166 RAY. 



mitted it, in March 1690, to his friend Dr Tancred 

 Robinson, who disposed of it agreeably to his direc- 

 tions ; so that it made its appearance in the following 

 year. One of his reasons for writing this admirable 

 treatise he expresses in the following words : — '^ By 

 virtue of my function I suspect myself to be obliged 

 to write something in divinity, having written so 

 much on other subjects ; for being not permitted to 

 serve the church with my tongue in preaching, I 

 know not but it may be my duty to serve it with 

 my hand by writing ; and I have made choice of 

 this subject, as thinking myself best qualified to 

 treat of it. If what I have now written," he con- 

 tinues, *' shall find so favourable acceptance as to 

 encourage me to proceed, God granting life and 

 health, the reader may expect more ; if otherwise, 

 I must be content to be laid aside as useless, and 

 satisfy myself in having made this experiment." 



The objects of this work, which is entitled The 

 Wisdom of God manifested in the Works of the Crea- 

 tion, were, 1^^, To demonstrate the existence of a 

 Deity; 2dly, To illustrate some of his principal at- 

 tributes ; 3dli/, " To stir up and increase in us the 

 affections and habits of admiration, humility, and 

 gratitude." Like many excellent theological treatises 

 of former times, it is now less frequently read than 

 it deserves to be. Happily, however, we have volumes 

 of more recent date, which inculcate the same prin- 

 ciples, with perhaps more accuracy of detail in all 

 that relates to science. From a passage in it we 

 learn what was his conception of the true character 

 of a naturalist : "^ Let it not sufiice us," says he, 

 ^' to be book-learned, to read what others have 

 written, and to take upon trust more falsehood than 



