seen unless sought for so there are some unnatural Enormities that conscious how execrable they are conceal themselves in secret and dare not appear in open view And of all others no impiety is so monstrous and fearful of publick discovery as Atheism But The fool saith in his heart there is no God He secretly whispers in contradiction to Nature Reason Conscience Authorities there is no supream invisible Power to whom he is accountable And having thus concluded in the dark he loses all reverence of the Divine Laws and is only govern'd by the vicious rule of his carnal Appetites That many in our times even of the great Pretenders to Wit and Reason are guilty of this extream folly is sadly evident They live as absolute Atheists only refuse the title for fear of infamy or punishment It will therefore not be unseasonable to revive the natural notion of the Deity Now to establish this Truth no Arguments are more convincing than what are level to all understandings And those are I. The visible frame of the World and the numerous natures in it all model'd by this supream rule the good of the whole II. The Evidences that prove the World had a beginning in time III. The universal sence of the Deity imprest on the minds of Men. 1. The first Reason is clear and intelligible to all for 't is the inseparable property of an intellectual Agent to propound an End to judg of the convenience between the Means and it and to contrive them in such a manner as to accomplish it Now if we survey the Universe and all the beings it contains their proportion dependence and harmony it will fully appear that antecedently to its existence there was a perfect mind that design'd it and disposed the various parts in that exact order that one beautiful World is compos'd of them The Philosopher conjectured truly who being shipwrackt on the Island of Rhodes and come to the shore spying some Mathematical figures drawn on the Sand cryed out with joy Vestigia hominum video I see the foosteps of men and comforted his dispairing companions that they were not cast into a Desert or a place of Savages but of Men civil and wise as he discover'd by those impressions of their minds And if we observe the frame of the World the concatenation of the superior with the middle and of the middle with the lower parts whereby 't is not an accidental aggregation of bodies but an intire universe if we consider the just disposing them conveniently to their nature and dignity the inferiour and less noble depending on the superiour and that so many contrary natures with that fidelity and league of mutual love embrace and assist each other that every one working according to its peculiar quality yet all unite their operations for one general end the preservation and benefit of the whole must not we strongly conclude that 't is the work of a designing most wise Agent Pulchrum pulcherrimus ipse Mundum mente gerens similique ab imagine formans To make this more evident I will produce some Instances The Sun of all coelestial Bodies the most excellent in beauty and usefulness does in its situation motion effects publish the glory of a most wise Providence 1. In its situation The fountains of all his benefit to Nature are heat and light with respect to its heat the Sun may well be call'd the Heart of the World wherein all the vital Spirits are prepar'd and 't is so conveniently plac't as to transmit more or less immediatly to all even the most distant parts of that vast body by perpetual irradiations the influences necessary for its preservation It cannot be in another place without the disorder and injury of Universal Nature If it were rais'd to the Stars the Earth for want of its quickning heat would lose its prolifick vertue and remain a carcass The Air would be fill'd with continual oppressing vapours the Sea would overflow the Land If it were as low as the Moon as dangerous effects would follow The Air would be inflam'd by its excessive heat the Sea boyling the Rivers dryed up every Mountain a Vesuvius or Aetna the whole Earth a barren mass of Ashes a desert of Arabia But seated in the midst of the Planets it purifies the Air abates the superfluity of Waters temperately warms the Earth and keeps the Elements in such degrees of power as are requisit for the activity of mixt bodies depending on them Besides there is a sensible proof of a wise Director in its Motion from whence so many and various effects proceed The Diurnal Motion from East to West causes the Day The Sun is the first spring and great original of Light and by his presence discovers the beauties of the most of visible Objects From hence all the pleasant variety of Colours to which Light is the Soul that gives vivacity Without it the World would be the Sepulcher of it self nothing but silence and solitude horror and Confusion The Light guides our Journeys awakens and directs our Industry preserves mutual Conversation And the withdrawing of the Sun from one Hemisphere to another is as beneficial to the World by causing Night For that has peculiar advantages It s darkness inlightens us to see the Stars and to understand their admirable Order Aspects Influences their Conjunction Distances Opposition from which proceeds their different effects in all passive Bodies Now what can be more pleasant than the Ornaments and Diversities of these Twins of time Besides by this distinction of the Day and Night there is a fit succession of labour and rest of the Works and Thoughts of Men those proper to the Day active and clear the other to the Night whose obscurity prevents the wandring of the mind through the senses and silence favours its calm contemplations And the constant revolution of Day and Night in the space of twenty four hours is of great benefit If they should continue six entire Months together as under the Poles though their space would be equal in the compass of the Year as now yet with publick disadvantage The shining of the Sun without intermission would be very hurtful to the Earth and to its Inhabitants And its long absence would cause equal mischeifs by contrary qualities For the nature of Man and other living Creatures cannot subsist long in travail without repairing their decays by rest Now the succession of Day and Night in that space fitly tempers their labour and repose After the toilsom service of the Day the Sun retires behind the Earth and the Night procures a truce from business unbends the World and invites to rest in its deep silence and tranquillity And by sleep when the animal operations cease the Spirits that were much consum'd in the service of the senses are renewed and united in assistance to the vital faculties the Body is restored and at the springing Day made fresh and active for new labour So that the wisdom of
