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THE 
 
 Chriftian Philofopher '- 
 
 A 
 
 COLLECTION 
 
 O F T H E 
 
 BeflDifcoveries in Nature, 
 
 WITH 
 
 Religious Improvements. 
 
 jBy Cotton Mather D. D. 
 
 And Fellow of the KoY k-L Society. 
 
 LONDON; 
 
 Printed for Em Ai^. Matthews, at the Bible in 
 Pater-Nofler-Row. M. DCC XXL 
 
(, 111 J 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^^ 
 
 Sg^^fH^^^^^gSgffjj 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ^1 
 
 M^C^^^^^^^^ 
 
 ^M, 
 
 mt.thomas mollis, 
 
 Merchant in London. 
 
 SIR, 
 
 HE Learned Author of 
 the enfuing Treatife^ has 
 already diftus'd his Name 
 and Reputation in a great- 
 Variety of Ufeful Works ; 
 by which the better Part of Mankind^ 
 do fufficiently know him to be in 
 Labours more abundant. The Reader* 
 will find in this Treatife^ a Colledtidn 
 
 A z from 
 
iv Dedication. 
 
 fionf Writers o( the firll and bed 
 Cliafatfter, both inour own and othei: 
 Natiipns i and every Obfcrvation in> 
 pfovil to die Ends of Devotion and 
 Tradice. The Remarks that the Au- 
 thor gives, are (b mingled with the 
 Difcoveries that he has brought toge- 
 dier, diat as it ftiows us with what 
 Spirit He has purfued His Enquiries 
 into the Wonders of the Univerfe, fo 
 it is both an Inftruclion and a Pattern 
 to a ferious Mind. He has generally 
 drawn into his Application, all that 
 the Bible faith upon the feveral Sub- 
 jeds: And thus he lays open the 
 two great Books of God, Nature and 
 Scripture. In diis way, our Curiofity 
 is not onlv entertain d, but fandtified; 
 the Invifiblt T}jinp of God from the 
 Creation of the World are fecn^ and 
 improved to the Glorv ot Him whofe 
 thev are. 
 
 Your furprizinc; Generoficy to die 
 Academy in Nczu-EngLmd, has made 
 this Dedication more proper to you 
 than any odier Perfon. Such a Bene- 
 
 iicence 
 
Dedication} V? 
 
 licence is an Argument how thorowly 
 ypu defire that the Docflrines of the 
 GofpeV and the Purity of Difcipline^. 
 may be tranfmitted to future GeAe- 
 rations. And certainly, it is the no- 
 bleft, and the moft divine Application 
 of your Charity, when by it you are'^ 
 a Fei/ozV'helper to the Trutk This is 
 given to thofe from whom you can 
 have no Expectation of Recompence ; 
 but as it's all done to the Lord, and 
 not unto Men, fo by him it will be re- 
 member d at the Rejurredion of the 
 Jufi. You know how much it is 
 againft my Temper to give fiattering^ 
 Words, and Tm con vine d that it is 
 againft yours to receive em. But I 
 have reafon to think, that the Reverend 
 Author, and the whole Country where 
 God has placed him, will believe this 
 Dedication well direded, to the BEST 
 of all their Benefacflors. This Admi- 
 nijlration of Service is abundant, by 
 many T^hankfgivings to God, {ivhilfl by 
 this Minijiration, they glorify God for 
 your profefsd Subje^fwn to the Gofpel 
 
 r of 
 
vi Dedication. 
 
 of Chrtji, and for your liberal Diftri- 
 iution to them and to all Men) and by 
 thetr Prayer for you. 
 
 1 have no more to add, but the 
 Apoftles Wifti, that your Faith may 
 grow exceedingly., and your Charity 
 daily abound) tnat whatever you do, 
 may be done faithfully to the Bre- 
 thren^ and to Strangers. 
 
 I am, 
 
 SIR, 
 
 t-ondon, * 
 
 Sept. 22* I 
 
 ijao. Your Smcere Friend, 
 
 and Obedient Servant, 
 
 Tho. Bradbury. 
 
[ vii ] 
 
 An INDEX. 
 
 THE InmduBion. ' '^ \ . ~ „„_- , 
 
 Of the Light, P^^^ I 
 
 Of the Stars, * — ,fi 
 
 Of the Fixed Stars, ■ ,„ 
 
 Of the Sun, J '? 
 
 0/ Saturn, . ,* 
 
 0/ Jupiter. — _ f* 
 
 0/ Venus, _ ^7 
 
 S^Sr - "^ - .n - •''^''• 
 
 Of Heat, ___ .^^ 41 
 
 Of the Moon, ^1 
 
 Of the Rain, 47 
 
 Of the Rainbmi, — ^* 
 
 Of the Snow, , 54 
 
 Of the Hail, ., ^* 
 
 Of Thunder and Lirhtninr, ^, 
 
 Ofthe^ir, — ^ _ 5l 
 
 OfthelVind, y 
 
 Of the Cold, Y 
 
 Of the Terraqueous Globe, „ Z* 
 
 Of Gravity, _,,^__ Z ' 
 
 Of the Water, %i 
 
 Of the Earth, ^•• 
 
 OfMagnetifm, . ,'* 
 
 Of Minerals, ;°1 
 
 Of Vegetables, . ][% 
 
 Of Infers, "f 
 
 Of Reptiles, «_^ \f 
 
 OftheFiihes, \f 
 
 Of the Feather' d Kind, . yJ 
 
 Of the Quadrupeds, ,„a 
 
 Of Mart, T=. —_ r^ \f. 
 
h /C. <? J^tdy PuUifl)\L 
 
 TH E NcccfTity of contending for RcvcaJed Re- 
 ligion ; witii a Sermon on the 5th oi November^ 
 17 ip. By the Reverend Mr. TJmnas Bradbury. With a 
 Letter from the Reverend Qjtton Mather D. D. on the 
 late Difpures about The E\cr-Blefred Trinity. Pr, i s. 
 ' The DoArine of the Blcflbd 7>imty iflated and de- 
 fended, by fome London Miniders. (the Introdudion 
 by the Reverend Mr. fvng. Chap. I. by the Reve- 
 rend Mr. Robinfvn. Ciap. II: by the Reverend Mr. 
 Smith. Chiip. Ill: by the Reverend Mr. Reynolds) The 
 Second Edition. Prke is. 6 d. 
 ' A Difcourfe concerning the "Neceflity of believing 
 the Doftrin^ of the Holy Trinity, as profeft'd an^ 
 tnaincain'd by the Ciurch of England in the hrft of the 
 ^9 Articles of Reltgion. By the Reverend Mr. Samuel 
 Mathe-r. Price' is. 
 
 A Difcourfe concerning the Godhead of the Holy 
 Gho/1, the Third' Fcrfon in the Eternal Trinity.: 
 X^herein the Sentiments of Dr. Clark ate confidered. 
 By the Reverend Mr. Samuel Mather. Price 2 s. 
 
 Hymns and Spiritu:il Songs. In three Books. By 
 the Reverend Mr. Simvn Brovone. With a Set of Tune^^ 
 irr thre^ ?arts, curioufly engraven on Copper-Plates.'^ 
 'v A Collection of the Promifcs of Scripture, under 
 their proper Hrads. In two Parts. With an Intro- 
 rfuftion by the Reverend Mf. Snmuel Clark. 
 
 The OccaTIoiial Papers. In three Volumes ; Being 
 ElTays on \arious Subjects and Occa(ions. 
 '- The Family Inftrudor. In two Volumes. 
 •r- Memoirs ot'the Church of Scotland in four Periods. 
 
 ' All Printed for Fman. MATrin-ws, at the Bible in 
 Pater- Nifier-Rozv ; where Subfcriptions are taken in, 
 ^&r printing a Pnicftical Expolition of the Old and New 
 Tduiment, in Six Volumes in Folio, written by the 
 tit^ I^-verend ^fr. Matthr^u Kcnryy Miniftcr of the 
 Gf^fpcT : which is now In the Prefs, and will fpeedily 
 be publiHiM. 
 
 THE 
 
(O 
 
 THE 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 HE ESSAYS now before us wiil dcmoi>- 
 ftrate, that Philofo}^hy is no En^my^ but a 
 mighty and wondrous Incentive to Reli^ 
 gion ; and they will exhibit that Philoso- 
 phical Religion, which will carry with 
 it a moft fenfible ClmraBer, and vidorious Evidei e ot a 
 reafonahk Service. GLORY TO GOD IN THE rlGH- 
 EST, B^nd GOOD-WILL TOWARDS MEN, an: nared 
 and exercifed ; and a Spirit of Devotion and oj' Charity 
 inflamed, in fuch Methods as are offered in thcfe £/- 
 faysy cannot but be attended with more Ben-fits, than 
 any Pen of ours can declare, or any Mind conceive. 
 
 In the Difpojitions and Refottitions of Piety thus en- 
 kindled, a Man moft effedually {I^eu^s himfelf a Man, 
 and with unutterable Satisfaction anfwers the grand 
 End of his Being, which is^ To glorify GOD. He 
 difcharges alfo the Office of a Priefl for the Creation, 
 under the Influences of an admirable Saviour, and 
 therein afferts and aflures his Title unto that Priefl" 
 
 B koody 
 
2 The Introdu^ion. 
 
 hood which the Blclledncls ot the future State will very 
 much conlift in bcin*^ advanced to. The whole 
 IVorld is indeed a temple of GOD, built ^x\(^ fitted by 
 that Almighty ^chitech and in this Temple, ew cry 
 luch one, aticding himfell: with the Occafions for it, 
 will fpeak of Hii Glory. He will alto rile into that 
 SuPei'iow iVay ot T^hinking and ot Living, which the 
 lVif4 of Men will chufe to take; which the more 
 p.l'te Part of Mankind, and the Honourable of the Earth, 
 svillclleem it no DiHioiiour for them to be acquainted 
 with. Upon that Palla^e occurring in the beft ot 
 Bookb, Te Sons of the Mighty, nfcribe unto the Lord Glory 
 and Stre igth ; it is a Glo'ls and an Hint of Munfler, 
 which carries with it a Cogency : Nihil eft tarn fub- 
 • rna^^nificum, quod non tevieatur liudare <7 
 ) urn Crearpr^i ,fmm. Behold, a Religion, 
 \ ,lt b found '^//M/f Comroverfy; ix Religion, 
 
 \vl)Kh %vill challenge all poffible Regards from the 
 High, as well s the low, among the People ; I will 
 Tcfumc tlic M>' , a Philosophical Religion : And 
 
 yet^. V - -// 
 
 I, ^ , this Intention, and in introducing al- 
 
 moft e'-rry Aiidt of it, the Reader will continually 
 find * * ^hor 01 other quoted. This conftant Me- 
 thod ( -f , 'ti > to be hoped, will not be cenfured, 
 as procci > » Ambition to intimate and boafi a 
 Learnings ^.Mi■.i. i. . MelTiairs dii Port- Royal have re- 
 buked; '^nd tlyit I '.e Humour for \y\\\c\\ Auftin re- 
 proachc' v :11 not be found in it : Qids hac au- 
 dial, tJ y..:. ../^ iwwimwi ftrepitu tei-reatur, fi eft ine)'^idi- 
 tu(, qualis eft hot.-^hium muhituJo, & exiftimet te aUquem 
 magnum qui hat JKive fotueriif Nor will there be dif- 
 ccrnible any Spicc of the impertinent \^anity, w^hich 
 f.aBiuyere hath fo well fatirized : ' HeiiUus v,'\\\ always 
 ' Cite, whether he fpeak ^ or writes. He makes the 
 
 * Prhtce of PluhfopL-vs to fav, 'Timt If^ine inebriates ; and 
 
 * the Roman Orator, 'That IVater tempo'ates it. It he 
 -* talks of Morality, it is not he, but the Divine Plato^ 
 
 ' who 
 
The IntroduBiom ^ 
 
 * who afSrms, T'/.at Virtue is amiable^ and Vice odious, 
 
 * The mofl common and trivial things, which he him- 
 
 * felf is able to think of, are afcribed by him to Latin 
 ' and Greek Authors." But in thefe Quotations^ there 
 has been propofed, firft, a due Gratitude unto thofe, 
 who have been my InflruElors ', and indeed, fometking 
 nvithin me would have led me to it, if Pliny.^ \yho is 
 one of them, had not given me a Rule ; Ingenuum efi 
 frofiteri fer quos frofeceris. It appears alfo but a piece 
 of Juftice, that the Names of thofe whom the Great 
 GOD has diftingui filed, by employing them to make 
 thofe Difcoveries^ which are here colleded, fhould liv^ 
 and fliine in every fuch Colledion. Among th^fe, let 
 it be known, that there are efpecially Two, unto 
 whon) I have been more indebted, than unto many 
 others ; the Induftrious Mr. Ray, and the Inquilitive 
 Mr. Derham ; Fratrum duke par : upon whom, in di- 
 vers Paragraphs of this Rhapfody, I have had very much 
 of my Subfiftence ; (I hope without doing the part of 
 a Fidentinus upon them) and I give thanks to Heavea 
 for them. 
 
 ''Tis true, fome Scores of other Philofophers have 
 been confulted on this Occafion ; but an Induftry fo 
 applied, has in it very little to befpeak any Praifes for 
 him that has ufed it : He earneftly renounces them, 
 and follicits, that not only he^ but the Greater Men, 
 who have been his Teachers, may difappear before the 
 Glorious GOD, whom thefe EJfays are all written to 
 reprefent as ivorthy to be praifed, and by whofe Grace we 
 are what we are ; nor have we any thing but what we 
 have received from Him. 
 
 A confiderable Body of Men (if the Janfenifls may 
 now be thought fo) in France, have learnt of Monfieur 
 Pafcal, to denote themfelves by the French Imperfonal 
 Particle On j and it was his opinion, tliat an bonefl 
 Man Ihould not be fond of naming himfelf, or uilng 
 the word I, and Me ; that Chriftian Piety will annihi- 
 
 B 2 late 
 
4 T^e Inlrodu6imh 
 
 late our I, and Me, and Human Civility will fupprcfs 
 it, and conceal it. 
 
 Moil certainly there can be very little Pretence to 
 an I, or Me, for what is done in thcfe EJfays, 'Tis 
 done^ and entirely, by the Hdp of God : This is all that 
 can be pretended to. 
 
 There is very little, that may be faid, really to be 
 performed by the Hand that is now writing ; but on- 
 ly the Dfjotitriary Part of thcfe E/fuys, tho they are 
 not altogether dcilitute of American Communications : 
 And if the Virtuofo's^ and all the Genuine Pinhjofhers of 
 our Age, ha\'e appro\ ed the Defign of the devout 
 Ray and Df rham, and others, in their Treat ifes ; it 
 cannot be diflafteful unto them, to fee what was more 
 generally hinted at by thcfe Excellent Pcrfons, here more 
 farticiikirly can'ied on^ and the more fpecial Flights of 
 the true Philosophical Rlligion exemplified. Nor 
 will they that value the Elfays of the memorable An- 
 tients, Theodoret, and Naz,ianz.tit^ and Anibrofe^ upon 
 the Works of the fix Days, count it a Fault, if among 
 ieflcr Men in our Days, there be found thofe who fay. 
 Let me run after them. 1 remember, when we read, 
 Praife is comely for the Upright , it is urged bv Kimchi, 
 that the Word which we render comely, fignines dtfrn- 
 lie, and acceptable ; and the Senfe of that Sentence is, 
 that Qt4i reEii ftmt, aliud nilil defideram quam l.audem & 
 Glorium Dei, Sure I am, fuch Effays as thefe, to ob- 
 ferve, and proclaim, and publifh the Praifes of the 
 Glorious GOD, will be dcfirable and acceptable to all 
 that ha\ e a rigl)t Spirit in rhem ; the refi, who arc blind- 
 ed, are Fools, and unregardable : As little to be re- 
 garded as a Morfle^ flourifhing a Broomjiick ! Vtx silts 
 optari qui dquam pejus poteji^ quam ttt fatuitate fua fruath- 
 tur. For fuch Centaurs to be found in the Tents of 
 profellcd Chyijiianity I — Good God, uttto what 'Times haft 
 thou referz'td us ! If the Jclftat4<^ht J'hilvfopher will not, 
 \tx: Ahubektr^ a Alalomttan Writer, by whom fuch an 
 one y^iis exhibited mure than i{\c hundred Years ago, 
 
 will 
 
T^he Introdu£iion. 5 
 
 will rije nf in the'Judgmem with this Gene^'ation^ and con- 
 demn it. Reader, even a Mahometan will fiiew thee 
 one, without any 'Teacher^ but Reafon in a ferious View 
 of Nature, led on to the Acknowledgment of a Glo- 
 rious GOD. Of a Man, fuppofed as but ufing his 
 Rational Faculties in viewing the Works of GOD, e- 
 ven the Mahometan will tell thee ; ' There appeared 
 ' unto him thofe Footfteps of Wifdom and VVonders 
 in the Works of Creation, which affeded his Mind 
 with an cxcefTive Admiration ; and he became here- 
 by aflured, that all thefe things muft proceed from 
 fuch a Voluntary Agent as was infinitely perfe^, yea, 
 above all Perfedion : fuch an one to whom the 
 Weight of the leafl Atom was not unknown, whe- 
 ther in Heaven or Earth. Upon his viewing of the 
 Greatures, whatever Excellency he found of any kind, 
 he concluded, it muft needs proceed from the In- 
 fluence of that Voluntary Agent^ fo illuftriouQy glo- 
 rious, the Fountain of Being, and of Working. He 
 knew therefore, that whatfoever Excellencies were 
 by Nature in Him, were by fo much the greater, the 
 more perfect, and the more lafting ,* and that there 
 was no proportion between thofe Excellencies which 
 were in Him, and thofe which were found in the 
 Creatures, He difcerned alfo, by the virtue of that 
 more Noble Part of his, whereby he knew the ne- 
 cejfarily exiflent Being, that there was in him a cer- 
 tain Refemblance thereof: And he faw, that it w^as 
 his Duty to labour by all manner of Means, how 
 he might obtain the Properties of that Being, put on 
 His Qualities, and imitate His Anions ; to be diligent 
 and careful alfo in promoting His Will; to commit 
 all his Affairs unto Him, and heartily to acquiefce 
 in all thofe Decrees of His which concerned him, ei- 
 ther from within, or from w^ithout : fo that he plea- 
 fed himfelf in Him, tho he fliould affliEi him, and 
 even defiroy him/ I was going to fay, Mentis nu- 
 e^ Verla braUeata ! But the Great Alfied inftruds me, 
 
 B 3 that 
 
5 'The Jntrohcilon. 
 
 that we Chnftiam, in our xaluablc Citations from them 
 r!- Stringer to a.p.un, (hould fcze u,on the 
 Stences as contai.iing o«r 7'r«tk, detained in the 
 hands of Vnjufl P.0o.-. : and he allows me to fav 
 S e ClJnU qufn, Natura docuit. Ho^vc^•cr, th,S 
 I mav lav God I J thus fur taught a Mahometan ! And 
 thTs I Si fay. ClrijlJt, be^varc left a Mahom.'.an be 
 rqlV'd in tor thv Condemnation ! ^ , . r- r 
 
 Let us conclude with a Remark a( Minutrus F.hx.^ 
 ' If fo much W'lfdom and Penetration be rcquilite to 
 ' otferve the wonderful Order and DeHgn m the Stmc- 
 ' ture of the World, how much more ^vere nocellary 
 ' Tfim it ! ' If Men fo much admire ? ;lf Ph"^' 
 becaufe they difco-ver a fmall Part ot the IV'fdom tha 
 made all things; they mull be Rark blind, who do not 
 admire that Ulfdom itfclf ! 
 
 Rei 
 
(7) 
 
 ReLIGIO PhILOSOPHICA; 
 
 OR, THE 
 
 Chriftian Philofopher : 
 
 BEING 
 
 A Commentary, of the more Modern 
 and Certain Philosophy, upon 
 that Inftrud:ion, 
 
 Job xxxvi. 24. 
 
 Remeniber that thou magnify His Worh which 
 
 Men lehold. 
 
 HE Works of the Glorious GOD in the 
 Creation of the World, are what I now 
 propofe to exhibit ; in brief EJfays to enu- 
 merate fome of them, that He may be glo- 
 rified in them : And indeed my EJfays may 
 pretend unto no more than fo??ie of them ; for, T'heophiliis 
 writing, of the Creation^ to his Friend Amolycus, might 
 very juflly fay. That if he fhould have a T^hcufand 
 Tongues^ and li\'e a Tlmifand Years ^ yet he were not 
 
 B 4 able 
 
8 ^^e Chrifiian Philojopher. 
 
 able to dcfcribe the admirable Order ot the Creation, 
 
 'Trcnficndtnt Greatmfs cf God, and the Riches of his M/tf- 
 
 dom appearing in it ! 
 
 Chryfoftont, I remember, mentions a Twofold Bock of 
 GOD; the Book of the Creatures^ and the Book of 
 the Scriptures: GOD having taught firll of all us 
 J)d /©e^foATar, by his IVorks^ did it afterwards J^j^ yi^i^' 
 (jmIuv, by his IVords. VVc v ill now for a while read 
 the Former of thcle Books, 'twill help us in reading the 
 Latter-. They will admirably aflTill one another. The 
 Philofopher being asked, What his Books were ; an- 
 fwcred, T*otius Entis Naturalis Vnivevfitas. All Men 
 are accommodated with that Publick Uhrary. Reader, 
 walk with me into it, and fee what we fliall nnd fo 
 legible there, that he that runs may read it. Behold, a 
 Book, whereof we may agreeably enough ufe the 
 words of honeft ^gardus \ LeBu hie oinnibus facilis, etfi 
 nunquam legere diditerint, & communis ejl omnibus, omni- 
 amque octilis expc/tus. 
 
 ESSAY I. 6/ the Light. 
 
 WOULD it not be proper, in the firft place, to 
 lay down thofe Laws of Nature, by which the 
 Material IVorld is go\ erncd, and which, when w^ 
 come to conlidcr, we ha\e in the Rank oi SccnidCaufes, 
 no further to go ? All Mechanic^ Accounts are at an 
 end ; we flep into the Glorious GOD Immediately : 
 The very next Thi>2g we ha\e to do, is to Acknow- 
 ledge Him, whp is the Firft Cauf^ of all : and the 
 Christian Philosopher will on all Invitations make 
 the Acknowledgments. The acute Pen of Dr. Cheyne has 
 thus delivered them. 
 
 I. AW Bodief perfevcre in the fame Stare of Rtfly or 
 of .Vfov/;/,^ forwards in a fh ait Line, unlcfs forced out 
 of that State, by fome Valence outwarqly ipiprc;lVcd 
 upon tlicm. 
 
 II. The 
 
7h Chrijiian Philofopber. 9 
 
 II. The Changes made in the Motions of Bodies, are 
 always proportional to the Imfreffed Force that moves 
 them ; and are produced in the fame DireBion with 
 that of the Moving Force. 
 
 III. l^ht fame Force with which one Body ftrikes an- 
 other, is returned upon the firll by that other ', but 
 thefe Forces are imprefled by contrary DireEiions. 
 
 IV. Enjery Part of every Body attracts or gravitates 
 towards every Part of every other Body : But the Force 
 by which one Part attrads another, in different Di- 
 (lances from it, is reciprocally as the Squares of thofe 
 DiAances ; and at the fame Diflance, the Force of the 
 Attradion or Gravitation of one Part towards divers 
 others, is as the Quantity of Matter they contain. 
 
 Thefe are Laws of the Great GOD, who formed all 
 things. GOD is ever to be feen in thefe E,verlafiing 
 Ordinances. But now, in proceeding to magnify that 
 Work of God which Men behold^ it feems proper to begin 
 with that by which it is that we Behold the reft. 
 
 The Light calls firft for our Contemplation. A 
 moft marvellous Creature, whereof the Great GOD 
 is the Father : 
 
 lUic incipit DEUM nojfe. 
 
 The Verus Chrijlianif??ius of the pious John Arndt ve- 
 ry well does infill upon that Strain of Piety i GOD 
 and His LOVE exhibited in the Light, 
 
 It was demanded. In what Place is the Light contain-^ 
 ed? By what Way is the Light divided? 
 
 Ariflotle's Definition of Light ; *«$ gr/f h hiffuat. t« Jiar 
 (p««r« f , Light is in the Inworking of a Diaphanous Body , is 
 worth an attentive Confideration. 
 
 Light is undoubtedly produced, as Dr. Hook judges, 
 by a Motion, quick and vibrative. 
 
 It is proved by Mr. MolynenXy That Light is a Body. 
 Its RefraSlion, in pafling thro a Diaphanous Body, fhcws 
 |:hat it finds a different Rejiftance j Reftflance mull pro- 
 jceed from a Contact of two Bodies, Moreo\'cr, it re- 
 quires 
 
10 T'he Chrijlian Philofopher. 
 
 quires T/w^ to pafs from one place to another, tho it 
 has indeed the quickeft of all Motions. Finally, it 
 cannot by any means be increafed or diminijhed. If you 
 inaeaje it, it is by robbing it of fome other part of 
 the Medium which it would have occupied, or by 
 bringing the Light ^ that fhould naturally have been 
 diffufcd thro.fome other PLice, into that which is now 
 more enlightened. 
 
 Sir Ifaac Neuton ']\XilgtSy 'Tis probable, that Bodies 
 and Light aft mutually on one another. Bodies upon 
 Light ^ in emitting it, and rcHedting it, and refracting 
 it, and inflefting it : Light upon Bodies^ by heating 
 them, and putting their Parts into a Vibrating Motion. 
 
 All Hypvthefes of Light arc too dark, which try to 
 c^cplain the PhjncTnena by Ne-w Mcdifications of Rays ; 
 they depend not on any fuch Modifications, but on 
 fome Congenite and Unchangeable Properties, eflentially 
 inherent in the Rays. 
 
 The Rays of Light arc certainly little Particles, adu- 
 ally emitted from the Lucent Body, and refracted by 
 fome AnraHiony by which Light, and the Bodies on 
 which it falls, do mutually act upon one another. It 
 is evident. That as Rays pafs by the Edges of Bodies, 
 they are incuri'attd by the Action of thcfc Bodies^ as 
 they pafs by them. 
 
 And it is now perceived, That Bodies draw Light, 
 and this Light puts Bodies into Htat : And that the 
 Motion of Light is therefore f\K ifter in Bodies, than in 
 vattw, bccaiife of this Attraction ; and llower after 
 its being nfiicJed, than in its Incidence. 
 
 Irradiated by the Difcovcrics of the Great Sir Jfaac 
 Nirvi'tovy we now underhand. That every /^i^jr of Z/^/'f 
 !S enc()\vcd with its ovn Cohtn; and its J'tierent De- 
 gree ri Rifriihgitility and Repxiuiiity. Que Ray is/^- 
 vltt, another kdigo, a third Blue, a fourth Green, a fifth 
 ]\ro'v, a lixth O^diJge, and the lall Red. All thcfe are 
 0,:gi»^^d Cv'o- '>\ and from the Mixture of thefc, all the 
 intc; ^ proceed; and /f'^o//^ from an cqu 
 
The Chrifiian Philofofher. i r 
 
 ble Mixture of the whole : Blackj on the contrary, 
 from the fmall Quantity of any of them reflefted, or 
 all of them in a great meafure fuffocated. It is not 
 Bodies that are colouredy but the Light that falls upon 
 them ; and their Colours afife from tht Aptitude in them, 
 to refiecl Rays of one Colour, and to tranfmit all thof^ 
 of another. *Tis now decided, No Colour in the dark! 
 
 Tho Light be certainly a Body, it is almoft impofli- 
 ble to conceive how fmall the Corpufcles of it are. 
 Dr. Cheyne illuftrates it w^ith an Experiment, That it 
 may be propagated from innumerable different Lumi- 
 nous Bodies, without any confiderable Oppolition to 
 one another. Their feveral Streams of Light will be 
 together tranfmitted into a dark Place, thro the lead 
 Orifice in the World Suppofe a Plate of Metal, hav- 
 ing at the top the fmalleft Hole that can be made, 
 were erefted perpendicularly upon an Horiz,ontal Plartey 
 and about it were fet numberlefs luminous Objeds of 
 about the fame Height with the Plate, at an ordinary 
 Diflance from it j the Light proceeding from every one 
 of thefe Objects, will be propagated thro this Hole, 
 without interfering. 
 
 Mr. Romer, from his accurate Obfervations of the 
 Eclipfes on the Satellits of 'Jupiter, their Immerfions and 
 Emerfions, thinks he has demonftrated. That Light re- 
 quires one Second of Time to move 9000 Miles. He 
 ftiews, that the Rays of Light require ten Minutes of 
 Time to pafs from the Sun to us. And yet Mr- ^i^^^»^ 
 hath fhewn. That a Bullet from a Cannon, without a- 
 bating its firfl; Velocity, would be 25 Years paffing 
 from us to the Sun. So that the Motion of Light is 
 above a million times fwifter than that of a Cannon- 
 Ball ; yea, we may carry the Matter further than fo. 
 
 We fuppofe the Diflance of the Sun from the Earth 
 to be 1 2000 Diameters of the Earth, or fuppofe loooo, 
 the Light then runs 1000 Diameters in a J^. re; 
 which is at lead 130,000 Miles in a Second. T>v.C:Jtyne 
 
 (hews. 
 
1 1 The Chriflian Philofopher. 
 
 {hews, That Light is about Cix hundred thoufand times 
 more I'witt than Sound. Amazing Velocity ! 
 
 To chequer the Surprize at fo fiv/ft a Motion, I 
 may propound one that fliall be as very furprizingly 
 flo-vj. Dee affirms, that he and Cardan together faw 
 an Infirument, in which there was one Wheel con- 
 flantly moving with the reft, and yet would not finidi 
 Its Revolution under the fpace of feven thoufand Years. 
 Tis eafy to conceive with Stevinus, an Engine with 
 twelve Wheels, and the Handle of fuch an Engine to 
 be turned about 4000 times in an Hour, (which is as 
 often as a Man's Pulfe does beat) yet in ten Years 
 time the Weight at the Bottom would not move near 
 fo much as an Hair's Breadth : And as Merfemius notes, 
 it would nor pafs an Inch in 1,000,000 Years ; altho it 
 be all this while in Motion, and have not ftood ftill 
 one Moment : for 'tis a Miftake of Cardan^ Alotus val^ 
 de tardiy necejfario quietes habent intermediai. 
 
 ' Behold the Light emitted from the Sun ; 
 
 * What more familiar, and what more unknown ? 
 
 * While by its fprcading Radiance it reveals 
 
 * All Nature's Face, it flill itfelf conceals. 
 
 * See how each Morn it does its Beams difplay, 
 
 ' And on its golden Wings brings back the Day ! 
 
 * How foon th' effulgent Eman^ions By 
 
 * Thro tl^e blue Gulph of interpofing Sky ! 
 
 * How foon their Luftre all the Region Hlls, 
 
 * Smiles on the Valleys, and adorns the Hills ! 
 
 * Millions of Miles, fo rapid is their Race, 
 
 * To chear the Earth, they in few Moments pafs. 
 ' Amazing Progref^ 1 At its utmoft Stretch, 
 
 * What human Mind can tliis fwift Motion reacli ? 
 
 * But if, to Hive f) quick a Flight, you fay, 
 
 * The ever-rolling Orb's impulfive Ray 
 
 * On the next TJircads and Filam.ents does bear, 
 
 * Which form tl.c fpringv Texture of the Air, 
 
 ' That 
 
The Chriflian Philofopher. 13 
 
 ^ That thofe ftill ftrike the next, till to the Sight 
 The quick Vibration propagates the Light : 
 
 * Still 'tis as hard, if we this Scheme believe, 
 
 * The Caufe of Light's fwift Progrefs to conceive. 
 
 Sir Richard Blackmore's Creation^ Book 2. 
 
 The jT^iuj have a good Saying, Opera Creationis exter^ 
 na habent in fe Imaginem Creationis interna. It will well 
 enough become a Chriftian Philofopher^ to allow for that 
 Image in his Contemplations, and with devoutThoughts 
 now and then refled upon it. 
 
 Before I go any further, I confefs myfelf unable to 
 refift the Invitation, which, I think, that.I have, to in- 
 fert an Obfcrvation oi Hugo de SanElo-ViBore ; That 
 every Creature does addrefs a 'Treble Voice unto us : 
 ACCIPE, REDDEy Ft/GE; indeed, there is m 
 Speech nor Language where their Voice is not heard. It is 
 an Exercife highly becoming the Chriftian Philofofher^ 
 to fetch Lejfons of Piety from the whole Creation of 
 GOD, and hear what Maxims of Piety all the Crea- 
 tures would, in the way o( RefieEiion siud Similitude, 
 mind us of In the Profecution of thefe Meleteticks, 
 what better can be confidered, than this Treble Voice, 
 from all thefe Thoufands o£ Powerful Preachers, whom 
 we have continually furrounding of us ? Firft, Accipe 
 Beneficium: Confider, What is the Benefit which a Good 
 GOD hafy in this Creature, beftowed upon me ? Secondly, 
 Redde Servitium : Confider, What is the Service which I 
 ow to a Gracious GOD, in the Enjoyment of fuch a Crea- 
 ture^ Laftly, Fuge Supplicium : Confider, What is the 
 Sorrow which a Righteous GOD may infliEi upon me by 
 juch a Creature, if I per ft ft in Difobedience to Him ? Even 
 a Pagan Plutarch will put the Chriftian Philifopher in 
 mmd of this. That the World is no other than the 
 Temple of GOD; and all the Creatures are the Ghjfes, 
 in which we may fee the SkiU of Him that is the Ma- 
 ker of all. And his Brother Cicero has minded us, 
 Deum ex Operibus cogn^fcimus. 'Tis no wonder then 
 
 that 
 
1 4 ^je Chriftian Philofopher. 
 
 tliat a Bernard fhoulcl fee this ; Verus Dei Amator, quo- 
 cunqueje vertit^ jajuiliarem Admonitionem fui Ceatoris ha- 
 het. Tiic famous Hcrmite's Book, of rhofe three 
 Leaves, the Heaven, the JVater, and the Earth, \vell 
 ftudied, how nobly would it till the Chambers of the 
 Soul with the moft precious and fleafant Riches? Cle- 
 mens of Alexandria calls the World, A Scripture of thvfe 
 three Ltaves ; and the CrcatDres therein fpeaking to us, 
 have been juflly called Cone iotiat ores Reales, by rhojfc 
 who have beft underftood them : 
 
 OLvia dum piBi luflro Miracula Mundi, 
 
 Natura intueor dum pari cm is Opus ; 
 Emicat ex ipjts Di'vina Potentia Rebus ; 
 
 Et kvis efl Ccfpes qui probat effe Deum. 
 
 But the Light now caMs for me. 
 
 f. How Glorious a Body 1 * But how mfinitely, 
 
 * and beyond all Comprehenlion Glorious then, the In- 
 
 * finite GOD, who has challenged it as His Glory ! 
 
 * Ifa. \lv. 7. I form the Light, The GOD of whom 
 ' we have that Sublime Stroke, in the Hiltory of the 
 
 * Creation ; he faid. Let there be Light, and there was 
 
 * Light! The GOD whofe Majciiy is within that 
 
 * Holy vf Holies, where He d-d;eiis in the Light, that no 
 
 * Man can approach unto ! Lord, thou haft in a won- 
 
 * drous Difplay of thy Benignity, afforded the Benefit 
 
 * of the Light unto thy Creatures : IVhatfoever does 
 
 * make manifefl, is Light' How miferable fhould we 
 
 * be, and in what incxpreifible Confufion, if the Light 
 
 * were withheld from us ! What could be rmnif/l 
 
 * unto ijs ; what enjoyed or performed by us ! O let 
 ' all that u\7lk in the Light of the Living, unite in Prai- 
 
 * fcs to the Creator of the Light ! ! give thanks to the 
 
 * Lord, for He is giod, and hii Mercy endmeth jor €vei\ 
 ' But, Lord, wilt thou leave my S(^ul in Darhief ! The 
 ' Light granted unto the Soul, in the Knowledge of 
 ' thofe things, vjhich to know is Life etetnal, is more 
 ' precious and needful, than that ip which our Body 
 
 ^ ' finds 
 
The Chrifiian Philojopher. 1 5 
 
 finds itfelf fo much befriended. Father cfGlory^ 
 let me have the Eyes of my Underftanding enlightened, 
 ' I have a mofl Glorious Redeemer, of whom I am 
 aflured, That he is the true Light, and the Light of 
 the World. A Light which, like other Light, carries 
 its own Evidence with it : there needs no more to 
 prove., that our Blelled JESUS is the Son of GOD, 
 and the Saviour of the World, than attentively to 
 Behold Him. He can be no other, than what he af^ 
 ferts Himfelf to be. The Light of Men, Lord, in thy 
 ^ Light I /hall fee Light. When I fee the Truth as it is 
 in JESUS, in fuch a Revelation and fuch an Exhi- 
 bition, as my JESUS gives of it, then I fee every 
 thing in a true Light. My Saviour^ thou art more 
 precious, and more needful, and more ufeful to me 
 than the Light. I will walk in thee, and under thy 
 Conduct ; fo fhall / ivalk in the Light continually. 
 ' But what fignifies the Light, unto him that has no 
 Eyes to perceive it. my Redeemer ! Beftow thou an 
 Eye upon me : A Faculty to difcern the Things that 
 are fpiritually to be difcerned. 
 
 ' For the Light of Reafon, which enlightens every Man 
 that ccmes into the World ; every Man has all polTible 
 Reafon to glorify GOD, and never do any thing, 
 whereof any Man may juftly fay. It feems to me un- 
 reafonahle. 
 
 ' But, my GOD, thou haft favoured us with a 
 rich Conglobation of Light, in the Book of thy lively 
 Oracles, wherein we have a Light fhining in a dark 
 Place. I would confider every thing in the Light 
 wherein this lovely Book fets it before me : But, let 
 me not rebel again ft the Light ! 
 
 * The Light is truly fweet. But, what fhall I find 
 the Inheritance of the Saints in Light ! They that are 
 fhut out of that Light, and caft into outer Darknefs, 
 and where they fhall never fee Light ; Oh ! the Weef- 
 ing, and Wailing, and Gnafl)}ng of Teeth, which they 
 muft be expofed unto ! My Saviour, I am under thy 
 
 ' Condud, 
 
1 6 Th^ Chriftian Philofopher. 
 
 * Condu(5t, pafling through a gloomy Valley into thy 
 
 * Ligl^t ; and when / Jit in Darknefs, the Lord will be a 
 
 * Light unto me. 
 
 * How fwift the Motion of the Light ! But, my 
 ' Saviour, why no more fuift in thy coming to vifit 
 
 * and relieve a World lying in the perpetual Night of 
 
 * IVickcdnefs ? IVhy thy Charts t fo Lrrg in coming ^ 
 
 ' And, my Soul, why art thou //o-u' in thy Con- 
 
 * tcmplations of GOD, and CHRIST, and HEA- 
 
 * VEN; fly thou thither, with a Swiftnefs beyond 
 
 * that of the Light, [for fo thou canft] upon all O9- 
 
 * cafions/ 
 
 ESSAY II. Of the Stars. 
 
 LET us proceed, and, conforming to the End of 
 our Eretl Stature^ behold the Heavens, and lift up 
 our Eyes unto the Stars. 
 
 The learned Hugens has a Sufpicion, that every 
 Star may be a Sun to other W orlds in their feveral 
 Vortices. Confider then the vafl: Extent of our Svlar 
 Vortex, and into what Aflonifhments mud we hnd the 
 Grand'eur and Glory of the Creator to grow upon us ! 
 Efpccially if it Ihould be fo, (as he thinks) that all 
 rhefe Worlds have their Lahabitants, whofe Praifes are 
 oficr'd up unto our G O D ! 
 
 Quantula de CvelifpeSlami Venice celfo 
 
 Terra videretur^ fi CocU ^ Venice T'ena 
 
 Vila videretuY ! So Buchanan. 
 
 His Improvement of the Thought is, How little of 
 this little has vain Man to Urive for, and to boaft of! 
 
 Pudor ! ftolidi pracefs vefinia voti ! 
 
 Mr. Childrey mentions two Curiofities, which ought 
 to be a little further enquired into. The one is. That 
 between the two Conllellations of Cygnus and Cepheu^, 
 there lies crofs the MUky-lVay, a black, long, little' 
 
 Cloud, 
 
The Chriflian Philofopher. ij 
 
 Cloudy neither increafing, nor abating, nor changing 
 the Place in which it makes its Appearance. 
 
 The other .is. That in February ^ and a little before 
 and after that Month, in the Evening, when the Twi- 
 light has near deferted the Horizon, there is a very 
 diftinguifliing Way of the T'lxnllgbt y a Bright Path 
 ftriking up towards the Pleiades^ and almofl reaching 
 theiTj^ which is not obferved any ether time cf the 
 Year. 
 
 The Jevjs have a Fancy among them, l^hat when 
 the Almighty firfl befpangled the Heavens \y\t\\ Stars ^ 
 he left a Spot near the iVm/j /'o/^ unfinifhed and un- 
 furnifhed, that fo if any other fhould fet up for a 
 GOD, there might be this trial made of his Preten- 
 fions ; Goy fill up, if you can, that fart of the Heavens y 
 ivhich is yet left imperfeB. But without any fuch Sup- 
 pofitions, we may fee enough in the Heavens to pro- 
 claim this unto us; Lift up )our Eyes on high y and he- 
 hold : Who has created thefe things ? None but an Infinitely 
 Glorious GOD could be the Creator of them ! 
 
 The Telescope, invented the Beginning of thelafl: 
 Century, and improved now to the DImenfions even 
 o^ Eighty Feety whereby Objefts of a mighty Diflance 
 are brought much nearer to us; is an Inflrument 
 wherewith our Good GOD has in a fingular manner 
 favoured and enriched us : A Meffenger that has 
 brought unto us, from very diftant Regions, moft 
 w*onderful Difcoveries. 
 
 My GODy Itanmt look upon our Glajfes without utter-* 
 ing thyPraifes : By them I fee thy Goodnefs to the Children 
 oj Men ! 
 
 By this Enlightener of our World, it is parti^jularly 
 dilcovered. 
 
 That all the Planets at leaft, excepting the Sun, are 
 denfe and dark Bodies ; and that what Light thefe opake 
 Bodies have, is borrowed from the Sun. 
 ^.That every one of the Planets ^ excepting the ^w^, 
 do change their Faces like the Mocn. Venus and Mer- 
 
 C ciiry 
 
1 8 77;^ Chripiin Philofophcr. 
 
 cttr^ appear fometimes like an Half-AIjcn, and fometimes 
 quite rouuJ^ according as they are more or lefs oppo- 
 fitc to the Sun. Mars has hs Times of appearing in 
 a Curvi-lincd Figure. Jupiter has tour litrle Stars, 
 that continually move about him, and in doing fo, call 
 a Shadow upon him. Saturn has a Ring encompalfing 
 ot* him. 
 
 That each of thcfe Plmets ha\ c Spots in their Su- 
 perficies, like thofc of the Movn. 
 
 That not only each of thcfe Planets^ but the Sun 
 alfo, belides whatever oihcr Motion they may have, do 
 move themfehcs upon their o\vn Centers ; feme ot 
 them with a Motion of Revoiutioii, others by that of 
 LUfratiuH. 
 
 It was a good Remark made by one of tlie An- 
 ticnts, Quid e(l Coclufn^ & totius Natura Decor ^ aliudy 
 quain quoddaju fpeculitm^ in quo fmmni Opifiiis relucet 
 Magifterium { 
 
 The Pagan T'uUy^ contemplating, Cxkfliimt adniirahi^ 
 hm Ordinmiy incredibihrniue Curijlamiam^ the aihiiirablc 
 Order, and the incredible Coniiancy of the Heavenly 
 Bodies and their Motions, adds upon it, Qiti lacare 
 Aleme putat, ue ipje Mentis expen habeudus eft : Whofo- 
 cvcr thinks this is not governed by Mind and Under- 
 ftanding, is himfelf to be accounted void of all Mind 
 and UnJerftanding. 
 
 According to Mr. Hugcm, the Diftancc of the Suh 
 from us is 12,000 Diameters of the Earth. A Dia- 
 meter of the Eartii is 7,846 Miles. The Diftance of 
 the ncarcft J'/aW Stars from us, compared with that of 
 tlic Sun, is as 27,664 to i : So then the Diftancc of the 
 nearcft Fixed Stars is at leall 2,404,^20,928,000 Miles; 
 which is i'o great, that if a Cannon-Ball (gomg all the 
 vay with the fame Velocity it has when it parts from 
 the Mouth of the Gun) would fcarce arrive there in 
 700,000 Years. Great GOD, what is thy Immenjity ! 
 
 The Number of the Star, ! The learned Amdt Iws 
 a g..od 'I'houglit upon it : Si Deus tan'am S:el'arum 
 
 Muhi' 
 
T^he Chrijiian Philofopher. 19 
 
 Muhitudintm condidit, quis dtibitet^ ilium multo majorem 
 Cofiam habere Sfhituwn Cceleftium, fine intermiffiom ilium 
 laudantium? If the Alorning-Stars are fo many, how 
 many are the Sons of GOD ! 
 
 ^. * Glorious GOD, 1 give Thanks unto thee, for 
 
 * the Benefits and Improvements of the Sciences, gran- 
 
 * ted by thee unto thefe our latter Ages. The Glaf- 
 ^ fes, which our GOD has given us the Difcretion to 
 ^ invent, and apply for the moil noble Purpofes, are 
 ^ Favours of Heaven moll thankfully to be acknow- 
 
 * ledged. 
 
 * The World has much longer enjoyed the ScYif-- 
 
 * tures, which are Glajjes, that bring the befl of Hea^ 
 
 * vens much nearer to us. . But, tho the ObjeB-GIaJfes 
 
 * are here, the Eye-GIaJfes are V^anting. My GOD, 
 
 * beftow thou that Faith upon me, which, ufing the 
 
 * ProfpeElive of thy Word, may difcover the Heavenly 
 
 * World, and acquaint me with what is in that World, 
 
 * which, I hope, I am going to. 
 
 * I hear a Great Voice from the Starry Heavens, A^ 
 
 * fcribe ye Greatnefs to our GOD. Great GOD, what a 
 
 * Variety df Worlds haft thou created ! How afto- 
 ' nifhing are the Dimenfions of them ! How ftupen- 
 
 * dous are the Difplays of thy Greatnefs, and of thy 
 ' Glory, in the Creatures, with which thoU haft reple- 
 
 * nilhed thofe Worlds ! Who can tell what Angelical 
 
 * Inhabitants may there fee and fing the Praifes of the 
 
 * Lord! Who can tell what Ufes thofe marvtl/ous 
 
 * Globes may be defigned for ! Of thefe unknown 
 
 * Worlds I know thus much, ^T/V our Great GOD that 
 
 * has made them all/ 
 
 ESSAY III. 0/^/;^ Fixed Stars. 
 
 OUR Great Profpedive having made Enquiry, 
 finds a far greater Number of Stars, than what 
 we can difcern with the naked Eve. The Antients 
 reckoned only One Thoufand and Timity Txuo Stars in 
 
 C 2 their 
 
20 The Chrifiian Philofopbcr. 
 
 their Fifty Conftcllations. Kepler augments the Num- 
 ber to Oiie "thoujand Tlree Hundred and Ninety 'Two. 
 Bayer carries it on to One Thoujund Seven Hundred mid 
 Nine. Travellers to the Southvard increaled the 
 Number of their Conflcllations to Sixty Two. The 
 Number ot the Sti'.r\^ brought down into our latejl 
 Glebes^ is about Nineteen Hundred ; but thofe in the 
 Heavens are inconcci\ably more. Among the Pleiades, 
 in a Circle of but one Degree diameter, where our 
 naked Eye. fees but 5/x, thus affifted we fee Forty Sis. 
 
 The Milky-lFay is nothing but an inhnitc Number 
 of Stars J which are fo fmall, and lie fo thick, as to 
 give but a confufed Glare unto us : And fo the Nebw 
 Icfx^ in the Head of Oritn. 
 
 The Pr^cftpe is a Clufter of more than Forty Stars. 
 Thofe adjacent unto the Sword and Girdle oi Orion 
 about Fourfcore. Mr. Dcrham fufpe(iis, that the 
 IVhitenefs of the Milky-lVay is not caufed by the great 
 Number ci the Fixed Stars in that Place, but partly 
 by their Ltglt^ and partly by the Reflections of their 
 rlanctSy \vhich blend their Light^ and mix it. 
 
 It is a little furprizing, that all the Fhuiets appear 
 greater in the Glafs than to the naked Eye ; but the 
 Fixed StOis appear //Wiz/Vr there. 
 
 The Words c f the ingenious Dr. Che}}:c arc worth 
 CMifidering : * Since our Fixed' Stars arc exactly of 
 ' the fame Niture with our Sun^ it is very likely that 
 
 * they have their Planets; and iMet Planets have Satel- 
 
 * lits ; and thefe PLracti and Sate'Jits have Inh.abitants, 
 ' rational and irrational ; Plants and Vegetables, Wa- 
 
 * tcr and Fire; analogous to thofe of our Syftem.' 
 AJeribe yt Greatnejs to our God! 
 
 ThatAvhicli renders it probable, that the Fixed Siors 
 arc I^idics like cur Sun, is this : *Tis plain they fhine 
 by their tww Light, It is impofllblc they lliould ap- 
 pear fo lucid as we fee them, from the Light of our 
 Sun tranfmitted unto them. 'Tis their aflonifliing 
 D.liance from us tliat caufes the bcft of our Tele/copes 
 
The Chrifi'ian Philofopher. ii 
 
 to leffen them. Tho we in this Globe approach nearer 
 to them, lome 24,000 Diameters of the Earth, or 
 188,304,000 Miles, one tim^e of the Year than ano- 
 ther ; yet their Parallax is hardly fenfible, or any at 
 all : which could not be, if the Dillance were not 
 wonderful. 
 
 Hence alfo, it is impoiTible they fhould be all in the 
 Surface of the fame Sphere, fince our Sim, which is 
 one of them, cannot be reduced unto this Rule. They 
 are doubtlefs at as immenfe JDiftances frome one ano- 
 ther, as the neareft of them is from us. Were we at 
 fuch a Diftance from the Sim, we fhould not have the 
 leaft Glimpfe of the Planets that now attend it. Their 
 Light would be too weak to afted us, and all their 
 Orbs would be united in that one lucid Point of the 
 Sun, 
 
 There are difcovered New Stars in the Firmament, 
 which having appeared a certain Time, do again dif- 
 appear. 
 
 A New Star appeared about 125 Years before the 
 Birth of our Saviour. 
 
 Claudian mentions one which appeared, A. C. 388. 
 Albumazer Haly mentions one, which appeared in the 
 fifteenth Degree of Scorpio, and continued four Months. 
 
 In the Year 1571, and the Month of No'vember, 
 there appeared in that Conftellation, which we call 
 the Chair of Caffiofeia, a mod notable and w^onderful 
 Star of the firft Magnitude, which held a Place among 
 the other Stars, not having any Parallax, and kept a 
 Courfe like theirs : It continued fixteen Months ; 
 then decreafed ; anon grew quite invifible. A Noble 
 Perfon affirms, there was a black Spot remaining in the 
 Place where that Star appeared. 
 
 In the Year 1601, there appeared a New Star of 
 the third Magnitude, in the Swanks Bread, which con- 
 t'nued vifible twenty five Years, and then difappeared. 
 Thirty three Years after, it appeared again in its for- 
 mer Magnitude 3 but went away again in a Year or 
 
 C 3 ^ two. 
 
21 Tlje Chrijlian Philofopber. 
 
 two. It re-appeared H\ e Years after, and was extant 
 for feveral Years, but of no more than the fixth or fe- 
 venth Magnitude. 
 
 In the Year 1671, another ^S'^^r, which arrived un- 
 to the third Magnitude, appeared in the Swans Bill ; 
 it increafes, and then decrcafes, and is about a Month 
 making its Revolution. 
 
 There is an admirable Star in the JV/mle*s Neck : 
 This firft appears as one of the fixth Magnitude, and 
 then increafes by little aixl little, for one hundred and 
 twenty Days together, till it arrives to its full Big- 
 r.efs and Brightnefs, which is that of the thijd Mag- 
 nitude j V herein it continues fifteen Days together : 
 after which, it then decreafcs until it becomes invifi- 
 blc. It appears every Year in its greatcft Luftre, thir- 
 ty t^\o or thirty three Days earlier tb.an in the fore- 
 going Year ; fo that its Revolution is compleated in 
 about three hundred and thirty three Days. 
 
 In the Years 161 2, and i<5i3, there appeared a Cloudy 
 Star in the Girdle oi Andromeda; which difappcared 
 until the Year 1664, and then appeared again. 
 
 There is another Star, between Eridamis and the 
 Riye, which alfo fhows itfelf, and then withdraws, 
 like the former. 
 
 There is one Star of the fourth Magnitude, with 
 two of the fifth, in Cafpoi'eia^ whrch in all probability 
 arc new ones. 
 
 MrXaffini has obferved four towards the An t\k Pole, 
 \shich are probably new ones too. 
 
 Some Scars formerly appearing, do now difappear. 
 One fuch there v as in U/hi Mincv. Another or t\\o in 
 Andromeda One wh?cii T'yiho E.ahe inferts in his Ca- 
 talogue, for the twentieth of Pifces. For time out oi 
 mind, there were S^^veii Stars obferved in the Pleiades. 
 The Writer oi' Af}>oi;vm\'s Advamemcm enquires, \\he- 
 riier the Scz'en San in the Firfl of the R.velation have 
 no Alluiion to them. Howexer, at preient tlxre arc 
 but Si>: to be fccn, pn)bably one of them is retired. 
 
 Mr. 
 
l^he Chrifiian Philofopher. 25 
 
 Mr. Derham thinks thefe New Stars may be Planets, 
 belonging to fome of the Syftems of the Fixed Stars, 
 and thofe Planets become vifible, when they are in 
 that part of their Orbits which is neareft the Earth, 
 and again gradually difappear, as they move in their 
 Orbits farther from us. 
 
 It is a furp'rizing Obfervation of Dr. Cheyne : ' Sup- 
 
 * pofing that every Fixed Star is a Sun, and governs 
 
 * in a Mundane Space, equal to our Syflem, then there 
 ^ muft be only as many Fixed Stars of th^ Firft Magni- 
 ^ tude, as there are Syftems that can ftand round ours. 
 ' But there are but about twelve or thirteen Sfheres 
 
 * that can ftand round a middle one, equal to them ; 
 
 * And fo many are the Stars of the firft Magnitude. 
 
 * Again, if we examine how many Spheres can ftand 
 
 * round this firft Range of Spheres, we (hall find their 
 
 * Number between Forty-Eight and Fifty-Two. And 
 
 * fo we find the Number of the Stars of the fecond 
 ^ Magnitude. As for the feveral other Magnitudes, it 
 
 * is not altogether poilible to determine their Number, 
 
 * becaufe they are not fo diftingui (liable from thofe of 
 
 * the other Magnitudes, as the firft and fecond are.* 
 He adds moft reafonably and relio^iouOy : It is imfof- 
 fible for any body ferioufly to confider in his Mind, ivhat is 
 certain about thefe Heavenly Bodies, and to hinder himfelf 
 from being ravified with the Power and JVifdom of the 
 
 Great GOD of Heaven and Earth ! 
 
 Mr. Derham fuppofes the particular Star Syrius to 
 be above two Millions of Millions of Miles diftant 
 from us. 
 
 Dr.Grfiu, from a very probable Computation, makes 
 the Diftance of the Pole-Star from the Earth to be 
 Four Hundred and Seventy Millions, and Eight Hun- 
 dred and Forty Thoufand Miles. 
 
 Confidering' the mean and vile Fables of the Pagan 
 Poetry, yea, and the fcandalous Anions of fome Greater 
 Devils- among the Pagans, which are commemorated 
 and celebrated in the Nam.es which our Globes give 
 
 C 4 vmto 
 
Z4 T^^ Chriftian Philofopher. 
 
 unto the Coaftel/atiom, I cannot but move you, Chri" 
 flianAjlrommers^ to attempt a Reformation of fo fliamc- 
 lul an Abufe. For fhamc, let thofe Glorious Bodies 
 no longer fuffcr the Attronts of our Buje Dtnominations. 
 To put Chriflian Names on the Conjlel/atiorti^ 4nd allow- 
 ing the prelent Figures upon our Glomes to remain dill 
 as they are, ne\ ertlielefs to transfer them into Siyiptural 
 Stories, \vas a thing endeavoured by SJjilifrus, and by 
 No'vidius. 
 
 The Caution ufcd in the antient Hehrakk and Aid- 
 Ikk Aflronomy, about the Names of the Conflcllations, 
 is well know n to all that arc verfcd in Antiquities. Dif- 
 mifTing that Reilc^tion, what remains is this : A learned 
 F»emhman pretends to tell us. That the Stars in the 
 Hea\ens do {land ranged in the Form of Helnew Let- 
 ters, and that it is po/Tiblc to Rtad there, whatever is to 
 happen of Impo) tame throughout the Univeyfe, Amazing! 
 Tliat fo much Learning fliould be Confiflent with, and 
 much more, that it Ihould be Suhferviint to fuch Futi- 
 a ties ! Tlie true Reading (f the Stars is to look up, 
 and fpell out, the glorious Perfecilons of tiiat GOD, 
 who is the Father cf thofe Lights, and who ?uade and 
 7m'i'ei them all. 
 
 7. * 1 would by no means look up unto the Stars, 
 
 * with the foolifh Aft)okgy of the Star-gaTLtrs, who try 
 
 * to read, what the Great GOD tha*t made them has 
 
 * not "vcrittcn there. But there i^ very plainly to be 
 
 * read there, the Power and the Grandeur of the Glo- 
 
 * rious GOD. This, tliis I will obfervc, proftratc 
 
 * in the Duit before Him. T/.c Heavens dedne the 
 ' Glory (f GOD; and Hiall not 1 ohfe>-ve it ? JVhni I 
 
 * ionfider thy Heaven^ ^ Lvrd, and the Stars which thou 
 
 * hafl ordaivedy I cannot but cry out, IVhat is Alan, that 
 
 * thou art 7nindjul oj him, and the Sat of Man, that thou 
 ' vifii ft him ! ' 
 
 ' Unto the Father of the Faithful, my GOD faid, 
 ' Lock now toward Heaven^ and teli the Stars, if thou be 
 
 * able to nuTnitr tlevt:^ ju fjxili th) Cff<p)iiig be. Glorious 
 
 "Lord, 
 
Tk Chrifiian Philofopher. 15 
 
 Lord^ make me one of them. A IVorm of the Duft, 
 filled with the Love of GOD and of his Neigh- 
 bour, becomes a Star in the Eye of the Glorious 
 GOD : And if he be one of much Grace, and one 
 of much Ufe, he is then a Star of the greater Magni- 
 tude. 
 
 ^ GOD, my Maker and theirs, gives me that Song 
 for the Night, wherein I view them ; He tells the 
 Number of the Stars j He calk them all by their Names, 
 'Tis true of the Juft, who are to (bine as the Stars for 
 e'uer and en)er. May I be knov^ n by the Lord as one 
 of that Number^ and have a Name in His Book of 
 Lif^! 
 
 ' Are the very Stars themfelves liable to Vidffttudes? 
 And fhall not I look for them in this our miferable 
 World? 
 
 ' How little can I comprehend the Condition and 
 Litention of the Stars ? Incomprehenfible GOD, \ 
 will not cavil, but adore, when I find Myfleries in 
 thy Providence, altogether beyond my Penetration i* 
 
 ESSAY IV. Of the Sun. 
 
 AMoft Glorious and mod Ufeful Creature ! But 
 dill a Creature ! 
 By Old Aftronomers call'd. Cor Planet arum. 
 There will be no Athenians now to araign me for 
 it, if I call it, 'The Carbuncle of the Heavens, Kircher 
 fuppofes the Sun to be a Body of wondrous Fire, une- 
 qual in Surface, compofed of Parts which are of a 
 different Nature, fome fluid, fome folid : The Difque 
 of it, a Sea of Fire, wherein Waves of aftonifhing 
 Flame have a perpetual Agitation. 
 
 Sir Ifaac Newton, as well as Dr. Hook, takes the Sun 
 to be a folid and opake Body. Dr. Hook thinks this 
 Body to be encompafled with a vaft Atmofphere, the 
 Shell whereof is all that fhines. The Light of the Sun 
 he takes to be from the Burning of the more fuper- 
 
 ficial 
 
2(5 The Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 ficial Parrs, which arc fet on fire, which may be with- 
 out hazard of bcinc; burnt out in a vaft Number of 
 Ages. And Sir //^j^t A/euj/ow thinks the Sun to be a 
 fort of a mighty Earth, mod vehemently hot j the 
 Heat whereof is confcned by the marvellous Bignefs 
 of the Body, and the mutual Action and Re-adion be- 
 tween 7'hat^ and the Light emitted from it. Its Parts are 
 kept from fuming away, not only by its Fixity^ but alfo 
 by the Dtvfity of the Atmofphere incumbent on it, 
 and the vaft Weight thereof The LighA feems to be 
 emitted much alter the manner as Iron^ when heated 
 tmto fuch a Degree, as to be juft going into Fufion, 
 by the vibrating Motion of its Parts emits with Vio- 
 lence plentiful Streams of liquid Fire. So great a 
 Body w ill continue its Heat a great while, perhaps in 
 proportion to its Diameter. 
 
 Upon the Convexity of the Body of the Sun^ there 
 arc obfcrvcd bimk Spots, which are moveable, and' 
 Changeable. Tliefe move regularly towards the Weft, 
 and finifh their Revolution in about five and twenty 
 Days ; and fo tcility unto us, that the Sun turns upon 
 its own Center : the j^xis of the Motion inclining to 
 the EdiPtiik. 
 
 Thele ALunlx Solares arc probably Evaporations, 
 which arifc from the Body of the Sun, fomewhat as 
 Vapours do from the Earth ; an4 they form themfelves 
 into Clouds. That which adds to this Probability, is, 
 that the Sfots are always changeable in their Bulk, and 
 Fnrm, and Configuration. Sometimes their Number 
 i> greater, and fometimes lelVcr, and fometinies there 
 are none at all. Srmie oi them fhine, and others tha: 
 fhrne, become dark. D ligcnt Aftronomcrs, who have 
 waited on them for nmc or ten Years together, have 
 never found them in all this time to return unto the 
 fane Qrnfiguraticn. In Clarkmain's time, every one 
 faw a Spot in this great Luminary. And there have 
 been divers Days t((^ethcr, [as in the Year 1547,] 
 wlierein the .V.7;/has appeared little brighter than thr 
 
The Chrifiian Philofofher. VJ 
 
 Moon in her total Eclipfe, and the Stm-s have been vi- 
 fible at Noon-Day. Vngil and Ovid intimate fuch a 
 Darknefs upon the Sun once for a whole Year toge- 
 ther, that the Fruits of the Earth could not be ri- 
 pened. ../-/-If 
 
 The apparent Diameter of the Sun being fenfibly 
 fhorter in December than in 'June, it is plain, and Ob- 
 fen-ation confirms it, that the Sun is proportionably 
 nearer to the Earch in Winte^r than in Summer. It is 
 alfo confirmed, by the Earth's moving fwifter in £)^- 
 cemberthan in June;, which it does about five Fif- 
 teenths. And for this reafon there are about eight 
 Days more from the Sun's vernal Equinox to the au- 
 tumnal, than from the autumnal to the vernal 
 
 Mr. Tcmpion's Obfen^ations, from the Equation of 
 natural Days, render it evident. That the Motion of 
 the Sun (if we muft fpeak in thofe Terms) muft be 
 fwifter at fome times, than at others. Great GOD, 
 the Motion is ahrap under thy Glorious Guidance / 
 
 According to Caffmi, the Sun's mean Diftance from 
 
 the Earth is 22,000 Semidiameters of the Earth. And 
 
 the Sun's Diameter is equal to 100 Diameters of the 
 
 Earth : And therefore the Body of the Sun muft be 
 
 1,000,000 times greater than the Earth. 
 
 Caffmi more diredly exprelTes himfelf; That the 
 Suns Diftance from the Earth is 172,800,000 Englifi 
 Miles. 
 
 Take Mr. Derham's Computation ; Saturn is com- 
 puted at P3,45i Miles in Diameter, and confequently 
 427,318,500,000,000 Miles in Bulk: Jupiter at 
 i2o,(553 Miles in Diameter, and by confequence 
 ip2o,o 1 1,200,000,000 Miles in Bulk. But yet, as a- 
 mazing MafTes as thefe all are, they are all far out- 
 done by that Globe of Fire, the Sun : which, as it is 
 the Fountain of Light and Heat unto all the Planets a- 
 bout it, by its kind Influences affording them the great 
 Comforts of Life ; fo does it in Bulk furpafs them all 
 (Its Diameter is computed ac 822,148 Miles i and fo 
 
 there 
 
X8 The Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 there muft be 2^0,971,000,000,000,000 Miles in the 
 fbhd Content of it. 
 
 Dr. Gre'-dj is of opinion, that for ought we know, 
 tiie Sun may aiiord us his Light, without fuch an in- 
 tcnfe Heat, as has been imagined. The Beams of the 
 Su}7y he thinks, may firft conceive their Heat, when 
 they come to be mixed with our ^r;«q/p/;fr6'. There 
 are things intcnfely hor^ which give no Light at all ; 
 but Rotten IVocd, or Fiflj, and the Gloicorm, and feme 
 other Bodies, give a brisk Light, without any Heat. 
 Light and Heat, he thinks, have no necelfary Conjunc- 
 tion, at lead not in any fenlible Proportion. It is 
 known alfo, how necelTary the ^/V is to produce Fire, 
 and even Light itfelf, in fome of thofe Bodies that fhine 
 in the dark. If the Sun were a burningEody, and the Heat 
 of it fo much greater than that we feel of it, as to be in. 
 proportion to its Dillance ; how comes the Subftance 
 of it fo little to be altered by fo intenfe an Heat, and 
 to hold this Heat with fo great an Equality for near lix 
 Thoufand Years ? One way or t'other; either fo lu- 
 minous a Body without Fire, or fo lurniiig a Body, not 
 consumed or altered ; it is wonderful ! 
 
 But Sir Ifaa^ Ncxvtm fuppofes, That a very large, 
 denfc, and fixed Body, when heated beyond fuch a de- 
 gree, may emit Light fo copioully, that by fuch Emif- 
 fion, and by the Re-a6tion of it6 Light, and by the 
 Reflection and Rcfradion of the Rays within its hid- 
 den Meatus, it may come to grow ftill hotter and hot*- 
 ter, as deriving niore Dt^gvecs of Heat by thofc Ways, 
 than it can iA Cold by any other. Thus, he fuppofes 
 the Sun a vaft Globe that is vehemently heated, and 
 the Heat thereof preferred by its great Magnitude, 
 and the mutual Action and Re-action which there is 
 between it, and the Light emitted by it. And its 
 Parts are prefers cd irom e\ aporating in F/a}?ie and Fume, 
 not only by the Great Fisity ot its Nature, but alfo 
 by the migl.ty Weight and Thicknefb of the Atmo- 
 
 fphere, 
 
The Chri{iian Philojop her. 1 9 
 
 fphcre, which environs it, and condenfes its Vapours, 
 whenever they are emitted. 
 
 However, behold the Sun feated by the Glorious 
 GOD, like a powerful Monarch, on his Throne, (as 
 Dr. Cheyne exprelTes it) from thence diftributing Light, 
 and Life, and Warmth, in a plentiful Eftufion, to all 
 the Attendants that furround him ; and that fo equal- 
 ly, that the neareft have not too much, nor the farthefl 
 too little : His Bulk and Situation fo contrived, in 
 rcfped of the Planets, as to have Quantity of Matter 
 juft enough to draw round him thefe Mafly Bodies, 
 and their SatellitSy who are fo various in their Quanti- 
 ties, and their Diftanc^s, and that in regular and uni- 
 form Orbits. The Dodor fays well, T'hefe are things 
 that clearly ffeah the Omnipotence and Omnifcience of their 
 Author, 
 
 What a Fancy is that of Dr. IVittie ! That the Su n 
 is probably the Seat of the Blejfed-, the 5«w, which is 
 the Center of the Heavens, and the Seat of inherent 
 Light. It is true, of the Bleffed we read, 'they fl?all 
 jhine as the Sun ; and their Blellednefs is called, I'he 
 -Inheritance of the Saints in Light. But this is very fhort 
 of Demonftration, that the Saints muft be lodged 
 there. Tho the Church Militant were once repre- 
 fented as clothed ivith the Sun, it follows not, that the 
 Church Triumphant mufl be Dwelling in the Sun. 
 
 And yix.AYndt propounds a Thought, which cannot 
 be too much dwelt upon : Si cut Sol Ornamentuin efl Co?//, 
 ita CHRISTUS efl Ornament um fua Ecclejia. 
 
 Dr. Cheyne with good reafon apprehends. That the 
 
 Quantity of Light and Heat in the Sun is daily decrea- 
 
 fing. It is perpetually emitting Millions of Rays, 
 
 ' which do not return into it. Bodies attract them, and 
 
 fuflfocate them, and imprifon them ; and they go no 
 
 i more back into their Fountain. 
 
 Mr. Bernoulli, from the Flafhes of the Light, in the 
 Vacuity of a Tube accommodated with Mercury^ 
 whereby a dark Room is cnllghtned, renders it likely 
 
 tlut 
 
^0 T^je Chrijlian Philojopher. 
 
 that ourAtmofphcrc, and all the Bodies on our Globe, 
 are faturated at all tin.cs with Rays oi' Light ^ which 
 never do return unto their Fountain. 
 
 ''Tis true, this Dccrcalc of the Sun is very iilcotid*- 
 derable. It fliews that the Particles of Lij^ht are ex^ 
 tremely fmall, lince the Sun for To many Ages has been 
 conftantly emitting Oceans of Ray^, without any very 
 fcnfible Diminution. However, 'tis from hence evi- 
 dent, that the Sun had a Beginning ; it could not have 
 been from Etevnity j Eternity muft have wafted it : It 
 had long e'er now been reduced unto lefs than the 
 Light of a Candle. 
 
 Glovicui GODy thou art the Fatijer of Lights, the Ma-- 
 ier of the Sun ! 
 
 In a late A^ of the Faith^ as they call their inhuman 
 Butcheries, performed by that execrable Hel^ upon 
 Earthy the Inquijition in Portugal-, a ConfelVor being 
 brought forth to die a grievous Death, as foon as he 
 came into the Light of tlic Sun, which he liad not feen 
 ip f(.)me Years Ix^fore, he broke forth into this Ejcpref- 
 fion, Pf^% that has Reafon in Imn, could ivcrfiip any but 
 the Maker of that Glvrious Creature ! They g^gg*d him 
 immediately ! 
 
 My Pen fliall not be fer\'ed fo. Enjoying the Be- 
 nefits oi the Stniy I will glorify him that made it : 
 'Thcu akne art for ever to be aJt^redy thcu Makenf that 
 Gloriou s Creature / 
 
 An eminent Writer of Neural Theology has this Rc- 
 rr.ark, That the Sun \s hnago iucrum qui aliis prajunt. 
 And that all Superiours in e\ery Station, looking to- 
 wards the Sun, lliould have fhot into their Minds the 
 Rays of fuch Thoughts as thefe ; JVhat good Influences 
 ought I to diffenfe unto thvjd that have Dependance on me ! 
 
 The Apocryphal F>o(>k of IVifdum does wifely, to 
 call the l.i\\}t of the Sun, Au Image of the Divine 
 Go dntfi. 
 
 The Diamjcr of the Earth is near Eight Thoufand 
 Miles; and the Diameter of the 0,bis Mignus Tea 
 
 Thoufundr 
 
The Chriftian Philojopher. 3 1 
 
 Thoufand Diameters of the Earth. This Odis Mag- 
 mis, or the Orbit of the Earth, in its annual Revolu- 
 tion about the Sun ; Dr. Gregory makes the Semidia- 
 meter of it ^^,6^6,^6^ Englfjl) Miles : which is the 
 Diftance of the Earth from the Sun. But the Semi- 
 diameter of Saturn's Orbit is no lefs than ten times as 
 great. All Aftronomers before Kepler fuppofed this 
 Orbit a ferJeB Circle ', but he has proved it an EUipfis,, 
 If our Solar Syftern have fuch large Dimenfions, and if 
 every Fixed Star be a Stin, that has a Syftern^ of the 
 like Dimenlions perhaps, belonging to it : 
 
 Great is our GOD, and greatly to be fraifed: His 
 Greatnefs is unfearchable ! 
 
 How is it poffible to confider the Grandeur of our 
 GOD, without Annihilating ourfelves before Him, or 
 without Horrour at the View of the match lefs Evil, iti 
 finning againft fo Glorious a Majefty ! 
 
 It is a PaiTage in a little Treatife, entitled, T'he 
 Book of Nature ; not unworthy to be tranfcribed here; 
 
 * If thou never obferve the Sky with thine Eyes, but 
 
 * to guefs at Rain and Fair Weather; or if thy look- 
 ' ing up to Heaven be bounded with the Starry Firma^ 
 
 * ment ; and, if thou removed from thee the Love and 
 
 * Honour of GOD, and the Contemplation of Him 
 
 * who dwelleth in the Heavens, thou haft no caufe to 
 ^ raife thyfelf above the Brutes, thy Fellow-Inhabi- 
 f tants of this Lower World.' 
 
 And now, let Hugo de S. ViElore conclude for us : 
 Quis Solent per hyherna defcendere Signa pracipit ? Qiiis 
 rurfum per aftiva Signa afcendere facit ^ Quis eum ah O- 
 riente in Occidentem ducit ? Qiiis iterum ab Occidente in 
 Orientem revehit ? Hac cunEla funt mirabilia, fed foli Deo 
 pojpbilia. 
 
 How Glorious will the Righteous be in that World, 
 when they fball Jhine as the Sun ? 
 
 ESSAY 
 
^2 7^^ Chrifiictn Philofopher. 
 
 HSSAY V. 0/Saturn. 
 
 /\ LL the Mafler Planets^ as they may be called,* 
 
 4'\iriovc ibout tlic Siniy as their Common Center, 
 'cry move \\ith dirfcrcnt Velocities : but there is 
 this Commc'i Law obferved in all of them ; 'That the 
 Squares of the Times of their Revolutions, are proportional 
 to the Cubes of their Diflantes. And the Lunar Planets 
 obferve the fame Law in their Motions about their 
 Mafia- Planets. And another Common Law with them, 
 is. That Lines drawn from the Foci of the Cunes 
 they move in, to their Bodies, will fwccp over equal 
 Area's in equal Times on the Planes of other Orbits. 
 Who but the Great GOD could make and fix theib 
 Laws ? Lord^ they continue this day according to thine Or- 
 dinanceSy for all are thy Servants. 
 
 It is now found, that Saturn, bcfkles his round Bo- 
 dy, has alfo a luminous Ring^ which encompalfes him, 
 as the Horizons of our Artificial Globes do ufually 
 encompafs them ; and is flat upon the Verge, as they 
 ufe to be. The Rirg fliews itfelf in an Oval, and a: 
 certain times it wholly difappears. 
 
 It appears not, ho\s ever, that Saturn revolves upon 
 his own Cmter. 
 
 When this Planet appears at 20 degr. 50 min. oi 
 PifceSy and of Libra, then 'tis that he appears round ; 
 or w ithout his Anfje, as they are called, which is once 
 in fifteen Years ; or half his Courfe, which every one 
 knows to be compleated in thirty Years, or 10,950 
 Days. 
 
 The Ring fecms to be Ofake and ».W/(/, cncompafUng 
 the Planet, but no where toucliing it. The Diameter 
 of it is two and a quarter ot SatH>n\ Diameters ; and 
 the DiAancQ t)f the Ring from the Planet is about the 
 Breadth of the Ring itfelf. Mr. Hugms takes the 
 Breadth of the Ring to be about Six Hundred Gennan 
 Miles. 
 
 Ti: 
 
The Chrifiian Philofopher. ^ j 
 
 The Proportion of the Body of Saturn to the Earth, 
 i$ th^r nf 20 to I. 
 
 The Diftance of Saturn from the Sun is about ten 
 times as great as the Diftance of our Earth from him ; 
 and by confequence, that Planet will not have above 
 an hundredth Part of that Influence from the Sun, 
 which this Earth enjoys. 
 
 The Ring of Saturn, being diftant from him no 
 more than two and a quarter of his Semidiameters, it 
 cannot be feen at the Diftance of 64 Degrees from ^^- 
 turn's Equator, in whofe Plane the Ring is placed. 
 So that there is a Zone of almoft 53 Degrees broad, to- 
 wards either Pole, to which this famous Ring does ne- 
 ver appear. 
 
 Saturn is attended with Rvt Satellits. 
 ^ The Firft SateJJh makes a Revolution about Saturn in 
 I Day, 21 Hours, and ly Minutes 5 and makes two 
 Conjunftions with Saturn in lefs than two Days. It is 
 diftant from the Center of Sattmz 4 \ of his Semidia- 
 meters. 
 
 The Second makes his Revolution in 2 Days, 17 
 Hours, and 43 Minutes. It is diftant from Saturn ^ -f 
 Semidiameters of the Planet. 
 
 The Third is diftant from Saturn eight of his Semi^ 
 diameters, and makes his Revolution in almoft 4 l 
 Days. 
 
 The Fourth revolves in 15 Days, 22 Hours, 41 
 Minutes. 'Tis diftant from the Center cf Saturn a- 
 ,^bout 18 of his Semidiameters. 
 
 T Vie Fifth is diftant from the Center of Saturn 54 
 his ^%.tidiameters, and revolves about him in 79 -^ 
 Days. 
 
 Mr. nj^yi^cH.^ who ftrft of all difcovered the Fourth, 
 
 (for which caufe 'tis called the Huygenian Satellit, tho 
 
 I Dr. Halk) ahenvards correded the Theory of its Mo- 
 
 l tion) thinks, i e mighty Diftance between the Fourth 
 
 and Fiith Satellits to be a ground for Sufpicicn, that 
 
 D there 
 
7/\ TIjc Chrifiictn Philofopher. 
 
 there may be a Sixth between them, or that the Fifth 
 mav be attended with fome of his own. 
 
 On the Revolutions of the Planet^^ the incompara- 
 ble Sir Richard Blachmre^ in his Noble Poem of Crea-^ 
 tioriy thus drives us to confider the Firfl Canfe of all : 
 
 ' Saturn in Thirty Years his Ring compleats, 
 
 * Which fwiftcr Jupiter in Twelve repeats. 
 
 * Mi/i Three andTwcnty Months revolving fpends, 
 
 * The Earth in Twelve her Annual Journey ends. 
 
 * Venus, thy Race in twice Four Months is run i ^ 
 
 * For his Mercurius Three demands j the Ahon > 
 ^ Her Revolution finifhes in One. J, 
 
 * If all at once are mov'd, and by One Spring, 
 
 * Why fo unequal is their Annual Ring ? 
 
 The Motions of the Heavenly Bodies can be pro-^ 
 duced and governed by none but an Infinite GOD. 
 It is well argued by Latlantius ; "There is indeed a Pouer 
 in the Stars, of perforin ing their Motions ; but that is the 
 Povier of God iicho made and governs all things, not of the 
 Stars themfelves that are. moved. And by Plato before 
 him ; Let us think^ how it is pofp.ble for fo prodigious a 
 Mafs to be carried round for fo long a ti?ne by any natural 
 Caufe ? For which rcafon I ajfot God to be the Caufe^ and 
 that 'tis impoffible it fljould be other^j:ife. 
 
 ESSAY VI. 0/ JuriTEK. 
 
 Jupiter's Clobc, according to Caffnus ^' 
 mud be greater than that of the Larth. 
 Times. The Periodical Time of his Revr iurxjD aboUl 
 thd^Sun, isTwchc Years, or 4380 Da} 
 
 in the Body of J/z/vm-, and over/ :^rrh*<? Vx 
 nous Part, there are obfcrved three c 
 the Spots which appear in the Moon. 
 Girdles are near (Irait and parallel, an. 
 Eall to Weft, after the manner of the tc 
 • niakc a kind of Enuino^ial with Tr^/ . 
 
 . thi 
 
^e Chrijiian Fhilojofher. 55 
 
 ^Southern is larger a little than the Nortbern^ and a lit- 
 tle nearer to the South than the other is to the 
 North. 
 
 Dr. Hook has obferved alfo a fmall and a dark Fila- 
 ment, and the Zones growing a little darker, as they 
 draw nearer to the Poles. And fome have obferved 
 in them fomething of Curiity^ tho their Borders are 
 perfedly round. 
 
 Jupiter has Four SatellitSy or little Moons, waiting 
 on him. 
 
 The neareft is diftant from him, according to Mr. 
 Flamflead's moft accurate Obfervations, a little more 
 than Five of his Semidiameters ; and finifhes his 
 'Courfe in i Day, 18 Hours, 28 Minutes, and a few 
 Seconds. 
 
 The Second is diflant from him about 8 of his Se- 
 fmidiameters, and finifhes his Courfe in 3 Days, 15 
 [Hours, 17 Minutes, and a few Seconds. 
 
 The Third is diflant from him about 14 of his Se- 
 midiameters, and finifhes his Courfe in 7 Days, 3 
 Hours, and S9 Minutes, and fome Seconds. 
 
 The Fourth is diftant from him about 24 of his 
 Semidiameters, and finifhes his Courfe in 1 5 Days, 18 
 Hours, 5 Minutes, and fome Seconds. 
 
 Thefe Guards of Jupiter caft a Shadow upon him^ 
 when they are found interpofed between the Sun and 
 him. 
 
 The Fourth would appear to an Eye in Jupiter, as 
 big as the Moon does to us. A Spedator there would 
 have alfo four kinds of Months. In one of Jupiter^ s 
 Years, which is Twelve of ours, there would be 2407 
 of the leaft Months ; Half that Number for the next 
 Satellit : The Months of the Third w^ould be near 
 fubduple of the ^^econd, or fubquaduple of the Firft : 
 The Months of 'the greateft w^ould be about Tavo 
 Hundred Fifty-four. A Year of Jupiter has a great 
 Number of Days ; but of the four Sorts of Months, 
 
 D 2 the 
 
36 n^'he Chriftian Philojopher. 
 
 the Icaft contains only four Days and a Qudvtcv I the 
 grcatcfl fomcthing nvTC than Forty. 
 
 'Slr.CaJjlni has obfcrvccl a Couple of Sfots in the 
 Body of Jupiter^ Aviiich make a Revolution on the 
 Center ot th^s Planet, from Eaft to Weft, in about; 
 t; Hours, 56 Minutes. Others have lately confirmed it 
 by better Obfcrvations. This proves, that the Planet 
 moves about upon its own Center. Behold the /Jjortejl 
 Pckd that is made in the Firmament ! The Days and 
 the Nights, each of them Froe Hours a-piece. 
 
 Qmipani obfcrved, with a more than ordinary T'ele- 
 fcopey certain Protuberances and Inequalities in the 
 Surface of tiiis Planet. 
 
 W'c may here infert a Remark upon the Periodical 
 Motions o( the Pldtu'ts j both the Pn'mr.ry and their 
 Scciijdiiiies. 
 
 One thii\^ very confidcrablc in the Periodical Mo- 
 tion of the Secondary Planets^ is, That it is mixed with 
 k kind of CoJjlcoui Dircclion towards one or other 
 Pole of its Prhnury PLuht ; by which means every Sa- 
 uliit^ by gentle Degrees, changes its Latitude, and 
 makes its Vilits towards each Pole of its Primary. 
 
 \Vc will here break off with the Words of Mr. Mo- 
 Ijfieux. ' From hence may \\q juftly fall into the 
 
 * dccpcft Admiration, that one and the i:\me Laii) of 
 Atitioii fliould be obferved in Bodies fo vaftly diftant 
 from ^^ch other, and which feem to ha\ c no De- 
 pcndancc or Correfpondence with each other. This 
 doth mod evidently demondrate, that they were all 
 at lirft put into Motion by one and the fame uner- 
 ring Hivul, even the infinite Power and Wifdom of 
 
 I G(3D, who hath iixed this Order among them all, 
 
 * and hath cftablifhed a L:iu which they cannot tranf-' 
 
 * grefs. 
 
 CLi)jCi\ or dull Matter, could never produce fuch 
 ' an harmonious Regularity in the Motion of Bodies fo 
 
 * \aflly dillant : 'J^his Ihcws a Dciii^n ar.d Intention 
 
 * in the /7r/? M-J^/ 
 
 ESSAY 
 
^e Chriflian PInlofopher. yj 
 
 ESSAY VIL O/Mars. 
 
 MAKS borrows his Light from the Sun^ as well 
 as the reft of his Vianet ary Brethren. He has 
 his Increafe and his Decreafe of Light ; hke the Moon ; 
 may be feen almoft bifeBedy when in his Quadrature 
 with the Sim^ or in his Perig^on ', tho never cornicu- 
 lated or forked, hke his Inferiours. 
 
 Dr. Hook difcovered feveral Sfots in MarSy and par- 
 ticularly a triangular one, which has a Motion. Mr. 
 Caffini afterwards difcovered four Spots, the two firft on 
 one Face oi Mars, afterwards two more that were 
 larger, on the other Face. Upon further Obferva- 
 tion it was found, that the Spots of thefe two Faces 
 ► turned by little and little from Eaft to Weft, and re- 
 turned at the Space of twenty-four Hours and forty 
 Minutes. In fuch a Term therefore, there is a Re- 
 volution of Mars upon his own Ash. 
 
 The Year of Mars is near twice as long as ours ; 
 his Natural Day a little greater than ours : his Artifi^ 
 cial Day is almoft every where equal to his Night, be-^ 
 fides what belongs to Twilight. Mars as well as jT/^- 
 fiter has a perpetual /Equinox, Hence there can be 
 bu't little Variety of Seafons in any one particular Place 
 pi thefe Planets. 
 
