P R E F A C E.
the Supreme Being of the Univerfe, that is the mere Produecion of his Mlind,
Ithink
what is lafi produced by him ought to he accounted the mni/ perfjf ; for
which Reafon
I have o/kered and dedicated to G 0 D    the la<  Work of this Kind
that
I intend
to peiform.
I dldicatc this Picce to G O D), in bunible Gratitude for all the good Things
I have
rccivcdfc-m him in tb ;S14'or/d, and not becau/e I imagin7e G 0 D  expefs
Sacrifcei
or Ojfrings of' any Kind from   Men.   It feems plain to my ReaJon, that
G 0 D
wants no Scrvicejrom us, thov,,h 0u1z     /1o has eflablzjhed Forms by which
Men
Jhew their Oblg ation an1d Gratitude to God. MSen that have a Se7r of Gratitude
to-
wards G 0 D, will be alwaYs de/irous tofjew Jome outward Signs o1 that Gratitude,
which can be done by no Sort cf OJerings, but of Jich good Things as they
havefirfl re-
ceived of G 0 D.    If we compare oufilves, as Atoms of Imperf'c~ion, with
the All-
powerful Beinm, it ill he im;jtble ubt that our Aaions, with re/pHe to him,
mnull be
full of incoiJ fent Ahbfurdities; and 'tis certain G O D  can want of us
neither Ofer-
ing, nor any formal 11For/hip, or verbal Prayer; but Nature and Reajfn teach
us,
whenjoever wze become  ofljle of the Obligations ,zleftand in towards him,
from a Con?7-
dleration cf his A41lighty Tower and great GoodneJs to us, in bringing us
forth from
the dark cheaos fif Obfcuzritv and Coy/u ion, into Life, Light, and rational
Underjland-
ing, and nai7ng uts the Firft, and Lords oj'all other created Bcings which
plentjiily cover
the Jace of this terr eoiial Globe, that our Minds ihould be filled  with
Gratitude,
PraiP, Thai. ksgivilig, and the loweli flumiliation and Adoration; and the
great Good-
ncfis Yf G  ) D  UIr wards uts all, flould, I think, naturally teach us,
that as a Portioil
0f his Love is di/penccd to each Individual, we ought to he kind, benevolent
and qffeai-
cnate to onie ;aothr ; jon 2fireiy it is Mlan's Duty to love whom God loves.
I trpe no one wvill be o/  ofnded at what I have faid above, for as this
is a Natural
IIifory, I d       flined J-irily to dedicate it to the great G 0 D  of Nature,
luch as I
think all A/en of' d/ieCrnment.-may dj2'over him to be by the mere Light
of their o/wn
Mindnas, fG1r whiceb Rcalafn I have not called Revelatiol in to my Aid and
4{J,'ianxce;
though no one is more read) tban myfeIf to incorporate natural Reitgion with
Re-
-zelation, Jo far as they may be found to con/ij with one another ; and I
   think
n; any of our be/9 TheologJls have reconciled them fo well together, as to
make theut
alfi one and the fJme Thing.   For my own Part, I have always form'd my Pracice
after fuich Dosrines in Revelation, as appear'd to my Underfanding, agreeable
to Nature,
Reafcn, and the common Sen?/e and Meaning of Mankind; and I believe there
are hut
few that wi.l gave an implicit AJyent to any Thing that appears to them conrary
to Na-
tare, Reafon, andCGommon Senle.
Tie