24 THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE WORK. 



and prepared. But it is both beyond our power and ex 

 pectation to perfect and conclude this last part. We will, 

 however, furnish no contemptible beginning (if our hopes 

 deceive us not), and men s good fortune will furnish the 

 result; such, perhaps, as men cannot easily comprehend 

 or define in the present state of things and the mind. For 

 we treat not only of contemplative enjoyment, but of the 

 common affairs and fortune of mankind, and of a com 

 plete power of action. For man as the minister and inter 

 preter of nature does, and understands, as much as he has 

 observed of the order, operation, and mind of nature ; and 

 neither knows nor is able to do more. Neither is it pos 

 sible for any power to loosen or burst the chain of causes, 

 nor is nature to be overcome except by submission. There 

 fore those two objects, human knowledge and power, are 

 really the same ; and failure in action chiefly arises from 

 the ignorance of causes. For every thing depends upon 

 our fixing the mind s eye steadily in order to receive their 

 images exactly as they exist, and may God never permit us 

 to give out the dream of our fancy as a model of the world, 

 but rather in his kindness vouchsafe to us the means of 

 writing a revelation and true vision of the traces and stamps 

 of the Creator on his creatures. 



May thou, therefore, O Father, who gavest the light of 

 vision as the first fruits of creation, and hast inspired the 

 countenance of man with the light of the understanding as 

 the completion of thy works, guard and direct this work 

 which, proceeding from thy bounty, seeks in return thy 

 glory. When thou turnedst to look upon the works of thy 

 hands, thou sawest that all were very good and restedst. 

 But man, when he turned towards the works of his hands, 

 saw that they were all vanity and vexation of spirit, and 

 had no rest. Wherefore if we labour in thy works, thou 

 wilt make us partakers of that which thou beholdest and 

 of thy rest. We humbly pray that our present disposition 

 may continue firm, and that thou mayest be willing to 

 endow thy family of mankind with new gifts through our 

 hands, and the handsjrf those to whom thou wilt accord 

 the same disposition. 