 ' Whence the Fafcia, or Fillets obferved in Mars ? 
 There appear certain Swathes, as we may call them, 
 which are pofited parallel to his ^Equator. Are they 
 owing to the Heat and Cold there, lijce our Clouds 
 and Snows ? 
 
 It is thought that Mars has an Atmofphere, becaufb 
 Fixed Stars are obfcured, and as it were extind, when 
 they are feen juft by his Body, 
 
 D ; ESSAY 
 
3S TIjc Chrifticin Philofopher. 
 
 ESSAY VIII. O/Venus. 
 
 VENUS has various Appearances; round fomc- 
 times ; anon half-rvund -, by and by like a Cref- 
 cent, 
 
 Mr.Caffim difcovered certain Spots on this Planet^ 
 by tlic Motion \vhereof it appeared that it moved up- 
 on its own Center, and upon an Axis, which carries 
 it from North to South ; a Motion wholly unknown 
 any wlicre clfe in the Hcwivens. Tu'o Spots it has, 
 which are very thin, long, uncertainly terminated ; 
 and a fhining Part belongs to one of them. 
 
 He difcover'd alfo, as he judges, a SatelUt attend- 
 ing this Planet ; which Dr. Gregory aflents to, as more 
 than probable. This is not ufually feen, perhaps 
 becaufc it may not have a fit Surface to reflecl the 
 Light of the Sun ; which is the Cafe of the Spots in 
 the Moon. 
 
 Hcrigone, and Kcpkrus^ and Rh^tenfis, conclude, that 
 Vcmis moves about its Axis in about fourteen Hours. 
 Dr. Cheyne fays in twenty-three. 
 
 ESSAY IX. 0/Mekcury. 
 
 '"T^HE Great Htvdius hath obfcn'cd, That Mercury 
 
 X chant;cs his Face, like IViius^ and like our Moon; , 
 appearing (ometimes rvtiud^ fomctimes half-rotind^ fome- 
 .timcs like a Ccfcem. 
 
 This Planet has his Abode fo near the Sun, that as ^ 
 yet there has been little difco\cred of him. 
 
 It appears not yet, \\ hethcr he revolves upon hi^ 
 own /^a/i, and fo what may be the Length of his Days. 
 I3ut it is probable, he n^ay have fuch a Motion, as 
 Well as the other Planets, however, his Year is hard- 
 ly equal to a Quarter of ours. 
 
 • b'.r J/ttac Ni'uon lias terrible Apprehenfions of the 
 llc:.i :n tliis Planer, as being ihcn times as much a^ 
 
 th 
 
The Chrifltan Philofopher. 39 
 
 the Heat of the Summer-Sun in England ; which ac- 
 cording to his Experiments made by the "fhermofcope^ 
 would be enough to make Water boil. If the Bodies 
 in this Planet be not enkindled by this Heat, they 
 muft be of a peculiar Denfity. But Mr. Ax,out pre- 
 tends to prove. That tho this Planet be fo near the 
 Sun, yet the Light there is not capable of burning any 
 Objeds. 
 
 If. But let us now entertain ourfelves with a Synof^ 
 fts^ of certain Matters relating to the Planets, as they 
 are determined by the lateft and moft accurate Afl;ro-« 
 nomers. 
 
 'The Di fiance from the Sun, in Englifh Miles. 
 
 Of Mercury ■ --^ Miles 32,000,000 
 
 Venus • 5P,ooo,ooo 
 
 The Earth * — ~ -- — 81,000,000 
 
 Mars ■ ■ 123,000,000 
 
 Jupiter ■ ' • • 424,000,000 
 
 Saturn "• ' ^ 777,000^000 
 
 'The Diameter in Englifh Miles, 
 
 Oi Mercury — • • Miles 4^240 
 
 Venus ' ■ ' — • 7j9o^ 
 
 The Earth •— 7,93S 
 
 Mars — - 4j444 
 
 Jupiter -■ ' ■ S13I55 
 
 Saturn — ^ '*■ ^ly^lo 
 
 ,The Sun ■ • l^Sj^^o 
 
 The Time of the Periodick Revolution, 
 
 Days Hours 
 
 Oi: Mercury ^ 87 . 25 
 
 Venus • 224 ' 17 
 
 The Earth 3^5 " ' ^ 
 
 Mars 6S6 . 2 5 
 
 Jupiter 4,332 12 
 
 Saturn ■ io,7S9 ' 7 
 
 . D 4 T^ 
 
i\D The Chrtpan rhHOJopher. 
 
 'i o till:* NSC will add Mr. Dcrhajus Account of their 
 Magnitude. 
 
 Snturn has an Orb of 1,641,52^,38(5 £//^///7; Miles 
 Diameter. 
 
 "Jupito- an Orb of 895,154,000 Miles. 
 
 Miirs an Orb of 262,282,910 Miles. 
 
 l'^tm< an Orb of 124,487,114 Miles. 
 
 IMtyciiyy an Orb of 66,62X3000 Miles. 
 
 ^. ' Great GOD, thou haft lifted me up to Heaven". 
 ' Oh ! ht 7He mt I'C caft after ali rlmm tn Heli» 
 
 ' The Philofopher, who gazing on the Stars with 
 
 his arrentivc Obfervation, tumbled into a Pit that 
 
 he obfer\ cd not, wos not fo unhappy as he that has 
 
 vifired Heaven on the noble Intentions of Aftrono- 
 
 ;«v, but by an ungodly Life, procures to himfelt a 
 
 Condcmr.a'cion to that //<.//, w hieh is a State and 
 
 Place of Utter Dnrkncfs. Wretched Aftronomers ! 
 
 IVno are among the -omndritig Stars^ to '''Xhem is referjed 
 
 the Blachvefs of Darknefs for e'vrr.' 
 
 \\c will -conclude -^hat we colled about the Starf, 
 
 with tnmfcribing a PalVage out of the MtjitUanea Gir 
 
 iUfii, * 'file Hor.ourable Mr. Roberts computes the 
 
 iDijlances of the Fi:<ed Stars ; which he fuppofes 
 
 to be fo many Situs of a diftbrcnt Magnitude. He 
 thin"ks, that it feems hardly wichin the reach of any 
 of our Methoils to determine it. 'Jlie Diameter of 
 the EiiYtl.'s Orb, which is at leaft One Hundred and 
 Sixty Millions of Miles, is but a Point in compari- 
 fon of it. At Icnft Kii^e Parts in Ten, of the Space 
 between us and the fixed Stars, can receive no grea- 
 ter Light trom the «SW;/, or any of tha Stars, than 
 vhat we have from ihc Sw: in a clear Night. Light 
 takes up more tin^e in travelling from the •S'f^^jf to 
 us, than wc in n\iking a JVeft-hidia Voyage, which 
 is ordinarily performed in lix Weeks. A Soimd 
 vould not arri\e to us fn)m thence in Fifty T^houfand 
 
 ' Tean 
 
The Chrtfttan Philosopher. 41, 
 
 ' XearSy nor a Cannon-Bullet in a much longer Time. 
 ^ This is eafily computed, by allowing ten Minutes 
 ^ for the Journey of Light from the Sun hither ; and 
 * that Sound moves about 'thirteen Hundred Foot in a 
 ^ Spr.ond/ 
 
 ESSAY X. 0/CoMETs. 
 
 ]^ I HS an admirable Work of our GOD, that the 
 , JL many Globes in the Univerfe are placed at fucli 
 Diftances, as to avoid all violent Shocks upon one 
 another, and every thing ^vherein they might prove a 
 prejudice to one another. 
 
 Even Comets too, move fo as to ferve the Holy Ends 
 of their Creator ! Comets, which are commonly cal- 
 led Blaz.ing Stars, appear unto later Obfervations to 
 be a fort o( Excentrical Planets^ that move periodically 
 about the Sim. 
 
 Sir Ifaac Newton y from whom 'tis a difficult thing 
 to difl'ent in any thing that belongs to Phiiofophy, con- 
 .. eludes. That the Bodies of Comets are folid, compadt, 
 fixed, and durable, even like thofe of the other Planets, 
 
 He has a very critical Thought upon the Heaty 
 which thefe Bodies may fuffer in their Tranfits near 
 the Sun. A famous one, in the Year idSo, paiTed fo 
 near the Sun, that the Heat of the Sun in it mufl be 
 twenty-eight thoufand times as intenfe as it is in 
 England at Midfummer j whereas the Heat of boiling 
 Water, as he tried, is but little more than the dry 
 Earth of that Idand, expofed unto the Midfummer- 
 Sun : and the Heat of red-hot Iron he takes to be three 
 or four times as great as that of hiling Water. Where- 
 fore the Heat of that Comet in its Perihelion was near 
 two thoufand times as great as that of red-hot Iron. 
 If it had been an Aggregate of nothing but Exhala- 
 tions, the Sun would have rendered it inviiible. A 
 Globe of red-hot Iron, of the Dimeniions of our Earth, 
 would fcarce be cool, by his Computationj^ in 50,000 
 
 Years. 
 
41 ^he Chnfiim Phnofopher. 
 
 Years. If then this Comet cooled an hundred times 
 as faft as reJ-/:ct Lon, yet, fincc his Heat was 2,000 
 times greater than that of red-hot Iron, if you fuppofe 
 his Body no greater than that of this Earth, he will 
 not be cool in a Milhon of Years. 
 
 ''IhcT'aili oi Comet ^^ which arc longefl: and largeft 
 juft after their Piriljeliom, he takes to be a long and 
 \cry thin Smoke, or a mighty Train of Vapours, 
 which the ignited Nucleus, or the Head of the Corrtet, 
 emits from it And he cafily and thoroughly con- 
 founds the filly Notion of their being only the BeamT 
 f/ the Sun, fliining thro the Head of the Star. 
 
 Tiie Phenomena of the Tails of Coittets depend upon 
 the Motion of their Heads, and have their Matter 
 fupplied from thence. 
 
 There may arife-from the Atmofphere o( Comets, 
 Vapours enough to take up fuch immenie Spaces, as 
 we fee tlicy do. Computations made of and from the 
 Rarfty of our Air, ^vhich by and by iflue in Aftonifli^ 
 ments, will render this Matter evident. 
 
 Thar the Tails of Comets are extremely rare, is ap- 
 parent from this ,• thfe Fixed Stars appearing fo plainly 
 thro them. 
 
 The Atmofphere of Comets, as they defcend towards 
 tlic Suu, is ^ cry fenfibly diminifhed by their \'afl run- 
 ning out, that they mav aftord Matter to produce the 
 Blaze. Hrvelitis has obferved, that their Atmofphere 
 is enlarged, when they do not fo much run out into 
 Tail. 
 
 This Lucid Train fometimes, as Dr. Cheyne obferves, 
 rvtcnds to four hundred thoufand Miles above the 
 Body of the Stitr. 
 
 Sir Ifanc Nnvtm has an Apprehenfion, which is a 
 tittle furprizir.g, That thofe Vapours which arc di- 
 lated, and go vf[ in the Blaz4:s oi Cu?ncts, and are dif- 
 fufed thro all the Celeftial Regions, may by little and 
 little, by thcT own proper Gurjity^ be attraclcd into 
 xhcPlamn, and became intermingled with their At- 
 
 mofpheres. 
 
The Chriflian Philofofher. 45 
 
 niofpheres. As to the Conftitution of fuch an Earth 
 as ours, it is neceffary there fhbuld be Seas ; thus, for 
 the Confervation of the Si^af, and Moiflure of the 
 Planets, there may be a neceflicy oii Comets ; from 
 whofe condenfed Vapours, all that Moifture, Avhich is 
 confumed in Vegetations and Putrefactions, and fo 
 turned into dry Earth, may by degrees be continually 
 fupplied, repaired, and recruited. Yea, he has a fuf- 
 picion, that the Spirit, which is the fineft, the moft 
 fubtile, and the very beft part of our Air, and which 
 is necefTarily requiiite unto the Life and Being of all 
 things, comes chiefly from Comets. If this be fo, the 
 Appearance of Cornets is not fo dreadful a thing, as 
 the Cometmantiay generally prevailing, has reprefent- 
 ed it. . ^ 
 
 Mr. Caffini will thus far allow bad Prefagcs to Co- 
 mets, That if the Tail of a Comet fhould be too much 
 intermingled with our Atmofpbere, or if the Matter of 
 it fhould, by its Gravity, fall down upon our Earth ; 
 it may induce thofe Changes in our Air, whereof we 
 fhould be very fenfible. 
 
 Bernoullt, in his Syftema Cometarum, fuppofes. That 
 there is a Primary Planet, revolving round the Sun in 
 the fpace of four Years and 157 Days; and at the 
 diftance of 2,583 Semidiameters of the Orbis Magnus. 
 This Primary Planet, he fuppofes, either from his migh- 
 ty Diftance, or his minute Smallnefs, to be not viliblc 
 unto us ; but- however to have feveral Satellits moving 
 round him, tho none defcending fo low as the Orbit 
 •of Saturn ; and that thefe becoming vifible to us, 
 when in their Perigaon, are what we call Comets. 
 
 Seneca s Predication, That a Time fhould come, 
 when our Myflcries of Comets fhould be unfolded, 
 feems almoft accompliHied. Hov/ever Seneca has not 
 obliged us with the Phanomena obferved by him, which 
 encouraged this Predidion. . 
 
 No Hiftories of Comets were of fervicc to the The- 
 ory of them, until NicePborus Gregoras, a CunftMinopO' 
 ^ ^ litan 
 
44 Tfje Chriftian Fhilojopher. 
 
 Ittan Aftrononier, dcfcribcd the Path of a Comet in 
 1557. 
 
 All that confider'd Comets nni'il 7) c ho Brahe, confi- 
 dcr'd them as no other than Vapours below the AIoui7. 
 
 Anon, the fagacious Kepler improving on Tycbo's 
 Difcovcries, came at a true Syflem ot Co/?ict., and 
 found, that they mo\ed freely through the Planetary 
 Orbs, ^s ith a Motion that is not much different from 
 a Reciiiniear one. 
 
 The incomparable Hevtlius went on, and though he 
 embraced the Kq.hrian Hypothefis, of the KeBilinear 
 Motion of Comets, yet he >\ as aware, T^lmt the Path of 
 a Cornet ivas bent into a curve Line toivards the Sun. 
 
 At laft the illuftrious SirTT^rtc A^'tium/ arrives with 
 Dcmonfhations, "^Miat all the Pliarnomena of Co?m:s 
 would r.aturally follow from the Kepler ian Principles. 
 He fhcwcd a Method of delineating the Orbits of Cc- 
 jnets geometrically ; w iiich caufed Admiration in all 
 that conhdcred it, and comprehended it. 
 
 The moll ingenious Dr. Hai/ey lias made Calcula- 
 tions, upon which he ventures to foretell the Rtturn of 
 Comets ; but he obferves, that fome of them have their 
 Nvdc's pretty near the annual Orb of the Earth. I 
 will tranfcnbe the Words he concludes with : ' What 
 I may be the Confequenccs of fo near an Appulfe, or of 
 
 * a Cvntac}, or iaftly, of a Shock of tfie Celeftial Bodies, 
 
 * (which is by no means impofllble to come to pafsj 
 
 * I lca\ e to be difcuflcd by the Studious of Phyfical 
 Matters.* 
 
 1 he Sentiments of fo acute a Philofopher as Dr. 
 Ci:e)vi- upon Comtts, defervc to be tranfcribed. 
 ^ * I think It moll probable, that thcfe frightful Bo- 
 ^ dies arc the Minifters oi Divine Jujlice, and in their 
 ^ Vilits lend us lnv.i<!^n or ;/o.v/y«j Vapours, according 
 ^ to the Deligns ol Providence; That they may have 
 ^ brought, and may Ibll bring about the great Cata- 
 ^ llrophc ot our SyRen^ ; and, Thixt thcv mav be the 
 HiioMiiV.owoi Animals in a Srare o{ Punipjmu't, whiph 
 
 M'f 
 
The Chriftictn Philofopher. 45 
 
 if it did nor look too notional, there are many Ar- 
 ^ guments to render not improbable.' 
 
 And elfewhere : ' 'Tis mod likely, they are the 
 ^ Minifters of Divine Juftice, fending baneful Steams, 
 ' from their long Trains, upon the Planets they come 
 
 * nigh. However, from them we may learn, that the 
 ^ Divine Vengeance may find a Seat for the Puni{hment 
 
 * of his difobedient Creatures, without being put to 
 5 the expence of a New Creation/ 
 
 ^. When I fee a vaft Comet, blazing and rolling 
 about the unmeafurable /Ether ^ I will think;' 
 
 * Who can tell, but I now fee a wicked World 
 ' made a fiery O'ven in the 'Time of the Anger oj GOD f 
 ^ The Lord fwallovcing them up in his Wrath^ and the Fire 
 I devouring them ! 
 
 What prodigious Mifchief and Ruin might fuch 
 *^ a Ball of Confufion bring upon our finful Gkhe^ if the 
 
 * Great GOD order its Approach to us ! 
 
 ^ How happy they, that are in the Favour and 
 ^ Friendfhip of that Glorious Lord, who knovcs how 
 
 * to deliver the Pious out of Diflreffes, and referve the 
 
 * Unjufi for a Puni/Iment of a Day (^Judgment! 
 
 Si fraEius illahatur Orbis^ 
 
 Imfavidum ferient Ruina, 
 
 APPENDIX. 0/Heat: 
 
 WE fhould be forgetful, if we take our leave of 
 the Heavenly Bodies^ and fay nothing of Heat, 
 whereof they have fo much among them. 
 
 To the Heat of Bodies it is requifite, that the fmall 
 Parts of it be agitated with much Vehemence and 
 Rapidity ; and that the Determinations of the infen- 
 fible Corpufcles thus agitated be alfo very various; and 
 that likewife the varioufly agitated Particles be fo 
 fmall, as generally fpeaking to be lingly infenlible : tor 
 unlefs they be exceeding fine, they cannot penetrate 
 
 readily 
 
A,6 TIjc Chrifiim Philojopher. 
 
 readily into the Pores of contiguous Bodies, and fo 
 varm or burn them. 
 
 The Operation of Heat upon our Scnfes, the Re- 
 fuit of which we commonly call Heat, is ufually efti- 
 mated by its Relation to the Organs of our Feeling. 
 If the Motion of the fmall Parts be more languid in 
 the Objecl than it is in the Sentient, we pronounce the 
 Body to be cohi:, but if it be more violent in the Ob- 
 jecl than in the Sentient, we fay the Body is hot. 
 
 The Intenjliufi ci Heat (as ot Light) always is as the 
 Benfuy of the Rays, or Particles of Fire, that occafion 
 it ; and zh'isDtnJity is as the Diflance from the radiating 
 Point reciprocally. 
 
 Dr. Slave has publiHied furprizing Experiments, of 
 producing Fire and Flame, from the bare Mixture of 
 two Liquors aEltialiy cold; a vegetable Oil, and a com- 
 pound Spirit of Nitre. 
 
 The incredible Force of Burning-Glaffes / 
 
 A burning Conca\e, made at Luface in Germany, , 
 near three Leipftck Ells in Diameter, made of a Copper^ ^ 
 Plate, fcarce twice as thick as the Back of a common 
 Knife ; makes Wood in the Focus (which is two Ells 
 off) to flame in a moment ; and Water in an earthen Pot j 
 boil immediately: Tin three Inches thick, to be melt- I 
 ed quite through in tiu'ce Minut(fs ; a Plate oi Iron to i 
 be prcfcntly red-hot, and very quickly perforated : it 
 will run in five or fix Minutes ; Tiles, and Slates, J 
 and earthen Potfhcards, melt in a little time, and run i 
 into Glafs ; a Clod of Earth turns into a greenijh Glafs. 
 
 Mr.Tjchirnhat4s makes Convex Burning-Glafles of M 
 three or four For.t Diameter, the Fucus at the Diflance I 
 of twelve Foot D.ameter ; wliich in a moment vitrify 
 Tiles, and Slates, and Pumice-Stones, and earthen 
 Vcflcis ; melt all rcllnous Things under Water j melt 
 all Metals in a moment, and Gold itfelf is turned into 
 Clafi of a purple Colour : Of fuch efficacy are the 
 R/jv% when llrip'd of an wulious Matter-, which \\c 
 may fuppofe them ger.crallv clothed with* 
 
 t ' The 
 
 I 
 
The Chrijiian PhiloJopheK 47 
 
 I • •^. ' The antient Perfians were the Wordiippers of 
 
 * the Fire : But I will abhor their Fire-Places. The 
 ' Indians of my Country, while unchriftianized, con- 
 ^ eluded from the ftraiige Efteds of the Fire^ It mufl 
 ^ he a God, I will adore the Glorious GOD that 
 
 * made the Fire, Great GOD,! blefs thee for the Be- 
 ' nefitSj which thy Creatures, and I among them, re- 
 
 * ceive by the Fire, which is fetch 'd ficm Heaven unto 
 
 * us. May my Zeal for thy Service be always kept 
 ! boiling in the Heat proper for it. 
 
 * Since Fire is thus irrefiftible, and Heat fo infup- 
 
 * portable, furely I fhould beware of that Impiety, 
 
 * which will expofe me to the Revenges of GOD. 
 
 * Who can divell with fuch a devouring Fire, fuch ever^ 
 
 * lajiing Burnings? My GOD, be not thou unto me 
 
 * a Confuming Fire, My GOD, who can abide the H^at 
 5 of thine Anger !* 
 
 I have feen a Book of Devotion, entitled, Chriftia- 
 nus per Ignem; or, A Difciple ivarming himfelf, and 
 cwning his Lord. It is there adually evident, and 
 performed. That this one Objed, the Fire on the 
 Hearth, will afford a whole Book-full of profitable Con- 
 templations. 
 
 ESSAY XI. OftheMoo^. 
 
 WE are now coming down unto our T'erraqueons 
 Globe, The M o o n, a fort of Satellit unto this 
 Globe, falutes us in our Way. Paying an Homage to 
 none but her Glorious Maker, we will now behold ha 
 voalking in her Brightnefs. 
 
 What fhall wc think of the Protuberant Parts ob- 
 ferved on that Celeftial Body ? What of the Round 
 Hollows, like Pits or Wells of fcveral Magnitudes, 
 which have been formerly miftaken for Mountains ? 
 
 The Periodical Revolution of the Moon, m refe- 
 rence to the Fixed Stars, according to Mr. Flamfleady 
 js 27 Davs, 7 Hours, 43 Minutes, 7 Seconds. 
 
 In 
 
^8 The Chriftian PhilofophsK 
 
 In the fame Space, AMth a ftrangc Correfpondcrice 
 of tlic two Motions, it revolves the fame Asay about 
 its own Axis ; by which the fame Side is ahvays ex- 
 pofcd unto our light. But becaufe in the Space of cc 
 Periodical Montli, the Larth is alfo \vith this her Sa-^ 
 tellit moved on almofl an entire Sign, the Moon can'c 
 yet come to a new Conjunftion with the SiWy but 
 wants 2 Days, 5 Hours of it ; which muft be pafleci 
 before the entire Lunation will be over, and before the 
 Moon has exhibited all her PImfes. 1 hefe 2 Days 
 5 Hours, added unto the Periodical Month, make 
 the Synodical One ; which is 29 Days, 12 Hours, and 
 I- of an Hour. 
 
 Thofe Librations of the Moon's Body, which occa- 
 (ion that the Hmifphere expofcd unto our Sight is 
 not always cxadly and prccilely the fame, arife from 
 the Excentricity of the Moon's Orbit, and from the 
 Perturbations it fuftcrs by the Sun's Attraction, and 
 .from the Obliquity of the Axis of the Diurnal Rota- 
 tion of the Moon's own Orbit. Without the Know- 
 ledge of thcfe Things, the Phanonena of the Moon 
 would be inexplicable : but upon the Coniideration of 
 thefe, they arc very demonftrablc. 
 
 "Tis very furc, that although it be almofl the 
 fame Face which the Moon turns'to the Earth, yet it 
 is not entirely fo. There is a Lib, amy Motion^ whence 
 it comes to pnfs^ that fonietinies the more Eaflern and 
 Wcftcrn Parts of it, fomctimes the more Northern 
 and Southern appear alternately. 
 
 According to Sir Jfaat Ntivtin, the mean Diftancc 
 of the Moon from the Earth, is about 60 Semidiame- 
 tcrs of the Earth ; or about 24,000 En^Jijh Miles. 
 The mean Diameter oi the Moon is 32 Minutes, 
 12 Seconds ; as the Suns is 5 i Minutes, 27 Seconds. 
 The Dttr/ity of the A/oow, to that of the Earth, he 
 concludes to be nearly as 9 to 5. And the Mafs 
 of Matter in the Afro;/, to that of the Earthy to be 
 nearlv as i w zc. 
 
 The 
 
The Chriftian Philofopher. 49 
 
 The Moon hath properly no Atmofphere, fuch as be- 
 longs to our Earth, of Clouds, Winds, Thunders; 
 her Face is always clear, and by our Telcfcopes we 
 can fee the Suns Light pafs regularly and unitormly, 
 from one mountainous Place to another. 
 
 The Light of the Moon refleded on us, is of fuch 
 a Weaknefs, that even in the Full-Moon, it will be 
 brought by no Burning-Glafs to afford the lead De- 
 gree of Heat. The Rays have their Force decreafed, 
 at leaft as the Square of their Diftance. The Force 
 of thfe Suns Rays refleded unto us from the Moon, 
 to thofe that come to us diredly, is decreafed, at 
 leaft in proportion of the Square of the Moons Di- 
 ftance from the Earth, to the Square of the Moons Se- 
 midiameter. And by Calculation it will be found, 
 , That the Light of the Moon brought hither, will be 
 in force but the Fifty T'hvufandth Part of w hat coiiies 
 hither diredly from the Sun. 
 
 Dr. Hook finds. That the Quantity of Light which 
 falls on the Hemifphere of the Full-Moon, is rarefied 
 into a Sphere about 288 greater in Diameter than the 
 Moony before it arrive to us. Confequently, the 
 Moons Light is 104,368 times weaker than the Siins; 
 and it would require 104,368 FuU-Moons to give a 
 Light equal unto that of the Sun at Noon. 
 
 There is a Secondary Light of the Moon ; that is to 
 fay, the obfcure Part of the Moon appears like to 
 kindled Afhes, juft before and after the Change. This 
 is the Suns Rays refleded from the bright Hemifphere 
 of the Earth, to the dark Parts of the Moon \ and 
 thence again reflected unto the Earth, dellitute of the 
 Light oi the Sun. This is by ITacquet and Zucchius 
 more largely difcourfed on. When the Moon is at 
 Change to us, the Earth is at Full to the Moon ; and 
 the Light of the Earth is about fifteen times greater 
 than that of the Moon. The Moon alfo being fo little, 
 as not to obfcure above a twentieth Part of the Earth, 
 it may be fuppr)fed that the Light from the Llarth 
 
 E may 
 
50 The Chriflian Philojopher. 
 
 may render her a little vifible to us c\cn in Solar £c- 
 
 'J he Moon is almofl: one Semidiametcr of the Earth 
 nearer to us, when file is in the Mtridian^ than when 
 die is nigh tlie Horiz^cn. But why doth fhe tiien ap- 
 pear bigger to our fight when Ihe is nigh the Horiz.ony 
 than \^hcn flie is in the Meridian ? Dr. IVaFis agrees: 
 with De^ Cartes in the Solution : the HbVizontal Mooti 
 is capable of being compared with many intervening 
 Objects, Hills, Trees, and the like; but the Meri- 
 dian Mocif hath nothing to be compared' with. 
 
 Tho the Mooji, as weir as the Eartfj, and probably 
 all the PJanets, be of a Figure oblattly fpheriodical, that 
 is to fay^^. hiving its Diameter' at the J^qnam^ longer 
 than "its 'Axis; yet the Excels of the /Equatorial Dia-^ 
 riieter ill h'c'r is fo inconHderable, that Hie n wiy well er 
 nough pafs for a Globe. And perhaps thii 'dlfncj^ 
 fpiiCrical Figure of the Mo/i may be the Rcfult cf her 
 [low Motion round her Axis ; for Japiter, wnich moves 
 the rwiftell of any round its Axis, is ot d Figure rrtorc 
 cl/.itc than any other Planet. 
 
 Dr,Cht\i:e obfcrvc^, Tf our Moon w^ere bigger, or 
 nearer the Earth, xc had more than one, we 
 
 llionid be every nuv. and then in hazard of being 
 dro-ATcd. And if our prcfcnt MSon were lefs, or at a 
 i^ ' ilance, or if there were none at all, we 
 
 fiiuu .. DC in hazard of being flifled with the baneful 
 SreaMis of a Aagnating Ocean. It js evident our Sa- 
 moft wik'ly contrived for our Purpoles,— /r/ thee, 
 Cracioui GOD ! 
 
 • incomparable Sh Ifaac Newtou ha^.at length 
 o^ World witli a T/nojj of the Moon^ which 
 
 h.. I that wlvc'- :■" f' -r Afttonomers 
 
 th< It impofTibic. 
 
 had dalles in pcrleiftion, and wrote Cmcc 
 
 c Nfap^ .^^T^,. Mooii^ taken by fJczcH us and 
 
 K but lie n!^rcr\'c no SeAs and Rivers 
 
 tiicu'. IcValfoar^iicd, That if any fuch were there, 
 
 they 
 
3"fo Chrifitan PhilofopheK 5 r 
 
 they C0UI4 fiot but raife a mighty Atmofp here, and fuch 
 Clouds as muft needs darken the Body cf the Mjon^ 
 fometimes in. one part, fometimes in another. They 
 carry on their Inferences ,* if no Waters in the. A/oo>/, 
 then there are no Plants, nor Anhnals, nor Men. A- 
 bout the Conftitution of this Queen of the Night, there 
 feems a nece/Iity for us to remam in the dark 7 
 
 For Mr. Derham has confuted Ht^genius with his own 
 Glaffes, and lias deftionilrated, that there are great 
 Qo\\t&.\ons oi IVaters in the Mon, and by confequence 
 Rii^ers, and Vapours, and Air; and in a word, a 
 confiderable Apparatus for Habitation. - v 
 
 But by .what Creatures inhabited ? A Difficulty 
 this, that cannot be folved without Revelation. 
 
 T[. ' My GODyl blefs thee for that Luminary, by 
 ' \vhich we have the uncomfortable Darknefs of our 
 ^ Night fo much abated ! That Luminary, the Inf^u- 
 ^ ences whereof have fuch a part in the Flux and Re- 
 
 * jiuyi of our Seas ; without which we fhould be very 
 
 * miferable ! That Luminary, whofe Influences are fo 
 
 * lenfibly felt in the Growth. of omx Vegetables, and our 
 [ Animals I' 
 
 Thefe aire fome of the Songs, which GOD, the Ma^ 
 ker of us bochj^has given me in the Night. 
 ^^ The Influences of the Moon upon Sublunary Bodies, 
 ate very wonderful. An HJftvry of them is yet among 
 the Dejiderata of our Philofophy. With my confent, 
 he fhall merit more than the Title of a Rabbi Solomon 
 Jarchi, who gives it unto us. Dr. Greuo, in his Cofmo- 
 logia, has enumerated more than a dozen remarkable 
 Heads oi Effecls, and Motions, and Changes in the World, 
 over which the Moon has a fentible Dominion. Our 
 Lunaticks are not the only Inftances. Our Husbandmen 
 will multiply the Inftances upon us, till they make a 
 Volume, which neither a Clumclla, nor a urn I'ujfer 
 have reached unto. The Georges of my Neii^hbour- 
 hood jull now furnifh me with two Inftances, which 
 have in them fomething that is notable. It our Chej- 
 
 E 2 • >^^f- 
 
51 The Chriflian Philojopheri 
 
 nut-lVood, whereof \vc fometimes make our Fuel, Se 
 fcUM while thit Moon \sivaxing^ it will fo fparkle ia 
 the Fire, that there ihall be no fitting by it in fafety. 
 If it be cut while the Moon is -waning^ there will be no 
 fuch Inconvenience. Moreover, we find, whatever 
 'Timber we cut, in two I Vanes of the Moon in a Year, 
 the JVane in Augnfl^ and the IVane in February^ will be 
 for ever free from lVo>ins ; no IVorms will ever breed 
 in it. What Monlieur Andry relates, confirming the 
 Obfervation of Borel/ns, about the Succefs of Medi- 
 cines for IVonns in Human Bodies^ taken in the IVane 
 of the Moon^ is wonderful. 
 
 * I am fure, to be under fuch Influences of the 
 
 * Moon^ as to fee the Great GOD managing many of 
 ' his Gracious Intentions by fuch an Inftnnnent j and 
 
 * to be awakened to his Praifcs in the Nighty when we 
 
 * fee the Moon walking in her Brigbtnefs ; would not be 
 ' a Ltamcy, that the mofl Rational of Men could be 
 
 * afhamcd oi.' 
 
 ESSAY XII. Of the Rain. 
 
 WE arc now coming down into our Atmofpherel 
 Here we are quickly furrounded with Clouds, 
 And Iicre we quickly find ourfehes in the midll of 
 that Riiin^ whereof the Great GOD, in his Book, fo 
 often claims the Glory of being the Maker and Gi'ver. 
 
 The Rain is Water by the Heat of the Sun divided 
 into very fmall and inviiible Parts ; which afcending 
 in the Air^ till it encounters with the Cokl there, is by 
 degrees condenfed into Chud^y and thence dcfccnds in 
 Drops. A M:]} is a multitude of little, but folid Glo- 
 bules ; which therctorc defcend. A Cloud is a Con- 
 !»erie.s o\i little, but concave Globules ; wliich therefore 
 afcend unto that height, wherein they arc of equal 
 weight witii t!ic -^.'r,\vhcrc they remain fufpended, 
 till by a Motion in the Air they are broken: and fo 
 they comedown in Drvps ; cither fmaller, as in aM/?; 
 
 or 
 
The Chrifiian Philofopher. ^^ 
 
 or bigger, when many of them run together, as in a 
 Rain, 
 
 Tho the Rain be much of it exhaled from the Salt^ 
 Sea, yet by this Natural Difliliation, 'tis rendred frefh 
 and drinkable to a degree, which hardly any Artificial 
 DiftiUation of ours has yet effeded. 
 
 The Clouds are fo carried about by the Winds, as to 
 be fo equally difperfed, that no part of the Earth ^^ ants 
 convenient Showers, unlefs when it pleafes GOD, 
 for the Punifhment of a finful People, to withhold 
 RaiUy by a fpecial Interpofition of his Providence : 
 Or, if any Land wants Rain, they have a Supply fome 
 other way; as in the Land oi Egypt , wherein little 
 Rain falls, there is an abundant recompence made for 
 that want, by the annual Overflowing of the River. 
 Mv,Ray well obferves. That this Diftribution pro- 
 claims the Providence of GOD, and is from a Divine 
 Difpofition. Without this, there would be either de- 
 folating Floods, or fuch Droughts as that of Cyprus, in 
 which no Rain fell for thirty Years together, and the 
 Ifland was deferted, in the Reign of Conftantine. The 
 gradual Falling of the Rain by Drops, is an admirable 
 Accommodation of it to the Intention of watering 
 the Earth. ''Tis the beft way imaginable. If it 
 ihould fall in a continual Stream, like a River, every 
 thing would be vallly incommoded with it. 
 
 If. When GOD gives Rain from Heaven, he will 
 give a\{o fruitful Seafons in our Minds, if they be there- 
 by led to due Acknowledgments of him. ''Twill be- 
 fpeak, "'twill procure, the richeft Showers of ^Blefmgs 
 upon us. ' How feafonable will it be for us now 
 humbly to acknowledge the U^itnefs, which our 
 GOD gives us of his Power and Goodnefs ! To fee 
 the Paths of GOD in the Clouds which drop Fatnefs 
 upon us ! To wifti for thofe Influences of Heaven, 
 which may come upon ourfelves like Rain tipon the 
 Grafs, as the Showers that wate)' the Earth, and rain 
 down Righteoufiefs upon the World ! To refolve up- 
 
 E 3 ' on 
 
54 TIj^ Chnflian Philofopher^ 
 
 ' on an Imitation oi our merciful GOD, who fendi; 
 
 * R,7iii upcn the Jii/I, and the Vnjufl ! To fend up our 
 
 * lXircs,:thac \NC may not be dike the Earth, u'/;/J; 
 
 * dviiiks in the Rain that comes often upon it^ but bears 
 ' *fhomi and Briars^ reje^eJ, and nigh unto curfing ! In 
 
 * line, To glorify our GOD with ConfefHons of this 
 
 * importance j Can the Heavens give SI?oivers ? Art not 
 
 * thou he, Lord our God? 'therefore iie -will wait ufcn 
 
 * thee ; fcr thou hajl made all of thcfe things' 
 
 The Archbifhop of Ca?nbray fhall exprefs our Sen- 
 timents. ' It" 1 lift up my Eyes, I perceive in the 
 
 * Clouds that ily above us, a lurt c f iianging Seas, 
 
 * that fcrve to temper the Air, break the fiery Rays 
 
 * of the Sun, and water the Earth when it. is too di^y. 
 
 * What Hand was able ro hang over our Heads thole 
 ' great Refer\ atorics of V\ aters ! What Hand takes 
 
 * care never to let them fall, but in moderate 
 
 * Showers ! ' 
 
 ESSAY XIII. cy the RxiJ^iv^ov:. 
 
 AFTER we have given the con-imon Definition 
 of it, Jrcus Calejlii, qui fit es Solis Luce^ in Nu- 
 i>tm varit compifjtmn & tejnperatatfiy^fed ex Diawetro Soli 
 ipfi^ iiKurrente ac iiicidenti\ pluviojo tempcre ; and fhould 
 add more than there be Colours in the Rainboiv^ and 
 with the modern Corrections of antient Errors, pro- 
 ceed to tiie Diti'ercnces between the Solar Iris and the 
 l.umr^ and between the /;/; and the Halo : we have 
 yet made (o little Progicls in real and certain Knoii^ 
 kdge, that we fliould be left after all, with the Sub- 
 je^ of our Difcourfc, ft ill in theClvuds. 
 
 But vo arc called upon, To confuier the wondrous 
 Jf^orLi (t Gcd ; and particularly that, wherein he 
 taufes tic l.igin of his Quud to fi^ine^ that is to fay, his 
 RaininrdJ, 
 
 A famous Clergyman of Spalato, in a Book De Ra- 
 iiii l^lfifi & Lnds, written before the former Ccntur\', 
 
 began 
 
^e Chriftian Philofopf^er. 5 5 
 
 began mathematically to clefcribe now the mteriour Bow 
 of the Iris is formed in round Drops of Rain, by a 
 Refradibn of the Sun's Light, and one Reflection be- 
 tween them j and the Exteriotir by two Rcfradions, 
 and two forts of Rededions bet^\een them^ in each 
 .Drop of Water. . 
 
 Des' Cartes (who don*t ufe to betray his Tutors) 
 took the Hints from Antonius de Domini s, and went on 
 Tnathematicaliy, and with much dcmonllration, to give 
 us a Theory of the his, from the Laws oF RefraBion, 
 which liicid Rays do fufter in pafTing through diapha- 
 nous Bodies. He clearly dcmonflrated the Primary Iris 
 to be only the Suns Image, refleded from the concave 
 Surfaces of an innumerable Qiiantity of fmall fpheri- 
 cal Drops of falling Rain ; with this neceffary Cir- 
 cumflance. That thofe Rays which fell on the Obi^tis^ 
 parallel to each other, fhould not after one Refle(5tion, 
 and two Refra<5tions, (to wit, at going into the Drop, 
 and coming out again) be difperfed^, or made to di- 
 verge, but come back again alfo to the Eye, parallel to 
 each other. The Secondary Iris, he fuppofes produced 
 by thofe Rays of the Sun, which fall more obliquely, 
 but after the fame manner as before : only in thcfe 
 there are two ReBedions, before the Sunn's Rays, re- 
 fraded a fecond time, and tending tow^ards the Eye 
 in a parallel Pofition, can get out from the aqueous 
 Globuies. 
 
 The acute and accurate Mr. Halley comes after the 
 French Philofopher, and fhows how the Cartefian Pro- 
 blems were more eafily folved, than the Author him- 
 felf imagined. He fhows how to determine the An- 
 gle, by which the Iris is diftant from the oppofite 
 Point of the Sun ; and the Ratio of the Refradion be- 
 ing given geometrically, or vice verfa, the Iris being gi^ 
 ven, to determine the refradive Power of the Liquor, 
 And he goes on to cultivate the Subjed with the In- 
 genuity proper to fo accompli fli'd a Gentleman, 
 
 E 4 But 
 
56 The Chrijiian Philofopher. 
 
 But then comes the admirable Sir Jfaac Newton^ 
 V'hom ve now venture to call the Perpetual Diciator of 
 the learned W orld, in the PrhKiples of Natural Philo^ 
 fuphy-y and than whom, there has not yet flione among 
 Mankind a more fagacious Reafoner upon the Laws 
 cf Nature. This rare Perlbn, in his incomparable 
 Treatife of Opticks, has yet further explained the P/.u- 
 riomena of the Rainbvvj ; and has not only fhown how 
 the Bow is made, but liow the Colours (whereof An- 
 tiquity made but 'Three) arc formed ; how the Rays 
 do flrikc our* Scnfe with the Cdours^ in the Order 
 which is required by their Degrees of Ktfrangibilhy, in 
 the Progrefs from the Iniide of the Bow to the Out- 
 fide : the Violet^ the Indigo^ the Blue^ the Greeny the 
 Jt'How, the Orange^ and the Red. 
 
 In a Book lately publifhcd at NorMe>-g, inritled, 
 T'haumantiadis 'Thatnnaf.ay wliich has not yet reached 
 America ; the skilful Author lays together whatever 
 is to be found upon this Argument, among the mo- 
 dern, as well as the antient Writers. 
 
 It is good Advice gi\cn by the Son o£ Sirach y Look 
 upon tU RainboWy and praife Him that made it, 
 
 Tlic Gofpel of the Rainbow, offered by Frytfchius, 
 Sic uL'i Cochftirfn fuLoriri aJfpexeris Arcu?/!^ 
 
 QtiO Caelum melius non Meteoronjjahet : 
 JUt qui dent varios duien^ c Nube CdoreSy 
 
 Humaiio generi con/piciundus adeft. 
 Hu'iic it a ionfpicia^^ feu veri Pignus amoris^ 
 
 Ac oinnficli Jixdcris efto Mdmor. 
 Q^iid Deus omnipvtens Ncah fiuBo contulit ipft^ 
 
 Se fervaturum totius (hi is Opus. 
 Nee ptypijjurum f^lmefum Flumiuis Unda 
 
 Iri Huf/tinem Jiiut jicnat ante quidtm. 
 
 Englifocd : 
 VVhen you difccrn tlic Bvw of Heaven to rife, 
 * Tiic Irightijl Miiar there falutes your Eyes : 
 
 * Producing 
 
The Chrifiian Philojopher. 57 
 
 ' Producing various Colours on the Clo7{d^ 
 ^ Mankind beholds it, and furvives the Flood. 
 
 * Behold it. Sirs, a Sign of Heavenly Love, 
 
 ^ And of a Covenant made by G O D above : 
 
 * Almighty GOD did by that Sign engage 
 
 * To keep his Noab's World from Age to Age. 
 
 * 'Tis thus engaged, GOD will no more employ 
 
 * Deep Waters^ as of old. Men to deftroy. 
 
 The Halo is of fo near kindred unto the Rainbow^ 
 that it claims a mention with it : A Circle that fur- 
 rounds the Sun^ or the Moony (or a Star ;) fometimes 
 "'tis coloured like b. Rainkw. According to Sir T/^r^c 
 Neivtony it arifes from the Sun's or Moon's ftiining 
 through a thin Cloud, confiding of Globules of Hail 
 or Water, all of the fame Size. Mr. Huygens conceives 
 it formed by fmall round Grains of a kind of Haity 
 made up of two Parts ; one of which is opake, and 
 inclofed in the other, which is tranfparent. The fame 
 way he accounts for the Parhelia. Only there he ap- 
 prehends, that the icy Grains are of an oblong Figure, 
 and rounding at the Ends like Cylinders, with round 
 convex Tops. 
 
 ^. May we look upon the Rainbow^ and fraife Him 
 that made it ! My Readers, will you give me leave 
 to teach you the Uje of the Bow ? Mercer tells us, the 
 religious Jews in many places, upon the appearance of 
 a RainboWy go forth and fall down, and confefs their 
 Sins, and own themfelves worthy to be drowned witli 
 a Flood for them. To us Chriftians, our Lord fays. 
 What do you more than they ? * As the fight of the 
 
 * Rainbow fhould bring to remembrance, WImt a woftil, 
 
 * what a fearful Defolation, once came upon a wickedlVorld^ 
 
 * whcfe Foundation was overflown with a Flood I So 
 
 * the Sacramental Importance ^ now inftamped by the 
 
 * Will of G O D upon the Rainbow ^ fhould be acknow- 
 ledged with us. It fhould be confidered as a Sign 
 
 w and a Seal of a Conjenant^ which the Great GOD 
 
 5 has 
 
^^ The Chrifiian Philojpphen 
 
 has made. That He will not have ?/;/.> JVorld, tl^ough 
 a iiiitul one, to be drowned any 7nc^'e ; nor his Church 
 in the World. Upon the View of tiie admirable 
 Mtuory how proper this Doxology ? BItjf.d be cur 
 Gracious y and Aknijul^ and Lmg-fi^Jf taring Lord j who 
 hath fworn, that tie JFate-rs of Noah f)all go ovey the 
 Earth no mire! B ic tiien, how can \\ c torgct ' the 
 Glorious CHRIST, who is our Head in the Cove- 
 nant ; and about whofc ILad there has been the ap- 
 pearance ot ti RaiKbuWy in the Vifions of his;Pro- 
 phets, betokening our Depeiidance upon H!m tor all 
 cur Preicrvations ! But then we are not excufed 
 from, but rather excited to thefe further Thoughts 
 on this occalion : 'That though ^a watery Floods whhh 
 7Kay drown the PVorld, is no 7uore to be feared ', yet there 
 is a fiery Flood, for the Dcpredarions whereof a mifra^ 
 ble IVtrhi is growing horribly cc?nlu/lible. We, Aie to 
 expect, 
 
 * ■ — ' ylffore Ttmptis 
 
 * Quo Mare, quo Telius, correptaque Rjgia CxU 
 
 * ArJcat^ & Klundi Moles opei'ofa laboret/ 
 
 ESSAY XIV. Of the Snow. 
 
 OF the Snvw, there are man;- Curiofities obfcrved 
 by the excellent Dr. Grr^. 
 It is obfcrved by him, as well as by Des Cartes^ xind 
 Dr. Heck, Ti)at \ ery many Parts of the Snow are of a 
 mod regular Fiqure ; they are generally fo many Row- 
 >cls, or Scars of fix Points, being as real, as perleA, as 
 'tranfparcnt.Icc, as any one may fee upon a Vedel of 
 Water : On each of which fix Point s, there are fet 
 Other collateral Points^ and thofe always at the Cirae 
 Angles as arc tlie ipain Points themlelves. 
 
 Thefe are of divers Magnitudes j many are large 
 i*n(l fair, but fome arc very minute. 
 
 Among 
 
^hc Chrijijan Philofopher. 59 
 
 , • Among thefe, there ^re found fomc .rregular ones, 
 which are but Fragments of the regular. But fome 
 .feem to have loft their original Regularity, not by 
 being broken, but by various V inds, firlt gently 
 thaw'd, and then froze into fuch irregular Clumpers 
 again. 
 
 A fmwy Cloud feems then to be an infinrte Mafs pf 
 Icicles regularly figured, not fo much as one of tiie 
 many Millions being irregular. A Cloud of Vapours 
 is gathered into Z)ro^ J j tht Drops forthwith defcend. 
 On the Defcent they ipsik through a foft Wind tnat 
 freezes them, or a cold Region of the Air, by which 
 each Drop is immediately froze into an Icicle , that 
 fhoots forth into fevcral Stiria from the Center. But 
 ftill continuing their Defcent, and meeting with fome 
 fprinkling little Gales of a warmer Air, or in their 
 continual Motion or Wattage to and fro, touching 
 upon each other ; fome are a little thaw'd, blunted, 
 frofted, clumperM ; others broken : but the m. .ft 
 hank'd and clung jn feveraj Parcels together, which 
 we call Flakes oj Snow, 
 
 It fhould feem, that every Drop of Rain contains in 
 it fome fpirituous Particles. Thefe meeting in the 
 Defcent, with otliers of an acido-falinous Nature, the 
 fpirituous Parts are apprehended by them, and with 
 thofe the watery ', and fo the whole Drop is fixed, 
 but ftill according to the Energy of the fpirituous, as 
 the Pencil, and the determinate Poflibihty of the faline 
 Parts, as a Ruler, into a little Star, 
 
 Though the Snovj feem foft, yet it is truly hard ; 
 it is Ice : but the Softnefs of it is from this ,* Upon the 
 firft touch of the Finger on the fharp Edges, it thav>s 
 immediately ; the Points would elfe pierce the Fingers 
 like fo many Lancets. 
 
 k Again, though the Snoto be true Ice, and fo hard^ 
 nd £0 denfe a Body, yet it is very light : This is be- 
 caufe of tiie extreme Ihinnefs of each Icicle, in compa- 
 rifon of the Breadth, As Gold^ though the moft pon- 
 derous 
 
6o The Chrifiian Fhilojopher. 
 
 derous of all Bodies, beaten into Leaves, rides on the 
 kafl Breath ot' Air. 
 
 We read of Hea\en giving Smto like Wool. I have 
 ]cnown it giie a Snovj of IVool. In a Town of N«y- 
 Ey'glandy called Fair fields in a bitter fnowy Night, 
 there fell a Quantity of Snoix)^ which covered a large 
 frozen Pond, but of fuch a ivoollen Confiflcnce, that it 
 can be called notiiiiii^ but Wool. I have a Quantity of 
 it, that has been thefe many Years lying by me. 
 
 Res admnanda Nix, & optiynanim Rertim in facro Ser- 
 wane Symhltm : *Tis the ExprefTion of the pious and 
 learned Mr. Gale. 
 
 ^. ' When ve fee the Snow^ that comes doixn from 
 
 * Heaven, and returm not thither, but viaters the Earthy 
 
 * and makes it bring forth and bud ; we cannot but hope, 
 
 * that the W^ord of our GOD, which comes like it, 
 
 * will continue with us, and accomplifh the Intentions ; 
 ' of it. 
 
 * Whereof one, upon the Soul of thy Servant, O 
 
 * my GOD! is, to produce my Defires, That my Sins, 
 
 * w hich have been like Scarlet, may become white like 
 
 * Snow, in thy free and full Pardon of them. wafi 
 
 * me in the Blood (f my Saviour, and I/halJ be whiter than 
 
 * the Snow ! But, Lord, let a W^ork of real Sanclifica- 
 
 * tion, at the fame time upon mc, render mQfurcr than 
 ' the Snow!' 
 
 ESSAY XV. Of the Hail. 
 
 '^ f ''IS Gutta Pltrjia acerri?no f'igore congelata. 
 
 JL lliiil is very often a Concomitant of 'Thunder 
 and Lightning. 'Tis well known, as Dr. Wallis ob- 
 fcr\cs, That in our Artificial Congelations, a Mixture of 
 Show and Nitre, or even comrnon Salt, will caufe a very 
 fudden Congelation of Water. Now the fame in the 
 Clouds may caufc Hatlr-Stoncs ; and the rather, bccaufe 
 not only in fmne that are prodigioufly great, but alfo 
 in common Haii-Stoiiesy there fccms to be fomething 
 
 like- 
 
The Chrifiian Philofopher. 5r, 
 
 like Smw^ rather than Ice, in the midfl of them. The 
 large HaihStones, that weigh half or three quarters of 
 a Pound> by the Violence of their Fall manifeft that 
 they have defcended from a confiderable height. And 
 though perhaps in their firft Concretion, their Bulk 
 might not exceed the moderate Size of the common 
 Hail ; yet in their long defcent, if the Medium through 
 which they fell, were alike inclined unto Congelation, 
 they might receive a great Acceffion to their Bulk, by 
 perhaps many of them coalefcing and incorporating 
 into one.' 
 
 % ' Worfe than Egyptians they, whom an Hail-Storm 
 ^ will not caufe to fear the Word of the Lord. The /V- 
 
 * r^;^/^/^ Judgments of GOD are fometimes compared 
 unto Hail-Storms, and great Hail-Stones. Thefe things 
 come down upon the World with that Voice, Irem- 
 
 * ble to be in ill Terms -with a GOD, -who with a Tempefi 
 ^ of Hail, and a deftroying Storm, can immediately crujh all 
 t that is oppofed unto him.' 
 
 Of all the Meteors, both the fiery and the ivatery^ the 
 Poet has well acknowledged ; 
 
 Qui Meteora videt liquido radiantia Coelo^ 
 Hie videt ^terni faBa flupenda Dei. 
 
 Who fees bright Meteors in the liquid Skies, 
 Has the great Works of G O D before his Eyes, 
 
 Chrifiian, take the Advice ; ['tis honeft Frytfchitus^ 
 
 r ' Rumpe Moras, Meteoraque fufpice Cceli. 
 Ilia aliquid femper quo movearis habent. 
 
 ESSAY XVI. Ofthei:nv^^^Y.and 
 Lightning. 
 
 HIS powerful Thunder, who can tinder ft and? Yet 
 our Philofophy will a little try to fee and lay 
 fomething of it. 
 
 The 
 
Sv ^eChrifiian PhilofopheK 
 
 The* Account ot Thunder^ given by Dr. H(.6k^ is 
 this. ^ lie Atniofphere of the Earth abounds with 
 nitrviu Particles oi a fpiriruous nature, which are 
 every vherc carried along with it. BLfides which fort 
 of Particles, there are aifo others rairc4 up into the 
 Atr, which may be fomewhat of the Nature of /«/- 
 phureous, and unciiom^ and other combultible Bodies. 
 We fee Sp.rit of ^/^/m', ot Turpentine, oi Camp hire, and 
 almoll all other combuflible Bodies, will by Heat be 
 ^relied into the Form of Air, or Smoke, and be railed 
 up into the Air. All thcfe, if they have a fufficient 
 Degree oi Htat, will catch F/V^, and be turned into 
 Flam', from the nitrous Parts of the Air mixing with 
 them ; as it has been proved by 'Fhoufands of Experi- 
 ments, ^riicre are alfo other forts of fuch Steams, 
 that arife hom jubt err ancons and wf/wer/z/ Bodies j which 
 only by their coming to mix with the Nitre of the Air, • 
 though they have no fenfible //tvz^ in them, will fo 
 ferment and aft upon one another, as to produce an 
 aftual Flame. Of this, the Mines are too frequfent 
 WitneHes and Suftcrcrs. The Lightning feems to be 
 very much of f\ich an Original. . 
 
 Dr. IVallis obfer\-cs, 'I liat 'Tljioid^r and Lightnim have 
 fo much rcfemblance xct fired Gunptivdty m their EffeElsy 
 that we may very veil fuppofe much of the fame Caiife^. 
 The principal Ingredients inijufipmdit, are Nitre ViXxd 
 Sulphur. Suppofe in the Air^ a con\"cn;ent Mixture 
 of nitrous and fulplnreou^ Vapcmrs, and thofe to take 
 fre by accident, fuch an E^phfm;- aud with.iiich 
 Noift: and Light as that in the firing oi Ginipcxder, may 
 well follow upon it ; and being once kindled, it will 
 run from place to place, as the Vapour leads it, like 
 as in a Train oi GiiiipLixidcr. This txplofion, high in 
 the Air, and far from us, will do no coniiderable mif- 
 chief. But, if it be very near us, it has terrible Con- 
 fcquenccs. The Diftance of its Place may be el^- 
 iraiL-d by the Dftance of the Time, which there 
 is between feeing the Fhifl), and hearing the Qa^ : 
 
 For 
 
The Chriflian Philojopher. 6^ 
 
 For though in their Genera:ion they oe fimultaneous, 
 yet Light moving fader than Soundy they come fuccef- 
 fivelytous. That there is a nitrous Vapour in it, we 
 may reafonably judge, becaule we know of no other 
 Bbdy fo liable to fo fudden and furious Explolion. 
 That there is a fulplmreous one, is manifefl from the^ 
 Smell that attends it, and the fultry Heat, that is com- 
 monly a Forerunner o( it, 
 
 ^. 'The natural Caufes of the T'hunder do not at all 
 
 * releafe me from confidering the Interefl and Providence 
 '"of the Glorious GOD, concerned in it. It is a 
 ^ Note -prepared ' for the Songs of the Faithful, T?;^ 
 jGOh of Glory thimdereth. It is He, who 
 
 Fulmina molitur a^xtra, quo masima motu 
 Te'/:ifa tremity fugere Fera^, & mortalia Cor da 
 Per Genie s humihs flravit Pavor, 
 
 ^ And indeed, as the T'hunder has in it the Voice of 
 
 * Gody \Paganifm itfelf owned it, as being ^uvh A/:?] 
 ^ thus there are feveral Points of Piety^ wherein I am, 
 
 * as with a Bath Kol, inflruded from it. . 
 
 ' There is this Voice moil lenfibly to be heard ill 
 
 * the T^hunder^ Power belongeth unto God. There is no- 
 
 * thing able to ftand. before thofe Lightnings, which are 
 ' ftiled the Arru-vjs of Gcd. We fee Caftles fall, Me- 
 
 * tals melt. Bricks themfelves vitrify ; all flies, when 
 
 * hot T'i'junderbolts are fcattered upon them. The very 
 
 * Mountains are torn to pieces, when ? Feriunt fu?n'- 
 
 * mcs fuaFulmina Monies. It becomes me now to fay, 
 
 * 'The Thunder of his Power who can under Jl and ? An 
 
 * haugiiLy Emperor fhrinks, and fhakes, and hides 
 
 * his guilty Head, before the powerful Thunder of 
 'God 
 
 How can I hear the Voice of the Almighty Ti:un^ 
 d^rer, without fuch Thoughts as thefe ? Glorious God, 
 let me, thy o ugh the Blood of a facrificed Savivp . h^ ift 
 
 * good Terms with One fo able to deftroy me in a moment ! 
 
 ' And, 
 
6:^ TIjc Chrifiian Philojopher. 
 
 * And, let me be atraid of ofTcnding Him, who is 
 
 * poficired of fuch an irnjifliljle Artillery ! 
 
 * At the fame time, do I not fee the Mmy and Pa-^ 
 
 * tience of a Good God to a finful World ? The De- 
 
 * folations of the World, how wonderfully would 
 t they be, 
 
 * Si quoties peccant Homines fun Fuhnina mittat ! 
 
 * It is no rare thing for the Children of Men to die 
 
 * by a T'hundobolt : A King has been fo ilain in the 
 ' midfl of liis Army. There was a Punifhment of 
 
 * old ufcd upon Criminals, by pouring hot Lead into 
 
 * their Mouths, which was called Combuflio Anima, 
 
 * and ufcd in imitation of God's deflroying Men with 
 
 * Lightning ; v hereby the inward Parts are burnt with- 
 
 * out any vifible Touch upon the oufward. This Cbw-» 
 
 * Ifn/lio Aniwa, a Death by Lightnings has been fre- 
 
 * qucntly inflicted. Their being afleep at the time 
 
 * has not prefcrved them, though there be a Fancy in 
 
 * Plutarch that it would ; nor would a I'ent of Seal- 
 
 * Skin have done it, though fomc great ones have re- 
 
 * paired unto fuch an Amulet for their Protedion. My 
 
 * Gody I adore thy Sovei-eign Grace, that fuch a Sinner as 
 
 * / have not yet been by Lightning turned into Dufi and 
 
 * A/hiS before thee ! 
 
 ' I take notice of one thing, That as Guilt lying 
 
 * on the Minds of Men, makes them flartle at a 
 
 * Thundcr-aap ; 
 
 * Hifunt qui trepidant, & ad omnia Ftdgttra paUent^ 
 
 * Cum tonat, exanimes primo quoqtie Murmure Coeli : 
 
 So the Mifcarriages about which our Hearts do firft 
 and moR of all mifgi\c us in a 'Thunder-Storm, are 
 thofc which mofl of all call for a thorough Rtpentartie 
 with US. There arc fomc Writings which I cannot 
 read, except I hold them againfl the Fire ; by hav^ 
 ing my He-art held up againft the Lightning, I may 
 quickly read my own Iniquity. 
 
 ' Impious t 
 
The Chrifikn Philofopher. 6$ 
 
 ^ Impious People are deaf to Tlmnder ! ' 
 Herlicius^ in his TraFlatus de Fulmwe, reckons up a 
 confiderable number of thofe, which might be called 
 Foelicia Fulmina. Such will they be that make thcfe 
 ImprefTions upon us. 
 
 ESSAY XVII. Of the Air. 
 
 TH E Air of our Atmofphere, in which we 
 breathe, is a diaphanous, compreflible, dilatable 
 Fluid 'y 2l Body covering the Earth and the Sea, to a 
 great height above the higheft Mountains : in this, 
 among other things, differing from the JEth^r\ that it 
 rcfrad:s the Rays of the Moon, and other Luiiii- 
 naries. 
 
 There feem to be three different forts of Corpufcks, 
 whereof the Air is compofed. There are fuch as are 
 carried up into the Air from other Bodies, as Vapours 
 exhaled by the Suns Heat, or by fubterraneous. There 
 may be alfo a more fubtile kind, mixed with our Air, 
 emitted from the Heavenly Bodies, and from the Mag- 
 netick Steams of the Globe on which we fojourn. But 
 there may be a third fort of Particles, which may 
 mofl properly merit the Name of Aerial; as being the 
 diftinguifiiing Parts of the Air, taken in the (Irider 
 fenfe of the Term. Thefe Particles ha^^e an Elafticity 
 in them ; are fpringy ; refemble the Spring of a Watch-, 
 Elafticity is an efl'ential Property of the Air, and it is 
 thou 4ht no other Fluid has any thing of it, but only 
 fo far as it participates o^ Air, or has Air containM in 
 the Pores of it. Our Air abounds with Particles of 
 fuch a nature, that in cafe they be bent, or prefs'd by 
 the Weight of the incumbent part of the Atmofphere^ 
 or of any other Body, they endeavour to free them- 
 felves from that PrelTure, by bearing againfl: the Bo- 
 dies that keep :hem under it ; imd ks fooh as the Re-- 
 lYioval of thcfc Bodies gives them way, they expand 
 the whole parcel of Air which they compofed. 
 
 t I>r. 
 
66 The Chrifiian Philojofher. 
 
 Dr. Hock thinks tiic Air to be little ellc than a 
 TiiK^urc or Solution of terrcftrial and aqueous Par- 
 ticles, diirolvcd in, and agitated by the /EtheYy and 
 to have fomcthing/<z//w in tneir Nature. 
 
 Mr. Bo\le found, that one and the fame Portion of 
 Air may take up p,ooo times the Space it dnth at 
 another time. He found, that the fame Quantity of 
 Air, by only having the Prcllure of the Atmofphere 
 tiikca off in the Pneumatkk EnginCy and without in- 
 creafmg the Spring with any adventitious Heat, would 
 poiTcfs above 13,000 times its natural Dimcnfions. 
 Dr. Gicgovy proceeds, That accordingly a Globe of 
 Air, of one Inch diameter, would at the Diftance of 
 tiie Semidiamc^er of the Earth from the Earth, fill all 
 the Planetary Regions as far as, and much beyond the 
 Sphere of Sanan. Admirable Rarefaction ! 
 
 Tlic Wi'iHn of Air was difco\er'd firft by GaliUus^ 
 who finding that Water could not by pumping be 
 raifcd any higher than 34 or 35 Foot, concluded that 
 the old Notion of an inhnite Fuga Vactii would never 
 do ; and fo fell to thinking on the Counterbalance of 
 the J4 ''tight of t J: e Air. Toryjielliuf afierwards purfued 
 and impro\cd the Thought, and as a further Proof of 
 the Weight of the Air^ invented that which we call the 
 T'oyricdiiiDi Experiwent. ^ 
 
 Mr. Bo)le tound by repeated Experiments, that the 
 Weight of Air to IVatcY is as 1 to 1000. 
 
 Dr. Uiilliy rather determines the fpecifid Gra'uity of 
 Air to Water, to be about i to 800. Mercury is to 
 Air as io,b:oo to i. And fo, a Cylinder of ^/V, of 
 poo Feet, is equal to an Inch of Mercury. 
 
 We will, with ]3r. J^'uinvcright^ fuppofe a cubical 
 Foot ijiJFuter to weigh 76 Pounds T^ov Weight. Tiic 
 Compaf^) of a Foot fquarc upon tlie Superficies of our 
 Bodies, mufl fufiain a Quantity of ^r, equal to zOCo 
 Pounds Weigiit. If the Superficies of a Man's Body 
 contains hiii:{:n fquare Feet, which is pretiy near the 
 Truth, he would fufiain a Weight equal to 39,900 
 
 Pounds 
 
The Chrijiian Philofopher. 6y 
 
 t'ounds Troy, which is above thirteen Tun. The dif- 
 ference between the greateft and the lead Prefiure of 
 the Air upon our Bodies, is equal to 3982 Pounds 
 Troy. On which the Dodor fays, ' No -wonder then 
 
 * we fuffer in our Health by Change of Weather ; "tis 
 
 * furprizing that every fuch Change does not entirely 
 break the Frame of our Bodies to pieces, and be the 
 
 * conftant Harbinger of fudden Death.' 
 
 My God, it is bccaiife I have obtained Help from thee^ 
 that I continue to this Day ! 
 
 Sir Ifaac Nemon thinks true and permanent Air to be 
 made by Fermentation and Rarefadion of Bodies, that 
 are of a very fixed Nature. And it is plain, thofe 
 Particles fly and avoid one ailothet with the greateft 
 Force at a difiance, w^hich when they are very near, do 
 attraB and adhere to one another with the greateft 
 Violence. 
 
 The Particles of true and permanent Air, bciing ex- 
 traded from the denfefl: and mod fixed Bodies, will 
 be more denfe and crafs than thofe of Vapour, and 
 from hence, it*s likely, may be heavier than thofe ; 
 and the Parts of an humid Atmofphere may be lighter 
 than thofe of a dry one, as in fad they appear to be. 
 He thinks therefore, that the Rarefadion and Con- 
 denfation of the Air cannot be accounted for from the 
 Spring, or Elaftick Forms of the Particles, without a 
 Suppofition, that they are endued with fome Centri- 
 fugal Force or Power, by which they fly and avoid one 
 another, and the denfe Bodies, from whence they arq 
 extraded. 
 
 This may be the caufe for Filtration, and the Afcent 
 of Water in fmall capillary Tubes, to a much greater 
 height, than the Surface of the Water in the open 
 Veflel, in which they are placed. The Air within 
 the Tubes is much rarer than in more open Spaces, 
 and by that means not prciling fo much on the Surface 
 of the Water within the 1 ubes, as without. 
 
 F 2 It 
 
6^ Tfje Chrifltan Philofopher. 
 
 It is admirable to confidcr the NecefTity of Air to 
 the wliole animal World ; how foon the "jital Flame 
 dees languilh and expire, \f Air be withheld trom it! 
 Even the Inhabitants of the Water cannot live with- 
 out the Ufe of it. It is evident that the Air, at the 
 lead that part of it which is the Aliment of Fire^ and 
 the Fuel of the ^jital Flame in Animals, eafily pene- 
 trates the Body of Water expofed to it, and with a 
 wondrous Infinuation dirfufes itfclf thro every part of 
 it. Put Fifhes into a Veffel of a narrow mouth, full of 
 Water, tlicy will continue to live and fwim there 
 whole Months and Years. But if with any Covering 
 you flop the VeiVel, fo as to exclude the Air, or in- 
 terrupt the Communication of it with the W^ater, 
 they will fuddenly be fuftbcated ; which was an Ex- 
 periment often made by Rondelttius. The Infecis ra- 
 ther need more Air than other Creatures, having more 
 Air-Vijjels for their Bulk, and many Orifices on each 
 (ide of their Bodies for the Admiflion of Air^ which 
 if you ftop with Oil or Honey, they prefcntly die, 
 and revive no more. Pliny knew not the reafon of his 
 own Obfer\ation ; Oko illitu InfeBa omnia exaniynantut. 
 Yea, Malpighiiis has difcovered and dcmonftrated, that 
 the Plants themfelves have a kind of Rcfpiration, be- 
 ing furnifhed with a Plenty of Velfels for the Deri- 
 vation of Air to all their Parts. Dr. Hulfe^ and Mr. 
 Ra\^ and others, have now alfo rendered it very evi- 
 dent, That tiie Foetus in the Womb docs receive a 
 meafurc of Air from the maternal Blood, by the Pla- 
 centa Vinina, or the Cotykdms. , When this Communi- 
 cation is broken oft\ what is it that now, to preferve 
 the Lite ot the Animal, fpcedily raifes the Lungs ^ and 
 fetches into them an abundance of Air^ which caufes 
 a fudden and mighty Accenlion in the Blood, for the 
 Maintenance whereof a far greater Quantity of Air 
 is rcquilitc ? Certainly fome intelligent Being muft 
 now interpofi', to pur the Diaphragm, and all the 
 Mufclcs that Icrvc to Rcfpiration, into their Motion ! 
 
 My 
 
The Chrifiian Philofopher. 69 
 
 My God, I kmix) thi^c ! Ana now, as our ingenious 
 Waer Ciags i 
 
 ^ Thus wing'd with Praife, we penetrate the Sky, 
 
 * Teach Clouds and Siars to praife Him as we fly. 
 ' For tiiat He reigns, ali Creatures fliould rejoice, 
 ' And we with Sonps fupply their want of Voice. 
 ' Angels and we, a/lifted by this Art, 
 
 * May (ing together, tho we dwell apart. 
 
 ^. ^ The Syrians worfhipped the Air as a God, I 
 ^ will worfhip Him that created it. 
 
 ^ I will give Thanks to the Glorious God, for the 
 Benefits with which the Air is replenifhed by his 
 Bouncy. It was long (ince called the Paranymi'b, by 
 which the Efpoufal and Communion between Hea-- 
 ven and Earth is carried on. 
 
 * I breathe in the Fa'vours of God continually. An 
 ungrateful Wretch, if I do not breathe out his 
 Praifes ! 
 
 * How juftly might the Great God fill the Air with 
 invifible Arrows of Death, and fuch deleterious 
 Miafms, and peftilential Poifom^ as might fuffer the 
 Unholy and Unthankful to breathe no longer in \tV 
 
 ESSAY XVIII. Of the Wind. 
 
 WHAT better Definition of the U^md, than the 
 Stream of the Air ? Plato long fince defin'd it, 
 T'he Motion of the Air about the Earth, 
 
 Other Hypothefes for this Current of the Air not 
 well anfwering all Phenomena, the learned Mv.Hal-^ 
 ley recommends this to Confideration, as the Caufe of 
 it ; The Adion of the Sun-beams on the Air and IVa- 
 ter, as the Sun paffes every day over the Oceans, conr^ 
 fider'd with the Nature of the Soil, and the Situation 
 of the Continents adjoining. 
 
 According to the Laws of Staticks^ the Air, which 
 is lefs rarefied and expanded by Heat, and conle- 
 
 F J quently 
 
•70 7k Chn(lian PhiloJ^pher. 
 
 qucntly more ponderous, mufl: have a Motion round 
 tiiofe parts thereof; \vhich are more rarehed and lefs 
 ponderous, to bring it into an ^Equilibrium. The 
 Prcfence of the Sun alio continually fhifting to the 
 W'ellvard, that Part unto \vhich the Air tends, by 
 rcafon of the Rarefaction made by his greateft Meri- 
 dian Heat, is with him carried Wcflward, and confe- 
 qucntly the Tendency of the whole Body of the lov:er 
 Air is that way. Thus a general Eafterly IVind \^ 
 formed. From this Principle, the Eafialy JVind on the 
 JSIorth Side of the iEquator, fliould be to the North- 
 xi-ards ')f the Ej/I ; and in South Latitudes, it fhould 
 be to he Southwards thereof: inafmuch as near the 
 Line, I le Air is much more rarefied than at a greater 
 diftanc*. from it. Here all the Phjcmivaia of tlie general 
 n.'yade-lVitjds are anfwer'd for,- wjiich if the wliolc Sur-»- 
 face of the Globe were Sea, would undoubtedly blow 
 all rt id the World, as they are found to do in the 
 Athw.ick and Ethiopick Oceans. But fince great Con- 
 tinents interpofe, and break the Continuity of the 
 Ona,i}, regard mud be had to the Nature of the Soil, 
 and the Polition of the high Mountains, which caufe 
 the Variation of the Winds, from the general Rule 
 that has been propofed. If a Country, which lies 
 near the Sun, prove to be low, flat, and Tandy, the 
 Heat occalion'd by the Reflection and Retention of 
 the Sun-beams there, will (o rarefy the Air, that the 
 denfer and cooler Air will run thither, to reRore the 
 iEquilibrium. Hence may be the conjlant Cahns in that 
 part of the Ocean, called J'he Rainy. This i'rad be- 
 ing placed in the middle, between the Wellerly Winds 
 blowing on the hot Coafl, and the Lallerly Winds 
 that bhnv to the Wcft^sards, the Tendency of the Air 
 there is indifterent to either, and fo Hands in d^quili^ 
 fvrioy bet^^ een both ; and the We ght of tiic incumbent 
 Atrmfphcre being diniiniflied by the continual contrary 
 Winds blov irg frr-rm liencc, the Air here holds not 
 the copious Vapour it rcccives, but lets it tall into 
 frequent Raiiis. Ic 
 
The Chriflian Philofopher. 71 
 
 It is very hard to conceive, why the Limits of the 
 'frade-JVind fliould be fixed about the thirtieth De- 
 gree of Latitude all round the Globe, and that the^y 
 fhould fo feldom tranfgrefs thofe Bounds, or fall fhorc 
 of them. 
 
 Behold the Wings of the Wind! > 
 
 The, inquifitive and ingenious Mr. Derham f^und 
 by many Trials, That the M^ind in a great Storrh docs 
 move about fifty or fixty Miles in an Hour; That a 
 common brisk Wind moves about fifteen Miles ai i Hour. 
 But fo gentle is the Courfe of many Winds, tl lat they 
 do not exceed one Mile an Hour. -^ 
 
 Dr. Grew obfcrves. That there are Windsj (befides 
 the Trade-Winds) efpecially from the Wefiij which 
 blow fometimes two or three Days upon c ;.ie Point, 
 and will in this time drive before them a Ship an 
 hundred and fifty Leagues, or four hundred ^nd iifty 
 Englifl) Miles. j ,^ 
 
 The Wind is of great Ufe to ventilate the Ajr, and 
 to diffipate contagious Vapours ; which if they fhould 
 ftagnate, would produce grievous Difeafes on the ani- 
 mal World. Si non ventofa, venenofa. It alfo tra nf- 
 
 fers the Clouds from one place to another, for the morc^ 
 commodious watering of the Earth. It likewife tem- 
 pers the Heats of many Countries, which elfe would 
 be exceflive. It carries Veffels on their Voyages to re-^ 
 mote Countries. Windmills are driven by it, whereof 
 there are many Benefits. But as the excellent Mr. jR^j/ 
 obferves. That it is rarely fo violent, as to deftroy all 
 before it, and overwhelm the World ; this proclaims 
 a fuperiour Power moderating of it, the W(fdo?n and 
 Goodnefs of Him, who brings the Wind out of his Trea- 
 fures. 
 
 What amazing things the Winds, called the Ttiffoons 
 (or Typhons !) and how irrefiflibly furious! But our 
 ^lerciful God ftays the rough Winds. 
 
 The Hurricanes in the Weft-Indies, and their Bre- 
 thren the Monfoons in the Eafti what fliocking Scories 
 
 F 4 do 
 
yi Tfje Chrifiian Philqfopher. 
 
 do the l^avcllers give us ot tlicm ! How direful Ef- 
 \ct'i are fometimcs caufcd by them ! They blow 
 dox'-n mighty T'rccs by the Roots. They chafe mighty 
 ^Jjil'S Up into the Woods. They make every tniiigto 
 trt*mble, and give way, cliat is in their way. Great 
 COiiy iJ^ho ^Idijl on the IViyid, and makeft it jmvc ichid) 
 ,. If^f, In It pleafe ', uho can ft and in thy fight ^ if thou 
 
 %. AVi.atever Point of the Ccmpafs the Wind blows 
 upon, i it may blow fome Good Thoughts into our 
 Minds ; a i then it will be no III Wind unto us. 
 
 * V\ 'e • ight certainly to confider the fto-nny Wind^ 
 
 * .7^ f- VV:.r\r the Word of God. And there arc lempejif^ 
 
 . hvinds of the Divine Wrath to be dcpre- 
 
 * c ut then there arc Influences of Heaven to 
 
 * Ll . i , which arc, Af the Wind bk'u:eth ixhere it 
 
 * lijleth^ and Vie hear the Sound thereof, but cannot tell 
 
 * When' t meihy nor lihither it goeth.' 
 
 SAY XIX. Of the Cold. 
 
 i ERE is much Diiputc about the Primujn Fri- 
 
 ^ <^idum. None, I hope, about the Firft Caufe of 
 ic CWt/, which fometimcs mortifies us. 
 
 It is queftioned by fome, whether the Qhi be any 
 fl.inj that is ^vjitiije, and not a i-wcre Privation. The 
 Coldnefi of any thing, they fay, fignihcs no niore, than 
 its not having its infenfible Parts agitated fo much as 
 thofc of opr Scnfories, by wliicii we judge of T'aBile 
 Qualiiies, To make a tiling become to/J, there needs 
 no mr re, than tlia: tlic Sun, or Fire, or fome other A- 
 gcnr, that mere \eiicmcntly agitated its Parts before, 
 do now ceafe to do it. 
 
 But then, on phc other fide, there arc Inftances of 
 CJd produced by vehement Agitations. 
 
 To fon.e there fe^ms to be a mighty flore of Cor- 
 pufihy a Jictle a-kin to Nitre, exhaled from the terre- 
 ftrial Globe, (of the Figure wWiQh Philvpoitu< tells us^ 
 
 DemucrituJi 
 
The Chrifiian Philofopher. 7^ 
 
 Democritus aiTigned to Frig.yifick Afi.ns) which may 
 more than a Lttle contribute to our Cold. 
 
 That Cold (and fo Fieez^ing) may arife from feme 
 fahne Subiiance floating in the Air, fcems probable 
 from this; That ail Salts^ but feme above others, 
 when mixed with Snow or Ice^ do prodigioufly incrcafe 
 the Force of Cdd. And all faline Bodies produce a 
 Stiffnejs in the Parts of thofe Bodies^ into which they 
 enter. 
 
 The Force of the Cold is truly wonderful. Olearius 
 tells us, in Mufcovy their Spittle will, freeze e'er it 
 reach the Ground. So violent the Cold there, that no 
 Furs can hinder it, but fometimes the Nojhy the Ears, 
 the Hands^ and the Ft'^^ of Men will be frozen, and 
 all fall oft. ^Tis reported by Fletcher and Herberfteiny 
 That not only they who travel abroad, but many in 
 the very Markets of their Towns are fo mortally 
 pinched, as to fall down dead with tlie Cold. Captain 
 ^ames and Gerat de Veer tell us frightful things of the 
 Cold they found in their Northern Coafling. Beauplan 
 adds. That without good Precautions, the Cold pro- 
 duces thofe Gz/^my, which in a few Hours deflroy the 
 Parts they feize upon. What mighty Rands of Ice 
 (the magnum Duramen Aquariim, as Lucretius calls it) 
 have been encounter 'd by fuch Navigators as Munchius 
 and Baffin, who found fome ley I/lands near three hun- 
 dred Foot high above the Water ! In the River of 
 Canada fometimes are feen Icy I/lands, computed four- 
 fcore Leagues in length. 
 
 The irrefiftible Force of Congelation ! 
 
 Congelation feems to be from the Introdudion of the 
 Frigorifick Particles^ into the Interilices between the 
 Particles of the Water ; and thereby getting fo near 
 to them, as to be juft within the Sphere of one ano- 
 ther's attracting Force, on which they cohere into one 
 foiid Body. 
 
 Was it not then a Miftake in Pliny, when Ice was 
 defined by him, Jqu.t Copia in An^ufto ? The Dimen- 
 
"74- 77;^ Chriftian Philofopher. 
 
 (tons of Water arc increafcd by Freez^ing; and with 
 luch a Force in the Expanfion, that the Weights raifed 
 by it, the Stones broke in it, the Aletah obliged to give 
 "Nvay to it, were hardly credible, it thefe Eyes had 
 not fcen them ! 
 
 If. * When we confider the Cold^ efpecially if we 
 ' have it under our more fmfible Conlideration, wc 
 
 * cannot but fubfcribe to that W^ord, IVho can jlcmd 
 ^ before his Cold ! How naturally are we now ted to 
 
 * a Dread, and a Deprecation of lying under the Dif- 
 
 * pleafure of the Glorious God, who by that one Part 
 ' of his Artillery, the Cold aione^ can loon dcftroy his 
 
 * Enemies !* 
 
 The Mitigaticits of our C Id, and our Comforts and 
 Supports apainft the Allaults of it, befpeak our thank- 
 ful Praifcs to our Glorious Beij(faclor : That \k e are 
 not, as Livy fays of the Alps, AE.ternis damnati Ni- 
 I'ibus ! 
 
 It is obferv'able. That the Dec,rces c( CJd in fcT'e-» 
 ral Climates are not according to their Degrees of 
 Latitude. Some ha\e met with very tolerable Wea- 
 ther under the Arclick Pole. But Martinius, in his At- 
 las Chiiienfis, reports of Clma^ Majus in hoc Ihovincia 
 Frigu< eft, quam iliiu^ pofat Poli Altitudo. The Couti- 
 try lies in litr'e more than /orry Deg'recs ol Latitude, and 
 yet for four Months together in the Year, the Rivers 
 there are fn frozen, that the Ic will bear tlie Paflage 
 not only of Men, but of Horfis and of Coaches too up- 
 on it. The like Report could I give of my own 
 Country, which lies in the fame Latitude. In my 
 warm Study, from the Billets of Wood lying on a 
 great Fire, the S.jp forced out at the ends of the fhort 
 Billets by the Fire, has froren there, and been turned 
 into /rr, while the Wood lias been confuming. How- 
 ever, (^ur CoLi is much moderated lince the opening 
 and clearinj^ of our IVoods, and the W^inds do not 
 blow fuch Ragouts, as in the Days of our Fathers, 
 wiien IVattr^ caft up into the ^V, w'ould commonly 
 
Tlje Chrlftim Fbilojophr. 75 
 
 be turned into Le e'er it came to the Ground. I have 
 fometimes wiftied, that Wife-Men would make the 
 Refledion of Petromus upon this Matter : Incultis af- 
 perifque RegionihuSy diutius Nives harent ; aft ubi Aratr^o 
 domefaEia T'ellus nitet, dityn loqueris levis Pruina dilabi- 
 tur. Similiter in PeBorilus Ira confidit j Feras quideiH 
 Mentes obftdet^ Eruditas f rater labitur, 
 
 ESSAY XX. Of the Terraqueous GhO-^i. 
 
 THE Diftance at which our Globe \s placed from 
 the Sun, and the Contemperation of our Bodies 
 and other Things to this Diilance, are evident Works 
 of our Glorious GOD! 
 
 According to the accurate Obfervations of the Eng- 
 li/h Norwood, and the French Picart, the Ambit of our 
 Globe will be twenty-four thoufand nine hundred 
 ' and thirty Miles. Wherefore fuppofing it fpherical, 
 the whole Surface will be i5?7,83 1,392 Miles; whicit 
 in the folid Content will be found no lefs thaii 
 i6 1, 6^ 1,99'^, 920 Miles. The cubick Feet will be 
 30,000,000,0003000,000,000,000. The Earth, with 
 her Satellit the Moon, moving about the Sun, this Or^ 
 his Magnus, as 'tis ufually called, according to our 
 Derham, is a Space of more than 540 Millions of 
 Miles in Circumference, or 172 Millions of Miles in 
 Breadth. 
 
 The Copernican Hypothefis is now generally prefer- 
 red, which allows a Diurnal and an Annual Motion to 
 our Globe, rather than to the Sun. According to this, 
 the £)///r«^z/ Motion of our Globe is near 1,039 Miles 
 in an Hour. 
 
 The Arguments that proVe the Stability of the Sw:^ 
 and the Motion of the Earth, have now rendered it 
 indifputable. It is impoffible to account for the Ap- 
 pearances of the Planets, and their Satellit s, and the 
 Fixed Stars, in any tolerjdple manner, without admit- 
 ing the Motion of the ffanh ^ or to account for Co* 
 
 mttsi 
 
76 The Chrijiian Philofopher. 
 
 i7ieis ; or for that Ai:alogy of the Periodical Times, to 
 the tniiidle Diftaihc^, which is the ncccirary Confe- 
 qucncc oi the eftabhfn'd Law ci Gravitation. Unlefs 
 we would fubvert the whole Syfi'm c,( j^/ironomy, and 
 (as Dr. CheMie oblerveO dirpro\ e the Caufes of all the 
 Olejiial Alotions^ we fhall never be able to alfert, that 
 the Earth ftands mmioied. Nor is there any Objection 
 aj^ainfl the Motion of the Earthy but what has had a 
 full Solution. 
 
 Thefe Motions, performed fo regularly for near fix 
 thoufand Years, how much do they oblige us to cry 
 out, Great GOD, thou that an the Creator ^ art alfo the 
 Covcrnour of the IVorld ! 
 
