Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	day_n	great_a	see_v	4,001	5	3.3205	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A37987	A demonstration of the existence and providence of God, from the contemplation of the visible structure of the greater and the lesser world in two parts, the first shewing the excellent contrivance of the heavens, earth, sea, &c., the second the wonderful formation of the body of man / by John Edwards ...	Edwards, John, 1637-1716.	1696 (1696)	Wing E201; ESTC R13760	204,339	448

foedera mundi Praescriptosque mari fines annique meatus Et lucis noctisque vices tunc omnia rebar Consilio firmata Dei. When I had search'd into the World's Great Frame And Nature's Leagues and Combinations seen How the Vast Ocean 's bounded how the Year Runs its perpetual Course how Night and Day Succeed each other then I rightly judg'd That these and Nature's universal Laws Were fix'd by Counsel and a Cause Divine Thus you see what Reason Scripture and the Sentiments of the Wise agree in viz. that what we behold in the World is a Proof of a Deity and Providence Let us now seriously attend to all these and thence gather what is our Proper Duty and Concern on this Occasion 1. Let us Acknowledg this Great Truth that the World is the Product of a Divine Mind and that all the Ranks of the Visible Creation owe their Being to this Plutarch saith rightly that Men had first of all the Notion of a God from the Beauty of the things that are seen in the World But the Pagans went too far here and their Contemplations of the World ended at last in their owning it to be a God It is meet saith Pliny we should believe the World to be an Eternal and Immense Numen that had no Beginning and shall have no End This strange Creed of theirs was the Foundation of Idolatry i. e. of worshipping the Creatures It gives an account of the Egyptians and others paying Reverence to mean and sordid Animals Vilia cur magnos aequent animalia Divos The Stoicks indeed held the World was God but they were too wise to understand it in the gross Sense their meaning was that a Divine Spirit or Mind pervades this World and actuates all its Parts and preserves it in Being and Operation This is the sense of Cato's Word in Lucan Iupiter est quodcunque vides Which is of the same Import with Iovis omnia plena all things are replenish'd with the Divine Influence every Creature owes its Subsistence as it doth its Being and Original to God Which is that very Truth I am now reminding you of and is every ways so reasonable and accountable You may see God in the things he hath made The Impress of Divinity is stamped on the Creatures as Princes put their Effigies on their Coins We find the Idea of God i. e. Infinite Goodness and Wisdom reflected from the visible Objects of Nature This I question not was the true Meaning and Intention of Plato when he held the World was a Living Creature and that every thing in it is Animated I deny not that his Followers if they may be call'd so took the World to be a real Animal but as for the Old Gentleman himself I am perswaded that by the Soul of the World he would have us understand the Order and Harmony of it as he plainly shews in his Timaeus Its Parts are as orderly and its Motions are as regular and proportionable as if it were inspired with Life yea as if it were some Intellectual Animal This exact Order and Regularity it received from that Eternal Mind who gave it its Existence God may truly be call'd the Soul of the World Him let us acknowledg to be the Author of this Beautiful Universe whilst some deluded Epicureans or Platonists date its Being and Form from Chance or Necessity let us with one of the Antientest Philosophers we read of confess that the Fabrick of the World is most Beautiful because 't is God's Voluntary Workmanship 2. Be invited hence to Study the Works of Nature to contemplate the Creatures to meditate on the Works of the Lord and the Operation of his Hands The great God is set before our Eyes in the World and may be seen and taken notice of in every Creature like the Picture or Statue of some Founder of a College set up in some eminent and noted Place for all the Society to behold it God hath copied forth himself in the Creation The Creatures are so many Glasses wherein the Divine Glory is reflected wherein the Image of God is represented Think it then a noble and divine Work to be employ'd in the Contemplation of these You that have time and leisure and helps proportionable set some time apart for this Study Take a Survey of this huge Pile of the World consider well the Various Parts of it scan its Excellent Structure View first the Lower Rooms of this Habitation this Spatious Earth which God hath given to the Sons of Men with all the Excellent Furniture belonging to it the different Sorts of Vegetables and Animals it is provided with Let your Thoughts descend into the Subterraneous Mines and Treasures of inestimable Value Go down into the Deep Seas and there be astonish'd with the multiplied Wonders of that Place Then return again and mount the Upper Stories of this Divine Habitation Entertain your selves with the Wonders of the Aerial and Ethereal Regions converse with those Immense Globes of Light and Fire which adorn that part of the Universe Exercise your Thoughts with these and the other Excellencies which this vast Fabrick of the World will exhibit to you which had its Name given it by the Greeks from its