of Art and Perfection of workmanship appearing in the Work This Duty is especially incumbent on Man because the World was made with a more eminent respect for him than for Angels or Animals For if we consider the diversity of its parts the multitude and variety of sensitive Natures of which it consists and the Art whereby 't is fram'd according to the most noble Idea and design of highest Wisdom 't is evident it was principally made for Man there being an adequate correspondence between them with regard to the faculties and the objects 'T is true the Angels understand more perfectly than Man the union order and beauty of the World an incomparable proof of the Makers perfections but they are not capable of knowledg or pleasure by tasts smels sounds which are only proportion'd to make impressions on material Organs And is it agreeable to Wisdom that an Object purely sensible should be chiefly intended for a Power purely Spiritual Neither are the Beasts fit spectators of the Divine Works For the material part to which sense can only reach is the least notable in the frame of Nature and the oeconomy of the World They cannot discover the dependance between Causes and Effects the Means and End nor the Wisdom that ordered all These are only for the vision of the mind which they want The volume of the World to them is like a fair printed Book compos'd of sublime matter and style but opened to one that sees the beauty of the Characters without understanding the Language it speaks and the Wisdom it contains An Eagle by fixing its eyes on the Sun cannot measure its greatness nor understand the ends of its motion The World would be lost if only for them But the wise Creator united these two distinct natures in Man and plac'd him in this