 Even a Pagan Cleanthes, as his Brother Cicero will 
 tell us, would afllgn this as a fufficient Caufe for a 
 Belief of a Deity ; /Equabilitatem Mot us, Conveyjicnem 
 Cccli, Solis, Ijiujc, Syderipnque 07nniu?n Diftinciionem, Va- 
 yletatem, Pulchritudinem, Ordinem ; quarum rerumAf^eBus 
 ipfe fatJs indicaret, non ejfe fortuita. And Plutarch fays. 
 This Obfcrvation was the firft that led Men to the 
 Acknowledgment of a GOD. 
 
 The Prophet Halakkuk mentions the Stop to this 
 Courfe in the Days of "Joflyua, as a real Matter of 
 Fad. The fame Infinite Power that gave the Motion, 
 gave the Check. 
 
 The Circumvolutions of the Globe are of admirable 
 Conveniency, vea, of abfolutc N'-cejJity, to the Inhabi- 
 tants. As TulJy notes, Confervat Ammantes. 
 
 The Spherical Figure of our Globe has numerous 
 and marvellous Con\ eniencies, whereof no Man that 
 fcrioully confiders it can be infenfible. How in- 
 commodious muft an Angular Figure ha\ e been ; or 
 fiich an one as many oF the Antients, and particularly 
 the Epicureauf, with Stupidity enough imagined ? 
 
 It is admirably well oirder'd, (as Dr. More obferves) 
 That the ^v/f of the Globe fliould be fteddy, and 
 perpetually parallel to itfelf^not carelefly tumbling 
 this way and that way, us it might happen : and that 
 
 t;he 
 
The Chrifiictn Fhjlojc^her. 77 
 
 the Pofture of the Axi^ be inchning as it is, and not 
 perpendicular to a Plane going thro the Center of the 
 Suriy or coincidenc. Hence comes the Glube to be fo 
 habitable in all Parts ; and even under the Line itfelf, 
 as 'tis noted by Sir Walter Raleigh , the Parts are as 
 pleafant, and as fruitful, and as fit for a Paranfe, as 
 any in the World. And the Longevity' of the Natives 
 there does rather exceed the reft of Mankind, as we 
 learn from the Relations of Pifo^ and Rochefort, and 
 Pirard, and Le Blanc , and other Teftimonxs. Yea, 
 Mr. Keill demonftrates, that from the prefent Poiition 
 of the Globe, and the Inclination of its Axis to the 
 Plane of the EcUptick, we reap this Advantage ; They 
 who live beyond forty-five Degrees of Latitude, 
 and have moll: need of it, have more of the Heat of 
 the Sun throughout the Year, than if he had fhined 
 always in the Equator : Whereas in the 'Torrid Zone^ 
 and even in the Temperate, almoft as far as forty-five, 
 the Sum of the Suns Heat, in Summer and Winter, 
 is lefs than it would be, if the Axis of the Globe 
 were perpendicular to the Plane of the Ecliptick. He 
 very well adds. This Confideration cannot but lead 
 us into a tranfcendent Admiration of the Divine Wif- 
 dom! Yea, were the whole Creation furveyed, it 
 would be every where found, as Mr. Ray obferves. 
 That God has chofen better for us, than we could have done 
 for ourfehes. 
 
 And then, the Collection of the Waters on the Globe 
 into fuch vaft Conceptacula, wherein the innumerable 
 Fifies are nourifhed, and whereon Voyages are per- 
 formed ; and the Diftindion of the IDry Land, fur- 
 nifhed with fo many Vegetables and Ani?nals : What 
 can it be any other than the Refult of Counfel, of 
 Defign, of Infinite Wfdom ! How blind art thou, O 
 Man, and under what a brutal and fatal Darkncfs, if 
 
 thou fee it not ! The Briitif) among the People ivill 
 
 not be wife. 
 
 The 
 
^8 ^^^ Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 The F/gure oi our Globe is moft probably thalt of 
 an Ol^/iit<^ Sphenoid. It fwells towards the /EcfUat^ial 
 Parts, aiKi flats towards tlic PoJar ; according to Sir 
 Ifaac Ntwtoiiy the Diameur of the Giobe is about thir- 
 ty-four Miles Ioniser than the Ash. 
 
 Dr. Gregory flK\ss, that this is the reafon why the 
 A^^is of our Globe cioc5 twice every Year change it3 
 Liclination to tlic Ecliptkk^ and as often return backj 
 again to its fornitr Poiition. 
 
 The;, moft accurate Aftronomer, Mr. Fhmjiea^ 
 found the Diftance of the Pok-Star from the Pole, tc^ 
 be greater about the Summer Solftice than about the 
 Wtntei'y by about forty or forty-live Seconds. Hi^ 
 found alfo, by repeated Obfervations, a fenfible an- 
 nual Parallax in others of the Fixed Stars. Thiji 
 proves our Globe to move annually about the Sun, ; 
 
 Mr. Halley fhows the annual Motion of the Earth 
 to be fo fwift, as far to exceed that of a Bullet fhot. 
 out of a Cannoii, and to be after the rate of 21Q 
 Miles in a Minute, and 12,600 Miles in an Hour. 
 
 Our Globe is nearer to the Sun in iDecember than in 
 ^un€. Its Pefiheliim is in Decernler. The Sun's appa- 
 rent Diameter is greater then ; and our Globe then 
 has a fvcifrtr Aktion by a t\\ enty-hfth Part. Hence 
 there are about eight Days more^ in the Summer Half- 
 Year, than in the Winter Half-Year. The colder and 
 more Northern Places of- our GK^be are indeed brought 
 fome iumdreds of thoulands of Miles nearer the Sun 
 in fVrittcr than in Summer. 
 
 Ujou the Oicuitruies of tlje whole Globe. 
 
 * /'^ Man! ^^c arc ik)w come down into thy Ttr- 
 
 * V^ riiories. How many Sirvants may Man 
 
 * here fee himfcif attended and furrounded with.! 
 
 * The moll rmJoiuiLIc "fhing in the World is for Man, 
 ' hereupon to contrive and refoke in this maiMier , 
 
 * tl.at my Seiv'ui' tu tl.t Glvnou^ GOD 7na\ he as obe- 
 
^e Chriftian Philojofher. 79 
 
 dienty as willing^ as ready, as luhat his Creatures yield 
 to me! 
 
 ' It has been excellently well propofed ; Cum cater di 
 Creatura uruverfiz omnibus VirihuSy in Hominis Utilitatem 
 connituntur, difcat hinc Homo, Jimi liter ex tot is Viribui 
 DEO fe)ijire, ad illumme fe converter e, qui omnes Ce-^ 
 aturas ufui, feruitioque juo deftinavit. 
 
 * But then, to this we will annex a further Difpo- 
 fition of Piety : Can a Man be profitable to GO D^ 
 My Ser'vice to Him does not advantage Him. When 
 I have done all, I am an unprofitable Servant. Where- 
 fore iQt me ftudy to transfer to n^y Neighbour, the 
 Service which by the Creatures of GOD is done to 
 me. Yea, let me fo far as my Tenuity can attain 
 to it, labour to do to my Neighbour fuch Things as 
 the Great GOD pleafes to do to me. In this Cha- 
 rity, there will be that Image of the Glorious GOD, 
 which is the Glory of the Man that arrives to it. 
 
 * One fays well, Quocunque vertamus Oculos, ecce 
 Tefiimonia, Oratores, & Laudatores Dei, qui totum Li^ 
 brum Mundi Laudum fuarum Hifloriam, & Panegyricmn 
 ejfe voluit. 
 
 'Man, let the Glorious GOD hscvePraifes from 
 thee, and have thy Homage and Sey-vice. Hereby the 
 Creatures will be returned and united to GOD 
 their Maker, and it will be brought about, that 
 they fhall not be made in vain. It was a wife 
 Thought ; Per Hominem^ & illius Religionem, omnes 
 Creature cum Deo connecluntur, ne frnftra a Deo fint 
 creata. 
 
 ' There is another pathetick Remark, made more 
 than an hundred Years ago, but worthy to be for 
 ever thought upon ; Omnes Creatura naturaliter Deum 
 plus amant, quam feipfas, dum illius Mandata exequendo, 
 feipfas confumunt ; Joins autem Peccator feipfu?n impenfius 
 quam Deum a?nat. Every Creature, but only the 
 wicked Sinner, loves GOD more than it loves itfelf, 
 
 ' Two 
 
8o ^e Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 ' Two Inftruftions of tiie pious JEgardus Avill be 
 
 * vorth remembrin^ here. 
 
 * The one ; Dulcet tibt pnt Creatura, propter Deum, 
 
 * a quo fum ; fed dukior ipp Creator, qui omnibus major 
 
 * & rnelior. i r ci 
 
 ' The other ; In quHus plus Dei, in its plusjantu 
 ' fit Vvluptatis, & cum iis te conjungi cupias. 
 
 'GOD mufl be the Sweet of all Creatures to me ; 
 
 * and the more oi GOD in any Creatures, the more 
 
 * muR be my Regard, the more my Relifh tor them. 
 
 f. As wc go alonjT, ^ve cannot well avoid a Touch 
 upon Cohcfion. \Vc fee t%vo very plain, fmooth, well- 
 polifli'd Bodies, will firmly cohe-rc, even in an e'x^^rv/?.^ 
 Rea:vcr. This renders it evident, that Cohejion is not 
 ONV in- to the Gravity, nor to any other Property ofc . 
 o^thc Air. Whau appears in the Sunaces ct cohering 
 Bod-^cs upon their brcakin?:, fhows us. That a necef- 
 farv Condition of Cohcfion is a Conirruity of Siofa.es ; 
 and fuch as excludes any It :id trom lying bctv.eeii 
 them We may fuppofc, with Dr. Cheyne, that ionic 
 of the Primary Atoms, whereof Bodies are conllituted, 
 are tcrrpinated with plain and fncoth Surlaces on all 
 fides ; whicli Will produce Bodies of the ftrongejl Gj- 
 hefion ■ Others arc partly tcrmi^iatcd with plai^i and 
 fjnocth and partly with curve Surfaces, which will 
 prnduce Bod.es of a' mchner Ohefion. Others are en- 
 tirely tcrmina-v! with a.'rre Surfaces, which will pro- 
 duce Ffuid<\ and between thcfe cntir-ly plain and 
 /moor/;, and eniirr'.v ^.7,0;.% there are in imte Q-w^/w^- 
 tions if Surfac.^^, pUm, and fmocth, and curve, which 
 vill account f r all the varou<; Decrees of Cohefion in 
 Bodies, in refpcft of the.r Figures. But now theCew^f, 
 which hinders tlie Separation of Bodies, when the 
 Po'nts of their Surfaces are brrught into Conta'it ; 
 rrhisl can be nothing bv.t; the unimfal Lavj of Anrac- 
 tim whorcbv all the Parts cs'^ Muter endeavour to 
 cn/orace one' ancthcr, and cannot be fcpara:ed but, 
 
 by 
 
The Chriflian Philojopher. 8 1 
 
 by a Force, that fhall be fuperiour to that by which 
 hey attraB. 
 '■ Being arrived here, we are gotten within a little 
 of the Glorious GOD. The very next Step we 
 take muft be into Him, who iS the immediate Caiife 
 of Weight in Matter. None but He producing, im- 
 printing, preferving that Property in Matter, is to be 
 now confidered. We will go on to take notice of 
 that Property/ 
 
 ESSAY XXI. O/Gravitv. 
 
 TO our Globe there is one Property fo exceediiig- 
 ly and fo generally fubfervient, that a very great 
 Notice is due to it ; that is, G r a v i t y, or the Ten- 
 dency of Bodies to the Center, 
 
 ' A mofl noble Contrivance (as Mr. Derham obferves} 
 to keep the feveral Globes of the Univerfe from fhat- 
 tering to pieces, as they would elfe evidently do in a 
 little Time^ thro their fwift Rotation round their 
 own Axes, Our Globe in particular, which revolves 
 at the rate of above a thoufand Miles* an Hour, would, 
 by the centrifugal Force of that Motion, be foon dlffi- 
 pated, and fpirtled into the circumambient Space, 
 were it not kept well together by this wondrous Con-- 
 trivance of the Creator, Gravity, or the Pov:er of At^ 
 traElion. By this Power alfo all the Parts of the Globe 
 are kept in their proper Place and Order ; all Bodies 
 gravitating thereto do unite themfelves with, and pre- 
 ferve the Bulk of them entire i and the fleeting Wa- 
 ters are kept in their conftant ^quipoife, remaining 
 in the Place which God has founded for them, a Bound 
 luhich He hath fet, that they may not fafs, that they turn 
 not again to cover the Earth. It is by the virtue of this 
 glorious Contrivance of the great God, -who formed all 
 'Things, that the Obfervation of the Pfalmift is perpe- 
 tually fulfilled : Thon rulefl the raging of the Sea ; when 
 the JVavQS thereof arife, thou ftilleft them. 
 
 G Very 
 
8i The Chrifiian Philofofher. 
 
 Very various have been the Sentiments of the Curi- 
 ous, what Caufe there Ihould be aflign'd for this great 
 and catholick Afl'cdion cf Matter, the l^ti Ontripeta : 
 I fliall wave them all, and Ifury them in the Piuce of Si- 
 leme, with the Mueria Striata oi Defcartes^ which our 
 Keil has very fufficieluly brought to nothing', and per- 
 haps the Fluid of Dr. Houk muil go the fame way. ""Tis 
 enough to me \s hat that incomparable Mathematician, 
 Dr. Halley^ has declar'd upon it : That, after all, Gra- 
 'vity is an Efted infolvable by aiw philof pLicnl H)pcthe- 
 fis ; it muft be religioufly rcfolv'd into the immediate 
 IVill oi our mod wife Creator, who, by appoint- 
 ing this La-Wy throughout the material World, keeps 
 all Bodies in their proper Places and Stations, which 
 without it would foon fall to pieces, and be utterly 
 deftroyM. 
 
 All Bodies defcend ftill towards a Point, which ei- 
 ther is, or lies near to, the Center of the Globe. Should 
 our Almighty GOD change that Center hut the two 
 thoufandth part of the Radii^s of our Globe, the Tops 
 of our highell Mountains would be foon laid under 
 Water. 
 
 In all Places cqui-diflant from the Center of our 
 Globe, the Force of Gravity is nearly equal. 
 
 Indeed, as it has been proved' by Sir Ifaac Nl>v:*o;j^ 
 the Equatorial Parts are fomething higher than the Po- 
 lar Parts; the difterencc between the Earth's Diame- 
 ter and Asi\ being about thirty-four EugHjh Miles. 
 
 Gravity does equally atlea all Bodies. The ah folate 
 Gravity ot all is the fame. Abflrading from the relift- 
 ance of the Medium, the molt cowpatl and the moil 
 ^'ff^J^, the grt^atift and the jmaLeft^ would defcend 
 an equal Space in an equal 'Time. In an cxliauflcd 
 Receiver a Fiathtr will defcend as fail as a Pound of 
 Lead. But this reliiiancc cf the Medium has produced 
 a Qomparativt Gravity. And upon the ditfcrencc oifpe- 
 cifick Gravity in many Bodies, the ObllTvations of our 
 Philofophcrs have been very curious. i 
 
 According 
 
The Chrifiian PhilofopheK 85 
 
 According to the exquifite Halky and Huygens, the 
 Defcent of heavy Bodies is after the rate of about Jixteen 
 Foot in j)ne Second of Time. 
 
 Neverthelefs this Power increafes as you defccnd to, 
 decreafes as you afcend from the Center of the Globe, 
 and that in proportion to the Squares of the Diftances 
 therefrom reciprocally j fo as, for inftance, at a dou- 
 ble diftance to have but a quarter of the Force. A 
 'Ton Weight on the Surface of the Earth, raifed Hea- 
 ven-wards unto the height of one Semidiameter of 
 the Earth from hence, would weigh but one quarter 
 of a Tin. At three Semidiameters from the Surface 
 of the Earth, it would be as eafy for a Man to carry 
 a Ton^ as here to carry little more than an hundred 
 Pounds. At the diftance of the Moon^ which fuppofe 
 to be fixty Semidiameters of the Earth, 3600 Pounds 
 weigh but one Pounds and the Fall of Bodies is but fix- 
 teen Foot in a whole Minute. 
 
 I remember I have fomewhere met with fuch a de- 
 vout Improvement of this Obfervation : ' The further 
 ' you fly towards Heaven, the more (if I may ufe the 
 ' Falconers Word) you muft lejfen. There is great 
 
 * reafon why it fhould be fo. Defamations particular- 
 
 * ly will be Things, by which you muft be lejfen d: 
 ^ you muft meet with heavy Things ; Defamations are 
 
 * in a Angular manner fuch ; they are not eafy to car- 
 
 * ry ; "tis not eafy to carry it well under them ', fome 
 
 * of them are a Ton Weight. But, 7ny Friend^ if you 
 "^ were as near Heaven as you ought to be, you \\ould 
 ' make light of them ; you would bear them wonder- 
 ' fully V 
 
 The acute BoreJli has demonftrated that there is no 
 fuch thing as pofttive Levity^ and that Levity is only a 
 lefTer degree of Gravity. But how ufeful is this, not 
 only to divers Tribes of Animals^ but alfo to the rai- 
 ling up of the many Vapours^ which are to be convey d 
 about the World ? The Evaporations, which, accord- 
 ing to Mr. Siidikan^ Obfervations, and others, are the 
 
 G 2 fcweft 
 
^4 ^^^ Chrijlian Philofopher. 
 
 icwcfl ill the Winter, and grcatcft in the Summer, the 
 moil of all in wintiy Weatlier, and conlidcrably ex- 
 ceed Avliat falls in Rain, many being tumbled about 
 find fpent by the Winds, and many falling down in 
 Dew s. 
 
 The ingenious //.?% has yet a fufpicion that there 
 may be fome certain Matter, which may have a Com- 
 ills directly contrary to that of Gravity; as in Vegetati^ 
 en the Sprouts directly tend againfl the Perpendicular, 
 
 Dr. Gregory dcmonflrates, that the antient Aftrono- 
 mer^ were not ignorant of the heavenly Bodies gravi- 
 fating towards one another, and being prcferv'd in 
 their Orbits by the Force of Gravity. 
 
 Mr. Keil fhews, tliat the Force of Gravity to the 
 centrijv.gal Force ^ in a Body placed at the Equator of 
 our Globe, is as 285? to i ; fo that by the centrifugal 
 Force arifing from the Earth's Rotation, any Body pla- 
 ced in the Equator lofes a iS^th part ot the Weight 
 it would have if the Globe were at reft. And fmce 
 there is no centrifugal Force at the Poles, a Body there 
 weighs 289 Pounds, which at the Equator would 
 weigh but 288. On our Globe the decrcafe of Gra- 
 *vit\\ in going from tiie Poles towards the Equator^ is 
 ah^avs as the Square of the Co fine ofrhe Latitude. — Qiiod 
 fac': Ndtnra (to ufc Tz/Z/y's Words^ per omnem Munduni^ 
 C7nnia hLntc & Raticne conficiem. 
 
 Mr. Samuel Clark obferves, 'Tis now evident tliat 
 the moft univerfal Principle of Gravitation., the Spring 
 of almoft all the great and regular inanimate Motions 
 jn the World, anfwering not at all to the Surfaces of 
 Bodies, by which alone they can act one upon another, 
 but entirely to their folid Content; cantiot pofTibly be 
 tlic refulr of any Motion originally imprclVed on Mat^ 
 ter^ but rj^.uft of npceflky be caufed by fomething which 
 penetrates- the \ery Subdance of all Bodies, and con- 
 tinually ptits fcrth in tJ>eni a Fcrce or Poivcr entirely dif- 
 ferent from that by which Matter ads on Matter. This 
 ^ he adds) is* an tviiiou Dnmnft-ratlon^ mt onh of tht 
 
 I Void's 
 
T/;^ Chnfitan Phnofopher. 85 
 
 'IVoyWs being made originally by a fufreme intelligent Canfe^ 
 Lilt moreover that it depends eatery moment on fome fuperior 
 Being, fir the Prefervation of its Frame, and that all the 
 great Motions in it are caujed by fome immaterial Powe}', 
 not having originally impreffed a certain Quantity of Motion 
 upon Alatter, but perpetually and aciually exerting itfelf 
 every Moment in evei-y Part of the World : which pre- 
 ferving and governing Power gives a very noble Idea of 
 Providence. 
 
 Dr. Cheyne demonri rates. That Gravity, or the At^ 
 traBion of Bodies towards one another, cannot be me- 
 chanically accounted for. The Planets themfelvcs can- 
 not continue their Motions in their Orbs without it. 
 It is not a Refult from the Nature of Matter, becaufe 
 the Efficacy of Matter is communicated by immediate 
 ContaH, and it can by no means ad at a diftance. 
 Whereas this Power of Gravitation ads at all Diflan- 
 ces, without any Medium or Inftrument for the Con- 
 veyance of it, and pafles as far as the Limits of the 
 Univerfe. Matter is indeed entirely pajjtve, and can't 
 either tend or draw, with regard unto other Bodies, no 
 more than it can move itfelf And what is eflential to 
 Matter cannot be intended or be remitted ; but Gravity 
 increafes or diminifhes reciprocally, as the Squares of 
 the Diftances are increafed or diminiflied. 'Tis plain 
 this univerfal Force of Gravitation is the Effect of the 
 Divine Power and Virtue, by which the Operations of 
 all material Agents are preferved. They that prefs for 
 a mechanical Account of Gravity, advance a Notion of a 
 fubtile Fluid, unto the Motion w^hereof they would 
 afcribe it. But then ftill thofe Parts of Matter mufh 
 be deftitute of Gravity, which were very unlikely ! 
 And this HypothefiS would ftill remove us but one. Step 
 further from immechunical Principles -, for the Caufe of 
 the Motion of your fubtile Fluid, this, J^emlemen, you 
 muft o\\ n to be immechanical. Since ^u mull admit 
 a firfl. Caufe, you had as good be fenfible of it in this 
 place. "Tis Ee who does immediately imprcfs on 
 
 G 3 Matter,- 
 
86 7^^ Chriflictn Philojopher. 
 
 ALitter this Pi\)perry. There never was yen afforded- 
 unto the World (as my Doctor obfervcs) a Syftem of 
 JSlatural Philohjhy which did not require Po/lulatcSy 
 that are nc^t mechanicauy to be accounted for. The 
 fcwefb any one pretends to, are, the Exiftence oj Matter ^ 
 and the brprc-jjlva of recli linear Mctiom^ and the Preftrva- 
 tion of the Faculties of natural Agents. No Man has pre- 
 tended to fetch from the Principles of Mechariifm an 
 Account for thefe. The Lupnfftin of an attraBi've Fa- 
 culty upon Matter^ is no harder a Pofiulate than the reft. 
 It is a Matter of Faci, that Matter is in pofTefTion of this 
 Quality. And it can be referred unto nothing, but 
 the InHuence of that Glorious O N E, who is the/)/? 
 Caiife of all Things. 
 
 * Behold, a continual Oppcrrunity for a confiderate 
 ' and religious Man, to have a Senf of a Glorious 
 'GOD awakenM in him ! And what is a PFalk uith 
 
 * God, but that Seiife kept alive in every Step of our 
 ' M'^alk ? I am continually entertain'd with -weighty 
 
 * Btuly^ or Matter tending to the Center of Gravity; I 
 ' feel it in my on^n. The Caufe of this 'Tendency^ 'tis 
 
 * the Glorious GOD. Great GOD, Then giveft this 
 
 * Matter f tic b a T'endcncy^ and thou kcepefi it in its Opera- 
 
 * lira. There is no other Caufe but the JVill and 
 ' Wij'k of the Glorious GOD. I am now eftc(5tually 
 
 * convinc'd'of that anticnr Confeffion, and muft with 
 ' Aftedicn rr.akc it, He is not Jar from tuery one of us. 
 ' When I ice any thing moving or fettling that way 
 ' that its hean.y Nature carries it, I may very juftly 
 
 * th-nk,. and I would often form the Thought, it is 
 ^ the Glorious G D-, -Jj/io iuiv tanies this Matter ftich a 
 
 .* v:ay ! When Matter finks dotirrjuard, niy Spirit fliall 
 
 * even the-rcfure mount upikwd, in acknowledgment of 
 
 * the Gcd vho orders it. I Avill no longer complain, 
 ' Bel.old, Ig'f^ivardy but He is not the c, an.i backward^ 
 
 * but I canKot ftrceize Him; on the Left-hand^ "d'heie He 
 
 * doth ti'ork^ but J cannot hhold Him ; He hideth himfelf 
 ' ui the Right-hand, tl at I cannot fee Him. No, lam 
 
 * now 
 
The Chriflian Vhilojofher. 87 
 
 * now taught where to meet with Him, even at enjery 
 
 * turn. He knows the way that I take. I cannot ftir/or- 
 ^ ward or [backward, but I perceive Him in the Weight 
 
 * of every Matter; on the Left-hand and on the Right I 
 ^ lee Him at work. My wa^ fhall be to improve this 
 
 * as a weighty Argument for the Being of a God. I 
 ' will argue from it. Behold^ there is a God, whom I 
 ^ ought for ever to love y and ferve, and glorify. Yea, and 
 ' if I am tempted to the doing of any wicked thing, I 
 
 * may re-lec5t, that it cannot be done without fome 
 
 * Adion, wherein the Weight of Matter operates. But 
 
 * then I iviay carry on the Refledion, How near am 1 
 
 * to that Glorious GOD, whofe Commands I am going to 
 
 * violate ! Matter keeps his Laws ; but, iny Soul, wilt 
 
 * thju break 'em ! How Jhall I do this Wickednefs, and 
 therein deny the God, who not only is above, but alfo is 
 
 ^ wojl fenfibly now exerting His Power in the very Matter^ 
 ' upon which I make my criminal Mifapplications !* 
 
 •[f. Before we go any further, it appears high time 
 to introduce an Allertion or two of that excellent 
 Philofoplier Dr, Cheyne, in his Philofcphical Principles of 
 natural Religion. He afferts, and with Demonftration, 
 (for truly without that he afferts nothing !) that there 
 is no fuch thing as an univerfal Soul, animating the 
 vafl Syftem of the World, according to Plato -, nor any 
 fubflantial Forms, according to Arijiotle; nor any om- 
 nifcient radical Heat, according to Hippocrates; nor 
 any plafiick Virtue, according to Scaliger ; nor any hy^ 
 larchick Principle, according to More. Thefe are mere 
 allegorical Terms, coined on purpofe to conceal the 
 Ignorance of the Authors, and keep up their Credit 
 with the credulous Part of Mankind. 'Thefe uninteUi" 
 gible Beings are derogatory from, the Wifdom and Pow- 
 er of the Great GOD, who can eafily govern the 
 Machine He could create, hy more dire6t Methods than 
 employing fuch fubfervient Divinities'; and indeed 
 thefe Beings will not krve the Defign for which we 
 invent them, unlcfs we endow them with Faculties 
 
 G 4 above 
 
S8 The Chriftian Philojopher. 
 
 above the Dignity oifecondary Agents. It is now plalif 
 from the moft evidem PrincipJes, that the Great GOD 
 nor only has the Springs of this immenfe Maihine^ and 
 all the feveral Parts of it, in his own Hand, and is 
 the fir ft Mover ; but that without His continual Influence 
 the whole Movement would foon fall to pieces. Yet 
 befides this. He has referred to Himfelf the power of 
 difpenfwg with thefe Laws^ whenever He pleafes. 
 
 My Docftor has made it evident. That it is not ef- 
 fential to Matter to be either in Reft or in Motion: But 
 tho there is in Matter a Vis inertia ^ by which all Bo- 
 dies refill, to the utmoll of their power, any Change of 
 their State, whether of Reft or Motion ; yet this Vis is 
 not efi'ential to Matter^ but a pofitive Faculty implanted 
 therein by the Author of Nature. It is therefore evi- 
 dent that the Prefervation of a Body in Reft or in Motion 
 (utter the firft Inflant) abfolutely depends on the Al- 
 mighty G OD, as the Caufe. No part of Matter can 
 move itfelf, nor when put into motion, is this Motion 
 abfolutely cflential to its Being, nor does depend up- 
 on itfelf ; and therefore the Prefervatio/t of this Motion 
 mufl have its Depcndancc on fome other Caufe. But 
 there is no other Caufe aflignable befides the cmnipo- 
 tent Caufe, who prefenes the Being and Faculties of 
 all natural Agents. i 
 
 Great GOD, en the Behalf of oM thy Creatures, I ac- 
 hiQwledgc in T'hee lue move and have our Being ! 
 
 ESSAY XXII. Ofthe^VxTz^. 
 
 PURE IVatcr is a Fluid void of all Sapor, and 
 fccms to coniifl ot Imall, fmooth, round and po- 
 rous Particles, that arc of equal Diameters and equal 
 Craiiries. There are a'fo between them Spaces, that 
 arp fo large, aiui ranged in fuch a manner, as to be 
 on all fidc$ pcrviovjs. Their Smcothtief accounts for 
 their lliding cafily over the Surfaces of one another. 
 IhJirRoundiufi kcc^s them from touching one ano- 
 ther 
 
The Chrifiian FhilojQpher. 89 
 
 ther in more Points than one. So great is their Poro^ 
 fty, that there is at leaft forty times as much Space as 
 Mdtter in Water. For Water is ninpteen times fpeci- 
 fically lighter than Goldi but Gold Avill by Preflure let 
 Water thro its Pores, and has doubtlefs more PC'rei 
 than/olid Parts. 
 
 Dr. Wainwright obferves. The compounding Parti- 
 cles of Water are lefs than thofe of Air ; the former 
 will pafs thro feveral Bodies that the latter will not; 
 it will force itfelf thro the Skins of Animals, even af- 
 ter they are dried and converted into Leather. Faften 
 a ftrong Rope, of what length you plcafe, to an Hook; 
 at the bottom of the Cord hang any Weight fhort of 
 what will break it, thp* ever fo great ; you will find 
 the Weight will rife in moijfi Weather, and ftnk in dry. 
 You may alfo raife the Weighty by moiftening the fides 
 of the Cord with a wet Sponge. Thus a few Particles 
 of Water may overcome any finite Refiftance^ if a Cord 
 will bear it. Now fince there is but a little Quanti- 
 ty of Water in this Experiment, and this is driven in- 
 to the fides of the Cord with a Force no greater than 
 the Weight of a Cylinder of Air incumbent on the 
 Water ^ therefore the Water mufl ad by a Property, 
 •whereby its Force is greatly augmented; and this can 
 be no other than that of the Cuneus : And the Forces 
 of Wedges are to one another reciprocally proportional 
 to the Angles their Edges do make. Bmt in Spheres the 
 greater or lefler Degree of Cur'vity is to be confidered 
 as their Angles^ when Spheres are confidered as Wedges^ 
 and the Degrees of Ciirvity in Spheres are reciprocally 
 as t\\^\X'Radii. Now the Particles of Water being fo 
 inconceivably fmall, much lefs than thofe of Air^ they 
 muft, when ading as ^^-i^ei, have their Powers incon- 
 ceivably increafed, fo as to overcome any finite Reftfi^ 
 ^nce. 
 
 If fuch Power is in a Particle of Water, what is T'hy 
 Power y Thou infinite Maker of that, and all things ! 
 
5)0 The Chrifiian Philojopher. 
 
 Dr. Cheyne obferves. That the Quantity of IVater 
 on the outfidc of our Globe doth daily decrcafe, part 
 of it being every day turn'd into Miner al. Vegetable y aiid 
 >^W7W«7/ Subftances, which are not eafily diffolved again 
 into their component Parts. 
 
 It is a Curiofity dcmonftrated by Mariotte, in his 
 Du Moiemtnt dei Eaux, That a Jet-d'ean never vill 
 rife as high as its Refervatory, but always fall fhort of 
 it by a Space, which is the fubduflkate Ratio of that 
 Height. 
 
 In the Congregatiom of Water ^ and the Diflrihuticns 
 of it over our Globe, we cannot but fee the wonder- 
 ful Wifdom and Goodnefs of our GOD. 'The great 
 emd ivide Sea^ wherein are fwimming Things innumeralie^ 
 ^ti^ full of Thy Riches, our GOD! And the Ufes of 
 it are mar\'ellous. The Waters are in the Place -jihich 
 Time, O our Cod, hafl prepared for them : Thou haft fet a 
 Botmd that they may not pafs over. ^' 
 
 A fanciful and prefumptuous Gentleman having 
 Tnade his Exceptions againft the Proportion of Witer to 
 dry Land on our Globe, is well anfwer'd by Mr. Keil; 
 That the Objed:ions proceed from a deep Ignorance 
 of Natural Philofophy. For if there were but half the 
 Sea that now is, there would be but lialf the Vapours ', 
 and we Hiould foon find our miferable want of thefe. 
 
 Mr. Ray affures us. That whei-e the bottom of the 
 Sea is not rocify, but Earth, Ouze, or Sand, which 
 is incomparabiy the greatcll part of it, it is by the 
 Motion of the Waters, as far as the Reciprocation of 
 the Sea extends to rlic bottom, e\ cry where brought 
 unto a Level ; that is to fay, it has an equtil and uni- 
 form Defeent from the Shores to the Deeps. 
 
 That the Motion of the Water dcfcends to a good 
 Depth, is pro\cd from the Plants, tliat grow deepeft 
 in the Sea; wliich all generally grow llat, in manner 
 of a Fan, and not with Bmnches on all liJes like Trfrc. 
 a thing that is contrived by the Divine Providence, tor 
 that the Edges o:' them do in that pollute, with moil 
 
 eat. 
 
^he Chrijlian Philofopher. 91 
 
 eafe, cut the Water flowing to and fro. Probably in 
 the greater Depths of the Sea there grow no Plants 
 at aH ; the Bottom is probably too remote for the ex- 
 ternal Air to pafs in a fufficient Qiiantity thither. 
 Nay, we are told that in thofe deep Seas there are no 
 Fijh at all ; their Spawn would be loft there : being 
 lighter than the Water, it will not fink thither ; and 
 the Climate there may be too cold for the quickening 
 of it. 
 
 According to Mr. Halkfs Experiment, Water as 
 warm as the Air in the Summer, will in twelve Hours 
 exhale the tenth fart of an Inch. This Quantity will 
 be found abundantly fufficient for all the Rains ^ and 
 all the Dews J and all the Sf rings in the World ; and 
 will account for the Caffian Sea^ and our vaft Canadian 
 Lakes, being always at a ftand ', and for the Current^ 
 laid always to fet in at the Streights of Gibraltar, tho 
 the Mediterranean Sea receive fo many Rivers. Every 
 ten fquare Inches of the Surface of the Water, yields in 
 Vapour per diem [we allow it only for the time the 
 Sun is up] a Cube Inch of Water. Every Mile will yield 
 6914 Tons. A fquare Degree of lixty-nine Englijb 
 Miles will yield thirty-three Millions of Tons. If the 
 Mediterranean Sea be eftimated at forty Degrees long, 
 and four broad, . which is the leaft, the whole Mediter- 
 ranean muft lofe inVapours in a Summer 's-day at leaft 
 5280 Millions of Tons. And yet fometimes the Winds 
 lick up the Surface of Water fafter than it exhales by 
 the Heat of the Sun. The Mediterranean Sea receives 
 nine confiderable Rivers. We will fuppofe each of 
 them to bring down ten times as much Water as the 
 River T'hames^ which they do nor ; but this will allow 
 for the fmall Rivulets. The T'hames^ allowing the 
 Water to run after the rate of two Miles an Hour, 
 may yield 20,300,000 Tons fer diem. Allow as be- 
 fore, and all the nine Rivers bring down 1827 Milli- 
 ons of Tons in a day. This is but little more than a 
 
 ^^hird 
 
91 The Chrijiian Philojopher. 
 
 Third of ^vhat is proved to be evaporated out of they 
 Mediterranean in t\veh'c Hours time. 
 
 The aftoni filing Flux and Reflux of the Sea, what 
 Benefits it aftbrds unto the World ! If the Ocean once 
 were flagnated, firft all the Places towards the Shore 
 would be turned into a Mephitis -, and then by dej^rees 
 it would yet further corrupt, until the whole became 
 as poifonous as the Lake of Sodom. The Fijhes would 
 be firfl hereby deftroyed, and by the poifonful Stcahis, 
 anon the Plants and Animals would fhare in the De- 
 ftru6tion. In the T'ide of the Sea the Waters are lift- 
 ed up in an Heap, and then let fall again. So the 
 fear'd Corruption is prevented : And how many Con- 
 veniences afforded for our Navigation f But what ? 
 Oh ! what the Original of it ? Where's the Zapbnatb 
 Paancah who fhall enlighten us ? 
 
 On our Globe all Bodies have a Tendency towards 
 the Center of it. And fuch a Gravitation there is to- 
 wards the Center of the Sun, and of the Moon, and of 
 all the Planets, There is caufc to fufped that the 
 Force of Gravity is, in the Celeftial Globes, proportio- 
 nal to the Quantity of Matter in each of them. The 
 Sun, for inflance, being more than ten thoufand times 
 as big as the Earth, its Gravitation, and the attracting 
 Force of it, is ten thoufand times as .much as that of 
 the Earth, ading on Bodies at the fi\me Diftanccs. 
 
 IF our Globe were alone, or not affected by the 
 Actions of the Sun and the Moon, the Ocean, equally 
 prcffed by the Force ot Gravity towards the Center, 
 would continue in a perfed Stagnation, always at the 
 fame height, without ever ebbing or floiving. But it 
 is demonllrated, that the Sun and the Moon have a 
 like Principle of Gravitation towards their Centers, 
 and our Globe is alfo within the Activity of their At- 
 traftions. Whence it will follow, tliat the Equality 
 oF the Predure of G)(t7;/(v towards the Center will be 
 thereby diilurbed. And tho the Smallncfs of thefc 
 Forces, in rcfpcCt oi tlic Gravitation towards the Cen- 
 ter 
 
Hoe Chrifiian Philojopher. 95 
 
 ter of the Earth, render them imperceptible, yet the 
 Ocean being fluid, and yielding to the lead Force, by 
 its rjjing fhews where there is the lead Preflure upon 
 it, and where it is moft prefled, by Jinking. Accord- 
 ingly we iliall find, that where the Moon is perpendi- 
 cularly either above or below the Horizon, there the 
 Force of Gravity is moll: of all diminifhed, and confe- 
 quently. that there the Ocean muft necellarily fwell, by 
 the coming in of the Water from thofe Parts where 
 the PrefTure is great eft, namely, in thofe where the 
 Moon is near the Horiz^on. The Sea, which otherwife 
 Would be fphericaly upon the PrefTure of the Moon muft 
 form itfelf into a fpberoidal or oval Figure ^ w^hofe 
 longeft Diameter is where the Moon is vertical, and 
 ihorteft where file is in the Horizon , and the Moon 
 fhifting her Pofition as fhe turns round our Globe 
 once a day, this Oval o^ Water fhifts with her, occafi- 
 oning thereby the two Floods and Fbbs obfervable in 
 each five and twenty Hours. The Spring-Tides upon 
 the Neiv and Full Moons, and the Neap-Tides upon the 
 Quarters, are occafion'd by the attradive Force of the 
 Sun in the Nezv and Full, confpiring W'ith the Attradi- 
 on of the Moon, and producing a Tide by their united 
 Fbrces, Whereas in the Quarters the Sun raifes the 
 Water where the Moon depreffes, and on the contrary; 
 fo as the Tides are made only by the difierence of their 
 AttraElion. The Sun and Moon being either conjoin 'd 
 or oppofite in the Equinoclial, produce the grcateft 
 Spring-Tides. The fubfequent Neap-Tides being pro- 
 duced by the Tropical Moon in the Quarters, are al- 
 ways the leafi Tides. 
 
 But then from the Shoalnefs of the Water in many 
 places, and from the Narrownefs of the Straits, by 
 which the Tides are in many places propagated, there 
 arifes a mighty Diverfity, which, without the Know- 
 ledge of the Places, cannot be accounted for. 
 
 Dr. Cheyne has taught me to take notice of one thing 
 more. If our Ea7-th had any more than one Moon at- 
 tending 
 
P4 ^^^ Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 tcndinc; it, we fhould rcceUe probably a Detriment 
 irom it, rather than an Advantage. For at the Con* 
 junftivH and Oppojiiiun with one another, and with the 
 Sun, we fliould have Tides that would raife the Wa- 
 ters to the Tops of our Mountains, and in their Qua- 
 dratures we fhould have no Tuies at all. 
 
 nty Sotily behvlding the Moon above, look up to God^ 
 'who ha:h fo wifdy pYopO)-tiond her^ for the Dejigas oil 
 luhich He placed ha there. 
 
 The Sea is the grand Fountain of thokfre/h Water ^^ 
 which fupply and enrich the Earth, and by conveni- 
 ent Channels are carried back to the place from 
 whence they came ; the perpetui F"ntei^ 'vitaque pe-ren- 
 nts Imago : How equally are thefe fre(h Waters diftri- 
 buted t How few Antigua* s in the World ? How a- 
 jrreeably are they dilpofed ? And what a prodigious 
 Run ha\e many of the Ri\'ers ? The Danube^ in a fo- 
 ber Account, as Bohun computes, runs fifteen hundred 
 Miles in a ftrait Line from its Rife to its Fall. The 
 Nile, according to Varenuis, allowing for Curvatures, 
 runs three thoufand Miles ; and the Niger two thou- 
 fand four hundred ; the Ganges twelve hundred ; the 
 Ama2.onian above thirteen hundred Spanijh Leagues. 
 
 f . ' But is it not high time for us to hear the Voice 
 " of many Waters ! . , • 
 
 ' One celebrating the Bounty of our God unt6 us 
 ' in the Water, fo cxprellcs it : Quo Thefuuro vel uni- 
 ' cum Elememum Aqu.t, ft Deus iliud in Sangninein, ut 
 
 * o//>w in Eeypto, converteret, pcjfemus rcdimere ? The 
 
 * Contemplation may be carried unto the Element 
 
 * that is next above it.* 
 
 An excellent Perfon, who writes Augufliffmam Na- 
 ture Siholam, has tlius rendred fomething of it articu- 
 late : Humj, ne tmitare Equos & Mulos, qui me quidira 
 hibunt, fed tantum bibiint. At tu, cut melior eft Anima, 
 it a me bibe,ut non taar.nn bibai,ftd beiudlcentem Deum ha- 
 beas dum bibis. Il.ijil'ii ant em ft agnofas ipfeus Majefta- 
 tern, eamquc colas. 
 
 Long 
 
The Chriflian Philojopher. 95! 
 
 Long fince have Ave been taught fuch Notes as 
 thefe. ^ Lord^ hoiv manifold are thy Works ! In Wifdom 
 
 * hafl thou made them aU. The Earth is full of thy Riches, 
 
 * Andfo is the great and wide Sea^ wherein are fwimming 
 ^ things innumerable.' 
 
 * But can we look on the Sea^ and not fee a Pidure 
 
 * of ^ troullefome World , fee and be inftruded/ 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 §.TX7E can fcarce leave the Water without fome 
 VV Remarks on our Fluids i and we will be 
 more particularly indebted to Dr. Cheyne for hinting 
 them lirft. How frugal is Nature in Principles^ and 
 yet how fruitful in Comfofitions and in Confequences ! 
 The primary Fluids are but fow% Water and Air, and 
 Mercury and Light, 'T\s but feldom that three of 
 thefe are much compounded with others. "'TIS Water 
 alone, ^tis Lymph, that is moftly the Bafis of all other 
 Mixtures ; and it is the Parts of folid Bodies floating 
 in this Fluid that produce all our pleafant and ufefui 
 Varieties of Liquors. 
 
 Again, How vaft the difference between the fpeci- 
 fick Granjities of our Fluids I Mercury is about eight 
 thoufand times heavier than Air. Air muft have 
 choak'd us, if it had been half fo heavy as Mercjiry. 
 And yet Mankind, in its prefent Circumllances of the 
 Blood- Veffels , voider frequent OhflruBions, could, not 
 well have douQ without fuch an hea'vy Fluid as Mer-- 
 cury. , ' 
 
 Thirdly, All Fluids agree in the condition of the 
 direction of their Preffure upon the (ides of the con- 
 taining VefTel. This Preffure is for ever communica- 
 ted in Lines perpendicular to the fides of the contain- 
 ing Vefl'el. This beautiful and uniform Property of 
 all Fluids neccHarily follows from the Sphericity of their 
 conllituent Particles. 
 
 Our 
 
9(5 Tlje Chrifiian Philojopher. 
 
 Our Dodor's Conclufion is as I would have it. 
 
 * Now could any thing but the Almighty Po-uaer of 
 ' God have rounded thofe infinite numbers of fmall 
 
 * Particles whereof Fluids confift? Or could any thing 
 
 * but his IViJdorn have afligned them their true Di- 
 
 * menfions, their exacl Weights, and required Solidi- 
 
 * ties ?' 
 
 I befeech you. Sirs, by what Laws of Mechanifm 
 were all the Particles of the feveral Fluids turned of 
 differing Diamettrs, differing Solidities, differing Weights 
 from one another ; but all of the fame Diameters, and 
 Solidities, and Weights among thcmfelves ? Ti/V is the 
 Finger' of God ! It is a juft All'crtion of Dr. Grev.)^ T'hc 
 Regularity of Corporeal Priticiphs Jhtivs that they come at 
 frfl from a Divine Regulator. 
 
 ESSAY XXIII. 0/^/j^Earth. 
 
 THE lord by Wijdom ha^ founded the Earth, A 
 poor Sojourner on the Earth now thinks it his 
 Duty to behold and admire the JVtfdom of his glorious 
 Maker there. 
 
 The Earth, which is the Balls and Support of fo 
 many Vegetables and Animals, and yields the iilimen- 
 tary Particles, whereof i^/^//tT is tlK! Vehicle, for their 
 NouriHimcnt : Qrwwn omnium (as 7uUy faith well) in- 
 tredibilis Multitudo, infatiabili Varietate diflinguitur. 
 
 The various Moulds and Soils of tbc Earth declare 
 the admirable Wifdom of the Creator,, in making fuch 
 a pro\ ifion for a xafi: variety ot Intentiojjs. God faid^ 
 Let the Earth bring forth ! 
 
 And yer, 
 
 Nu 'vcro T^erra ferre omncs omnia poffunt. 
 
 It is pretty odd ; they who have written de Art: 
 C'.mbinatoria, reck(Mi of no fewer than one hundred 
 and fc\ent^Miine Millions, one thoufand and lixty dit-* 
 iercnt Ibrts* of Earth : But wc n^ay content ourfelve^ 
 
 with 
 
ni^e Chrifiian Philofopher. 97 
 
 with Sir John Evelyns Enumeration, which is very 
 'ihc^t of that. 
 
 rtowever, the Vegetables owe not fb much of their 
 Life and Growth to the Earth itfelt, as to fome agree- 
 able Juices or Salts lodged in it; Both Mr. Boyle and 
 Van Helmonty by Experiments, found the Earth fcarce 
 at all diminifhed When Plants^ even Trees^ had been 
 for divers Years growing in it. 
 
 The Strata of tue Earth, its Lays and Beds^ afford 
 furprizihg Matters of Obfervatiop^^ the Objecls lodged 
 in them ) the Ufes made of them ; and particularly the 
 Paffage they giv'e to fweet Waters, as being the Calan- 
 ders wherein they are fweetned. It is alTcrted that 
 thefe are found all to lie very much according to the 
 Laws of Gravity. Mr. Derham went far to demon- 
 ftrate this Affertion. 
 
 The vain Colts of AJjfes, that fain would he 'wife, have 
 cavill'd at the unequal Surface of the Earth, have opened 
 againft the Mountains, as if they were fuperfluous £x- 
 crefcences ; but M^arts deforming the Face of the 
 Earth, and Proofs the Earth is but an Eleap of Rub- 
 bifh and Ruins. Pliny had more of Religion in him. 
 
 The fagacious Dr. Halley has obferved. That the 
 Ridges of Mountains being placed thro the midfl of 
 their Continents, do ferve as Alemhicks, to diflil frefli 
 Waters in vaft Quantities for the Ufe of the World : 
 And their Heights give a Bcfcent unto the Streams, 
 to run gently, like fo many Veins of the Macrocofm, 
 to be the more beneficial to the Creation. The 
 generation of Clouds, and the diflribution of Rains; 
 accommodated and accomplifhed by the Mountains, is 
 indeed fo obfervable, that the learned Scheuchz.er and 
 Creitlovius can^t forbear breaking out upon it with a 
 Mi rati fummam Creator is Sapientiam ! 
 
 What Rivers could there be without thofe admirablti 
 *Tvoh of Nature I 
 
 Vapours being raifed by the Sun, afting on the Sur- 
 face of the Sea, as a Fire under an Alembick, by ra- 
 
 H lefying 
 
98 ly Chrifiim Philojopher. 
 
 rdyi ng nf it, makes the lightcft and trefhefi; Portions 
 thereof to rife Hr!i ; a\ liich Rarejaclion is made (asDti 
 Che)ue obferves) by the iniinuatioii of its a(5ii\e Parti- 
 cles among the porous Parts thereof, whereby tiicy are 
 put into a violent Motion many diftcrent 'uays, and 
 fo are expanded into little Bubbles ot' larger Dimcn- 
 fions than formerly they had ; and fo they become fpc- 
 cifically lighter, and the weightier Atmofphere buoys 
 them up. The Streams of thele Fu-pvurs reft in places 
 where the Air is of equal Gravity with them, and are 
 carried up and down the Atmofpho'e by the courfe of 
 that Air, till they hit at lall againfi: ^he fides of the 
 Mouinaius^ and by this Concullion are condenfed, and 
 thus become heavier than the Air they fvvum in, and 
 fo gleet down the rocky Caverns of thefe Mountains^ 
 the inner parts whereof being hollow and ftony, afford 
 them a Bafon, until they are accun-^ulated in fufficient 
 Qiianntics, to break out at the firll Crany : wiience 
 thev defccnd into Plains, and feveral of them uniting, 
 form Rivulets ; and many of thofe uniting, do grow 
 into PJvas. This is the Story of them ; this their Pt?- 
 cligree ! 
 
 Mineialsave dug out o( Mot^ntains ; which, if they 
 Avero fought only in lc\cl Countries, the Delis would 
 be fo down \\ ith Waters, that it \vould be impoifible 
 to make Addits or Soughs to drein them. Here is, as 
 0/j«f Magnus exprcfl'es it, Ineshayfla pretiofo-nmi Metal-* 
 Ivrurn idotas, 
 
 A 6't'>w.7w Writer, got upon the Mount ains^^wcs this 
 Account ot them ; Sunt ceii tot naturalcs Firnaies Chymi" 
 tvf, in quihiK Dens vnria Met alia O Mineralia escoquit 
 & iniitm/it. 
 
 The Uai.-u.iM.> aiiu .). ./•/ /;\ of Mankind are made 
 vaflly the more comfortable for the Mojoitains. There 
 is a vaft variety r^f PLms proper to the Mountains . and 
 many Animals find the Mounui:ns their moft proper 
 places to breed and f(?cd in. "The higbcft Hilis a Refuge 
 
 to 
 
^rhe Chrifiian Philofopher. 99 
 
 to the viild Goats ! A Point Mr. Ray h^s well fpoken 
 
 to. 
 
 They report that Hippocrates did ufually repair to 
 
 the Motmtains for the Plants^ by which he wrought 
 
 the chief of his Cures. 
 
 Mountains alfo are the moft convenient Boundaries 
 
 to Territories, and afford a Defence unto them. One 
 
 calls them the BuJwarhs of Nature^ cuft up at the Charges 
 
 of the Almighty ; the Scorns and Curias of the mofi liEiorious 
 
 Armies, The Barbarians in Curtius were confidently 
 
 fenfible of this ! 
 
 Yea, we may appeal to the Senfes of all Men, Avhe- 
 
 ther the grateful Variety of Hills ^nd Dales be not 
 
 more pleafing than the iargeft continued Plains. 
 
 "^Tis alfo a falutary Conformation of the Earth ; fome 
 
 Conftitutions are befl fuited alove^ and others below. 
 Truly thefe maffy and lofty Piles can by no means 
 
 be fpared. 
 
 Galen ^ thou fhalt chaftize the Pfeudo-Chriflians , 
 
 who reproach the Works of God. Say ! Accu- 
 
 fandi fane mea Sententia. hicfunt Sophifla^ qui chm nondum 
 
 invenire neque exponere Opera Naturae queant^ earn tamen 
 
 inertia atque infcitia condemnant. 
 
 Say now, Man, fay, under the fweet Conftraints 
 
 of Demonftration, Great G Dy the Earth is full of thy 
 
 Goodnefs ! 
 
 And Dr. Grew fhall carry on the more general Ob- 
 
 fervation for us. * How little is the Mifchief which 
 the Air, Fire, or Water fometimes doth, compared 
 with the innumerable Ufes to whicn they daily fer\ e ? 
 Befides the Seas and Rivers, how many 'ixhokfome 
 Springs are there for one that is poifonous ? Are the 
 Northern Countries fubje(9: to did? They have a 
 greater plenty of Furs to keep the People warm. 
 Would thofc under or near the Line be fubjVct to 
 Heat ? They have a conftant Eaflerly Eree7.e, \\ hxh 
 blows ftrongeft in the Heat of the Day, to retrelh 
 them X And With this Refrefliment without, they 
 
 H a ^ have 
 
100 T^he Chrifiian Philojophr. 
 
 * have a variety of excellent P/tiits to comfort aiid cool 
 
 * them within. Ho\v admirably are the Clouds ied with 
 
 * Vapours, and carried about with the Winds y for the 
 
 * gradual, equal, and feafonable watering of mofl 
 ^ Countries ? And in thofc which liave lefs Rain^ how 
 
 * abundantly is the want of that fupplied with noble 
 
 * Ri-jers r 
 
 Even the fubterrancous Caverns have their Ufes. 
 And lb have the Ignivomous Mountains : Thofe terrible 
 things are Spiracles, to .vent the VaponrSy which elfa 
 might make a difmal Havock. Dr. M^oodward obferves, 
 'I'hat tho Places which are very fuDJed unto EartJj^ 
 quakes ufv;ally have thefe Volcanoes, yet without thefe 
 jiu-y Vents tucir Earthquakes would bring more trcnieii- 
 tious Defolations upon them. 
 
 Thofc two flammivomous Mountains, Vefuvius and 
 /Etna, have fometimes terrified the w^hole World with 
 tlieir tremendous Eruptions. Vefuvius traufmitted its 
 frightful Cinders as far as Conjiantnwp/p, which obliged 
 the Emperor to leave the City ; and Hiftorians tell us 
 there \\ as kept an Anniverfary Commemoration of it. 
 Kirchcr has given us a Chronicle of what furious things 
 have been done by yEtna ; the melted Matter which 
 one time it poured forth, fpreading in breadth fix 
 Miles, ran down as far as Catauca„ and forced a Paf- 
 fage into the Sea. 
 
 ' Afta abounds in thefe Volcano's. Africa is known 
 to have eight at lead. In America 'tis afilrmed that 
 there arc no lefs than fifteen, among that vail Chain 
 of Mountains called the Andes. One fays, ' Nature 
 
 * feems licrc to keep houfc under ground, and the 
 ' Hollov s of the Mountains to be the Funnels or Chim- 
 *' ne\s, l\v wiiich the fuliginous Matter of thofe cver- 
 ' lafting Fires afcends.' 
 
 The North too, tiiat fccms doom'd unto etenuil Cold^ 
 has its famous Hecla. And Bartholuwczc Zenct found 
 one in Greenland, yet nearer to the Pole; the Etieas 
 whereof are very furpnzing. 
 
 A 
 
The Chrifiian Philojopher. lOr 
 
 A rcafonable and religious Mind cannot behold 
 thefe formidable MountainSy without feme Reflections 
 of this importance : Great GO Dy who knows the Power 
 cf thine Anger ? Or what can fland before the powerful In- 
 dignation of that God, who can kindle a Fire in his Anger 
 that jh all burn to the loweft Hell, and fet on fire the Fuun- 
 daticns of the Mountains ! 
 
 The Volcanoes would lead us to confider the Earths 
 quakes, wherein the Earth often fuflbrs violent, and 
 fometimes very deftrudive Concu/fions. 
 
 'The Hiftory of Earthquakes would be a large, as well 
 as a fad Volume. Whether a ColluBatim of Minerals 
 in the Bowels of the Earth is the caufe of thofe direful 
 Convulfions, may be confidered: As we know a Com- 
 pofition of Gold which Aqua Regia has diffolvcd ; Sal 
 Armoniack, and Salt of Tartar, fet on fire, will with 
 an horrible crack break thro all that is in the way. 
 But Mankind ought herein to tremble before the Ju-. 
 flice of God. Particular Cities and Countries, what fear- 
 ful Defolatians have been by Earthquakes brought 
 upon them 1 
 
 The old finking of Helice and Buris, abfo^bed by 
 Earthquakes into the 5ea, mention^ by O/vid, or the 
 twelve Cities that were fo fwallow'd up in the Days 
 of Tiberius, are fmall things to what Earthquakes are 
 to do on our Globe j yea, have already done. I know 
 not what we fliall think of the huge Atlantis, men- 
 tioned by Plato, now at the bottom of the Atlamick 
 Ocean : But I know Varenim thinks it probable, that 
 the Northern Part of America was joined unto Ireland^ 
 till Earthquakes made the vaft and amazing Sep^ira-i 
 tion. Others have thought fo o^ England and Frmce; 
 of Spain and Africa ; of Italy and Sicily. 
 
 Ah, Sicily! Art thou come to be fpoken of ? No. 
 longer ago than t'other day what a rueful Speftacle 
 was there exhibited in the Illand of Sicily by an Earth- 
 quake, ill which there periflied the beft part of two 
 hundred thoufand Souls 1 
 
 H ? Yea, 
 
102* Tk Chriflicin Philojoj^her. 
 
 Yea, Amntianus Marcelimus teils us, in the Year 365, 
 HvYYendi Tremores per cmnem Orb'ts Arnlitun: grajjati 
 
 funt. 
 
 O Inhabitants of the Earth, how much ought you to 
 fear tlic things that Aviil bring you into ill Terms with 
 the Glorious GOD! Fear, led the Pit and the Snare 
 be upon you ! Againfl; all other Strokes there may 
 fome Defence or other be thought on : There is none 
 againft an Earthquake I It fays, Tho they hide in the top 
 c/'Carmelj /uv7/ find than there! 
 
 But furely the Earthquakes I have met with will ef- 
 fectually inflruft me to avoid the Folly of fetting my 
 Heart inordinately on any Earthly PoilcfTions or En- 
 joyments. Methiiiks I hear Heaven faying. Surely he 
 'liiiil receive this Inflruciion ! 
 
 A modern Philofophcr fpeaks at this rate, ' We do 
 not know when and where we ftand upon good 
 Ground : It would amaze the flout eft Heart, and 
 make him ready to die with Fear, if he could fee 
 into the fubterraneous JVorld, and view the. dark Re- 
 ceflcs of Nature under ground ; and behold, that 
 even the Ilrongcil; of our Piles of Building, whofe 
 Foundation we ihink is laid firm and faft, yet are 
 fct upon an Arch or Bridge, maue by the bending 
 Parts' of the E^-th one upon another, over a prodi- 
 gious Vault, at the bottom of vfiich there lies an 
 unfathomable Sea, but its upper Holiovs are tilled 
 with ftagnating Air, and with Expirations of ful- 
 phureous and bituminous Maiter. Upon fuch a 
 drea.ful Ab}fs we v alk, and ride, and lleep ; and 
 ^re fuAaincd only by an avi cd Rof which alfo is 
 not in all places of an equr.l Thicknefs/ 
 Give me leave to lay, I [^ke Earthquakes to be very 
 imving Preachers unto 'ti^orilj-nindcd I\ln : Their Ad- 
 drefs may b'- vcr\ a?^reeahly pi.t mto the 'I'erms of the 
 Prophet j Earth, Earth,' Earth, hear the JVv)d cf the 
 Lord ! 
 
 * Orrsfvftom 
 
l^e Chriflian Philofopher. lo^ 
 
 ' Chryfojlom did well, among his other Epithets, to 
 ^ call the Earth our 'Table ', but it fliall teach me as 
 ' well as feed me : May I be a Deipmfophifl upon it. 
 
 * Indeed, what is the Earth but a Theatre ^ as has 
 
 * been long fince obferved ? ^^ quo hfiiiita tf Illuflria, 
 ^ Providentia^ Bonitatis^ Potemia ac Sapientics Divinx 
 
 * SpeEiacuIa contem^landa ! But I muft not forget that 
 
 * this Earth is very fhortly to be my fleeping-place -, it 
 
 * has a Grave waiting for me : / vjill not fear to go 
 
 * ^(/U72, for thou haft promifed, O my Saviour ^^ to bring me 
 ! up again J* 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 §. TTAving arrived thus far, I will here make ^ 
 
 XjL Paule, and acknowledge the Shine of Hea- 
 ven on our Parts of the Earth, in the Improvements of 
 our modern Philofophy. 
 
 To render us the more fenfible hereof, we will 
 propofe a few Points of the Mahometan Philofophy, or 
 Secrets revealed unto Mahomet, which none of his Fol- 
 lowers, wha cover fo much of the Earth at this Day, 
 may dare to queflion. 
 
 The Winds ; \\s an Angel moving his Wings that 
 raifes them. 
 
 The Flux and Reflux of the Sea, is caufed by an 
 Angela putting his Foot on the middle of the Ocean, 
 w^hich compre/Ting the Waves, the Waters run to the 
 Shores ; but being removed, they retire into their 
 proper Station. 
 
 Falling Stars are the Firebrands with which the good 
 Angels drive away the bad, when they are too faucily 
 inquifitive, and approach too near the Verge of the 
 Heavens, to eves-drop the Secrets there. 
 
 Thunder is nothing elfe but the cracking of an An- 
 gel's Whip, while he (lafhes the dull Clouds into fuch 
 and fuch places, when they want Rains to fertilize the 
 Earth. 
 
 H 4 Edipfes 
 
104 ^^^ Chrijlian Philojopher. 
 
 Eclipfes are made thus: The Sun and Moon are fhuc 
 in a Pipe, which is turned up and down ; from each 
 Pipe is a Window, by which they enlighten the 
 World ; but when God is angry at the Inhabitants of 
 it for their Tranfgrcflions, He bids an Angel clap to 
 the Window, and fo turn the Light towards Heaven 
 from the Earth : for this Occaiion Forms of Prayer are 
 left, that the Almighty would avert his Judgments, 
 and reftore Light unto the World. 
 
 The thick-skull'd Prophet fets another Angel at 
 w^ork for Eartlauakes , he is to hold fo many Ropes 
 tied unto every Quarter of the Globe, and when he is 
 commanded, he is to pull j fo he fhakes that part of 
 the Globe : and if a City, or Mountain, or Tower, is 
 to be overturned, tlien he tugs harder at the Pulley, 
 till the Rivers dance, and the Valleys are filled with 
 Rubbifh, and the Waters are f\v allowed up in the 
 Precipices. 
 
 Moy our Devotion exceed the Mahometan as ?nuch a^ 
 cur Philofophy ! 
 
 ESSAY XXIV. 0/Magketism. 
 
 SUCH an unaccountable thing tlicre is as the 
 M A G N E T I s M oj the Earih. , A Principle very 
 difl'crent from that of Gravity. 
 
 The Operations of this amazing Principle, are 
 principally difcovcred in the communion that Iron has 
 w ith the Loadflone ; a rough, coarfe, unfightly Stone, 
 but of m.ore Value than all the Diamonds and Jt-nela 
 in the Uni\erfe. 
 
 It is obferved by Sturmius^ ^V\\txt the attraclive Qj(a- 
 hty ci the AKigHct was known to the Antients, e\en 
 be} end all Hiflory. Indeed, bclides what -P//>/v i*ays 
 nf it, Arijhtlc fpcaks of 'T'hales., as having faid, the 
 St/tie h.as a .V"'' '' -> •■. r /••-•• -."•> lc::u>\c it nwva 
 
 u 
 
The Chrtftian Philofopher. 105 
 
 It was Roger Bacon who firft of all difcovered the 
 Vertkity of the Magnet^ or its Property of pointing to- 
 wards the Pole^ about four hundred Years ago. 
 
 The Communication of its Vertue to Inn was firfl 
 of all difcovered by the Italians. One Goia firft lit up- 
 on the Ufe of the Mariner's Cof?ipafsy about A. C. 1300. 
 After this, the various Declination of the Need/e under 
 different Meridians, was difcovered by Cabot and Ncr- 
 man. And then the Variation of the Declination, fo 
 as to be not always the fame in one and the fame 
 place, by Hevelius^ Aiiz.ot^ Volckamer, and others. 
 
 The inquiiitive Mr. Derham fays. The Variation of 
 the Variation was firfl found out by our Gellibrand^ 
 A. C 16^^. 
 
 And he himfelf has added a further Difcovery; 
 That as the Common Needle is continually varying to- 
 wards the Eaft and Weft^ fo the Dipping Needle varies 
 up and down, towards the Zenithy or fromwards, with 
 a magnetick Tendency, defcribing a Circle round the 
 Pole of the World, or fome other Point ; a Circle, 
 whereof the Radius is about 13 Degrees. 
 
 In every Magnet there are t-wo PoleSy the one point- 
 ing to the Northy and the other to the South. 
 
 The Poles^ in divers Parts of the Globe, are diverfly 
 inclined towards the Center of the Earth. 
 
 Thefe PoleSy tho contrary to one another, do mu- 
 tually help towards the Magnet's Attradion, and Suf- 
 penfion of Iron. 
 
 If a Stone be cut or broke into ever fo many pieces, 
 'there are thefe fuco Poles in each of the pieces. 
 
 If two Magnets are fpherical, one will conform it- 
 felf to the other, fo as either of them would do to 
 the Earth ; and after they have fo turned themfelvcs, 
 they will endeavour to approach each other : but 
 placed in a contrary Pofition, they avoid each other. 
 
 If a Magnet be cut thro the AxiSy the Segments of 
 the Stone, which before were joined, will now avoid 
 a^id fly each other. 
 
 If 
 
I06 TheChrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 If the Magnet be cut by a Sedion perpendicuUr to 
 its Axiiy the two Points, which before were conjoin- 
 ed, will become contrary Poles ; one in one, t'other 
 in t'other Segment. 
 
 Iron receives Vertue from the Magnet^hy applicationi 
 to it, or barely from an approach near it, tiio it do 
 not touch it ; and the Lo}i receives this Vertue vari- 
 oufly, according co the Parts of the Stone it is made 
 to approach to. 
 
 The Magnet lofes none of its own Vertue by com- 
 municating any to the Lou, This Vertue it alfo com- 
 municates very fpeedily ; tho the longer the Lon joins 
 the Stone, the longer its communicated Vertue w ill 
 hold. And the better the Magnet^ the fooner and 
 llronger the communicated Vertue. 
 
 Steel receives Vertue from the Magnet better than 
 Iron. 
 
 A Needle touch'd by a Magnet^ will turn its Ends 
 the fame way towards the Poles of the World as the 
 Magnet will do it. But neither of them conform their 
 Poles exadly to thofe of the World; they have utual- 
 ly fome Variation^ and this Variation too in the lame 
 place is not always the fame. 
 
 A Magnet w ill take up much more Iron when arrnd 
 or cap'd than it can alone. And if the Iron Ring bo 
 fufpcndcd by the Srone^ yet the' magnetical Particles 
 do not hinder the Ring from turning round any way, 
 to the Right or Left. 
 
 The bed Magnet, at the lead di (lance from a lefler 
 or a \Neaker, cannot draw to it a piece of Iron adhe- 
 ring actually to a mucii weaker or IclVer Stone; but 
 if it come to touch it, it can draw it from the other. 
 But a weaker Mignvt^ or e\ en a little piece of // c?;;, can 
 draw away or fcparatc a piece of Ir^n contiguous to a 
 better and greater Magnet. 
 
 In our Northern Parts of the World, the South Pole 
 of a Loadjione will raife more Iron than the North Pole. 
 
^c Chriflian Philojopher, 107 
 
 A Plate oHron only, but no other Body interpofed, 
 can impede the Operation of the Loadftone^ either as to 
 its attradive or directive Quality. 
 
 The Power and Vertue of the Loadflone may be im- 
 paired by lying long in a wrong pofture, as alfo by 
 Ruft, and Wet, and the like. 
 
 A Magnet heated red-hot^ will be fpeedily deprived 
 of its attractive Quality ; then cooled, either with the 
 South Pole to the North, in an horizontal polition, or 
 with the South Pole to the Earth in a perpendicular, it 
 ^'^ill change its Polarity; the Southern Pole becoming the 
 JSIortheriiy and 'vice 'verfd. 
 
 By applying the Poles of a very fmall Fragment of a 
 Magnet to the oppofite vigorous ones of a larger, the 
 Poles of the Fragment have been fpeedily changed. 
 
 Well temper a and harden^'d Iron Tools, heated by 
 Attrition, will attract: Filings of Iron and Steel. 
 
 The Iron Bars of Windows, which have flood long 
 in an eredt position, do grow permanently magnetical ; 
 the lower ends of fuch Bars being the Northern Poles, 
 and the upper the Southern, 
 
 Mr. Boyle found Englifi Oker, heated red-hot, and 
 cooled in a proper poflure, plainly to gain a magnetick 
 Power. 
 
 The illuftrious Mr. Boyle, and the inquifitive Mr. 
 Dcrham, have carried on their Experiments, till we 
 are overwhelmed with the Wonders, as well as witli^ 
 the Numbers of them. 
 
 That of Mr. Derham, and Grimaldi, That a piece 
 of well-touch Iron Wire, upon being bent round in a 
 Ring, or coiled round upon a Stick, lofes its Vertici- 
 ty j is very admirable. 
 
 The Strength of feme Loadflones is very furprizing. 
 
 Dr. Lifter faw a Colledion of Loadflones, one of them 
 weighed naked not above a Dram, yet it would raile a 
 Dram and half o^ Iron ; but being fhod, it would raife 
 me hundred and forty and fur Drams. A fmooth Load- 
 flone, weighing 65 Grains^ drew up 14 Ounces j that 
 
 is. 
 
1 08 The Chrifiictn Philofopher. 
 
 TS, 144 times its own weiglit. A Loadficne that \vaS 
 no bigger than an Hazel-nut, fetched up an huge 
 bunch of Keys. 
 
 The Efflinia of a Loadflone feem to work in a Circk, 
 What flovs from tlie North Pole, comes round, and 
 enters the South Pole ; and ^vhat flows from the South 
 Pole, enters the North Pole. 
 
 Tho a minute Loadflone may have a prodigious 
 force, yet it is \ery ftrange to Ice what a fl)ort Sphere 
 of ABiijity it lias ; it aftedts not the Iron fenlibly above 
 an Inch or two, and the biggeft little more than a 
 Foot or two. The 7nagnetick Effluvia make haflc to 
 return to the Stone that emitted them, and feem afraid 
 of leaving it, as a Child the Mother before ic can go 
 alone. 
 
 On that aflonifhing Subject, T'he Variation of the 
 Compafs, what if we fliould hear the acute Mr. HaHey's 
 Propofals ? 
 
 He propofes, That our vhole Globe fhould be 
 looked upon as a great Magnet, having four ?nagnetical 
 Poles, or Points of vVttra^fcion, two near each Pole of 
 the Equator. In tliofc Parts of the World which lie 
 near adjacent unto any one of thefe magnetical Poks^ 
 the "Needle is governed by it; the nearer Pole being 
 always predominant over the r/:moter. The Pole 
 ^vl.ich at prcfent is nearefl: unto Britain, lies in or 
 rear the !vfcrid'an of the Lands-end of England, and 
 not above ft-vcn Degrees from tliC Avtick Pole, By this 
 Pole the Variations in all Europe, and in I'artary, and 
 m the North Sea, arc principally governed, tho^ with 
 fome regard tr the other Northern Pole, wliicli is in a 
 Meridian paHi; g about the middle of Cakfornia, and 
 about fifteen Degrees Irom the North Pole of tl^c 
 World. To tliis the Needle pays its chief rcfpcfi: in 
 all the Nortli yf?n:rfui, and in the two Oceans on ei- 
 ther (tde, even from the Jz^rcy Weflward, unto Ja- 
 pan, and further. Tlie two Southern Poles are diftant 
 rather further Irom the South Pole of the \\'orld ; the 
 
 one 
 
The Chrlftian Philojofher. 1 09 
 
 one is about fixteen Degrees therefrom, and is under 
 ;a Meridian about twenty Degrees to the Weftward of 
 the Magellanick Streights i this commands the Needle 
 in all the South America^ in the Pacifick Sea^ and in 
 the greatell part of the Ethiopick Ocean. The fourth 
 and laft Pole feems to have the greateft Power and the 
 largeft Dominions of all, as it is the nioft remote from 
 the Pole of the World ; for 'tis near twenty Degrees 
 from it, in the Meridian which paffes thro HoJIamlia 
 Nova, and the Ifland Celebes, This Pole has the mafle- 
 ry in the South part of Africa^ in Arabia, and the Kei 
 Sea, in Perfia^ in India, and its Iflands, and all over 
 the Indian Sea, from the Cape of Good Hope Eaftwards, 
 to the middle of the great South Sea, which divides 
 Afta from Ainerica. 
 
 Behold, the Difpofition of the magnetical Vertue, as 
 it vs throiAghout the whole Globe of the Earth at this 
 day ! 
 
 But now to folve the Phoemmena ! 
 
 We may reckon the external Parts of our Globe as 
 a Shell, the internal as a Nucleus, or an inner Globe in- 
 cluded within oursj and between thefe d fluid Medium, 
 which having the fame common Center and Axis of 
 diurnal Rotation, rnay turn about with our Earth eve- 
 ry four and twenty Hours: only this outer Sphere ha- 
 ving its, turbinating Motion fome fmall matter either 
 fwifter or flower than the internal Ball, and a very 
 fmall difference becoming in length of Time fcniible 
 by many Repetitions ; the internal Parts will by de- 
 grees recede from the external, and not keeping pace 
 with one another, will appear gradually to move, ei- 
 ther Eadwards or Weftwards,^ by the difference of 
 their Motions. Now if the exterior Shell of our Globe 
 ihould be a Magnet, having its Poles at a difiancc from 
 the Poles of diurnal Rotation ^ and if the internal Nu- 
 cleus be likewife a Magnet^ having its Poles in two 
 other places, diflant alfo from the Axis, and thele lat- 
 ter, by a flow and gradual Motion, change their place 
 
 in 
 
1 1 o ^e Chriflian Philofopher. 
 
 in refpc^l oF the external, wc may then g.vc a rcafona-' 
 ble account of the juur magnctical Poles, and of tae 
 Changes of' the Needle's Variations, Who can tell but the 
 final Caufe of the Admixture of the magnctical Matter, 
 in the Mafs of the terreflrial Parts of our GK.be, 
 Ihould be to maintain the concave Arch of this our 
 Shell ? Yea, we may fuppofe the Arch lined Avith a 
 magnetical Matter^ or to be rathe** one great concave 
 Magnet^ whofe tv^o Poles arc fixed in the Surface of 
 our Globe? Sir Ifaac Nevjton has demonftrated the 
 Moon to be more folid than our Earthy as nine to five ; 
 why may we not then fuppofe four- Ninths of our 
 Globe to be Cavity ? Mr. Halley allows vhere may be 
 Inhabitants of the lower Story, and many ways of pro- 
 ducing Light for them. The Medium itfelf may be 
 always luminous; or the concave Arch may fhine 
 with fuch a Subfiance as does inveft the Surface of 
 the Sun; or they may have peculiar Luminaries^ where- 
 of we can have no Idea : As Virgil and Claudian en- 
 lighten their Eh/Jan Fields ,* the latter, 
 
 AnvJ[u7n ne crede Diem ; funt altera nobis 
 Sydera ; funt Orbes alii ; Lnmenque videbis 
 PuriuSy Ehfiumque magis mirabne Solem. 
 
 The Diameter of the Earth being about eljtht 
 thoufand Englifl: Miles, how cafy ^tis to allow five 
 hundred Miles for the Thickncfs of the Shell ! And 
 another five hundred Miles for a Medium capable of a 
 vafl Atmofphcre, for the Globe contained within it ! 
 ■ But it's time to flop, we are got beyond Hu- 
 
 man Penetration ; we have dug as far as ^tis fit any Con- 
 jeBure fhould carry us ! 
 
 It is a little furprizing that the Orb of the Adivi- 
 ty of Magnets, as Mr. Derham obferves, is larger or 
 lelTer at different times. There is a noble and a migh- 
 ty Loadftone refcrvcd in the Repofitory at Gnflam- 
 Collcge, which will keep a Key, of other piece of 
 
 L-cn, 
 
The Chrifiian Philofopher. 1 1 1 
 
 Iron, fufpended unto another, fomctimes at the diftance 
 of eight or ten Foot from it, but at other times not 
 above four. 
 t ' [A Digrejjion, if worthy to be called fo !] 
 
 \ §. But is it pofTible for me to go any further with- 
 /out making an Ohfervation^ which indeed would ever 
 \ now and then break in upon us as we go along ? 
 f Once for all j Gentlemen Philofofhers^ the Magnet 
 has quite puz.z.kd you. It fliall then be no indecent 
 Anticipation of what Ihould have been obferved at the 
 Conclufion of this Collection, here to demand it of 
 you, that you glorify the infinite Creator of this, and 
 of all things, as incomprehenjible. You mud acknow- 
 ledge that Human Reafon is too feeble, too narrow a 
 thing to comprehend the infinite God. The Words 
 of our excellent Boyle deferve to be recited on this 
 Occafion : ' Such is the natural Imlecillity of the Hu- 
 man IntelkB^ that the moft piercing Wits and excel- 
 lent Mathematicians are forced to confefs, that not 
 only their own Reafon^ but that of Mankind, may 
 be puzzled and nonplus'd about Quantity, which 
 is an Objed of Contemplation natural, nay, mathe- 
 matical. Wherefore w^hy fhould we think it unfit 
 to be believed, and to be acknowledged, that in the 
 Attributes of God [it may be added, and m His Dif- 
 fenfations towards the Children of Men^ there fhould be 
 feme things which our finite Under (tan dings cannot 
 clearly comprehend? And we v/ho cannot clearly 
 comprehend how in ourfelves two fuch diftant Na- 
 tures, as that of a grofs Body and an immaterial Spirit 
 fhould be fo united as to m.ake up one Man, why 
 fhould we grudge to have our Reason Pupil to an 
 omnifcient Inflruclor, who can teach us fuch things, 
 as neither our own mere Pveafon, nor any others, 
 could ever have difcovered to us }* 
 I will nov/ fingle out a few plain Mathematical In- 
 fiances, wherein, Sirs, you will find your fineft Rea-- 
 fon fo tranfcended, and fo confounded, that it is to be 
 
 hoped 
 
1 X 1 The Chriftian Philofopher. 
 
 hoped a profound Humility in the grand Affairs of out 
 holy Religion will from this time for ever adorn you. 
 
 Mr. Robert Jenkin difcourfing on the Reafonablenefs of 
 the Chriftian Religion, gi\ cs two Inftances how much w 
 may lofe ourfelves in the Speculation of material things, 
 
 Firft, Nothing fecms more evident, than that all 
 Matter is divifiUe ; yea, the leaft Particle of Matter 
 muft be fo, becaufe it has the Nature and Effence of 
 Matter : it can never be fo divided that it (hall ceafe to 
 be Matter, But then, on the other fide, it is plain. 
 Matter cannot be infinitely divifible ; becaufe whatever 
 is divifibky is divifible into Parts ; and no Parts can be 
 infinite, becaufe no Number can be fo. A nu?nberlefs 
 Number is a Contradiftion ; all Parts are capable of 
 being numbred; thev are ?nore ov fewer, odd or even. It 
 is not enough to fay, that Matter is only capable of 
 fuch a Divifion, but never can be a^ualiy divided into 
 infinite Parts ; for the Parts into which it is divifible 
 niuft be aBually exiftent, tho they be not oBuaUy divi- 
 ded. And laft of all to fay, thcfe Parts of Matter are 
 indefinite, but not infinite, is only to confcfs we know 
 not what to fax. . 
 
 Secondly, We all agree that all the Parts into which 
 the lV,:ole is divided, being taken together are equal to 
 the Whole. But it feems any fingk Part is equal to the 
 Whole. It is granted, that in any Circle a Line may be 
 drawn from ^tve-ry Point of the Circumference to the 
 Center. Suppofe the Circle to be the Equator^ and 
 a million leiTer Circles are drawn within the Equator, 
 about the fam.e Center, and then a right Line drawn 
 from every Point of the Equator to the Center of the 
 Globe; e'v<.ry fuch right Line drawn from the Equator 
 to the Cmi •, muft of neceHTity cut thro the million 
 Iffer Circles, about the fame C>nter : confequently there 
 muft be the fame ni mber of Points in a Circle a mil- 
 lion of times lefs thai the Equator, as tiiere is in the 
 liquator itfelf The !.'pr Cinles may be multiplied in- 
 to as many as there are P.ints in the Diameters ; and 
 
^he Chrijiian Philofopher. ii? 
 
 lb the kafl Circle imaginable m^y have ai many Points 
 as the great eft .; that is, be a^ big as the greaieft, as 
 big as one that is millions of times as big as itfeif. 
 
 Yet more ; What will you fay to this ? Let a Radius 
 be moved as a Radius upon a Circle ; ^tis a Cafe of 
 Dr. Grew's prc.pofing : whether we fuppofe it wMy 
 moved, or but in party the Suppofition will brin^y us 
 to an Ahfurdity ; if it be in a part movent, and in a 
 part quieftenty it will be a curve Line, and no Radius ; 
 if it be wholly movent, then it moves either akut or 
 upon the Center, if it moves al^out it, it then comes 
 ihort of it, and fo again is no Radius : it cannot move 
 ufon it, becaufe ail motion having parts, there can be 
 no motion upon a Point. 
 
 More yet ; We cannot conceive how the Perimeter 
 of a Circle, or other cjtrve Figure, can con lift without 
 being infinitely angular ; for the parts of a Line are 
 Lines : But we cannot conceive how thofe Lines can 
 have, as here they have, a different diredion, and 
 therefore an inclination, without making an Angle, 
 And yet if you fuppofe a Circle to be angular, you de- 
 ftroy the iJefinition of a Circle, and the Theorems de- 
 pending on it. 
 
 Oiice more ; I will offer a Cafe of my own. The 
 Line on which I am now writing is a Space between 
 two Points i it will be doubtlefs allowed me, that my 
 Pen in paifing over this Line, from the one point unto 
 the other, muft pafs over the half of the Line before it 
 paffes ove)' the whole ;^ and fo the half of the remaining 
 half, and fo the half of the quarter that remains : fo 
 ftill the half of the remaining fpace, the half before the 
 v^hole; and yet when it comes to execution, you find 
 it is not fo. If the Pofition you allowed me had been 
 true, my Pen would not have reach'd unto the end of 
 the Line before the End of my Lift-, or in a Term 
 wherein it might have written ten Bocks as big as oid 
 Zoroafter's, or more Manufcripts than ever were in 
 the Alexandrian Library. 
 
 I k 
 
114 The Chriliicin Philojopher. 
 
 It is then evident, tliat all Mankind is to this day 
 ill the dark as to the ultimate Parts of Quantity^ and of 
 Miiion. 
 
 Go on my learned Grew, and maintain [who more 
 fit than one of thy recondite Learning?'] that thtre is hardly 
 any one thing in the iVorld, the EJfence ^herenf u'e can per- 
 feBly cmfrehend. But then to the natural ImbealUty of 
 Rf ASON, and the moval Depravativm of it, by our 
 Fall from God, and the Afcendant which a corrupt 
 and vicious Will has obtained over it, how much ought 
 this Confidcration to ^^ am us againft the Conduft of 
 an tinhumblcd Under/landing in things relating to thfe 
 Kingdom of God ? 1 am not out of my way, I have had 
 a M^^/2^/all this while fleering of this Digreflion : I 
 am now returning to that, 
 
 ^. God forbid I fhould be, Ta^n Lapis ut Lapidi 
 Numen imjfe pittem. To fall down before a Stone, and 
 {•ly, 'thou art a God, v'ould be an LUatry, that none 
 but a Soul more fenflefs than a Stone could be guilty 
 of. But then it would be a very agreeable and ac- 
 ceptable Homage unto the Glorious G O EJ, ^^^ ^^ ^^ 
 fee much of Him in fuch a wonderful Stcne as the 
 Magnet. They have done well to call it the 
 Loadflorte, that is to fay, the Lead-ftonc : May it lead 
 me imo thee, my God and 7ny Saviour ! Maguetifyn is 
 in this like to Gravity, that it leads us to GOD, and 
 brings us very near to Him. When we fee Magnet.' 
 in its Operation, .we mud fay, this is the JVork ., 
 God! And of the Sfone, which has proved of fuch vaft 
 ufe in the Al-airs of the JTaters that cover the Sea, and 
 will e'er long do its part in bringing it about that the 
 Glory cf the Lord fl?ali cover the Ea.th^ wc muft fay. 
 Great Gcd, this is a vjonderftd Gift of thine unto the 
 TVo-Jd! ^ 
 
 I do not propofe to exemplify the cccafional Rej.cBt- 
 owf which a devout Mind may make upon all the Crea- 
 tures of Gotl, their Profirti.^, and ABious, and Relati-- 
 ons j the Liki Elephantini would not be big enough to 
 
 contain 
 
The Chrijiian Philofopher. 115 
 
 contain the thoufandth part of them. If it were law- 
 ful for me here to paufe with a particular Exerafi upon 
 the Loadftone^ my hrft Thoughts would be thofe of tlic 
 holy Scudder, whofe Words have had a great Imprefli- 
 on on me ever fince my fir ft reading of them m my 
 Childhood : ' An upright Man is like a Needle touched 
 with the Lvadftone j tho he may thro boiiierous 
 T'emptations and ftrong Allurements oftentimes look 
 to^'vards the Pleafure, Gain and Glory of this frefent 
 World, yet becaufe he is truly touched with the 
 fandifying Spirit of God, he flill inciineth God-vcard, 
 and hath no Quiet till he {isind pady towards rieavcn.' 
 However, to animate the Devotion of my Chri- 
 flian Philofopher, I will here make a Report to him. 
 The mgenious Ward wrote a pious Book, as long ago 
 as the Year 1639, entitled, Magnetis ReduBorium Theo- 
 logkim. The Defign of his Eflay, is, to lead us from 
 the Confideration of the Load/lone^ to the Confiderati- 
 on of our Saviour, and of his incomparable Glories ; 
 whereof the Magnet has in it a notable Adumbration. 
 In his Introdudion he has a Note, worthy to be tran- 
 fcribed here, as religioufly aflerting the Defign, ot 
 w^hich our whole Eifay is a Profecution. Hie pracipuus 
 & fotentiffimus Creaturarum omniuyn Finis efi, cum Scala 
 nobis & Ala fiunt, quihus Anima nofira fuprd Dtimeta tX 
 Sterqiitlinia Mundi hujus 'VoUtantes ^ facilius ad Caelum 
 ajcendunt^ & ad D^um Creator ein off ir ant. For what is 
 now before us, if our Ward may be our Advifer ; 
 Chriftian, in the Loadftvne drawing and lifting up the 
 Inn, behold thy Saviiur drawing us to himfelf, and 
 raifmg us above the fecular Cares and Snares that ru- 
 in us. In its ready communication of its Vertues, be- 
 hold a fhadow of thy Saviour communicating his holy 
 Spirit to his chofen People ; and his Mjmflers mc^re 
 particularly made Partakers of his attraBive py^ers. 
 When Siher and Gold arc neglcftcd by the LcaJftcne, 
 but coarfc Iron preferred, behold thy Sa'vkur painng 
 over the Angelical World, and chufing to tc^ke mr Na- 
 
 I 2 y^>'? 
 
