The PREFACE. 



Hand by Writing : And I have made choice of this 

 Subject^ as thinking myjelf hejl qualify d to treat of 

 it. If what I have now written Jh all find fo fa-- 

 vourable Acceptance as to encourage me to proceed^ 

 God granting Life and Health the Reader may ex- 

 pe5l more 5 ifotherwife^ I ?7mfi be content to be laid 

 a fide as ufelefs^ and fatisfy myjelf in having made 

 this Experiment, 



^ As J or this Difcourfe^ I have been careful to ad^ 

 mit nothing for Matter of FaB or Experime?it but 

 what is undoubtedly true, left I Jhould build upon a 

 fandy and ruinous Foundation ; and by the Admix^ 

 ture of what is falfe, render that which is truefuf 

 picious, 



I might have added many more Particulars j 72ay^ 

 my T'ext warrants me to run over all the vifible 

 Works of God in particular, and to trace the Foot-- 

 fieps of his Wifdom in the Compcfition, Order, Har^ 

 mony, and Ufes of every one of them, as well as of 

 thofe that I have feleBed, But, Firft, this would 

 be a Task far trajfcendhig my Skill and Abilities ; 

 nay, the joint Skill and Fndeavours of all Men now 

 living, or that fjall live after a t hot f and Ages ^ 

 foould the World laftfo long. For no Man can find . 

 out the Work that God maketh from the Begin- 

 ning to the End, Ecclef iii. 1 1. Secondly, I was 

 willing to confult the Infirmity of the Reader, or in- 

 deed of Marikiiid in ge?ieral -, which, after a fbort 

 Confinement to one fort of Dijh^ is apt to loath it, thd 

 never fo wholfome, and which at firft was moft plea- 

 faiit ajid acceptable-, and fo to moderate my Dif 

 courfe, as to make an end of writing before I might 

 prefume he ftjould be quite tird with reading, 



B ^ IJhall 