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
Theater of his Magnificence that by the ministry of the senses he might have perception of the external part and by his reason discover what is most worthy to be known the admirable order that distinguishes and unites so many and such different natures and guides all their motions that 't is clear they depend upon one principle without knowing it and conspire to one end without willing it How should this raise his mind in the just praises of the Maker The true causes why the Creator is not duly acknowledged and honour'd for his Works are either Ignorance or a guilty neglect and inobservance of them 1. Ignorance in the composure of the World and of the several beings in it A Philosopher askt by one What advantage the instructions of Philosophy would be to his Son replied If no other yet that when he is a spectatour in the Theatre one Stone shall not sit upon another An ignorant person encompast with all the varieties of Nature wherein omniscient skill appears is insensible as a Stone carv'd into the shape of a Man Nay the most learned Professors know little more than the several kinds of things and the causes and manner of some particular effects How often are they forc't to take refuge in occult qualities when prest with difficulties or only assign universal causes of things and sometimes the same for operations extreamly contrary How many mysteries of Nature are still vaild and hid in those deep recesses where we can go only in the dark How much remains undiscover'd that is truly wonderful in the Works of God They are the Objects of the Eye and Mind but what is visible to the Eye is least worthy of admiration From hence the value of the Works and the Glory of the Author is much lessen'd Besides the rational pleasure of the mind is lost by not discerning the wise order that is infallibly observ'd in universal Nature 'T is not the viewing a musical Instrument the variety of the parts and of the strings in their size and length that produces delight but hearing the harmonious and pleasant diversity of their sounds contemper'd by the proportion of numbers Thus 't is not the sight of the meer outward frame of things but the understanding the intellectual Musick that springs from the just Laws of Nature whereby they are perfectly tuned and the conspiring harmony of so many mixt parts without the least harsh discord that ravishes the Soul with true pleasure 2. The inobservance of Man is another cause why the great Creatour is not magnified for all his Works If we did consider the least even one of those unius puncti animalia a Flea or Mite we should find what is admirable in that scarce-visible Atom of matter But the novelty not the excellence of things draws our thoughts The greatest works in Nature that are not Miracles only because common and usual are past by with a careless Eye Their continual presence is not moving but lessens our regard and attention The Naturalist observ'd it to be one of the solemn follies of Men to value Medicines not for their Virtue but the Country where they grow the Climate from whence they come if they have a Barbarous name they are reputed to have a mysterious efficacy and those Plants are neglected as unprofitable that are natives of their own Soil The rarity is esteem'd more than the merit of things 'T is a greater wonder to give light to the Sun than to restore it to the blind yet its daily presence does not affect us If a Chymist should extract a Liquor of such an extraordinary virtue that by pouring a few drops of it on the dust a Body should be form'd animated and move would any one be induc'd to believe it without the testimony of his own eyes and would it not be a surprising wonder Yet innumerable living Creatures spring from the Dust by the falling of Rain and few think it worthy of observation The raising a dead Body to life would astonish us but we are unaffected that every day so many living Men are born Yet if we consider things aright the secret forming a Body in the Womb is an equal Prodigy of Power and as truely marvellous as the restoring the vital congruities to a carcass that prepare it for the reception of the Soul What more deservs serious reflection than that from the same indistinct Seed so many and such various parts in their substance figure and qualities should proceed hard and dry for the Bones liquid for the humours moist and soft for the flesh tenacious for the Nerves perforated for the Arteries and Veins hot for the Liver and Heart cold for the Brain transparent for the Eyes How should it raise our wonder that that matter which in it self is simple and equal in Gods hand is capable of such admirable Art But the constant sight of living productions causes our neglect and deprives him of his just Honour Thus that from almost an invisible Seed weak and tender should spring a great Tree of that strength as to resist the fury of the Winds what miraculous virtue is requisit The inlightned observing Mind ascends from Nature to God whose instrument it is and with deliberate admiration praises Him for his excellent Works 2. The most humble fear is a necessary Duty from Man to the Majesty and Power of the Creatour A barren admiration of his omnipotent Art in his Works is not sufficient but it must be joyned with awful respects of his Excellent Greatness He has the right and to him is due the reverence and homage of universal King With what solemnity and composedness of Spirit should we approach the Divine Presence What a jealous watch ought to be plac'd over our Hearts in all our addresses to Him lest by carelesness and inadvertency we should disparage his Excellencies To think of Him without reverence is a profanation The Lord is a great God and a great King above all Gods and from hence the necessary consequence is O come let us worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our Maker What ever is Glorious is in Him in the most excellent degrees of Perfection The World with the innumerable variety of Creatures is but a drop compar'd to his Transcendent Greatness And what part is Man of that drop as nothing Time is but a point of his Eternity Dominion but a shadow of his Soveraignty 'T is the most natural duty of Man to walk humbly with his God and to fear above all things to displease Him The whole Creation even the insensible part and that seems least subject to a Rule and Law and least conducted by Reason obey his Will What is more light and rash than the Winds yet they do not breath but by his Command What is more fierce and impetuous than the Sea yet it does not transgress his Order When it threatens to over-run the whole Earth the weak Sand stops its foaming