1 16 The Chripan Philojopher 
 
 ture upon him. The Lun is alfo undiftinguiflied, whc^ 
 thcr it be lodged in a fine Covering, or whether it bd 
 Ivin^ in the mod fquahd and wretched Circumftances j 
 which invites us to think how Httlc refpeci of Pcrfom 
 there is with our Saviour. Howeverj the Lon fliould 
 be ckanjed, it fhould not be rufty ; nor w ill our Savi^ 
 cur embrace thofc who are not fo far cleaned, that they 
 arc at lead wiliing to be made clean, and have his Ftle^ 
 pafs upon them. "The Lon is at firfl merely paffive, then 
 3t J^ovey more feebly towards the Stone; anon upon 
 Conta(5t it will fly to it, and exprcfs a marvellous At- 
 fedtion and Adherence. Is not here a Pidure of the 
 Difpofiticns in our Souls towards our Saviour? It is 
 the Pleafure of our Saviour to work by Inftrtmen^^, 
 as the Locutjhne will do mod when the Mediation of a 
 Steel Cap is ulcd about it. After ail, whatever is done, 
 the whole Praife is due to the Loadflone alone. But 
 there would be no end, and indeed tliere fliould be 
 
 none, of thefe Meditations! Our IVard in his 
 
 Dedication of his Book to the King, has one ^ very 
 true Compliment. Hoc aufim Majeftati tu£ kn/l fide 
 f ponder e-, fi tiniciis unkum poffiderts, Mundi totiui te facile 
 Monarcinim cffi.eret. But what a Great KING is He, 
 who is the Owner, yea, and the Maker of all the 
 Magnets in the World \ I am a Great KING, faith the 
 Lord of Hojh, and my Name is to be feared among the 
 Natioi\i I May the Loadjlvne help to carry it to them. 
 
 ESSAY XXV. O/MiNERALs. . 
 
 OP E RV M Dei Cogniticncm (fays my dear Arndt) 
 qii'Jibet ex fincero erga Dciirn amore & gratitudine^ 
 fibi aLcjiii, ere ftudeat, ut fiat, qux D:m noftri caufi crea- 
 lerit. He Imiles at the trifling Logicians, who, totam 
 atatcm inter inaues Sultilitates tranfigcntes, wholly taken 
 up with 'f.if.^'s, (nerlook the glonous Works ot Gc^d. 
 
 Our Earth is richly furnifhed with a Tribe ot M- 
 n<:,ah, called io becaufc dug out oi Miiizs; and be- 
 
 caufc 
 
The Chrijiian Philojopher. 1 17 
 
 caufe dug, therefore alfo called FuJJils. Many things 
 to be written of thele, oi]ght to have a Nhnok in the 
 Margin ! 
 
 The adventitious Ftjjlls, which are but the Exuviae 
 of Animals, have been erroneouriy thought a iort of 
 peculiar Stones. Thefe muft be excluded. 
 
 But then the Natives of the Earth are to be found in 
 a vaft variety. The inquifitive Dr. Woodward has 
 prepared us a noble T'ahk of them. 
 
 There are near twenty fcveral forts of Earth. Of 
 thefe, befides the Potter's Earth ^ and the Purer' s 
 Earth, how exceedingly ufeful is the Chalk to us ! 'Tis 
 
 There are above a dozen fev^eral forts of Stones, 
 that are found in lar'ger Mafles. 
 
 What VeJJeh, what Buildings, what Ornaments, do 
 thefe afford us ; efpecially the Slate, the Marble^ the 
 Free-ftone, and the Lime-ftcne ? 
 
 How helpful the Warming-flone ? 
 
 How needful the Grind-ftone and Mill-flcnc ? 
 
 To the Service of our Maker we have fo many 
 Calls from the Stones themfelves^ [for if Men fhould be 
 lilent at proclaiming the Glory of God^ the very Stones 
 would fpeak] that a learned and a pious German fo ad- 
 dreffes us : Audis tibi kquentes Lapides ; tu ne Jis Lafis 
 in hac parte, fed ipforum Vocem audi, & in illis Vocein 
 JDei. 
 
 The JVljetflom gives me a particular Admonition, 
 which I have fomewhere met with : Multi multa docent 
 alios, qua ipji praflare nequeunt. The worfl: Motto for 
 a Divine that can be ! Lord^ fave me from it ! 
 
 How aftonifliing the Figures, which Dr. Robinfin 
 and Mr. Ray report, as naturally delineated upon fc- 
 veral kiiKis of Stones-, almofl every thing in Nature 
 defcribed in them^ fo as could not be out-done by any 
 Sculptor or Painter I The Colaptice, fuch as no Human 
 Skill eould aitife to ! 
 
 I z Yea, 
 
1 1 8 77;^ Chripan Philofopher. 
 
 Yea, in Stories there has been fometimes found fo 
 mucli C'f an Hmnan Shape, that every tiling real-; in it 
 has been afton'rticd a: it. Zciler and Krcktr mert on 
 fome famous Rik^y vhich fo refemble M.nksy that all 
 People call ihem fo. OLius JVo,mius was Poileflor o' a 
 large Storie^ which had exactly the Head, Face, iNccIc 
 and Shoulders of a Mm. Momona^i and others rela' e 
 tlie fcvcral Vart^ of a Man, which many Stones have 
 e\a6tly exhibited. Ob ! how hnppy we, if Men and Stones 
 had Icjs Rejembluiiii ! 
 
 Tiiere are many forts o^ Stones found in Lfftv MaJJes. 
 
 Of thefe there are many who do not exceed the 
 hardncfs of Marble. 
 
 Seven or eight of thefe are of an indeterminate Fi- 
 gure. 
 
 Twice as many have a detcnninate Figure. 
 
 Among thefe the Wonders of the O/lco-coUay to join 
 and heal our broken Br ones. 
 
 But then there are others which do exceed Marble 
 in hardnefs. 
 
 To this Article belong thofe that are ufually called 
 GcTus or preiious Stones. ^ 
 
 [Pebble< and Flints are of the j4gate-kind.~\ 
 
 Some of thtfe are otahe. 
 
 Three of the opake have a Bod\^ of one Colour. 
 
 Here the Wonders of the Ntphrifick Stone ! 
 
 Three of the opake have different Colours mixed in the 
 fam.c Body. 
 
 Here ihc Wonders of the Blcod-ftouc ! 
 
 Some are peliudd. 
 
 Two with Colours chaugeabk^ according to their dit- 
 f^rcnt poficion in the LiJit. 
 
 "Nine or ten witii CoUurs permanent. 
 
 Some arc diaphanous. 
 
 *X wo )elloiii (or partaking of it.) 
 
 Three red. 
 
 T hrcc Hue. 
 
 *X\\i) green. 
 
 tour wit lout any Colvtor, ' But 
 
Tfe Chrifiian Philofopher. 119 
 
 * But an excellent Writer obferving, Deus eft Figu- 
 Ins Lapidtim^ carries on his Obfervation, That the 
 God who makes fra 7(1 ?,!i ^^s well as mnnivn Stoics ^ has 
 made Mi^n with as much of a D:f evened, and not al- 
 togeniier without men a Proportion.* 
 
 * Gvoa Gudy 'Thy hta'^jenly Graces in the Soul are brighter 
 ytzvels than any that are dug out of the Earth ! A poor 
 Man may be adornM with thcfe ; thole who are {oy 
 they JljaH be mine, faith the Lord, in the Day vjhen I 
 make up my Jewels.' 
 
 ' How often have I feen a Jewel in the Snout of a 
 ^ Szvine /' 
 
 * And how many Counterfeits in the World !' 
 There are feven forts of Salts to be met withal. 
 But the Salt of our Table, of how much confequence 
 
 this to us ! The Ufes of it are too many to be by any 
 reckoned : Very many are well known to all. To 
 which add tiie Experience which Bickerus affirms the 
 Army of the Emperor Charles V. had, that they mufl: 
 have periili^d on the African Shore, if they had not 
 found a Grain of Salt in their Mouths ; an Antidote 
 not only againfl Thirft, but Hunger too. 
 
 He defer ves to be herded with the Creatures, which 
 An'irnam habent pro Sale, who fhall be fo infipid an Ani- 
 mal, as to be infeniible that the Benefits of Salt call 
 for very great Acknowledgments. My God, fave m€ 
 from what would render me unfavory Salt ! 
 
 There are three liquid Bitumens, fix or feven folid. 
 
 There are about a dozen metallick Minerals. Alercury 
 is one of thcfe, but how aftonifhing an one ! The Par-^ 
 tides whereof how Imall, how fmooth, how folid ! 
 The Corpufcles of it have Diameters much lefs than 
 thofe of Air -, yea, than thofe of Water i and not much 
 greater than thofe of Light itfelf ! 
 
 At lail we come to Metals ; Iron, with its Atten- 
 dants ; Tin, Lead, Copper, -5/^;" and Gold. 
 
 ' I fhall not coniider the Reafons which moved 
 * Cardan to affcrr that Metals have a Soul':, but I am 
 
 1 4 * fure 
 
120 T^e Chrijlian Philojopher. 
 
 * fure that I myfelf have a Soul^ and am one that is 
 ' reiifuiiable ; if fo, uhat can be more agreeable to me, 
 
 * than a Confideration \vhich I find hinted by a curi- 
 
 * ous Writer of natural Teleology .- We (hould admire 
 
 * the Munificence of one who would beftow a confide- 
 
 * rable Quantity of enriching Metals upon us. But 
 
 * then how n;uch caufc have we to adore the Munifi^ 
 
 * cence of our bountiful GOD, who has enriched us 
 
 * with Metals in fo vali a Quantity, and with fo much 
 
 * Profufion from His hiddtn Treafures I Quotufquifjue 
 
 * eft qui non videt, quid Ratio officii Jui foflulat ^ 
 
 How amazingly ferviccable is our Iron to us ! In our 
 mechanical Arts, in our AgriiultuYe^ in our Navigation, 
 in our ArcLitecIurc ; in all^ 1 fay, a^, r,ur Bufmefs ! What 
 ti fordid Life do thofe Barbarians lead, \\ho are kept ig- 
 norant of it ! Unthankful for this, Man, y:ju deferve 
 I^eai'tn fhould become as Iron over you. 
 
 It is from GOD that the Metals of moft neceiTary 
 Ufes are the moft plentiful ; others that may be bet- 
 ter fpared, there is a rarity of them. 
 
 That one fingle Metal, Iron, as Dr. Grew obferves, 
 it fets on foot above an hundred forts of manual Ope- 
 ra: ons. 
 
 Tho the Love of Money be the Root of all Evil, yet 
 the ingenious Dr. Cockburn has difcourfed very juftly 
 on the vaft Importance whereof the Ufe of Money \s to 
 Mankind- And indeed where the Ufe of Money has 
 not been introduced, Men are brutifh and favage, and 
 nothing that is good has been cultivated. 
 
 There is a furprizin'^ Providence of GOD in keep- 
 ing up the Value of Odd and Silver^ notwithftanding 
 the vaft Quantities dug out of the Earth in all Ages, 
 ever fince the Trade ber^un cf ejfodiuntur Opes ; and fo 
 continuing them fit Mater'-als to make Money of 
 
 Am(uig the marvellous Qualities oi Gold, its L>nEii- 
 lity dcfcrves to have a particular Notice taken of it. 
 
 The H^ne draruerf, to every 48 Ounces of Sihe)'^ 
 allow one of (jold. Now tuo Yards of the fupcrfine 
 
 Wir^ 
 
^e Chrijiian Philofopher. 1 1 1 
 
 Wire weigh a Grain. In the Length of 98 Yards there 
 are 49 Grains of Weight. A (ingle Grain of Gold co- 
 vers the faid 9S Yards. The looooth part of a Gram 
 is above one third of an Inch long, which yet may be 
 ^dually divided into tenj and fo the 1 00000th part of 
 a Grain of Gold may be vifible without a Microfcope. 
 
 It is a marvellous thing that Gold^ after it has been 
 divided by corrofive Liquors into inviftlle Parts^ yet 
 m.^y prefently be fo precipitated, as to appear in its 
 own golden Form again. 
 
 But, as Dr. 'Grew obferves, the fame Immutability 
 which belongs to the Compofition of Goldy much more 
 belongs to the Principles of Gold^ and of all other Bo- 
 dies, when their Compofition is deftroyed. Dampier, 
 an ingenious Traveller all round the Globe, has an 
 Obfervation ; I know no Place where Gold is found^ but 
 what is 'very unhealthy. 
 
 * PofiefTor of Gold ! Beware left the Obfervation be 
 
 * verifi-d in the unhealthy Influences of thy Gold upon 
 
 * thy Mind; and left the love of it betray thee into 
 
 * many foohjh and hurtful Lufts, which will drown thee 
 
 * in DeftruElion and Perdition.' 
 
 * The Auri facra Fames is the worft of all Diftem- 
 
 * pers." 
 
 My God^ I hlefs "Thee ; I know fomething that is better 
 than fine Goldy fomething that cannot be gotten for Gold, 
 neither /hall Silver be weighed for the Price thereof. 
 
 If Gold could fpeak, it would rebuke the Idolatry 
 wherewith Mankind adores it, in much fuch Terms 
 as I find a devout Writer affigning to it. Non Deus 
 fu?n, fed Dei Creatura ; 'Terra mihi Mater. Ego fervio 
 tibiy ut tu fervias Creatori. 
 
 ^. ' Finally, The antient Pagans not only worfhip- 
 
 ' ped the Hofl of Heaven^ Cjuftly called Zabians"] but 
 
 whatfoever they found comfortable to Nature, they 
 
 * alfo deified^ even, Quodcunque juvaret. The River 
 Nilus too inuft at length become a Deity i yea, Naf- 
 
 [ cuntur in hortis Numina* 
 
 5 And 
 
IIZ The Chrijiian Phtlojopher. 
 
 * And according to Pliny, a Man that helps a Maa 
 ^ leconieb a God.* 
 
 'God fave us from the Crime ftigmatiz'd by our 
 < Apoftlc, to adore the Creatures more than the Creator I 
 
 * By no means let us be as Phik fpcaks, Ko^/xsv ^utAAw 
 
 * »r Koffutiismv QAvijufijd/jii, ynore admiring the IVorldy tha^ 
 ' the Maker oft/je PVorld' 
 
 ' We will glorify the GOD who has beftowcd 
 
 * things upon us ; for the Silver is mine, and the Gold i> 
 ' 7ni}iey faith the Lord of Hofls.' 
 
 . ESSAY XXVI. 0//^k^ Vegetables, 
 
 TH E Contrivance of our moft Glorious Creator, 
 in the Vegetaulfs growing upon this Giobc, 
 cannot be wifely obferved without Admiration and 
 AftoniHiment. 
 
 We will fingle out feme Remarkables, and glorify 
 
 our GOD! . A J 
 
 Firft, In v:hat manner is Vegetation pcrtormed ? And 
 how is the Growth of Plants and the Increafe of their 
 Parts carried on > The excellait and ingenious Dr. 
 "John JVoodivard has, in the way of nice Experiment, 
 broui^ht this thing under a dole Examination. It is 
 evident that PVaur is neceilary to Vegetation ; there is 
 a IVatey w hich afccnds the Vellcls t)f the Plants, jiiuch 
 after the way of a Filtratnn i and the Plants take up ^ 
 larger or lell'er Quantity of this Fluid, according to 
 their Dimenfions. The muqh greater part of that 
 fiuid Mafi which is conveyed to tiie Plains, does not 
 abide there, but exhale thro them up into the Atmo- 
 fphcrc. Hence Countries that abound with h:g<^er 
 Plants are obnoxious to greater Damps, and Rams, 
 and inconvenient Humidities. But there is aifo a ter- 
 reflrial M-itier which is mixed witii this IVatcr, and 
 afcends up into the Plants with the li^ucr. Somethmg 
 of this Matter will attend IVater in all its motions, 
 and fVxk by it after all its Percolations. Indeed the 
 . . Quan- 
 
l^e Chrifiian PhilojOfher. IZ3 
 
 Quantity of this terrejlrial Mattery Avhxh the Vapours 
 cairy up into the Atmjfhere^ is y try fine ^ and not very 
 rnuchy but it is the trueil and the belt prepared vegeta- 
 lie Matter ; for which caufe it is that Ram-JVatcr is of 
 fuch a fingular Fertility. 'Tis true tiiere is in Water 
 a mineral Matter al fo, -which is ufuaily too fcabrous, 
 and ponderous, and infle;!iible, to enter the Pores of 
 the Roots. Be the Earth ever fo rxh, 'tis obferved lit- 
 tle good will come of it, unlefs the Parts of it be loo- 
 fened a little, and feparated. And this probably is all 
 the ufe of Nitre and other Salts to Plants, to loofen the 
 Ec.rth, and feparate the Parts of it. It is this terre^ 
 ftrial Matter which fills tlie Plams i they are more or 
 lefs nourifhed and augmented in proportion, a:; their 
 Water conveys a greater or lelTer quantity of proper 
 terrefirial Matter to them. Neverthelefs "'tis alfo prCH 
 bable that in this there is a variety; and all Plants are 
 not formed and filled from the fame fort of Corpufcles. 
 Every Vegetable fecms to require a peculiar and fpecifick 
 Matter for its Formation and Nourifliment. If tlie 
 Soil wherein a Seed is planted, have not all or mofl of 
 the Ingredients necefiary for the Vegetable to fub.iil 
 upon, it will fuffer accordingly. Thus Wheat fowii 
 upon a Trad of Land well furnifh'd for the Supply of 
 that Grain, will fucceed very well, perhaps for divers 
 Years, or, as the Husbandman exp relies it, as long a$ 
 the Ground is in heart ; but anon it will produce no 
 more of that Corn ; it will of fome other, perhaps of 
 Barley: and when it will fubfift this no more, flill 
 Oats will thrive there ; and perhaps Peafe after thefe. 
 When the Ground has lain fallow fome time, the Rain 
 will pour down a frelh Stock upon it ; and the care 
 of the 'Tiller in manuring of it, lays upon it fuch things 
 as are mod impregnated with a Supply for Vegetation, 
 It is obferv'd that Spring-v^ater and Rain-water contain 
 pretty near an equal charge of the vegetable Matter, but 
 River-water much more than either of them ,* and 
 heuce the Inundations of Rivers leave upon their 
 
 Banks 
 
114 ^^^ Chrijiian Philofopher. 
 
 Banks the falreft Crops in the World. It is now plain 
 that lVa:e> is not tlic Matter that conipofcs Vegetables^ 
 but the Agent that conveys that Matter to them, and 
 introduces it into the feveral parts of them. Where- 
 fore the plentiful proviiion of this Fluid fupplied to all 
 parts of the Earth, is by our Woodward jullly celebra- 
 ted with a pious Acknowledgment of that natural 
 Providence that fuperintcnds over the Globe which wc 
 inhabit. The Parts of IVater being exactly fpherical, 
 and fubtile beyond all exprcffion, the Surfaces perfeftly 
 polite, and tiie Intervals being therefore the largeft, 
 and fo the moft fitting to receive a foreign Matier into 
 them, it is the moft proper Indrument imaginable for 
 the Service now alTign'd to it. And yet IVater would 
 not perform this Office and Sen'ice to the Plants^ if it 
 be not alTifted with a due quantity of Heat \ Heat muft 
 concur, or Vegetation will not fucceed. Hence as the 
 Heat of feverai Seafons affords a different face of things, 
 the fame does t\\t Heat of feveral Climates. The hotter 
 Countries ulually yield the larger 'Trees ^ and in a great- 
 er variety. And in "farmer Countries, if there be a 
 remiflion of the t^fualHtat, the Produdion will in pro- 
 portion be diminifh'd. 
 
 That I may a little contribute my tiro Mites to the 
 illuRration of the way wherein Vgetativn is carried on^ 
 I will here communicate a couple of Experiments late- 
 ly made in my Neighbourhood. 
 
 ^y Neighbour planted a Row of Hills in his Field 
 with our Ifuiian Corn, but fuch a Grain as was coloured 
 red and bltic ; the reft of the Field he planted with 
 Corn of the moft ufual Colour, which is yellow. To 
 the moft IVnuiward-fide this Row infedcd four of the 
 next neighbouring Rows, and part of the fifth, and 
 fome of the tixth, to render them coloured like what 
 grew on itfelf But on the Leeward-fide no lefs than 
 fevcn or eight Rows were fo colour 'd, and fome fmalr 
 ler imprelTions were made on thofc that were yet fur- 
 ther diflaat. 
 
 The 
 
The Chriflian Philojcfher. 125 
 
 *The fame Neighbour having his Garden ottea 
 robb'd of the Squajhes growing in it, planted fome 
 Gourds among them, which are to appearance very like 
 them, and which he diftinguifli'd by certain adjacent 
 iiiarks> that he might not be himfelf impofed upon ; 
 by this means the Thieves 'tis true found a very bitter 
 Sauce, but then all the Squaffjes were fo infeded and 
 embittered, that he was not himfelf able to eat what 
 the Thieves had left of them. 
 
 That moft accurate and experienc'd Botanifl Mr. 
 Ray has given us the Plants that are more commonly 
 met Avithal, with certain charaderiftick Notes, where- 
 in he eftablifhes twemy-fiiw Genders of them. Thefe 
 Plants are to be rather ililed Herbs, 
 
 But then of the Trees and Shrubs, he diftinguifhes 
 five Claffes that have their Flower disjoined and re- 
 mote from the Fruit, and as many that have their 
 Fruit and Flo-wer contiguous. 
 
 How unaccountably is the Figure of Plants prefer- 
 ved ? And how unaccountably their Growth determi- 
 ned ? Our excellent Ray flies to an intelligent flaftick 
 Nature, which muft underftand and regulate the whole 
 Oeconomy. 
 
 Every particular part of the Plant has its aflonifhing 
 Ufes. The Roots give it a Stability, and fetch the 
 Nourifhment into it, which lies in the Earth ready tor 
 it. The Fibres contain and convey the Sap which car- 
 ries up that Nourifhment. The Plant has alfo larger 
 Vefl'els, v/hich entertain the proper and fpecifick Ju ce 
 of it ; and others to carry the Air for its neceliary re- 
 fpi ration. The outer and inner Bark defend it from 
 Annoyances, and contribute to its Augmentation. 
 T'he Leaves embrace and preferve the Flower and Fruit 
 as they come to their explication. But the pr ncpal 
 life of them, as Malpigi.i, and Perault, and Mariotte, 
 Jiave obferved, is, to concodt and prepare the Sao tor 
 the Nourifhment of the Fruit, and ot the whole Plant ; 
 not only that which afcends from the Root, but a'fo 
 
 Wiiac 
 
tl6 The Chri(iian Philojopher. 
 
 what chey take in trom \vithout, from u.c Dew, and 
 from the Rain. For there is a regrefy ai the Sa- in 
 Plants from above downwards; and this defcendent 
 Juice is that which principally nour.ihes both Fru t 
 and Plant, as has been clearly proved by the Experi- 
 ments of Signior Miilj^ighi and Mr. Brotherton. 
 
 How aj^rccablc the Shade of Plams^ let ever) Man 
 fay that Jits undtr lis own Vhiey and under lis own Fig- 
 tree ! 
 
 How charming the Proportion and Pulchritude of 
 the Leni'cs^ the Floiins, the Fruits, he who contelles 
 i^ot, mull be, as Dr. More lays, 9ne funk into a jorlom 
 fitch vf De^mo'oc]^ nyul flupid as a Beaft, 
 
 Our Saviour iays of the Ullies (which fome, not 
 without reafon, fuppofe to be Tulips) that Solomon in 
 all his Glory was not arrayed like one of thefe. And it is 
 obferved by Spigelius, that the Art of tlic m^f^ ^klful 
 Painter cannot fo mingle and temper his Colours, a^ ex- 
 adly to imitate or counterfeit the native ones of the 
 Floive-rs of Vegetables. 
 
 Mr. Ray thinks it worthy a very particular Ob- 
 fervation, that IVheat, which is the belt fort of Grain, 
 and atiords the wi^olclomefl: Bread, is iu a hngu'ar 
 manner patient of both Extremes, both Heat and Cold, 
 and will grow to maturity as well in Scotland, and in 
 Denmark, as in Eg'^pt^ and Guin:\, and Midag^fcar. It 
 fcarce refufes any Climate. And the exceeding F-^ni- 
 lity of it is by a Pagan Pliny acknow lodged as an In- 
 ftancc of the Divine Bouncy to Man, Qiiod eo maxime 
 Hontintrn alat ; one Bufhel in a fit Soil, he fays, yield- 
 ing oViC hundn'd aiul fifty. A ''•eypjan Divine fo far 
 plays the Philrfophcr on this Occafion, as to pr*f fc 
 it for a Singularity in Bread, that totum Co-pusffrfteutat, 
 adcOyUt in uniid Buce'ja, omnium MemhroYum lO'ius exter^ 
 ni Corpcrii, nutrirHcniunt cmtincatur, iliiufque Vis per tvurn 
 Corpus fefc diffun.iat. A Friend of mine had' thnty-ftx 
 Ean oi Rye growing from one Grainy :\\\i c ' -'' 
 Stalk. 
 
The Chripian Philofopher. 1 17 
 
 But of our IncJian Corn, one Grain of Corn will pro- 
 duce above a tboufand. And o£Guiney Com, one Grain 
 has been known to produce ten tboufand. 
 
 Tht Anatomy of Plants, as it has been exhibited by 
 the incomparable Curiofity of Dr. Grew, wliat a vaft 
 Field of Wonders does it lead us into ! 
 
 The moft inimitable StruEiurs of the Parts ! 
 
 The particular Canals, and moft adapted ones, for 
 the conveyance of the lymphatick and elfential Juices ! 
 
 The Air-Veffels in all their curious Coylings i 
 
 The Coverings which befriend them, a Work un- 
 fpeakably more curious in reality than in appearance ! 
 ' The llrange Texture of the Leaves, the angular or 
 circular, but always moft orderly Pofition of their Fi^ 
 bres ; the various Foldings, with a Dtiplicature, a Mul" 
 tiplkature, the Fore-roivl, the Back-rowl, the Tie-rowl; 
 the noble Guard of the Films interpofed ! 
 
 The Floivers, their Gaiety and Fragrancy ; the Pe^ 
 rianthium or Empalement of them j their curious Fold- 
 ings in the Calyy: before their Expanfion, with a dofe 
 Couch. or a concave Couch, a. Jingle Plait or a double Plait, 
 or a Plait and Couch together, or a Kowl, or a Spire, or 
 Plait and Spire together; and their luxuriant Colours 
 after their Foliation, and the expanding of their Pe- 
 tala ! 
 
 The Stamina, with their Apices ; and the Stylus 
 (called the Attire by Dr. Grew) which is 'found a fort, 
 of Male Sperm, to impregnate and frudify the Seed ! 
 
 At laft the whole Rudiments and Lineaments of the 
 Parent-Vegetable, furprizingly lock'd up in the little 
 compafs of the Fruit or Seed ! 
 
 Gentlemen of Leifure, confult my illuflrious Dod^r, 
 perufe his Anatomy of Plants, ponder his numberiefs 
 'Difcoveries ; but all the while confider that rare Pcr- 
 fon as inviting you to join with him in adoring tae 
 God of his Father, and the God who has done thef ex- 
 ccikm things, which ought to be known in all the Earth, 
 
 Sigoior 
 
1 18 7^^ Chrifiian Philofopheri 
 
 Signior Malpighi lias maintained it with cogent 
 Arguments, that the whole Plant is actually in thft 
 Seed ; and he anfwers the grand Objedion againft it^ 
 which is drawn trom a degeneracy of one Plant fome- 
 times into another. One of his Anfwers is. Ex mor^ 
 hvfo & monftyofo affecluy non licet inferre fermanentem fiw 
 turn a Nntura intemuyn. 
 
 But there is no Objeclion to be made againft Ocular 
 Obfewatkn. Shew us, Lewenhoeck^ how it is ? He will 
 give us to fee, a fmall Particle no bigger than a Sand, 
 contain the Plant, and all belonging to it, all actually 
 in that little Seed; yea, in the Nux 'vomica it appears 
 even to the naked Eye, and in an aflonifhing Elegan- 
 cy! Dr. Cheyne cxprelfes himfelf with good aflurancc 
 upon it : * IVe are certain that the Seeds of Plants are 
 
 * nothing but little Plants perfedly formed, with Bran- 
 
 * chcs and Leaves duly folded up, and involved iii 
 ' AlemhaneSy or furrounded with IVa^/s proper to de- 
 
 * fend them in this tender ftate from external Injuries ; 
 ' and Vegetation is only the unfolding and extending 
 
 * of thefe Branches and Leaves, by the force of Juices 
 
 * ralfcd by Heat in the (lender Tubes of the Plant.' 
 
 Thofe capiiiary Plants, which all the Antients, and 
 fome of the Moderns, ha\e taken to be deftitute of 
 Seeds, are by Bauhinus and otheus now pronounced 
 Spermatophorous. Mr. Ray fays, Hu),c Semcntiam vcnffi- 
 mam ejfe Autopfia corrjincit. 
 
 Fi. Cuc/ius claims to be the fird who difcovered the 
 Seeds of thefe Plants, with the help of a Mitrofcupe. 
 One Mr. Cole has profecuted the Obfcrvacion, and is 
 aftonifhed at the fmall Dimenlions of the Seeds. The 
 Boxes or Velfels that hold the Seeds are not half, per- 
 haps not a quarter, fo big as a Grain ot Sand \ and 
 yet an hundred Seeds are found in one of thefe Tamtam 
 Plantam t tamilio Semine produci attemum OLfervaio.cm 
 7ne)ito in Admi) ationetn rapiat ! 
 
 Sir Thomas Bro-j^n obfervcs, That of the Seeds of 
 TobaLCQ a thoufand make not one Grain ; (tlio Otto de 
 
 CueriCf 
 
The Chrifiian Philofopher'. II9 
 
 Gtierky as I remember, fays, fifty-two Cyphers with 
 one Figure will give the Number of thofe, which 
 would fill the Space between us and the Stars !) A 
 Plant which has extended its Empire over the whofe 
 World, and has a larger Dominion than any of all the 
 Vegetable Kingdom. 
 
 Ten thoufand Seeds of Harts-tongue hardly make 
 the Bulk of a Pepper-corn, But now, as Dr. Grew notes, 
 the Body, with the Covers of every Seed, the ligneous 
 and parenchymous Parts of both, the Fibres of thofe 
 Pan's, the Principles of thofe Fibres, and the homo- 
 geneous Particles of thofe Principles, being but mo- 
 derately multiplied one by another, afford an hundred 
 thoufand millions of Atoms formed in the Space of a 
 Pepper-corn, But who can define how many more ! 
 
 The Ufes of Trees in various Works were elegant- 
 ly celebrated, as long ago as when *Theophr a ftu s yffvotQ 
 his fifth Book of the Hiftory of Plants. *■ :> 
 
 And what fiatel^j 'Trees do fometimes by their glori- 
 ous Height and Breadth recommend "themfelves to a 
 more fingular Obfervation with us I The Cahha:ge-'Xxtz 
 an hundred and forty or fifty Foot high, as if it were 
 afpiring to afford a Diet to the Regions above us"; 
 how n(>ble a Spectacle ! 
 
 The 'Trees which are found fometimes near twenty 
 Foot, or perhaps more, in circumference, what capa^- 
 cious Canoes do they afford, when the Traveller makes 
 them change their Element ? Near Scio there is an 
 Ifland called Long-Ifland^ and on this Ifland (as Jo. Pitts 
 tells us) there is a Tree of a prodigious bignefs ; un- 
 der it are Coffee-hotifes, and many Shops of feveral In- 
 tentions, and feveral Fountains of Water ; and it has 
 near forty Pillars of Marble and of Timber to fapporc 
 the Branches of it. It is a Tree famous to a Proverb 
 all over Turkey. 
 
 Even the mofl noxious and the moft al^je^ ot the 
 
 "Vegetables, how ufeful are they ! As of the Bramble 
 
 Dr. Grev: notes, Jf it chance to prick the 0\\jym\, It "^ill 
 
1^0 ^he Chrifiian Fhilofopher, 
 
 alfi tear the Thief. Ohms Magnus admires the Benefits 
 vhich the rotten Barks of Oaks give to the Northern 
 People, by the Shwe, with which they do in their long 
 Nights dired the 'I'raveller. And Dr. Menet cele- 
 brates the ThijUes^ and the Hop-firings^ for the Gla^ 
 afforded by their Afhes 1 
 
 Tht frugal Bit of the old Britons y which in the big- 
 ncfs of a Bean fatisHed the mod hungry and thirfty 
 Appetite, is now thrown into the Catalogue of the Res 
 deperdita. 
 
 The peculiar Care which the great God of Nature 
 has taken for the Safety of the Seed and Fruity and fo 
 for the Confervation of the Plant, is by my ingenious 
 Derham conlidercd as a loud Invitation to His Praifes. 
 
 They which dare fhew their Heads all the Year, 
 how fccurely is their Seed "or Fruit lock'd up in the 
 Winter in their Gems^ and well cover 'd with neat and 
 clofe Tunicks there ! 
 
 Such as dare not expofe themfelves, how are they 
 preferved under the Co\ erture of the Earthy till invi- 
 ted out by the kindly Warmth of the Spring 1 
 
 When the Ve9^etahle Race comes abroad, what flrange 
 Methods of Nature are there to guard them from In- 
 eomcniences, by making fome to lie down proflrate, 
 by making oihers, which were by the Antients called 
 yilfch)nomena^ to clofe themfelves up at the Touch of 
 Animals, and by making the mod ot them to fhut up 
 under their guard in the cool of the Evening, efpeci- 
 ally if there be foul Weather approaching ; which is 
 by Gerhard therefore called, The Countryman s JVeather- 
 wifer ! 
 
 Wliat various ways has Nature for the fcattering and 
 the fo'iVing ot the Srd ! Some are for this end winged 
 with a light fort of a Dov.n, to be carried about with 
 the Seed by the Wind. Some are laid in fpringy cafes, 
 which \\hefi they l)urft and crack, dart their Seed to a 
 diftanc«.\ pcrtormng tlierc-m the part of an Husband- 
 man. Others by their good Qualities in\itc them- 
 felves 
 
The Chrifiian Philojopher. i^i 
 
 felves to be fwallowed by the Birds, and being ferti- 
 liz'd by paffing thro their Bodies, they are by them 
 transferred to places where they frudify. Theophraftus 
 affirms this of the Mifletoe ; and Tavernier of the Nut^ 
 meg. Others not thus taken care for, do, by their 
 Ufefulnefs to «s oblige us to look after them. 
 
 It is a little furprizing, that Seeds found in the G/z,- 
 Tiards of Wild-fowl^ have afterwards fprouted in the 
 Earth j and Seeds left in the Dung of the Cattel .The 
 Seeds of Marjoram and Strammonium, carelefly kept^ 
 have grown after feven Years. 
 
 How nice the provifion of Nature for their Support 
 in ftanding and growing, that they may keep their 
 Heads above ground, and adminifter to our Intentions! 
 There are fome who ftand by their own Strength i 
 and the ligneous parts of thefe, tho* like our Bones, 
 yet are not, like them, inflexible, but of an elaftick 
 nature, that they may dodge the Violence of the Winds 2 
 and their Branches at the top very commodioufty have 
 a tendency to an hemifpherical Dilatation, but with- 
 in fuch an Angle as makes an ^Equilibration there* 
 An ingenious Obferver upon this one Circumflance, 
 cannot forbear* this jiift Refle6i:ion : A vijible Argument 
 that the plaflick Capacities of Matter are governed by an 
 all-tvife and infinite Agent, the native StriElneJfes and Re^ 
 gularities of them plainly fheviing from whofe Hand they 
 come. And then fuch as are too weak to fland of 
 themfelvesy \\s wonderful to lee how they ufe the Help 
 of their Neighbours, addrefs them, embrace them, climb 
 up about them, fome twifting themfelves with a ftrange 
 convolving Faculty, fome catching hold with Clafpers 
 and Tendretsy which are like Hands to theni; fome 
 ftriking in rooty Feet, and fome emitting a natural 
 Glue, by which they adhere to their Supporters. 
 
 But, Oh ! the glorious Goodnefs of oUr G Ot) in all 
 thefe things ! Lend us thy Pen, O indiiftrlous Ray, to 
 declare a little of it. Plantarum ufus latij]il7id patet, & 
 in omni Vita parte cccurrit. Sine iUis Qdutl, fine- illis conU 
 
jil The Cirri flidn Philojopher. 
 
 mdt, non vhitur ; at ncc i/ivitnr o?mjim : quaciinque ad 
 fjiBum mccJfaYtiifuiity ([U^ainque ad Delicias faciuut^ e /j- 
 (Hphniffimo juo Pi'Hii abinuk\fHb7nwftram. Qjmnto ex its 
 Mekja innccentior^ ntlaidicry Julubriory quam ex Animali^ 
 um Cede & Lanicna ! Nujno arte Naturii Aniiml canuvih' 
 rum non eft ) nullis ad Pfadum & Raphiam armis inflrti" 
 BurH;nm Dentihus e>:cyth & Jhratis , non Unguibm 
 /iduncls. Manns ad' TrliElns ' <;o!Iigcndos, Denies ad man- 
 dendos coniparati. Non legimus ei ante DHuTium Carnes 
 od cfum concijfas. At non victim tantum nobis fupp edit ant ^ 
 fed & Vijlitimiy & Mediunam^ & Domi cilia, aliaque 
 ^di/icia, & Navigia,- & SupelkBifem, & Focum, & 
 Obletiamcnta Scnfmon Aunnique. Ex his Naribus Odora- 
 ineHta & Sitffumigia paramiir : Nor tan Flore s inenanabili 
 Colorwn & Scbematunt l/aristate & Ekgamia Octilos exhi^ 
 laranty & fuavifpina OdorUnt qttoi espirant Fragrantia, 
 Spirit us recreant. Horum Fruclus^ Gula illecebra Menfas 
 fccundas inflrtiiint, & langiiemem Appetitum excitant, la- 
 ceo luronyH Oculis ' Aniiaim, qtiem per Prata, Pafcua, 
 A'groSy Syhas fpatiamibns objiciimt ; & Umbras quas contra 
 JEjlum & Solis Ardores prabent. 
 
 Indeed all the Plants m thcj whole Vegetable Kingdom 
 arc every one ot them fo ujeful, as to rife up for thy 
 Condemnation, Man, who dojl little Good in the IVorld. 
 But fometimcs the lJfc< of own f.n^h Plant are fo many, 
 fo various, that a wife Man can fcarce behold it with- 
 out 'fome Emulation as \vell as Admiraticn, or without 
 fome wifhing, that if a Mctamorphops were to befal 
 him, it might be into one of tlicfe. Plutarch reports, 
 that the Babylonians out of the Pahn-tree fetch *d more 
 than tfiree hundred feveral forts of Commodities. 
 
 The Coco-trcd fupplics the Indians with Bread, and 
 Water, and Wine, and Vinegar, and Bi'andy, and 
 Milk, and Oil, and Honey, and Sugar, and Needles, 
 Qtid Thread, and Linnen, and Clothe*;, and Cups, and 
 Spoons, and Bcfoms, and Baskets, and Paper, and Nails; 
 Timber, Coverings for their Houfes; Mafls, Sails, 
 Cordage," for their Veil els ; add. Medicines for their 
 
 Dif- 
 
Difeafes; and what can be vdelired more? This is 
 more expreffively related ui the Hortus MalabaruuSy 
 publifhed by the illuftrious ^« Prj^^6'^y?(?/w, - 
 
 The Aloe Muricata yields -thp 4tl^erica}ts ail thattheiy 
 Neceifities can call for. Ik Id Vega -axiX Margraue will 
 inform us how this alone tiirnifl^es them with Hoiifes 
 and Fences, and Weapons of many forts, ^pd Shge^^ 
 and Clothes, and Thread, and Needles, and Wine, 
 ^nd Honey, and Utenfils. that cannot be numbred. 
 Hernandes will affure us, Plantahac mica, quicquid Vim* 
 ejfe pptefi necejf avium facile {Y^sfiare ptefl^ Ji ejfet rfha h^.-' 
 manis 7nodus: ' :.:' ■ -. ., ■. •,, ••'; -»/V '■; 
 
 What a furprizing Diverfity from the: Cinnajpon- 
 tree ! •;■•,.. ..,. .. , .^ , _ . 
 
 Some will have the Plant (tne to bQiXh^ King.of all 
 Fruit, the the Tree be little moire than ten Foot high, 
 and raifed not from Seed, but from the Roots\of the old 
 ones. The Fruit a delicate Butter, and often the 
 whole Food that a whole Family will fubfift upon. 
 
 Among the Ufes of Plants, how furprizing an one is 
 that, wdierein we find them ufed for Ciflems^ to pre- 
 ferve Water for the needy Children of Men ! 
 
 The Dropping-tree in Guiney, and on fome; Iflands, is 
 inflead o^ Rains and Springs to the Inhabitants. 
 
 The Banduca Cingatenjium, at the end of its Leaves 
 has long Sacks or Bags, containing a fine limpid Wa- 
 ter, of great ufe to the People when they want Rain^ 
 for eight or ten Months together. 
 
 The -dcild Pine, AdcriW 6. by Rr, Shane, h2^ the Leaver, 
 which are each of them two FOQt ^nd an half long, and 
 three Inches broad, fo inclof^d one within another, 
 that there is formed a large rBafon, fit to contain a 
 confidcrable quantity of Water (Dampier fays, the 
 bed part of a Quart) which in the rainy Seafon falling 
 upon tlie utmoft parts of the fpreading Leaves, runs 
 down by Channels into the Bottle, where the Leaves 
 bending inwards again, come fo clofe to the Stalk, 
 as to hinder the Evaporations of the Water. In the 
 
 K :? moua- 
 
1 54 The Chriflian Phitojopher. 
 
 inountainous, as veil as in the dry and low Woods, 
 when there is a fcarcity of Water, this Refeyvatory is 
 not only necefl'ary and fufficient for the nourifhment 
 of the Plant itfelt^ but it is likewife of marvellous ad- 
 vantage unto Men and Birds, and all forts of Infeds, 
 who then come hither in Troops, and feldom go away 
 without Refrefhmcnt. 
 
 What tho there are venomous Plants ? An excellent 
 Fellou* of the College of Phjficians makes a juft Remark : 
 ^ Aloes has the Property of promoting Hemorrhages ; 
 ^ but this Property is good or bad, as it is ufed ; a 
 ^ Medicine or a Poifon : And it is very probable that 
 
 * the mofl dangerous Poifons, skilfully managed, may 
 
 * be made not only innocuous^ but of all other Medi- 
 ^ cines the mofl effeElual* 
 
 ^A'hat admirable Effeds of Opium well fmegmatiz^ed ! 
 Even foifvnous Plants^ one fays of them. It may be rea- 
 fonably fuppofed that they draw into their vilible Bo- 
 dies that malignant Juic^, which, if diftufed thro the 
 other Plants, Would make them lefs wholcfome and fit 
 for Nourifhment. 
 
 In the Delights of the Garden Ws not eafy to hold a 
 Mediocrity. They aflbrd a Shadow for our celeflial 
 Parad-fc. The King of Perjia has a Garden called Pa- 
 radife upon Earth. The anticnt Romans cultivated 
 them to a degree of Epicurifm. S(^me confined their 
 Delights to a fingle Vegetable^ as Cato, doting on his 
 Cahb.igr. The lulipifts arc fo fet upon their gaudy 
 Flower, that the hard Name and Crime of a Tulipo- 
 mania, is by their own Pr-ofclTors charged upon them ; 
 a little odd the Humour of thofe Gentlemen, who af- 
 fef^cd Plantations of none but venomtus Vegetables. 
 
 But finally, th.c vafl Ufes of Plants in Mcdkitte, are 
 thofe which fallen and feeble Mankind has caufe to 
 confider, with lingular Praifcs to the merciful God, 
 who fo pities us under the fad ElVefts of our Offences. 
 
 Among the eighteen or t\scnty thoufand Vegetables^ 
 wc have Gver now and then a lingle one, which is a 
 
 Pol)drfJ}, 
 
The Chnjhan thHoJopber. 13^ 
 
 Polychreft, and almoft a Panacaa; or at leaft foch an 
 one as obliges us to fay of it, as Dr. Mcrton fpeaks of 
 the Cortex Pertmanus ; 'tis Antidotus in Le'uamen JErum-^ 
 narum Vtta humana fluYtmarum divinitm comejfa. And, 
 In Smitatem Gentium froculdubto a Deo oj)timo maximo 
 condita. 
 
 Among the Antients there were leveral Plants that 
 
 bore the Name of Hercules, called Heracleum, or 
 
 Heraclea ; probably, as Le Clerc thinks, to denote the 
 extraordinary Force of the Plants, which they compared 
 to the Strength of Hercules, 
 
 Cabbage was to the Romans their grand Phyficliy as 
 well as Food, for fix hundred Years together. 
 
 Mallows has been efteemed fuch an univerfal Medi^ 
 cine, as to be called Malva Omnimorbia. 
 
 Every body has heard. 
 
 Cur moriatur homo cui Salvia crefcit in hortis ? 
 
 The Jix favourke Herbs diftinguifh'd by Sir William 
 Temple for the many Ufes of them, namely. Sage, and 
 Rue, and Saffron, and Alehoof, and Garlkk, and Elder, 
 if they were more frequently ufed, would no doubt 
 be found vaftly beneficial to fuch as place upon Health 
 the Value due to fuch a Jewel 
 
 The French do well to be fuch great Lovers of Sor- 
 rel, and plant fo many Acres of it ; it is good againfl 
 the Scurvy, and all ill Habits of Body. 
 
 The Perfuafion which Mankind has imbib'd offobacco 
 being good for us,has in a furprizing manner prevailed ! 
 What incredible Millions have fuck'd in an Opinion, 
 that it is an ufeful as well as a pleafant thing, for them 
 to fpend much of their Time in drawing thro a Pipe 
 the Smoke of that lighted Weed ! It was in the Ye^ 
 1585, that one Mr. Lane carried over hom VirginiTi 
 {omt "Tobacco, which was the firft that -had ever been 
 feen in Europe; and within an hundred Years the 
 fmokinz of it grew fo much into falhion, that the very 
 
 K 4 Cuftoms 
 
1^6 T/^^ Chrifiian Pbilojopher. 
 
 CuAoms of it broug'nt four hindred thujifand Pounds a 
 Hear into the Englifl) Trcafury. 
 
 It is doubtlcfs a Plant of many Virriv^^^. The Oint" 
 mmt n^acie of it is one of the bell in the Difpcnfetory. 
 The Practice o[ fmvkirig it, tho a grcuc part of them 
 that ufc It might very truly fay, they Jj;id /leiihe-r Good 
 Tior Hurt hy it 'y yet it may be fear'd it rather does 
 more Hurt than Good. 
 
 * May God prcler\e me from the indecent, ignoble, 
 
 * criminal Slaiery^ to the mean Delight of fmcking a 
 
 * JVeedy which I fee fo many carried away vith. 
 
 * And if ever I (hould fmoke it, let me be fo v. ife as 
 to do it, not only with Moderation^ but alfo with 
 
 ^ fuch Employments of my Mind, as I may make that 
 
 * Action aMbrd me a Leifurc for 1' 
 
 McthinJvs Tobacco is but a poor Ntpentbe, tho the 
 Takers thereof take it for fuch an one. It is to be 
 feared the cauftick Salt in the Smoke of this Plant, con- 
 vey ""d by the Sali^al Juice into the Blood, and alfo the 
 Vellic/iticn which the continual ufe of it in Snuff gives 
 to the Nerves, may lay Fi'Undations for Difeafes in 
 Millions of unadvifed People, which may, be com- 
 n-JonJy and erroneoufly afcribed to fomc other Ori- 
 ginal. 
 
 It is very remarkable, that our compafllonate God 
 has hu-oifli'd all Regions vith PIfimi peculiarly adapt- 
 ed for the rcHef of tl:e Dijeafes tliat are moft common 
 jn thoTe Regions. *Tis Mr. Ray*s Remark, Tales 
 P' '? Spciics in fjuacuaquc Rcgione a Dto cnantur^ 
 
 ^ . 'niiibk.^ ij AiiimaliLus ilidem natis masiine con- 
 
 •vettiurJ, 
 
 •^ TeiJ, Sihhandcr affirms, that from the Quantity of 
 •<h<5 Plants mcft plentifully growing in any place, he 
 xoyild give a proba'olc Gucfs uhat were the Di/itrmfers 
 which tin " < !c' there were moft of all fubjcct to. 
 
 Bemrb^ a \n ntten a Brok, on purpofc to fliew 
 
 tliat «vefy Country has every thing ferv ing to its Oc- 
 
 calions. 
 
^he Chnpian FhHojophcK 137 
 
 cafions, and particularly Remedies for all the Diftem- 
 pers which it may be afflicted with. 
 
 Can we be any other than charmed with the Good- 
 nefs appearing in it, when we fee the Plants every 
 where ftarting out of the Earth, and hear their cour- 
 teous Invitation^, Feeble Man, I am a Remedy, -which our 
 gracious Maker has p'onjided for thy FeeLlcnefs j tale me^ 
 know me, ufe me , thou an welcome to all the Good that is 
 to be found in me ! 
 
 Yea, fuch are the Virtues of the Vegetable World, 
 that it is no rare thing to fee a whole Book written on 
 the Virtues of one TingJe Vegetable. 
 
 How long is Rofenhergius on the Ropy in his Rhode- 
 logia ! Whitaker will have the Vine to be the T'ree of 
 Life, in his Treat ife on the Blood of it. Alfled has 
 entertained us with a yet greater variety on thac 
 f^lant of Renown, 
 
 I was going to mention the Anatomia Samhuci, writ- 
 ten by a German Philofopher. 
 
 But I prefently call to mind fuch a vaft Number of 
 Treatifes publiflied, each of them on ontfingle Vegeta- 
 ble, by the Nature Curioji of Germany, chat a Catalogue 
 would be truly too tedious to be introduced. 
 
 If tlie Coral may pafs for ^ T'egetable, Garemieres has 
 obliged us with a wnole Treatife upon it. 
 
 But then we have one far-fetch' d and dear-bought 
 Plant, on which we have fo many Volumes written, 
 that they alone aimoft threaten to become a Library, 
 TEA is that charming Plant. Read Pecklinus's Book 
 de Potu T'hea, and believe the medicinal and balCimick 
 Virtues of it ; it ftrengthens the Stomach, it fweetens 
 the Blood, it revives the Heart, and it refrefhes the 
 Sprits, and is a Remedy againft a World of Diftem- 
 pers. Then go to Waldfchmidt, and you ^11 find it al- 
 fo to brighten the InteUeEluals. When Profe has done 
 its part, our T'ate will bring in Verfe to celebrate the 
 fovereign Virtues of it. 
 
 In- 
 
1^8 The Chrijiian PhilofopheK 
 
 Innocuos Cnlices, & Antic am Vatibus Herb am 
 Vimque datam Folio. 
 
 At lall it fhall be the very €>«* of the Poet. 
 
 JVl)ilfl TEAy our Sorrows fafely to beguile. 
 Sobriety and Mirth does reconcile : 
 For to this Nt'Siar ive the Blefjing oive, 
 lo grow inore wife as we more chearful grow. 
 
 TThere is a Curiofity obferved by Mr. Robmfon of 
 Ousby^ that (hould not be left uiimentioned ; it is, that 
 Birds are the natwal Planters of all forts of I'rees ; they^ 
 diflemin&te the Kernels on the Earth, which brings 
 them forth to perfevlition. Yea, he affirms, that he 
 hath adually feen a great Number of Crows together 
 planting a Grove of Oaks ; they firll made little Holes 
 in the Earth with their Bills, going about and about, 
 till the Hole was deep enough, and then they dropt 
 in the Acorn, and covered it with Earth and Mofs. At 
 the time of his writing, this young Plantation was 
 growin;^ up towards a Grove of Oaks^ and of an height 
 for the Cows to build their Nefts in. 
 
 In llrginia there is a Plant called The Jajnes'Town- 
 JVied, whereof fome having eactn plentifully, turn'd 
 Fo l\ upon it for feveral Days ; one would blow up a 
 Feather in the Air, another dart Straws at it; a third 
 Tft (lark naked, like a Monkey, grinning at the reft; 
 a fourth fondly kifs and paw his Companions, and 
 fnear in their Faces. In this frantick State they were 
 confined, left they fliould kill themfelves, tho there 
 appear 'd nothing but Innocence in all their Actions. 
 Atter eleven Days they returned to themfelves, not 
 rcmcmbring any thing that had pafs'd. 
 
 My Friend, a Maduefs more fcnilefs than that w'lzh 
 which this Vegetable envenoms the Eaters of it, hold& 
 thee in the ftupcFying Chains thereof, if thou doft not 
 
 behold , 
 
The Chrijiian Philojopher. 139 
 
 behold in the whole Vegetable Kingdom fuch Works of 
 the glorious Creator, as call for a continual Admira- 
 tion . 
 
 Tf. It is a notable Stroke of Divinity methinks which! 
 Pliny falls upon, Flores Odorefqtie indiem gignit Naturaj^ 
 magna (ut palam efi) Admunitione hominum. 
 
 * The Man began to be cured of his Blindnefs^ who 
 
 * could fay, I fee Men, like Trees, walking. That Man 
 
 * is yet perfedly blind who does not fee Men, like IreeSy 
 ^ firft growing and flourifhing, then withering, decaying^ 
 f dying/ 
 
 * The Rapa Anthropomorpha, and fome other Plants^ 
 
 * that have grown with much of an Human Figure, to 
 
 * be fancied on them, have been odd things. But there 
 
 * are Points wherein all Plants will exhibit fomething 
 
 * of the Human Figure.^ 
 
 * The Parts of Plants analogous to thofe in an Hu" 
 ^ man Body, are notably enumerated by Alfted in his 
 
 * 7'heologia Naturalis. The Analogy between their 
 
 * States and ours would be alfo as profitable as reafona- 
 ^ hie a Subjed of Contemplation/ 
 
 * And I hope the Revival of the Plants in the Spring 
 
 * will carry us to the Faith of our own RefurreBion 
 ' from the Dead/ 
 
 ' And of the Recovery which the Church will one day 
 
 * fee from a Winter of Adverfity ; the JVorld from a 
 
 * Winter of Impiety : The Earth fhall one day be filled 
 
 * with the Ffuits of Right eoufnefs, however barren and 
 
 * horrid may be the prefent Afped of it/ 
 
 ' A Man famous in his day (and in ours too) thought 
 
 * himfelf well accommodated for devotionary Studies, 
 
 * tho he fays, NuUos fe aliquando Magiftros habuijfe nifi 
 
 * Querctis C Fagos.' 
 
 * I will hear thefe Field-Preachers, their loud Voice 
 
 * to me from the Earth, is the fame with what would 
 
 * be uttered by Angels flying thro the midft of Heaven ,* 
 ^ Fear Gcd, and glorify him ! 
 
 'One 
 
J 40 "Xk^y^^kpfti^^ FMlojQpher. 
 
 *■ One thusarticulatcs the Vegetable Sermons : £ccf 
 m^y O increduli filii hominumy iiiiper morttii ciamuSy at 
 nunc reviximus. Fetus ncfirum Corpus ac Veflimentwn 
 depofuimui^ & uoz'a Creatura faElx fumus. Facite vos 
 nunc aliquidjimik. And again, Du?n in hac 7niferrima 
 Vit!i eflis, noUte dii Corpore cjfe ' fuUkiti ; noftri 'nicniores 
 eflotCy quas O'^ator bontftiffmic cofyratis ' Veftitus induit^ 
 quotaunis per tot Alilienuyios^jani indc ah exordio Mundr. 
 And once more, Ecce vires no/lra, non nobis Jpfis^Jid 
 vubis deferijiunt. Non noflro Bom fioremus, fed vejho. 
 Imo D'rj'nm Bonitas 'vol/is fioret per nos^ ut dkerc poffitis^ 
 Dei Btnignitatm in nobis flor ere ^ fuoque Odore Juavijjiffio 
 
 "vos recrcare* 
 
 ' A famous German Dodor of Philofophy declares, 
 that he found it impoifible for him to look upo.i tjic 
 Vegetable Wo, Id without thofc Acclamations, Pjahn 
 C'xxxix. 6. T'he Knowledge of thefe things is too "iiJonder- 
 ful for ?ne, it is high, J cannot attain to it.'' 
 ' The pious Arndt obferves, that every Creature is 
 enftamp'd with Charaders of the Divine Goodnefs, 
 and brings ^Xlimonics of a good Creator. Our Vifte 
 lo calls upon us, Scias, ho?no, banc Liquor is mei Sua- 
 vitatefHy qua (Oor tuum recreo^ a Q-eatore meo effe. Our 
 Bread fo calls upon us, Vis ifia, qua fame?n fub leva, a 
 Creatore meOy & vejlro ?nihi obtigit. It is a Saying of 
 JuftinSy Deum Creaturas ftngulas guttitla Divina fua 
 Bmtaiis afperftffe, ut per illaf ho?nrni benefit/ 
 ' A devout Writer treats us with fuch a Tiioughc 
 as this : Our Ootl IS like a tender Father, who, 
 when the Inhuit complies not prefently wich iiis 
 Calls, allures him with the Otfer of pleafant Fruits 
 to him. Not that the Child (liould ftop in the Love 
 of the Apple, the Plumb, the Pear, but be by the 
 Fruits drawn to the Love and Obedience of the Fa- 
 ther that gives them. Our heavenly Father calling 
 on us in his l^Vord, gives us alfo Rain from Heaven, 
 and fruitful Seafons, to engage our Love and Obe- 
 dience. Qjtx fane Bfncjicia aliud nihil funt^ quam tot 
 
 man us 
 
^e ChrifiUn PhilofopheK 1 41 
 
 mams & NuncH Dei, parati ad iffum Deum nos Jedti^ 
 cere, illiufque a?norem altius animis mftris infinuare, ut 
 iffiim tandem Datorm in Creaturis & Donis fufcipert 
 difcamus.^ 
 
 ' Among other Thoughts of Piety upon the Vege- 
 table World, fome have allowM a room for this; the 
 
 ftrong Pallion in almoft all Children for Fruit ; 
 
 by tendring Fruits to them, you may draw them to 
 any thing in the World. May not this be a lafting 
 Signature of the firft Sin, left upon the Minds of pur 
 Children! An Appetite for tht forbidden Fruit, When 
 we fee our Children greedy after Fruits, a remem- 
 brance and repentance of that Sin may be excited in 
 
 us/ 
 
 Add this : Quid pro defi ope Creaturarum vivere^fi Deo 
 non vi'vitur ? 
 
 A good Thought of a German Writer : 
 Sol & Luna, totufque Mundus Sydereus, luce fua Deum 
 collaudunt. 'Terra Deum laudat, dum viret & floret. Sic 
 Herb a & Flofculi Opificis fui Omnipotentiam & Sapientiam 
 commendant Odore, Pukhritudine, & Colorum varia PiBu- 
 ra : A'ves Cantu & Modulatione ; Arbores FruBibus ; 
 Mare Pifcibus ; omnes Creatura laudant Deum, dum illius 
 wandata exequuntur, CoUoquuntur mbifcum per divinitus 
 ipfis injitas Proprietates, manifeflantes opificem fuum^ & 
 exhort antes nos ad ipfum laudandu?n, 
 
 ESSAYXXVII. 0/lKSECTs. 
 
 WE are haftening into the Animal World. Here 
 we foon find a Tribe vaflly numerous, called 
 by Arifiutle ""E.%xct. and by Pliny therefore InfeBa, be- 
 caufe of their having certain Incifures and Indentings 
 about their Bodies. 
 
 The French Philofopher does well to rebuke us for 
 calling thefe imperfeB Animals, for they want no Parts, 
 either ncccjfary or convenient for them ; they are complete 
 m their Kind, and the Divine Workmanlliip is afto- 
 
 nifhing ! 
 
I42r The Chriftian Phitofopher. 
 
 niftiing-! Pliny fhall here corrc(5^ us. In his tarn paria 
 ill que nuUiSy qua RatiOy quanta Vts^ qua?n inextrkalnlii 
 ferjeElio ! 
 
 Even the poor Ephemeron, whofc whole Period of 
 Life is but fix or feven Hours, who is bred and born, 
 and lives, and goes thro all his Operations, and ex- 
 pires, and goes into his Grave, all within this little 
 Period, muft not be thrown into a Clafs of impeyfcl 
 Animals; nor may it be iaid of it, that it is jnadc in 
 ifain. 
 
 We enjoy an excellent Ray, vho in his Methodus 
 Infeclorum has diflinguifh*d to us the feveral Kinds ot 
 InfeEls. 
 
 Of Infecls, there are fome which do mt change their 
 Form. 
 
 Some of thefe •A^t7*^Sf^«7flt are ivithout Feet; thcfe are 
 either terrefirial, produced on the Earth or in the Earth, 
 (whereto Snails may be referred) or within the Boiaels 
 of Animals ; or elfe aquatick, whereof fome arc greater^ 
 which have a peculiar way of moving, by tirft Hxing 
 their Head on the Ground, and then drawing up their 
 *Tail towards it ; fome are hjjcr, having a diflerent 
 way of cra\N lin^ ; and among thcfe there are both 
 round ones and jiat ones. 
 
 But then there arc fome having Peet, 
 
 There are Hesapcda, or (ix-ft)oted ones; of thcfe 
 there are fome tentjhial ones, both ot a larger fort, and 
 oi z fniallcr : oi the J fnjlur^ there are about /'L'f which 
 moled the Bodies of other living Creatures ; and as 
 many that give not that MolcRation. There are other 
 aquatick ones. 
 
 Tliere are alfo O^apoda, or eight-footed ones ; of 
 thefe there are fome that have a 7 ail, as the Scorpion ; 
 and fome that have none, as the Spider ; whereof one 
 fort fpins no Web ; three fortb are Spinflers. To tlKic 
 add the Tuk>, and the Mitjs. 
 
 Yea, there arc I'tdtueAaidtiapoila, or fourtcen-foot- 
 cd ones ; particularly the three forts ot Jfclli. More 
 
 than 
 
TTjc Chrijlian Philojopher. 1 45 
 
 than fo, there are tiventy-four-footed ones, whofe eight 
 Fore-Feet are leller ones, and fixteen Hinder^Feet are 
 larger ones. 
 
 More than this, there is a fort of thirty-footed ones : 
 but as being tired with fpecified Numbers for the 
 Feet of thefe curious things, the reft we call Polypoday 
 or many-footed ones ; of thefe there are fome on the 
 Land, and others in the Water, 
 
 Of InfeSisy there are others who do undergo a Change. 
 Tho Squammerdam (who has given the beft Account 
 of thefe) obferves, that this is improperly affirmed of 
 thefe Mija^§^\i^iva,y fince there is no real Transformation 
 of thefe, but only an Explication of the Parts of the 
 Animal, which were before latent in Miniature^ and 
 like the Plant in the Seed. 
 
 Of thefe there are fome, in whofe Tranfmutation 
 there is no Reft or Stop between the old and the new 
 Form, and who don*t lofe their Motion at the time of 
 their fhifting the Pellicula, And there are fome, in 
 whom the Vermiculus leaving the former Shape of the 
 Nympha, with which it appeared in the Egg, and fub- 
 filled without Food, now beginning to feed, hath its 
 Parts vifibly increafed and ftretched our, and takes 
 the Form of a new Nympha, which is not without mo- 
 tion, and from thence becomes a Flyer, 
 
 To the former Species of Tranfmutation there be- 
 long many forts, thirteen at leaft ; to the fecond a vaft 
 multitude more. And among the reft, the multitudi- 
 nous Armies of Butterflies, which being divided into 
 diurnal and noBurnal; of the former fort alone there is 
 txbout fifty feveral Kinds obferved in England. 
 
 There is a third Species of Tranfmutation, which 
 is a fenfible Change from a Vermiculus to a flying InfeB, 
 but yet with a fenfible Reft or Stop between one Form 
 and the other. The Fltfh-Flies belong to this, and fo 
 do fome other Kinds. 
 
 Before we go any further, we will make a paufe 
 upon an Obfervation, thus exprefled by Mr. Barker in 
 
 his 
 
1 44 The Chriflim Philofopher. 
 
 his Natural Theology ; for it is upon a Matter which 
 occurs in the View of all Creatures, that now remain 
 for our Contemplation ; yea, the Vegetables too have 
 themfelves exemplified it. * Whence is it that thofe 
 
 * two natural Principles of Self -Prefey vat ion and Self- 
 
 * Propagation, are fo inviolably founded in the Nature 
 
 * of all living Creature^?, e\cn thofe that have no Rta^ 
 
 * fou, as well as thofe that have ; both which are ne- 
 
 * ccllary to the Subfiftence of the Univerfc ? May tiot 
 
 * we hence eafily argue, that furcly this was done in- 
 
 * temionally ior fuchan End? And if intentional')^ then 
 
 * it is done by Rcafon ; and if by Reafon, it muft be by 
 .' His Reafon that firft made this Univcrfe.' 
 
 Dr. Gorden adds to the AHurances which all the In- 
 quifitivc before him have given us, that no Infers are 
 bred of Conr^ption, but all ex Ovo. ' 
 
 He alfo obferves, that the Females of all Flies put 
 their Spawn in or near thofe places where the Erucas, 
 which are hatch'd out of them, arc to have their 
 Food, 
 
 He obferves likewife, that there is a kind of Ghten, 
 by which the Females faften their Egg> to the bearing 
 Buds of Trees, at fuch a rate, that the Rain cannot 
 wafh them oft". 
 
 And he obferves, that thefe Eggs will not be hurt 
 by the greatcft Frojl that can happen. 
 
 Mr. Andry in his Book, De la Generation de Vers dans 
 le corps de rHomme, takes notice of a Mifiake in the 
 Antients, who denied Breath to the Infecis on the fcore 
 of their wanting Liangs; for Lifecis have a greater num- 
 ber of L70igs than other Animals. The Antients V^ 
 thought that the Infers had no Blood, becaufe many ti' 
 them liad not a red Liquor like ours; but this too was 
 a Miftake, 'tis not the Colcur, but the Intent ot the Li- 
 quor that is to be confidered in this Cafe. It was like- 
 wife the Belief of the Antients, that tne JnftSis had no 
 Hearts ; whereas our M'crofcopes now convince us ot 
 the contrary. And tiie Silk-vionns particularly h^^e a 
 
 con- 
 
The Chrijiian Philofopher. 145 
 
 continued Chain of Hearts^ from the Head almoft to 
 the extremity of the Tail. And it is the number of 
 Lungs and Hearts that occafions thofe hfecls to give 
 figns of Life a long while after they are divided into 
 feveral parts. 
 
 Mr. Poupart affirms, that the Earth-'worms and the 
 Round-tail d Worntk^ which are found in the Inteflines 
 of Animals, as alfo Snails and Leeches^ are Hermophro-- 
 dites ; but fuch Worms as become Flies are not fo, ra- 
 ther they are of no Sex, but are Nefis full of Animals. 
 
 The fpomaneous Generation of InfeBs has at laft been 
 fo confuted by Redi^ and Malpigbi, and Squammerdam, 
 and our excellent Ray, and others, that no Man of 
 Senfe can any longer believe it. Indeed fuch a fpon- 
 taneous Generation would be nothing lefs than a Creation, 
 That all Animals are generated oi Parent Animals,' is a 
 thing fo cleared up from Obfervation and Experim.ent, 
 that we muft fpeak of it in the Language of thofe 
 who have lately writ of it. Nous croyons abfohiment. 
 And of their Generation any other way, we cannot but 
 ufe the Language of Dr. Lyfler, Non inducer ut credam. 
 If an InfeB may be equinjocally generated, then, as Dr. 
 Rohinfon juflly enquires, ivhy nut ftmetimes a Bird, yea, 
 a Man ? Or why no new Species of Atiimals now and then ? 
 For there is as much Art fljezvn in the Formation of 
 thofe, as of thefe. Dr. Cheyne affures us, nobody now~ 
 a-days, that underftands any thing of Nature, can fo 
 much as imagine, that any Animal, how abjed foever, 
 can be produced by an equivocal Generaticn, or without 
 the Conjundion of Male and Female Parents, in the 
 f:in^/or in two different Individuals. And there are 
 very few who have confidered the Matter, but what 
 own that every Animal proceeds from a prae-exiftent 
 Animalcule, and that the Parents conduce nothing but 
 a convenient Habitation to it, and fuitable Nourifiments, 
 till it be fit to be trufted with Light, and capable of 
 enjoying the Benefits of the Air. " There is nothing 
 in the Animal Machine, but an inconcei\abie number 
 of branching and winding Canals, filled with Liquors 
 
 L of 
 
1^6 7 he Chriflian Philojopher. 
 
 of different natures, go'^'^g a perpetual round, and no 
 more capable ot' producing the wondertul Fabrick ot 
 another Animal , tl^an a thing is of making itfelf. 
 There is belides in the Gtneratiun of an Anin^al, a ne- 
 cclTity that the Head^ Hearty Nerves, Veins and Arter 
 ries, be formed at the fame time, which never can be 
 done by the motion of any Fluid, \vhich way foever 
 moved. 
 
 Great GOD, Thou art the Father of all things ; even 
 the Father of Infecls, as -well as the Father of Spirits : And 
 Thy Greatmf appears -u^ith a Jingular Brightntfs in the leajl 
 cf Th) Qeaturts ! 
 
 Concerning Fot^s generated in the Clouds, there 
 has been a mighty Nolfe ; the Thunder fcarce makes a 
 greater 1 Bur Mr. Ra\{a)s well, it feems no more like- 
 ly than Spanijb Gennets begotten by the IVind, for that 
 has good Authors too. He adds, He that can fwallow 
 the raining of Frogs, hath made a fair Step towards Leliev- 
 ing that it may rain Calves alfo ; fur i:e read that one fell 
 ait of the Cloud i in Avicen'j Time. Fromondus's Opi- 
 nion, that the Frogs which appear in great multitudes 
 after a Shower, are not indeed generated in the Clouds, 
 but are coa';^ulated of Dufi, commix 'd and fermented 
 with Rain-wa^er, is all over as impertinent. It is very 
 certain that Frogs arc of two different Sexes, and have 
 their fpermatick Veflels; and tl>eir Copulation is no- 
 torious (per integrum aliquanJo Mcnfem contihuata) and 
 after the Spawn muft be caft into the Water, where 
 the Eggs lie in the midft of a copious Gelly; then 
 mud appear a Fcctlcfs Tadpole^ in which Form it muft 
 continue a long while, till the Limbs be grown out, 
 and it arrives to the pcrfed Form of a Frog. To what 
 purpfc all this, if your way, Gentlemen, [FromcnduSf 
 and the rcU 1 may luflke ? 
 
 Fogs appearing in fuch multitudes upon Rains, do 
 but come forth upon the Invitation which the agreeable 
 Vapor of Rtin-iiay.r gives to them. And for fome 
 fuch rcafon we are commonly entertain 'd with fuch 
 
 Armies 
 
The Chnjhan FhuoJopheK 147 
 
 Annies of them in the cool Summer' E^enings^ that we 
 wonder where they have been lurking all the Day. 
 Mf.nlieur P err auk, upon the DiU'edion cf the Falling-* 
 Frogs, which the equiiocal Gentlemen fo teaze us with, 
 found their Stomachs full of Meat, and their Imeflines 
 of Excrement. The inquifitive Mr. Derham, on his 
 meeting with Frogs in a prodigious Number, croffing 
 a iandy Wav juil after a Shower, purfued the Matter 
 with nis umai Exadnefs, and he foon found the Co- 
 lony illue from a» adjacent Pond, who having pafs'd 
 tnro tiieir Tadpole-State, and finding the Earth moifl- 
 ned tor their March, took the opportunity to leave 
 their old Latibula, where they had now devoured their 
 proper Food, and feek a more convenient Habitation. 
 Or w^hat if we fuppofe them, at leaft in their Spawn, 
 ff tch'a up into the Clouds by the Sun, and kept there 
 till grown into the State wherein they fall down from 
 theiiCe, as it has been affirmed they have on VefTels at 
 Sea ? 
 
 As to the Worms and other Animals bred in the In- 
 teftines of Man and Bead, it is Dr. Robinfons Remark, 
 / think it may he proved, that the vaji variety of Worms 
 found in almoft all the Parts of different Animals, are taken 
 into the refpeSiive Bodies by Meats and Drinks. 
 
 Even tne Maggots which grow in the Back of the 
 common Caterpillar, are by their Parents lodgM there, 
 as a proper Apartment for them. 
 
 T he 'toads found in the midft of Trees, nay, and of 
 Stones, when they have been fawn afunder, no doubt 
 tiiey grew of a 'load-Spawn, which fell into that Mat- 
 ter before the Concretion thereof 
 
 T ne vulgar Opinion, that the Heads or Clothes of 
 uncleanly People do breed Lice, or that Mites are bred 
 in Chetfe, Mr. Ray notes, is a vulgar Error : he affirms, 
 that all fuch Creatures are produced of Eggs laid in 
 fuch places by their Parents-, Nature has endued them 
 with a wondrous Acutenefs of Scent and Sagacity, 
 whereby they can, tho far diftant, find out fuch pla- 
 
 L 2 ces. 
 
148 71^^ Chrifiian 'Philosopher. 
 
 CCS, and make towards rhcm ; and rlio they Teem (e 
 flow, } ct it has been found that in a little time they 
 Vill march a conlidcrable way to find out a conve- 
 nient Harbour. Here Mr. Ray makes a Paufe of Re- 
 ligion ; fays he, ' I cannot but look upon the ftrange 
 ' Inflinct of this noifome and troublefom.e Creature 
 
 * the l.oufe, of fccking out foul and nafty Clothes to 
 ' harbour in, as an Eflcdt of Divine Providence, de- 
 
 * iign'd to deter Men and Women from Sordidnefs 
 ' and Sluttiflinefs, and provoke tlfl?m to Clcanlinefs, 
 ^ God himfclf hates Viukamiefs^ and turns away from 
 ' it, [^D^'nt. xxiii. 12, 13, 14.] But if God requires, 
 ' and is plcafed with Bodily Ckanlinefs^ much more is 
 ' He To with the Purcnt-U of the Mind Blejfed are the 
 
 * pure iti Hearty fir il:ty fhi'J fee God!' 
 
 The Eyes of IrifeBs have in them what is very ad- 
 mirable ! Their great neceffity for accurate Vilion is, 
 in the reticulated Corma of their Eyes, admirably pro- 
 vided for; it is a moft curious piece of Lattice-work, 
 in which every Foramen is of a lenticular nature, and 
 enables the Creature to fee every way without any 
 Time or 'TVouble ; probably every Lens of the Cornea 
 has a diflind Branch of the Optick Nerve miniftring 
 to it. 
 
 Spiders are moftly oFlonoculay; fome, as Mr. IVil- 
 loughby thought, fenocular. Flies are multocular^ having 
 as many Eyes as there are Perforations in their Cornea. 
 The greateft part of the Head of that prxdatious In- 
 fed, the Draq^on-Fhy is portelVed by its Eyes. 
 
 Tho we fay. As Uiud as a Beetle^ Mr. Leuenhoeck 
 l)as difcover'd at load thee thoufaml Eyes in the Beetle. 
 
 Infecls have their Antemix^ by which they not only 
 chanfe th.eir /Tvdf, but alio inavd them ; their Eyes be- 
 ing fitted moftly to fee diflantial ObjeHs^ thefe Feelers 
 obviate the Inconvenience of their too rafhly running 
 tlicir Heads againft Objcds that may be very near to 
 them. 
 
 And 
 
The\Chrifiian Philafopher. 149 
 
 And many of them are, as Mr. Derham obferves, 
 moft furprizingly beautiful. 
 
 The Mechanifm in thofe^that creep is mod exqui- 
 iitely curious. 
 
 What can exceed the Oars of tlie Amphihious Lifecis, 
 that fwim and ivalk ? Their hindmoil: Legs arc made 
 niofl nicely, with commodious flat Joints, and Briftles 
 on each fide thereof towards the ends, ferving for 
 Oars to fwim ; and nearer the Body are two ftiff Spikes^ 
 to enable them to walk, as they have occafion. 
 
 An incomparable provifion is made in the Feet of 
 •fuch as walk or hang on fmooth Surfaces ; divers of 
 thefe, befides their acute and hooked Nails^' have alfo 
 skinny Palms on their Feet, which enable them to 
 flick on Glafs, and other fmooth Bodies, thro the 
 PrefTure of the Atmofp here. 
 
 The great. Strength and Spring in the Legs of fuch 
 as leap, is very notable ; and fo are the well-made Feet 
 and ftrong "Talons of fuch as dig. 
 
 Admirable the Faculty of fome that cannot fly, to 
 convey themfelves with Speed and. Safety, by the help 
 of their Wths^ or fome other Artifice that renders their 
 Bodies lighter than the Air ! How pleafantly do the 
 Spiders dart out their Wehs, and fail away by the help 
 thereof; whereof Dr. L\fter and Dr. Hulfe w^re fome 
 of the firft who made a difcovery ? There feems to be 
 an hint of their darting in Ariflotle, and in Pliny ; but 
 the Antients knew nothing of their failing. Some 
 other little Animals may have their ways of Conveyance 
 as unknown to us, as heretofore has been that of the 
 Spiders ; Creatures found in very new Pits, and Holes 
 in the Tops of Houfes, where they were never bred 
 by any equivocal Generation. The green Sewn on the 
 Surface of ftagnating Waters, which is nothing but 
 prodigious Numbers of Animalcules ; how come they 
 there? And when gone, where do they go? 
 
 What can be better contrived than the Legs of JnfeEi}\ 
 moll: incomparablv fitted for the intended Service? 
 
 L 5 Or 
 
I ^o The Chriflian Philojopher, 
 
 Or than their IVmgs^ diftended and iircugtnned with 
 the hnell Bones ^ and thcfe cover'd wita the lighicft 
 Membranes^ vvhereot fome are adorned with the n.oft 
 beautitul Feathers ; for tiiC defiant Colours ot M ths 
 and Butterflies art owing to neat Feathers on their 
 Wings^ that are fet in Rows with great Exactnefs, 
 and all the good Order imaginable ? And fome 
 are provided with Articulations^ for their Wing^ to be 
 withdrawn, and ^}>l'Jed up in Cafes, and aL;ain readU 
 ly fpread abroad upch occafion : Scarabs and other that 
 have Elytra^ are thus accommodated. That their Bo- 
 dy may be kept ftcady and upright, there is the ad- 
 mirable Artifice of Pointels and Poifes, under thofe who 
 have no more than two Wmgs^ (whereas the four -iLihg'd 
 ones have no fuch things :) Thefe Pafei in tnc bipen- 
 nated Infects are for the moft part little Bal/s, ti^.ai are 
 fet at the top of a flender Stalk, w hich they can move 
 every w ay at pleafure to obviate Vacillatioiis. If one 
 of the Poifes be cut oft' (or if the four-winged have loft 
 one of their fecondary or auxiliary Winps) the InfeCt 
 %vill fly as if one fide over-balanc'd the other, till it 
 fall to the ground. 
 
 How minute y but how aftonifhingly ctiriouSy muft be 
 the Joints, the Mufcles, the Tendons, and the Nen'es, 
 ncxcflary to perform the Motions of thefe mar\ellous 
 Creatures! Thefe things concur, even in the fmoL'eJi 
 Anin.alculcs, and fuch as cannot be feen without our 
 Mcrof topes. 
 
 When Galen had admired the Skill, qtwd declarant 
 Ofifices cum in Ccrpvribus pari' is aliqiad infadpanty in- 
 lianccd iii x\\c Phaetin \n a Rifig^ where the Legs of 
 the Hi^rfes were no bigger than tliofe of a Gnat^ he yet 
 very juftly cries out, tneir Miikc did not come up to 
 thofe of a Gnat : Major adhuc alia qujcdam cjft videtur 
 A)-tts ejuSy qui Pulicem condidity Vii atque Sapientia ; and 
 is amazed that Ars tavta in ta?n abjtiiis Ammalibus ap- 
 fanat. 
 
 Among 
 
Among the celebrated Pieces of Human Art, there 
 was the Cup that Ofwald Nerlinger made ot a Pepper- 
 corn^ that held twelve hundred little Ivory Cups, all 
 gilt on the Edges, and having eacii of them a Foot, 
 and yet atforded room for four hundred more. But 
 our Derham juftly celebrates tne more ftupendous Art, 
 which plainly mdnifeftetb the Power arid Wifdom of the 
 infinite Contriver of the inimitable Fineries in the Bodies 
 of our little InjeSis ; they muft have Eyes^ a Brain^ a 
 Mouthy a Stomachy and Entrails^ rd other Parts of an 
 Animal Body, as well as Legs and Feet : and all thefe 
 muft have their neceflary Ner^oes and Mtifdes ; all thefe 
 are covered with an agreeable 'Tegument^ w^iereof how 
 neat the Imbrications and other Fineries ! All this Cu- 
 riofity many times lying in a Body much fmaller than 
 the fmallefi Grain of Sand. A Drop of Water is a fort 
 of an Ocean to them ! Mr. Derham in a Drop of the 
 gre^n Scum upon Water, a Drop no bigger than a Pin^s- 
 head^ fees no fewer than an hundred frisking about. 
 How vaftly many more in a Drop of Pepper-water I How 
 vaftly many, many, many more, in a Drop of the 
 Leiienhoeckian Examination ! Dr. Harris affirms, that 
 not only m black Pepper-v)ater ^ but alfo in Water 
 whereiu Barley and Oats, but efpecially Wheat, hath 
 been ileeped for about four or five Days, he hath feen 
 prodigious Numbers of them. Great GOD, %ve are 
 amdz,ed ! 
 
 The 'Jevis have a fooliih Notion, tho ad\'ancM by a 
 Rabbi Solomon, (upon the Egymian Plague of Lice) Quod 
 Diaholus non dominatur fuper Creaturam, qua Gram Hor- 
 dei fit minor. Indeed .a Man who by Humility fhrinks 
 himfelf into lefs than the light Dufl of the Balance, may 
 take the comfort of the Notion. But then in Philufo- 
 jpZ^ what a mighty Army of Animals lefs than a Barley- 
 CiJrn are found under the Dominion of the glorious 
 GOD, who alfo has all the Devils as much under His 
 Command as the leaft of thefe. I have read of a Flea 
 
 I. 4 in 
 
151 T^^ Chrifiian Philofophcr. 
 
 m a Chain, Beelzebub is no more betore tHe Almighty 
 Maker o^ the F//>y, and all the othef Infecls. 
 
 The Sagacity obler\ablc in the generality of InfeSis^ 
 for their Provifion againfl the Necellities of the JVmter^ 
 is never enough to be admired. 
 
 Some having fed and bred themfehes up to the 
 Perfe(5tion of their Vermicular State in the Summer 
 Months, then retire to a Place of Safety, and there 
 throw off their Nympha, and put on their Aurelia-flate 
 for all the Winter, in which they have no occafion for 
 any Food at all j this is done by all the Papilionaceous^ 
 as well as divers other Tribes. 
 
 Others, in their mofi perfect State, are able to fub- 
 fifl: in a kind of T'orpitiide, without any Food at all ; 
 being at no Aclion^ they are at no Espence, but can lie 
 and deep whole Months without any Suflcnance. 'Tis 
 remarkable that it is not any Strefs of Weather which 
 drives them into their intended Retirement, but they 
 go to it in the proper Seafon, towards the end of Sum- 
 mer. 'Tis alfo remarkable, that every Species betakes 
 itfelf to a convenient Receptacle, w hereof there is a 
 vaft variety, where the Frofi cannot come at them. 
 
 There are others who need Foo^i in the Winter, and 
 it is aftonifhing to fee what a Forcfiglit their glorious 
 Creator has gi\en them to lay up accordingly. 
 