Ornate Figure and Comely Make. Pythagoras is said to be the first that gave that Denomination of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to this Great Frame of Heaven and Earth as Laertius and Plutarch tell us and the latter of these adds that it was stiled so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the Order which is in it And the Latins gave it the Title of Mundus upon the like account viz. from its Neatness Elegancy and Beauty This may allure us to the Study of Natural Philosophy and a Survey of the Structure of the World For here we shall certainly meet with perfect Order and Ornament even such as will conduct our Thoughts to the Divine Author of them If this be not the effect of our Studies and Enquiries they are all in vain for the knowing of the Works of Nature and being able to count them are not True Philosophy unless we gather a God from them Else Iohn Tradeskan would have been the best Philosopher in his time and any Man that can shew the Rarities at Gresham College would be as Good as Virtuoso as any of the Fellows of the Royal Society We must not think it enough to be acquainted with the Works of the Creation we must advance yet higher Our Skill in Natural History must lead us to Theology by studying the Composition and Oeconomy of the World which bears upon it all the Characters of Divine Power Wisdom and Goodness we ought to be acquainted with God himself to whom alone these Attributes originally belong And none ought to be discouraged here for All Persons of what Rank or Quality soever are in some measure concern'd in this Employment and may manage it with Success This should be an Universal Work nor indeed need

of Wit and Art in the Prosecution of it and hath said more than any other Man ever did or perhaps could in Defence of this Hypothesis But any Impartial Judg that hath perused what the Learned Dr. More hath offer'd against it will pronounce it to be a vain Enterprize and indeed utterly Unphilosophical He hath demonstrated that there is not any necessary Causality in Matter whereby such Effects are produced that there is no such immutable Law implanted in it no such original and independent Power but that it is derived wholly from a higher Principle By sundry Arguments he irrefragably baffles the Notion of solving all Things by Mechanick Principles but by no Topick more effectually than that which I have propounded viz. the wise Contrivances in the Works of Nature Mere Motion is no Designer no Contriver therefore it can't be the Cause of those Things which we daily see We must then rationally as well as necessarily infer an All-wise Being from the Operations of the Creatures for we see that they are directed to some End And as to what Des Cartes saith that the Ends of the creating of things are not known to us unless God be pleased to reveal them I refer the Reader to the Honourable Mr. Boyl who hath professedly writ against this Doctrine and hath with undeniable Demonstrations confounded it that is he hath most clearly and convincingly shew'd that the Ends and Designs of God in the Works of the Creation are manifestly known and in abundant Instances he shews that they are most obvious and apparent He denies not that in some of God's Works the Ends designed are somewhat obscure and seem to be beyond our reach but then it is as true that in most of them the Ends and Uses are manifest and the exquisite fitness of the Means is conspicuous And as he observes by this way of ordering and managing Things the most wise Author of them doth both gratify our Understandings and make us sensible at the same time of the Imperfection of them Indeed this must be said that Cartesius's Opinion viz. that the Consideration of Final Causes hath nothing to do in Philosophy is consistent enough with his own Principles for if all that we see in the Bodies of Animals and elsewhere in the World be merely Mechanical then there is no Contrivance no Art because he holds all to be the natural Result of Matter and consequently there is no End and which follows from that there is no Signature of Divine Wisdom in the framing of them But this Conceit of his of Mechanism hath been justly exploded by all the great Masters of Reason who have handled this Subject and the excellent Person before-named hath for ever silenc'd that Opinion if Convictive Arguments can silence it Therefore Des Cartes's denial of Final Causes falls to the Ground because it hath nothing to support it now since that Foundation is removed Mr. Boyl hath observed well not only like a Philosopher but a Christian that this French Wit by his throwing aside Final Causes hath thereby deprived his Disciples of the chief End of Natural Philosophy which is to set forth the Praises of God and to admire his Goodness and Wisdom in the Fabrick of the Universe But if we will truly Philosophize we must by no means shut out the Consideration of the Ends of the Creation but we must with great diligence and study enquire into them and acquaint our selves with them And then by seeing and observing the World we shall learn to know a God we shall be brought to acknowledg and adore an infinitely wise Author who appointed all things their Ends as well as gave them their Beginning And now having thus spoken in General I will descend to Particulars and consider the whole visible Structure and System of the World as to its several Parts Here we will contemplate 1. The Heavens 2. Those things