IV The A U T H O ft’s P R | F A C E. g
dwells in a light inacceffible to any.tnortal eye, y e f OUr faculties
fee and diftiijguifh him dearly, irrinsworks’!, l i t ihisrxe^pesSt I
have the moft profound veneration for a Boyle, a Nieuventyt, a
Fepefom a Scfymcjiger^ Derhapi, Mid ;tiie like £reat and $x-
cehSit • - whoTtavIng been ?no‘ l c * cdn^Scuodi mftthe
feaity o f their lives, than in tiieir mental abilities, will doubtfefs
find a place among thofe, on in preference to many o f thofe, to
Whom the <;Daniel prbffiifeS Li mdreJ eSEkttecf degrei o f
It is trub, didt the rational part of the hfeathen World were not
unacquainted with the firft principles of iiatiiral religion, and
cbxlftqheftdy thefe Wb Of;H^mMbes itffofficieht for me'iinmedute
and perfect convcrfion of tinners, orjthe attainment of any degree
of that falvation referved for the mefobef£ df C^iftVmyf-
tical body, who live in a more fluning-light, and!Mve more
abuirdaht ©fferstof gfacfcq But it isf equally trad! asft | g.‘A |icMe
ajffi-mir 7« "that Someth to 'God; niUjrfitffi mteffkMt ht lay "and
that he is a rewarder c f thofe who diligently feekBm. A general
belief in God, as the creator’ and preferver, as 'the rbwartier :^id
avenger, muft be- prefuppofed, beforb ar i y^f f i t hSdnKo£
God, die Redeemer, cafi take pkfcfri
bafis of the other ’articles,
not to be lighdy carried aWay by the ftream, 'Or Ought not'to
follow the crowd of mere ^hifofophic mbralifts, Who purine vain
glory ih feience, falfly foealTedyand in 'cxmtradi&ion foThdjtnuitf
and example of St. Paul, are almofi ajhamed of theg'fperyf Chtijf,
which alone is and fmll continue to he the'pom r^fpadM^^^e^
tim; yet it becomes tfomrtis little to ' deViatel‘bnriMe Other
band, into a disregard and contempt of natural traAs,1 ahf
otxjafion which t^y ; may drbW from them* of prdfobtirfg ;tB&
glofy ofGodj among many’whole, tafte and capdfcity reach'rio further
than fenfible obje&s : - arid not having been foirficf faithful,1
even in thefe lefler matters, are not therefore intfufted with
greater. / I f as otfr Saviour fays', noe believe not' huh tit ts fsna 'to
m
Thd> A V T -H D R’s GP R E F A G E v
'to^p^thtydSingiiwhowifhall.vteMmid' whenihe <$eaks-te> ■ m.tif
hmtenht'idomgs $ . i
I am thepfote MclmieH to thihlsy that neilhfip: I sor my bre-
thmn tra^g^'fs' die5'bounds bfouf- minifterial office, byinveftithithS'
COiicerftMg.lithe works, of
God, Which, l f e ' his Wordy attiijebqy^r f afoualthEr: o f opinion,
that a fuptifctiibUs ftegletffof iach-'l^urhs, m this critical age,, is
OH® of the eiufes ©f.ffiat contempt, wkhwhich the Freethinkers*
hs tlfey arrogahtlydlile theidfdlves, .dookiadui {he: minifterial. iunfcr
tiOn.
If pfaytieal koowlegejbe not, dike) godlinefsj. ^r^^^/et|#! off
things-, yet it iskfe iJQ U^nyyaatiffi ,®5 a certain degree to moft
rhwwK. ■ civiliaay ih order to lagju&Tdurfokidf^kipdmtiifa law,
mu® pipevioUfly :haveu. competentjinkelh^enicdjof' jiier&dfcj * and
this is sot always to be had from a formal depotition, whfeh is
frequently1 contradified :by Dtfcfeiaf^Uali'dijndforilyiy hut;in many
cdfe% } h^ rHay feicbntiderably afliftedvsbyt;
die connexions of natme, , whidb.:
bilities, which, odhers wctold obtitade Uf^nibim- for iegrta^kfesi
and not to attahUfie’.tDrasay eaufe^ ho®f?9iri ^aj^tiffely jjjjgdglfb
what may roifoh imcffie rmfooaHlybextiipppWs'foq fcBf
ether caufe,vdioiagh unknown. M
; The utility, I.dJiedLd fay the abfohite nepeflky of thispcfenOe
to medicine, needs no itedious p*oofo die alliawee "between, naiuiial
phSdfophy and «iedieifie4i@ng'UniverfaEy ktiowsi |hd.;tfae wfatile
materia medica being proper^r vbs ^hyRl^T’ 'This- is liiSffitaendy
confirmed by our eminent phyficians, Wramius, Bartholifl, and
Bortiphius,. yirhp were alfo ccpfcmmate patu ralifts} But -my more
immediate aim, is to reprefent the advantagesicsf 'natural know-
Iqge to thofe who apply themfelves to dibplbgieal tiudies, with a
view of direbting others in the way to lalvation. Thfe-firft know-
lege reqiiifite in them, is tfee knowlege ©f human nature j for
grace and nature are the two great objects,' which ft^s, incumbent
* See an ingenious .piece ip tnl ’piamburg magazine, under the tide .of Argunxebta
on the ufefulnels Or natutal phiTofopliy' irt theutudy of the taw, Vol. -p. 27. '
; sP.artT. , b upon