 One of thefe Providers is the BEE, reckoned by 
 Arijlotk among the Z^)* noA/T/xct, of Civil People, Pre- 
 pare now for a Scene of Wonders ! Every Colony of 
 Bees has a King, wi:ereof Pliny gives this true Defcrip- 
 ticn : Omnibus femptr forma cgrcgia, & diiplo quam cate- 
 ris major, Ptnna breviores. Crura reBa, Ingrcjjus celjior, 
 in Rente macula quodam Diademate candicans, miiltum 
 etinm Nit* re a vidgo di§erunt. This majeftical Bee has 
 a Stingy which he can ufc without lofing it i but his 
 Majeily rarely finds occaiion for it. Tiie coimnai Bees 
 (which ha\c their tour IVings and fix Legs) are divided 
 into Dands^ which ha\e their Offaas, all working for 
 tiie Good of the Whole, and as long as they IWq. But 
 
 then 
 
The Chripan Philofopher. 155 
 
 then there are Drones, which are bigger than they, 
 and are Servants and Nurfes under the Honey-Bees^ in 
 the hatching of their Brood. A Bee, as Riifden ob- 
 ferves, the hrfl day of his flying abroad is an exquifite 
 Chymifty or at leaft a dihgent Purveyor and Collector of 
 the Honey-dews y provided by Heaven for him on the 
 Leaves of the Plants in the Field, which he lays up in 
 convenient Cells, and there preferves it in a Covering 
 of Wax, as forefeeing that a Winter is coming. How 
 indefatigable the Pains of thefe induftrious and mar- 
 vellous Creatures ! If they have no King, they pine, 
 they die, they yield themfelves a Prey to Robbers; 
 but they will not bear two. Butler obferves, they ab- 
 hor Polyarchy, as well as Anarchy. Their King op- 
 preffes none, is a Benefador to all ; fo their Loyalty 
 to him is inviolate. His Place of Abode makes a 
 Court, a noble Retinue of Bees attends him. 
 
 * ■ • Rege incohmi Mens omnibus una efl, 
 
 Amiffo rupere Jidem. 
 
 Ilk operum ciiftos ; ilium admirantur ; & omnes 
 Circumftant fremitu denfo, ftjfantque frequenteSy 
 Et fape attoUunt humeris, & Corpora hello 
 Vhje^ant, pulchramque petunt per Vulnera mortem. 
 
 They have the Orders of their King for all the Work 
 they do j and they never fwarm without his Orders. 
 The chief caufe of their Svmrm is the w^ant of room. 
 He ufually goes himfelf with them, as in view of a 
 more flourifliing State, and leaves his decaying and 
 unpleafant Kingdom, with the noifome old Combs, 
 to fuch Succeflbrs as he has left alive. If the old one 
 dies in his going forth, they return home to the 
 Prince whom they had relinquifh'd. And the King 
 fometimes gives his Confent to a fecond Swarm, tho 
 there be no lack of room, out of his refped to fome 
 of his Royal Lineage. In their Hives they are miglity 
 jufl to one another^ tho the fear of being robb'd 
 
 makes 
 
1 54 The Chrijlian Philojopher. 
 
 makes them kill any Strangers that break ia upon 
 them. Colonies are fometimes engaged in Wars; the 
 King ufually orders the Battel, and animates them 
 with his Voice, and like a General, for whole Defence 
 they unanimoufly expofe themfelves : They neither 
 give nor take any Quarter, and they diftinguifli one 
 another by their fmelUng. Spurt any thmg among 
 them that may make them f?nell all alike, and their 
 Hoflility ceafeth. The King is the only Male among 
 the Bees. Each particular Cell in the Honey-comb is a 
 Matrix. The King walks from one Cell to another, 
 and injcas a Seed into each of them ; the Honey-Bees 
 mix with it a generative Matter,\\i\\\Q\\ they have ioclt^'d 
 there, and add Water to it, and cover it with JVa%, 
 which is not opened till the young Bee opens its way 
 out of it. The Drones are alfo begotten by the King 
 in like manner, but on a general ive Matter lomething 
 different, and in deeper Cells. The Drones are for no 
 purpofe, but only to lie at home clofe to the Comics, 
 where the young Bees are breeding, and hatch the 
 young Brood, as a Capon does the Eggs alBgn'd to hmi. 
 Hence the time for breeding the Drones is deferred till 
 near the fall of the Hney-Dcivs, becaule they would 
 have the ufe of them at as little charge of feeding as 
 they can. But fuch is the Nature of the Drones, that 
 if the Bees do not kill them, as they generally do, 
 when they can be no further ferViceable, they do by 
 the Coldnefs of the Seafon in September die of them- 
 felves. 
 
 But now how many moral Inflmclions would the 
 Conmonwealtb of Bees afford to a Mind willing to be 
 inftrticled of God, by the Miniftry of this msfte-rions 
 InfeB! Honcft Purchtu has with an Imitation of it ga- 
 ther'd no lefs than three Centuries of them ; and yet 
 thefe are but a few of the things which thcfe aculeated 
 Preachei-s would advife us of: 1 will Tingle out but this 
 one peculiar Document from them for mj^elf, which 
 ^ Pliny 
 
^e Chrtflian Philojopher. 155 
 
 Pliny takes notice ot : NuUus A^ibus, fi per C(slum Ikuit^ 
 Otio perit Dies. 
 
 Another of thefe Providers is the ANT, whereof 
 the Wife-Man fays, they are exceeding ivij'e ; a People 
 not jh'ongy jet they prepare their Meat in the SutHmer, 
 
 Sir Edward King having been curious in examining 
 their Generation, \vonders to find tnem lying in Mul- 
 titudes on their Eggs (which they induftnoufly gather 
 together) by way of Incubation. He wonders to fee 
 them in tae Morniiig bringing them up towards the 
 top of the Bank, and for the moil part on tae South- 
 fide of it j but at Night, eipecialiy if it be cool, or 
 likely to ram, you may dig a Foot before you can find 
 them. Indeed all is wonderful ! 
 
 There is the Field- Ant and the Wood- Ami the Field- 
 Ait eeds upon fmall Seeds. They have their Leaders 
 and Rulers^ which they follow along their little Paths 
 in exad Order, and return the fame way ; they all 
 go out light, but all return home heavy laden, with 
 their Burdens on their Backs. The JVood-Ant feeds 
 upon Leaves. You may fee fometimes great Paths 
 made by them, three or four Inches broad, and as 
 beaten as the High-ways j they march ftoutly under 
 fuch Loads, that you cannot fee their Bodies -, a Path 
 looks perfedly^reej^ with them. 
 
 In two Months of the Year they take Wing, and 
 fly abroad in the warm Sun, to take their Pleafure, 
 after the Fatigue of their Labour is over. 
 
 And how unparallerd the Tendernefs, the Dili- 
 gence, the Forecail of this little Animal, for the Safety 
 of their yotmg ones ! A ^?>^, that filled Squammerdam 
 with an unfpeakable Pleafure at the view thereof; 
 Nan fine Jucunditate fpeEtabam ! 'Tis very diverting 
 to fee how they carry about their young ones, and ex- 
 pofe themfelves to any Dangers, rather than leave their 
 young ones expofed ; and how they remove them from 
 one place to another, as they find occafion. 
 
 Some- 
 t 
 
I ^6 ^he\ Chrijiian Philofopher. 
 
 Sometimes the Ants in the Indies will have Nefls 
 mofl artificially placed between the Limbs of huge 
 */reeSy and thefe Nefts as big as an Hog(l)cad j here is 
 their IVlnter Habitation, 
 
 They will ranfack ftrangely for Provifions, and in 
 mighty Troops, which all follow wherever the fore- 
 moll goes. 
 
 Excellently well Mr. Derham hereupon : * That the 
 
 * great IVtfdom difcernible in this little Animal, is ow- 
 
 * ing to the Infufions of the great Confervator of the 
 
 * World, is evident ; becaufe either this IVifdom and 
 
 * Forecaft is an Ad of the Animal itfelf, or of a Being 
 
 * that hath M'^ifdorn : but the Animal being irrational^ 
 
 * 'tis impofTible it can be its ovjii AB, but it muft be 
 
 * derived or recelv'd from fome u'//e Bting. And wlio ! 
 « What can that be, but an infinite LORD, 
 
 * and Confervator of the World V 
 
 An Ant-hill^ 'i\s a Seat of a very curious Contri- 
 vance. Jolmjlon makes it an Article of his T'ljaumato- 
 graphy, and fays very truly, l^ix uUius Urbis aitificiofior 
 StruElura. If you read the Defcription of the qua- 
 dr angular City, four Foot long, and a Foot wide, the 
 Streets wifely laid out, the convenient Granaries pro- 
 vided, the Civility of the Citizens to one another, as 
 Aldrovaudus has given it, you would fee nothing in 
 any Straho more entertaining. , 
 
 I wonder not that the Wlfdom of God fends me 
 thither : Go to the Ant, thou Sluggard ; may I learn her 
 JVuys and be ijcije ! 
 
 But we arc paffing into a Theme, whereon there is 
 wo end of the M'mders ! Tlie Care of the Infecis about 
 their Off-fpying. 
 
 Singular their Providence for their Young, in find- 
 ing or making fit Receptacles for their Eggs or Seed, 
 where they may enjoy a fufficient Incubation, and 
 have ready an agreeable and fufficient Food for their 
 Education. 
 
 They 
 
The Chrifiian Philojopher. 1 57 
 
 They to whom Fh/h is proper Food, lay their Sperm 
 in Fkfl:} ; from which Nurfery of Maggots, S. Redi has 
 for ever banifh'd the old Whimfey of anomalous Gene- 
 ration, by inconteftable Experiments. 
 
 Others^ to whom tlie Fruits or Leaves of the Vege^ 
 tables are a Food, find a Repofitory there. 
 
 Some take this 'Tree, fome take that Herb y and one 
 Family ftill always the fame. 
 
 If the Cochineel were not accommodated with a Fruit 
 like a Prickle-Pear, which opens after the Flower which 
 protected it is by the Heat of the Sun fcorched away, 
 when the fmall red InfeEls are come to maturity, and 
 would die and rot for want of more Food, if the 
 Indians did not now come to ihake them out ; Gentle- 
 men, where would you be fupplied with your fo much 
 efleemed Scarlet ? 
 
 Others require a greater degree of Warmth in their 
 Lodging, and thofe look out the Bodies of larger Ani- 
 mals, that they may be lodged there. Many, if not 
 moft forts of Birds, have their Lice in their Feathers ; 
 and feveral forts of Beafts have peculiar Lice in their 
 Hairs, all diftind from the two forts wherewith Man 
 is infefted. It has been pretended that the Afs is free, 
 and an odd reafon afligned for it ; but it has been ra- 
 ther fuppofed from a Paflage in Ariftotle, the Chronology 
 whereof won't well fuit with the odd Reafon I refer to. 
 
 Somie work themfelves into the very Scales of the 
 Fifl)es. There Lumbriciis innafcitur, qui debilitat ; it was 
 obferved as long ago as the Days of the Stagyrite, 
 They find them even in the Stomach of Cod-fjlo. 
 
 The Sheep complains of them in his Nofe; the 
 Kine have them on their Backs j the Horfes in their 
 Gtits. 
 
 Thofe in the Heads of Deer are often mentioned by 
 antient Writers. 
 
 Worms of many Yards long are bred in the Legs of 
 Men, and in other Parts of their Bodies ; in their 
 Tongues, their Ginns, and their Nofes, as 'tis reported 
 
 in 
 
1 58 T^he Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 in our Philofophkal Tuinfaclions ; in their Eyes^ and their 
 E\ebrorui:s^ as in the Geamin Efhemerides. Moufia and 
 lyjun will fet before you what Worms the Stomaci. a d 
 Bowels of Mtn have otten breeding in them. La.eiy 
 in my Neighbourhood a poor Man reaching to vomit, 
 a monftrous Worm thruft up one end of itfcit, \sh ch 
 the Man feizing on, fell to pulling of it, as a Iifhcr- 
 inan hales up his Line, and puU'd till the IVurm lay in 
 an enormous heap; whence being drawn into its length 
 and meafured, the IVonn^ in the full extent of it, made 
 about one hundred and fifty Foot long. 1 may fay, HiJ.e 
 ipfe vidi Oculis. Yea, Dr. Lyjie^' affirms true CnterfiLars 
 to have been vomited from thence. And Mr. ^<^JjOp 
 affirms true Hexapods to have been alfo thrown up 
 with a Vtmit, Entertain unqueftionable Accounts from 
 Germany^ and you will fee 'Toads ^ and Frogs ^ and Z./- 
 z^ards^ cad up from an Human Stomach, no doubt from 
 the drinking of their Spawn. The Liven and Kidneys 
 of Animals have had their JVorins : yea, Vei-z,afa:a has 
 found them (without a Metaphor) in the Brans of 
 Men ; probably they were laid in the Lamina of the 
 Noflrils, and gnawed their way into the Biains thro 
 the Oi Cribrifor??ie, 
 
 JVierus fouiid them di\ers times in the Gall- Bladder 
 of PerfcMis whom he had opened. In divers F.Vcrs 
 the Blood has been found ftrapgely vmniculatcd^ as 
 Kircher and fevcral others have upon Eyam'ration re- 
 ported i [fo one Wivm kills another .'] Vei-minous Collc- 
 dions are found in the Small-Pox, as Lange and Borelius 
 teftify ; and in pocky Stuh there are incredible Multi^ 
 tudes of them. 
 
 Others who make tiiemfclves Ncfis by Perforations 
 in the Earth, or in fome lVo(.dy or in Combs of their 
 own building; 'tis admirable to fee how they lay in, 
 and feal up the Proviiions that ^^ill be necellary f r 
 their young ones there. So divers Lhnmm.n< carry in 
 Maggct^, which they take from the Leaves of 1 recs, 
 
 which 
 
The Chripian Philofopher. 1 59 
 
 which they fagacioully put up clofe into their Nefts. 
 Ariftotle fays they carry in Spiders too. 
 
 Their Nidification is aftonifhing ! When their Eggs 
 are on the Leaves of Plants, or other Materials on the 
 Landy how commodioufly are they laid ! Always care- 
 fully glued on, with one certain End lowermoft, and 
 handfome Juxta-pofitions. 
 
 When in the Water ^ in what beautiful Rovis ! In a 
 gelatine Matter fo faflen'd, as to prevent its DifFipation. 
 
 Single out but Pliny^s Inftance of the Gnat^ a con- 
 temptible Animal, the Story of his Proceedings would 
 give you a thoufand Aftonifhments ! 
 
 They who muft perforate hard Bodies, to make 
 their Lodgings there, have their Legs, Feet, Mouth, 
 yea, their whole Bodies, very ftrangely accommoda- 
 ted to the Service. 
 
 But for them who build or fpin their Nefls^ their 
 Art, as Mr. Derham exprefles it, juflly bids defiance to 
 the mcfl ingenious Artiji among Men fo much as tolerably to 
 copy them. The geometrical Combs of fome, the terre- 
 ftrial Cells of others ; the Webs^ the Nets^ the Cafes ^ of 
 divers. A Bifhop of Paris long fmce obferved, Naf" 
 citur Aranea cum Lege^ Libro^ & Lucerna ; the very 5^/- 
 dcr knows its Leflbn. 
 
 There is a natural Glue afforded by the Bodies of 
 feveral to confolidate their W^ork. The JVufps have 
 this, as well as the 'Tinea Vefli'vora, the Cadew-wjrm^ 
 and feveral others ; what Goedart alfo obferves of his 
 Eruca, this can be by fome darted out at pleafure, and 
 woven into (ilken Balls. Mr. Boyle mentions an oval 
 Cafe of a Silk-ii'orjny which a Gentlewoman of his Ac- 
 quaintance drawing out all the ftlken Wire that com- 
 pofed it, found it above three hundred Yards, and yet 
 weighed no more than two Grains and an half. That 
 wondrous Infed the Silk-worm! It has no Eyes, but 
 how fine its Performances. Let the Hifloria Singularis 
 of them, written by Liba^vius, -be perufed, it will be 
 found a Colledion of Wonders. Good God^ fiail thy 
 
 Silk-iworm 
 
1 60 The Chrifiim Philofopher. 
 
 Silk-vJoYm adorn me, mid floall he not i)iflruci me too ! There 
 is another Worm, which would at lenfl learn this of him, 
 to fpin out of his own Bowels, from his own Experience and 
 his own Meditation, fuch things as may be ufeful to th(fe to 
 whom they fl)dll be cvjnmnnicated. But, O vain Perfon^ 
 proud of the Jilken Attire that is ruflinc^- upon thee; is 
 It poiTible that in a little Jf^orm thy Pride Ihould find a 
 Nourifhment ! 
 
 There arc others of thcfe little Animals which make 
 Nature itfclf ferviceable to their Purpofe, and make 
 the Vegetation of Trees and Herbs the Means of build- 
 ing their little Habitations. . They build in the Galls 
 and Balls of tlic Oak, the IVillow, the Briar, and other 
 Vegetables, and are furnifhcd \sit!i a Piercer^ to pro- 
 fecute their Bufinefs. Among thcfe \vc will lingle out 
 what the Ichneumon-Fly does to the Leaf of the Nettle. 
 The Parent-] nfecl, with a fliff fetacious Tail, tere- 
 bratcs the Rib of the Leaf when tender, and makes 
 way for its Egg into the very Pith or Heart thereof, 
 and probably lays in therewith fome Juice of its Body, 
 which will pervert the regular Vegetation of it. From 
 this Wound arifes a fmall Escrcfccnce, which (when 
 the Egg is hatch'd into a Maggot) grows bigger as the 
 Maggot incrcafcs, and fwcUs on each fide the Leaf, 
 between the two Membranes, and extends itfclf into 
 the parenchymous part thereof, ti4l it is grown as big 
 as two Grains of IVheat. In this Manfion there lies 
 a fmall, white, rough Maggot, which turns to an Au- 
 relia, and afterwards to a very beautiful, green, fmall, 
 Jchneimion-Fly. 
 
 A peculiar Artifice, and fo far out of the reach of 
 any mortal Underftanding, that here mud be, as 
 Mr. Durham juftly paufcs upon it, the Concurrence of 
 fome great and wife Being, that has from the beginning ta- 
 ken care for the Good of the Animal! The Formation ot 
 thcfe Cafes is quite beyond the Cunning of the Animal 
 itfelf, but it is the Act partly of the Vtgetalle, and 
 partly of fome Virtdency in the Juice or Egg of the 
 j Anmial 
 
l^he Chrifiian Philofopher. i6l 
 
 Animal repofited on the Vegetable ; which Malpighi, in 
 his Defcription of the F/y bred in Oaken-Galls^ has no- 
 tably confirm 'd to us. Erum Plant arum 'tumor es^ mor* 
 bofa Excrefcentiay vi depofiti Ovi a tmbata PlantaruM 
 compage^ & vitiato humorum Motu exchata, quil>u> mchi- 
 fa Ova & AnimaJitila^ iielut in Utero fuvemur & augen- 
 mr ; donee manifcftatis firmatifque fropriis partihus^ q^^^fi 
 exoriantur novam exoptantia auiam. 
 
 It is a juft Thought of one well skill'd in Cfmology^ 
 That Alen themfelves, and much more other Creatures^ 
 may do many things which aptly ferve to fome certain 
 End whereof they have no coniiderationi Creatures 
 may be directed and conftrained by a fircng Fancy 
 which they have of fuch and fuch Work.^, and of Ac- 
 tions that belong to them. Well^ but who has im- 
 printed it ? It is the Great GOD, who will lvd\efi:ch 
 JVurks to be done. Great GOD^ jloaU we contrive what 
 Service of thine thy nobler Creature MAN may thereby be 
 .helped to ! My excellent Philofopher concludes : 77?^ 
 Divine Reafon rum like a Golden Vein through the whole 
 Leaden Mine of Brutal Nature. 
 
 There is one thing more to be added : That the 
 Numbers of Infecls and Vermin may not be too offenfive 
 to us, Providence has ordained many Creatures, efpe- 
 cially fuch as are in fuperior Orders, to make it their 
 buiinefs to deftroy them, efpecially when their Increafe 
 grows too numerous and enormous. As in cne Indie.^^ 
 where they are fometimes exceedingly punifhed wath 
 Ants, there is the Urfus Formicarius^ whofe very bud- 
 nefs is to devour them. Hideous Armies of W rms do 
 fometimes vifit my Country, and carry \vi;oIe Fields of 
 Corn before them, and climbing up Trees, lea\ e tiiein 
 as bare as the middle of Winter. Our wild Pidgeons 
 make this the Seafon of their Defcmt, and in prodji<;ous 
 Flocks they fall upon thefe Robbers, and clear the 
 Country of them. 
 
 The DtftruElion and Deatl) of Animals does proclaim 
 the Fame of the Divine TVifiom in adjufting of it ! 
 
j6l The Chriftian Philofopher. 
 
 The LomJIs, that r.ave fomctimes pro\ cd fo devour- 
 ing a PlagiiCy do alto prove a Dp) to tlie People that 
 fuftcr from them. In A Voyage round the Worlds I read, 
 That in the Eujl-Iudics^ when thefe Creatures come 
 in great Swarms to dc\our their Fruiis aiid Herbs, 
 the Nati\es take them with Nets, and parch them 
 over the fire in an earthen Pan, on which their Wings 
 and Lq2,s \Nould fall oti', ai^i their Head and Backs 
 turn re^, but their Bodies beini^ Full, would eat moifl 
 and fweet enough, and their ILtid a little crackle in 
 one's Teeth i a Difli that People might fubiiil upon : 
 tho the Condition of the Acidophagi^ mentioned by 
 Dhdorus, and by Styalo, would not encourage one to 
 be conhn'd to it. 
 
 Even the more noxious InfeEls and Vcrm'rn are fuch, 
 that we may confider in them the Finga- of Gcd ! The 
 Sufferings they inHict upon us, may be con fide red as 
 the Scourges of God upon us for our Mifcarriages, and 
 be improved as Excitations to Repentamc. I have read 
 fomew here a Pallage to this purpofe : ' I would carry 
 
 * on the Matter to fo much of IVatdj'ulncf^ in my ap- 
 
 * prehending Opportunities for T'houghts of Repe-ntmtce^ 
 
 * that the Provocations that may happen to be given 
 
 * to my Bodih Satjcs at any time, Hiall provoke fucli 
 
 * 'Thoughts in my Soul. If I happen to lodge 
 
 * where any Ififecl or Vermin afl'airlts me, it fliall hum- 
 
 * hie me. I will think / have ban one among the Enemies 
 
 * of God in the TVorld. Thefe uniafy Creatures are part of 
 
 * the Armies "dohich the Lord of Ho ft s employs, and irith jome 
 
 * Cviuempt, again ft his Enemies'.' 
 
 The JVorms which, efpecially in places where the 
 fait and frcjl? Water meets, do in fuch horrid Swarms 
 eat into the Bottoms of our Ships, and render them 
 even like Honey-combs ] the C(^alls that are not infefted 
 with them, ought to acknowledge the Favour ot Hea- 
 ven in it ; and the Merchant and Mariner that futicrs 
 by them, ought to conlidcr i^lat Rdukc of Haven up- 
 on 
 
Tloe Chrijiian Philofopher. l6^ 
 
 en their Dealings or Doings may lie at the bottom of fuch a 
 Calamity ! 
 
 How wretched would our Condition be, if we were 
 conlkntly infefled with FUes^ hke the poor mnking 
 People oi Neu'-Holland in the Eafl-Indies ! To be ex- 
 empted from the Mifchiefs which the Jiiflice of God 
 fomecimes inflitls on People that do not acknowledge 
 Him, ^tis what calls for our Acknowledgments of His 
 Goodnefs. 
 
 If the Lord of Hofls pleafe to fingle out from his Ar-^ 
 mieSy whereot there is no Number^ no other Legions than 
 thofe of Lfeth, even thofe Velites commanded by Him, 
 how would they embitter^ and even eMinguifl) our 
 Lives ! Locufts alone make whole Nations tremble : 
 Worms have deftroyed Kings j and Flies have fcattered 
 Kingdc7ns. 
 
 But then the reverfe : O Cantharidesy how many 
 Millions of Lives are continually favcd by your epifpa- 
 flick Applications I GOD is to be ackmzvledged in the Good 
 ivhich ii done by a foor green Fly to the Children of Men ! 
 
 Honed Mr. Terry tells us. That among the Pefees 
 in the Eafl-Ihdies they profefs this Devotion : That 
 the firfl Creature of Strife and of Vfe which thev behold 
 in a Morning, they employ fiill as a Remembrancer 
 to them all the Day following, to draw up their 
 Thoughts in Thankfgiving to the Almighty God^ who 
 hath made fuch a Creature for our Service. 
 
 My God, floaU the Pagan rife up and condemn the Chrt- 
 flian ! If v^'e fl)ould not from the Vievj of thy Creatures ha^^je 
 our Hearts drawn up to thy Praifes^ we fkould to our con^ 
 fnjjon find it fo ! 
 
 T[. ' For what ENDS are all thefe little Creatures 
 made ? Mod certainly for great ENDS, and for 
 
 * fuch as are worthy oi- a G O D T 
 
 ■ ' The cxquifite Artifice which is confpicuous in the 
 
 * Male of tliefe Creatures, does proclaim a marvellous 
 
 * and matchlefs Wifdom in the Maker of them ; and 
 
 * WJfdom will make nothinq^ in vain,* 
 
 M -x • Tho 
 
1(54 ^^ Chrijlian Philojopher. 
 
 ' Tho the more jpecial Ufes of thefe Creatures be as 
 yet unknown to us, the only ivife God fends to us 
 this Advice concerning them : IVhat I do thou know- 
 efl not noWy but thou fl)alt knuw hereajtcr.^ 
 ' However, this we know NO W\ For thefe and all 
 Creatures this END is great enouc^h, that the Great 
 Gcd therein beholds with picaprre the I'arious and curious 
 Works of His Hands. Behold a fufficient E N D, as 
 well for a JVorld as fora/f^rw, that the infinite 
 God may with delight behold His own GLries in the 
 Works w hich His Hands have wrong. .t. My Rea- 
 ders, let us come to a Confort in the Di-xoloi^y, O 
 Loidy then haft treated all things, and for thy Pleafure 
 they are and wei'e created I Tlie Great God has con- 
 trived a mighty Engine, of an Extent that cannot be 
 meafurcd, and there is in it a Contrivarxe ot won- 
 drous Motions that cannot be numbred. He is infi- 
 nitely gratified with the View of this Engine in all 
 its Motions, infinitely grateful to Him fo glorious a 
 Spedacle ! when it becomes grateful to us, then we 
 come into fome Communion with Him. I will 
 efteem it a fufficient END for the w hole Creation 
 of God, that thr Great Creator may have the Gratifica- 
 tion of beholding His own ad?nirable IVurkmanfpip. And 
 I will eileem it a part of the Homage I owe to His 
 Eternal Majcily, to be fatisiied i;i fuch an END as 
 this/ 
 
 * I will transfer this Meditation to the Excrcifes 
 which are to fill a Life of Piety. Have I not RciifcH 
 enough, Motive enough, to abound in all the Excr- 
 cifes of a pious Life, even the mo[[ fccret of- them, and 
 a Guard upon the Frames and T'houghts ot my Heart 
 within me? 77^ Great GOD is the Beholder of ?ny 
 whole Behaviour, He knows the way that I take ; and I 
 chufe the things that pleafe Him in what 1 am now a do^ 
 ing. 
 
 §. Finding myfclf now entrcd into the Ani^nal 
 JVorld, I will take this opportunity to infcrt and pur- 
 
 fue , 
 
T^^ Chrifiian Philofopber. 1 6$ 
 
 fue an Obfervation of the acute Dr. Chjne ; which is. 
 That the ProduEiion of Animals is a thing altogether 
 inconpflent with the Lains of Mechanifm .- from whence 
 I inter, that it mud be from fomething fuperior to 
 them. 
 
 For firl}, the Blood is by the Force of the Heart 
 fqueezed from the left Ventricle^ thro the Arteries^ to 
 the Extremities of the Body, and is thence returned 
 by the Veins into the right Ventricle, thence by the 
 Arteria Pulmoyialis into the Lungs j from the Lungs by 
 the Vena Pulmonalis again into the right Ventricle. I'he 
 Motion of the Heart is caufed by the nervous juices mix- 
 m^ with the Blood, in the mufcular part thereof ; and 
 thefe nervous "Juices are both derived from the Blood, 
 and forced into the mufcular part of the Heart, by the 
 Motion of the Heart itfelf, the Texture of the con- 
 taining VeiTels, and perhaps by the Pulfation of the 
 Arteries upon the Nerves of the Brain. Here now, the 
 Heart is the caufe of the Motion of the Blood in the Ar- 
 teries ; and the Motion of the Blood in the Arteries urging 
 their Juices thro the Nerves, is the caufe of the Mo- 
 tion of the Heart : which is a plain Circulation of Me- 
 chanical Powers, a Perpetuum Mobile, a thing unknown 
 to Nature ! An Epicurean cannot contrive a IVater- 
 Alachine, wherein the Water fhould move the MachinCy 
 and the Machine move the Water , and the fame Water 
 continually return in a Circle to move the Machine. 
 
 Great G D, it is thy irnmediate Influence on the Pow- 
 ers of Nature in me that keefs my Heart in motion. Oh ! 
 that I may love thee and ferve thee with all my Heart ! In 
 thee I live! T'o glorify thee^ fhould be the Bufinefs of my 
 Life! 
 
 Again, In all Animals how fmall, how fine the Or- 
 gans ! How indefinite the Number of them ! Senfation 
 is performed by the mediation of Organs arifing from 
 the Brain, and continued thro the part affected. Now 
 there is not the leaft imaginable folid part of the Vef- 
 fels or Alufdes but what we find fenfible ; wherefore 
 
 M 3 the 
 
1 66 7h Chri/lian Fhilofopher. 
 
 the Number of Organs that convey Stnjatkn muft be 
 inconcei\able ! Nutri^inis alfo pertbrnied by 0,gan,^ 
 thro which a iMipply is convcjed to tiic place to be 
 nourifhed. Now there is nj Part oF the Body but 
 what may be wcrenftd or /(Jf.ned; (o then in every /«- 
 dividual Puint of the Body there is the Terminat.on of 
 Oigatii, tliro which a NouYjJIr;K.Kt may be con\e\ed. 
 Furthermore, the Canals do all augment, and may all 
 decay ; and therefore every afllgnable part of thele Ca- 
 lais muft be th^ Termination of feme fccvetory Ducl^ 
 Icparating a Fluid fit for the i»epairing of their Lol'.es, 
 and thefe again muft ha\c otlicrs to repair their Lcftes; 
 and how fhall v.e conceive wiiere to Itop ? More*, ver, 
 the moft exquifite Ghijfes can difcover nothing in the 
 fe\'eral parts of the Vefiels and Mufcles, but CaViah 
 amazingly flender ; the better the Glades, the m.ore of 
 thefe capil/nry Pipes are difcovered. In fliort, all the 
 folid Parts of the Body are nothing but either Tubes to 
 convev fom.e Fluid, or Threads in Bundles, tied by 
 others that furround them, or going from one Fibre 
 to another, or fpread into thin Membranes ; but each 
 of thefe how incoiKtiiall) minute I the DoCtor does not 
 Icruple to fay, infinitely ! 
 
 O i-fifitittly Great GOD, lam aflonifhtd ! lam a/Io- 
 ni/hid ! For all thofi tl:i}igs bath my Hand ?nade, faith the 
 Lo)d. f 
 
 ESSAY XXVIII. 0/ Rett I L 5. 
 
 LE T us now handle tho- Reft Us, which are a fort 
 of Animals that reft one part of their Body on 
 tl.e Earth, wliile they ad\ance the other forward. 
 
 In our way of doing it >Ne fliall take tip Sapents, and 
 it f)ali not hurt us. 
 
 Concerning the m.eaneft of thefe, nam.cly, the EartJ:- 
 •v^orin. Dr. JViltis makes this Remark : Lwi-lrims ter- 
 Yijhii, licet vile & autcwptibile habeatur, Organa Vitalia, 
 
 ^ necmu 
 
T^^ Chriflian Philofopher. l6y 
 
 necmyj & alia V/fcera, & Membra Divino artificio admi- 
 rahiliter fabrcfarta fuYthur. 
 
 And the J [iral Motion oFit is admired as \\ ell as de- 
 fcribcd by Dr. T.fo}i. 
 
 The Motion of Rep'ils is extremely curious. 
 
 Their Ford and their Nefi lies in the next Clod, 
 Plant, or Hole i or they can long bear Hunger and 
 Hardlhip. 
 
 So their finuous Motion^ perform'd with as much Art 
 as what is in the Legs or Wings of other Creatures, 
 and as curicufly provided for, is found fufficient for 
 the conveying of them. 
 
 There is abundance of geometrical Neatnefs and 
 Nicenefs in the Motion of Serpents ; their annular 
 Scales lie crofs their Belly, contrary to what thofe in 
 the Back and the reft of the Body do : the Edges alfo 
 of tht foremoft Scales lie over the Edges of the folioiuing 
 Scales ; and every Scale has a diflinEl Mufcle^ one end 
 of which is tack'd to the middle of the Scale, the 
 other to the upper Edge of the following Scale. 
 
 The Snails have neither Feet nor Claws, but they 
 creep with an undulating motion of their Body ; on 
 which Dr. Lyjler has written : and by a Slime emitted 
 from their Body, they adhere to all Kinds of Super- 
 ficies. 
 
 The motive Parts of Caterpillars are admirably con- 
 trived, not only to ferve their progre/fion, but for ga- 
 thering of their Food. 
 
 The Spine, and Mufcles co-operating with the Spine, 
 in fuch as have Bones ; and the annular and other 
 Mufcles in fuch as have none i are incomparable Con- 
 trivances. 
 
 The Magnitude whereto fome Serpents have grown, is 
 prodigious. Bochart will aftonifli you with a Colle- 
 ction of Relations found in Antiquity concerning Ser- 
 pents, and particularly Dragons, of a moft enormous 
 Magnitude. Gefner too will quote us Authors for 
 
 M 4 fome 
 
1 68 Tlje Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 fome fo big, that the little Book I am now writing- 
 will allorcl no room for them. 
 
 Yea, Suetonius affirms, that one \\'as expofcd by Au^ 
 guftuSy which was no Icfs than fifty Cubits long. Dio 
 ci mes up with him, and affirms, that in Hctruna there 
 was one that was tourfcore and ^vq Foot loni^, which, 
 after he had made fearful Devaftations, \Cas kill'd 
 with a Thunderbolt. Strabo out-does him, and af- 
 firms, that in Cxlo-Syria there had been one which 
 \^'as an hundred Foot long, and fo thick, that a cou- 
 ple of Nien on iiorfcback, on each fide of him, could 
 not fee one anotiier. Yea, one that was an hun- 
 dred and twenty Foot long, was kill'd near Utka by 
 the Amiy of Rcgnlus. Well might Auftin fay o'^ thefe 
 dreadful Aninals, Alajom ncn fu}.t fupo T^evrmn. 
 
 T'no, if I m ght be allowed the Benefit of a Meta-- 
 flor, I would fay, / Imve kmivn 'where to find a greater 
 tk.n ali cf tJ.ef^ ! But, 
 
 Te Dragons^ zihofe contagious Breath 
 
 P,oph< the dark Retreats (f Death, 
 
 Change your dire Hifjings into heavenly Sengs, 
 
 And praife your Maker ivith your forked Tongues. 
 
 'T\s what occurs in my Lord Roficinmons 
 Paraphrafe on Pfalm cxlviii. 
 
 The poifoncus Tribes have been made an Objection 
 aga'i.fl tlie Divir.e Providence, as being deftnidive to 
 the refl of the World 
 
 TT.e Pcifcn of a Viper is found by Dr. Mead, on a 
 microfc'P'al Examination, a parcel offmall Salts, nimbly 
 floating in the Liquor, but quiikly changed, and fl?ot out in- 
 to Ci.ryflals, of aii incredible Tenuity and Sharpnefs, with 
 fcmiihing like to Knots here and there, from which they 
 feemed to prvce d : it lies in a Bng in the Gu?ns, at the 
 upper-end of the Teeth ; thcfc Teeth are tubulated, 
 f( r the convcyatice of the Poifn into the Wound which 
 they make. Giilcn fays. Mountebanks did ufe to flop 
 
 tlicfe 
 
The Chrijlian Philofopher. i6() 
 
 thcfe Perforations of the T'eeth, before they ^^•ouId lee 
 Spedators behold the Vij)ers to bite them. 
 
 Let it be confidered, that the venomous Creatures 
 have their great medicinal Ufes ; we fee a T'reade fetched 
 out of a Viper ; the Viper's Flefll cures Lepro/ies, and 
 obilinate Maladiesll The Gail of a Rattle-fnake (which 
 we take out of hiir^^n the more early Months of his 
 yearly appearance, and work into 'Troches with Chalk 
 or Meal) is a rich Cordial and Anodyne^ for which pur- 
 pofe I have often taken it, and given it : it invigorates 
 the Blood into a mighty Circulation^ when fatal Sup- 
 prefiions are upon it i it is highly alexipharmick, and 
 cures Qii art an- Agues. And yet this Rattle-fnake, fuch 
 a venomous Wretch, that if he bite the Edge of an 
 Axe, we have feen the bit of Steel that has been bit- 
 ten, come off immediately, as if it had been under a 
 Putrefliflion. 
 
 The very Steam of the Serpents in the famous La 
 Grotta delli Serpi, at Sajfa in Italy, celebrated by IVor^ 
 7nius from Kircher, and flrangely difcovered by a Leper 
 happening to fleep there, does wondrous things. 
 
 Moreover, ubi Virus, ibi Virtus; "'tis obferved, the 
 bruifed Flefi of the venomous Creatures applied to their 
 Bites, cures the Venom of them. 
 
 But, as Mr. Derham obfervfis, ^ There would be 
 no Injuilice in God for to make a Set of fuch noxious 
 Creatures, as Rods and Scourges, to execute the 
 Divine Chaftizements on finful Men." He adds, ' I 
 am apt to think, that the Nations which know not 
 God arc the mod annoyed with thofe noxious Rep- 
 tils, and other pernicious Creatures.' 
 There is a flrange Story related and afTcrted by 
 Franz,ius, That Anno Chrifli i^6^y vaft Armies o^' Ser- 
 pents appeared in Hungary, and occupied their Fields 
 of Corn ; and when the People were with a particular 
 Contrivance by Fire going to deftroy them, one \Nho 
 Was bigger than the reft lifting up his Head, articu- 
 lately cried cut, Nolite hoc faccre, quia non noflro Arbi^ 
 
 trio^ 
 
lyo ^he Chrifiian Phitofopher. 
 
 triOy fed n, Deo hue mi [ft funtus, ad perdendas Stgetes. If 
 the Story fhould be but a Fable, yet the Moral is wife 
 aiul good. 
 
 It inay be they that have been thought '•jenomous, 
 have not had in them fo much Venom as has been 
 thought for. S':r T/jeuIore Alayern l^ghs at the Po'foa 
 cf aJoiii, and fays, 'tis no worl^han aF/(^j he had 
 himfclf without mifchiet eaten levcral. 
 
 There is orx- Mr. Kobinjon ot Cufnberlarid, who offers 
 n as a probable Conjecture, that the ^jenoymus C eatures 
 lick up the Venom of the Earth, which, if it were dit- 
 fufed, might be more dangerous than their Bite or 
 Sling. 
 
 I'he fame Gentleman obfer\cs concerning the 
 cyairliiig IVvrm, \\\\\c\\ is dcfpifcd, as the moft ufeicfs 
 among all the Creatures cf God, that the Earth 
 abounds with a grofs, fat, luxuriant Slnne at the time 
 when thefe Vermin are engendred, and thcfe Vermin 
 then feed upon it ; this, it it were not fuck'd up, and 
 contrafted into the Bodies of thefe diminutive Anirnah, 
 but were diflufed thro the Grafs and Herbage, would 
 occafion Murrains in Bcafls, and periiaps Difeafes in 
 Men, whofe Diet is much upon Herbage. 
 
 A IVvrm nuz'j makes a faufe, and adores the Divine 
 IVorkmaifi^ip appearing in the Conjiitution of his Bi ethren ! 
 
 What an^azing Ettcds follow on the Bite of the Ta- 
 rantuhi! The Patient is taken wfth an extreme diffi- 
 culty of br catlings and heavy Anguifh of Heart, a dif- 
 mal Sadncfs of Tli/W, a P\iee querulous and fcrrowhil, 
 and his E^es \ ery much dillurbed. When the violent 
 Symptoms which appear on the firft Days are over, a 
 contii-.ual MJamJ)ol\ hangs about the PcrfMi, till by 
 dancing, or (inging, or change of Age, the poilonous 
 ImprelHons are extirpated from the Blood, and the 
 Fluid of the Ner\es: but this is an Happinefs that 
 rarely liappcns ; nay, Eaglivi, this wicked Spider's 
 Countryman, fays, there is no ExpeBatiun cf ever being 
 feftlhcwid. Many of the Poifoned are never well 
 
 but 
 
7he Chrifiian Philojo^kr. lyr 
 
 but among the Graves, and m fohtary places ; and they 
 lay themfelves along upon a Bier, as it they themfelves 
 were dead: like People in defpair, they will throw 
 themfelves into a Pit; /f/c77/f/^,otherwiiecha{le enough, 
 will caft away all Modefty, and throw themfelves into 
 very expoling and indecent Poftures ; they love to be 
 tofs'd in the Air, but fome will be mightily pleafed 
 w^ith rolling themfelves, like Swine, in the Dirt ; and 
 others cannot be pleafed except they be foundly 
 drubb'd on their hinder Parts. There are fome Co- 
 lours agreeable to them, others offenfive, efpecially 
 Black i and if the Attendants have their Clothes of 
 ungrateful Colours, they mull; retire out of their fight. 
 The Mujick with the Dancing which muft be employ 'd 
 for their Cure, continues three or four Days ; in this 
 vigorous Exercife they Jigh, they are full of Com- 
 plaints; like Perfons in drink, they almoft lofe the 
 right ufe of their Underflanding: they diftinguifh not 
 their very Parents from others in their treating of 
 them, and fcarce rem.ember any thing that is paft. 
 Some during this Exercife are mightily pleafed with 
 green Boughs, of Reeds or Vines, and wav^e them with 
 their Hands in the Air, or dip them in the Water, or 
 bind them about their Face or Neck ; others love to 
 be handling red Cloths and naked Swords. And there 
 are thofe who, upon a little intermiffion of the dancing, 
 fall a digging of Holes in the Grotmd, which they fill 
 with Water, and then take a ftrange fatisfadion in 
 rolling there. When they begin to dance, they call for 
 Swords, and aft the Fencers; fometimes they are for a 
 Looking-glafs, but then they fetch many a deep Sigh at 
 tiie beholding of themfelves. Their Fancy fometimes 
 leads them to rich Clothes, to Necklaces, to Fineries, 
 and a variety of Ornaments ', and they are highly cour- 
 teous to x^^Q By-ftanders that will gratify them with 
 any of thcfe things ; they lay them very orderly about 
 the place where the Exercife is performed, and in dan^ 
 
 cing 
 
lyi T^^ Chrijlian Philojopher. 
 
 cihg pleafe themfclvcs with one or other ot thefe things 
 by turns, as their troubled Imagination direcis them. 
 
 How miferable would be the Condition of Man- 
 kind, if thefe Animals were common in every Coun- 
 try ! But our compalfionate God has conhned them to 
 one little Corner of Italy ; they are exifting elfewhere, 
 but no where thus venomous, except in Apulia. My 
 Gcdy I glorify thy Compajjlon to finjtil ALv^kindy in thy Re^ 
 fir aims upLYi the Poifons cfthe Tarantula ! 
 
 But who can behold the DXpofitions of the poor 
 larantnlates, and not behold at the fame time with 
 Horror, a lively Exhibition of the FoHes whereto 'vi^ 
 cious People are difpr fed ? Perhaps the Thought well 
 puruied would give fuch an Illuftration of the T\iio?n 
 that befools, dcpra\ es, and enflaves vidous People, as to 
 lead us into fome very right Notions of the Methods, 
 vh.erein the ezil Spirit s, to whofe Condudt they ha\e 
 refig:/d themfelves, do, thro a juft Judgment of God, 
 operate upon tliem. 
 
 Viilou^ People, if you are not fo T'aramulated, that 
 it will friglit you to look into a Looking-glaf, bethink 
 yourfclves, and in the Condition of the Miferables 
 that are Hung with a 'Tarantula, behold as in a Look- 
 ing-glafs vour own Behaviour and Contulion. 
 
 If. ' Thar the le:.fi and the v:o)jl of the Creatures 
 
 * may do Man the Service of leading him to God, a 
 
 * renowned Writer has demondrated, in fingling out 
 
 * the Example of a Toad. A Gentleman fayin.^, that 
 
 * in every one of the Creatures he could fee Invitations 
 
 * to the Prai ft s oi GOD, one ask'd him, What! in 
 
 * a Toad? Quirncdo in Bufone potes laudare Deum ? He 
 
 * rracc this ^ood Anfwer, This ; That a good God has 
 
 * advanced r?:e above the Bafenefs and Vemin of that con- 
 
 * tern tible A>:inuil !' 
 
 ' The BiHiops who in their Travel to the Council 
 
 * o( Ctn/Iiin.e, iound a poor Country-man in the Tears 
 ' <jf Praifes to God at tiic fight of a Toad, were firuck 
 
 ' into 
 
The Chrifiian Philojo^her. 175 
 
 ^ into juil Refledions, whereof this was one, Surgunt 
 * Indociiy & radium Coehim.^ 
 
 ESSAY XXIX. Of the Fishes. 
 
 TH E Fifies of the Sea Jhall declare to thee ! 
 Let us become Divers, and vifit the ivatery 
 World ; there we fhall fee, as Mr. Derham truly fays, 
 a various, a glorious, an inexhauflible Scene of the Divine 
 Power, JVifdom, and Goodnef, 
 
 The Variety of the Creatures that are the Inhabitants 
 of the Waters is very confiderable. Pliny in the ele- 
 venth Chapter of his thirty-fecond Book reckons up 
 one hundred and feventy-fix Kinds of them : indeed 
 he is very fhort in his Account. Our Chriftian Pliny^ 
 the excellent Ray, rai fes the Number of the Fifhes to 
 five hundred, excluding the Shell-fif) ; but of the Shell- 
 ffl) more than fix times the Number, and yet he 
 thinks there may be but half the Species of the Fifl)es 
 yet known to us. 
 
 If you'll believe Pliny and Company, Vera efl vulgi 
 Opinio, Quicquid nafcitur in parte Natura till ay & in 
 Mari ejje, praterque multa qua nufquam alibi, 
 
 Mr. WiUoughhy fays Arifiotle's Divifion of the Fifhes 
 is the beft, [ better than Rondelerius's ] into three 
 Kinds, the cetacious, the cartilaginous, and the fpinous. 
 
 He gives us a Catalogue of ninety-three feveral forts 
 of our Englifl} Fifhes. 
 
 The Shape of their Bodies, long and flender, or elfe 
 very thin, is admirably accommodated to their Adion 
 oi fwimming, wherein they are to divide the Waters. 
 
 The Air-bladder, wherewith moft of the Fifties are 
 furnifhed ; this is what cannot be beheld without 
 Aftonifhment ! By this they poife tlieir Bodies, and 
 keep them equiponderant to the Water ,* without it 
 they would fall to the bottom, and lie groveling there, 
 as it has been found, when that Wiyid-bladder has been 
 broken. By ccntratling or dilating this Bladder, they are 
 
 able 
 
1 74 The Chriftiiin Phiiofopher. 
 
 able to fink or to raifc thcmfelves at their pleafurc, 
 and continue in any depth of Water they pleafe. 
 
 Fijfjes are ftiiftblc of Soundi^ but whether they hea,\, 
 or only feel the Sounds, is very much difpiitcd. At/m- 
 nafuis Kirchcr obfer\ es. That tho the F'/h.s that have 
 Lungs have alfo Ears^ yet by what Organs the iicaring 
 of the reft is performed, a nanine adhiic penitus explorw 
 tu7?t eft. 
 
 Their Fins, made of griftly Spokes, connected by 
 Membranes, hke our Fans, and furnifhed with Aluf- 
 cles tor motion, thefe do partly ferve tliem for pro- 
 greflion, but chiedy to hold the Body upright : when 
 thefe are cut off, as they were by Borei/i, they waver 
 to and fro, and when they die, their Belly turns up- 
 wards. 
 
 The great Strength, by which they dart themfelves 
 forward with an incredible Celerity, lies in their Tails ; 
 almoft the whole m.ufculous part of their Bodies is 
 beftowed upon them, to ailift the Vibration thereof. 
 How^ Fftjes row thcn.fclves by their Tails, and other 
 Curiofities relating to f-uimming, you may read in Bo- 
 relit' s ingenious D.fcourfe de motti Animalium. 
 
 It is remarkable to fee how FiP?^s have the Center cf 
 Gravity al^^ays placed in the htreft part of their Bo- 
 dies, which is a Point of great Confideration in their 
 fluid Element. r 
 
 Confider the Fuod of thefe Anim.als ; they neither 
 chew their Meat in their Mouths, nor griml it in their 
 Maws : but in their Stomatb they arc furniHicd with 
 a dijjulvent Liquor, which does corrode their Food, and 
 reduce it, Skin and Bones and all, into a Ch)lus or 
 Cremnr ; and yet it is very marvellous, the TaRe can 
 pera^ive in this Liquor nothin*^ c[' Addity : it will ma- 
 nage FleOi as Aqua-firtis does Metals, and yet no kii- 
 fiblc Sharpncfs \\\ it ! 
 
 But where fhall they find their Food ? lord, thefe 
 wait all upon thee, that then ma\J} give thetn tlyerr Meat in 
 due Seafon : what thou givfi thtm, they gather; tlou openefl 
 
77je Chriflian PhiloJofheK 175 
 
 thhie Hand, they are filled with' Good. How rich a 
 Prumptuary is this unlikely Element ! From the largeft 
 Leviathan which flayeth in the Seas, to the fmalleft 
 Mite in the Lakes and Ponds, all are plentifully pro- 
 vided for ; as is manifeil (which Mr. Derham notes) 
 from the Fatnefs of their Bodies, and the Gaiety of their 
 AfpeEls and Actions, 
 
 There is a Germination of divers aquatick Plants m 
 the Waters ; the Waters are alfo a fort of a Matrix to 
 many Animals, particularly InfeBs, not only fuch as 
 are peculiar to the Waters, but alfo many pertaining 
 to the Air and the Land ,• who, by their near alliance 
 to the Waters, delight in being about them, and fo 
 become a Prey to the Lihabitants thereof. Dr. Schuyl 
 mentions the Horror of the Water turned into Blood at 
 Leyden, from nothing but the infinite Swarms ol Pulices 
 upon it ; befides thefe, what mighty Shoals do we find 
 of leffer Animals there, which tlie greater feed upon ! 
 
 What a vafl Supply of our Food have \s e in fucking 
 the Abundance of the Seas ? How many Millions of the 
 F-JI) arc every Year fetched out of their Element, and 
 interred in the hungry Bowels of Men ? Some of thefe 
 very delicious, particularly the IVhite-fifh, whereof 
 fucti infinite Shc.als in the vad Lakes of the North 
 America, which has this very fingular Property, that 
 all forts of Sauces do but fpoil iti it is always eaten, 
 either boii'd or broil'd, without any manner of Sea- 
 foning. 
 
 You, Gentlemen, who think your own Country of 
 England worth vifiting with your 'Travels, as methinks 
 you Ihould before you go abroad, find the little River 
 'Trent in Staffordfiire aftording thirty feveral forts of 
 Fifi'S ; you'll be ready to affirm of it, as the Hunga- 
 rian do of- their Tibifcus, two parts are Water, the 
 third is Fiji). 
 
 A/v G(/^', when in our Necefftties we ask of our Father 
 a Fiflo, our heavenly Father feeds us^ how agreeably, hiia 
 plentifully ! 
 
 As 
 
17^ "The Chrifiian Philojopher. 
 
 As the fmallejl Animals arc bred in the Water?, 
 witncfs thofe in Pepper-zvater^ fo are the iargeji ; thofe 
 of the ceta.cous Kind are there. 
 
 Pliny mentions the BaUnx oF the Indian Sea, which 
 ivere nine hundred and fixty Foot long; and lie men- 
 tions M'^i.ales that were fix hundred Foot long, and 
 three hundred and fixty broad, which came into a Ri- 
 ver ot" ^^^Z'/.i. In the fecond Chapter ot' his ninth 
 Book he oft'ers a Rcafon w^hy the Lirgejl Animah are 
 bred in the Sea. 
 
 But I love to pafs from him to a more trufly and 
 modern PZ/wv, our induftrious Ray-, and we will now 
 fee fomething cf his Remarks upon thefe Bellua: Ma- 
 rina : The T^ail in thcfc has a diti'crent policion from 
 what it has in all other EJht^s ; it lies parallel to the 
 Horizon in thefe, and it is perpendicular in the reft; 
 hereby it fupplies the ufe of the hinder pair of F/«s 
 which thefe Creatures lack; and it ferves both to raife 
 and fink their Body at their pleafure. It is necclfary 
 that thefe Creatures frequently alcend to the top of 
 the Water to breathe^ and therefore they fliould be 
 furnifhcd with an Organ, by which their afcent and 
 defcent might be facilitated. Tiie turning of their Bo- 
 dies in the Water they perform like the Bi,d^, by the 
 motion of one of their FinSy while the other is qui- 
 efcent. It is very remarkable tkat their whole Body 
 is compafs'd round with a copious Fut^ which we call 
 the BluUtr, whereby their Bodies are poifed, and ren- 
 dred equiponderant to the Water, and the Water alfo 
 is kept ort at fome d'ftance from the B.'ooJ, the inm^e- 
 diate Contad whereof might elfe have had fome chil- 
 ling force upon it ; it ferves likewifc, as our Clothes 
 do for us, to keep the Fijh warm^ in rejecting the hot 
 Steams of their Body, and fo redoubling the Heat 
 thereof: hence they can abide the greateft Cold of the 
 Northern 5ai% to which they chicily rcforr, not only 
 for the Quiet which they enjoy there, but becaufe the 
 Northern Air, which is more fully charged with the 
 
 Particles, 
 
^e Chrifiian Philofopher. 177 
 
 Particles which we fuppofe to be nitrons, and that are 
 the Aliment of Fire, is fitted of all to maintain their 
 vital Heat in that Adivity, which may be fufficient 
 for to move fuch an un\ueldy Bulk as theirs. The 
 flufendoiis Magnitude of thefe Animals 1 Thou Antitype 
 thereof, amon^ the Poets which adorn our Age, de-« 
 fcribe them to us. 
 
 Mobile the vafl Wloate takes in the Deep his place^ 
 Prince of the Waters and the finny Race ; 
 Rolling in Sport, the Billovjs he removeSy 
 And, like a foating I fie, the Ocean f/joves : 
 Mow in his weedy Court he lies at eafe. 
 Now fpouts againft the Skies exhaufied Seas, 
 
 And yet one fays vtxy well concerning him ; he Is 
 minima quadam operum Dei, particula ac velut mica. 
 
 Let what I gave you of the nine hundred and fixty 
 Foot pafs for a PUnyiftn ; and fo what Bafil in his Hexa-^ 
 emeron reports of Whales equal in bignefs to the great- 
 efl Mountains, let the Cenfure of Brierwood pafs upon 
 it, SiS an intolerable Hyperbole : We will write more fo- 
 her things. Faffing by what JElian affirms of the 
 Whale being five times beyond the largefl: Elephant^ 
 we find Rondeletius affigning him fometimes thirty-fiys 
 dibits of length, and eight of height. Dion is a grave 
 as well as an old Writer, and he reports a Whale com- 
 ing to Land out of the German Ocean fixty Foot in 
 length, twenty in breadth. But Gefner, a later, affirms 
 a Whale to have landed near our T'inmouth-Haven, in 
 the Year 1532, w^hich was ninety Foot in length, and 
 the breadth of his Mouth fix Yards and an half, and 
 his Belly of fuch a compafs, that one Handing on the 
 Fifh, and flipping into his Belly, very narrowly efcap'd 
 being drownM there. 
 
 But then, if we may take Hartenius for a Voucher, 
 among the twenty feveral Kinds of Whales by him enu- 
 merated, he reckons one fort that is thirty Ells long, 
 
 N and 
 
lyS The Chrifiian Philojopher. 
 
 and hath more than feventy Teeth, fo large as to make 
 Handles of Knives and other Inftruments. He reckons 
 another fort that is forty Ells long, and overwhelms 
 Vcfl'els that come in his way. He proceeds to fome 
 eighty Ells long, and (bnic of ninety. 
 
 All thefe proclaiming the Grandeur of their Great 
 Creator ! 
 
 Even in the cold Sea too, what a Warmth of Parental 
 Affection do the vld ones exprefs for their )Oung ones^ 
 and how diftinguilhing ! When the Seals are hundreds 
 of thoufands of them lying in a Bay coming out of the 
 Sea, they bleat like Sheep for their Young; and tho 
 they pals thro hundreds, yea, thoufands of other 
 young ones before they come to their ov:n, yet they 
 will fuflcr none but their own to fuck them. Even the 
 Sea-Monflers draw out the Breafi, they give fuck to their 
 young ones. Mcnflrous Parents, that are without natural 
 Affeilion! Thefe Inhabitants of the Sea with open 
 Mouth cry out againft you. 
 
 If. ' I remember a Crajfus, of whom 'tis reported, 
 that he fo tamed a Fijh in his Pond, as to make him 
 come to him at his calling him ; verily, I Oiall have 
 a Soul dcfcrving his Name, and be more ftupid thaii^ 
 the Fifh, if I do not hear the Calls which the Fip 
 give to m.e to glorify the God that made them ; and 
 who has in their Variety, in their Multitude, in their 
 StruF^ures, their Difpoftions and Sagacities, difplay'd 
 his Glories. The Pap if s have a filly and fooliih Le- 
 gend of their St.>^/7//'ow^ preaching to the Fifljes ; it 
 will be a Difcrction in me to make the reverfe of the 
 FaLL, and hear the Ff.Ks preaching to me, which 
 they do many Truths of no fmall importance. As 
 mute as they are, they are plain aiui loud Preachers ; 
 1 want nothing but an Ear to make me a proHtablc 
 Hearer of them. ' 
 
 ' It i"? a good W'ifli to be /// virtutj Ddphimts, to ufe 
 the Difpatch of the quick Dolphin in all good Pur- 
 pofes.' 
 
 ' Tho 
 
The Chrijiian Philofopher. 179 
 
 ' Tho 'tis the way of the Sea for the greater to devour 
 the leJfeYy and the Wifdom of Heaven is confpicuous 
 in it ,* yet I deprecate this way of all the Earth : for 
 indeed the Fijh, who devour not thofe of their own 
 particular Kind, therein condemn the curfed Rapa-- 
 city too often feen among the Children of Men/ 
 
 * To catch Fifl) is an Employment whereby many fup- 
 port themfelves, a Diver/ion wherewith many refrefh 
 themfelves ; in managing this Fijhery what an oppor- 
 tunity for many ufeful Refled:ions ! In the Means of 
 Goodbe{ko\w'd upon us, the Glorious-One does Rett a 
 Salutis pander e. How happy we, if taken in the Nets 
 of Salvation ! We are fo when effedually perfuaded 
 to the embracing of our Saviour, and of his Reli- 
 gion/ 
 
 * Alas 1 the Minifters of the Gofpel now /A not 
 with Nets^ but with Rods j and after long anglings 
 and baiting,^ and waiting, how few are taken !' 
 
 * In the 'Temptations to Sin and Vice which are offer'd 
 to me, I fee the Hooks with which the Deflroyer 
 propofes to take me, that I may be thrown into the 
 Perdition of ungodly Men. My God, let not the Satanick 
 Baits have any Power over me /' 
 
 * How fuddenly is the Fifl> caught and killed, and 
 with what a Surprize, when . the poor Animal has 
 not the leaft thought of fuch a Fate coming upon 
 him 1 One moment fporting, taken the next ; he 
 puli'd away, his Fellows not at all regarding it ! He 
 was a wife Man who long fince took notice of this ; 
 Man knoweth not his Time : As the Fifhes that are taken 
 in an evil Net, fo are the Sons vf Men. My Gcd, help 
 me to think ferioufly of Death every day, as not knowing 
 but it may he my dying-day.' 
 
 ' At our 'Tables wc are now welcome to all the F.fl? 
 we can fairly come at, whether they have any Fins 
 or Scales or no ; but methinks it gives a fpecial rehjh 
 to the Dif?, 'tis a D^fi which my admirableS aviour 
 fometimes tafted of 
 
 Na ESSAY- 
 
l8o Tlje Chrijiian Philojophcr. 
 
 ESSAY XXX. Oftht Feathered. 
 
 THE BIRDS now invite us to fisr and Jtrjg 
 "NV'ith them in the Praifcs of our God. 
 Thefe ought immediately to tollow the F<{I)e<:^ not 
 only for the OrcUr ot their Ceaticn^ but alfo bccaufe, 
 as Bajjl notes, there is a "Zvyyi^uA toii ^o^tiAifoti 'v{oi lal 
 fUKJety Volant ibus Affinitas cum Natantihus, 
 
 Thcfe are either Land-Foid or Water-Foii:l. Of the 
 Lnnd-Fo-n'l fome have crooked Beaks and "Takns^ where- 
 of feme are carnivncus, called Birds oj Prey. 
 
 And fome are sKofrugiz'oroui, called by the general 
 Nam.e of Parrots. 
 
 Others have their BH^s and Claii's more (}• eight ; of 
 which there are fome of a larger Size, which cannot 
 fly at all. ^ , 
 
 Some are of a middle Size, and ha\'e either a bigger 
 or longer BUI; fome whereof do feed promifcuoully, 
 fome only on F//Z', fome on InfeEls : or a fmallcr and 
 fhortcr Bill, whereof fome have a 'whiter Flefi, others a 
 Slacker. 
 
 Some are of a Itjfcr Siz,c, called the f?rtall Birds ; 
 which are either the foft-kaL'd, tiiat feed moftly on 
 fVorms or Flies ; or the hard-bealtd^ that feed moflly 
 on Seeds. ' 
 
 The Water-Fairl arc either fucli 2iS frequent the Wa- 
 ters for their Food, thcfe are all clov en-foot ed, and ge- 
 nerally ha\ e /ow^ Z.f;^s ^'^<^ thofe naked for a good way 
 above the Knees, that tiicy may the more convenient- 
 ly wade in the Waters j or they are fuch as do f<vnn in 
 the Waters, the mod of tliefc arc iv hole-footed : fome 
 ha\ e but three Toes on a Fo( t, but mod of them four ; 
 thefe eitiicr all conncifted by intervening Memhancsy 
 or more ufually with the back "Toe loofc. Moil JVatcr- 
 Foi^ls have a fl^rrt "tail. 
 
 In Birds tlie Siiape and Make of their B'xly Is in- 
 comparably adapted to their Flight ; btfre Hiarp, to 
 
 pierce; 
 
The Chriftian Philofopher. i8l 
 
 pierce and make their way thro the Air, and then ri- 
 
 iing to their fall Bulk by gentle degrees. 
 
 Their Feathers^ how artificially placed, for facilita- 
 ting the motion of their Body 1 Being placed any other 
 way than what they are (as they would have been if 
 meer Chance had placed them) they would have ga- 
 thered Air^ and been an Incumbrance to the Paflage 
 of their Body thro the Air i whereas in the neat Order 
 wherein they are now placed, they are like a Boat 
 new drefs'd and cleaned, making its Paflage thro the 
 Waters. At the fame time they have the Security of 
 an admirable Ckathing in them, with a foft and warm 
 Dc-wn next to their Body, but thofe next to the 
 Weather of flronger Confiftence, and clofed moft cu- 
 rioufly. And then there is a mod furprizing Accef- 
 fion to all this in the Art with which thofe Animal? 
 do freen and drefs their Feathers, and the wondrous 
 Oil-bag with which they are for this purpofe accom- 
 modated. There is ufually one Gland (Mr. JViliOughhy 
 fometimes found a couple) in which there are divers 
 little Cells, ending in two or three larger ones, which 
 lie under the Nipple of the Oil-hag ; this Nipple is 
 perforated, and being prefs'd or drawn by the Bird's 
 Bill or Head, emits a liquid Oil in fome, an unduous 
 Greafe in others, which being employed on their Fea-^ 
 thers, contributes to their nimble gliding thro the Air. 
 
 How commodioufly their Wings are placed 1 They 
 that fly much, or have moft occafion for their Wings, 
 have them in the very bed part imaginable, to balance 
 their Body in the Air, and give them a fwift progref- 
 fion. Alter their Equipoife, by cutting a Wing, or 
 hanging a Weight, and how they reel ! Such as have 
 as much occafion for fwimming as for flying, have their 
 Wings therefore fet a little out of the Center of their 
 Body's Gravity ; and for fuch as have more occafion 
 for di'^'ing than for flying, thefe for that reafon have 
 their Legs more backw ard, and their M'lngs more for- 
 ward. 
 
 N 3 The 
 
1 8i T^y Chriflian Philofopher. 
 
 The incomparable Curiofity of every Feather ! The 
 Shaft, hollow below, that it may be the ftronger and 
 the lighter ; above a Pith filling it, which is alf: both 
 Arong and light j the Strength marvellous ! Tlie Vanes ^ 
 how nicely gauged ! broader on one fide, nam^wer on 
 the other, in both contributing to the propveiTive mo- 
 tion of the Fow 1, and clofenefs of the U'^nig. The 
 Vanes of the Flag-feathers of the Wing, the Edu'S of the 
 exterior bending downwards, of the interior upwards, 
 by which means they lie clofe to one another w hen the 
 Wing fpreads, and not one Feather mifl'cs its full Im- 
 fulfe on the Air j yea, the very {loping of the Tips of 
 thcfc Feathers is a Nicety to be wondred at. 
 
 Let an Eye afTifted with Glaflcs view the textrine 
 Art of the Plionage, and, as Mr. Dcrharn, w ho has gi- 
 ven us a more particular Account of it, juftly fays, it 
 will be found fo exquifite, that it cannot be 'vieived v^ith- 
 out Jldmiration ! 
 
 ' My PEN, thou art fetch'd from the PVing of a 
 
 * Bird ; thou wafl one of the Feathers, which thou art 
 
 * now writing of! How furprizing an Engine! How 
 
 * furprizing, how extcnfivc, how powerful thy Opera- 
 
 * ticns in the World ! Never fliall my Pen be employ- 
 
 * ed in any thing but the Scr\ice of the glorious God, 
 
 * to w hom» 1 am indebted ior it.' 
 
 Admirable the Apparatus of the flrong, but light 
 Bones in the Wings! The f tints which move fo as to 
 anfwcr all Occafions ! 1 lie Strength of the peroral 
 AlufJes in Birds is greater than in any things not made 
 for fi)iiig- BoreL'i obferves, that the peroral Mufles in 
 Mi^n are very fm.all, and they don't come up to the fi^- 
 tieth part of all the Mufles ; but in Birds the fecloral 
 Mifles are \er} large^ ij cquant, imo escedtint, CT rnagis 
 pendent, (juam nliqui omnes Mufculi cjufde?n Avis fimtd 
 fumpti. F(ir which caufe our IVilIot.ghh obferves, that 
 if Men woukl propofc to profpcr in tiieir vain Project 
 fcr f)ingy their H'lngs mull be fallned not to their 
 
 • Anns^ 
 
Th Chriftian Philojopher. 183 
 
 ^rwj, but their Legs, the Mufdes being much ftronger 
 there. 
 
 The 'fail of the Bird, which has been thought a 
 fort of a Rudder, 'tis proved by BoreHi that this is the 
 leafl ufe of it i but it ferves wonderfully to aflift the 
 4fcent and the Defcent of the Bird in the Air, and ob^ 
 viate the Vacillations of the Body and Wings. 
 
 The Flight performed according to the ftrideft 
 Rules of Mechanifm! The untaught Artift gives a 
 motion to his Wings, than which the acuteft Mathe^ 
 matician could not give one more agreeable. 
 
 Blind Philofopher, canfl thou fee no GOD in all of this ? 
 
 View next the Feet and Legs, which minifter to 
 their other motion. 
 
 Both of them very light, for their eafier Tranfforta-^ 
 tion thro the Air. 
 
 In IVater-Fowl how exadly do their Feet and Legs 
 correfpond to their way of living ! Some of them have 
 their Legs pretty long, that they may wade in the 
 Waters, in this cafe their Legs are without Feathers a 
 good way above their Knees, which is a Conveniency ; 
 their Toes alfo are all broad : and in the Mudfucken 
 two of the Toes are fomewhat joined, that they may 
 not eafily fmk in walking upon boggy places. Thofe 
 that are zvhole-footed, or have their Toes ijcebhd toge- 
 ther, have their Legs generally fhort, which ^ox fwim- 
 ming is mod convenient ; and it is pretty to fee how 
 artificially they gather up their Toes and Feet when 
 they go to take their Stroke, and as artificially again 
 extend or open their Feet when they drive themfelves 
 forward in the Waters. 
 
 Rapacious Birds, as they have hooked Beaks, thus they 
 have ftrong, and fharp, and pointed Talons, fitted for 
 the Rapine they are fo intent upon, and for the tearing 
 the Flifi that falls into them ; and, as our Willoughby 
 and Ray obferve, they have robuft and brawny Thi.ghs^^ 
 foy ft ri icing down their Prey. 
 
 N4 By 
 
184 ^^ Chriflian Philofopher. 
 
 By the w ay ; of this Kina ihere is a fort of white 
 Crcus (v e mull believe fon^e who tell us this 1) which 
 they call Khi^-Carrion-Corcs ; and it is affirmed, that 
 when a great number ot C/txu; are aiiemblcd about a 
 Carcafe, if a King-Car ri^ u-Qcw be among them, he 
 falls on firft, and none of the rell will tafte the leafl 
 Morfel till he has fiU'd his Belly, and is withdrawn. 
 I hope thefe Crows do no hurt by breaking in upon a 
 Paragraph that is treating upon other Matters, efpe- 
 cially if they eftedually teach us, that the ^^ant of 
 good Manners will never want a Condemnation. 
 
 Birds that climb, as the IVood-ycker Kind are, how 
 fitted for the purpofe ! Their T'bighs very ftron^, their 
 Legs very ftrong, but yet very fhcrt; their 'Toes^ two 
 forwards, two backwards, and fo clofely joined, that 
 they may firmly lay hold on the Tree : an hard and a 
 ftift' Tail, bendiUg do^vn^^ards, on which they lean, 
 and fo bear themlehes up in climbing. 
 
 How conveniently are the Legs of Birds curved, 
 for their eafy perching, and roofiing, and reft ! And 
 to help them up upon their Wings in taking their 
 Flight, and then to be fo tuck'd up to the Body, as 
 not to obftru(5l the Flight ! 
 
 It is admirable that fuch Birds as are Fin-toed are 
 naturally dire(^ted and carried to the JVatevy and fall to 
 fwimming there ; thus Ducklings^ ^ho hatched and led 
 by an Htn, when they come near a Pond of Heater, in 
 tney go, tho they never faw fuch a thing before, and 
 tho the Hen clucks and calls, and is in a mighty Agony 
 to keep them out, as Pliny exprcfies it, with Laynenta 
 circa Pifcina fiugna^ mergentibus fe pul/iSy Natura duce. 
 
 There is a confiderable Obfervation of Ariflotle^ 
 Wlmci/ fxcyjr ^'J^t'j. There is no Flyer but whixt has Feet as 
 well as H^'^ings, a power of walking or creeping on the 
 Earth i *tis becaufe there is not always a fufficient 
 Food to be had for them in the Air^ nor could the 
 Birds take any reft, for without Feet they could not 
 perch on the Trees; and if they lit on the ground, 
 
 they 
 
^e Chriflian Philofopher. 185 
 
 they could not again eafily raife themfelves; and 
 where could they fit, hatch, and breed their Young > 
 The Story of the Bird cf Paradife, received even by the 
 Learned in the former Age, is now found a Fable ; 
 that Bird has Legs and Feet, and thofe great and flrong, 
 and armed with Talom^ as being a Bird of Prey. 
 
 The Bill of Birds, how fuited for gathering Fooi^ 
 and other Ufes ? 
 
 The Eye, how commodioufly fituated ! (It is, by the 
 way, a thing fo remarkable, that nothing lefs than 
 Aftonifhment can be the refult of the Obfervation ; 
 that the FoijcIs in their Tribes have their Ceminels^ 
 efpecially in the Night. The Watchfulnefs of the 
 Scart is true to a Proverb : One, by furprizing the Cen^ 
 tinel^ has caught three hundred in a Night.) 
 
 And the Ear, which would obftrud the Flight of 
 it, were it like that of other Animals i the inner Ear, 
 largely defcribed by Mr. Derham, is a Contrivance 
 that is a very amazing one. 
 
 Willis admires the Points wherein the Brain of 
 Birds and Fifhes agrees, differing from the Brain of 
 Man and Beafls. 
 
 To Steno there appears Elegans Artificis liber e agentis 
 indicium, in the Bifurcation of the Afpera Arterm in 
 Birds, whiqh is not in other Animals, and which fits 
 them for their finging. 
 
 In the Swan particularly, Bartholin celebrates it, as 
 being admiranda Stniflura, by which means it may 
 continue half an Hour under Water without any 
 danger of choaking. 
 
 Read Blafius and Coiter, and admire the Tongue of 
 the Wood-fecker, efpecially the fharp, horned, beard- 
 ed Point, and the gh^^y Matter at the end of it, the 
 better to flab and Hick into the little Maggots, and to 
 draw them out of the Wood. 
 
 The fcveral ways the Birds have of purveying for 
 their Food, call for our Confideration as we go along : 
 but how can they be confidered without fome furprize 
 
 of 
 
1 8 (5 TThe Chrifiian Philqfopher. 
 
 of Pleafurc at the view thereof. Among all thefe, that 
 of the Man-of-lVdY Bird^ mentioned by Dumpier, is 
 lery (ingularly diverting. He {q^s a Bird called a 
 Boobyy and Hying at him, gives him a BIoijc^ which 
 caufes him immediately to difgorge the F//7; he has in 
 his Crop ', and this he fcizes on, perhaps before it can 
 in its fall reach the Earth or Water. ' 'Tis in eft'cct 
 
 * what Men do to one another, when the Juftice of 
 
 * Heaven ufes them to make Se}z,ures on one another's 
 
 * PolTelTions. Have not the French in the late and long 
 ! Wars, btcn Mtn-of-lVar Birds jOn our Enghjl? Nation V 
 
 Wonderful the Provifion in the Bill, for the judging 
 of the Food! It has peculiar Nerves for the purpofe. 
 T'hefe are fmaller and lefs numerous in them that have 
 the aiTiftance of their Eye : but they are more nume- 
 rous and thickly branched about, to the very end 
 of the Beak, in fuch as hunt for their Food out of 
 light, in Water, in Mud, or under Ground. Fliit-hil~ 
 led Birds, as Mr. Clayton and Dr. Moulen have obfer- 
 ved, they that grope for their Meat have three Pair of 
 Nerves that come into their Bills, whereby they accu- 
 rately diflinguifh what may be proper for their Food. 
 Shall we flop a Moment, and confidcr how ufeiul 
 the carnivorous Birds of Prey become, e\en in profe- 
 cuting their voracious Inclinations ? If the number of 
 lejfa Birds were not by their means lelVened into 
 fuch a Proportion, thofe hjfer Birds would ovuftock 
 their feeding y and then alfo, fhould thofe kjfer Birds, 
 which arc fo numerous, die of Age, they would leave 
 their Car cafes to rot upon the Ground, and their Stink 
 would corrupt the Air, and become infupportable. 
 
 Dr. Grc^ obferves, both Birds and B^ajls having 
 one common ufe ot Spittle, are therefore furnifli'd with 
 the parotid Glands, which help to fupply the Mouth 
 Ts ith it ; but the IVtcd-Pecker, and other Birds ot tliat 
 Kind, bccaufe they prey upon Flics which they catch 
 with their 'Tongue, therefore in the room ot the laid 
 Glands, they ha\'c a couple of Bags filled with a vifcous 
 I Humour ; 
 
The Chriflian Philojopher. 187 
 
 Humour ; a fort of natural Bird-lime, which being by 
 fmall Canals, like the Salival, brought into their 
 Mouths, they dip their "Tongues in it i and with the 
 help thereof, they attack and mafier their Prey. 
 
 Pais from the Mouth, to its near Ally the Stomach. 
 .''Tis admirable in its Duplicity , one to fof ten, another 
 to digefl ! Admirable in its Variety, fuited unto a di- 
 verfe Diet : mejnln'anous in fome that are carnivorous ; 
 mufculous, with a Strength agreeable^ where Grain 
 muft undergo a Comminution ! 
 
 The Giz,z>ard has a Faculty of grinding ; to which 
 purpofe the Bird fwallows rough Stones, which when 
 grown fmooth, it throws up again as ufelefs. Dr. 
 Harvey fays, this grinding may be heard in Eagles and 
 fome other Fou^ls, if you lay your Ear clofe to them 
 when their Stomachs are empty. 
 
 In Birds there is no Maflication or Com.minution of 
 the Meat in the Mouth ; but in fuch as are not carni- 
 vorous, it is immediately fwallowed into the Crop or 
 CraiJOy or at leaft a kind of Ante-Stomach, (which Mr. 
 Ray obferved, efpecially in the Pifcivorous) where it 
 is moiften'd and mollified by proper Juices, from the 
 Glandules there diflilled in, then transferred from thence 
 into the Gizz^ard. 
 
 Their Lungs adhere to the 'Thorax, and have little 
 play ; which is a good Provifit5ii for their fleady Flight, 
 
 Wanting the Diaphragm, inftead of it they have di-* 
 verfe Bladders, made of thin tranfparent Membranes^ 
 with pretty large Holes out of one into the other. 
 Thefe Membranes contain Air in them, and are alfo 
 Braces to the Vifcera. The Lungs have large Perfora- 
 tions, thro which the Air has a Paflage into the Belly. 
 Doubtlefs the Body is hereby made more or lefs buoy- 
 ant, and their Afcent or Defcent facilitated- 
 
 Their Necks, how proportioned unto the Length of 
 their Legs ! Indeed, they that muft fearch out their 
 Food in the Waters, have them longer yet ; and they 
 have them fo long, that when their Heads are extend- 
 ed 
 
1 88 The Chrifiicm Philofopher. 
 
 ed in flight, they caufe a due Equipoijt and Libration 
 of the Body upon tiie Wings. 
 
 The Infpcaion of thcfe Things would compel us 
 to contcfs the glorious MAKER of them all ! 
 
 Indeed what Stem fays on a Dcfcription oF a parti- 
 cular Subje.l:, (the Myology of the Eagk) may be 
 more generally applied ; Nun minus arida eft Legentibu^, 
 quam InfpeBantibus jucunda. For which reafon I will 
 not offer the Readers too many Particularities. 
 
 The Nidification ot Bi.ds; a thing how full of Cu- 
 riofity : They find out fecure Places, and very proper 
 ones,- where their Young may lie fafe and warm, and 
 have their Growth promoted. But then, with what 
 an artificial ELgnncy are fome of their Nefts prepared ? 
 Human Skill could hardly imitate it. Among other 
 Curiofitics of Nidification, I will mention one tliat is 
 obferved in Pidgeons of my own Country. They build 
 their Nefts with little Sticks laid athwart one ano- 
 ther, at fuch diftances, that while they are fo near 
 together as to prevent the falling through of their 
 ^cgXS ^hey are yet fo iar afunder, that the ml Air can 
 come at their Eggs. And tlic REASON for this 
 ArchiteBure of their Nefts ! 'T\s this i their B'.dies are 
 much hotter than thcfe ot other Birds; and tlieir Eggs 
 would be pcrfealy addled by the Heat of their Bodies 
 in the Incubation, if the Nefts were not fo built, that 
 the aol Air might come at them to temper it. 
 
 We have ken the Nft of an Lidiau Bird compofed 
 of the Fibres of certain Roots^ which were fo curioufly 
 interwoven, that it could not be beheld without Alio- 
 nifliment ! Thcfe Nfts they hang on the Ends of the 
 Twigs of the Trees, over the Water, to fecure their 
 Eggs a!ul Toung from the Ra\agc oi^ Apc^^ and other 
 Beads, that elfe would prey upon them. They arc 
 judly enough c^Wcd fubtle Jach. 
 
 ■ And what fliall we fay of the Flamingoes? They 
 build their Ntfts in ihallow Pvids^ where there is 
 much Mitdi which they fcrapc together into little 
 
 Hillocks, 
 
The Chrifiian Fhilojofher. 189 
 
 Hillocks, like Iflands^ appearing out of the Water 
 about a Foot and a half high from the Bottom. They 
 make the Foundation of thefe Hillocks broad, bring- 
 ing them up tapering to the Top, where they leave a 
 fmall hollow Pit, which they lay tlieir Eggs in y and 
 when they either lay or hatch their Eggs^ they fland 
 all the while, not on the Hillock^ but clofe by it, with 
 their Legs on the ground, and in the Watera refting 
 themfelves on the Hillock, and covering the hollow 
 Neft upon it with their Bodies. Their Legs are very 
 long, and building as they do upon the ground, they 
 could neither draw their Legs conveniently into their 
 Nefts, nor fit down upon them otherwife than by 
 rcfling their whole Bodies to the prejudice of their 
 Eggs or Young, were it not for this rare Contrivance. 
 [Pfal. Ixxxiv. 3.] 
 
 The Incubation^ for which this Tribe of Ani7nals is 
 remarkable, opens a new Scene of Wonders unto us. 
 The Egg with its crufty Coat is admirably fitted for 
 it. Here we find one part provided for the Formation 
 of the Body before 'tis grown to any confiderable Di- 
 menfions, another for its Nourifioment afterwards, till 
 the Bird be able to fhift for itfelf. 
 
 WiUotighby confirms that Obfervation of Pliny, Ipfum 
 Animal ex albo Liquore Ovi corporator : Cibus ejus m 
 Luteo efl. 
 
 But then the accurate bracing of thefe parts, by 
 which they are kept in their due place, Mr. Dei-ham 
 obferves, mufl be a defigndy as well as it is a curious 
 piece of Workmanfhip. They are feparated by Mem- 
 branes. The Cbalaz.a, (which becaufe formerly thought 
 the Sperm of the Cock, were called the Tieddles,) are, 
 as Harvey fays. As it were the Poles of this Microcofiriy 
 and the Connexions of the Membranes. But as Mr. Dcr- 
 ham obferves, they ferve only to keep one and the 
 fame part of the Yolk always uppermoft, let the Egg 
 be turned which way it will. The C/jaIaz,a, it feems, 
 are fpecifically lighter than the Whites in which they 
 
 fwim ; 
 
1 90 TToe Chrifiictn Philofopher. 
 
 fwim ; and being braced unto the Membrane of the 
 To//:, not exactly in the Axis of the Tolk, but f(3me- 
 what out of it, it caufcs one fide of the Yulk to be 
 heavier than the other : fo that the Yolk being by the 
 Chalaza made buoyant, and kept fwimming in the 
 midft of the two IVhites, is by its o\sn heavy fide 
 kept with the fame fide always uppermoft, and pro- 
 bably this nppe-nmfl fide is that on which lies the 
 Cicatriciila. 
 
 It is affirmed, that our Hens once in every day of 
 their Incubation turn their Egg^^ without ever turning 
 of one more than once, or leaving any one unturn'd. 
 This is for a Service which they undcrftand not them- 
 felvcs. 
 
 The Conveyance of what Colours we plcafe to the 
 Fowl that is hatching, by our painting of the Eggs^ 
 is a Curiofity. 
 
 That Birds muft lay Eggs^ is a fenfible Argument 
 of a Divine Providence^ deiigning to preferve them, and 
 fecure them, that there might be a greater plenty of 
 them, and that the Dcflroyers might not ftraiten their 
 Generations. Had they been viviparous^ if they had 
 brought forth a great number at a time, the burden of 
 their Womb would have rend red them fo heavy, their 
 Wings could not well have fen'ed them : or if they 
 had brought forth but cne or ^ijjo at a time, they 
 \vould have been troubled all the Year long with bear- 
 ing or feeding their Young. The Convcniency con- 
 fuitcd m oviparous KnwrrjXs^ is one of Dr. More's Tri- 
 umphs over Athcifm. Of thefe Eggs he makes an 
 Antidote againfl: that heJlifli Poifon ! 
 
 Dr. Chone will more particularly alTure us, JVe knew 
 that the Eggs of Animals are only an Uterus for a liitle 
 Animal^ furniflicd \\ ith proper Food, and fenced from 
 external Injuries : and ive bwrj like wife that ail the 
 Effects of Lhuhation are only to fupply a proper degree 
 of Heat, wiiich may make the congealed JFluids to flow, 
 and more eafily pafs into the nourifhing Channels of 
 
 . the 
 
The Chriflian Philofopher. ig\ 
 
 the included Animalcule, On this occafion he goes on. 
 We are Jure that all the Transformations of InfeBs and 
 other Animals^ are nothing but the Exfanfion of their 
 Parts, and the breaking of the Membranes that folded 
 them up, by the Augmentation of thefe Parts ; and 
 all the feveral Figures they put on, are owing to the 
 feveral Membranes in which they are involved. His 
 Conclufion is what I was wifhing for : It is impoffible 
 duly to conjider thefe things^ ivithout being wrapt into Ad- 
 miration of the infinite IVifdom of the Divine ArchiteEi^ 
 end contemning the arrogant Pretences of the Wvrld-wrights^ 
 and much more the ProduBion of Chance and juftling Atoms. 
 
 As Mr. Derham obferves, w^hat a prodigious InftinSl 
 is it, that Birds^ and only they, fhould betake them- 
 felves to this way of Generation ! How fhould they 
 be aware that their Eggs contain their Toung, and that 
 they have in their power the ProduElion of them ? 
 What fliould move them to betake themfelves to 
 their Nefts, and there with Delight and Patience abide 
 the due number of Days ? And when their Chickens are 
 hatched, how furprizing is their Art, and Care, and 
 Paffion, in bringing them on until, and only until, they 
 are able to fhift for themfelves. 
 