which are observable between the Heavens and the Earth 3. The Earth 4. The Sea 5. The Inhabitants that belong to these several Regions Aerial Terrestrial Aquatile All these proclaim a God an Omnipotent Supream Being a Wise and Provident Governour CHAP. II. The Author proceeds to a Particular Proof of the Divine Existence and Providence from the Consideration of the Heavenly Bodies The unrivall'd Beauty of the Sun The Vniversal Vsefulness and Benefit of it It s vast Dimensions The trascendent Swiftness of its Motion It s Regular Course through the Heavens Where is largely discuss'd the Copernican Hypothesis concerning the Earth's Motion and is proved to be precarious because 1. It is grounded on this Vnphilosophical Notion that it is difficult and troublesome to the vast Heavenly Bodies to be continually journeying and posting and therefore the Copernicans would free them of this great Trouble by laying it upon the Earth which they fancy can bear it better 2. It confronts that Historical part of the Bible Jos. 10.13 Isa. 38.8 In such a plain Narration of Matter of Fact and that of a Miracle it is not to be supposed that Words are spoken any otherwise than according to the real Nature of the Thing and the Propriety of Speech 3. It proceeds upon an erroneous and mistaken Apprehension concerning the Nature of the Earth and the chief Inhabitant of it Man For both of them are far greater than the Heavens in real worth and value 4. We may as well imbrace the Doctrine of Transubstantiation which is an absolute Defiance to our Senses as this Opinion Objections and Evasions framed from Custom and the moving in a Ship answered 5. If the Trembling of the Earth may be felt as all grant then the violent Whirling of it about must needs be more sensible Objections against this answered Demonstrations which depend on the Eye-sight are fallible and have been questioned by the best Artists The Modishness of the Copernican Notion tempts most Men to follow it This is no Temptation to the Author who for the Reasons premised holds that the Heavens continually roll about the Earth from that effectual Impulse which they at first received from the Almighty Hand I Begin with the Heavens that immense Space where the Sun and Stars are placed that vast Expansum which contains the Great and Glorious Luminaries of the World for I speak not any thing of Angels the Blessed Inhabitants of this upper part of the Creation as afterwards when I shall treat of Man I shall say nothing of his Soul because I have design'd to discourse only of the visible World These Heavens declare the Glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his handy-work Psal. 19.1 they tell aloud who was their Author even the same who is the Infinite and Bountiful Source of all Things He framed this Molten Looking-Glass Job 37.18 this Solid and Bright Mirrour of his own Majesty that we might behold Him and his Perfections in it And yet He stretched out the Heavens like a Curtain Psal. 104.2 as a Vail to shrowd as it were

the amazing Excellency of the Divine Glory from Mortal Eyes although from thence he distributes all the Tokens of his Liberality and Kindness to us There is nothing more evident than that the Heavenly Bodies were made for the good of Mankind i. e. to influence on the Earth to shine to give Rain from the Clouds to yield Heat and Moisture c. Which is expressed by their hearing the Earth in that fore-mentioned Place Hos. 2.21 where God is likewise said to hear them for they do as it were by their natural Frame and Disposition desire of God to be beneficial to the Earth and the Inhabitants of it And he doth hear or as 't is in the Hebrew answer and fulfil the natural Inclinations of these Celestial Bodies which have a tendency to Man's Good and Advantage And that the End and Use of them is to be serviceable to Mankind is clear from the first Institution and Appointment of them God made two great Lights the greater Light to rule the Day the lesser Light to rule the Night He made the Stars also Gen. 1.16 viz. to rule the Night And what can we imagine this Government of Day and Night to be for but to serve the Necessities of Man Of these Celestial Bodies I will speak particularly and first of the Sun that great and vast Source of Light that glorious Eye of the World which penetrates into the darkest Recesses on Earth and lays them open and visible Though such is its Sovereign Majesty that it will let nothing be seen in the Heavens but It self it blots out all the Stars with its redundant and unrivall'd Lustre yea such is its radiant Glory that it will not suffer us to gaze upon it That which is the Cause of seeing all things will scarcely be look'd upon it self This is the Prince of the Heavenly Luminaries as Arnobius speaks by whom all Things are array'd and deck'd with the Robes of Light This is emphatically call'd the Light or the Fire for Vr signifies both because it not only illuminates but warms the World with its powerful Rays Unto the former Quality we are beholden for our Ability to see how to dispatch our Business and Work Our Bodily Eyes would be useless without this of the World for they would serve us to no purpose of Life And the whole Earth would be but one dark Dungeon And it is not only for Necessity but Pleasure that this Light is given us for to it we owe the several beautiful Colours which ravish our Sight for these are the various Modifications of its Light and Splendour From