PREFACE. 
the Supreme Being of the Univerfe, that is the mere Production of his Mind, I think 
what is laft produced by him ought to be accounted the moji perfect • for which Reafon 
I have offered and dedicated to GOD the laft Work of this Kind that I intend 
to perform. 
I dedicate this Piece to G O D, in humble Gratitude for all the good Things I have 
received from him in this Worlds and not becaufe I imagine GOD experts Sacrifices 
or Offerings of any Kind from Men. It feems plain to my Reafon, that GOD 
wants no Service from us, though univerfal Cuflom has eftabliffed Forms by which Men 
Jhew their Obligation and Gratitude to God. Men that have a Senfe of Gratitude to¬ 
wards GOD, will be always defirous to few fome outward Signs of that Gratitude y 
which can be done by no Sort of Offerings, but of fuch good Things as they have firfl re¬ 
ceived of GOD. If we compare ourfelves, as Atoms of Imperfection, with the All- 
powerful Being, it will be impoffble but that our Actions, with refpeCi to him , muft be 
full of inconffient Abfur ditie s; and Us certain GOD can want of us neither Offer¬ 
ing, nor any formal Worfhip, or verbal Prayer ; but Nature and Reafon teach us, 
whenfoever we become fenfible of the Obligations we fund in towards him, from a Confe¬ 
deration of his Almighty Power and great Goodnejs to us, in bringing us forth from 
the dark Chaos of Obfcurity and Corfu [ion, into Life, Light, and rational Underfund¬ 
ing, and making us the Firfl, and Lords of all other created Beings which plentifully cover 
the Face of this terrefial Globe, that our Minds fhould be filled with Gratitude, 
Praife, Thanksgiving, and the lowefi Humiliation and Adoration', and the great Good- 
nefs of G O D towards us all, fhould, I think, naturally teach us, that as a Portion 
of his Love is di[fenced to each Individual, we ought to be kind, benevolent and affeCli- 
mate to one another ; for purely it is Man's Duty to Dee whom God loves » 
I hope no one will be offended at what I have [aid above , for as this is a Natural 
Hiftory, I defigned flriCily to dedicate it to the great G O D of Nature, fuch as I 
think all Men of difeernment may difeover him to be by the mere Light of their own- 
Minds, for which Reafon I have not called Revelation in to my Aid and Affiance ; 
though no one is more ready than myfelf to incorporate natural Religion with Re¬ 
velation, Jo far as they may be f ound to confifi with one another ; and I think 
■many of our be ft Theologifis have reconciled them fo well together, as to make them 
almofi one and the fame Thing . For my own Part, I have always form'd my Practice 
after fuch DoCtrines in Revelation, as appear'd to my Underfunding agreeable to Nature > 
Reafon, and the common Senfe and Meaning of Mankind ; and I believe there are but 
few that will give an implicit Aff 'ent to any Thing that appears to them contrary to. Na¬ 
ture, Reafon, and Common Senfe. 
The 