 A Remark of our valuable Ray is worthy to be in- 
 troduced here. It would be on many accounts incon- 
 venient for Birds to give fuck ; and yet no lefs incon- 
 venient, if not altogether deftrudive unto the Chicken, 
 upon Exclulion all of a fudden, to make fo great a 
 change in its Diet, as to pafs from a Liquid unto a 
 harder Food, before the Stomach be confolidated, and 
 by ufe habituated unto the concodting of it, and its 
 tender and pappy Flefh fitted to be nourifhed by 
 what fliall be firong and folid ; and before the Bird be 
 by little and little accuftomed to the uiing of his 
 Bill in the gathering of it up, to which it comes 
 not very readily : therefore there is a larp^e Yolk provi- 
 ded in every Egg, a great parr whereof remains after 
 the Chicken is hatched, and is inclofed in its Belly, and 
 
 by 
 
1 91 "The Chrifiian Philojopher. 
 
 by a Channel made on purpofe, receiv'd by degrees In- 
 to the Guts, and ferves inftead of Milk, to nourifti 
 the Chicken for a confiderablc time; which ncverthe- 
 lefs in the mean time Feeds itfelf by the Mouthy a little 
 at a time, and gradually more and more, as it gets a 
 more perfed Ability. 
 
 I will add a Curiolity relating to the Pidgeons, which 
 annually vifit my own Country in their Seajons, \n fuch 
 incredible numbers, tliat they have commonly been 
 fold for Two-pence a dozen ; yea, one Man has at one 
 time furprized no lefs than tivo hundred doz,tn in his 
 Barn, into w hich they have come for Food, and by 
 fhucting the door, he has had them all. Among 
 thefe Pidgeons, the Cocks take care of the young ones 
 for one part of the day, and the Hens for the other. 
 When they are taken, we generally take but one Sex 
 at a time. In the Crops of the Cjcks, we find about 
 the quantity of half a Gill of a Subftance like a ten- 
 der Cheefe-Curd : the Hens have it not. This Curd 
 flows naturally into their Crops^ as Milk does into the 
 Dugs of other Creatures. The Hem could not keep 
 their yomig ones alive when firft hatched ; but the 
 Cocks do fetch up this thickmd Milk, and throw it into 
 the Bills of their young ones, which are io nouriflied 
 with it, that tliey grow fafter, and fly fooner than any 
 other Bird among us. None but the Cocks which have 
 young ones to care for, have this Curd found in their 
 Crops. Kill one of thofe Cocks, and all the young ones 
 pine away to death in the Neft, novvithftaiiding all 
 that their Dams can do for them. See Sirs, and be 
 inftrufted ! 
 
 Aliifculus ipfefcjit Fuctu^, atque incnhat Ovis; 
 Conjugii feriat fvcdira cajia fui. 
 
 All Birds lay a certain number of Eggs, or near 
 that number, and then betake themfelves to their In- 
 cubation; but if their Eggs be withdrawn, they will 
 
 then 
 
^e Chrifiian Fhilojofher. 19^ 
 
 then lay more. When they have laid iuch a number 
 of Eggs^ as they can conveniently cover, and brood, 
 and hatch, they give over, and begin to fa. This is 
 not becaufe they are necefTarily determined to fuch a 
 number : For Hens, for example, if you let their Eggs 
 alone, when they have laid fourteen or fifteen, they 
 will give over, and begin to/t ; whereas if you daily 
 take away their Eggs, they will go on to lay five 
 times that number ! This holds not only in domeftkk 
 Birds I and fo, as Mr. Ray obferves, it can^c be thought 
 the effed of Cicuraticn and luflitution : But the like 
 was by Dr. L^fier obferved in Swallows too. 
 
 But altho almoft the whole Tribe of Birds, do pro- 
 duce their Young by Incubation, there is a marvellous 
 Deviation from it in fome few Families which do it in 
 a more navercal way, and without any trouble at all, 
 only by laying their Eggs in the Sand, expofed unto 
 the Heat of the Sun. This Inftind of the Oflrich par- 
 ticularly, who lea'veth her Eggs in the Earth, and warm- 
 eth them in the Duft, is afcnbed unto GOD, wha 
 fupplies the want of Concern in the Parent-Animal 
 another way. 
 
 It is a furprizing thing, which the obferving Ray 
 has mentioned. Such oviparous Creatures as are long- 
 lived, have Eggs enough at firfl; conceived in them, to 
 ferve them for many years laying; probably for as 
 many as they are to live : allowing fuch a proportion 
 for every year, as will ferve one or two Incubations, 
 But InfeBs which are to breed but once, lay all their 
 Eggs at once, have they ever fo many. He fays moft 
 juftly. Chance cannot govern it, 
 
 T\\t Scarcity of the voracious and fermcicus Bird.*:, 
 and the Plenty of the manfuete, and tifful, and more 
 defirable, is to go among the Matters of our Won^ 
 derment ! 
 
 And fo mufl the/u'//t Motion of fuch whofe Food is 
 to be fought in diftant Places, and in difi'erent Seafons j 
 the (low Motion and fhort Flight of others more doms*» 
 
194 ^^^ Chrtjitan Philojopher. 
 
 ftkk ; and the Awkwardnefs of fome to Flighty whofc 
 Food is to be got near at Iiand^ and without much 
 fl)ing for it. 
 
 It is amazing, Who feeds the young Ravens when they 
 
 cry! Tha.t Biui} which feed their Young in the 
 
 Nf^fl, tho probably they cannot count the Numbe-,- of 
 them, and tho they bring but tne Morfd of Meat at a 
 time, and tho they have not tewer it may be than fe- 
 ven or eight young in a Neft together, which at the re- 
 turn of their Dams do all at once, and with equal gree- 
 dinefs, hold up their Heads and gape, yet they forget 
 not one of them, they feed them all. Our good Ray 
 notes well, 'T/j beyond the pofjlbility cf a meer Machine 
 to peyfurm juch a thing as this ! 
 
 With what an impetuous defire of fitting are the 
 Birds infpired, while it is called for ! After the Young 
 are hatched, for fome time they do almoft conftantly 
 brood them under their Wings, left they ihould fufter * 
 by any Inclemency of the Seafcn ; all this while how 
 hard they labour to get them Food ! /paring it out ot 
 their own Bellies, almoft pining themlehes to death 
 rather than that their Young fliould want any thing ! 
 With what Courage are they infpired in this time, to 
 venture their very Lives in defence ot them, and even 
 Hy in tlic Face of a Man that lliall moleft their Youngs 
 (as a Hen or a Govfe will do) wh^ch they would never 
 do in their own defence! Thefe things are contrary 
 to tlie Inftind of Self-preftrvation, and are eminent 
 Pieces of Self-denial. Our good Ray fays well, Thty 
 tnuj} needs be the IVorks of Providence for the upholding of 
 thelVorld! Thcfe Pain^ are beftowed upon a thing 
 which takes no notice of it, makes no amends for i:, ne- 
 ver acknowledges it with Thankfulnefs ; and when 
 the ycung one is grow n old enough to fhift for itlelf, 
 the ^^^ is gone ! The old one takes no further care 
 of it, will beat it indifterently with fuch as it is not at 
 all related to ! The words of Mr. Robinfon on this Oc- 
 tafion are agreeable : ' She docj. flie blows not what, but 
 
 ' yet , 
 
The Chrijiian Philojopher. 195 
 
 * yet it is ^vhat ought to be done by the moft exquijite 
 
 * Knowledge; hence it is conclufive, that fomething 
 
 * elfe has Knowledge for her, even the Creator and Cow- 
 ' fr/'y^r of all things, who is the omnifcient and omni- 
 
 * potent God/ At the fame time how remarkable to 
 fee, that Poultry and Partridge, and other Birds, at the 
 fir ft fight know the Birds of Prey, and make a Sig;ti of it 
 with a peculiar Note to ihdr young ones, who thereon 
 hide themfelves. 
 
 VVe celebrate the Dove of Archytas, whereof Geliiiis 
 tells us, Simulachrum Columha e ligno ab Archyta, ratione 
 qtiadam , difciflinaaue mechanica faBam, z'olajje ; the 
 fame whom we find celebrated by Horace for a noble 
 Geometrician. This Dcve furely had more Geometry 
 in it than the '73'Act''<t>«, or Chi'ldrens Rattle, for which 
 Ariftotle celebrates him, as the Inventor of it. We 
 are furprized at what Ramus tells us of the Wooden^ 
 Eagle and the Iron-Fly, made by Regiofnontanus ; the 
 former of which flew forth of the City, met the Em- 
 peror a good way off, faluted him, and returned w^ith 
 him ; the latter, at a Feaft, whereto he invited his 
 Friends, flew out of his Hand, fetchM a round, and 
 flew back to him ai^ain before the aftonifli'd Beholders. 
 Du Bartas employ 'd his Poetry on thefe Curiofities. 
 
 But what ! No Honours, no Praijes due to that in- 
 finite GOD, who hath with fo much Art contrived 
 all the Variety of Birds, and accommodated every part 
 of them within and without after fo rare a manner, 
 that there is not fo much as a Feather mifplaced, re- 
 dundant, or defedive ! Auflin fays well, Deus mn folum 
 Angelum & Hominem, fed nee exigui & contemptibilis ani- 
 mantis I'ifiera, nee Avis pennulam, nee Herba fojculum, fine 
 fuarum partium convenientia dereliquit. 
 
 In the xivth of Deutenmmy there is a Bird called 
 Racham, which fignifies Mercy. The 'Talmudifts ha\e 
 a Saying, That when this Bird appears/ the Mercy of 
 God and His Meffuih is then coming to the World. 
 Verily, in every Bird that flies into our World, there 
 
 O 2 is 
 
ic)6 "The Chrijiian Philojopher. 
 
 is a difplay of the Divine Goodricfs, as well as Power and 
 JVtJdom. I wifh that, in the reigning Difpofitions of 
 Benignity and Cu7npajj:.}i among Mankind, Racha?n were 
 making her Appearance ! 
 
 Our excellent Gjff/wloger makes his religious Re- 
 mark upon it, That the Birds (and fo the Beaft<) 
 which are domcftitk^ or the moft nfefuly are the moil 
 frolifick ; there are more Hms than Kites^ more Gcefe 
 than Sivans. A Crufie, which is but fcurvy Meat, 
 hatches no more than tii'o Eggs in a Year ; feveral Sea- 
 Fou/s' but one. 'I'iie Phdifam and Partridge^ excellent 
 Meat, and ealily come at, hatch fifteen or t\\enty. 
 The more valuable, which lay jeu'er at a time, fit the 
 vftncr, as the Do^jc Thus, if it were not out of place 
 to obferve it here, there are more Dogs than Foxes ; 
 more Cats than Lions. T'he Sheef feeds and breeds in 
 all Countries much alike. 
 
 Of JVdd-Fvzil, thofe which are the mofl: ufefuly fly 
 not fingly, but are gngarioiis, wiiich renders them the 
 more vijil^le and audible to us, and the more pLfitiful 
 Game. And for our more quiet polleiTion of things 
 that are moft nf.ful, they are naturally marked, when 
 there is occafion for it. IVtld-fov:!^ and Fifl^cs^ and 
 other Creatures, which are not fitted by Nature to 
 be any Man's Propriety, have only fuch diftinguifliing 
 Marks as belong to the wiiole ^ecies ; but of the ^o- 
 mcftick, as Poultry, Horfis, Dogs and Cats, not only the 
 Species, but the Lnlividuals have their Marks. The 
 Sheep, which are proprietary, if not fo ?narked, it is 
 compensated in this, that they do not ftragglc. 
 
 ^. * My Great Saviour has given me this Dircdion, 
 
 * Matth. vi. z6. ConpuLr the Fords of the Air. 
 
 * But is it po'flible to cvnfider them without conti- 
 
 * nual JVonders at the Divine fVvrkmanfl^ip appearing 
 
 * in them ! JVonders to be articulated and modulated 
 
 * into cndlcfs Praifes of their Glorious Creator! Mc- 
 
 * thinks the fivea A^uics uttered by many I'ril'es ot 
 
 * them invite me into a Confvrt with them.' 
 
 ' I 
 
^he Chrijlian Philofopher. 197 
 
 * I know not what well to make of a Relation pub- 
 
 * lifhed a few Years ago, but fo well attefted, that 
 
 * a pious and worthy Man wrote a large Treat ife up- 
 
 * on it, entitled. Vox Corvi ! which affirms. That a 
 ^ Raven perching on the top of a Steeple, and thence 
 ' turning towards a quarrelfome Neighbourhood, was 
 ' heard very audibly and articulately to utter thefe 
 
 Words, Look into the third of the Coloflians, and the 
 
 * ftxteenth .- But this I know. Ask the Fowls of the Air, 
 and they fljall tell thee. There needs no Genius to take 
 a pofl'eriion of our Birds^ that we may hear from 
 
 . them the Admonitions o^ Piety ^ and Exhortations 
 
 * to [relieve and adore an infinite GOD intelligibly 
 enough proceeding from them/ 
 
 ' It was a celebrated Speech of the Philofopher, Si 
 
 Lufcinia ejjfem, ut Lufcinia canerem ; I can fiy much 
 
 ^ higher than they, and if I praife their Glorious Cre- 
 
 ^ ator, I fliall fing much betttr than they ; Homo fum, 
 
 ^ at que ut Homo canam colamque' 
 
 ' The Providence of the Glorious GOD, in the 
 ^ Propagation and Suftentation of the Fozvls, Ws ad- 
 ^ mirable ; it extends to Ravens, to Sparrows ; and fliall 
 ^ I imagine myfelf excluded from the Care of that Pro- 
 ' vidence I Holy Mr. Dod ventur^'d upon the Difficulties 
 ^ and Contingences of a married Life, when he faw the 
 ^ Hen with her Chickens provided for. O Unbelief I 
 
 ■ command an eternal Silence to thee ! Shall the Birds 
 ' of Seafon bring with them a Condemnation of my In- 
 ' advertency, to my fitteft Opportunities for the doing 
 ' and the getting of Good 1' 
 
 There are the Images of many Virtues in Birds ^ 
 
 ' (which have been called Simulachra Virtuttnn) of 
 
 which I would endeavour an Imitation, and therein 
 
 glorify the God that fpeaks to me by them ', among 
 
 ■ thefe I would efpecially pitch upon two. Teach 
 ^ me, O Stork, how gratefully to treat my Parent ; (hew 
 ' me, O Dove, how lovingly to treat my Confort.' 
 
 O 3 Of 
 
ii^o J. rjc K^rjJijnan jrtJttojopfjer. 
 
 Ot iuch Rcflccftionsa famous Philofophcr lays truly, 
 Reciis anhms non potcrunt non iffe grata, licet pcrverjis rr- ' 
 (ikula "videantur. 
 
 The Man \\ ho learns all the Good w hich the Birds 
 may mind him of, and then hves to the GOD, whofe 
 JVork and whofe r'oice he difcerns in the Brrd^, this 
 Man fhall be a Phoenix, and the Traditions of the An- 
 tients no longer a Fable. 
 
 ESSAY XXXI. Of the Four-Footed. 
 
 WE pnKeed to the Animals that are perfect, hairy, 
 and ix'alking upon four. 
 
 Thefe Quadrupeds are either Joofed or clawed. 
 
 Of the hoofed or ungulate ; fome are ivhcle-hoofed, 
 \\ hereof 'cis obfer\ 'd that none ha\e Horns, nor have 
 the Males any appearance of Breads : there are four 
 forts of thefe. ^ 
 
 Others are clcven-fcotcd ; of thefe there are two 
 Divifions. 
 
 There is the Bifulcate Kind, which is alfo fubdi- 
 vided. 
 
 'Micre are the Ruminant. 
 
 Some of thefe liave perpetual Horns. 
 
 Whereof there arc lix of the BuL'-kindj Rve of the 
 ShcLp-lind, eleven oi the Goat-kind. 
 
 Others have deciduous Hvrns f thefe are the Dtt,- 
 kind, \s hereof eight fores have been reckoned up. 
 
 Of thofe who do not chevj the Cud, there is only the 
 Swini-liiul, whereof there arc fl\e forts reckoned up. 
 
 And then tlierc is the Kind whofe Hoij is clo\ en 
 into fvrr Di'JiJions ; we know fi\e of thefe, but wc 
 know 1 o Rumination in any of tliem. 
 
 (yf tlie cLrxid or digitate ; there is one fort whofe 
 Claws adhere to one another, covered with one C(^m- 
 pion Skin, but with obtufe Nails, that Aick out round 
 the margin oi :hc Foot; this is ^hc E!cphan\ who 
 mud paU for anomakus. 
 
 There 
 
The Chnjhan tmlojopher. 199 
 
 There is another fort, ^vhich has only two Claws ; 
 namely, the Camels, which, tho they have no Horns , 
 do ruminate, and have the fvur Stomachs of the horned 
 Ruminants. 
 
 A third fort includes thofe which the Greeks call 
 ' AvQ^uiTo^o^^a^ whofe Foot is divided into many Claws, 
 with bread Naiis on them : this is the Ape-kind^ 
 whereof there is a great variety; nine or ten. Kinds 
 have been defcribed by the Naturalifts. 
 
 A fourth fort is of thofe which have many Claws, yet 
 they are not cover 'd at the end with broad flat Nails, 
 but have them rather like 'Talons, crooked and pointed j 
 thefe had beft be diftinguifti'd by their Teeth. 
 
 Some of thefe have many cutting Teeth in each of 
 their Jaws ; of thefe there is a greater fort, which ei- 
 ther have a jbort round Head, as the Cat-kind, whereof 
 there are f^ven forts ; and I hope the Lion will not be 
 offended if he be reckoned among them : or they have 
 a long Snout, as the Dog-kind, whereof there are thir- 
 teen or fourteen forts ; and among thefe there are Va- 
 rieties of Mungrels, and hebricious Breeds : and there 
 is alfo a lejfer fort, which have a long and (lender Bo- 
 dy, with jlm't Legs i thefe are the IVeafel-kind, and 
 there are about eight forts of them. 
 
 Others of thefe have only two large remarkable 
 Teeth in each of their Jaws ; thefe are the Hare-kind, 
 which live mainly on Plants and Fruits ', and there are 
 about half a fcore forts of them. 
 
 To thefe Kinds of Quadrufeds there mufl be added 
 feveral that are anomalous. 
 
 Some have a long Snout, with Feet which are di- 
 vided into many Claws, and are furnifh'd with Teeth ; 
 there are eight or nine forts of thefe, whereof the 
 Hedge-hog is in the Van. 
 
 Others of thefe are dcflitute of Teeth, and there are 
 two forts of thefe. 
 
 There are Quadrupeds that are Flyers too, as the 
 Bat'kind, whereof there are difterent Forms. 
 
 O 4. There 
 
100 1 m L^K/njnan rmiojopfjer. 
 
 There is one very odd Anomale, which has but 
 three Claws on each of hisfour Feet, and has a Name- 
 :tikc too often among them that go not upon four ; Ws 
 the hnaints, a Sloth we call it : he takes eight or nine 
 Minutes to move one of his Feet three or four Inches; 
 and when he has grown fat and plump with eating all 
 the Leaves on a IrVee, he will be Skin and Bone be- 
 fore he reach another, which will be five or fix Days, 
 tho' it may be very near the former. 
 
 There are alfo viviparous and fanguincous Qiia- 
 drupeds, breatliiiig wiih Lungs, hvi having only one 
 Vcrtri-lc in tiieir Hearts i to thefe we may add the 
 *Toyw'fe whereof there are many Species, tlio they be 
 rather oviparous. 
 
 But then there are feme cviparous Quadrupeds, 
 which have a long Tail, horizontally flretched out ; 
 thefe are the Liz,ard-kirid, and there be fourteen fe- 
 veral forts of them. 
 
 The French Gentleman who writes A Denionfira- 
 tkn of the Exiflence ofGOD jrom the Knowledge of Na- 
 tiiic, makes this Remark : ' All the Animals owe their 
 
 * Birth to a certain Male and Female of their Species. 
 
 * All thofe different Species are preferved much the 
 ' fame in all Ages. \Vc do not iind that for three 
 ' thouland Years paft any one has perifhcd or ceafcd ; 
 ' neither do we find that any one multiplies to fuch 
 ' an Excefs, as to be a Nufancc'or Liconvenience to 
 ' the reit.' 
 
 And now fmce we are upon ihtfour-foted, the Re- 
 rnarka'w es in their Legs and Feet may be thofe which 
 we may agrccaM' enough begin upon. 
 
 The prihe Po/iure of the Body in the Quadrtipeds is 
 net or.ly mofl benehcial to themfelves, but alfo mod 
 advantageous to Mm ; they pertorm their own Adions 
 tl»e better for that Pofture, and they fene Man the 
 I e:ter, botli for L\iy>iage and fur T^iiuige. 
 
 But then it's obfervable how exactly their Legs arc 
 rradc conformable to this Poflure. 
 
 It 
 
The thrijmn rhuojopher. 201 
 
 It invites yet more Obfervation, how admirably 
 their Legs and Feet fuit the Exercifes of every Animal. 
 
 The Elephant^ a Creature of prodigious Weight, has 
 LegSj as Pliny notes, hke Pillars rather than Legs. 
 
 The Deer, and the Hare, and other Creatures of a 
 fingular S-wiftnefs^ have their Legs accordingly (lender ; 
 but they have therewithal an incredible Strength a- 
 dapted to their Swiftnefs. 
 
 Some have their Feet made only for walking and run- 
 nings but fome have them for fwimming too. 
 
 The 'Toes on the Feet of the Otter are all conjoined 
 with Membranes, and in fwimming, when the Foot goes 
 forward in the Water, the Toes areclofe; but when 
 backward, they are fpread out , whereby they more 
 " forcibly ftrike the Water, and are driven forward. 
 The French Academifls are furprized at the extraordi- 
 nary Strudure in the Feet of the Bever : their hindmofi 
 Feet, like thofe of a Goofe, are more proper to fwim 
 than to walk with ; but their foremofl are like Hands 
 rather than Feet, and wondroufly fuit their Occafions. 
 
 Some, as the Moles, have their Feet for walking, and 
 for digging. 
 
 Some, as the Bats, for walking, and for flying too. 
 
 In fome the Feet are more lax and weak, for the 
 plainer Lands ; but others have them ftiflf, and lefs 
 flexible ; their Joints hardly difcernible, as the Elks^ 
 and the Goats, which are to traverfe the Ice, or to 
 pafs over the dangerous Precipices of the Mountains. 
 
 In fome the Feet are fhod with tough and hard 
 Hoofs, (either whole or cleft, as there is moft occa- 
 (ion) in others they have only a callous Skin. 
 
 And here ^tis admirable to fee how their Toes are 
 fupplied, according to their feveral Conveniences. 
 
 The Strudure of the Bones in Quadrupeds would be 
 a mighty large Field for Curiofity and Admiration. 
 
 Galen remarked a lingular Provifion of Nature for 
 the Strength of the Lion, that his Bones are much more 
 folid than thofe of other Animals. 
 
 4- Mr. 
 
Mr. Ray enquiring how fo many Animals do to bear 
 up againft the cxtremcft Rigor oF the CoUy he notes, 
 that the Extremities of their T'oes are fenced with 
 Hvtfs, \vhich in a good meafure fecure them : he adds, 
 the main thing is, that the Cold is its own Antidote ; 
 for the Air be'.ng fully charged and fated with ni- 
 trous, or fome other fort of Particles, (which are the 
 great Efficients of CoLi, and no lefs alfo the Pabulum 
 tor Fin) when it is infpired it caufcs a great Accen- 
 jion in the Blood (as we fee the Fr,e burns fiercely in 
 fuch Weather) as enables it to a vigorous rcfillanco ot 
 the Cold. 
 
 The defivpve Armour given to fome Creatures, with 
 the Skill to ufe it, how admirable ! The HeJge-hg^ 
 filled with fharp and ftrong Prickles, has alfo a Mufcle 
 ^iven him on purpofe, which enables him to contract 
 f-.imfclf into a globular Figure^ and fo inclofe himfelf in 
 his Thicket, that his rapacious Enemies cannot lay 
 hold upon him. Olans Borrichius is amazed at the 
 wondrous Fabrick of that Mufcle. The Armadilia, 
 defcribed by Maicgra-ve^ is covered with aftrong, hard, 
 fcalv Cruft or Shell, of a boney Subflance, with four 
 tranfverfe CommilVures in the middle of the Body, 
 conr.ecftei by tough Membranes. By a peculiar Mufde 
 he brings his I'ail to his Head, and fo gathers himfelf 
 in:o a round Ball, that there is nothing to be i^tn but 
 his Armature : had fuch a Mufcfe been given to any 
 Animal covered with foft Hair or Fur, there might 
 have been a pretence to fiuicy that this was accidental 
 and undetigncd ; but feeing' there is not one Inftancc 
 of this kind, Mr. Kay very juftly lays, // jnuft be grdU 
 Stupidity to beli€i!e it^ and bnpudence to affert it. 
 
 Let us pafs to the He.id. The Head oi Man is of 
 one lingular Form. In the Fuitr-Jloted the Form ol the 
 Head is almofl as various as the Species, in fome fquare 
 and large, fuicable to their Food, Motion, and 
 Abode; in others more fmall, more fliarp, and more 
 f.endcr, ftili to fuit thole purpofcs. How furpri- 
 
 zingly 
 
The Chrtfitan Fhtlojopher. 203 
 
 zingly is the Head and the Neck oF the Swine adapted 
 for his rooting in the Earth ! How the Neck, Nofe, 
 Eyes and Ears of the Mole, adapted in the niceft man-^ 
 ner to its way of fubterraneous living ! The ftrong 
 Snaut of the Sioine, fuch that he may fufficiently thruS 
 it into the Ground, where his Living lies, without 
 hurting his Eyes ; and of fo fagacious a Scent, that 
 we employ them to hunt for us ; and even his 'wallow^ 
 ing in the Mire^'is a wife Contrivance for the SuffocatioQ 
 of troublefome Infers ! The Mole fo fhaped, that our 
 Dodor More makes this Creature a notable Ingredient 
 in the Compoiition of his Antidote againft Aiheifm ; even 
 his want of a T'ail is a confiderable Contri^'ance for his 
 advantage. 
 
 The Brain of Quadrupeds obliges us to employ ours 
 in a particular Contemplation of it ; it is larger in us 
 than in them, no doubt for the Accommodation of a 
 nobler Gueft, which we entertain in ours : but an ex- 
 ad Anatomill of that Part, the famous Dr. IVilliSy has 
 led us more particularly to contemplate the Situation 
 of it. In Man, to whom God has given a lofty Coun-- 
 tenance, with a Capacity to think on heavenly things, the 
 Brain is placed above the Cerebellum, and all the Sen- 
 fories ; in Brutes, whofe Brain is incapable of Specu- 
 lation, the Cerebellum, whofe Bulinefs it is to minifter 
 to the A&ions and Fundions of the Pracordia (the 
 principal Office in thofe Creatures) is above the 
 Brain, and the Eyes and Ears are placed at leaft equal 
 to it : moreover, in the Head of Man the Bafe of the 
 Brain and Cerebell is parallel to the Horiz,on, by which 
 means there is lefs danger of their jogging or (lipping 
 out of their place ; but in Brutes, whofe Head hangs 
 down, the Bafe of the Skull makes a right Angle with 
 the Horizon ; and yet left the Cerebell fhould be un- 
 fteady, and the frequent ConcuiTions thereof fhould 
 caufe difordcrly motions of the Spirits about the Pra- 
 cordia, there is a fufficient provifion made by the Ar- 
 tifice of Nature, by the Dura Meninx clofely encom- 
 
 pafling 
 
204 ^^^ Chrijtian Fhnojopher. 
 
 pafTing of it ; beficlcs \s'hich,it has alfo in fome a (Irong 
 boncy Feme about it. 
 
 The carotid Arteries pafTing thro the Skull of Qya~ 
 drupeds, and tlicir branching into the Rete mirabile^ and 
 fome other fuch things, are particular Accommoda- 
 tions to their Circumftances, to prevent a too rapid 
 Incurfion of Blood into the Brains of Creatures that 
 hang down fo much. 
 
 At the great Aperture of the Shell in a Tortoife^ 
 there is at the top a raifed Border, to grant a liberty 
 to the Neck and Head, for the lifting of himfelf up- 
 wards ; and this InHcdtion of the Neck is of great ufe 
 to him, for without it he would be unable to turn 
 himfelf when thrown upon his Back. The French Aca- 
 demijis look'd upon the Contrivance as a furprizing 
 one ! 
 
 The Varieties in the inner and outer Far oi Ani- 
 mals entertained Dr. Grew with obfervable Curiofities. 
 In an Oinl^ that perches nlove^ and hearkens atter her 
 Prey hehiv^ it is produced further out above than it is 
 below, that fo the lead Sound from that Qiiarter may 
 be the more^eafily received i buc in a Fo.x that fcouts 
 tmdtrneathj it is for the fame reafon produced further 
 out klov.\ In a Polecat, which hearkens direftly for- 
 ward, it is produced behind, for the taking of a forward 
 Sound ; but an Hare, which is v^ry quick of hearing, 
 and thinks of nothing but being purfued, has a honey 
 *Tiil;e, a natural Otacouflick^ fo directed lackii-ard, as to 
 receive the fmalieR: and farthcft Sound that comes be- 
 hind it ; and in an Horfc, which receives the Sound ot 
 the Driver behind, the PaiVage into the Ear is like 
 tluit of the Hare. 
 
 It is remarkable that in Quadrupeds the Necks are 
 commenfurare to the I.egs\ the equality in the Icnc^th 
 of their Nf^h and their Legs is mofl: remarkably fecn 
 in Beafts that Iced conflantly-upon Grafs. But that 
 which is yet more furprizing, is, that in that lort oi 
 CrL-aturcs which mud needs hold their Hads down in 
 
 an 
 
^he Chrifiian Philofopher. 205 
 
 an inclining Pofiure for a confiderable while together, 
 which would be very painful to the Mufcles, on each 
 fide the Ridge of the Vertebres of the Neck, Nature 
 hath placed an AToviJ^utn^y or nervous Ligament, very 
 thick and ftrong^ and apt to ftretch, and fhrink again, 
 as need requires, and void of Senfe, extending from 
 the Head (to which and the next Vertebres of the 
 Neck it is faflned at the end) to the middle Vertebres 
 of the Back (to which it is knit at the other end) for 
 the afllfling of them to fupport the Head in that po- 
 fture ; it is by the Vulgar called the Whitleather. 
 
 Indeed this Proportion is not kept in the Elephant, 
 he has a Jloort Neck, the exceflive Weight of his Head 
 , and his Teeth to a long Neck would have been unfup- 
 portablej but then his Prolofcis ! Tully takes notice, 
 Manus data Elephantis, quia propter Magnitudinem Cor- 
 poris, difficiles aditus hahehant ad Pafium. He is pro- 
 vided with a 'Trunk, wherewith, as with an Hand, he 
 takes up his Food, and his^Drink, and brings it to his 
 Mouth ; a Member fo admirably contrived, that Mr. 
 Derham has juft occafion to fay, 'tis a tnanifi^Jl Inftance 
 of the Creator's JVorkmanjhip, 
 
 Galen obferving the Necks of Animals, how accom- 
 modated to their feeding, is not able to forbear his 
 Acclamations of an Opus Artificis Utilitatis memoris! 
 He goes on with his Contemplation, and adds, as we 
 cannot but alfo do. Quo patio non id etiam eft admi- 
 randum ! 
 
 On the mention of the Elephant, we will introduce 
 a particular Curiofity relating to him j he has no Epi- 
 glottis, becaufe there is no danger of any thing falling 
 into his Lungs from eating or drinking, feeing there 
 is in him no Communication between the Oefophagus 
 and the PafTage into the Lungs ; the Faflage to the 
 Ventricle is thro the Tongue, an Hole near the Root 
 of it is the beginning of the Oefophagus, and the Paf- 
 fage of the Air into the Mouth is quite flopped up ; 
 however, he is not fufficiently fecured from fmall Ani- 
 mals 
 
20(5 Hoe Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 mals that may creep in and murder him ; a Muufe 
 creeping up his Pribijcis^ might get into his Lungs ^ 
 and To uiHe him : gucfs now the reafon why an Ele- 
 fhant is fo afraid of a Moufe! To avoid this danger, 
 when he fleeps he keeps his Probojlis clofe to the 
 ground, that notliing but Air could get in. Mr. Ray 
 celebrates this as a rare Sagacity / 
 
 The Stomach of Quadrufeds ! How adapted to the 
 various Food intended for it ! One kind of Stomach in 
 the Carnivorous y another in the Herbaceous ! 
 
 The peculiar Contrivance on the Stomach of the 
 Camel deferves our Paufe upon it ; the \^ords of the 
 Parifian Anatom'ifts upon it, are, At the top of the Jecond 
 cf the four Ventricles there are fveral fquare Holes ^ "xhich 
 'were the Orifices of about twenty Cavities^ made like Sacks^ 
 f laced between two Membranes^ which do compofe the Sub- 
 fiance of this Ventricle ; the view of thefe Sacks made us 
 think that they might well be the Refervatories^ where Pliny 
 faith that Camels do a long tir^ keep the IVatsr^ which they 
 drink in great abundance, to fupply the want the-reof in the 
 dry Dcfarts. 
 
 In fome of the Qjmdrupeds the Stomach is fitted for a 
 Digeftion upon bare Maftication ; but in others there is 
 a whole Set oi Stomachs, to digeft with the help ot Ru- 
 mination. Mr. Derham is very fenlibly aft'ectcd w ith 
 the curious Artifice of Nature^ here ; but for the 
 whole Bufinefs of Rumination, the learned Pe)erus will 
 give you a very aft'eding Entertainment in his Ale-ruo- 
 logia, feu, de Ruminantibus CT Ruminatione Coymncnta- 
 rius. 
 
 Dr. Grnv obferves, all carnivorous Animals ha\e the 
 fmallcji Ventricles, Flejl) going farthcft ; thofe that 
 feed on Fiuits and P\.oots have them of a middle fize i 
 Sheep and Oxm, which feed on Grajs, have the grcatcft \ 
 yet the Horfe, tho graminivorous, has comparatively 
 but a little one, for that he is made for Labour : the 
 fame is to be laid of the Hdrt\ w hich is made tor Mo- 
 tion, for which tlie moll eafy Rfpiration and the moft 
 
 free 
 
The Chriflian Philofopher. 207 
 
 free play of the Diaphragm is requiiite, and that could 
 not be if the Stomach were very big and cumberfome 
 upon it. 
 
 There are domeftkk Animals which look up to me 
 for their Fvod^ fometimes for the Crumbs that fall from 
 niy liable ; I will confider myfelf as doing the part of 
 a SteiDard for the Glorious GOD in feeding them; 
 it fhall be done with an holy Delight y and with fuch an 
 Inference drawn from it as this : And will not the Glo^ 
 rious GOD gracioufly and readily grant the Mercy which I 
 look up to Him to beflow upon me ! 
 
 The Food of the Caftor is generally of dry things^ 
 and fuch as are hard of digeflion i and now there is a 
 ^wonderful provifion made in the Stomach of that Crea- 
 ture, by a digeflive Juice^ lodgM in the curious little 
 Cells of it ; the admirable Stru(5lure and Order there- 
 of is dcfcribed by Blaftus out of IVepfer, and then he 
 adds, Nimirum quia Cafloris alimentum ex fuccum & coElit 
 difficilimum efi, fapientijjimus & fumrfit admirandus in juts 
 Operibus rerum Conditor, D. 0, M. ipfi pulcherrima iftd & 
 affabrefaBd StruEiurd benigniffime profpexit, ut nunquam 
 deejjet Fermentum, qmd ad folvendum & comminuendum 
 alimentum durum & afperum par foret. 
 
 There is in the Eye of Brutes a Periopthalmium, or 
 nidating Membrane, which the Eye of Man is a (Iran- 
 ger to j the Royal Academy at Paris have been very cu- 
 jrious and pun^ual in the defcription of it : their Opi- 
 nion of it is, that this Membrane ferves to clean the 
 Cornea^ and to hinder, that by drying it grow not leCs 
 tranfparent. Man and the Ape^ which are the only 
 Animals wherein this Membrane is not found, have 
 not wanted this proviiion for the cleanfing of their 
 Eyes, becaufe they have Hands, with which they may, 
 by rubbing their Eyelids, exprefs the Humidity con-, 
 tain'd in them, which they let out thro the DuBus 
 Lachrymalis ; as is known by Experience, when the 
 Light is darkned, or when the Eyes are pained, or 
 
 itching. 
 
lo8 The Chrifiian Philojopher. 
 
 itching, thefe Accidents do ceafe upon the rubbing of 
 the Eyes, 
 
 In the H<.art of QiiaarupLds there is an excellent pro- 
 vifion tor the living of thofe Creatures. 
 
 ^\\c Foramen Ovale in fome (that \vhich in a Foetus 
 makes the Anajiomojjs, by the means whereof the Blood 
 goes from the Cava into tiie Aorta, without pafling 
 thro the Lungs) is an Acceffion to the Wonders. 
 
 This Palla^e between the Arteria Vcnofa and the 
 Vena Cava is kept open in Amphibious Quadrupeds ; this 
 maintains a degree of Heat and Motioh in the Blood, 
 which may be fufficient for them while they are under 
 W^ater. 
 
 The Epiglottis in fuch Creatures is alfo larger and 
 ftiffer than it is in others, that fo when they are feed- 
 ing under Water, the Water may not break in upon 
 their Lungs. 
 
 1 confeis Mr. Chcfelden is of the Opinion, that it is 
 not the Foramen Ovale, but the Ofliu7n Venarum Corono- 
 riarum, which being very near it, may eafily be mi- 
 ftakcn for it, that the Anatomifts have made their cu- 
 rious Remark upon i however the provilion is admi-. 
 rable ! 
 
 The Heart in Bcafls is near the yniddle of the whole 
 Body, in Man it is nearer the HLjd; this Ariftotlc ob- 
 fcrves : but Mr. Loiver, who has been a molf curious 
 Anatomift of this Part, gives us a rcafon for it ; the 
 'J'raje(^tion and the Diilribution of the Blood wliolly 
 depending on the Syflole of the Heart, and fo either the 
 Heart mull have been Rronger in Man, or the Head 
 would have wanted its due Proportion of Blvod, if it 
 had not been fo near to the Heart ; whereas in Beafts, 
 whofc Heads hang down, the Blood goes a plainer way, 
 and often a flccp one. 
 
 There are alfo peculiar Nerves reaching to the 
 Heart of B^ajh^ befides the fisth IKiir, as in Alan, a 
 Relief provided by Nature, lell their prone Heads 
 might fail of imparting Animal Spirits copiouily to it. 
 
 The 
 
l^he Chrijiian Philofopher. 209 
 
 The Cone of the Pericardium in Q^iudrupeds is Icofe 
 from the Diapbragnt, whereas in Man it is taiVi:ed to 
 it ; thus the motion of the Midrijf^ in tne necelfary A<9; 
 of Refpiration, is notably aflirted in the pofture of both. 
 Dr. Tyfon's Remark upon it is, T'ljis rm^ft needs be the 
 EffeB of Wifdom and De/ign^ and it is piani was in- 
 tended in Man to walk upright, and not upon ail four, 
 like the Q/iadrupeds. 
 
 In the Fuur-footed there is not that Communication 
 between the Head and the Heart which there is in a 
 Man^ efpecially by the Branches of the interaftal Pair 
 of Nernjes, which are fent from the cervical Plexus to 
 the Heart, and the Pracordia, a thing which Mr Dev" 
 ham cannot behold without calling it a prodigious Care 
 of Nature ; thus the Head and Heart of ^lan have a 
 more intimate Concern with each other, and a greater 
 and quicker Corrcfpondence, than what is in other 
 Creatures : Brutes are more limple Machines ; but in 
 Man, by the Commerce of the cervical Plexus^ the 
 Conceptions of the Brain prefently affed the Hearty 
 and agitate its Veflels, and tlie whole Appendage 
 thereof, together with the Diaphragm; whence the 
 Alterationin the motion of the Blood, the Pulfe, and 
 Refpiration : and when any thing affeds or alters the 
 Heart, the Imprc/Iions are not only retorted by the 
 fame Dud of the Nerves, but alfo the Blcod itfelf, 
 with a changed Courfe, flies to the Brain^ and there 
 agitating the Animal Spirits with diverfe Impulfes, 
 produces various Conceptions in the Mind. This is 
 Dr. IViLis's Obfervarion ; who adds, that the Antients 
 therefore made the Heart the Seat cf Wifl m ; and 
 certainly the Works of Wifdow. and Virtue do very 
 much depend upon the Commerce which is betv. ren 
 the Heart and the Brain. This eminent Perfon diifed- 
 ing a Fcol, found, belides the Smallnefs of his Brain, 
 the principal difference between him and a Man of 
 Scnfe to be, that the Nrvi Intercofialis Plexus, in hoc 
 Stulto valde exilis, ij minorum Nervorum Satcllltio fti- 
 
 P patiis 
 
no The Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 fntus jiierit. 11ic want of the imevciftal Gmrterce with 
 the H^rt in Brutes, is truly an admirable thing 1 
 MAN, ponder upon this, and fay, JVhere is God my 
 Maker y who uaches us mere than the BeajU of the Earth ! 
 
 I cannot here forbear to introduce a g( od Obfer- 
 \atioii of a Gcntlenan wiio writes Chnjiian RtLgiom 
 Appeal, which he thus cxprelfes ; * That God Hiould 
 ' endow us with Rcafrn, and make us differ from the 
 
 * Brutes, only that we may rule them, and not our- 
 ' Jlhes, and put a golde}2 Alattak in our Hands, only 
 
 * to dig Durigljilis ; has not the lead Congruity with 
 ' the Decor u7n obferved by Him in all His Works, 
 ' which are framed in W eight, Number, and Order/ 
 
 LaElantius, do thou pafs a Cenfure on the Men like 
 the Brutes that ptrifl?, who do not from the Btafts learn 
 the Being and the Glory of a GOD! luos qui nulhan 
 omnino Deum ejfe dixeriint, non modo non Philofupl os, fed i 
 ne Homilies quidem fuiffe dixerim ; qui ?nutis JimiLimi, ex 
 fob Corpore cnjliterum, nihil lidentes animo. [lib. 7. c. 9.] 
 
 Galen gives us a notable Relation of a Kid, which 
 he took ali\e out of the Belly of the Dam, and 
 brought it up ; the Embrio prefently fell to walking, 
 as if he had heard, fays Galen, that Legs were gi\eii 
 him for that purpofe ; then he fmelt into all the tilings 
 that were fet in the Room, and retuhng th.em all, on- 
 ly Tupped up the Milk : after t\\*b Months the tender 
 Sprouts of Shrubs and Plants appeared, and then re- 
 fuling the reft, he kept to thofe which are the pecu- 
 liar Food of Goats. But that which to Gakn appeared 
 moft admirable of all, was, tliat a while afcer it began 
 to chew the Cud ; whereupon fays he, 0£fit>«V« :/ v^f.v'if 
 
 tL¥i(60iiffeLf iK-TKctyirlif €TI Tcc7f 7ft;K i^UUV J'vi'XlXlJ', AH that 
 
 favi cried out -uith Admiratiat, being aflonifhed at the na- 
 tural Faculties of Animals. He complains ther-'upon 
 that many nei^lect fuch IFurks of Nature, and admire 
 none but ^i^^'* t* 5ti«t S?*'//^''*, unufual SpeJlacLs. Mr. 
 Ray notes. One may fill a Volume with Comments on this 
 plfafunt Story. 
 
^he Chriflian Philofopher. lit 
 
 The Sagacity of fome Quadnipeds, tho fo far fhort 
 of ManSj yet is a niatter of Ailonirtiment to- Man; 
 and Mans will be fhort o^ theirs, if it fee not the glo- 
 rious GOD of Nature operating in it. 
 
 Indeed there \Nas Humour enough in Rorariur^ 
 who upon hearing a learned Man prefer fuch a 
 Wretch as Frederick Barkrojfa, before that great Em- 
 peror Charles V. was thereby fo provoked, that he 
 wrote his two Books to prove that Beafls often have 
 more Ufe cf Reafon than Alen. The Confequence of the 
 abfurd Reaftning he found among Men was this with 
 him, Itaque in Mentem ?nihi venit Animalia Brut a fape 
 Ratione uti melius Homine. But the Confequence ot his 
 -own abfurd Reafoning will foon be found fuch as will 
 carry thoufands of "Terrors with it. 
 
 It is enough that what of Reafon appears in the 
 Brutal Tribes, is an immediate Etied of the Providence 
 exerted by the all-wife Creator, and applied for the 
 Prefervation of His Creatures. O Lord, thou prefervefl 
 not only Man, but Beaft alfo I 
 
 The Words of the excellent Sir Richard Blackmcre, 
 in his Efl'ay on the Immcrtality of the Soul, are worthy to 
 be tranfcribed and pondered on this Occafion. * I 
 ' muft acknowledge that I look upon the Souls of Brute 
 ' Creatures as immaterial, for I cannot conceive how 
 ' an internal Principle o^ fenjitive Perception and local 
 
 * Motion can be framed of Matter, tho ever fo fubtile 
 
 * and refinM, and modified with the moft artful Con- 
 
 * trivance ; yet they are plainly of a bafe and 
 
 ' low Nature^ and deftitute of thofe intelieElual Fa- 
 
 * culiies and that free Choice that fhould make them 
 
 * Subjects ot' Moral Gcvernmiif; enable them to difcera 
 ' the Obligation of Laws, and the Diftindion of Hr- 
 
 * tue and Vice, and underftand the Notion of being an 
 
 * accountable Creature, and receiving Rewards and Pu- 
 
 * nifhments. Whether the Animal Souls in a State 
 
 * of Separation remain flufid and afleep, or whether 
 
 * they are difperfed thro the Creation, and employed to 
 
 V 2 
 
Ill The Chriftian Philojopher. J 
 
 * animate other Et^ings, or return to one co^nmon Elemc}:^ " 
 
 * \slicnce they were at firft deriv'd, is unrevealed i 
 
 * but this is certain, the Souls of Brutes are not dc- j 
 fign'd by the Great Creator for fuch a Life of Plea- 
 
 * Jure and Huppincf^^ as that ot Humiin Souls in a State 
 
 * of lm?7urtiility and Pe)jeciion^ for the Enjo\ment ot 
 which they have no Difpolitions and Capacities.' 
 
 The Opinion oi Defcartes^ and Gr.Jfcndus^ and IViiiis^ 
 and others, That the Soul o( Brutes is matoiil^ and 
 the wliole Anin:al a nicer ALuhine, is clogg'd with in- 
 fupcrable Difficulties. 
 
 Our excellent Ray befpcaks a lon-cr degree of Rtufun 
 for them, and his Argument is fetch'd from feme ot 
 their Actions, which, without allowing fome Argumen- 
 tatkn in them^ can hardly be accounted for ; he iingles 
 out the Dcg, the Dcg running before his Mafler, w ill 
 flop at a divarication of the way, till he fee which i 
 way his Mafler will take Again, when the Dcg has 
 got a Prey, which he fears his Mafter will take from 
 him, he runs away to hide it, and afterwards returns 
 to it. Once more, if a Dog be to leap upon a Table 
 w hich he (qqs> too high for him to reach at once, let 
 there be a Stool or Chair near it, he w ill firft mount 
 that, and fo the T'able, yea, tho the Stool fland fo that 
 the Creature takes not a direEi Leap towards the place 
 finally intended ; if he were a mfer Piece of Ciocki^ork, 
 and this Motion caufed by the flriking ot a Springs 
 there can be no rcafon imagined why the Spring being 
 fet on work, fliould not carry the Machine in a direti 
 Line towards the Object that put it in motion, as well 
 when 'tis on an high Table as when 'tis on a lo-x. 
 
 They that have w ritten de Canuni Fidelitate & Saga- 
 citate, ha\e entertained us with Stories full of Won- 
 ders. The Obrer\ers ha\e thought thcmfehes obliged 
 fometim.es to fufped: that the Dogs might have a Spirit 
 cf Python in them. Camcraritts in iiis Horje Subcefrjj: has 
 collected furprizint^, but credible Relations, of fuch 
 as w*c may call reafinabk Do7<. 
 
 A 
 
Tk Chriflian Philofopher. 2i^ 
 
 A well-known King, w ho dealt much in them, at a 
 if^mous A^ in one of our Univerfitics, very publickly 
 determined it, that they could make Syliogifms^ and fo 'tis 
 no longer to be difputed. The Authority is as great 
 as that o( Jacobus Mkyllus, who wrote an Ekgium Cani\ 
 w^hich is thought a very elegant Epigram. 
 
 There is afurprizing thing related of the Sea-ToY- 
 toifes, both Ariftotle and Pliny have remarked it; That 
 when Tortoifes have been a long time upon the Water, 
 during a Calm, their Shells will be fo dried with the 
 Sun, that they are eafily taken by the Fifhermen, be- 
 caufe being become too light, they cannot plunge into 
 the Water nimbly enough. The French Academifls do 
 -not refer this eafinefs to be now taken, merely to the 
 Lightnefs of the Creature's Body, for he could eafily 
 let y^/r enough out of the Lungs to render his Body 
 heavier than the Water, upon which he would fink 
 immediately, but to a Sagacity of the cautious Animal, 
 which is truly marvellous. The T'ortoife is always 
 careful to keep himfelf in his Equilihriurn^ and there- 
 fore he dares not let the Air out of his Lungs, to ac- 
 qu're a Weight which would make him to fink im- 
 mediately ; for he fears left the wetting of his Shell 
 fliould render it fo heavy, that being funk to the bot- 
 tom of the Water, he might never afterwards have the 
 power of re-afcending. What Forejight here ! What a 
 dcs^ree of Argumentation too ! 
 
 They that have written de Solertia Animalium (as 
 many beiides Plutarch have done) have reported fuch 
 Eflkys and Shadows of Reafon in many of them as are 
 diverting. 
 
 Tiie Fox is often catch 'd in Tricks, which afford 
 as pleafant Stories as any in that old Volume, The de- 
 leclahle Hiftory of Reynard. His way to get rid of his 
 Fleas is notorious. 
 
 What notable Architecls are our Be'vers ! They lay 
 their Logs, and build their Dams, and form their Cham- 
 bers, with a marvellous Artifice. A Nation of Indians 
 
 P 3 do 
 
ZI4 T^^ Chrijlian Fhilojofher, 
 
 do fometimes in fcarce any thing but their Speech 
 cut-man a Nation of Bevers. 
 
 Elt^phants, what reafonable^ but \\h:it prodig'uus thing 
 have been related ot' them ! Things that almoft hav 
 Religion in them. The Story of Hanno is an amazin 
 one, Pierius is our Author for it. Well may I i^rit 
 of them that have themfelves been fo fufceptible cf 
 D.fcipline as to write whole Sentences ; 'tis afTirm'd 
 that Elephants have done fo. J/fivd fpcnds two whole 
 Pages together, in his concife way, enumerating but 
 the Heads of tiie flrange things which this trachible^ and 
 almoft ratiunal Quadruped arrives to ! 
 
 What a notable, docible, tradable Animal the 
 Horfe ! Tlie Horfc^ of whom the admirable Buchanan 
 
 Tings, 
 
 Equus ad cunElos fe accormncdat vfus. 
 
 K 
 
 Read Sulinus, and fee what Approaches the Horfe 
 Tiiakcs to Reafn! One would quedion which had 
 mofl:, Caligula or Incitatus. Dr. Grevj admires him, as 
 being /u'//f and flrong, above mofl other Animals, and 
 yet ftrangely obedient ; both comely and clean ; lie 
 breeds no Vermin of any fort ; his Ijreach, his Foam, 
 his Excrements and Sweat, all fweet and ufcful ; fit- 
 ted every way for Service or Pleafure, for the meaneft 
 or the greateil Mafier. There iire anticnt Examples 
 of other Horfes befides Bucephalus and Lcthargus, that 
 have been honoured with fiately Funerals and Sepulchres 
 at their Deaths, as ^\ell as their Maders i yea, tho the 
 Epitaph oi Adrian be loft, his Hvrfe's is preferved to 
 this day. The Riders of Horfes^ who in their Lives 
 will fubmit to no Bridles, nor do any Serifi.e for Him 
 that made them, deferve at tlieir Deaths to pafs away 
 no better clleem*d than their Horfes, but will have a 
 worfe Fare than they. The Gentleman, who going 
 home with his Head full o{ the /iiUy Fmnts from the 
 Healths of the Evening's Debauch, could not compel 
 bis Ho'fc to drink jin Health which at the next Brook 
 
 he ' 
 
The Chrifiian Philojofher. 215 
 
 he propofed to him, had fo much Reafon left him (and 
 a very little might ferve) as to make that Rejection, 
 T'hat the Alan in the Saddle was the greater Beaft of the 
 two. 
 
 How innumerable are the appearances of Nature, 
 which are above the Powers of Mechanifm ? 'Tis reli- 
 giouily and mod reafonably obferved by Dr. Ci.eyne, 
 that all thefe are fo many undeniable Proofs for the 
 Being of a G O D ; there muft be a Pou-er fuperior to 
 thofe of Mechanifm, and this muft lead us to Him, 
 u7;o alvne does great and mar-velJous things. 
 
 Hew often have I heard this, and how plainly feen it ; 
 this Power bekngeth to God ! 
 
 After all, do we fee fomething in thefe, and other, 
 and all Creatures, that appears defective to us ? A wife 
 Remark made by the Marquis of Pianez^za fliall be 
 ntrrduced upon it ; his remarkable words are thefe : 
 ' The limited PerfeBions, and the feeming Irregula- 
 rities of the World, rather afford us occafion to ac- 
 knowledge and glorify the Providence of GOD, 
 wh'ch not only declares, that all the Creatures are 
 too imperfeB to deferve to be worshipped as Deities, 
 but alfo amidft their ImperfeElions obliges them to 
 confefs, as it were with their own Mouths, one in- 
 finitely perfeEl Deity ; a Deity that would not have 
 Man fix on them as the Objeds of his Love and Ad- 
 miration, but that from them he ftiould pafs on to 
 the Love and Efteem of his only true GOD.' 
 There is one very furprizing thing, and without 
 acknowledging a Superintendency of a Divine Provi- 
 dence there can be no accounting for it. The Manfuete 
 Creatures bring forth no more than one or two at a 
 time, the Beafts if Prey bring forth as otten, and feven, 
 or nine, or eleven at a Litter ; and yet ! what inex- 
 prelTible Multitudes of the Manfuete have we to ferve 
 us ! What vaft Herds o^ Beeves! What vaft Flocks of 
 Sheep ! Whereas they that live upon Prey appear in 
 very little Numbers. How rarely is a JVolf met withal, 
 
 P 4 tho 
 
2 1 6 7he Chriflim Philojopher. 
 
 tho a Price be fet upon his Head ! What Rarities are \ 
 
 Lions, and Ti^^n, and Ounces ! To be caged in the 
 Tlurr for Speciacles ! 
 
 And then the Liberty c^iven us to butche-,- our ufe- 
 ful Creatures at our pleafure ; 'tis obrer\ ed by Mr. 
 Rohhijim^ that this will be found a Kindrufs, rather 
 than a C/7<e//j to the Creatures; if we kill them for 
 our Food, their D fpatch is quick, and much Icfs do- 
 lorous, than tliac the) Hiv^uid be torn to pieces by 
 fuch cruel Mailers as the Lion, and the T}ger, and 
 Bear, \\\\o Avould not give them tim.e to die, but 
 even eat their rierii from their Bones aliz>e ; and if 
 they fhould live to the tedious Condition and Melan- 
 ciioiy of C!d Age, it would, after many Tortures, kill 
 them, and leave their Curcafcs rotting, ftinking, and 
 ufeiefs upon the ground. 
 
 1 he Jhiiit I ife of a £^afi, compared with the Life of 
 Man, deferves to have lome Remark made upon it ,• ^ 
 this at lead : Man, do nor had the Life of .a Btaft^ if 
 thou wouldft not be condem.ned and conhned to the 
 ft)ort Life of a Biafl, nor come under the Execution of 
 that Sentence, L'l e Da)s of the MAcked Jhall be fljortned. 
 There IS a way ('t li^'^^'ii'gy by fome called living aface ; 
 it is iiidced not living at all, but rather dying apace ; a 
 Lap I) Life ouf;ht to be afijrtned one. 
 
 What ufeful Inflruclions would the Properties of the 
 feveral Animals yield to the Chriflian Phiiofofher, would 
 he be duly and wifely attenti\'e to them ! Kanz^ius, 
 and Simpfon, and others, h.ave cultivated this lliemc, 
 not unufcfully ; "'tis capable of a much more vaft Cul- 
 tivation : Chriflian, liearken to tl;c Voice of the many 
 p. each cr s i\\o\i hail about thee, left thou wo//?-w ^/ //j^ 
 lafl, and fay, I have not obeyed the Vvice of ?ny Teachers, 
 ncr iniliued mine Ear to than that inflrttEiid mc ! 
 
 I rcn. ember one Obfer\ation oi Scn.ca, which a lit- 
 tle exemplifies a moral Rtmark on the Properties of 
 fome Fvur-fovted ; Ojnnia qi.x Naturu fera ac rabida ftrnt, 
 cchflernantur ad Vay.a. Liem inquieiis & fioUdis Ingcniis 
 
 even 
 
The Chriftian Fhilojofher. I17 
 
 evenity rerum fufpicione fmuntur, I thought this 
 
 worth mentioning, but not becaufe I do not think a 
 Chriftian of a gocd Undjvflanding might eafily produce 
 ten thoufand more. 
 
 The Account Avhich honeil Leguat gives of the fo^ 
 litary Bird, which he and his Companions obferved on 
 the lile of Rodrig')^ is as admirable as unqueftionable ; 
 the Bird has IVmgs, but fo fmall that it cannot fly 
 with them, they ferve to flutter with a mighty noife 
 when they call one another ; they never lay but one 
 Egg. which is bigger than that of a Goofe -, the Male 
 and Female fit upon it in their turns, and all the while 
 they are ha.caing it, or bringing it to provide for 
 i.felf, (which is d'vers Months) they will not fuffer 
 any other Bird of their own Species to come within 
 two hundred Yards round of the place : but this is 
 very finguiar, the Males will never drive away the ap- 
 proaching Females^ but call for their own Females to do 
 it ; the Female does the like, and upon the Approach 
 of any other Males ^ call their own Males to chjjfe them 
 away After thefe Birds have raifed their young one^ 
 and left it to itfeJf, ' we have often obferved (fays my 
 
 * ingenious Traveller) that fome days after the young 
 ' one leaves the Neft, a Company of thirty or forty 
 ' brings another yoimg me to it, and the new-fledg'd 
 
 * Bird, with its Father and Mother joining with the 
 
 * Band, march to fome by-place ; we frequently fol- 
 *^ lowed them, and found that afterwards the old ones 
 ^ went each their way alone, or in couples, and left 
 ' the two young ones together, which we call'd a Mar^ 
 
 * riage.' My religious Traveller does give all pofTible 
 Afturance for the Truth of this Relation, and adds, 
 / could not forbear to entertain my Mind loitb federal Re- 
 pclions in thii Occafion. I Jem Mankind to learn of the 
 'Beafls. 
 
 It is an Obfervation made by one of the mofl; refin^'d 
 Philofophers by whom our Age has been illuminated ; 
 .* Moft Creatures have fome Quality, whereby they 
 
 ' admoniffi 
 
1 1 8 T^/;^ Chrifiian Fhilofopher. 
 
 admonifh us of what is BEST. Of Neatnefs^ all 
 B'nds which love to be perpetually pruning of thcm- 
 fclvcs; and Cat., which commonly cover their Ex- 
 crements, and wipe their Aloutha after Dinner. Foul 
 Water w ill breed the Pip in Hens, and Naftinefs 
 Lice and Scabs in Krf2e ; and all Creatures, even 
 Szvirie themfelves, which love Dirt, yet thrive bed 
 w hen kept clean. Of Furecafi, the Sitta and the Ant, 
 which lay up Nuts and other Seeds in their Grana- 
 ries, that fjrve them in the -Winter. Of Modefty, 
 the Elephams, the Drojnedaries, and the Deer, which 
 always conceal their \^enercal Ads. Of mature 
 Marriage, all Anmials which beget their beft Breed 
 at their full Gro^^ th. Of Conjugil Chafiity, the Dcves 
 and PartriJgcs, which keep to one Husband and 
 Wife. Of Conjugal Loi'e, the Ruck, the Male help- 
 ing the Female to make her Neft, feeding her while 
 fhe fits, and often fitting in his turn. Oi' Maternal 
 Lcve, the domeflick Hen, gentle by Nature, and un- 
 armed, yet, in defence of her Ctiickens, bold and 
 fierce ; and the T')ger herfelf, the fierceft of Beads, 
 yet is infinitely fond of her Whelps.' 
 The fame excellent Fellow if theKowL Society 
 carries on his Obfervation ; 'The moil odious or nox- 
 
 * ious things do ferve for Food or Phyfick, or fome 
 
 * Manufacture, or other good u^Te ; neither are they 
 
 * of lefs ufe to ayneud our Minds, by teaching us Care, 
 
 * and Diligence, and more JVit : and fo much the more, 
 
 * the worfe the things are, we fee and fliould avoid. 
 
 * IVcafels, and Kites, and other mifchievous Animal^, 
 
 * induce us to Watchfulnefs ; Ti:i/l!es and Moles to 
 
 * qood Husbandry ; Lice oblige us to Cicanlinejs in our 
 
 * B(Klies, Spiders in our Houfes, and the Moth in our 
 
 * Clothes : the Deformity and Filthinefs of S-wine makes 
 
 * them the Beauty-fpot of the Anin\il Creation, and 
 
 * the Emblem of all rue ; and the Obfcenity of Dogs 
 
 * fhews how much m(^re beafily it is in Men : the F.is 
 
 * teaches us to beware of the 'Thief, and the Jlpe^-s and 
 
 ' Siorpitns 
 
^e Chrifttan Philojop her. 219 
 
 * Scorpions tiiofe more noxious Creatures, \^'hich carry 
 
 * their Venom in their Tongues or their Tails.' 
 
 I will profecute this Obfervation of my Brother, 
 with only obferving fo much further upon it j that no 
 little part of the Homage we owe to the glorious Cre- 
 ator of all thefe things, is to learn thofe Virtues^ and 
 thofe decent and htneft things, whereof, if the Faculties 
 of our Minds be awake, we fhall eafily perceive His 
 Creatures to be the Monitors. 
 
 In writing thefe things I cannot but call to mind 
 the expreifive Words of Theodorus Gaz.a, in his Preface 
 to Arifiotle's Books de Animalihus ; In contemplandis Ani- 
 rnalium Moribus^ Exempla fuppetunt omnium OfficioruTfty 
 & Ejigies offeruntur Virtutum fumma ctim Authoritate 
 ISlattira^ omnium Parentis^ non Jimtilata, non inconfiantef, 
 fed vere ingenua atque perpetua. He goes on to fhew 
 how powerfully the Kindnefs of the Brutes to thofe of 
 their own Kind, rebukes the unbrotherly Carriage too 
 often found in Mankind ; and adds a variety of Ad- 
 monitions, w^hich, my Reader^ thou art not unable to 
 difcover by thy own Ingenuity. 
 
 ^. ' One of the mofl valuable Writers that ever was 
 in the World, brings from the glorious Creator of 
 tiie Beafls this Voice to Man ; Sic mere iUis^ ut Ex- 
 empla Virtutum qua in ill is apparent , obferves, & om^ 
 nihus Viribus coneris ilia longo interiiallo fuperare, ut m 
 Beftialem Animam reperiam in tuo Corpore Humano.' 
 ' It would not be a Fancy deftitute of Judgment ^ if 
 I fhould fet before me the Tabella Hieroglyphica^ 
 w^herewith Alfied has obliged us/ 
 ' But of all the Tribes that graze in the Field, 
 there is none that I would more chufe for an Em- 
 bltm than the Sheep ; the clean, patient, innocent 
 Creature, which has nothing belonging to it but 
 what is of a celebrated Ufefulnefs. O thou mofl honou- 
 rable Creature^ what a Dignity has the Son of God Him- 
 f elf put upon thee !' 
 
 I 
 
210 The Chrifiian Philojopher. \ 
 
 * I fee fo much of GOD in the Circumftances of 
 the Brutal "tribes, as obliges me to look upwards in a 
 way too high for them/ 
 
 ^ At the fume time, tho I would by no means fall 
 into Pythagorean and Mahometan Superftitions, yet I 
 would abhor to treat any of the Brutes with bar- 
 barous Cruelties, hmnan'nits and Inhumanities ; cruelly 
 to delight in their Miferie^^ or to be unmerciful to 
 them, is an Oiience to God, ard what a righteous 
 Man would not be guilty of i unknov^n Punifl^meuts 
 may be reierved for it/ 
 
 ' Great GOD, if I do not acknowkdge Thee, I am con- 
 demned by the Ox, ichich km.ivs his Oi^ner, and by the 
 Ap, which knows his Mafttr's Crib!' 
 Luther feeing the Cattel go in the Fields, ufed this 
 Expreffion ; Behold, there go our Preachers, our Mtlk- 
 bearers, and IVool-bearers, which daily preach to u^ Faith 4 
 towards GOD, that we truft in Bim as our loving Father ^ 
 who will maintain and nourifJ) us. 
 
 It is very certain our Dcminion over the Creatures 
 is very much impaired by our Fall from God. Tnofe 
 Creatures do now cither fiy from us, or fy at us, which, 
 if we had been faithful to our God, would not have 
 done fo. Honelt F,gardus propounds two Ad?ncnitivns 
 ef Pieiy on thefe Occaflons ; the one, Fuga Animalium 
 a te, moncat te de tua fuga a De(p per peccatum. The 
 other, Ani?naliu7n in te ad Ltdcndum impetus hoflilis, mo- 
 neat te de Odio & Furore DiaboU, (7 Mundi, adverfus te 
 'mmani. 
 
 I conclude ^^ ith an Obfervation of Dr. Grew\ ; 
 As the Ejfence of every thing, and its relation, in be- 
 ing fitted, beyond any Emendation, for its Aclions 
 'and IJf's, e\idently proceeds from a Mind ot tlic 
 higheft Under/landing, fo the nature of thefe Aclioh 
 and Ufy, in as much as they are not any way dc- 
 ftrudtivc or tn^ublcfome ; no, but each thing tends 
 apart, and all confpire together to confervc, chcrifh, 
 and gratify : this is an Evidence of their proceeding 
 
 * from i 
 
The Chrifiian Philofopher. ill 
 
 from the greatcfl Goodnefs. There are many who are 
 very cunning and fubtile in the Invention oF Evil^ and 
 Engines have been fitted, with much Contrivance, for 
 the tormenting of Men ; how eafy had it been for 
 the Creator of the Univerfe to have flockM it with 
 Creatures that fhould never have moved fo much as 
 one Limb without Pain, or have had the lead Senfa- 
 tion without a mixture of horrible Torment, or have 
 entertain^ the leaft Imagination, but what fhould 
 have had Honor in it ? But behold, our good God 
 has ordered it, that whatever is natural is delightful^ 
 and has a tendency to Good ; He has employM His 
 tranfcendent Wifdom and Power ^ that He might 
 make way for His Benignity.' 
 
 Great GOD, T'hou art Gcod, and T'hou dofl Good ,• Oh 
 teach me 'thy Statutes ! So fings the Poet : 
 
 O Deus, Mundi foltis qui fleEiis hahenaSy 
 Ut tua nunc Bonitas oculis eft ob'via cunElis I 
 
 ESSAY XXXII. 0/ M A N. 
 
 AN D now^ let the Lord of this lower World be in-^ 
 troduced, MAN, who is to do the Part of a 
 Prieft for the reft of the Creation, and offer up to God 
 the Praifes which are owing from and for them all. 
 
 In Lihro Creaturarum continetur Homo (as one of the 
 School-Divines happens to exprefs it well) & eft prin^ 
 cifalior Litera ipjius Libri. 
 
 ^It was moft reafonably done of thee, Father Auflin^ 
 to tax the Folly of them who admired the Wonders in 
 the other Parts of the Creation abroad, & relinquunt 
 feipfos, nee mirantur, but fee nothing in themfehes to be 
 wondred at. It is not for nothing that Mankind is in 
 the Gofpel called every Ceatare ; he that beholds MaM^ 
 may tiierein behold vvhat is moft wonderful in every 
 Creature, 
 
 It 
 
Ill The Chrifiian Philojopher. 
 
 It is well cxprcfs'd in a Treatife entitled, Schola ij 
 Scala Natura ! * Nature doth not lead thee towards 
 G O D by a far-fetch'd and winding Compafs, but 
 in a fhort and flrait Line. The Sun waits upon the 
 Rain^ the Rain upon the Grafs^ the Graf^ ferx es the 
 Cattel^ the Cattel Icrve thee^ and \'i thou ferve GOD, 
 then thou makeft good the highefl Link in that gul- 
 den Chain, whereby Heaven is joined to Earth ; then 
 thou ftandefl: where thou oughtefl: to fland, in the 
 uppe-nncft Round oF the Divine Ladder, next to the 
 mofl: High ,' then thou approvefl: th}'re]f to be indeed 
 what thou wert deiigned by God to be, the High- 
 Prieft and Orator of the Vniiierfe ; becaufe thou alone, 
 amongft all the Creatures here below, art endued 
 with Undcrflanding to know Him, and Speech to 
 exprefs thy Knowledge of Him, in thy Prailes and 
 Prayers to Him.' 
 I may now fay with honeft Stigeliu^^ 
 
 Ja?n 'vocat ad fukhros nos Fabrica Corporis Artus, 
 Qua mira Authorem mcnflrat in Arte Deum. 
 
 The Body of M a n being mofl obvious to our view, 
 is that which ix-e idll firfl begin with ; a Machine of a 
 mofl aftonifhing VVorkmanfhip and Contrivance I My 
 Gody I 'wiU praTfe 'Thee, for I am flrangdy and v:ondeifully 
 made I 
 
 * But is it pofTible for me to conlider this Body as 
 any other than a Temple of G O D ! A Vitruvius 
 will teach us that the moft exquifite and accurate 
 Figure for a Temple w ill be found in a Conformity to 
 an Human Body ; indeed an Human Body ought tor 
 ever to be beheld and employed, as deiigned t^or an 
 holy Temple ; for me to apply any Part of luch a Body 
 to any A(ftion forbidden by God, would be a very 
 criminal Proftittitivn.' 
 
 * By uftng niy Bdy in and for the Service of God, 
 and by praifug the Glorious-One, ^^ho has formed 
 
 ' every 
 
Tk Chrifiian Philofopher. 2Z^ 
 
 every Part of my Body, arid clothed me with Skin and 
 F/eJIjy and fenced ?ne with Bones and Sinews , I defire to 
 all'ure my fhare in an happy RefurreBion of this Body 
 from the Grave^ into which it is falling : fcr tho a 
 Man die^ he is to live again ; an appointed 'Time will 
 come, when Thou^ my God, wilt call, and Ifiall an- 
 fwer thee, and thou wilt have a defire to fee the Work of 
 thine Hands revived and reftored/ 
 The ereEl Pofiure of Man, the Os ftiblime, how com- 
 modious for a rational Creature, who mufl have Domi^ 
 nion over thofe which are not fo, and mufl invent and 
 pradife things ufeful and curious ! TuUy admires the 
 Providence of Nature, as he calls it, adding the reafon 
 for it j Sunt enim e Terra Homines, non ut Incola atque 
 Hahitatores, fed quafi SpeBatores fuperarum rerum, atque 
 Coclefiium, quarum SpeEiaculum ad nullum aliud Genus 
 Animantium pertinet. By this pofiure Man has the ufe 
 of his Hands, which, as Galen obferves, are, Organafa" 
 pienti Animali convenientia j and his Eyes, \\'\\\c\\ as they 
 have the glorious Hemifphere of the Heavens above 
 him, fo they have the Horizon of three Miles on a per- 
 fed Globe about them, when they are fix Foot high, 
 and by the Refractions of the Atmofphere they have 
 much more than fo : his Head is alfo fuflained, which 
 is heavy, and how painful to be carried in another 
 Pofiure ! 
 
 The provifion made for this Pofture is very fur- 
 prizing; what Ligaments? efpecially that of the Peri-- 
 cardium to the Diaphragm^ which, as Vef alius and Blan- 
 cardius note, is peculiar to Man ? The Bones, how ar- 
 tificially placed and braced? Mofl remarkably the 
 Vertebra of the Back-bone ? The Feet, how exquifitely 
 accommodated ! For the rare Mechanifm whereof, a 
 Cheftiden may be confulted -, yea, every Writer oi Ana- 
 tcmy will otfer enough to trample Atheifm under foot. 
 To all add the Miniflry of the Mufcles, which anfwer 
 all Motions, and yet with eafy and ready Touches, 
 keeping the Line of Innixicn and the Center of Gravity 
 
 where 
 
114 "^^ Chrtftian Philofopher. 
 
 where it ought to be ! Yea, all the Par:s of the. Body 
 fo (iifpofcd as to foifc it! All in a nice Equipoife ! 
 With a prodigious variety of Mpjcles placed through- 
 out the Body for the Service ! Borelli obfcrves, ' 'tis 
 
 * worthy of Admiration, thac in fo great a variety of 
 
 * Motions Nature's Law of Equilibration fhould ahs ays 
 
 * be obfervcd ; fo that if it be tranfgrelVed or ncglcdt- 
 
 * ed, the Body ncceifarily and immediately tumbles 
 
 * down/ 
 
 Every thing docs confplre to aflyrc us, that the 
 Maker of Man intended Man for fuch a Pifture. 
 
 The moft indigent Condition \\ herein Man is born 
 into the World, but the plentiful Provifion which he 
 finds made by a gracious and merciful God for him in 
 the World, this invites Man to return to God, and to 
 tafte His Love^ in all the Creatures that accommodate 
 him, and rely upon His Cure for ever, for the Supply 
 of all his Wants. And, as Mr. Anidt exprefl'es it. 
 Homo Dei Amorem in omnibus rebus co intimius degufla.et^ 
 in caducis Creaturis Dcum immortakm inveniens difcerety 
 quod immortalis Deus melius pcjjit exhilarare^ confolariy 
 corroborare^ ac confa-vare hominem^ quam omnes cmnino 
 Creatura jiusa & cito feritura. 
 
 A Comparifon between the Maaoofm and the TVi/- 
 a-ocofm would atford a very edifying and acceptable 
 Entertainment to a contemplative Mind ; the excellent 
 Alftid will therewith entertain the Gentlemen that 
 will vifit his T'heohgia Nuturulis. 
 
 Indeed he that fpeaks to Man, fpeaks to en^ery Crea- 
 ture ; and Mad is therefore the more couLcnud^ as \n ell 
 as capable xo hear even Creature fpeaking to him. 
 
 ^Tis wliat calls for a deep Ccnjjdcrat'on with us, 
 that in the Bodyot^ian there is nothing deficient, no- 
 thing fupertluous, an End and Ufe u>r every thing. 
 Natura mn abundat in fuperfluis^ nee deficit in neajariis, 
 There is no Part that we can well {pare, nor any that 
 can fay to the reft, J I ave no need (f you ! The Eeb'y and 
 the Mernbe-is cannot quarrel with one anotiier. Ea en 
 
 thc^ 
 
The Chrijiian Philofopher. 215 
 
 the Paps in Men, beiides their adorning of the Breafly 
 and their defending of the Hearty fometimes contain 
 Mdk^ as in a Danijlo Family mentionM by Banholinus. A 
 Man mention'd by Beccone^vi^ow the Death of his Wife, 
 fuckled the Infant himfelf. He concludes, that fince, 
 according to Malpighius and others, the Paps of Men 
 have the fame Velfels with thofe of Women, "'tis in- 
 tended that, if need requires, the Toung fhould be 
 fuckled at them, who, upon a little pulling, foon fetch 
 Milk into them. 
 
 What fhould we do with a Bavarian Poke under our 
 Chins ? 
 
 Our pious Ray makes this Remark, That if we 
 -confider no more than the very Nails at our Fingers 
 ends, we mufl be "very fottijh if we can conceive that any 
 other than an infinitely good and wife God was our Author 
 and Former. And there was an honourable Perfon 
 who long bd:'ore him faid. An non videmus in fingulis 
 fummis Digit is ^ Artificium Dei? Eftne unguis aliquis qui 
 non reddat T'cfiimonium Deum ejfe Opificem eximium ? 
 
 No fign of Chance in the whole Strufture of our 
 Body. It is remarkable, in Bodies of different Animals 
 there is an Agreement of the Parts^ as far as their Occa- 
 Jions and Offices agree j but a difference of thofe where 
 there is a difference of thefe. Dr. Dozvglafs will tell 
 you what Mufcles are in a Man that are not in a Dog^ 
 what in a Dog that are not in a Man. The Matter, 
 the Texture, the Figure, the Strength, with the ne- 
 ceffary Accoutrements of every Part, how amazingly 
 commodious ! How often does the Ars^ Providcntia, 
 & Sapientia CONDlTORIS, appear to the Pagan 
 Galen upon the Contemplation ! 
 
 In the Body of Man the Lodgment of the Parts is as 
 admirable as the Parts themfelves. Where could the 
 Eye, the Ear, the Tongue, be fo commodioufly placed 
 as in the upper Apartments afldgned for them ? Tuliy fays 
 truly, Mirifice ad ufus neceffarios coliocati funt ! And for 
 the other Parts, he notes, ReBe in illis Corporum par- 
 
 Q_ tibus 
 
22(5 The Chriflian Philojopher. 
 
 tibus collocata funt. Four ot" the five Senfes, how com- 
 modioufly lodged, near the BraitJy the common Sea- 
 fory, and a place well guarded ; Gahn celebrated zns 
 vondroufly agreeable Situation ! And how could the 
 fifth Senfe, that of the Touch, be more agreeably lodg- 
 ed, than with a Dirperfion into all Pacts of the Body 1 
 Where fhould the Hand, the Feet, tiie Leg^ be, but 
 juft where they are ! Where the Heart, the Sol Mioo-^ 
 cofmi, which is to labour about the whole Mafs of 
 Blood, but in the dnter of the Body ? Where can the 
 Vifcera difcharge their Offices better, than in the place 
 afligned to them? Where could the Bones and the 
 Mujcles be better difpoled of? And what better Co- 
 'vering were it pofTible for the whole Body to have, 
 than the Skin ; whereof the Mkrofiopkal Views given 
 by Cowper in his Anato?ny, mud give a \'aft Surprize to 
 
 us ' 
 
 What can be more ornamental, than that thofe 
 Members which are Pain, do (land by one another in 
 an equal Altitude. 
 
 The Provifion made in the Body of Man to ftave 
 off Ez'ils, is very admirable. The Secretions made by 
 the Glands, whereof Cod burn, Ktil, Moreland^ and 
 others, give us notable Accounts, are fuch as can- 
 not be coniidered without fome Amazement. How 
 many Parts of the Body fland ready to do what be- 
 longs to faithful Centinels! The principal and more 
 eflcntial Inflrumcnts of Life and Senfe, how well bar- 
 ricado'd are they ? Of how many Parts are we fupplied 
 with Pairs, to make up a Defeat which may happen 
 in any of cliem ? The Piiirs of Nerves, and tiie Rami- 
 fications of tiie Veins and Artivies in the fleOily Parts, 
 -what Cafe§ of Difafler are anfv.ered in them ? Mr. Dur- 
 ham here juilly adores tJ)e infinite Contriver ! Dr. Sloane 
 juftly admires the Contrivance of our Blood, which on 
 fome Occafions, as foon as any thing deftrudivc to the 
 Condi tution of it comes into it, immediately by an in- 
 tefltne Cv?nmotion endeavours to thruft it forth;, and To 
 
 ^ 'tis 
 
T^e Chrijiian Philofopher. 22^ 
 
 *tis not only freed from the new Gueft, but fometimes 
 what likewife might long have lain lurking there. 
 
 What EmunElories has the Body, and what fur- 
 prizing Pajfagesy to carry off' Mifchiefs, which we foo- 
 lifhly bring upon our felves I And how aftonifhing the 
 Methods and Efforts o^ Nature to fet all things to rights. 
 Valfaha difcovered PafTages into the Region of the 
 Ear-drum^ w^hich are of mighty ufe to difcharge mor- 
 bifick Matter from the Head. Hippocrates in his Book 
 de AUmentis makes his Remarks upon the Sagacity of 
 Nature^ to find out PafTages for the difcharging of 
 things ofienlive to the Body , and indeed they who 
 confefs no Wonders in it, are Hippocraticis Vinculis aU 
 ligandi. Modern Stories of what Nature has done for 
 this, occurring in the German Ephemerides^ and elfe- 
 where, would fcarce be credible, were not the Fide- 
 lity of the Relators unreproachable. Dr. Grew be- 
 flows his juft Remarks upon it, that in mod Wounds^ 
 if kept clean and from the Air, the Flejh will glue to- 
 gether with a natiz'e Balm of its own j and that broken 
 Bones are cemented with a Callus, which they them- 
 felves help to make : yea, Difeafes themfelves are not 
 ufelefs, for the Blood in a Fever, if well govern^, like 
 Wine upon the fret, will difcharge itfelf of all hetero- 
 geneous Mixtures. But the Philofopher laft quoted 
 obferves. Nothing can be more admirable than the many 
 ways Nature hath provided for preventing or curing of Fe- 
 'vers. Yea, Mr. Boyle and others have entertained us 
 with furprizing Relations, how the Senfes of Seeing 
 and Hearing have been reflored and ftrangcly quickned 
 by acute Fevers befalling thofe that wanted them. 
 
 The Harmony and Sympathy between the Members: 
 of the Body, made by the Commerce of the Nerves, 
 and their moft curious Ramifications thro the whole 
 Body, is, as Mr. Derham obferves, a moft admirable 
 things and fuch as greatly fets forth the Wifdom and 
 Benignity of the Great Creator ; to fee how God hath 
 fo tempered the Body together, that the Members fI?Quld have 
 
 Q^ 2 the 
 
Zl8 7he Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 the fayne care tne fur another^ and if one Member f'ffer^ ali 
 the Alohbers fujfer with it ! 
 
 One Iiiftance is by Mr. Derham finglcd out ; there 
 is one Cunjugution if the Nerves^ which is branched into 
 the Ball^ and the Afiifcles, and the GLmds oi tlie Eye ; 
 to the Ear^ to the fawsy and the G//wj, and the Tl^tr/; ; 
 to the Mufdcs of the Lips^ to the T'onjil.^, the Palate^ 
 the Tongue, and the Parts ot tiie Alouth ; to the Pra- 
 cordia too ; and lallly, to the Mu/lLs of the Face, and 
 very particularly thofe of the Cheeks. Hence 'tis that 
 a guflablc thinj:^, fecn or fmelt, excites the Appetite, and 
 art'eCts the Glands and Parts of the ALtith. A fl?amejul 
 thing fecn or heard a.'^ctis the Cheeks. If the Fancy be 
 plcafcd, the Prj:^oydia are afte(ited, and the Mufcles oi 
 the Alouth and Face are put into the Motions oi Laugh- 
 ter. When Sadnefs is caufed, it exerts itfelf upon the 
 Prxcordia, and the Glands of the E\es emit their T'ears ; 
 wherein alfo, as was long (ince noted, Fletus arumnas 
 levat, and the Mufcles of the Face put on a forrowful 
 Afpc(ft. Hence alfo the torvous Look, produced by 
 Anger and Hatred; and a ^^v Cvuntenance accompanies 
 Love, and Hope^ and Joy. Finally, hence 'tis that, as 
 Pliny notes, the Face in ALin alone is the Index of aU the 
 PafpoHs. 
 
 It is an inexplicable Sympathy which there is be- 
 tween the Difcafcs cf the Bch'y and thofe of the Skin ; 
 whence \cry flubborn Diarrhea's cured by Diapho- 
 reticks. 
 
 What a Sympathy betw cen the Feet and the Bowels ! 
 The Pricfts walking barefoot on the Pa\ement of the 
 Temple, were often aflliaed, as the Tahnttds tell us, 
 with D:fcafes in their BuwJs. The Phyfician of the 
 'Tefuple was called a Buwcl-Doclor. Belly-achs occalion'd 
 by walkmg on a cold Floor, are cured by applying 
 hot Bricks to the Soles of tiie Kr. 
 
 A glorious Pro\ idcnce of God is to be feen in three 
 remarkabU' DtfUmilitudes bctvsccn Men and Men, FaccSy 
 Voices, and U'>i tings. 
 
 Firft, 
 
The Chriflian Philofopher. 229 
 
 Firfl, Such is the variety of Lineaments in the Faces 
 of Men, that tho Valerius Maxhnits, and fome others, 
 gives us Examples of Men that have been very like 
 one another, yet there are no fwo Faces in all things 
 alike. Had Nature been a blind Architcd (as our 
 curious Ray well obferves) the Faces of feveral Men 
 might have been as like as Eggs laid by the fame Hen, 
 or Bulkts caft in one Mould. It was one of Pliny's 
 Wonders, In Facie Vukuque noftro, cum Jim decern aut 
 faulo plura membra^ nuUas duas in tot miliihus Hominum 
 indifcretas Effigies exiflere. Now, as my modern and 
 better Pliny proceeds upon it, ' fhould there be an in- 
 ' difcernible Similitude between di'vers Men, what 
 
 * Confulion and Difturbance would neceffarily follow? 
 ^ What Uncertainty in all Conveyances, Bargains and 
 
 * Contracts ? What Frauds and Cheats, and fuborning 
 
 * of IVitnejfes ? What a Subverfion of all Trade and 
 
 * Commerce ? What Hazard in all judicial Proceedings ? 
 ^ In Aflaults and Batteries, in Murders and AfTafli- 
 
 * nations, in Thefts and Robberies, what Security 
 
 * would there be to Malefadors ? How many other 
 
 * Inconveniences ?' 
 
