lecture20-第3章

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character　of　Nature　as　to　expound　her　operations　as　he　did　in　his



work　on　the　uses　of　natural　things？　　This；　for　example；　is　the



account　he　gives　of　the　sun　and　its　utility：







〃We　see　that　God　has　created　the　sun　to　keep　the　changeable



conditions　on　the　earth　in　such　an　order　that　living　creatures；



men　and　beasts；　may　inhabit　its　surface。　　Since　men　are　the　most



reasonable　of　creatures；　and　able　to　infer　God's　invisible　being



from　the　contemplation　of　the　world；　the　sun　in　so　far　forth



contributes　to　the　primary　purpose　of　creation：　　without　it　the



race　of　man　could　not　be　preserved　or　continued。　。　。　。　The　sun



makes　daylight；　not　only　on　our　earth；　but　also　on　the　other



planets；　and　daylight　is　of　the　utmost　utility　to　us；　for　by　its



means　we　can　commodiously　carry　on　those　occupations　which　in　the



night…time　would　either　be　quite　impossible。　　Or　at　any　rate



impossible　without　our　going　to　the　expense　of　artificial　light。　



The　beasts　of　the　field　can　find　food　by　day　which　they　would　not



be　able　to　find　at　night。　　Moreover　we　owe　it　to　the　sunlight



that　we　are　able　to　see　everything　that　is　on　the　earth's



surface；　not　only　near　by；　but　also　at　a　distance；　and　to



recognize　both　near　and　far　things　according　to　their　species；



which　again　is　of　manifold　use　to　us　not　only　in　the　business



necessary　to　human　life；　and　when　we　are　traveling；　but　also　for



the　scientific　knowledge　of　Nature；　which　knowledge　for　the　most



part　depends　on　observations　made　with　the　help　of　sight；　and



without　the　sunshine；　would　have　been　impossible。　　If　any　one



would　rightly　impress　on　his　mind　the　great　advantages　which　he



derives　from　the　sun；　let　him　imagine　himself　living　through　only



one　month；　and　see　how　it　would　be　with　all　his　undertakings；　if



it　were　not　day　but　night。　　He　would　then　be　sufficiently



convinced　out　of　his　own　experience；　especially　if　he　had　much



work　to　carry　on　in　the　street　or　in　the　fields。　。　。　。　From　the



sun　we　learn　to　recognize　when　it　is　midday；　and　by　knowing　this



point　of　time　exactly；　we　can　set　our　clocks　right；　on　which



account　astronomy　owes　much　to　the　sun。　。　。　。　By　help　of　the　sun



one　can　find　the　meridian。　。　。　。　But　the　meridian　is　the　basis



of　our　sun…dials；　and　generally　speaking；　we　should　have　no



sun…dials　if　we　had　no　sun。〃　Vernunftige　Gedanken　von　den



Absichter　der　naturlichen　Dinge；　1782。　pp。74…84。







Or　read　the　account　of　God's　beneficence　in　the　institution　of



〃the　great　variety　throughout　the　world　of　men's　faces；　voices；



and　hand…writing；〃　given　in　Derham's　Physico…theology；　a　book



that　had　much　vogue　in　the　eighteenth　century。　　〃Had　Man's　body；〃



says　Dr。　Derham；　〃been　made　according　to　any　of　the　Atheistical



Schemes；　or　any　other　Method　than　that　of　the　infinite　Lord　of



the　World；　this　wise　Variety　would　never　have　been：　　but　Men's



Faces　would　have　been　cast　in　the　same；　or　not　a　very　different



Mould；　their　Organs　of　Speech　would　have　sounded　the　same　or　not



so　great　a　Variety　of　Notes；　and　the　same　Structure　of　Muscles



and　Nerves　would　have　given　the　Hand　the　same　Direction　in



Writing。　　And　in　this　Case　what　Confusion；　what　Disturbance；　what



Mischiefs　would　the　world　eternally　have　lain　under！　　No　Security



could　have　been　to　our　persons；　no　Certainty；　no　Enjoyment　of　our



Possessions；　no　Justice　between　Man　and　Man；　no　Distinction



between　Good　and　Bad；　between　Friends　and　Foes；　between　Father



and　Child；　Husband　and　Wife；　Male　or　Female；　but　all　would　have



been　turned　topsy…turvy；　by　being　exposed　to　the　Malice　of　the



Envious　and　ill…Natured；　to　the　Fraud　and　Violence　of　Knaves　and



Robbers；　to　the　Forgeries　of　the　crafty　Cheat；　to　the　Lusts　of



the　Effeminate　and　Debauched；　and　what　not！　　Our　Courts　of