the latter Quality with which this glorious Body is endued the Earth receives all its Fecundity and Fruitfulness and all Animals their Vigour and Activity For the Sun is the grand Cherisher of all Things the Common Parent of Life the Foster-Father of the World Because of this transcendent Excellency the Pagans ascribed Divine Nature to it Yea others both Iews and Christians though they went not so high yet were of Opinion that the Sun is an Intelligent Being This was the Apprehension of Maimonides and of Manasseh ben Israel And Origen long before these held the same Which Extravagancy we can attribute to nothing but their very high Esteem which they had of this glorious and beneficial Gift of the Creator Next to its Beauty and Usefulness we might consider its stupendous Magnitude which calls for our Admiration and commands us at the same time to admire with a most profound reverence the Divine Immensity from whence it had its Original It is some thousand times greater than the Moon and a hundred and forty others say a hundred and sixty others say eightscore and odd times bigger than the Earth for the Opinions of Authors are different about the Dimensions not only of the Sun but of the Moon Stars and Earth their Computations varying because their Hypotheses of the Heavenly System and the Distances of these Bodies from one another are disagreeing but 't is acknowledged by all that the Body of the Sun is of a wonderfully vast Bigness they all agree that it is much above a hundred times larger than the whole Earth and they unanimously reject and explode Epicurus and that Philosopher of the Italian Sect who held the Sun is no bigger than it appears to us to be Again the admirable Motion and Course of this glorious Luminary require and deserve our Contemplation And here we shall plainly observe the Footsteps of an Extraordinary and Divine Power First the Constancy of its Motion is matter of Admiration Whence it was as Plato thought that the Heavenly Bodies and this more especially were call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if their never-failing Course argued them to be Divine And it appears from Macrobius likewise that they had that Denomination from their incessant Running as if this were a stamp and impress of Divinity Secondly not only the Perpetuity of the Sun's Motion but the Swiftness of it is remarkable which is very elegantly express'd to us by the inspired Poet Psal. 19.5 He rejoiceth as a strong Man to run a Race he resembles some celebrated Athletick that is famous for his Nimbleness of Feet and always outruns those whom he strives with and wins the Prize from them This Celestial Racer as the skilfullest Mathematicians inform us runs 15 Degrees in an Hour and seeing a Degree in the Heavens is 15 German Miles i. e. 60 Italian or English ones we may infer that he measures about 1000 Miles in an Hour Though this Illustrious Body be of that huge Bulk and Magnitude which I before mentioned yet this is its marvellous Speed and Career Because of this great Celerity Wings are attributed to the Sun Mal. 4.2 but applied in a Spiritual manner to the Sun of Righteousness he flies rather than runs And in allusion to this is the Psalmist's Expression If I take the Wings of the Morning Psal. 139.9 i. e. if I make as much haste as the Sun doth when it sets out in the Morning and flies from the East to the West in a few Hours or if I hasten as fast as the Sun-beams do when at its rising they spread themselves over the Horizon The Rapid Motion of the Sun the swift and sudden passage of its Light are its Wings The like manner of Expression is used by Lycophron who speaking of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aurora attributes Pegasus's Wings to it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It flew over a certain Promontory with the swift Wings of Pegasus And for this reason perhaps Pegasus is said by the Greeks to be the Son of Aurora But Thirdly The Regularity of the Sun's Motion is that which I shall chiefly insist upon and thence demonstrate that there is a higher Cause and Author that gave it this orderly Progress As it hath a Monthly Motion through a twelfth part of the Zodiack and passes through the whole every Year so it every

Romans that after they had banished Physicians they six hundred Years together preserved themselves found and in perfect Health by eating only of Coleworts or Cabbage Some have an Averseness to Doctors as they call them because it is chargeable Nay there are some fantastick Folks that think these Persons can cure a Disease no other way than by killing the Patient The very Colledg-Dispensatory seems to them to be but the Office for Burial And the Aphotheeary's Mortar rings the Man's first Peal It is no wonder that such Cabbage-eaters as these vote our Artist to be a very bad Man Again this Conceit may be nourished by the particular Behaviour which is observed in them when they visit the sick They ●eem to be regardless of their Danger and though they know that their Case is deplorate and even desperate yet they remind them not of another State and of preparing themselves for it Whence some are apt to gather that they believe no such thing themselves But this is a very uncharitable Inference and those that make it consider not that the Physician and the Divine come to the Sick on different accounts and to discharge different Offices The latter is to take care of their immortal Part and