 Secondly, The Fbices of Men differ too ; not only 
 divers Countries pronounce in ways peculiar to them- 
 felves, but in the fame Country how many Dialeds ? 
 Britain as well as Greece exemplifies this variety ; thus 
 Gileadites can difcover Ephraimites. A-Lapide tells us 
 how the Flemings difcover a Frenchman ; and Fuller^ 
 what way they took in England long (ince to difcover 
 a Dutchman : yea, fome have demoriflrated that Voices 
 do diil;inguifli Individuals as much as Faces, and in 
 fome Cafes more ; for this way the Difcovery is made 
 m the Dark, and by the Blind alfo. 
 
 Thirdly, Dr. Cickburn fhall fupply us with one Dif- 
 Jtmilitude more : ' To no other Caufe than the wafe 
 ' Providence of God can be referrM the no lefs ftrange 
 
 * variety o( Hand-writings.. Common Experience fhews, 
 
 * that tho Hundreds and Thoufands were taught by 
 
 Q. 3 * ^^® 
 
Z30 T^^ Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 * one Mafl-er, and one and the fame Form of Writing, 
 
 * yet they all write differently ; there is fomething pe- 
 
 * culiar in every one's Writings which diflinguifhes it ; 
 
 * fome indeed can counterfeit another's Character and 
 
 * Subfcription, but the Inflances are rare, nor is it 
 done without Pains and Trouble : nay, the mod 
 Expert and Skilful cannot write much fo exadly like, 
 that it cannot be known whether it be genuine or 
 counterfeit ', and if the Providence of God did not 
 fo order it, what Cheats and Forgeries too would 
 be daily committed, which would run all into Con- 
 fuiion ? The diverfity of Hand-writing is of migjity 
 
 ^ great Ufe to the Peace of the World ', and wliat is 
 ^ fo very ufeful is not the Effect of any Human Con- 
 
 * cert; Men did not of themfelves agree tr) it, they 
 
 * are only carried to it by the fecret Proviaence ot 
 t God/ 
 
 My Gody let me never do any thing that may he to the 
 Damage of that which thou froclaiynvfl thyfelffo very tender 
 of I Human Society, Alankind ajfociatcd. 
 
 The Variety of the Parts whereof the Body is com- 
 pofed cannot but oblige our Admiration, cannot but 
 compel our admiring Souls to acknowledge our glo- 
 rious Maker ! 
 
 I The Bones in a Skeleton are two hundred and 
 forty-five, befides the OJfa Scfajnoidjca, which are for- 
 ty-eight. 
 
 ' The Mufcles of tiie Body arc four hundred and 
 forry-fix. 
 
 The Nerves which come immediately out of the 
 Skull, from the Medulla cLlonga'a, are ten Pair. . 
 
 The Nerves whicl) come out between the Vertebra. 
 are thirty Pair. 
 
 The Staf-skin examined with a Microfcopc, ap- 
 pears made up of Lays of exceeding fmall ScaleSy wliich 
 cover one another more or lefs, according to the dif- 
 ferent Thicknefs of the Siaf-skin in the f.ncral Parts 
 ©f the Body ; but in tiic Lips they only in a manner 
 
 touch 
 
The Chrifiian Philojopher. 23 E 
 
 touch one another. Letienhoeck reckons that in one c«- 
 tia-ilar Scale there may be five hundred excretory Chan- 
 nels^ and that one Grain of Sand will cover two hun- 
 dred and fifty Scales ; wherefore one Grain of Sand 
 will cover one hundred and twenty-five thoufand Ori- 
 fices^ thro which we are daily ferfpiring. What a pro- 
 digious number of Glands muft there now be on the 
 Surface of the whole Body ! Into every one of thefe 
 Glands there enters an Artery, a Vein, and a Nerve. 
 How many Organs now in all the Body ! 
 
 Look upon thy Skin, O Man, and fay. Great God, 
 how wondroufly hafl thou clothed me I 
 
 Daily perfpiring, I fliid. The Sum of all the Particles 
 that are drained thro the ctitictdar Glands, is reckoned 
 by SanBorius to amount to about //o' Ounces in a day ; 
 fo that fuppofing a Man's Body to weigh one hundred 
 and fixty Pounds, in fifty one Days a Quantity equal to 
 the whole Body is perfpired. The Medicina Statica 
 will multiply the Calls to us to glorify the God who 
 fo upholds our Souls in Life. 
 
 But then the multitude of Intentions which our Cre- 
 ator has in the Formation of our feveral Parts, and 
 the Qualifi.catiom they require to fit them for their 
 various Ufes, this alfo calls for our Wonders. Dr. 
 Wilkins takes notice of it, that according to Galen 
 there are in an Human Body above {\x hundred fe- 
 veral Mufcles, and there are no lefs than ten feveral 
 Intentions to be obferved in each of thefe ; about the 
 Mufcles alone there are at leaf): fix thoufand feveral 
 Ends or Aims to be attended to. They reckon the 
 Bones to be two hundred and eighty-four, the diftind: 
 Intentions of each of thefe are no fewer than forty ; 
 the whole Number of Scopes for the Bones arife to 
 an hundred thoufand : thus it is in proportion with 
 all the other Parts, the Skin, Ligaments, Veffels, Glan- 
 dules, Humours, but more peculiarly with the feveral 
 Members of the Body, which do in regard of the 
 multitude of Intentions or Qualifications required to 
 
 Q^ 4 them. 
 
Zjl T^f Chriftian Philofopher. 
 
 them, very much exceed the homcgeneous Parts ; a 
 failing in any one of thefe would caufc an Irregularity 
 in the Body, and in many of them, as the Doctor 
 notes, it would be fuch as would be very notorious. 
 My Friend, contemplate the Figures of Spigelius^ and 
 Bidloe, and Lyferus, ii thou canft without Aftonifh- 
 mcnt ! Who can behold a Machine compofed of fo 
 many Parts, to the right Form, and Order, and Mo- 
 tion whereof there are fuch an infinite number of In- 
 tentions required, without crying out, W/jo can be 
 coinpared to the Lord ! 
 
 The lavicty of Offices which fomctimes one Part per- 
 forms, will here come into Confidcration. Thus the 
 *Tongue, it ferves not only for tafling^ but a'fo for the 
 Maftication and the Dcglutitivn of our Fcod ; and then 
 for the Formation of our Words in fpeakmg, the ufe of 
 it is admirable ! The Diaphragm, with the Mufcles of 
 the Abdomen, are of ufe, not only in Refjiration^ but 
 alfo for the comprcfTion of the Inteftines, that the Chyle 
 may be forced into the I^257^/z/ Veins, and out of them 
 into the T'horacick Channel j and no doubt the commi- 
 nution of the Meat in the Stomach is likewife hereby 
 afTifted. The mufcular Contraclion of the Heart, in the 
 Pulfe of it, ferves not only tor the Circulation of the 
 Blood, but alfo for the more perfed Mixture of it, by 
 which it is preferved in its due Crafis and Fluidity, 
 and it incorporates the Ch)le and other Juices it re- 
 ceives with it. 
 
 Even Pain itfelf, howe\'er afllidive it be, yet is of 
 Vje to us i it quickens us to feek for Help, and makes 
 us careful to avoid what may be for our Hurt ; it is, 
 as Mr. Ray calls it, a ^rrAu'^^fHfO' in the Government of 
 the World. 
 
 'T'he mention of Pain leads one to think on Sleep ; 
 Sleep, a thing fo necelfary to repair the great Expcncc 
 of Spirits we make in the day-time, thro the conflant 
 cxcrcife of our Scnfes and m.otion of our Mufcles. 'Tis 
 a little furprizing, that tho ^^e lie long on one fide, 
 
 we 
 
The Chriflian Thilojoper. 133 
 
 we have no fenfe of Pain during our Sleepy no, nor 
 when we awake. One would think the whole Weight 
 of the Body preffing the Side on which we lie, fhould. 
 be very burdenfome and uneafy, and create a grievous 
 Pain to us ; and if we lie long awake we really find it 
 fo. Our ingenious Ray fuppofes that our Eafe in this 
 cafe may be owing to an Inflation of the Mufcles, where- 
 by they become foft, and yet renitent, like fo many 
 Pillows, difTipating the force of the Preflure, and fo 
 the feeling of the Pain. Hence when we reft in our 
 Cloches we loofe our Garters, our Buckles, and other 
 Ligatures, to give the Spirits a free Paffage, elfe thefe 
 Parts will be pained, which when we are awake are 
 not fo. The reafon of this 'AvAkymlct, during and af- 
 ter a long Sleep on one fide, is by Dr. Lyfier and by 
 Dr. Jones attributed to the Relaxation of the Nerves 
 and Mufcles in the time of Sleep ; or Pain while we 
 lie awake, is owing to the Tenjton of them. 
 
 merciful God, thou makefl my Bed for me ! 
 
 Let more particular Parts of our Body come into 
 Confideration with us ; 'tis impoffible for them to do 
 fo without coming into Admiration too ! 
 
 The Head ought certainly to be firft confidered. 
 The Head, becaufe it muft contain a large Brain^ is 
 made of a moft capacious Figure, as near as may be 
 to a Spherical. 
 
 What an infinite number of Glands in the cortical 
 part, and of beginning Nerves in the medullar part , an 
 hundred whereof exceed not one fingle Hair. 
 
 Upon the Head grows the Hair, which is of great 
 ufe, not only to quench the Stroke of a Blow at the 
 Skull, but alfo to cherifh the Brain ; it ferves alfo to 
 disburthen the Brain of a fuperfluous Moifture, where- 
 with it abounds. Marchetti finds that Baldnefs comesr 
 from the Drynefs of the Brain, and the fhrinking of it 
 from the Skull ; he found an ejnpty Space between the 
 Brain and the Skull in the Bald. The Hair i>4ikewife 
 la graceful Ornament, elfe, as Mr. Ray obfer\'es, the 
 
 prefent 
 
134 ^^^ Chrtjiian Philojopher. 
 
 jprefent Jge would not btfiow fo ?nuch Money upcn Peri- 
 wigs. 
 
 How commodioufly are the Nerves^ wherewith four 
 of the Senfes are fer\ed, as well as all the fuperiour 
 PmtSy allfentout the fhorteft and fafcft ways, thro 
 proper Holes in the Head. And thofe that fer^ c the 
 Jnferiour, carried down in a Bony Channel. And as 
 Dr. Cheyne remarks, it is very remarkable, that the 
 Veins do not pafs out at the fame Holes the Arteries 
 enter ; for if they did, then upon any violent Motion 
 ©f the Blood, or any greater Quantity thereof than 
 ordinary, lodged in the Arteries, their Dilatativn and 
 Pulfation would comprefs the Veins againft the Bony 
 Sides ot their Pafl'age, and fo occaflon a Stagnation and 
 Extravafation of the Blood in the Brain, to the De- 
 Urudi'iono^ the whole Machine, which by thefe difte- 
 rent Entries and Exits of thefe Vefl'cls is prevented. 
 
 The Brain, the cortical Parts thereof, ferve to 
 inake the Animal Spirits -, that is, to feparate them 
 from the Blood : The Medullary Parts to receive 
 them, and convey them from thence into the Ntrves. 
 
 The inner Aleninx, by its Conftriclion, upon occa- 
 sion, caufcs a more vigorous EfHux of the Spirits, and 
 thereby the better Irradiation of the Organs of Mo- 
 tion and Scnfe. By the frequent Repetition of this 
 CvnfiriElitn all the day, being tired, as all other Muf- 
 cles are by continual Action, it is anon relaxed, or 
 fufpcndcd from A(ftion. Hereupon, the Efflux of the 
 Spirits into the faid Or^rz//i, being made more Aowly, 
 ^e fall afleep. 
 
 A great Philofophcr obfcrves and affirms, that the 
 Clcarnefs of our Famj depends on the rcgulur StruBure 
 of the Brain ; by which it is fitted for the receiving 
 and compounding of all ImprciTions with the more 
 Regularity. In FooU the Brain is deformed. The 
 Deformity is not caiily noted in other People : But, 
 no doubt, a fmallcr Difference than can be imagined, 
 
 may 
 
The Chrijitm FbUoJopher. 235 
 
 amay alter the Symmetry of the Brain, and fo the Per- 
 fpicuity of the Fancy. , ^ •, r 
 ' Gracious God ! hov: much ought I to adore the Goodnejs 
 of thy fuperintending Providence, which gave my Brain 
 that Confirmation, that enables ?ne now to fee and write 
 thy Praifes: 
 
 The Head has wonderful things to fhow : But can 
 any thing in the World be fhown fo curious and mar- 
 vellous as the EYE! Our excellent Ray fays truly. 
 Not the leaft Curicfity can be added to it. What Rhetorick 
 what Poetry can fuiEciently celebrate the Glories of 
 this admirable Organ ! How perverted the Eye, which is 
 not ever unto the Lord, the glorious Maker of it I There 
 was much Difcourfe all over Europe a while ago, con- 
 cerning a Child, in whofe Right Eye there were very 
 apparent and legible, thofe i^f/w Capitals, DEUS 
 MEUS ; and in whofe Left Eye, thofe Hebrew Let- 
 ters, ^jIS, My Lord. This we may juftly fay. No 
 'rational Beholder can look upon the Eye, without fee- 
 ing Reafon in the wondrous Workmanfhiip thereof, 
 to make this Confeffion, T'he Maker of this Organ is for 
 ever to be adored, as MY God and MT Lord. 
 
 The Place of the Eye, even in the Head, how a- 
 greeable ! *Tis here not only near to the Brain, but 
 alfo advantaged for the better View of Ob jeds, and bet- 
 ter defended and fecured. How unhappy were the 
 People, if there were any fuch as Pliny tells of, Oculis 
 ■ Peclori affixis, and Oculos in humeris habentes ; from 
 whom our famous Romancer Mandeville, doubtlefs, 
 took hints for fome of his Fables. Galen would fatif- 
 fy us, if we wanted any Satisfaction, that the £;'^ in 
 the Hand would have had many inconvenient Circum- 
 flances. 
 
 The fpherical Form of the Eye, how commodious I 
 To lodge the Humours, and alfo take in the Obje(5ls> 
 and likewife to befriend the Motions ! The Parts of 
 the Eye being made convex, efpecially the chryftaline, 
 which is of a lenticular Figure, convex on both lides; 
 
 by 
 
1^6 TheChriJiian Philqfopher. 
 
 by the Refradions there made, there is a dircAion 
 of many Rays coming from one point in the Objed, 
 namely, as many as the Pupil can receive, to one point 
 anfwerable in the bottom of the Eye, without which 
 the Senfe would be obfcure and confufed. The dif- 
 ference between a Picture that is received on a -ahite 
 Paper in a dark Room^ thro an open or empty Hole, 
 and the fame received thro an Hole furniflied with an 
 exactly poliHied lenticular Chryftal, is brought by 
 Mr. Ray to illuflrate this.- 
 
 The Membranes and Humours of the Eye are all pure- 
 ly tranfparem, purely pellucid ; thus none of the Rays 
 let in are futlbcated before they reach the bottom of 
 the Eye, nor are they fophijlicated with the Tindure of 
 any Colour, by which that Colour might be refunded 
 on the Objed, and the Soul deceived. 
 
 The tiveous Coat or Iris of the Eye has a mufculous 
 Power, and can contract or dilate the Pupil ', the for- 
 mer is to preferve the Eye from Injury, by too lucid 
 an Object that may be too near to it ; the latter is to 
 apprehend a remoter Obje(S:, or one placed in a fainter 
 Light : all, as 'tis juftly laid by Scheiner, T'am mi,o Ar- 
 tificio, quam ynunifica Natura largitate. There are fome 
 Animals which can fo clofe the Pupil as to admit of, 
 one may fay, one fingle Ray of LigLt^ and by throw- 
 ing all open again they can take#in the taintell: Rays ; 
 "'tis an incomparable provifion for them who muft 
 watch for their Prey in the Night. Thefe have alfo 
 another aftonifliing proviiion for their bulinefs, which 
 is a Radiation of the E\es, from the fhining of the Re- 
 tina about the Optick Nerve. Man has not this pro- 
 vifion, bccaufe he has no occafion ; and yet there have 
 been Infianccs o[ fome whofe Iris has had the Faculty 
 fo to dart out Rays oi' Light, that they could fee in the 
 Dark. Jl^il/is and Briggs mention divers Inllanccs ; 
 and Pliny tells us, 'twas reported oi 'Tibaius Crfar, 
 that E^pergefaBus noclu paulifper^ baud alio mcdo qua?n 
 luce clara, contueretur omnia. 
 
 The 
 
The Chrifiian Philofopher. 137 
 
 The uveous Coat and the infide ot the Choroides are 
 wonderfully blackened ; this is, that the Rays may be 
 fuppreffed there, and not fo refleded backwards as to 
 confound the Sight : if any be refleded by the retiform 
 Coat, they are foon choak'd in the black infide of the 
 Uvea ; were they to and fro refleded, there could be 
 no diftind Vifion ; as the Light admitted into a dark 
 Room would obliterate the Species, which before 
 were feen upon white Paper, by the Light let in thro 
 an Orifice in the Wall ; Dr. Brigg^ adds this reafon for 
 it, Qiiod Radii in Vijione fuperflui, qui ab ObjeEiis lateral 
 libus proveniunt^ hoc ritu abforbeantur. 
 
 Dr. Grew makes a juft Exclamation : What more 
 wonderful than to fee two Humours of equal Ufe to true 
 Vifion, bred fo near together as to be contained with- 
 in one common Coat, and yet one of them as clear as 
 Chryftal, the other as black as Ink ! 
 
 Since the Rays from an Objed nearer to us, or far- 
 ther from us, don't meet juft in the fame diftance be- 
 hind the chryftalline Humour, therefore the ciliary Pro^ 
 cejfes, or the Ligaments pbferved in the infide of the 
 fclerotick Tiiniclts of the Eye, do ferve inftead of a Muf- 
 cle, by their contradion, to alter the Figure of the 
 Eye, and make it broader; and confequently draw the 
 Retina nearer to the chryjlalline Humour, and by the re- 
 laxation thereof fuffer it to return to its natural di- 
 ftance, according to the Exigency of the Objed, in 
 refped of di fiance more or lefs. Dr. Grew afcribes to 
 the Ligamentnm Ciliare a power of making the Chryftal- 
 line more convex, as well as of moving it either to or 
 from the Retina ; and indeed by the Laws of Opticks 
 there mufl be fomething of this neceffary to diflind 
 Vifion. 
 
 The chryftalline Humour, when dried, appears mani- 
 feflly to be made up of many very thin fpherical Scales, 
 lying one upon another ; Leuenhoeck reckons there may 
 be two thoufand of them in one Chryftalline, from the 
 outermoft to the Center : every one of thefe wonder- 
 ful 
 
23 8 The Chrifiian Philafopher. 
 
 ful Scales is made up ot* one fingle Fibre, or the fined: 
 Thread imaginable, wound in a flupendous manner 
 this way and that ^^'ay, fo as to run fe\eral Courles, 
 sind meet in as many Centers, and yet not in any one 
 place to interfere ot crofs one another. Some inge- 
 nious Men have queflion'd this, but Mr. Derham fi- 
 lences them with, It is what 1 rn}fdj have feen^ and can 
 Jhew to any body with the help cf a good Microfcope. 
 
 Peter HerigoH has obfer\'cd a remarkable thing about 
 the Infertion of the Optick Ne.nje into the Bulb of the 
 Eye. The Situation of it is not jufb behind the £vf, 
 but on one fide^ left that part of ciie Image which falls 
 upon the Hole of the Optjck Ntri'e fhould \sant its 
 Pidure. But Mr. Ray will rather have the reafon to 
 be, becaufe if the Optick Asis fall upon fuch a Center, 
 as it would were the Newe fe;itcd juft behind the Eye^ 
 this great Inconvenience wouW follow, that the middle 
 point of every Objed we viewM would be invilible, 
 or there would a dark Spot appear in the midft of it. 
 Behold, a Situation of a Mr-z/f, which any one \NOuld 
 at firft have thought inconvenient, now evidently 
 found to be affign'd by a moft admirable Wifdom ! 
 
 And then, what a wife Contrivance, particularly 
 about the motion of the E\e, in uniting into one that 
 Pair which are called the motory Ncri'es ^ Each of thefe 
 do fend their Branches in each Mu(cle of each Eye ; 
 this would caufe a Difiorticn of the Eyes : but being 
 united near their Infertion, they caufe both Eyes' to 
 have but one mctim ; when one Eye is moved this or 
 that way, the other is turned the fame way with it. 
 But what fhall we fay concerning this? There is a 
 dccuffation of the Rays in the PiipH of the £i^, the 
 Image of the Objedt in the Retina, or bottom of the 
 Eyc^ is inserted; whence does it come to pafs that ic 
 appears not fo, but in its natural Pcfture .<* Why the 
 vifual Rays coming in firait Lines by thofe Points of 
 the Senfory, or the Rttiaa, which they touch, aft'c^ 
 the common Senfc or Soul, according to their dirc- 
 
 dion i 
 
The Chrijiian Philofophef. 139 
 
 tion ; they fignify to it, that the feveral Parts of 
 the Objeft, from whence they proceed, lie in ftraic 
 Lines (Point for Point) drawn thro the Pufil, to the 
 feveral Points of the Senfory, where they terminate, 
 and which they prefs upon : Whereupon the Soul 
 muft needs conceive the Object in its true Pollure. 
 The Nerves are naturally made, for to inform the 
 Soul, not only of the external Objeds, which do prefs 
 thereupon, but alfo of their Situation. Hence the 
 Objeds will appear double, if the Eyes be diftorted 
 This is Des Cartel's way of accounting for this My- 
 flery : Notitia illius ex nulla Imagine fendety nee ex ulla 
 AElione ab objeSiis veniente, fed ex folo fitu exiguarum 
 f/irtium cerebri^ e quibus Nervi exfullulant, Mr. Afo- 
 lyneux contents himfelf with this Account : 'The 
 Eye is only the Organ or Inflrument^ it is the Soul that fees 
 by means of the EYE. To enquire hov) the Soul perceives 
 the ObjeEi ereSi, by an inverted Image^ is to enquire into 
 the Soul's Faculties, 
 
 Even the aqueous Humour is not an ufelefs one : It 
 fuilains the Uvea Tunica^ which elfe would fall flat 
 upon the Chryfialline. 
 
 Becaufe the outermoft Coat of the Eye might chance 
 to be wounded or pricked, and this fluid Humour 
 be let out, there is therefore a Provifion made, fpeedi- 
 ly to repair it, by the help of certain TVater-Pipes, or 
 Lymphaducls^ inferted into the Bulb of the Eye^ pro- 
 ceeding from Glandules defigned by Nature to fepa- 
 rate this Water from the Blood for that Ufe. Anto- 
 nius Nuck found, that if the Eye of an Animal be 
 pricked, and the aqueous Humour fqueezed out, in the 
 (pace of ten hours the Humour and Sight would be 
 reftored unto the Eye, at lead if the Creature be kept 
 in the Dark. Verz>afcha gives divers Examples, both 
 antient and modern, of Sight ftrangely recovered, by 
 the Reparation of the aqueous Humour, after it had 
 been let out at very dangerous Wounds. 
 
1/\D The Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 It is remarkable, that the horny Coat of the Eye docs 
 
 not lie in the fame Superficies with the W hite of the 
 Eye ; but it rifes up, as it v ere on Hillock, above 
 its Convexity, and is oi an ByperOoiical ox Puyabulkal 
 Figure. Tho' the £;^fccn-is to be perfectly round, in 
 reality it is not fo -, but the his thereof is protuberant 
 above the White : and the Rcafon is, becaufe if the 
 Cornea T'lmica, or Cly,\flal!ine Huimw,\ had been concen- 
 trical to the Scieyodes, the E)e could not have admitted 
 a whole Hemifphere at one View ; and as by Sheincr 
 noted upon it. Sic Anijnalis Incolumitati in mult is rebus 
 minus cant urn ejfet. 
 
 Dr. More has now a Remark, That the Eye being 
 thus perfect, the Rcafon of Man would ealily ha\e 
 refled here, and admired the CoHtrivance. Being a- 
 ble to move himfelf every way, he might have thought 
 himfelf every way fufficiently provided for. But, be- 
 hold ! An Addition to this Perfection ! There are 
 Mufcles alfo added unto the Eyes ! For we have occa- 
 {ion, particularly in reading, to move our Eyes, with- 
 out moving our Head. The Organ is therefore fur- 
 nifhed with no lefs than Jix Mufcles^ to move it up- 
 wards, downwards, to the right, to the left, ob- 
 liquely, and round about. 
 
 And now, for the Security of this wonderful Or- 
 gan, the Eyes are funk in a convenient Valley, where, 
 as T'ully fays, Latent utiliter , and they are encompalVed 
 round with Eminencies, as within a Rampart : Excel- 
 fis undique partibus fepitwtur. This delQiids them 
 from the Strokes of any ilat or broad Bodies. Above 
 ftand the Eye-brous, to keep off any thing from run- 
 ning down upon them, fays the fame Orator, Supcri- 
 ora Suptrciliis obdutla, fudorem a Capiie (D" F,onte defluen- 
 tent rcptUmn ; the Eye-lids then fence them from fudden 
 and lelfcr Stripes : whereas the Fi(bes, who have no 
 occafion for a Dcfenfati\ c againft DuR and Motes, arc 
 deflitute of/5^)W;V/3 / The nifiitating Membrane is an 
 abundant Provifion for all their Occafions ! Thefe 
 
 Eye-lidsy 
 
T'he Chriftian Philofopher. 241 
 
 Eye-lids, alfo round the Edges, are fortified with Brif- 
 ties^ like Paliladoes, to keep off the Incurlions of 
 troublefome Infects. "^Fis remarkable, that thefe 
 Hairs grow to a determinate, but a mofl commodious 
 Length, and need no cutting, as many other Hairs of 
 the Body do ; and that their Points do (land out of 
 the way, bending upwards in the upper Lid, in the 
 lower downwards. But then Sleep is neceilary for us. 
 This would be difturbed, if the Windcivs were al- 
 ways open to the Light. Here are Curtains then to 
 be drawn, for the keeping of it out. Yet more : The 
 out\\ ard Coat of the Eye muft be kept pellucid. This 
 would anon dry and (brink, and lofe its Diaphaneity^ 
 if the Eyes were always open. The Eye-lids are there- 
 fore fo contrived, as often to wink. Thus they var- 
 nifh the Eyes^ith their Moifture over again : They 
 have Glandules, on purpofe to feparate an Humour foi! 
 that ufe, and withal wipe off whatever Duft or Filth 
 may ftick to them. And left the Sight fhould be 
 hinderM, they do it, with what Celerity ! CicerOi 
 adds, they are MolUffima taEiu, ne laderent Aciem : 
 And I will add, Man, who is a fociahle Creature^ and 
 fhould exhibit fecial AffeElions by fome ^ifible 'Tokens^ 
 is here furnifhcd with 'fears for that purpofe, beyond 
 any other Animal. 
 
 My God, let me ever employ them, on the juft Occajlons 
 for them. 
 
 It is a Paffage which drops from the Pen of a Per-- 
 fon of Quality, in a Treatife, entitled, A View of the 
 Soul : ' It does not feem wonderful to behold a Dif- 
 t illation from the Eyes, ^tis to be found in Beafi, as 
 well as in Man, upon an offenfive Touch thereof: But 
 when there is no fuch Caufe to be alledged, to have 
 the Body, as it were, melted on a fudden, fend forth 
 its Streams thro that unufual Channel, makes it feeni 
 to me no lefs than the quick and violent Agitation 
 of fome Divine Flame, thawing all the vital Parts^. 
 and drawing the Moifture thro the chief and clcareft 
 
 R ' Organ 
 
t^z V k Chripian Philojopher. 
 
 * Organ of the Body, the Eye, and not to be caufed 
 ' by any thing, which is parr of itfelf ' 
 
 'I'his brings to my mind an antient Problem : Cur 
 Dcus Oculos fletus iiifirumentum ejfe valuit. And the 
 Anfwer to it, Ut quo fordes feccatorum hauriuntur^ eo- 
 dem per lachrymai diluantur. 
 
 And then the Ball of the Eye has the exterior Coat 
 made fo thick, fo tough, fo flrong, that it is a very 
 hard matter for to make a Rupture in it. But becaufe 
 the Eye mufl: be expofed at all Seafons, and in all Wea- 
 thers, there is provided for it an hot Bed of Fat^ 
 \\ hich fills up the Interfticcs of the Mufcles ; nor is it 
 fo fcnlible of Cold, as other Parts of our Body. ^Tis 
 a ft range thing, which the French Academifts found 
 by Experience ! Tiie Aqueous Humour of the Eye will 
 not frcez,e. Admirable ! It has the Fluidity and Per- 
 fpicuity of common Water, nothing fingular to be 
 difcovered in the Tafte or Smell of it. Ot what Ethe- 
 real Nature mull we imagine it ? 
 
 Sr.all we, on this occafion, look bach on the Eyes of 
 other Anhnals, and compare curs with t])eirs ? The 
 Chryflalline Humour , in the Eyes of the F///;.-/, is much 
 nearer to a Sphere, than tliat of Land- Animal s. "'TIS 
 becaufe the Light has a different Rej'raBiun in the Wa- 
 iter, from what it has in the Air : Hiat Convexity, 
 which would unite the Rays of Light in the Air, will 
 not in the U'^ater. \\\ thofe Animals, that gather their 
 Food from the Ground, the Pupil \s Oval or Elliptical, 
 the greater Diameter going tranfverfely from Side to 
 Side. In thofe that feck their Food on higher Places, 
 the greater Diameter is the Perpendicular. Tliefe two 
 Figures are wonderlully fitted unto their dift'erent Ne- 
 cellities. Thofe Animals, that have no Motion of 
 their M'ci", iia\e a Clufler of Sonifid^xrical Eye-lalls^ 
 which fend in the Pictures of Objects all round about 
 them ; and they that feck their Food in the dark, ha\e 
 a Retina col<uired -aV/Vt', which rellefts the Light, and 
 enables them to fee belt, when thev ha\ c leaft of ir. 
 
 An 
 
^e Chrifiian Philojopher. i^^ 
 
 An acute Philofopher fays juftly, ' Tliefe are won- 
 
 * de. I'ui and furprizing Iniianc^s o^ Fore fight and Coun" 
 ^ fel, m the Being who framed thofe Organs.' 
 
 But why don't we fee double with our tu'o Eyes ? 
 Galen, and others after him, took this to be from a 
 Coahtion, or Decufl'ation of the Optkk Nerves. I pafs 
 by the Affertion of the Bartholmes, that they are 
 united, not by any Interfedion, fed per mam Subjlan- 
 ticB Confuftonem. Dr. Gibfon fays there is the clofefl: 
 ConjunBiOfi, but no Confujion of the Fibres. Others 
 apprehend only a Sympathy between the Optick Nerves. 
 Mr. Briggs thinks that the Optick Nerves of each Eye 
 confift of homologous Fibres, and that thefe Fibril! a have 
 the fame Tenfion and other Circumftances in both 
 Eyes i and fo when an Image is painted on the fame 
 correfponding and fympathizing Parts of the Retina^ 
 the fame Effe(5ts are produced, the fame Notice or In- 
 formation is carried to the 'Thalamus Nervorum Optico^ 
 rum, and fo imported and imparted to the Soul, that 
 is to judge of all. Our great Sir Ifaac Newton fays. 
 Are not the Species of ObjeEls feen with both Eyes, united 
 •where the Optick Ntrves meet, before they come into the 
 Brain, the Fibres en the right fide of both Nerves uniting 
 there ? ^ionfieur Tauvry, in his Rational Anatomy, thinks 
 this Anfwer to be enough : ^ When we fee the fame 
 
 * Locly with two Organs, we judge it to be one^ be- 
 
 * caufe we fee it ftill in one place, and refer it to one 
 
 * place ; for every Point of the feen Objed is direded 
 ' upon one place, by the perpendicular Rays of each of 
 ' the two Cones ; this is what we call the DireElion of 
 
 the Optick Axis. "Tis a natural Confequence from 
 ^ this Explication, that certain Diftortions of the Eye 
 
 * will make the Objed appear double, becaufe we 
 ' then dired the fame Point of the Objedt to two 
 
 * different places/ 
 
 We might go on and refume our Enquiry, Why 
 Objeds which are inverted in the bottom of the Eye 
 do not appear fo, but in a dired Pofition ? Tauvry 
 
 R a thinks 
 
244 "^^^ Chriflian Philojopher. 
 
 thinks it enough to fay, * We do not judge of the SK- 
 
 * tuation of the Bodies by the P/f>7 \vhich is aft'efted 
 ' in the Eve,but by the Mami r in whici^ it is aflccted ; 
 ' the Soul judges of the Object by the Alnnin- in 
 ' vhich the Organ is aftected/ 
 
 To conclude our Obf<LT\ ations of the Eye ; Mr. 
 Derbam \ ery juflly fays. None hfs than GOD could 
 contrrje^ orcier^ and pvi.vidc an Organ as magmfiient and 
 curious as the Senfc is ujcj'uL And Sturmins had reafon 
 enough to fay, he \vas fully perfuadcd, tliat no Man 
 •who furvey'd the Eje could abandon hi n- felt to any 
 fpeculatiie Atl.cifm. And Cheyne pall'es a moft equal 
 Sentence, \\ hen he fays, Be certainly deftnves not to en- 
 joy the Bltfjings of his E)e fight ^ vjhoje Afind is fo depraved 
 as not to aiknoidedge the Bounty and IVifdarn of the Author 
 of his Nature^ in the ravifi.vng and a/ionifhing Struclure of 
 this noble Organ I 
 
 ' Good God! How tmreafonabk am I, if the E.yes 
 
 * made by Him Ihould not be ever to the Lord ! 
 
 ' An envious Eye is an abufed one ; an haughty Eye 
 ' is a diftortcd one ', an unchafle Eye^ how ignominioufly 
 ' mifapplied ! It has D/V^ thrown into it. Gracious 
 
 * God^ let not my E\es be Port-holes (f IVickednef. Let no 
 ' Death get into my Soul by thofe IVindoivs.' 
 
 ' A pitiful Eye a bountiful Eye, and the Eye on the 
 
 * Bock that will feed it well, how much to be wifhd 
 
 * for ! And an Eye upon a Christ at His Table, 
 
 * evidently fet forth as crucified before it.' 
 
 ' Tis an odd Qiieflion in 'Tympius^ Why the E.yes 
 
 * are the lajl things quickned^ and the fir/I that are de- 
 
 * cayed ? It is aiifwered, Ut quo magis cjl ipfurum Pc,i- 
 
 * culum, CO iii:7rjs fit notcndi Spatium' 
 
 The EAR is what falls next under our Confidera- 
 tion ; double^ not only to provide agamfl: the Lofs of 
 one, but alfo for t'le more commodious heariug. 
 
 'Tis aflonidiing to fee the Sagacity of fome dtaf 
 Perfons, who come to underftand things that are fpo- 
 kcn, only byfeatig k\\q motion oi the Lips in the Spea- 
 ker i 
 
^e Chrijlian Philofopher. 245 
 
 leer ; but die inftances of this are fo rare^ that they 
 abate nothing of our Obhgations to cur glorious Ma- 
 ker for bertowing. the noble Senfe of Hearing upon us. 
 
 The Situation of the Ear is where it inay give the 
 nioft fpeidy Lformativn, and where it will occafion and 
 alio enminttr the Icaft Annoyance. 
 
 The outward Ear is mofl nicely adjufted to the pe- 
 culiar Circumflances of every Animal. Dr. Grew ce- 
 lebrates the marvellous Varieties in the Ears of feveral 
 Animals for the reception of Sound, according to their 
 feveral Exigences. And Mr. Derha?n challenges our 
 XZ^onfeflion of a notable ProfpeSi of the Handy-work of God 
 even in fo inccnfiderable a Part as this. In Man the Form 
 of it is ot' all the moft agreeable to the ereEi Pofture of 
 his Body. ""Fis pity the moft eminent of our modern 
 Anatomifls cannot yet agree whether it has any Mufcles 
 bclf^nging to it. 
 
 What a furprizing Spectacle the Helix, which in its 
 tortuous Cavities colleds the fonorous Undulations , and 
 gives them a gentle Circulaticn, with fome Refraclion^ 
 and conveys them to the Concha, that large and round 
 Cell at the entrance of the Ear ! Then to bridle the 
 Evagation of the Sound when arrived thus far, but at 
 the fame time avoid any Confufion thereof by Reper- 
 ciiffions, what a curious provifion is there made by 
 thofe little Protuberances called the 'Tragus and the 
 Antitragus of the outward Ear, fofter than the Helix, 
 and blunting the Sound without repelling it ! Mon- 
 fieur Dionis obferves, they that have this Ear cut off 
 have hut a confufed way oj hearing. 
 
 That the Subftance of the outwa/d Ear (liould be 
 cartilaginous ', this is i\\\ admirable Contrivance of the 
 mofl wife Creator. Dr. Gibfon obferves, if it had been 
 Bone, it would have been troublefome, and might by 
 many Agcidents have been broken off; if it had been 
 Fhfh, it would have been fubjed to Contufion,yea, we 
 may add, it would not then have remained fo well 
 expanded, nor ha\c fo kindly received Sounds, but 
 
 R 3 have 
 
1^6 T^e Chrijiian PhilofopheK 
 
 have abforbed them, and retarded them 5 \vhereas 
 now the Sounds have their agreeable VtJitation:^. as 
 in well-built Arches, and the Whifpering-tlaces^whtx^oi 
 the W orld has had many famous ones. 
 
 How artfully tunnell'd the auditory Paffagel But 
 then, becaufe the Palfage mufl be always open, there- 
 fore to prevent the inval'ion of m>:'cus thing^^ which 
 love to retreat into every little Hole, behold, the Paf- 
 fage fecured with a bitter and naufeous Excrement, 
 afforded from Glands appointed for that purpofe ! 
 Where the Meatus aiiditorius is long enough to afford 
 harbour to any Infects, there this Ear-uax is conftant- 
 ly to be found ; but Birds, whofe Ears are coAcr'd 
 with Feathers, and where the "Tympanum l:es but a 
 httle way within the Skull, have none of it. Schel- 
 hammer confutes the old Anatomifts, who make this 
 Ear-v}nx an Excrement of the Brain, and juftly fays, ^ 
 Nil ahfurdius I Dr. Drake has gi\cn us an handfome 
 Cut of the GlanduU Cerumincf^. Pliny afcribes a great 
 medical Virtue to the Ear-icax, the Strd^s ex Aurilus^ 
 as curing the Bites o{ Men, (which he fays, inter afpey^ 
 rimos numerantur) and of Scorpions and Serpents. And 
 Mr. Derham alferts he had found it a good Balfam in 
 his own Experience. 
 
 The Notion of an innate Air in the Ear, is by Sdel- 
 hammer found but a" Fa^icy ,* the'Pailage into the inner 
 Ear from the Threat contutes it : but in this Pallage 
 there is a A\ife provifion, as he notes, that no Air 
 might pafs in thither but what Hiall be changed and 
 V armed, and fo rendrcd harmlefs : Jmo fortafjls non Ja^ 
 (He alius, rift cx'PulmoijLus. 
 
 The Paffage from the Ear to the Palate (the Tula 
 Eufiaihiana) accurately defcribed by Valfaha ; this is 
 to gi\ e way to the inner Air upon every motion ot the 
 Mi-mbrana Impani^ the Malleus, the Imus^ and the 
 Stapes ; and if this be fhut up, Deafnefs enfues. 
 
 And then the O^ Petrcfuni, that Bone which contains 
 the reit, this has a rtuiarkable Texture and Hardncfs 
 
 abo\ c * 
 
IThe Chriflian Philofopher. 147 
 
 above the other Bones of the Body, and fo it ferves 
 not only as a very fubftantial Guard to the Senfory, 
 but alfo, as Dr. Vieujfens obferves, to oppofe the Im- 
 pulfes of the athereal Matter^ that there be no lofs of 
 Sound, and no confuhon in it, but that the auditory 
 Nerves may have it regularly conveyed to them. 
 
 The Memhrana 7)?npam, as long ago as Hippocrates* s 
 Time, had fome notice taken of it, whether it has 
 any difengaged part, by Avhich it is not faftned to the 
 kney Circle, in which it is enchafed, as Moniieur Dicnis 
 affirms, is difputed. Mr Derham could not find it. 
 But then Dr. Vieujfens difcovcr'd a further inner Mem- 
 brane, Tenuiff/ma; raraque admodum "Textura, whereof 
 the Ufes are to keep the Gate of the Labyrinth, left 
 the thick Air abroad hurt the pure Air within, and 
 that a due Heat may be preferved in the Balis of the 
 Labyrinth. 
 
 But now the aftonifhing four little Bones, and three 
 little Mufdes about them, to move them, and adjuft 
 the whole Compages to the feveral Purpofes of Hear- 
 ing, and for all manner of Sounds ! 
 
 Thefe were wholly unknown to the antient Ana- 
 tomifts. Jacobus Carpenfis was he by whom the Mal- 
 leus and the Incus were firft of all difcovered ; the 
 Gentleman who wtxs indeed the firft Reftorer of the 
 Anatcmick Art, which Vefalius afterwards carried on. 
 The Stapes was found cut by "Johannes ab Ingraffia, a 
 learned Sicilian. The fourth was what Francis Syl- 
 vius firft lit upon. 
 
 In Man, and in the Four-footed, they SLvefour, curl- 
 oufly inarticulated w^ith one another, with an external 
 and internal Mufcle, to draw or work them in extend- 
 ing or in relaxing of the Drum. In Fowls Dr. Moulen 
 could never find any more than one Bone and a Carti- 
 lage, making a Joint with it, that was eafily move- 
 able. 
 
 It is a probable Thought of Rohault, That for us 
 to give Attention, is nothing elfe but for us, by ex- 
 
 R 4 tending 
 
24^ ^'^^^ Chriflian Philojopher. 
 
 tending or relaxing the Tympanum of the Ear^ to put 
 it into tliat pofition, ;;/ qua tyemulum aeiis externi mctum 
 escipere pcjfit^ whcicn it ihaJl be mofl feniibie cr the 
 motion of the exte. aal Air. The Beneiit vbich deaf 
 Pcrfons receive by knd Noifes, enablini; to hear what 
 fliall be fpokcn to them in the midfl tiicreof, helps to 
 clear this Matter. Dr. IViLis tells of one w ho hired a 
 Servant ^\ho \vas a DrnmmcY^ on purpofe thct n:s dtaj 
 JVife might hear his Difcourfes, which, \vhile the 
 Drum was beating, fhe was able to do. 
 
 In Birds the auditory Ne>ve is affedted frcm the im- 
 prcfTion n^ade on the Membrane, onl) b}' ti:e interme- 
 diation of the CoUmiella ; but in Man it is done by tiiC 
 inter\cntion of the jour little Etnti^ \\ith the Mi.fcles 
 adting upon them, his Htariug being to be adjullea to 
 all kinds of Sounds or ImpreiTions made upon ti:e 
 Mtmbraiia T)mpani ; the ImprefTions are thus n.ade up- 
 on the auditory Ne-iVt^ they hrfl ad upon the ]\L7nu;ane 
 and the Malleus, the Malleus upon the IncuSy the Incus 
 upon the Os orbicular e and Stapes, ajid tlie Si apes upon 
 the auditory Ncr^ue, the Bafe of the Stapes not only co- 
 vering the Feneftra cvalis, wherein the auditory Nerz'e 
 lies, but alfo having a part ol: the auditory Neiije fprcad 
 upon it. Our valuable Derljaw, upon a diligent Exa- 
 mination, found this to be the Proccfs of Hearing. 
 
 How will the IVcnders grow^ upon us, if we pafs 
 now to the Labyrinih ! And there fur\ cy the wonder- 
 ful Structure ot the Veftibulum and the Cochlea, and yet 
 more particularly the fc?)iicinular Canals! Thefe lafl 
 arc three, and ot three ditierent Sizes. Valfaha thinks, 
 that as a part ot the auditory No^'e is lodged in thefe 
 Canals, thus they are of three Siz^es, the better to fuit 
 all the variety ot "^rones ; and tho there be fome dif- 
 ference as to the Length and Size of the Ginals in 
 different Pcrfons, yet left there fliould be Diford in 
 the auditor) 0)^ans of one and the fame Man, thofe 
 CAinals have always in tl>c fame Man a moft exact Con- 
 formity to one another. 
 
 Shall 
 
^h Chrifiian Philofopher. 249 
 
 Shall we take notice of one Curiolity more ! There 
 is one of the auditory Nerves, whofe Branches do 
 fpread partly to the Mufcles of the Ear, partly to the 
 Eye^ parily to the Ttngue and Inftruments of Speech, 
 and ini.fculated with the Nerves, to go to tlie Heart 
 and Breaji ; by means hereof there is an ufcful and 
 wondrous Confent between thefe Parts of the Body. It 
 is natural for mod Animals, upon the hearing of any 
 uncouth Sound, prefently to ered their Ears, and pre- 
 pare them for the catching ot every Sound, and there- 
 withal open their Eyes, to (land as faithful Centinels 
 upon the Watch, and be ready with the Mouth to call 
 out, or utter, according to the Didates of the prefent 
 Occafion; when furprized with any frightful Noife, 
 they give a Shriek immediately. 
 
 Dr. Willis obferves another great Ufe of this nervous 
 Commerce between the Ear and the Mouth ; Ufum alium 
 iiiftgniorem pr^flat : that is, that the Voice may corre- 
 fpond with the Hearing, and be a kind o'^ Echo to iti 
 that what is heard with one of the two Nerves, may 
 be readily exprefled with the Voice, by the help of the 
 other. 
 
 SOUND is the Objed of this admirable Senfe; 
 the intricate nature of it has puzzled the beft of Na- 
 turalifls. 
 
 How many founding Inflruments have yet been con- 
 trived by the Wit of Man, whereby Sounds have been 
 augmented, and conveyed, and rendred ferviceable / 
 
 The biggefl Bell in Europe is reckoned to be at Er- 
 furt in Germany, which may be heard, they fay, four 
 and twenty Miles. 
 
 It is reported that Alexander the Great had a T'ube^ 
 which might be heard an hundred Stadia, whereof the 
 Figure is prefcrved in the Vatican. It is a little ftrange 
 that no one ffiould hit upon the like Invention, till 
 Athanafnis Kircher^ in our Days, and foon after him 
 Sir Samuel Moreland, whofe T'ula Stentorophonica was 
 publiHi'd in 167 2. 
 
 Caves 
 
Z50 ^^^ Chrifiian Philojopher. 
 
 Caves have out-dciic 'fiik^ for bellowing. Olatis 
 Magnus defer ibes a Cave in Finland ^ into \\ hich if a 
 Dog or any other Animal be caft, it fends forth fo 
 dreadful a Sound as to knock down every one that is 
 near it , and they have therefore guarded it with high 
 Walls to prevent fuch a Mifchicf. Peter Martyr in- 
 forms us ot a Cave in Hijpaniola^ which with a fmall 
 Weight call into it, will w ith its hideous noife at five 
 Miles di fiance endanger Dcafncfs. Kin her in his Pho- 
 mirgia finds a Pit in the Cuuirner Mountain^ of Sv^itT^er- 
 landy that fends out a fearful Noife^ and Mind accom- 
 panying of it ; and a Well in that Country, a noife in 
 which is equal to that of a great Gun. 
 
 Olaus Magnus mentioning the vaft high Mountains 
 of Augermannia, tells, that the Waves of the Sea ftri- 
 king at the bottom thereof, make fuch a terrible noife, 
 as not only to deafen the Mariners, but alfo to ficken 
 them, and even to fright them out of their Wits, if 
 they dare approach them. Habent Bafe^ Uicrum Mon- 
 tium in Fhitintdrn ingrefju & egnjfu torttwfas ri?na^, five 
 fcijjuras^ fati^ flupendo Natiira Opificio fabricatas, in qui- 
 bus longa Voragine formidabilis ilk fonitus, qnaft fubterra- 
 'ileum tonitru generatur. 
 
 The prodigious Cataract of Niagara, whereof Hen- 
 nepin has given fc»me relation, produces a Noije which 
 perhaps nothing on Earth has equalled; a Noife which 
 it might well nigh deafen one to think upon. 
 
 What is the 'Matter of Sound? The Atnufphere in 
 grofs ? Or the ethereal part of it ? Or fome foniferous 
 Je-ne~ffa\-(]uoy Particles of Bodies ? 
 
 That the Air is the Medium of Sound, is manifefk 
 from E.Nperiment. In an unexhaufted Receiver a fmall 
 Bell may be heard at the diilance of feveral Paces ; 
 but when it is exhaufted, it can fcarce be heard at the 
 nearefl: di (lance : if the Air be comprelfed, a Sound 
 will be louder, pn^^r^'^riably to the O^mprefllon, or 
 the Quantity of Air crouded in ; the Experiment fuc- 
 cceds/not only ni forud Rarcfadions and Condenfli- 
 
 tions 
 
The Chrifitan Philofofher. l$l 
 
 tions of the Air, but alfo in fuch as are natural. The 
 Scory of the Piftols difcharged by Fradlkbius on the 
 Carpathean Mountains, related by Varenius^ gives an 
 Inltance how the Sound was diminifhed, by the rarity 
 of the Air, at the great Afcent up to the Atmofphere ; 
 but how magnified by the Polyphonifms, or the-Reper- 
 cufTions of the Rocks and Caverns, and other phono^ 
 captkk OhjeBs in the Mount below ! 
 
 The Water alfo is capable of tranfmitting a Sounds 
 the Sound of a Bell ftruck under Water is heard, tho 
 as much more dull, and not fo loud : Judges in mufical 
 Notes pronounce it about tx fourth deeper. 
 
 Divers at the bottom of the Sea can hear Noifes 
 made above, but confufedly i thofe above cannot hear 
 the Divers below^ at all. 
 
 Dr. Hearn tells of Guns fired at Stockholm^ which 
 were heard an hundred and fourfcore Engliflo Miles. 
 In the Dutch War, Guns were heard above two hun- 
 dred Miles. If we go more Southward, Guns at F/o- 
 rence are heard at Leghorn, which is fixty-five Miles. 
 When the French bombarded Genoa, they were heard, 
 at Leghorn, which is ninety Miles. In the Infur region 
 at AleJJina they w^ere heard at Syracufe, which is an 
 hundred Miles. This inclines Mr. Derham to think 
 that Sounds fly near as far in the Southern as in the 
 Northern Regions, tho the Mercury in the Barometer 
 does rife higher without the Tropicks than within the 
 Tropicks ; and the more Northerly, ftill the higher, 
 which may increafe the Sounds. 
 
 Celebrated Authors differ about the Velocity of 
 Sounds. Mr. Derham has by nice Experiments deter- 
 mined, that there is a fmall difference in Sounds before 
 the Wind and againfl it, and this a little abated or 
 augmented, according to the Strength of the Wind ; 
 but nothing elfe in the World will affed it : and there 
 is one motion to all kinds of Sounds, whether loud or 
 low ; and they all fly equal Spaces in equal Ti?nes- ; and 
 lal^ly, the Mean of their Flight is at the rate of a 
 
 Mile 
 
25i TheChriJiian Philqfopher. 
 
 Mile in 9I half Seconds, or 1142 Feet in one Second 
 of Time. 
 
 The Power of iniifical Sounds o\cr the Spirits of Men, 
 yea, and over their Bodies too, is very furprizing. 
 What could the famous Ti?rwihy the Mufician do upoi\ 
 Alexander^ What another upon Ericus ? Atlaihillus 
 Kir char in his Phonurgia^ and Ifaac Vvjjitis writing Jf 
 Poematuyn Cantu & R)thini Viribus^ report ilrange things 
 of the Power w hich Mufick has over the Atl'edtions. 
 
 Tlic Gemtan Ephcmerides mentions thofe, who at 
 fome Notes of Mufick are unable to hold their Water, 
 Mur h off tcWs us of thofe who would break Rome/ Glaffes 
 with their Voice. Great Sea-Commanders have ob- 
 fened, that their -wounded Men, with broken Limbs, 
 undergo much Pain at the Enemies Difcharges. "\\s 
 well known that Seats will fometimes tremble at the 
 Sound ot Organs. 
 
 The Force of Mufnk on Perfons poifoned with the 
 T'aramula, is altogether aflonifhing 1 
 
 Ijmenias the Tlehan^ by pla\'ing on tlic Flute or 
 Hcirf^ cured the Sciatica. In tlie late French HJftory 
 of the Academy of Sciences, tiiere is a Man cured of a 
 Fenjer and Frenz.y by prefer F'uncs play'd to him. 
 
 But after all, who but a God inhnirely wife could 
 contrive fuch a fine Body, fo fufceptible of every Im- 
 proTion that the Stn(e of Hearing has occalion tor ; 
 and thus empower Animals to exprefs tlicir Siife oj 
 things to one another ? 
 
 Mr. Derham thus juuly cciicludcs his D'fcouifc on 
 the Senfe of Hearing; ' Who can furvey all this atimi- 
 
 * rable Work, and not as readily own it to be the 
 
 * Work of an omnipotent and infinitely wife and gooil 
 
 * God, as the molt artful Mchdies we hear, arc chc 
 
 * Voice or Performances of a living Creature V 
 
 Grtat Gcd, let we fuer tife my Ear to leum what thoic 
 uotddfl have me to Lww, andjhut my Eoi- upvn thvfe things, 
 uhereu'ith to be tmaiquainted is a learned Ignorance f 
 
 ' May I have the Wappinefs of that Experience, 
 
 * Faith i.o?nei by hearing.* 1 
 
l^e Chriflian Philojopher. 1 53 
 
 I will add one Remark : Many have been born de- 
 
 ftitute of Seeing ; many born deftitute of Hearing ; 
 expofed unto many Inconveniences by the want of the 
 Senfe whereof they were deftitute ; however capable 
 of being provided for. I could never learn, that a- 
 ny Child of Man was born deftitute o^ Loth Senfe s ; 
 one deftitute of both could not be in any Capacity of 
 being provided for. My God^ I behold thy Compafjton, 
 and I adore it ! 
 
 What a Provifion has our Glorious Creator made 
 for our Smelling ? The Apertures of our Noftrils, 
 which are cartilaginous, and accommodated with 
 proper and curious Alufdes, have, as our Derham 
 notes, aU the Signatures of Accuracy. And long before 
 him, T'uUy ; Nares, eo quod omnis odor ad fuperiora fer^ 
 tur, reEle furfum flinty O' quod Cihi & Potionis "Judicium 
 magnum earum eft^ non fine caufa vicinitatem Oris fecut^ 
 funt. Here the olfaBory Nerves receive the odoriferous 
 Effluvia of Bodies ', and becaufe the odorant Particles 
 are drawai in by Breathing, the upper part of the 
 Nofe is barricadoed with Lamina^ which fence out 
 noxious Bodies from entering the breathing Paflages ; 
 (for which purpofe the Vihrifci.^ or Hairs placed at 
 the entrance* of the Noftrils, are a notable Contri- 
 vance) and they receive alfo the Divarications of the 
 olfatlory Nerves^ which are here fpread very thick, 
 and thus meet the Scents which enter by the Breathy 
 and ftrike upon them. The more accurate the Senfe 
 of Smelling is in any Animal, the longer thefe Lamina 
 are, and the more in Number, folded and crouded 
 with the more nervous Filaments, to detain and fetter 
 the odorous Particles. There are Animals, the chief 
 ABs of whofe Lives are performed by the Miniftry of 
 this zvonderful Senfe ^ and thefe have certain Points of 
 Provifion^ which are not in Alan ; but, I will not fay, 
 are wanting in him : For he has enough ; and he has 
 utterly loft all Sagacity, if he be not fcnfible of enough, 
 to oblige his Praifes of the God that made him. 
 
 Our 
 
154 ^^ Chrijlian Philojopher. 
 
 Out Tafting is as well provided tor. 
 
 For the Ciufes of Tafles^ and their Diverfities, 
 Dr. Greir will give us a more accurate Account than 
 I'heophyaftus. 
 
 Concerning the Or^:7/2 of "Tciftrng^ we will not re- 
 cite the various Opinions ot Bauh'm^ and Bartholin^ 
 and Laurenthis^ and our IVhartoii. Our IVillis deter- 
 mines, Pracipuum & fere folum guflatus Organon efl 
 Lingua. Our Derham inclines to that o^ Malpighi, 
 that fince the outward Covering of the T'oiigue is per- 
 forated, and under this there lie the Papillary Parts, 
 whereof Mr. Cou^/^^r has given us Cuts full of Elegan- 
 cy, the Talle probably lies in thefe : Oaummt Papil- 
 laria Corpora^ prohahilius eft in his ultimo^ ex fubintrantc 
 fapido Hnmore^ T'ltillationem & Alordicationem quandai/i 
 fieri ^ qua: Guftum efficiat. 
 
 There are Nerves curioufly divaricated about the 
 'Tongue and Mouthy to receive the ImprcITions of every 
 Guft, and thefe Nerves guarded with a firm and pro- 
 per Tegument, which defends them from Harms, 
 but fo perforated in the Papillary Eminences, that the 
 Taftes of all things are freely admitted there. 
 
 Admirable the Situation cf the Tafle with the 
 Smell, for the Difchargc of their Offices, at the firll 
 Entrance into the way to the grand Receptacle of our 
 Nourifhment : that they may therefore judge what is 
 nouriOiing, and what unfavoury and pernicious. 
 
 'I'he Taftt : Qia fan ire eorum qulhus "jefiimur genera 
 debet ; as luUy long iincc obfervcd, Habitat in ca parte 
 Oris, qua cfcukntis, iX poculeatis iter Natura patefecit. 
 
 Our moft wife Creator has eflabliflied a great Con- 
 fcnt between the Eye, and the Nfe, and the Tnigue, 
 by ordering the Branches of the fume N:rvcs to each ot 
 thofc three Parts. Hereby there is all tiie Guard that 
 can be againft Food that may hurt us ; it is to under- 
 go the Scrutiny of three Senfes, before it goes into the 
 Stomach. 
 
 I BuCf 
 
The Chrtjhan tbUojopher. 255 
 
 But if the other Senfes have their peculiar Seats^ 
 there is one, to wit. Feelings that is difpcrfed thro 
 the whole Body, both without and within. Eijery 
 Part needs to be fenfihle of what may be for its owa 
 Safety, and therefore our moft wife Creator has ad- 
 mirably lodged the Senfe of Feeling in every part. It 
 was 7w//y's Remark, T^oto Cor fore aquali biter fufus eft^ 
 tit omnes Iclus, cmnefque n'nnios & Frigoris & Caloris ap- 
 pulfus f entire pijjumus. Pliny adds, "Taclus fenfus omni- 
 bus ejly etiam quibus nidius alius. 
 
 The Organ of this wonderful Senfe, is the Nerves ; 
 which are, in a moft curious, aftonifhing, incompara- 
 ble manner, fcattered throughout the whole Body. 
 
 Malpighi^ upon many Obfervations, has deter- 
 min'd, that as 'fafting is performed by the Papilla in 
 the T'ongue^ fo Feeling is performed by the like Papilla 
 under the Skin. T'hatthefe Papilla Pyramidales^ thruft- 
 ing their Heads up to terminate in the outer Skin, 
 are thofe by which we feel', he fpeaks of an Animus 
 abunde certior redditus. Our diligent Cowper has con- 
 firmed this, and given us elegant Cuts ofthefe Pa^ 
 pilla, from the Informations of the Microfcope. 
 
 Dr. Cheyne obferves, the apt proportioning of that 
 Senfe, our Feeling, unto the Adions and Impulfes of 
 the Bodies among which we live, is wonderful -! 
 Had the Senfe been ten times as exquiiite as it is, 
 we Ihould have been in perpetual Torment. Had it 
 been many times duller and more callous than it is, 
 we fhould have loft many of our moft agreeable De- 
 lights, and \vc fhould have had our tendereft Parts 
 confumed without Knowledge or Concern. This nice 
 Aujuftment ! 
 
 We were but now pretty near the T'eeth ; of thefe 
 the Numbers are thirty two. But, Oh ! how many 
 more tne Wonders ! Galen obferves, we com.mend clie 
 Skill and Seufe of him that fliall well marfhal a Com- 
 pany of thiyty two : and Oiall we not admjre hmi who 
 hath fo admirably difpofed ihck thirty two ? 
 
 We 
 
2 5(5 The Chrifiwn rhilofopher. 
 
 We will here fingle out eigiit or nine things, that 
 are very remarkable : '^I he T^eeth continue to groix) in 
 their Length as long as we live, as appears by the 
 unfightly Length of a T^vcth^ when tlic oppolTte hap- 
 pens to be pulled out. Thus Providence repairs the 
 wafle that is daily made of the Teeth, by the frequent 
 Attrition in Maflication. 'Lhat part of the Tceth^ 
 which is above the Gums, is not invefled with the 
 fenfiblc Membrane, called Perioftimn, with v hich the 
 other Bones are covered ; but then the T'tetJy are of a 
 cloje-,' and hardey- Subftance than the reft of the Bones, 
 that they may not befo loon worn down by grinding 
 the Food. For the noirrijlmg of thefe neceifary Bones, 
 the Glorious Creator has wonderoully contrived an 
 unfeen Cavity in each fide of the 'Javj-Bone, in which 
 are lodged an Artery, a Vein, and a Nerve, which thro 
 leil'er Gutters do fend their Twigs to each particular 
 Tooth. But becaufe Infants are to ic^^A a confidcra- 
 ble while upon Milk, and lell their Teeth ihould hurt 
 the tender Nipples of the N/nje, Nature defers the 
 Production of them for many Months ; whereas divers 
 Animals, which mull: feek betimes a Food tliat needs 
 Maftication, are born with them. 'J'he different 
 Figure of the Tt-f^A, how furprizing ! The Foreteeth, 
 called Incifore^, broad, with a thin and fharp Edge, 
 to cut off a Morfel from any folid Food. Tlie Eye- 
 'Teeth, called Canini, ftronger, deeper, and more able 
 to tear the refifting fort of Aliments. The Jaw- 
 Teeth, called Alolares^ flat, broad, uneven, accomnio- 
 dated with little Knobs, to hold, and grind, and mix 
 the Aliments. 
 
 Becaufe the Operations, to be performed by thcTlv//;, 
 fometimes require a conlidcrable Strength, what 
 ftrong Miifdes is the lower Jaw provided withal ! 
 And every Tooth is placed in a Urong, a dole, a deep 
 Socket ; and the Ttth are furniflied with HoUjafts, 
 that are fuitable to the ftrefs, which in their different 
 Offices they may be put unto. The Fore-teeth and 
 
 the 
 
^e Chrijiian Philofopher. 157 
 
 the Eye-teeth have ufually but one Root^ which, in the 
 ktter, is very long ; but the Grinders, that muft ma- 
 nage hard Bodies, have three Roots, and in the upper 
 Jaw often four, becaufe thefe are pendulous, and the 
 Jaw fomething fotter. How convenient the Situation 
 of the Teeth ! The Grinders, neareft the Center of 
 their Motion, becaufe the greateft Force is required 
 in them ; the Cutters, where they may readily cut off 
 what is to be tranfmitted to the Grinders. Finally, 
 the Jaw, that is furnilhed with Grinders, has an ob- 
 lique or tranfverfe Motion, which is neceffary for 
 the Comminution of the Meat i But this Motion is 
 not m the Jaw of Animals, which have not fuch 
 leeth belonging to them. 
 
 * 7'emperame in Feeding, is one fpecial Article of 
 
 * the Homaee we owe to the Glorious One, who has, 
 
 * in our T'eeth, fo difpiay'd his admirable Workman- 
 ' fliipr 
 
 And w^e are now not far from the Tongue, the Ufes 
 whereof are, how various ! how marvellous ! and the 
 Texture how much to be wonder'd at ! You were irt 
 the right of it, Vef alius, when you told us. That no 
 Mortal had ever yet thorowly conjtder'd all the Wonders 
 of it. 
 
 This is the main Organ of Tafiing ; it helps alfo 
 in the Maftication, and the Deglutition of the Food. 
 
 Here the Spittle has its Vent ; which, tho com- 
 monly taken for an Excrement, is indeed an Humour 
 wonderfully ferviceable ; becaufe a great part of our 
 Food is dry, there are provided fe\ eral Glandules, to 
 feparate this Juice from the Blood, and no lefs than 
 four pair o*^ Channels to convey it into the Mouth, 
 which are lately found out, and called the DuBus 
 Salivales ; and through which the Saliva continually 
 diftilling, ferves to macerate our Food, and, by temper- 
 ing of it, render it fit for chewing and f\v allowing. 
 And hereby alfo the Cmoilicn in the Stomach is not a 
 little promoted. 
 
 S But 
 
158 "^rhe Chrifihn Philofopher. 
 
 But the grand Glory ot the Tongue, is, that it is the 
 main Inflrumcnt of fienking ; and therewith ive Llefs 
 God, even cur Father ! This is a F.^culty peculiar to 
 Man : It was never known that a Beafi could attain 
 to any thing of it. A Bird indeed has been taught 
 now and then a few words, and with no little difH- 
 culty j but then he undcrflands not the meaning of his 
 few words, nor dees he ufe them for Signs of things 
 conceived by him: The mod that can be pretended, 
 is, that a Pnrr^f being ufed unto fuch or fuch Enjoy- 
 ments or Afflictions, at the Prolation of cercain 
 words, insiY exprefs his Paflions by tlie noife of thefe 
 ^ords. 'The jewifh Rabbins were not fo very abfurd 
 in defining a Man, Animal loqucn^, a Creature that 
 fpeaks. By the way, * you that arc Stammerers ought 
 ' exceedingly to humble yourfelves before the Holy 
 
 * God, under his Rebuke upon you, in an Organ, 
 
 * which, "well employed, would be your Glory. Our 
 
 * Saviour, feeing a Man that had an Impediment in his 
 
 * Speech, he Jighed upon it ; no doubt it grieved him 
 
 * to fee a Man fo marked by the Difpleafure of God, 
 
 * in a moil feniible Wound upon fo diftinguifhing a 
 
 * Faculty. My Friends, learn to fpeak deliberately, 
 
 * This Expedient alone would help you wondcrful- 
 ' ly : For in Singing there is no Starnmering, Speak 
 
 * but little, don't aflccl a Loquacity; a Folly ymr T'ribe 
 
 * are often fubjed: to ! tho 'tis more burdenfome and 
 
 * ungrateful in them^ than in other People. What lit- 
 
 * tie you fpeak, let it be very rcife, very good; fuch as 
 
 * may bcfpcak fomc refpedful Regard for what you 
 
 * fay. Then be not altogether difcouraged under 
 ' your Calamity : A Mosfs, a Paul, and a 
 
 * Bo Y L V, will make a noble "Tritimuirate of Compa- 
 
 * nions for you, under your uneafy Infirmity.' I go 
 on : The neccflity of the 'Toytgtie for Src-^ch will remain 
 generally to be alferted, notwithflanding the Tricks 
 o\ tht Ventrii qui , taking advantage of the Duplica- 
 turc of the Mcdiajlinum^ to form various Voices ; and 
 
 notwith- 
 
The Chrifiian Philofopher. 159 
 
 notwithftanding the rare Inftance reported by Roland^ 
 in his Aglojfoflom agraphia^ five Defcriptio Oris fine Lin- 
 guay quod ferfeBe loquituYy & reliquas fuas funBiones 
 naturaliter exercet. 
 
 What the Emperor Juftinian himfelf afferts in his 
 Refcripts ; [Vidimus 'venerabiks ViroSy qui ahfdffes radi- 
 citus Unguis ;] that he himfelf faw 'venerable Men^ who 
 wheo their 'tongues were cut out, at the very Root, 
 yet (fentinued plainly fpeaking the Truth of Chriflia- 
 nity againft the Arians ; a Fad whereof many Wit- 
 iienes are fubpoena'd by Cujacius : it looks miracu- 
 lous ! 
 
 My God, thou haft made Man^s Mouth ! Make thou 
 the Speech of mine ivhat it ought to he. A pure Language ! 
 J have f aid, IwiU take heed, that J do not fin with my 
 ^tongue, Ajfift me to keep fuch a Refuluticn^ and abhor 
 all rotten or faulty Communication. I refohe my Mouth 
 fhall fpeak the Praife of the Lord : Otj that . my tongue 
 may be like choice Silver, for the good Ufe and IVorth of 
 Tvhat is thereby articulated^ and as a tree of Life, in all 
 fny Converfation ! 
 
 If we pafs down from the Mouth, we are quickly 
 entertained with a Wind-Pipe, which is all made up 
 of Wonder I A continual Refpiration is neceflary for 
 the Support of our Lives ; it is therefore made with 
 annulary Cartilages, to keep it conftantly open, and that 
 the Sides of it may not dag and tall together. And 
 left, when w^e fwallow, our Meat or Drink fhould 
 fall in to do mifchief there, it hath a ftrong Valve, 
 an Epiglottis, to cover it w^hen we fwallow. For the 
 more convenient bending of our Necks, it is not made 
 of one continued Cartilage, but of m.any annular ones, 
 which are joined by ftrong Membranes ; and thefe 
 Membranes are mufcidar, compounded of ftrait and 
 circular Fibres, for the more eftedual Contradion of 
 the Wind-pipe, in any violent Breathing or Coughing. 
 And that the Afperity of the Cartilages may no: hurt 
 the Gullet^ which is of a tender and skinny Subftance^ 
 
 S 2 or 
 
l(5o Xhe Chriftian Philofopher. 
 
 or hinder our fwallowing of our Food, thcfe annulary 
 Cr ftiesure not entire Circles ; but where the Wind- 
 pipe touches the Gulict, there the Circles are fitted up 
 with only a foft Mcmbra-ic, which may eafily give 
 way to the Dilatation ot the Gullet. But now to pro- 
 claim a plain Defign in this Conformation, as foon as 
 the IV.hd-pipe enters the Lmigs, its Cartilages are no 
 longer defiuent^ but pcrtc(5t Circles ', it was no longer 
 iiecellary they fliouid be deficient, it was mor^con- 
 venient they fliould be ferfecl. And then, to finifh 
 the Collection which our excellent Kay has made (for 
 I have him n^^w before mc) of thefe Curiofitics ; for 
 the various Modulation of the Vvice, the upper end of 
 the JViiJ-pipej is endued with feveral Cartilages and 
 Mufcley, to contra(5t or dilate it, as we would ha\ e 
 our P^oice llat or fharp ; and the whole is continually 
 nioiflcned, with a glutinous Himour ifluing out of the 
 fmall Glandules, that are upon its inner Coat : fo "'tis 
 fenced, that neither the Air fetched in, nor the Breath 
 going out, may hurt it ; yet it is of fo quick a Senfe, 
 that' it is provoked eafily to cad out, by cotighing^ 
 whatever may be oftcnfi\ c to it. 
 
 Cafpar Bartholin has further obferved, that where 
 the Gulkt perforates the Midriff, the carneous Fibres 
 of that niufcular Part are inHeded and arcuate, as a 
 .S/'/j//7t9er embracing it, and clofing it fad ; which is a 
 fenfible Providence, left, in the perpetual Motion of 
 the faid Midriff, the upper Orifice of the Stomach 
 Ihould gape and cad out the Food as f:ifl as it re- 
 ceived it. 
 
 Dr. Grcix^ obfervcs, that the Variation of the JViiid" 
 fipi; is obfervable in every Creature, according as it 
 is necefi'ary for that of the Voice ; and the Kings of the 
 Wiiul-pipe are fitted for the Modulation of the Voice. 
 
 The Faculty of the Glottis, in fo exquifitcly con- 
 tracting, <^Y dilating oi itfelf, as to form all Notes, is, 
 as Mr. Derlja?n [d)s, prodigious I For, a'i Dr. AV;i notes, 
 if you fuppofe the grcatcft Diflance of the t\\ o fides 
 
T^he Chriflim Philofopher. l6i 
 
 of the Glottis, to be one tenth part of an Inch, in found- 
 ing twelve Notes, to which the Voice eafily reaches, 
 the Line muft be divided into twelve Parts, each of 
 which gives the Aperture that is requifite for fuch a 
 Note with a certain Strength. But if we coniider the 
 Subdivifion of Notes, into which the Voice can run, the 
 Motion of the Sides of the Glottis w^ill be ftill vaftly 
 nicer. A Voice can divide a 'Note, at leaft into an 
 himdred Parts, which a jiift Ear can perceive ', but 
 then it follows, that the different Apertures of the 
 Glottis adually divide the tenth Part of an Inch into 
 twelve hundred Parts, diViA ix good Ear \w\\\ be feniible of 
 the Alteration. But becaufe each fide of the Glottis 
 moves jufl equally, therefore the Divifions are double, 
 the Sides of the Glottis, by their Motion, do adually 
 divide ohe tenth fart of an Inch, we muft fay, into two 
 thousand and four hundred Parts. 
 
 My God, I defire that never any evil Word may have 
 7ny leave to go thro fo curious a Paffage, and that the 
 Difpojitivns of my Mind may not be fo vicious and odious, 
 as to render fo elegant a Paffage, the vent of an of en 
 Sepulchre. ' "Tis fit that nothing but Confeffions of 
 
 * God, and Kindneffes to Men, fliould have tuch an 
 
 * exquifite Paffage found for them." 
 
 We cannot leave thcfe Parts, without confidering 
 Refpiration. A Faculty of ftich importance to Life, 
 that in thefacred Oracles, and indeed in our common 
 Phrafealfo, Breath and Life ave fo concomitant, as to 
 be equivalent : Lord, thou takeft away their Breath, and 
 they die. 
 
 The \](qs o^ Refpiration ^'cre but indifferently af- 
 ligned, until Malpighi's Difcoveries. WilHs, and 
 Mayow, and others, do mention Ufes thereof that are 
 not contemptible ; but our T'hurflon rejec^ls the Opi- 
 nion of their being the principal, and thinks, "'tis prin- 
 cipally to move, or pafs the Bhod, from the right to 
 the left Ventricle of the Heart. Experiments made, 
 by divers ingenious Men, on ftrangled Animals, iiave 
 
 S 3 demon-*. 
 
l6z The Chrijlian Philofopher. 
 
 demonflrated his Opinion : For which came the lear- 
 ned EtmuUer alfo efpoufed it, who having reckoned up 
 no lets than ^/jiV^^^w Ufes o( Refpiration^ \vhich are of 
 great confequence, but conduce rather to the IVell- 
 beings tl.an tiie Being of the hvnig Creature, he con- 
 cludes witn a /o^r^erw//?, astheciiief of all, which is. 
 For the faffv/ig oftheBhod thro tie Lungs ^ that is throirn 
 into them by the Heart. Anon come Dr. Drake^ and iie 
 not only efiablifhes this Notion of Refpiratiun, buc alf3 
 carries it further, and makes it the true Caufc ot the 
 Diaflole oFthe Heart , wnich neiiiier B dli^ nor Loiver, 
 nor Cowper, much lefs awy before thofe eminent Per- 
 fons, ha\e v ell accoui-ted for Dr. Lower has proved, 
 that the Hea t is a Muf le. The M )tion of all Muf- 
 cles does confifl in Coh/hiBiort. 1 his accounts for the 
 Syfiok: but the Heart iias no Antagowft Mufde. What 
 fhall we now do for the Diajtole i Great Wits have 
 been puzzled here. But now Dr. Drake makes the 
 veiqht of the incumbent Atrnofphere to be the true 
 Anmgonifi for all ii\e Mufcles ; which fcrve both for the 
 Conftridtion of the Heart, and for ordinary Rcfpiration. 
 
 Dr. Chone adds yet one Ufe more for this great Fa- 
 culty and A6:ion ; that is, to for.m the Elaftick Glo- 
 bules^ of which the 5/eo^ does principally coniift, and 
 t^•ithout which there would be a general Obdrudion 
 in all the capillary Arteries. ' 
 
 Dr. JVainrjright obferves, the Air can't remain in 
 the Lrrtigs^ without being much heated, and thereby 
 having the Spring of it unbent, and fo become fpcci- 
 fically lighter than the external Air : For which rea- , 
 fon it will, by a known Principle in Me^hanicks^ gi^'e 
 place to it, and rife to fuch an height, as till it meet 
 with Air of its own Weight, and there- it will remain. 
 But then the Sides of the Bloc d-Vell els ^ w hich by the 
 Inllation of the Lungs were drawn afunder, now, 
 Avhcn the Lui^^s arc crouded on an Heap, w ill be 
 forced together, and fo the Blood contained in them 
 will be broken into innumerable Parts, exceeding 
 
 fmall. 
 
The Chrifiian Philofopher.^ i6^ 
 
 imall, and thereby rendered the fitter to pafs the fc- 
 veral Strainers of the Body. 
 
 Great God ! thou haft in thy Hand my Breath and all 
 my -ways -, 1 refolve to ferve thee as hug as I breathe ; / 
 refolve to look on thy Service as the etid for which thou dofl 
 continue my Breath ; / refohe to empby my Preat:, in thy 
 Service to the laft : I will praife thee as well as i can to and 
 in my laft Breath j and when 1 have no Breath, I ftoall do 
 it better. 
 
 Behold now the Lungs, a moft furprizing Piece of 
 Workmanfhip ! Confult the Defcription of them gi- 
 ven by Malfighi, who firft of all difcovered their Ve- 
 ficula; and. hy IVillis, who, waiting after him, has 
 proceeded upon it yet more accurately, and by OA^per 
 in his admirable Tables. Then (land and admire the 
 Work of God. You can do no otherwife ! We will not 
 . meddle with the Controverfy between Etmulkr and 
 Willis, whether the VeficuU of the Lungs have any 
 mufcular Fibres, or no. We will content ourfelves 
 with Gakns Conclufion upon the Parts minillring to 
 Refpiration, that admirabilem Sapientiam teftantur. 
 
 While the Foetus is yet in the Womb (as Dr. Keil 
 obferves) the Veficles of the Lungs lying flat upon 
 one another, comprefs all the capillary Blood-Vejfels^ 
 which are fpread upon them. As foon as we are born, 
 they^/V, by its Gravity and Elafticity, ruflies into the 
 empty Branches of the Trachea Arteria, and blows up 
 the Vellels into Spheres : by which means the Com- 
 prefTion being taken off from the Blood-Veffels, and 
 they equally expanded with the Lungs, all the Blood 
 has a free PalTage thro the Pulmonmi Artery. But 
 when the Air is thruft out again, by a Contraction of 
 the Cavity of the Thorax, it being a fluid Body, com- 
 prefles the Veficles and Bkod-Veffels upon them, every 
 \\'here equally. By this ComprefTion, the red Glo-r 
 bules of the Blocd, which thro their languid Motion, in 
 the Veins, were grown too big to circulate \n the iine 
 capillary Vtjjels^ arc broken, and again divided in the 
 
 S 4 Se)'umy 
 
2^4 The Chrifltan Philofopher. 
 
 Serum^ and the Blood is made fit for Nutrition and Se-J 
 crction. This Prcllbre of the Air on the Elood-V.JfeU^ 
 Dr. Kcil fays, is equal to an hundred pound weight* 
 It is alfo probable, he thinks, that Particles of the 
 Air mull: enter the Blood-Vcjfels^ and mix with the 
 Blocd in the Lungs. 
 
 The Divine Workmanfhip about the H e a r t, who, 
 that has any Heart, can forbear admiring of it, with 
 moft fenfible Acknowledgments 1 This is that admi- 
 rable Bowel, which with its incellant Motion diitrr 
 butcs the Blood, the Vehicle of Life, throughout the 
 whole Body. From this Fountain of Life and Heat^ 
 there are Conduit-Pipes even to the leaft, yea, and moft 
 remote Parts of the Body. 'Tis the Machine, which 
 recei\ es tlie Bleed from the Veins, and forces it out by 
 the Arteries, thro the whole Body. The force with 
 which the Heart fqueezes out the Blood into the Ar- 
 teries, is, in Borelli's Reckoning, equal to the force 
 of fierce thonfand Pound -vjeight. For this important Ufe 
 it is moft exquifitely contrived. Being a mufcular 
 Fart, the Sides of it are compofed of two Orders of 
 Fibres, running circularly or fpirally from the Bafe to 
 Tip, contrarily the one to the other; and fo being 
 drawn contrary ways, do violently conftringe and 
 flraiten the Ventricles, and flrongly force out the Blood. 
 And then the Velfels, we call Arteries, which carry 
 from the Heart to the feveral Parts , ha\c their 
 Valves, which open outu^ards like Trap-doors, and 
 givcthe -B/o'Ja free Paflage out oi' the Heart, but will 
 iiotfutfer any Return of it thither; and the Veins, 
 which bring it back from the feier^il Members to the 
 Heart, ha\c their Vahes, or Trap-do<:)rs, which open 
 iniiards, and give way for the running of the Blood 
 into the H^art, but prevent its running that w^ay back 
 again. Moreover, the Arteries confift of a (hiadruple 
 Coat, the third of v hich is made up of annular, or 
 orbicular, carncous Fibres, to a good Thicknefs, and 
 is of a mufcular Nature, (which was hrft obfcrved by 
 
 Dr. 
 
Tk Chrijlictn Philofopher. l6$ 
 
 Dr. Willis) and this, after every Pulfe of the Heart, 
 ferves to contrad: the Veflcl fuccefTively with incredi- 
 ble Celerity, fo by a kind oi priflaltick Motion, forcibly 
 and very fwiftly impelling the Blood onwards to the 
 capillary Extremities, and thro the Mufdes ; wherefore 
 the Pulfe of the Arteries is not caufed only by the Pul- 
 fation of the Hearty which drives the Blood thro them 
 after the manner of a Wave, as many would have it, 
 but alfo by the Coats of the Arteries themfelves, as it 
 has been confirmed by the Experiments of many mo- 
 dern Phyficians, yea, and of Galen alfo. We may add 
 one thing more, that the Heart and the Brain do nota- 
 bly enable one another to work ; for the Brain cannot 
 hve unlefs it receive continual Supplies of Blood from 
 the Heart, much lefs can it perform its Functions of 
 preparing and of difpenfing the Animal Spirits ; nor 
 can the Heart afford a Pulfe, unlefs it receive Spirits 
 or fomething defcending from the Brain by the Nerves : 
 do but cut afunder the Nerves that go from the Brain 
 to the Heart, the Motion thereof ceafeth immediately. 
 
 For the Motion of the Heart, Monfieur Tauvry Hies 
 to a fnbtile Matter managing the Fibres of it, but feems 
 to acknowledge it a Matter which no Mortal has traced 
 jet to Satisfaction. In fine, the Hean is a compound 
 Mufde, and each Ventricle of it will (as Dr. Keil ob- 
 ferves) contain an Ounce of Blood. We may well fup- 
 pofe the Heart throws into the Aorta an Ounce of Blood 
 every time it contrads ; the Heart contrads four thou- 
 fand times in one Hour, fometimes more, fometimes 
 lefs ', hence there pafl'es thro the Heart every Hour/owr 
 thoufand Ounces of Blood, that is to fay, three hundred 
 and fifty Pound. Now the whole Mafs of Blood is no 
 more than twenty-five Pound, fo. that a Quantity of 
 Blood equal to' the whole Mafs pafTes thro the Heart 
 fourteen times in one Hour, which is about once in every 
 four Minutes ; not the ivhole Mafs itfelf : we don't 
 fappofe that the Blood which goes to the Extremities, 
 
l66 TJye Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 can return to the Heart as foon as the Blood which 
 goes only to the Kidneys or the Live}-. 
 
 ' Without making any fanciful Excurfions upon 
 
 * Metaphors drawn from the Figure and Office of the 
 
 * Hearty I am fure ^tis infinitely reasonable that I 
 
 * fhould behold this Bowel with a mod hearty and 
 
 * lively Senfe of my Obligations to give thee my Heart, 
 
 * O my Gody and love thee with all my Heart !' 
 
 The Stomach has in it how many things that arc 
 truly admirable ! The greateft Philofophers have cried 
 out, * How great a Comprehenfion of Nature did it 
 
 * require to make a M^riftriium that fhould corrode all 
 
 * forts of Fhfl) coming into the Stomachy and yet not 
 
 * the Stomach itfelf, which is alfo Fhfhl' 'Tis memha- 
 nousy and capable of being dilated or comracled, ac- 
 cording to the Quantity of Meat contained in it; the 
 Situation of it under the Livery accommodates with 
 an Heaty that carries on the Concoclion ; when it has 
 gone thro with the Cncociioriy it can flirink itfelf, and 
 caft out the Food. But, ConcoEliony how performed ? 
 