Justice　can　abundantly　testify　the　dire　Effects　of　Mistaking



Men's　Faces；　of　counterfeiting　their　Hands；　and　forging　Writings。







But　now　as　the　infinitely　wise　Creator　and　Ruler　hath　ordered　the



Matter；　every　man's　Face　can　distinguish　him　in　the　Light；　and



his　Voice　in　the　Dark；　his　Hand…writing　can　speak　for　him　though



absent；　and　be　his　Witness；　and　secure　his　Contracts　in　future



Generations。　　A　manifest　as　well　as　admirable　Indication　of　the



divine　Superintendence　and　Management。〃







A　God　so　careful　as　to　make　provision　even　for　the　unmistakable



signing　of　bank　checks　and　deeds　was　a　deity　truly　after　the



heart　of　eighteenth　century　Anglicanism。







I　subjoin；　omitting　the　capitals；　Derham's　〃Vindication　of　God　by



the　Institution　of　Hills　and　Valleys；〃　and　Wolff's　altogether



culinary　account　of　the　institution　of　Water：







〃The　uses；〃　says　Wolff；　〃which　water　serves　in　human　life　are



plain　to　see　and　need　not　be　described　at　length。　　Water　is　a



universal　drink　of　man　and　beasts。　　Even　though　men　have　made



themselves　drinks　that　are　artificial；　they　could　not　do　this



without　water。　　Beer　is　brewed　of　water　and　malt；　and　it　is　the



water　in　it　which　quenches　thirst。　　Wine　is　prepared　from　grapes；



which　could　never　have　grown　without　the　help　of　water；　and　the



same　is　true　of　those　drinks　which　in　England　and　other　places



they　produce　from　fruit。　。　。　。　Therefore　since　God　so　planned　the



world　that　men　and　beasts　should　live　upon　it　and　find　there



everything　required　for　their　necessity　and　convenience；　he　also



made　water　as　one　means　whereby　to　make　the　earth　into　so



excellent　a　dwelling。　　And　this　is　all　the　more　manifest　when　we



consider　the　advantages　which　we　obtain　from　this　same　water　for



the　cleaning　of　our　household　utensils；　of　our　clothing；　and　of



other　matters。　。　。　。　When　one　goes　into　a　grinding…mill　one　sees



that　the　grindstone　must　always　be　kept　wet　and　then　one　will　get



a　still　greater　idea　of　the　use　of　water。〃







Of　the　hills　and　valleys；　Derham；　after　praising　their　beauty；



discourses　as　follows：　　〃Some　constitutions　are　indeed　of　so



happy　a　strength；　and　so　confirmed　an　health；　as　to　be



indifferent　to　almost　any　place　or　temperature　of　the　air。　　But



then　others　are　so　weakly　and　feeble；　as　not　to　be　able　to　bear



one；　but　can　live　comfortably　in　another　place。　　With　some　the



more　subtle　and　finer　air　of　the　hills　doth　best　agree；　who　are



languishing　and　dying　in　the　feculent　and　grosser　air　of　great



towns；　or　even　the　warmer　and　vaporous　air　of　the　valleys　and



waters。　　But　contrariwise；　others　languish　on　the　hills；　and　grow



lusty　and　strong　in　the　warmer　air　of　the　valleys。







〃So　that　this　opportunity　of　shifting　our　abode　from　the　hills　to



the　vales；　is　an　admirable　easement；　refreshment；　and　great



benefit　to　the　valetudinarian；　feeble　part　of　mankind；　affording



those　an　easy　and　comfortable　life；　who　would　otherwise　live



miserably；　languish；　and　pine　away。







〃To　this　salutary　conformation　of　the　earth　we　may　add　another



great　convenience　of　the　hills；　and　that　is　affording　commodious



places　for　habitation；　serving　（as　an　eminent　author　wordeth　it）



as　screens　to　keep　off　the　cold　and　nipping　blasts　of　the



northern　and　easterly　winds；　and　reflecting　the　benign　and



cherishing　sunbeams　and　so　rendering　our　habitations　both　more



comfortable　and　more　cheerly　in　winter。







〃Lastly；　it　is　to　the　hills　that　the　fountains　owe　their　rise　and



the　rivers　their　conveyance；　and　consequently　those　vast　masses



and　lofty　piles　are　not；　as　they　are　charged　such　rude　and



useless　excrescences　of　our　ill…formed　globe；　but　the　admirable



tools　of　nature；　contrived　and　ordered　by　the　infinite　Creator；



to　do　one　of　its　most　useful　works。　　F