to address himself to them accordingly But the business of the former is to advise and administer what is proper for the restoring of their Bodies to Health and if they faithfully employ their Care about this they discharge their Part. Not but that it is to be wished that they would and I doubt not but some of them do especially when there is no Clergyman at hand as Good Men and Fellow-Christians apply themselves to their Patients as they see occasion and make use of this seasonable Opportunity to discourse religiously to them to admonish them concerning their former Actions to urge them to repent of the Evil of them to beg the divine Pardon and Favour and to fit themselves for a better World when they see they cannot keep them any longer in this But yet Discretion must go along with Religion and therefore though they perceive that the poor Clinick is incurable yet they are not obliged to tell him so with their own Mouths but it is better to commend this Office to some of his Friends and near Relations This is more seasonable and prudent than a personal Application to him for it doth not become the Physician to doom his Patient And let us be cautious of censuring and dooming the Physician Moreover this may be one cause why they are voted to be Irreligious because they are not seen so often at the solemn Places of Devotion they are not so frequent at the publick Prayers and at Sermons as other Men. A Physician oftentimes hath the Character that Horace gives of an Epicurean Parcus Deorum cultor infrequens But if the Law which is grounded on good Reason excuses them in this case I see no reason why we should not Their necessary Avocations are a sufficient Plea for them Yea an Act of Mercy is preferrable to Sacrifice To save a Man's Life is an high Act of Charity which is one of the most substantial Ingredients of our Religion To heal and to worship are expressed by the same Word in the Greek And a Healer and a Priest are synonimous in the same Language I am sure we may here make good use of the Criticism A Physician ● whilst he is conscientiously discharging his Office is accepted as if he were employed in divine Worship yea as if he were an immediate Minister of Religion Therefore the Cavil hath no Ground no more than that of the Pharisees against our Saviour that he healed on the Sabbath day Furthermore this Rank of Men may perhaps incur the Censure of Irreligious because their Converse is so promiscuous and they oftentimes are concerned in the worst Company I mean the worst that can be for Religion that is some who are professed Patrons of Atheism and whose Practice is suitable to such a Principle It is true if they frequently associate with such and in hope of a Fee comply with them in their Folly and Madness yea if they do but so much as connive at these they pay dear for their expected Guineas But if only in the way of their Profession they converse with such Persons that they may be serviceable to them by preventing the Maladies they fear or curing those they labour under I do not see Cause to condemn them The Objection will lie as reasonably against Divines who have the Charge of Souls who if they will fulfil their Ministry as the Apostle advises and perform all the Parts of their sacred Function must visit their Flock and hold Converse even with the worst to reclaim and reform them Which is no more than what our Lord did when he eat and drank with Publicans and Sinners Once more some devout and well-meaning Persons may think Physicians have no Religion because they have so much Philosophy They hear them talk so much of Bodies that they are ready to infer they have no Sense of the other Part of Man Whilest they solve things in a natural Way they are suspected to own no supernatural Principle But this is an erroneous ●urmise for these things do not exclude one another A Man may be a Philosopher and a Christian He may nay he must acknowledg a first Cause though he holds that there are secondary ones Divine and natural Agents are not inconsistent The Discourse of a Physician should savour of both these especially the former and then the observing World would have no Cause to object against them the want of Religion Then it would be seen that their excellent Employment hath Influence on their Practice and furnishes them with devout Thoughts of God and a firm Belief of his infinite Power and Wisdom Thus you have my Thoughts concerning the Occasion of that Calumny which Physicians generally lie under I have endeavoured to take off those Prejudices and Censures which seem to reflect a Scandal on that noble Profession But if it be further urged that many of them are really such as they are reported to be yet this doth not at all invalidate the Proposition which I have asserted For either we speak of Physicians improperly so called that is ignorant Quacks c. Or those that are learned and well skilled in the Faculty As to the former they deserve not the Name of Physicians and therefore though it could be proved that some of these are Atheists yet it cannot be imputed to the Faculty because they are not properly of it Yea I further grant that Ignorance in Medicks as well as in all other learned Arts capacitates Men for Atheism As for the latter i. e. those who are skillful in this Science and merit the worthy Title they bear it is not to be denied that even some of these have procured to themselves the Imputation of Atheism and Impiety by their prophane