 Inform us. Dr. Drake! There is in Bodies a 
 
 Principle of DiffoluticKy which upon the Extinction of 
 their vital and vegetative Faculty, begins to exert it- 
 felf towards the DeflruEiion of the SubjeA. This Prnv- 
 ciple of Corruption is, perhaps, the fame that in a State 
 of Circulation and Vegetation was the Principle of Life^ 
 but now being denied that Palfage which it had be- 
 fore. It makes its way irregularly, and fo deftroys the 
 Continuity of the Solids, in which it is included, and 
 introduces that Change in the whole Mafs which is 
 called Corrtiption. This aBive Principle is a fort of Air, 
 which is mixed in a confiderable Quantity with all 
 forts of Fluids ; this (tho its natural and ellcntial Mo- 
 tion be expanfi\e or quaquaverfum) when it is intro- 
 duced into Bodies, has two kinds ot' motion, one ex- 
 pan five, by w hich it communicates that intefline Mo- 
 tion which all Juices have, and by which the contain- 
 ing Parts arc gradually extended, and have their 
 
 Growth I 
 
The Chrtflim Philofopher. l6y 
 
 Growth i out the other progreffive^ and indeed drcu- 
 laton, wnxii is cccaiioned by the Renitency of fohd 
 Parts', and obliges its taking that Courfe which is 
 vnoit open and free. This Motion being ftopr, the ex- 
 fanfive dill remains, and continues to ad, till by de- 
 grees It hath fo far overcome the Refiftance of the in- 
 cluding Bodies, as to bring itfelf into an equal de- 
 cree ot Expanfion with the external Air^ which cannot 
 be done witiiout a Deftrutlion on the Texture and 
 Conimuity, or fpecihck- decree of Cohasfion of the 
 Solids ; and this is called a State of Corruption. This 
 deftruHive Qiiality of the Air in Bodies may be promo- 
 ted, either by 'weakening the Tone of them, and the 
 Cohsefion of the Pans, and fo facilitating the Work of 
 the Air, as it is done wnen Fruit is bruifed ; or by in- 
 tendnig the exj^anjive Force of the Air itfelf wnth Heat, 
 or other co-operating Circumftances. The former is 
 done in Mafticaticm, \he latter is done by the Heat of 
 the Stomach, which forcibly rarefying the Air, enables 
 it to rend the including Bodies to pieces the fooner, 
 and fo to let loofe the Fluids, and perhaps likewife 
 produce a Comminution upon feveral parts of the So- 
 lids,{o as to make them fuftainable in the Liquor; which 
 latter is the Operation that compleats the DigejUon in 
 the Stomach. In ftewing, tho the Heat be unfpeakably 
 lliort of what is in roafting and in boiling, the Opera- 
 tion is of all the quickeft, becaufe it is performed in a 
 pretty clofe Veffel, and full, by which means the Sue- 
 cuffeom are more often repeated, and more ftrongly re- 
 verberated. The Operation of the Stomach is mighti- 
 ly refembled by the Digefior of Monfieur Papin ; in 
 this the Meat is put, together with fo much Water as 
 exactly fills the Engine, the Lid is then skrewed on fo 
 clofe as to admit of no external Air, and with two or 
 three lighted Charcoal, or the Flame of a La7np, it is 
 reduced into a perfect Pulp, or indeed a Liquor, m a 
 very few Minutes, in fix, or eight, or ten, or twelve, 
 or fixteen, according to the Toughnefs of the Matter 
 
2(58 The Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 to be digefted, or tlie Augmentation of this little Fire ; 
 this \vay even the hardefl Bones are prefently difTolved. 
 Thus the Stomaih naturally clofes on the Aliments, 
 which defcend to it j it ftridly embraces them wheit 
 it is full; by keeping out extraneous Air^ ic fortifies 
 and invigorates the SuccuJJtons of that which is con- 
 tained in the Aliments, and this is enabled hereby to 
 break and refolve the Bodies which included it, into 
 Particles that may be fmall enough to enter the La- 
 BeaU. When all the Chyme and Chjle is prelTed out, 
 the Stomachy which follows the motion of its Contents, 
 is again by means of its ?nufcular Coat reduced into a 
 State of Contraction, and the inner is brought there- 
 by to lie in Folds, and by means of the Pe;jflahick Mo- 
 lion rubbing lightly upon one another, produce that 
 Senfe of a VdUcation which we call Hunger : this being 
 felt firft in the upper Orifice, which is firfl: evacuated, 
 begins firfl therefore to prompt us to replenifhing ; 
 but as by degrees the remainder of the Contents are 
 expelled, this Friclion of the Membranes upon each 
 other, fpreads gradually over the whole Stomachy and 
 renders our Hiiriger more impatient. 
 
 Great God^ I blefs thee for all my Food. M) gracious 
 Feeder J I hhjs thee that I have not knoi^n the terrible Fa- 
 mine. I will take no Food ivithout looking up to thee for thy 
 Bkffing^ by 'which akne I live ! 
 
 The Inteflines ', thefe receive the Chylejvom the Py- 
 krus; thefe further digeft it,* prepare it, feparate it: 
 thefe by their periftaltick Motion drive it into the 
 Ladeals ; but the excrementitious Parts they fend off 
 elfc\\here, from whence there is no regrefs, unlefs 
 upon a Relaxation or Laceration befalling the Valve 
 of the Colon. Can you behold the Strudure of the In- 
 tefines, as reported by KerkringitiSy by Glijfon, by IHl- 
 hs, and Peyer, and others, without Aftonifhment ! 
 
 The Inttftin.\i, 'tis wonderful, they are fix times as 
 long as the -fi^/v to which they appertain ; and now 
 that they fliould keep their Tvne^ and their Site, and 
 
 hold 
 
^e Chriftian Philofopher. 269 
 
 hold on doing their Office, and give an undiflurb'd 
 Paiiage to what every day pafles thro them, and this 
 for Ibme Scores of Years together, ^tis impoflible for 
 me to confider it without falHng down before the glo- 
 rious God, and making that Acclamation, IVhat hafl 
 thou done in me, thou Preferver of Men ! How much do 
 I depend ufon thee for my Prefervation from grievous Dif- 
 eafes ! 
 
 The Liver does admirable things, in continually fe- 
 parating the Cbokr from the Biood, and emptying it 
 into tne ht.fiines, where it is ufeful, not only to pro- 
 voke Dejeaion, but alfo to attenuate the Chyle, and 
 render it fo fubtile and fluid, that it may enter at the 
 Orifices of the Latleals. 
 
 The Bladder is an admirable Veflel ! The Subflance 
 is jnembramus, and extremely dilateable, for the recei- 
 ving and containing of the Urine, till a convenient op- 
 portunity of emptying it ; it hath alfo Shuts for the 
 Ends of the Ureters, which are fo artificially and mar- 
 veiloufly contrived, as to give the Urine a free entrance, 
 but ftop all paflage backward : the WindMd^ cannot 
 be tranfmitted thro the Shuts, tho never fo ftrongly 
 forced upon them ! 
 
 In the Kidneys, how admirable the innumerable Si- 
 phons, the little and curious Tul;es, convey ino- the uri- 
 nous Particles into the Ureters I difcovered firft by Bel- 
 lini, afterwards illuflrated by Ma^pighi. 
 
 Leuenhoeck has difcovered VelTels in an Human Bo- 
 dy, the Diameters whereof are more than feventy-nine 
 thoufand times lefs than an Inch-, and, as Dr. Wainright 
 obferves, at leall fo fmall muft be the Diameters of the 
 LaBeals. My God, how exquifne, how curious are thy 
 Works ! But then how much do I depend upon thee to keep 
 all the Fcffels of my Body, doing their Office in their order ! 
 
 ^^ That fo fine an Engine is not ruin'd a thoufand 
 
 times in a day, but holds on in its motion for twenty- 
 fiue thoufand five hundred and fixty-f even Days ! 
 
 AU 
 
lyo The Chriftictn Philofopher. 
 
 All the G/artds of the Body, cacli ot them an admi- 
 rable Congeries of many Vctlels, in a ftupcndous Va- 
 riety, curled, complicated, circum<,7rated, and mar- 
 velloufly woven into ( ne another ; thefe give the Blood 
 an opportunity to (lop a little, and feparate thro the 
 Pores of the capihvy Veileis into the fecretory ones, 
 which after all exonerate into one common DuSius. 
 Read IVharton, and Bartholin, and Bilftus, and others ; 
 but prepare always for a Field of Wonders, equal to 
 
 any in the Field of Zvan ! But then confider too 
 
 the Variety of Humours that are feparated by the 
 Glands', all different in Colour, in Tafte, in Smell, 
 and in other Qualities. 
 
 The Bones, how admirable in their Circumltances I 
 The Back-bone is contrived with an Artifice truly affo- 
 nifhinjT ! It is divided into many Vertebres, for the 
 commodious bending-, one entire and rigid Bone of that 
 len<^th would have been often in danger ot fnappmg; 
 it is tafering, in the form of a PiUaY, the lo\\ er Verte- 
 hres being the broadeft and largcft, the fupcrior in or- 
 der lefler and lefler, that fo the Trunk of the Body 
 inay have the greater Stability : but the fe\eral Verte- 
 bres are fo elei^antly compacted and united, that they 
 are as firm and ftrong as if they were but one finglc 
 Bone ; they arc all perforated m the middle, with a 
 lar-e Hole for the Sj^inal Marrow (that wondrous 
 Pit}) ') to pafs along, and each o{' them hath an Hole 
 on each of their fides, to tranfmit the Nerves to the 
 Mnfiles of the Body, and thereby convey both- Senfc 
 and Motion. By the clofe CoiMiection of the V.^rtebrcs, 
 the Baik-bone is f^med fo as to admit ot no great 
 Flexure and Rcccfs from a right Line ; it alfo admits 
 no a)igular, nor any but a moderate drcular bending, 
 left the Spinal Marrow lliould be compreiicd, ana to 
 the PaHaqe of the Spirits to and fro meet with fomc 
 
 Obftruaion. ^ , . d- 
 
 Dr Grew obfcr\'cs, that in Trees there is a new Kinq 
 added every Year cut of the Bark to the Wood; i 
 
 tO'J 
 
The Chriftian Philofopher. 27 r 
 
 too in Animahy while they grow, there is a new Peri^ 
 ofthim added from time to time out of the ntufcular 
 Membranes to the Bones : 'The fweet Harmony with the 
 'vafl Variety in the IVorks of God ! 
 
 Admirable the Provifion that is made for the more 
 eafy and expedite Motions of the Bones in their Arti- 
 culations : a twofold Liquor is prepared, by the In- 
 undion whereof their Heads or Ends enjoy fome Lu- 
 brihcation ; firft, there is an oily one, furnifti^'d by the 
 Marroiv ; and then there is a mucilaginous one, furni fil- 
 ed by certain Glandules, that are feated in their Arti- 
 culations ; both of thefe together make up the mofl 
 proper Mixture for this purpofe that can poffibly be 
 thought upon ; both of the Ingredients are lubricating. 
 But more than this, from their Compofition they mu- 
 tually improve -one another; the Mucilage adds to the 
 fmoothing EfEcacy of the Oil, and the Oil preferves 
 the Mucilage trom InfpifTation, and from contrading 
 the Confiftency of a Jelly. Hereby the Motion of the 
 Bones is facilitated ; for if they were dry, they would 
 not readily obey the Pulls of the motory Mufcles, which 
 we find in the Wheels of our Clocks ; the ends of the 
 Bones are hereby alfo kept from an inconvenient Inca- 
 lefcency, which, if they were dry, being fo hard, a 
 fwift and long Motion would necelfarily give to them ; 
 and thus the Wheels of our Coaches mud be befmear- 
 ed with a Mixture of Greafe and X^r (an Imitation of 
 ours !) that they may not be fet on fire. What a floth- 
 ful World muft we have had, and how confined to 
 Deliberation, if this Care had not been taken of our 
 Bones ! And finally, a great Mifchief is now prevent- 
 ed, the Ends of our Bones are not worn down, by a grie- 
 vous Attrition in their motion rubbing againft one 
 another ; "'tis indeed a ftrani^e thing that this proves a 
 fufficient Prefervative to prevent the Confumption of 
 the Bones, when we fee the tops of Teeth, which are 
 harder, worn off by Maflication, and brougiit fo low, 
 that the very Nerve lies bare^ and for meer Fain they 
 
 caa 
 
lyZr T^^ Chriftian PhilofophcK 
 
 can be ufcd no more. The ingenious Mr. Havers, 
 who makes thefe Remarks in his Ofteokgj^ n^akes this 
 Conclulion : Htre we cannot avoid the notice of the viftble 
 Footfteps of an infinite Reaftn^ and we can never fufficiently 
 admirj the IVifdom and Providence of our great Creator f 
 
 We may add, wondert'ul the OmflruBion of the Bonesy 
 that are to fupport the Body, or bear heavy Burdens, 
 or be employed in difficult Exercifes ; they are made 
 hoL'oiv^ this wonderfully accommodates them tor both 
 Lightntfs and Stifinefs ; an hollow Body is more indexible 
 than a folid one, of the fame Subllance and Weight : 
 but the Ribs^ which do not carry Loads, nor do any 
 thing wherein fo much Strength is required, but are 
 only to fence the Breaft, thcfe iiave no Cavity in them, 
 and thefe, towards the fore part of them, are broad 
 and thin, fo that they may give way, without much 
 danger of any Fracture ; and when they are bent, they 
 do by tlieir elaftiik Property again return to their Fi- 
 gure : and yet the Hollow of the Bones is not ufclefs, 
 but it contains the Marrow, which fupplies an 0/7, for 
 the Maintaining and Inunction of the Bvnes^ and of 
 the Liga?}2cnts, and facilitating their Motion, and to 
 fecure them from Difruption, to which they would 
 by any fudden Contortions be otherwife obnoxious. 
 The mention of the Ribs will bring on one Obfcrva- 
 tion more ; That altho the Breaft is encompailed with 
 Ribi, the Bel.^y is left free ; this is, that it may give 
 way to the motion of the Midriff in Refpiration, and 
 to the necelfary reception of our. Food, and to the con- 
 venient bending of our Body. The Females alfo rind 
 the Benerit of it in the time of their Pregnancy. Great 
 God, all my Bones rnufl fay, who is like to thee ! I blcfs thee 
 for that thou doft not chajlen the multitude if my Bones with 
 ftrong Pain ! 
 
 It cannot be without Admiration looked upon, that 
 all the Bcncs, and all the MufJes, and all the y^JJcls of 
 the Body, ihould be fo contrived, fo adapted and com- 
 pared, for their fcveral Motions and \Jic$l All ac- 
 cording; 
 
1^€ Chrijiian Philofopher. ly^ 
 
 cJording to the flridefl Rules of the Mathematkks ! If 
 you attempt an Innovation or Alteration, you mar all 
 ihftead of mending any thing. In the Mufdes alone 
 there is more Geometry than in all the artificial Engines: 
 in the World j the greateft Mathematicians have not 
 found a nobler Subje6t for their Difquiiitions and 
 Contemplations than de Motti AnimaUnm. The Eflays 
 of CrooUy and Steno^ and Borelli^ on that Subjedt, have 
 been very curious. 
 
 Dr. Grexu obferves, that no lefs than forty or fifty 
 Mufdes^ belides many other fubfervient Parts, go to 
 execute that one AB of Laughing ; certainly then laugh-- 
 ing for nothing may be indided for an AEl of Folly ! He 
 goes on with his Obfervation, That in fome Cafes we 
 cannot execilte o?ie [ingle T'hought without fuch a Re- 
 tinue. Suppofe one iitting in a Room has a T/jo7ighc 
 of looking at foriiething out of a Window, that one 
 T'hought has immediately feventy or eighty Mufdes put 
 into motion to wait upon it ; fo that, fays the Doctor, 
 there is not a Monarch upon Earth ferved with fuch Maje- 
 fly as every Man is within the 'Territory of his czcn Body : 
 But then how reafonabk is it, O Man, for thee to ferve 
 the Maker of all thefe ! Glorious Gody I will do it with all 
 my Mufdes, with all vcy Powers ! 
 
 Dr. Grew has a further Obfervation ; W1iat can be 
 more admirable, than for the Principles of the Fil^res of 
 a Tendon to be fo mixed as to make it a foft Body, fit 
 both to receive and impart the Species of Serfe, and to 
 be eafily nourifhed and moved, and yet with fuch ^ 
 Softnefs to have the Strength of Iron I 
 
 Thofe Mufdes which appear as contemptible as any 
 of the Body, even the Mufdes of the Belly, tho Galen^ 
 and other Anatomifls after him, have contented them-* 
 felves with reckoning four or five Vfes of them, they 
 are indeed more than can be reckoned. Dr. Grevj has 
 employed almoft a large Page in the Enumeration. 
 
 ^Tis admirable th^t under our Skin there Ihould bs 
 ftich an unknown varmy of Parts, and fo very variouGy 
 
 T mingledy 
 
174 ^^ Chrifitan Philofopher. 
 
 mingled, all fo pack'd that there is no unneccffary Va- 
 cuity in the whole Body, yet To far from claHiing with 
 and hindring ot one another, that they do all in the 
 moil friendly manner conjpire to affiil one another, and 
 concur in the general Deiign, which is the Prefcrva- 
 rion of the whole. Behold, A.gninents (as our pious 
 Ray well notes hereupon) oj infinite IVifciom and Coun- 
 fel ! He muft be ivorfe than mad^ that can find in his Heart 
 to imagine all not provided by a mofi ivife and intelligent 
 Caufe ! 
 
 Every Part is clothcdj joined, corroborated by 
 Membranes^ which are capable of a prodigious Extcn- 
 lion ; thofe of the Paitonaum are a particular lullance 
 of that, out of which alone, in hydropical Per fans, there 
 have been drawn forty Gallons of Water, by a Paya- 
 centefis. The undoubted Authorities of Tulpius, and 
 Blajiusy and other Phyficians, oblige us to believe fur- 
 prizing things of this Importance. 
 
 It is notable, that all our Organs are involved in 
 Coats, one or more, confiding of tough or mufcular 
 Fibres, intended not only to proteH them, as has been 
 commonly thought, but alfo by a due Conftriction to 
 afTift them in flruining oft" their fe\'eral Contents. 
 
 Thefe Pans which at liril appear to be of no more 
 ufe than to till up empty Spaces, will upon E.xamina- 
 tion be found exceeding ferviceablc. The Fat ferves 
 to cheriHi the Body, and keep it warm ; yea, will 
 maintain it for fome time, when Fuod is wanting, and 
 be as a fulphurous Pabulum, to preferve the Htat of the 
 Blood. By what Vellels the Fat comes to be feparated 
 from the Blood, is a Point of curious Enquiry , the 
 collection ot it more on fome certain Parts (as the Cuil 
 and the Reins) than on others, appears to be for the 
 cherifliing of thofe Parts with IVurmth ; the Oml is 
 like an Apron oi If^vo'.'en Ctvth to the lower Belly. The 
 Glidiator, whofc Ciul \\as cut out by Galen, felt fo 
 much Cold, that he was forced conllantly to keep his 
 Belly covered with H^ooU. The Intejliues containing 
 
 Diuch 
 
^e Chriftian Philofopher. 275 
 
 much Food, there to undergo its ialt Concoftion, and 
 Veflels of Blood not lowing thither, iie^d fuch a Co- 
 'vering to defend them ; doubtlefs a conflant Heat is re- 
 quired about the Reins, for the Separation of tie Urwe 
 from the Blood : for we fee if the Blocd be chilled, the 
 Secretion of the Urine will be fenfibly ftopt, and the 
 Serum calt upon the Glandules of the Mouth and 
 Throat. 
 
 Monfieur Bernoulli, in a curious Meditation about 
 mufcular Motiun, has obferved another thing, that muft 
 not be pretermitted ; that in mufcular Motion the Ex- 
 pence of Animal Spirits is not in proportion to the La- 
 bour which the Anmial is at : and fo a Man reduced 
 to hard Labour, is not reduced to the neceflity of ha-- 
 ving twice or four times as much Victuals as one thac 
 is under no fuch necelTity of w orking. Now the Sfi^ 
 rits are the moll precious things in all the Animal Body^ 
 W^e live by them ', fo needful and ufeful a Subftance 
 was to be faved by all the Means that were poflible. 
 And behold, as Dr. Cheyne exprefles it, u'^ fee the wife 
 Author of Nature has taken wonderful. Care that no Expert" 
 ces fhould be made that could he avoided. 
 
 It has been obferved by feme, that to provide Mat- 
 ter for the generation o^ Spirits in Man, a vaft Quanti- 
 ty o^ Blocd is prepare J, far exceeding what is found in 
 other Animals. The Blood for the Body of Man bears 
 the Proportion to his Weight, of one to ten ; in other 
 Animals 'tis but one to twenty. And for the fetching of 
 Spirits out of this Matter, there is the Laboratory of the 
 Brain, which in a Man is twice as much as in a B.aj^ 
 four times as big. 
 
 It is Dr. Cheyne's Propofition, That the Strength of 
 Animals is in a triplicate Proportion to che Quantity of 
 Blood running in the Veffels. 
 
 The Lympha of the Blood is a marvellous thln^; 
 a Liquor feparated in the Membranes and Glandules^ 
 which is the Mediuin whereby the ferous and fibrous 
 Parts of the Blood are united, and the Bones and mem- 
 
 T 2 bran^un 
 
Vj6 11)6 Chriftian Philojopher. 
 
 hrayioua Parts of the Body arc nouriflicd. But how 
 niar\cllous the Lyynphat'ick Vijjeh^ which convey this 
 esquifite Liquor ! They difappcar when the Animal 
 dies ; their number is unaccountable : they were Hrft 
 of all difcovcred by I'homas Bartholin and Olau^ Rudbcck^ 
 in the Years 1050 and 165 i. Pecker made a progrefs 
 in the difcovery of them ; and their Valves were de- 
 monftrated by Fyederick Ruyfrh^ which permit this 
 tranfparent Liquor to pafs thro them towards the 
 Hearty but are like fhut Floodgates upon the returning; 
 they rife in all Parts of the Body. The Glands that 
 feparatc the Lymfha are of the fmallcft kind, and fcarce 
 vifible by the fined AUcroftopes ; but the Lymphaducls 
 unite w^ith one another, and grow larger as they ap- 
 proach the Heart ; and yet they do not, like the Vcins^ 
 open into one common Channel. The whole Con- 
 trivance of thcfe fine P^ejJeU^ who can behold without 
 Amazement ! 
 
 About the Bloody this is admirable ; the Branches 
 which go oft" at any fmall diflance from the Trunk of 
 an Artery, unite their Channels into one Trunk again, 
 whofe Branches likewifc communicate with one ano- 
 ther, and with others; whence it comes to pafs (as 
 Dr. Keil obferves) that when any fmall A'-tery is ob- 
 ftruded, the Blood is brought by the communicating 
 Branches to the Parts below the Obftrucftion, which 
 muft otherwife have been deprived of their Nourifli- 
 mcnt. And in the Veins there is the like Provifion, 
 that fo juftly furprizcs us in the Arteries. 
 
 The Vijtidity of the Blood is increafed by the Heat 
 ill a Fever ; if we apply a much lefs degree of Heat 
 than will boil Water, it will turn the Serum into a 
 Jelly ; the Heat of the Skin, where the Pulfe will beat 
 fixty Strokes in a Minute, is to the Heat of boiling 
 IVater as 16 to 52; boiling Water is but little more 
 than three times as hut as the BUod of an healthy Man. 
 If the Heat of the Blvod incrcafc in pn^portion to the 
 Beat of the Pulfe fas it muft, if it beat with the fame 
 
 Strength 
 
The Chriflian Philofopher. 177 
 
 Strength it did) a Man Avhofe Pulfe beats ip5 Strokes 
 in a Minute, would be as hot as boiling Water y now 
 120 Strokes is common. Behold whence the Siz>inefs 
 of the Blood in inflammatory Diftempers ! 
 
 ' Why fliould I finfully over-heat my Blood? But 
 
 * fince my Life depends on the good Conftitution of 
 
 * this red Liqucr, which is yet fo eafily depraved, fo 
 
 * eafily diflurbed, fo eafily overturned ; God of my 
 Life, I uonder that I live ! I dejtre to live as a dying 
 
 * Man I But I live, becaufe thou art the God of my Life /' 
 
 But at laft the Inflrument all this while employed in 
 writing thefe things, that '^O^yctvov 'O^ydvuv, demands of 
 me that it be not forgotten ; the Hand, the Hand, 
 whereof I need no Cicero to be my Monitor, Quant 
 aft as, quamque mult arum Artium Mini fir as, MANLJSy 
 Natura homini dedit ! It is divided into four Fingers, 
 bending forwards, and one ftronger than any of them 
 that bends bachvards, to join with them ; 'tis fitted 
 thus to lay hold on Objects of any fhape, or fize, or 
 quantity; and fometimes one Finger alone can dif- 
 charge many Offices : the Fingers are ftrengthned with 
 feveral Bone^, jointed for motion, furniflied with Muf- 
 cles and T'endons, to bend them circularly forwards ; 
 how convenient this for the holding and griping of 
 any Object ! The Fingers alfo have their Mufcles, to 
 extend and open the Hand, and move them to the 
 right and left ; and thus the luhok Hand may be em- 
 ployed, as all of a piece. 
 
 But then how notable is it, how wonderful ! That 
 the T'endons bending the middle Jdint of the Fingers 
 are fo perforated, as to give paffage to the T'endons of 
 the Mufcles which draw the uppermoft Joints, and all 
 bound clofe down to the Bone with flrong Fillets, like 
 fo many Bow-firings, left they fhould flart up, and 
 hinder the Hand in its Operations : finally, the Ends 
 of the Fingers are fortified with Nails, which indeed 
 adorn them as well as defend them ; yea, and have their 
 further Ufes too, if what Camillus writes in his Trea- 
 
 T 3 tife 
 
IjS The Chripan Philojofher. 
 
 tife upon the forming of Judicia Mcdka from the In-» 
 fpedion of the Naih^ may be relied upon : and how 
 thin the Skin, and how cxquifite the Senfe at our Fm- 
 gers-ends, by which we may judge of what wc have 
 there to be handled ! We know who confidered this 
 Queftion, and how long ago ; Niim emn oimjino Cvnfti- 
 tiitionem hnheat Manus, qua inaliorem aliam habere not^ 
 fotuit ? 
 
 The Ufes of this nfloyi[fiyr,ig hiflrument cannot be rec- 
 koned up ; a whole Book written by />, might be eafily 
 filled with an Enumeration of its Vjes. Anftotle fays 
 veil, They do ill who complain that Man is ixorfe dealt 
 v-ith than other Creatures, who arc born Avith natural 
 Weapons to defend themfelvcs, and otfend their Ene- 
 mies ; an Ha)id^ with Re af on to ufe it, abundantly 
 fupplies the Ufes of all thofe -natural IFeapcm ; Ws an 
 Horn, an Hoof, a Claw, a Tr./i??, and all ! Dr. Grevj fays 
 I'cry truly. Never zcas there made an Injlrnntent fo cu- 
 rious ! The fixteen feveral general Motiva^ of it are the 
 Elements of Oferatiot, as the Letters are of Speech ; how 
 infinitely to be diverfified ! What fhall v^c call this 
 but the Handy-'^ork of our Cod! 
 
 Galen having dcfcribed the Parts of the Fingers, and 
 their Motion, cries out, Conjidera hie mirabilern C R E^ 
 J To R IS Sapientiam! 
 
 * When I apply my Hand to any AElion which could 
 not be done without it, I have my Mind invited to 
 fuch a Thought upon ic ; Great God, I blefs thee for 
 arming me ivith fo curious and fo adapted an Jnflrument ! 
 May 1 never ungratefully put forth my Hand to an evil 
 ABion' 
 
 * Such a Thought often rolling in my Mind, and 
 ruling of my Hand, would be a better Token for Good 
 to me, than the moil promiiing Lir.es of any filly 
 Chircjnancy.' 
 
 Vvlnntary Motion fhonld not be left unconfidcred i 
 whereof Dr. C^nne obferves, the only Conception we 
 can form, is, that the Mi/td, like a skilful Mufician, 
 
 ft r ikes 
 
The Chriftim Philofopher. 279 
 
 ftrlkes on that Nerve which conveys Animal Spirits to 
 the Mufcle that is to be contraded, and adds a greater 
 force than the natural to the nervous Juice, whereby it 
 opens its pafl'age into the Veficles, of which the muf- 
 iular Fibres confiil ^ but this Adion of the^ Mind or 
 IVill on thefe Animal Spirits^ is altogether unaccountable 
 from the Laws of Motion. My Gcd, in thee I move ! 
 'The aftoniP)ing Power of fpontaneous Motion is what thou 
 haft given me ! Oh I may J never employ it in any AHs of 
 iiebel/ion againft Him that gave it. 
 
 Certainly Men may do well alfo to confider, whe- 
 ther the very Configurations of feveral Parts, may not 
 afford good and great Admonitions of Morality to 
 them. I need not explain my felf, when I offer an 
 Hint I have fome where met withal : Pender ^ O Man, 
 ivhat Parts of thy Body have Bridles of Nature upon them ! 
 
 Sorne Confideration is alfo due to the aftonifliing 
 Strength w ith which the Bones of Men have been fome- 
 times endued. The Strength for which a Samfon has 
 been fo famous, was indeed owing to a Pofleffion and 
 AfTiftance of a Spirit entring into him from above; 
 but the ordinary Strength of our Nerves, exerted in mo-- 
 ving and lifting, is truly admirable ; the Force of the 
 nervous Fluid I And the Ability of the little Fibres, to 
 fuflain what it puts them on ! And there are now and 
 then, fince the Days of Milo the Ox-carrier, Examples 
 of Stre/igth, which will yet more ftrongly call for our 
 growing Admiration ; it would fwell my Eflay fo big, 
 that it would require a Man of fuch Strength to carry 
 it, if on this and other Occ^fions I fhould infert all 
 that has occurred to our purpofe, in Valerius Ma\imus, 
 in C^lius Rhodiginus, in Zuinger, in Camerarius, in Hake- 
 ivell, in IVanly, and in other CoUedors ; however, a 
 touch or two may not be unacceptable. 
 
 The Tyrant Maximus would with his Hands draw 
 loadcn Carts and IVuins, break the Bones oi Hcrfcs, and 
 cleave Trees afunder. Marius, who of a Cmler became 
 an Emperor, could with his fourth Finger (lop a Cart 
 
 T.4 that 
 
^8o ^Ije Chriflian Philojopher. 
 
 that was drawn with Horfes, and force ic backwards ; 
 and a Filap oF his Finger (which they alfo report ol 
 ^ibe-rius) would knock a Man down hke a Blow of an 
 Hivnrner, One Salvius^ mentioned by Pimy, having an 
 hundred-roiiiids weight at his Feet^ and as many in his 
 Hands, with twice as much on his SbouldcrSy could go 
 up a pair of Stairs. George Caftriot with his malTy Set- 
 meter did amazing Executions, he cut the "Turks to 
 pieces, Barletius affirms, three thoufand of them with 
 his own Hands, and fcorn'd ever to throw away more 
 than uhe Biozj upon an Obje(5t ; he could cleave Helmet 
 and Harucfsy as if they wxre but Stra^v before him. 
 Cardan faw one dancing with two in his Arms, two 
 on his Shoulders, and one hanging about his Neck. 
 A Baron of Miyiddhewi would w ith his middle Finger 
 do things that furpafs Imagination -, he would fhove a 
 Cahntn where he plcafed ; he would break Hyfi-JIjoes 
 with his Hands hke Potflicrds ; (which is a Circum- 
 ftance they alfo relate of Pocova, a PoliJJj Gentleman.) 
 Little Venetianello would with his Hj^nds wreath great 
 Pins of Iron, as if they were foftned with the Fire, and 
 carry on his Shoulders an ered Beam of twenty foot 
 Icng and a foot thick, and fhift it without tjie ufe of 
 Hands from one Shoulder to another. A Provofl at 
 Mlfna would make nothing with his bare Hands to 
 fetch a Pipe of Wine out of a Cellar, and lay it on a 
 Cart. Mayclus affir^^s he faw a Man who took a Pillar 
 of Marble three foot long, and one foot in diameter, 
 which he caft up very high into the Air, and received 
 it again in his Arms, ai.d play'd with it as a little 
 Ball ; and another who would break a Cable as big as 
 ^ Man's Arm, as eafily as if it were a Thread o^ Twine. 
 Frcifard, a faithful Hiftorian, tells of a Man who would 
 make nothing to carry a great ylfs, v ith all his Lead, 
 ypon his Back. Tiie Stories we have of the mighty 
 Burdens carried by fome of our Cornifl) Men, related 
 by Mr. Carcw, and others, are truly wonderful, 
 
 Can 
 
^h Chriftian Philojofher. z8r, 
 
 Can we now do any other than fall down before the 
 glorious GOD, who has given fuch Strength to the 
 Children of Men, as if their Strength were the Strength 
 of StoneSy or their Flejh were Brafs ; (and yet, when God 
 pleafes, crujiyd before the Moth !) with the antient Ado- 
 ration, Lord God of Hofisy who is a flrong God like to 
 thee I 
 
 I conclude with the pathetical Words of an out- 
 landifh Dodor of Philofophy ; Deus^ fi totius Corporis 
 mei Membra njerterentur in LinguaSy Nominis tui magnifi^ 
 centiam enarrare mn poffem. 
 
 But in MAN, muft that have the laft Confidera- 
 tion, the State whereof, alas, is that which too com- 
 monly is the laji confidered ! The SOUL, which 
 has muftered the many "Thoughts wherewith our Chri^ 
 fiianPhilofopIm has fiird his Pages,muft now be thought 
 upon. But on ! How much is the father of Spirits to 
 be herewith acknowledged and glorified ! Even the 
 JPagan Orator fhall be our Monitory Jam vero Animum 
 ipfunty Mentemqtie HominiSy Rationeniy Conjiliuniy Pruden- 
 tiam, qui mn Divina Cura perfeBa effe perfpicity is his 
 ipfis Rebus mihi videtur carere. 
 
 "T\s high tiine for us now to take the S O U L of 
 Man into our Contemplation. The S O U L^ where- 
 of Juvenaly 
 
 Senfum a coelefli demijfum traximus arce^ 
 Cujus egent pro nay iX terrain fpecl(i7ttia.'^^. 
 
 The SOUL, whereof Claudiany 
 
 Hacfola manety bufioque fuperfles 
 
 Evolat. 
 
 And if our Philofophy terminate in 'Theology y the fur- 
 prizing Words of a Pagan Phyfician will be proper to 
 be introduced on the Occafion : O Galeny we Profef- 
 fo^s of Chriflianity will be thy furprized Hearers, while 
 
 thoq 
 
i8x The Chrijltan Philofopher. 
 
 thou fpcakeft at this rate to us : Si quis milli Seclx /li- 
 fiBus^ Jed libera fementia rerum Conftderationeyn inierit^ 
 confficatus in tanta Caniium & Succoyu?'/t colhiiie tantam 
 
 Mentem habitare^ {omnia cnim declarant Opificis Sapi- 
 
 entiamy) pofeEliffima T'heologia vcru?n primipium con- 
 
 (timet ; qua 'fheologia tmiho eft major atque praftantior to- 
 ta Medicim. [De ulu Part. lib. 17. c. i.] Wonderful 
 Words from a Pagan Phyfecian ! 
 
 The ftupendous Faculties of the Soul ! 
 
 The JVifdomy with which a Soul n^.ay perform 
 wonderful things. 'T'ls thclV{f dom that God puts into 
 the Heart of a Solomon. 
 
 The Performances of that reaching Philofophy, 
 which we have feen fagacious Minds endued withal, 
 they have been amazing ones ! 
 
 The Performances of the Politician^ h^ fometimcs 
 been as amazing as thofe of the Philofopher. 
 
 Men of a Great Soul^ what adonifhi ng things have 
 they arrived unto ! 
 
 And yet, I will venture to fay, the Love of G D 
 in the Soul, or a Principle of Grace infufedinto it, is a 
 Divine IVorkmanfiip, tliat is more nvhle than all its o- 
 ther Faculties, and will unfpcakably enobk them all. 
 
 I have read, in the Ajcctich^ of a Servant of God, a 
 ratrac;e of this Importance : ' I am not unable to write 
 
 * in feven Languages ; I fcafl: myfelf with the Sweets 
 
 * of all the Siiences, which the more polite part of 
 
 * Mankind ordinarily pretend unto, lam entertained 
 
 * with all kinds of Hiflovies^ anticnt and modern. I 
 
 * am no Stranger to the Curiojitie^, which by all forts 
 
 * of Learning arc brought to the Curious. Nevcr- 
 
 * thelcfs, it appears unto me more valuable than all of 
 
 * this, it appears more delegable, it is a thing ol- a 
 ^ fuperiour Cliaracter, with a true Spirit of Charity^ 
 
 * to relieve a poor, mean, mifcrablc Neighbour ; 
 
 * much more to do any extenfive Service for the Re- 
 ' drefs of thofe E'^idemical AH furies, under which Mm- 
 
 'kind 
 
^e Chrijiictn Philofofher. i8 J 
 
 ' kind in general is languifhing, and to advance the 
 * Kingdom of God in the World/ 
 
 Reason, what is it, but a Faculty formed by 
 God, in the Mind of Man, enabling him to difcern 
 certain Maxims of Truth, which God himfelf has efta-» 
 blifhed, and to make true Inferences from them ! In all 
 the Didates o( Reafon, there is the Voice of God. When- 
 ever any reafoyiable thing is offered, I have God fpeak- 
 ing to me. Behold a Method in which a Man, (who 
 will Jhew himfelf a Man, and hearken to Reafon) may 
 fill his Life with Aci^ of Obedience to G od 1 Whatever 
 I fee to be Reafon, I will comply with it, from this 
 Confideration, 'tis vjhat God calls me to ! Reafon 
 extends to Points of Morality, with as much Evidence 
 as to thofe of Mathematicks, 'Tis as evident, that 
 God, my Maker, is to be glorified ', and, that I am to 
 do as I would be done unto j as it is, tlmt three and four 
 makes [even ; or, that a Square is douhle to a Triangle, of 
 equal Bafe and Height. May the Fear of God for 
 ever preferve me from domg any thing, whereof I 
 may lay, it feems to me unreafonable. 
 
 The prodigious Learning, wherewith fome great 
 Literators have been enriched ! Ideas, like the Sands 
 on the Sea-jhore, for the vail 'variety of them ! There 
 have been Men of fo extenfive a Genius, that they 
 have been worthy to have a Celebration of their Ob- 
 Icquies, in as many Languages as were thofe of Pel" 
 reskius : A Colledion whereof, entitled Pangloffia, had 
 in it no fewer than forty Languages. 
 
 We fee fometimes a much richer Soul than that of 
 Tvfiatus ; of whom yet Bellarmine fays. 
 
 Hie Jlufcr eft mundi, qui fcibile difcutit omne. 
 
 What a Ciiarader could Vives give of his Budaus ? 
 Cafaubon reports of Jofph Scaliger, There is nothing that 
 any Man could defire to le.irn, but that he was able to 
 teach : He had read nothing, (and yet what had he not 
 
 read 
 
5184 ^^ Chrijiian Philojophcr. 
 
 read ?) lut ixihat he did readily remember. Stilmajius 
 gives a Report, little fhort of this, concerning Cafau- 
 bon. Voetius and Vofftus^ how do they celebrate the vaft 
 Erudition of our Vfljer ! Others will or may do as 
 inuch for theirs. JBjchart is rarely mentioned without 
 the Epithet of the incoinp arable. Grotius was no Utile 
 Man, SeJden was not much fmaller than he, both con- 
 cluding their Lives with Tcftmionics to the Preference 
 of real Pittjy before all their Skill in Languages and 
 Sciences. 
 
 My dear Witfui^, lately dead, mufl for ever U've in 
 the Catalogue (Jt wonderful Men ; and Mr. Baxter too ! 
 
 Ot' thefe two, and of fome others, what Ambera- 
 ihij^s writes of Zuingcy^ may be the confummate Elogy ; 
 Cujus magna juit Dochiuay fed e\igua, ft cum Pietate con- 
 fer atur. Such \N as he, of whom I am going to repeat 
 >vhat I have heretofore aflcrted ; had I Learning 
 enough to manage a Caufe of that nature, I fliould be 
 ready to maintain, that there never was known under 
 the Cope of Heaven a more learned Man than the in- 
 comparable A L STE D IUS i he has written on eve- 
 ry one of the Subjects in the whole Circle of Learning as 
 accurately and as exquifitely as thofe Men who have 
 fpent all their Lives in cultivating but any one oi the 
 Subje<5ts. The reafoii why many of his Compofures 
 arc no more efteemcd, is the PLonafin of their Worth, 
 and their dcferving fo much Efteem. To hear fome 
 lilly and tialliy Men, with a fcornful Sneer, talk as if 
 they had fufliciently done his Bufmefs, by a foolifli 
 Pun, of Ak's-tedious^ is to fee the ungrateful and ex- 
 alted Folly of the World ; for Concifenefs is one of his 
 peculiar Excellencies : they might more jufily call him 
 any thing than tedious. 
 
 The early Attainments and Atchievements of fome, 
 hiave been tl'iC juft Admiration of the World. Mr. 
 Bailiet has drawn up a curious Lift of illuftrivus Youths, 
 
 When 
 
The Chrifiian Philofopher. 285 
 
 When I fee fuch Men, and their IVorks, I muft for 
 ever look off^ and look up to the glorious God, and ac- 
 knowledge, Great God, thou art the Father of thefe 
 Lights ! T'hefe had nothing but what they received from 
 thee ! And ij fuch Perfections may be found in frail and 
 •weak Menj what. Oh ! what are the Excellencies of the in- 
 finite God, before whom all thefe Men are but as the Drop 
 of the Bucket, and the light Dufl of the Balance ! But 
 when I confider how far the finful Children of Men 
 may come to have the Chambers of their Sonls filled 
 with precious things, it leads me to think, IVhat is that 
 MAN, who is more than a meer MA N! "That MAN 
 who is I he Son of God ! God, the Heavens do praife thy 
 IVonder I BOOKS which have in them vaft A- 
 mazements of moft valuable Tteafures, cannot well be 
 laid out of our Hands without fuch Thoughts as 
 thefe. 
 
 But w^hat fhall W'e fay when we fee the vaft 
 Performances and Capacities of fome SOULS, from 
 which the want o( Bodily Senfes would have prohibited 
 all our Expedations of any thing that fhould be confi- 
 derable. Aly God, I know that thou canfl do every thing ; 
 all Souls are thine, and thou canfl make them do what thou 
 fleafeft ! 
 
 The Jews tell us of a Profeflbr in their Academy of 
 Sora, who was called Sagi Nahor, or Jofeph of great 
 Light ; he was blind, but it feems he had a Soul full of 
 Knowledge. 
 
 We have had eminent Preachers who were blind 
 Men, and educated for and ferviceable in the Evange- 
 lical Miniftry ; Mr. Cheefman of Eaft-garfton was one, 
 who loft his Eyes by the Small-Pox before he was four 
 Years old : thus Mr. Francis Tailor^ and Mr. Ho?ner 
 Jackfon. 
 
 But then that they fhould prove IVriters too, learn- 
 ed, acute, polite Writers! 
 
286 The Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 The Books of Mr. John Troughton are valuable 
 things ; his Lntheriis Redivivus could be writ by none 
 but a Seer, and an Eaglc-eyM one. 
 
 But if many blind Men have done learnedly, thou, 
 Mr. IVilliamJamefon, haft €>:celied them all! That mi- 
 raculous Man, a Profeflor of Hiftory in the famous 
 Univerfity of Glcjfgvu, tho blind from his Nativity, has 
 publifhed a variety of Books, and thefe in the Latin 
 as well as the EagHfl) Tongue, and full of Q^iotation, 
 full of Criticifm, full of accurate and exquifite Expla- 
 nations on the niceft Controverfies : when I read fuch 
 things, I cannot but fee, and fay, the Fmger cj God! 
 
 That one Faculty of the Soul, the M E M O R Y, 
 how amazing the Powers of it, how ftupendous the 
 Performances! The Account Seneca gives of himfelf, 
 
 if half of it be true ! Nayn CT duo miliia Nomimmi 
 
 recitatay quo ordine erant diBa, reddcbam. Ot his very 
 dear Companion, as he calls Latro Porcius, he affirms, 
 that he retained in his Mtmoj Jill the Declamations he 
 had ever fpoken, and never had his Memory failing 
 him fo much as in one fingle word. Pliny will give us 
 more Examples of what the Meiyjory of Man has done ; 
 a Cyrus, who could call all the Soldiers in his Army by 
 Name ; a Mithridatcs^ who could fpcak to tv.cnty-two 
 feveral Nations in their own Languages ; a Camcadcs^ 
 who Qua quis exegeiat in Volumina in Bibliothecis, Legen- 
 its modo reprefcntavit. Such v as the Memory of Dr. John 
 Rainolds, that he vas called a liviiig Library, and a 
 third Univerjiry. Lipfius had all Tthitus cxadly in his 
 Memory, and Suay.-z. had all Aufiin. Ho?ner's Finds 
 have thirty-one thoufand fix hundred and fcvcnty Ver- 
 fes, his Odyjjcs no lefs; and yet the younger Scaligcr 
 committed all Humei- to his Memory in one and twenty 
 Days The Memory of cur famous Jrxcl would per- 
 form Wonders, he \\ould readily and cxa(5tly repeat 
 any thinr he had wrirten, after once reading of it, and 
 would liuve done it :! the Auditors had been fliouting, 
 or fighting, and givjn him the greatcft Occasions ot 
 
 Con- 
 
^je Chriftian Philofopher. 287 
 
 Confufions , even Sccre;^ of barbarous Words, after 
 once reading, he won id repeat forwards and back- 
 wards, without hefitacion. Zuinger mentions many 
 ftrange Examples of a ftrong Memory, among which 
 that of Chrifiopher Longolius is very memorable ; fcarce 
 any Length of I'ime was able to diflodge any thing he 
 had once lodged in his Memory ! But then how unac- 
 countable the Inftances of a L/efa Memcria, reported 
 by Zuingevy and Foreftus^ and Schenkms, and others, 
 elpecially when an Apoplexy has left a Man Memory 
 enough to write Volumes, but unable to re.ui a Sylla- 
 ble ! The various Inclinations of the SOUL are a 
 moft admirably wife Provifion of our good God, that 
 the Bufinefs of the World may be all tranfaded, and 
 with Satisfadion : 
 
 Diverfis gaudet Nntura miniflris. 
 
 We find Homer fometlmes admiring this Variety ; 
 
 and Horace entertains us with a Sunt quos Curriculo, 
 
 which might have been extended to a Volume ; for as 
 one fays, ' there may be found a Sum quoi for every 
 ^ thing under the Sun. 
 
 Tho Solomon declares truly, that much Study is a 
 Wearinefs to the Fkjhy yet with what Affiduity do 
 many apply themfelves to it, and how deligntfully ! 
 There have been other hard Students befides Cato, of 
 whom Tully fays, Erat in eo inexhaufia aviditas legendi^ 
 nee fatiari poterat. 
 
 The Jevjs have done well to place this among their 
 Btracoth ; Deus facit ut unicuique fuum Opificium placeat. 
 The blejfed God is to be acknowledged in it. There 
 is an Inftance which Dr. Edwards has pitchM upon : 
 Would a Gentleman brought up a Scholar^ and one very 
 nice, neat, and curious, vifit iick Perfons whenever 
 they call him, and leave his own Bed that he may give 
 his Vifits to them in theirs, and enter into Rooms 
 ihat are filled with the moft ungrateful Steam and 
 
 Stench, 
 
l88 The Chrifiim Philofopher. 
 
 Stench, and all his Days converfe with Excrements, 
 continue (ituated inter Stercus ij Urinam ? One would 
 think this were a Degradation to the Vthet Cap and 
 Scarlet Robe ; to go in Silk and Plufli to the molt fqua- 
 lid and nafty Chambers, looks a little ft range ; to fuck 
 in the Air of a Room which the Breath ot the Difeafed 
 has infeded, for this to be done by Pcrfons of an ho- 
 nourable Charader, and for them to undergo patient- 
 ly and cheerfully more fervile things than what are 
 undergone in the bafeft and mod fervile Callings ! 
 
 But, 
 
 * BehoU, 1 hai'e created the S?nith, who blows the Coals 
 ' in the Fire ! {o faith our God : and he is to be fecn 
 
 * in the difpofition to projefs every hvnefl Tirade for ne- 
 
 * cejfary Ufes ! When I behold any Man cheerfully fol- 
 
 * lowing the Bufincfs of his Calling, I would upon the 
 
 * Invitation fay. Glorious God, it is well that thou haft fo 
 f difpofed the Mind of this my Neighbour /' 
 
 They who have written de Morbis Artificum, have 
 mentioned no Cafe more deplorable than this, for a 
 Man to be Jick of his Calling. 
 
 Our Great G O D is to be feen, confeflcd, adored, 
 in that admirable Variety of Matters which the Inven- 
 tion of Man has reach'd to ! And the admirable Saga- 
 city that profecutes them 1 When fuch in\entive Wits 
 as Helmont and PValUs have taught the Deaj and the 
 Dumb to read and fpeak, methoughts I have feen that 
 Sagacity notably exemplified. 
 
 ' Glorious GOD, my Soul with all pofTible Pro- 
 ftration before thee receives thy jaithjul Sayings^ 
 wherein thou haft inftruded me : Every good Gift 
 comes down from the Father of Lights ! And the lord 
 giveth IVifdom ! Not only of the jvur Children that 
 had it, but of all that have ever had any rhing of it, 
 it muft be own'd God gave them Knowledge and Skill 
 in all Learning and IVifdom : It a Baz^akel ha\e it, O 
 Spirit of God, thou art He who givcft him Knowledge 
 * in all manner of iVorkmanJlMp/ 
 
 But 
 
The Chrijiian Philofopher. iS^ 
 
 But then there is another thing wherein the Super- 
 intendence of the Glorious Creator and Governor oF 
 the World is moft coijfpicucus ; and that is, the Pro- 
 grefs which the In'vention of Man has made : things of 
 greater ufe were fconer invenccd, things of a Jejjer ufe 
 later ^ every thing in the T'tne wherein our Great God 
 has had his excellent Purpofcs to be ferved with it ; 
 things equally plain witn fuch as have been formerly 
 difcovered, and as much delired, have been lock'd up 
 from Human Underflanduifr, till tue God, in whoje 
 hand are our 'Times ^ is pleafed wifely to make them 
 underftood by the Children of Men. 'Tis not fronl 
 your fortuitous Concourfe of Atoms, ye foolifh Ej-itureans ! 
 Why mufl Printing be with-held from the Service of 
 Mankind till the Year 1430, when, the P.rfl-bcrn of 
 printed Books was by the Hand of Laurence Kvfer mid- 
 wifed into the World, and the Skill immediately im- 
 proved by Faufl and Scboeffer ? Why mud Mankind 
 have no lelefcopes till the Year 1609, when one whom 
 Syrturus would fufped almofl an Angel in the Shape of 
 a Dutchman, inflruded Lipperfein at Middleburgh tO 
 proceed upon them ? To mention a Sabjed; wiiich 
 my Chrijiian Philofopher has very much livM upon. What 
 is the Anatomy of Mundinus, if compared to our mo- 
 dern ? (tho Cardan, and other learned Men, have fo 
 much cried it up with their Elogies and Commen- 
 taries.) Baglivi fays truly, 'tis as far (loort of it as a 
 Flea is of an Elephant. We will pafs to another In- 
 ftance : The Rofnans had not fo much as a Sun-dial till 
 the fecond Ptinick War, and when they had one, they 
 had no more than that one, in the Forum, above an 
 hundred Years, tho Pliny fays it never went right in 
 all this time. Our King Alfred had no better fhifc 
 than this for meafuring his Hours, the burning of a 
 Candle, marked into twelve parts, for w^hich a Lanthom 
 was needful to fecure it from the Winds of the Win- 
 dows, for Glaz.ing was not yet in fadiion. Dr. Greii) 
 obferves, the hrft Conceit which tended to a Watch, 
 was a Draw-well', firft, People found the drawling of 
 
 U Water 
 
190 T^he Chrifihn Philojo^her. 
 
 Water with a Hund^ord and a Pitcher troublefome, fo 
 they thought of a Draught-wheel ; by and by they con- 
 cci\ed fuch a Movement appHcable to a Spit, if the 
 motion of the Weight could be made flow enough, this 
 was done by adding more JV/jtels and a F/ytr, whicli 
 made a J^ick : by and by Men began to fee, that if 
 the motion were yet ilow er, it would ferve to ineaftire 
 'Time alfo, then in (lead of a Flyer they pvt a Balance y 
 and thus made a Clock; this being fo ufeful, Men con- 
 iidcred how it mi^ht be made portable, by fomething 
 anfvserable to a IVeight, and fo inflead of that they 
 put the Spring and the Fufe-v:heel , which make a 
 IVatcb, Here is the Pedigree of the noble Engine. 
 But to what an adonifhing Perfection is Clock-work 
 
 - and JVatch-ivork now arrived ! W'c will hardly allow 
 a Gentleman of fuch Antiquity as Boethius to be the 
 Inventor of the Clock-work^ that hath been fo migh- 
 tily improved; no, Regiomontanm^xhou (halt have the 
 Honour of being the Inftrument employed by God 
 for the rare Invention, not more than between two 
 and three hundred Years ago. The curious Perfor- 
 mances of Clock-work cannot be related without our 
 finding a Surprize of Pleafure in the Relations ; how 
 many Motions produced ! How many Dejigm anfwcr'd! 
 The Gentleman who writes The Artificial Clcck-mArr, 
 has with his Calculations made pro\ ifion for a mar- 
 vellous variety of them. What Heylin in his Ccfntogya- 
 phy reports of the Clock at Liinden in Drnmark, what 
 Gaffarel in his unheard-uj Curio fities reports that he him- 
 felf/ro; in a Clock at Ligrn, and the Clock which every 
 day diverts the S^^cjtators at Kirlem, are notable In- 
 ftances among many others. The Rep eating-Clocks arc 
 now common on thoufands of Tables, bur how curious ! 
 At length Mr. H:n7ens has invented the way of apply- 
 ing Pcndulimii to JVatch-work. If GaliLto entertained 
 a Thought ot fuch a thin-:^, yet he never broui^ht it 
 to Pcrfedion. We mufb not let Mr. Huygens be r^bb'd 
 o^ his Claim, either by Becber, or the Academy Dc! 
 Cimento. The firfl that was made in Ei.gland wa'v in 
 
 the 
 
^rhe Chriftian Philofopher. 291 
 
 the Year 1662. The Ufes of thefe Pendulum-Watchei 
 cannot be fufficiently celebrated. 
 
 But ufeful indeed will be thefe Meafurcrs ofTimey if 
 they teach and help us to be the more wife Redeemers 
 of it. 
 
 It was thought, that he, who when Patents for Afo- 
 nofolies were granting in France, begg^'d for one to de^ 
 mand a Shilling from every Man who wore a IVatch^ hut 
 had no care how hefpent his Time^ ask'd for what would 
 have afforded a Revenue too rich for a Subject ! 
 
 If the Mathematicks, which have in the two lad 
 Centuries had fuch wonderful Improvements, do for 
 two hundred Years more improve in proportion to the 
 former, who can tell what Mankind may come to ! 
 We may believe, without having Seneca our Author 
 for it, Mult a venientis avi populus ignota nobis fciet. 
 
 The Union between the S O U L and the BO D Y 
 is altogethet inexplicable, the Sotd not having any Sur^ 
 face to touch the B'jdy^ and the Body not having any 
 Sentiment as the Soul The Unicn of the Soul and Body 
 does coniift, as Monfieur T'auvry expreffes it, in the 
 Conformity of our 'Thoughts to our Corporeal Adions ; 
 huty fays he, for the Explication of this Conformity ^ we 
 muft have recourfe to a fuperior Power. Truly, Sirs^ do 
 what you can^ you muft quickly come to that ! 
 
 Our nervous Parts are very fenfible. ObjeBs do af- 
 fed cur SenfeSy and make ImpreHions on them ; the 
 Senfes receiving fuch Impreffions, the Modifications of 
 the Or^^w^ produced by them terminate in the Brain; 
 if they do not fo, the Soul is unconcerned in them ; 
 but there is a Law given to the Soul by the glorious^ 
 God, who forms the Spirit of Man within him, that in theiif 
 doing fo there fball be fuch and fuch Thoughts produ- 
 ced in the Soul, 
 
 ' O my Soul, what a wondrous Bein^ art thou ! How 
 
 capable of aftonifhing Improvements I How worthy to 
 
 * be cultivated w ith the beft I?nprove?7jents I How wor- 
 
 * thy to have all pofliblc Endeavours ufed for thy Re- 
 
 * eovery from the Depravations v/hich thy Fa!i' fror^: God 
 
 U 2 ^te 
 
29i T^-^^ Chri[iian Philojopher. 
 
 * has brought upon thee ! How worthy to be kept with 
 
 * aU Diligence from every thing that will bring any 
 
 * more Wounds upon thcc 1 VVnat reafji is there that 
 thou fhouldft be Hilcd with me Love ot God, and 
 aded by the Faith of thy only Saviour ! And if the 
 Image of the j^lorious God, which has been impaired 
 by SatanitL l!r,prclIions on thee, be revived and re- 
 flored in thee, what marvellous, and e\en eternal 
 
 ' Felicities^ art thou fure o[ arriving to i' 
 
 But, O MAN, wilt thou ftop here, and know no- 
 thing ab'.ve thy felf? Among the ancient Jews there 
 was a fort of natural Philofophers^ \\ ho are by the Ral^ 
 Litis called ^^?0 *^IJ??'!', Sapientes Liquifitionry or Sa- 
 fieiues Scrutationis, trom their enquiring atter natural 
 Caufes ; perhaps our Apoftle may mean thcle, when he 
 fays, I Cor. I. 20. IVtjere is the Enquirer of this JVurld? 
 JiTome's Verfion favours it. Now of thcfe Gentlemen 
 it is reported, that they denied the Exifience oi fupe- 
 rior Intelligences ; our Chriflian PhiLfopher will not be 
 guilty of fuch a Stupidity. 
 
 We are now fearing into the in-vifille M^orldy a 
 
 World of imeiieclual Beings^ but inviliblc to fuch E)es 
 
 as ours. I do here in the hrfl: place mofl: religinully 
 
 affirm, that even viy Scnjjs have been convinced ot fuch 
 
 a World, by as clear, plain, full Procfs as ever any 
 
 Man's have had of what is mofc obvious in the/t;/////t' 
 
 World; Proofs wliich I am ready to orfer in the mod 
 
 convenient Seafon. But then, how ghious art thou, O 
 
 God, in thy innumerable Compuny rf the holy Angels^ and 
 
 . in thy Government over thofe afo that have made themfelvcs 
 
 ^ ivil tones [ All the Wonders we have hitherto feen in 
 
 XtliQ vi/ible Ceation, what are they, compared to thofe 
 
 •^ that are out of figiit, tiiofe that are found among the 
 
 yjngtls that excel in Powers, the Hofts of tiie inhnitc 
 
 *G O D, the Miniflers which dj His Pleafure ! 
 
 There is a ScaL' cj Nature, wherein we pafs regu- 
 larly and propordonably Irom a Stone to a Mm, the 
 Faculties of the Creatures in their varioui Ch{[fes grow- 
 ing ilil! brighter ai;d briglucr, and more capacious, 
 
 till 
 
T^he Chriflian Philofopher. 293 
 
 till we arrive to thofe noble ones which are found in 
 the Soul of M A N j and yet MAN is, as one w^ll 
 exprelTes it, hit the Equator of the Univerfe. 
 
 It is a juft View which Dr. Grew had of the World, 
 when he came to this Determination : ^ As there are 
 
 feveral Orders of animated Body before we come to 
 
 Intelie'ci^ fo it muil needs be that there are feveral 
 
 Orders of imbodied IntdieB before we come to fure 
 ' Mind: 
 
 It is likely that the Tranfition from Human to per- 
 fect M I N D is made by a gradual A/cent; there may- 
 be Angels whofe Faculties may be as much fuperior to 
 ottrs, as curs may be to thofe of a Snail or a Worm. 
 
 By and by we may arri\ e to Minds divefled of all 
 Body, excellent Minds, which may enjoy the Know- 
 ledge of Things by a more immediate Intuition, as well 
 as without any Inclination to any moral Evil. 
 
 The higheil: Perfection that any created Mind can 
 arife to, is that in the Sotil of our admirable Saviour, 
 which is indeed embodied; but it is the Soul of the 
 Man who is perfonally united to the SON of G O D. 
 
 Anon we fee an infinite G O D i but canft thou by 
 fearching find out G D ? Canft thou find out the Almighty 
 to PerfElion ? 
 
 It is a good Thought, and well expreffed of an ho- 
 ned Writer on the Knowledge of God from the Works of 
 Creation. ^ It is true there are fome Footfteps of a Deity . 
 ' in all the Works of Nature, but we fhould afcend 
 ' by thefe Fooifteps as by a Footftool to the God of the 
 
 * World, as Solomon by le\eral Steps afcended t9 his 
 
 * "Throne, and by the Scale of Nature afcend tof the ^ 
 *" God o£ Nature." t 
 
 This is what we fliall now, tho in a more fummary 
 z:ay, a little more diftindly proceed to. 
 
 No Dominion over the Creaiures can be more accepta-» 
 bly, more delightfully exercifed with me than this ; for 
 me to employ them as often as I pleafc in leading me to 
 GOD, and fo in ferving that which I propofe as the 
 chief END for which I live, and 7nove^ and have my 
 
 U 3 Bmg'^ 
 
294 ^^^ Chrifiian Philofo^her. 
 
 BtiiJg ; which is, to glorij) GOD, and acLfWulcdge Him, 
 yfJhcn the Creatures Avere brought to our P>ctoplaft, 
 to Jet what he would call //;t7«, he did not exercifc a more 
 delirablc Duininkn over them, in giving what Name he 
 plea.ed to each of them, than 1 fliall do in having 
 them all brought to me, that I may read the Name of 
 God, fo far as it is to be fcen in them, and be afTifted 
 in my Aiknowkdgmcnts of the Glorious-O N E. 
 
 ^. Hsar nr.vj the Condiijion of the Matter. To en- 
 Jcindle the Difiojttions and tiie Rtffolutiom of PIETY 
 in my Brethren, is the Intention of all my ESSAYS, 
 and mull be the Gondii ficn of them. 
 
 Arheifm is now for ever chafed and hifled cut of the 
 World, every thing in the World concurs to a Sen- 
 tence of Banijhment upon it. F/v, thou Monfte-r^ and l.ide^ 
 and let not the darkefl Recejfes of Africa itfelf he able to 
 cherijh thee i never dare to /hew thyfelf in a World where 
 every thing flands ready to overwhelm thee ! A BEING 
 that muft be fuperior to Matter^ even the Creator and 
 Governor of all Matter, is every where fo conlpicuous, 
 that there can be nothing more rmnftrous than tc deny 
 the God that is above. No Syftem of Atheijin has ever 
 yet been offered among the Children of Men, but \shat 
 may prefently be convinced of fuch Ineonfijlenees, that 
 a Man muft ridiculoufly believe nothing certain before 
 he can imagine them ; it mufl be a Syftem of "Things 
 which cannot /land together ! A Bundle of CcutradiEliLUs 
 to themfelves, and to all coynmon Senfc. I doubt it has 
 been an inconfiderate thing to pay fo much of a Compli- 
 ment to Atheijm, as to bellow folcmn Trcatifcs full of 
 ^earned Arguments for the Refutation of a delirious 
 •Threnz.y, which ought rather to be put out of coun- 
 tenance with the moft contemptuous Indignation. And I 
 fear fuch Writers as have been at the pains to put the 
 ObjeFlion^ of Atlhiffn into the mofl plaufible Terms, that 
 thev may have the honour of laying a Deidl when they 
 ^ave raifcd him^ have therein done too unadvifedly. 
 However, to fo much notice of the raving Athcijl we 
 may condefcend while wc go along, as to tell him, that 
 
 for 
 
l^e Chrifiian Philofopher. z^i 
 
 for a Man to qucllion the Being of a G O D, \vho re- 
 quires from us an Homage of Affetiion^ and IVonderment^ 
 and Obedience to Himfelf, and a perpetual Concern 
 for the Welfare of the Human Society^ fur which He 
 has in our Fmnation tv\6.tv\x\y fuited us, would be an 
 exalted Folly, which undergoes efpecially two Condem- 
 nations ; it is firll condemned by this, that every Part 
 of the Uni'verje is continually pouring in fomething for 
 the confuting of it ; there is not a Corner of the whole 
 World but what fupplies a Stone towards the Inflidion 
 of fuch a Death upon the Blafphemy as juflly belongs 
 to it : and it has alfo this condemning of it, that Men 
 would foon become Canihah to one another by embra- 
 cing it i Men being utterly deftitute of any Principle 
 to keep them honefl in the Dark, there would be no In- 
 tegrity left in the World, but they would be as the 
 Fifloes of the Sea to one another, and worfe than the creep- 
 ing Tubings, that ha've no Ruler over them. Indeed from 
 every thing in the World there is this Voice more au- 
 dible than the loudefl Thunder to us ; God hath fpoken, 
 and thefe two things ha've I heard I Firft, Believe and 
 adore a glorious GOD, who has made all thefe T'hingSy 
 and know thou that He will bring thee into Judgment ! 
 And then be careful to do nothing but what flo all be fjr the 
 Good of the Community which the glorious GOD has made 
 thee a Member of Were what God hath fpoken duly- 
 regarded, and were thefe two things duly complied 
 with, the World would be foon revived into a defi- 
 rable Garden cf God, and Mankind would be fetched 
 up into very comfortable Circumftances ; till then the 
 World continues in a wretched Condition, full of dole- 
 ful Creatures, with wild Beafts crying in its deflate Hou- 
 fes. Dragons in its mod pie df ant Palaces. And now de- 
 clare, O every thing that is reafvnable, declare and pro- 
 nounce upon it whether it be poffible that Maxims ab- 
 folutely neceffiiry to the Sub/iftence and Ha^finef of 
 Mankind, can be Faljities? There is no poilibility for 
 this, that Cheats and Lyes muft be fo nece^ary, that the 
 Ends which alone are worthy of a glorious GOD, can- 
 not be attained without having them impofed upon us ! 
 
 U 4 Having 
 
Zg6 T/;^ Chriflian Philofopher. 
 
 Having difpatcii'd the Atheift^ with oeltowing on 
 lijm nit many Thoughts, yet more than could be dcfcr- 
 \cd by fuch an IcUbt -y 1 \\\\\ proceed now to propofe 
 two geneiax Strokes of Piety^ which will appear to a 
 Chrifiian P/:ilofuphcr as unexceptionable as any Propofals 
 that ever were made to him. 
 
 Firfi, the Works of the glorious God exhibited to 
 our View, ^cis moft certain they do befpeak^ and they 
 fliould cy.cife our Acknovjledgments (f Hii Gloriei appear- 
 ing in them : the Great G O D is infinitely gratified 
 in beholding the Dilplays of His own infinite Fewer, 
 and IVifiUm^ and Goo(h?efs^ in the Works which He 
 has made ; but it is aUo a umH acceptable Gratifica- 
 tion to Him, wtei fuch of His \\ orks as are tJ;e ra- 
 tional Beholders o\ then^felves, and of the reft, fhall 
 with devout Minds ackhoiolijgc His Perfections, which 
 they fee fliin. ng there. Never aces one endued \Vith 
 Reafc}? do any thing more evidently reafonahle^ than 
 when iw makes e\'ery thing that occurs to him in the 
 vaft Fabric.: r-i the World, an Ihcemrje to f( me agree- 
 able Efforts and SalJeys of Religiot?. What can any 
 Man ii\ing cbjea •-.<Tain(l the Piety oi a Mind awaken'd 
 by the light of Goci :n His V\ orks, to fuch Thoughts 
 as thefe : Verily^ there is a ghrious GOD! Verily^ the 
 GOD vjho d- cs thefe thing- is "worthy to be feared, txcrthy 
 to be luved, worthy to be relnd en! Verily , all pojjible Obe- 
 dieme is due to fuch a GOD, and mcfl abominable^ mcjl 
 inescv fable is the IVidediuf cf tvV Rebellion agaiift Him / 
 A Mind kept under ihe ImpreiTIon of fuch Thoughts 
 as thefe, is an holy and a noble Mind, a "Temple of God, 
 a Temple filed with the Glcy vf God. There is nothing 
 but what will afford an Occaftvn tor tiic Thoughts j the 
 oftner a Man improves tlic Occaft\)n^ the more does he 
 glorify GOD, aiid anfwer the ihief End of Man ; and 
 why fhould he nvt ftek cccafton for it, by vifiting tor 
 this purpcfe the fcveral Clifics of the Creatures (for 
 Dfipulus in hac St Lola crit Pcripatcticu^) as he may have 
 opportunity for fo cenerous an Exercife ! But iince the 
 horrid Evil of all Sm is co be inferred Irom this ; it it 
 
7h Chrijiian Philofopher. 297 
 
 a Rebellion aga'wfl the Laves of the glorious G Dy who is 
 the Maker and the Ruler of ail Worlds j and it is a diflur- 
 bance of the good Order wherein the glorious Maker and 
 Ruler of all Things has fliced them all-, how much ought 
 a quickncd Horror of Sin to accompany this Contem- 
 plac'on, and produce this moft agreeable Refolution, 
 My God, I will for ever fear to offend thy glorious Majefty ! 
 Nor is this all the Improvement which we are to make 
 of what we fee in the Works of God; in our improving 
 of them, we are to accept of the Rebuke which they 
 give to our Prejumption^ in pretending to criticize up- 
 on the dark things which occur in the Dlfpenfations of 
 His Providence i there is not any one of all the Crea- 
 tures but what has thofe fine things in the Texture of it, 
 which have ne\ cr yet been reached by our Searches^ 
 and we are as much at a lofs about the Intent as about 
 the Texture of them ; as yet we know not what the 
 glorious God intends in His forming of thofe CreatureSy 
 nor what He has to do in them^ and with them ; He 
 therein proclaims this Expedation, Surely they will fear 
 me, and receive LiftvuBion. And the Point wherein we 
 ^re now intruded is this : ' What ! Shall I be fo vain 
 ' as to be dijfatisfied becaufe I do not underfiand what 
 
 * is done by the glorious G O D in the Works of His 
 
 * Providence !' O my Soul, haft thou not known, hafl thoic 
 not heard concerning the everlafting God, the Lord, the Cre- 
 ator of the Ends of the Earth, that there is no fearching of 
 His Under/landing ? 
 
 And then, fecondly, the C H R I S T of God muft 
 not be forgotten, who is the Lord of all. I am not ajha- 
 med of the Gofpel cf CHR I ST, of which I will ciffirm 
 conftantly, that it the Philofopher do not call it in, he 
 paganiz.os, and leaves the fineft and brightefl; Part of 
 his Work unfinijhed. Let Colerus perfuade us if he can, 
 that in the Time of John Frederick the Elector of Sax- 
 ony there was dug up a Stone, on which there was a 
 Rcprefentation of our cntcified Saviour; but I cannot 
 forbear faying, there is not a Stone any where which 
 would not look black upon me, x^dfpeak my Condem- 
 nation, 
 
a9o The Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 nation, if my Philofopby fhould be fo iJain as to make 
 me lay aflde my Tiioughts of my mthnuid Saviour. 
 Let Lambecius, it he pleafe, employ his Learning upon 
 the Name of our Saviour CHRIST, found in Let- 
 ters naturally engraven at the bottom of a large Agate^ 
 Cup^ which IS to be fecn among the Emperor's Curio- 
 fitics ; I have never drank in that Cup^ however I can 
 more eafily believe it than I can the Crutifixus ex Ra- 
 dice Cramhrei enatus, or the Lr.ago Viiginis cum Filicio 
 in Mimra Ferri exprejfa^ and feveral more fuch things, 
 which the Publifhers of the Gemian Ephamerides have 
 mingled with their better Entertainments : but I will 
 aflert, that a glorious CHRIST is more to be con- 
 fidered in the Works of Natrre than the Philofopher is 
 generally aware of; and my CHRISTIAN Philofophtr 
 has not fully done his Part, till He who is the F'nfi- 
 lorn of every Creature be come into Confideration with 
 him. Alfled mentions ? Siclus yud^o-Chrifiiamis, w hich 
 had on one fide the Name J E S U S, with the Face 
 of our Saviour, and on the other the Words that figni- 
 fy the King ALffiah comes rjith Peace, and God becomes a 
 Man \ and Leufden fays he had a couple of thcfe Coins 
 in his poflefTion. I have nothing to fay on the behalf 
 of the Zeal in thofe Chriflianiz^ed Jews, who probably 
 were the Authors of thcfe Coins, a Zeal that boil'd into 
 fo needlcfs an ExpreiTion of an Homage, that indeed 
 cannot be too much exprelled in the inflitutcd i:ays ot 
 it to a Redeemer, whofe Kingdom is not of this IVodd . 
 but this I will fay, all the Creatures in this World a)^ 
 fart of His Kingdom ', there are no Creatures but wiiar 
 arc His Medals, on every one of them the Name or 
 JESUS is to be f(^und infcribed. Celebrate, O 
 Dcinha'ver, thy Granatilia, the Pemviau Plant, on which 
 a (Irong Imagination finds a Rcprcfentation of the Jn^ 
 Jlrnmciits employed in the Sufferings of our Saviour, and 
 cfpecially the bloody Sijoeat of His Agonies; were the 
 Reprefentacion as really and lively made as has been 
 imagii-^«rd, I would fubfcribc to the Epigram upon it, 
 whigh concludes ; 
 
 Flas 
 
The Chriftim Philojopher. Z99 
 
 Flos hie it a forma vincit omnes FlofculoSy 
 Ut totui oftet ejfe SfeElator Oculus, 
 
 But I will, with the Exercife of the moft foUd Reafon^ j 
 by every part of the World, as well as the Vegetables ^ J 
 be led to my Saviour. 
 
 A View of the Creation is to be taken, with fuitable 
 Acknowledgments of the glorious CHRIST, in 
 whom the eternal Son of God has perfonally united Him- 
 felf to ONE of His Creatures^ and becomes on his 
 account' propitious to all the reft ; our Piety indeed will 
 not be Chriftianity if H E be left unthought upon. 
 
 This is H E, of whcni we are inftruded. Col, i. 
 1(5, 17. All things v)ere created by Him, and for Him; 
 and He is before ail things, and by Him all things conjift. 
 It is no contemptible Thought wherewith De Sabunde 
 has entertained us : Produciio Mundi a Deo facia de Ni- 
 lilo, arguit aliam froduBionem, fummam, cccultam, & 
 aternam in Deo, qua eft de fua propria Natura, in qua 
 poducitur Deus de Deo, & per quam oftenditur fumma 
 T'rinitas in Deo. And certainly he that as a Father 
 does produce a Son, but as an Artift only produce an 
 Houfe, has a Value for the Son which he has not for 
 the Houfe ', yea, we may ixy, if GOD had not firft, 
 and from Eternity, been a Father to our Saviour, He 
 would never have exerted Himfelf as an Artift in that 
 Fabricky which He has built by the Might of His Povjer, 
 and fir the Hcnour of His Majefty ! 
 
 The Great Sir Francis Bacon has a notable PafTage 
 in his Confefpon of Faith : I believe that God is fo holy, as 
 that it is impoffible for Him to be pleafed in any Creature^ 
 tho the Work of his oven Hands^ without beholding of the 
 
 fame in the Face of a Mediator ; without which it was 
 
 impoffible for Him to have defended to any Work of Crea- 
 tion, but He fhould have enjoyed the blejfed and individual 
 Society f three Perfons in the Godhead for ever ', but out of 
 His eternal and infinite Gcodnefs and Love purpoftng to be- 
 coir^e a Creature^ and communicate with His Creatures, He 
 
 ordained 
 
^OO ^e Chrijiian Philofopher. 
 
 ordained in His eternal Counfd that one Po'fon of tLe God- 
 head f)ould be united to one Nature^ and to one particular of 
 His Creatures J thatfo in the Perfun of the Alediator the true 
 Ladder inight be fixed, -thereby dd might defend to His 
 Creatures, and His Creatures afend to Him. 
 
 It \vas an high Fh'ght of Origen, who urges, tfiac 
 our High-Prieft's having tafted if Death, C^i^ rroLviG^y 
 FOR A L L, is to be extended even to the very 
 Stars, which would otherwife have been impure in the 
 fight of God ; and thus are A L L THINGS re- 
 ft ored to the Kingdom of the Father. Our Apoflle 
 Paul in a fanious Pallage to the Cckjfans [i. ip, 20.] 
 may feem highly to favour this Flight. One fays up- 
 on it, ' If this be fo, \nc need not break the Glades 
 
 * of Gahfjco, the Spots may be w afhed out of the Sun, 
 
 * and total Nature fan (ft i tied to God that made it.* 
 
 Yea, the focred Scriptures plainly and often invite 
 us to a Conception, which Dr. Good"j:in has chofen to 
 deliver in fuch Terms as thefe : ' The Son of Gcd per- 
 fonally and actually exifcing as the Son of God with 
 God, afore the World or any Creature was made. He 
 undertaking and covenanting with God to become 
 a A'lan, }'ea, that Man \\ hich He hath now taken up 
 into one Perfon with Hinifclf, as well for this End, 
 as for other Ends more glorious ; God did in the 
 Fore-knowledge of that, and in the Aflurance of that 
 Orjcnant of His, proceed to the creating of all things 
 which He hath m.ade ; and without the Intuition of 
 tli^, or having r/;/.v in His Eycf He would not have 
 made any thing which He hath made.' 
 O CHRISTIAN, lift up -now thine Eyes, and 
 look from the pl.ice ivhere thou art to all Points of the 
 Compaf^", and conccnm^ ivhattver thou frft, allow that 
 all thefe things were formed /or the Sake of that Glo- 
 rious-One, who is now God maniffl in the Fhfh ot our 
 JESUS; 'tis on His Account tl:at the eternal God- 
 head has the Bright in ail tiiefe things, which pre- 
 fervcs them in their Being, and grants them the Hclp^ 
 in the cbtain/n? whereof they continue to this day. 
 
The Chrifiian Philofopher. 301 
 
 But were they not all made by the Hand, as well as 
 for the Sake of that Glorious-O N E ? They were ve- 
 rily fo. my J ESUSy it ivas that Son of God who 
 now dwells in thee, in and by whom the Godhead eserted the 
 Power^ which could be exerted by none but an ail-powerful 
 GOD, in the creating of the World! He is that Word 
 of G O D by whom all things were made^ and without 
 whom was not any thing made that was made. 
 
 This is not all that we have to think upon; we fee 
 an incomparable Wifdom of G O D in His Creatures ; 
 one cannot but prelently infer, Whav an incomprehenji- 
 ble Wifdom then in the Methods and Affairs of that Redemp- 
 tion, whereof the glorious GOD has laid the Plan in our 
 JESUS! Things which the Angels dejire to look into, 
 I3ut, O e'vangeliTL.ed Mind, go on, mount up, foar high- 
 er, think at this rate ; the infinite Wifdcm which formed 
 all thefe things is peculiarly feated in the Son of God; He is 
 that reflexive Wifdom of the eternal Father, and that 
 Image of the invijible God, by who?n all things were created ; 
 in Him there is after a peculiar manner the original 
 Idea and Archetype of every thing that offers the infinite 
 Wifdom of God to our Admiration. Wherever we fee 
 the Wifdom of God admirably fhining before us, we are 
 invited to fuch a Tiiouc^ht as this; this Glory is original- 
 ly to be found in thee, our Immanuel! "Tis in Him tran- 
 fcendently. But then "'tis impoilible to flop without ad- 
 ding, Hoz'j glorious, how wundrcus, how lovely art thou, 
 O our Saviour ! 
 
 Nor may we lay afide a grateful Senfe of this, that as 
 the Son of God is the Upholder of all "Things in all Worlds ^ 
 thus, that it is owing to his potent Interceffion that the 
 Sin of Man has made no more havock on this our World. 
 This our World has been by the Sin of Man (o pervert- 
 ed from the true Ends of it, and rendred full of fuch 
 loathfome and hatctul Regions, and fuch Scekrata Ca^ 
 ftra, that the Revenges of God would have long (ince 
 rendred it as a fiery Oven, if cur blelTed JESUS had 
 not interceded for 't : 7ny Saviour, what would have be- 
 come of me, and of all that comforts nie^ if thy Interpofiticn 
 bad not preferved us ! Wc 
 
^Oi T^e Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 We will add one thing more : Tho the one G O t) 
 in His three Subfijiences be the Governor as well as the 
 Creator of the World, and ib the Son of God ever had 
 what we call the natural Govern7nent of the World, yet 
 upon the Fall of Mankind there is a medatory Kin7dim 
 that becomes expedient, that fo guilty Man, and that 
 which was lofi, may be brought to God ; and the lin- 
 gular Honour of this mediatory Kingdom is more im?}te' 
 diately and mod agreeably aflign'd to the Son of God, who 
 aflumes the Man JESUS into His own Perfon, and 
 has all Power in Heaven and Earth given to Him i all 
 things are now commanded and ordered by the Son of 
 God in the Man upon the Throne, and this to the Glory of 
 the Father, by whom the mediatory Kingdc?n is ereded, 
 and fo conferred. This peculiar Kingdom thus managed 
 by the Son of God in our JESUS, will ccafe when the 
 illuftrious Ends of it are all accomplifhcd, and then the 
 Son of God no longer having iuch a diftincl Kii:gdcm of 
 His own, fhall return to thofe eternal Circumftances, 
 wherein He fhall reign with the Father and the Holy 
 Spirit, one God, blefled for ever. In the mean time, 
 what Creatures can we behold without being obliged 
 to fome fuch Doxology as this ; Sen of God, incarnate 
 and enthroned in my JESUS, this is part (f thy Do7ni- 
 nion ! What a great King art thou, and what a Name hafi 
 thou above every Name, and hovj vaflly extended is thy Do- 
 minion I Dominion and Fear is with thee, and there is no 
 Number of thine Armies ! AH the Inhabitants of the Earth, 
 and their mcfi puiffant Emperors, are to be reputed as no- 
 thing before thee ! 
 
 But then at laft I am lofing myfelf in fuch Thoughts 
 as thefe ; IVho can tell what Ufes our Saviour will put 
 all thefe Creatures to at the Rcjtituticn of all things, when 
 He comes to rcfcue them from the Vanity which as yer 
 captivates them and incumbers them ; and His raifcd 
 People in the new Heavens will make their Vidts to a 
 new Earth, which they fhall find Hourifhincx in Paradi- 
 faick Re<^ularitie^ ? Lord, what thou meanefl in them, I 
 knew not new, lut I fialJ khow hereafter 1 I go on, IVI^ 
 
^e Chriflian Philofopher. 305 
 
 can tell how fweetly our Saviour may feafi His chojen 
 People in the Future State^ with Exhibitions of all thefe 
 Creatures^ in their various Natures^ and their curious 
 Beauties to them ? Lord^ I hope for an eternally progreffeve 
 Kmvjfhdge^ from the Lamb of God fuaejji'vely leading me to 
 the Fountains of it ! 
 
 I recover out of my more conjeElural P regno flicationSy 
 with refolving what may at prefent yield to a ferious 
 Mind a Satisfa^in, to which this World knows none 
 fuperior : When in a way of occajional Reflexion I em- 
 ploy the Creatures as my Teachers, I will by the Truths 
 wherein, thofe ready Monitors inftrud me, be led to my 
 glorious JESUS; I will confider the Truths as they 
 are in JESUS, and count my Afceticks deficient, till 
 I have feme Thoughts of H I M and of His Glories 
 awakened in me. To conclude, It is a good PafTage 
 which a little Trcatife entitled, Theologia Ruris, or. 
 The Book of Nature, breaks off withal, and I might 
 make it my Concluiion : ' If we mind Heaven whilft 
 ' we live here upon Earth, this Earth will ferve to con- 
 ^ dud us to Heaven, thro the Merits and Mediation 
 ^ of the Sen of God, who was made the Son cf Man, and 
 ^ came thence on purpofe into this lower World to 
 * convey us up thither.' 
 
 I will finifh with a Speculation, which my moft va- 
 luable Dr. Cheyne has a little more largely profecuted 
 and cultivated. 
 
 All intelligent compound Beings have their whole En- 
 tertainment in thefe three Principles, the DESIRE, 
 the O B J E CT, and the SENSATION ariimg 
 from the C ngruiry between them ; this Analogs is pre- 
 ferved full and clear thro the Spiritual IVurld, yea, and 
 thro the material alfo ; f ) univeyfal and perpetual an 
 Analogy can arife from nothing but its Pattern and Ar- 
 chetype in the infinite God or Makf^r ; and could we 
 carry it un to tlie Source of it, we fhould hiid the 
 TRINITY of Perf ns in the ccernal GODHEAD 
 admirably exhibited to us In the G O D H E /V D 
 we may firft appreliend a Dijire^ an infinitely active, 
 
 ardent. 
 
304 ^^ Chrifiian Philofopher. 
 
 ardent, powerful T^hought, propoHng oi' Sa.ifMion; let 
 this reprefent GOD the F A 1^ H E R : but it is not 
 poflible for any Object but God Himfelf tofatj^fy Him- 
 feljf, and fill His Dcftre of Happincfs; therefore H E 
 Himfelf refteBed in upon Himfclf, and contemplating 
 His own infinite Perfedions, even the Brightnefs of Hn 
 Glory, and the e>:pYefs Image of His Pevfon^ muft anfwer 
 this glorious Intention ; and this may reprefent to us 
 GOD the SON. Upon this Contemplation, wherein 
 GOD Himfelf does behold, and poiiefs and enjoy 
 Himfelf, there cannot but arifc a Lo've^ a Joy, an Ac- 
 quiefceme of God Himfclf within Himfelf, and worthy 
 of a God ; this may fliadow out to us the third and 
 the lafl: of the Principles in this myfterious "TernaYy, that 
 is to fay, the Holy SPIRIT. Tho thefe three Kdations 
 of the Godhead in itfelf, when derived analogically 
 down to Creatures, may appear but Modificatiom of a 
 real Suhfiftencc, yet in the fupreme Infinitude of the 
 Divine Nature, they muft be infinitely real and ll'-jiiig 
 Principles. Thofe which are but Relations, when tranf- 
 ferred to created Beings, are glorious Relati^^jes in the in- 
 finite God. And in this View of the Holy Trinity, 
 low as it is, it is impofTible the SON Hiould be with- 
 out the FATHER, or the FATHER without the 
 SON, or botli without the H( ly SPIRIT ; it is im- 
 polTible the S O N fhould not be ncccifarily and eter- 
 nally begotten of the FATHER, or that the Holy 
 SPIRII fliould not necclVarily and eternally proceed 
 both from Him and from the SON. Thus from what 
 occurs throughout the whole Creation, Rcafon torms 
 an imperfeft Idea of this incomprehenfible Myftery. 
 
 But it is time to ft op here, and indeed how can w ' 
 go any further ! 
 
 FINIS. 
 
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