176 RAY. 



Architect the praise and glory due to him. Then 

 shall we clearly see^, to our great satisfaction and ad- 

 miration, the ends and uses of these things which 

 here were either too subtle for us to penetrate and 

 discover, or too remote and unaccessible for us to 

 come to any distinct view of, viz. the planets and 

 fixed stars, those illustrious bodies, whose contents 

 and inhabitants, whose stores and furniture, we 

 have here so longing a desire to know, as also their 

 mutual subserviency to each other. Now the mind 

 of man being not capable at once to advert to more 

 than one thing, a particular view and examination 

 of such an innumerable number of vast bodies, and 

 the great multitude of species, both of animate and 

 inanimate beings, which each of them contains, will 

 afford matter enough to exercise and employ our 

 minds, I do not say to all eternity, but to many 

 ages, should we do nothing else. 



" Let us, then, consider the works of God, and 

 observe the operations of his hands. Let us take 

 notice of, and admire his infinite wisdom and good- 

 ness in the formation of them. No creature in this 

 sublunary world is capable of so doing beside 

 man, and yet we are deficient herein. We content 

 ourselves with the knowledge of the tongues, or a 

 little skill in philology, or history perhaps, and an- 

 tiquity, and neglect that which to me seems more 

 material, I mean natural history and the works of 

 the creation. I do not discommend or derogate from 

 those other studies; I should betray mine own ig- 

 norance and weakness should I do so ; I only wish 

 they might not altogether justle out and exclude this. 

 I wish that this might be brought in fashion among 

 us. I wish men would be so equal and civil, as not 



