PREFACE. y 



the ways of the senses are opened, and a greaternatnral light 

 set up in the mind, nothing of incredulity and blindness 

 towards divine mysteries may arise; but rather that the 

 understanding, now cleared up, and purged of all vanity and 

 superstition, may remain entirely subject to the divine^^ 

 oracles, and yield to faith, the things that are faith's : and, 

 lastly, that expelling the poisonous knowledge infused by/ 

 the serpent, which puifs up and swells the human mind, we 

 may neither be wise above measure, nor go beyond the bounds 

 of sobriety, but pursue the truth in charity. 



We now turn ourselves to men, with a few wholesome 

 admonitions and just requests. And first, we admonish them 

 to continue in a sense of their duty, as to divine matters ; for 

 the senses are like the sun, which displays the face of the 

 earth, but shuts up that of the heavens : and again, that 

 they run not into the contrary extreme, which they certainly 

 will do, if they think an inquiry into nature any way forbid 

 them by religion. It was not that pure and imspotted 

 natural knowledge whereby Adam gave names to things, 

 agreeable to their natures, which caused his fall ; but an 

 ambitious and authoritative desire of moral knowledge, to 

 judge of good and evil, which makes men revolt from God, 

 and obey no laws but those of their own will. But for the 

 sciences, which contemplate nature, the sacred philosopher 

 declares, " It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the 

 glory of a king to find it out."'^ As if the Divine Being 

 thus indulgently condescended to exercise the human mind 

 by philosophical inquiries. 



In the next place, we ad v^ise all mankind to think of the 

 true ends of knowledge, and that they endeavour not after it 

 for curiosity, contention, or the sake of despising others, nor 

 yet for profit, reputation, power, or any such inferior con- ^ 

 sideration, but solely for the occasions and uses of life ; all J 

 along conducting and perfecting it in the spil^oFlbenevo- 

 lence. Our request* are, — 1. That men do not conceive wo 

 liere deliver an opinion, but a work ; and assure themselves 

 we attempt not to found any sect or particular doctrine, but >^ 

 to fix an extensive basis for the servic e^jjf h^man nnturA ji 

 2. That, for their own sakes, they lay aside the zeal and 



* Frov. XXV. 2. 



