The wisdom and goodness of God in the formation of man : Being an anniversary sermon preached before the Royal College of Physicians, London, in the Church of St. Mary Le-Bow, on September 21st, 1751. According to the institution of Dr. Croun, and his widow the Lady Sadlier / By Stephen Hales.

  • Hales, Stephen, 1677-1761.
Date:
1751
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The wisdom and goodness of God in the formation of man : Being an anniversary sermon preached before the Royal College of Physicians, London, in the Church of St. Mary Le-Bow, on September 21st, 1751. According to the institution of Dr. Croun, and his widow the Lady Sadlier / By Stephen Hales. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    [.10 ] Fabrick is too curioufly wrought, and too delicate to be redified, when out of Order, by every ignorant Pretender. Now all this admirable Structure can be no lefe than the Work of an infinitely wife and powerful Being, as is evident, in innumerable Inftances, in which, the Wifdorn and Power of the Diyine Architect appears. The Signatures of whofe Hand are feen in every Part of that fmall Proportion of them that we can difeoyer and obferve* in companion of what we are ignorant of. 'Tis indeed all wonderful, whether we confider the Quality of the Maker, or the Excellence of the Work ; for in order to form Man, the infinite Diftance from nothing to Exiftence, muft be furpaffed. And with what Wifdorn muff formlefe Matter be wrought into fuch a vaft Variety of curious Organs, that the Soul may move the feveral Parts of the Body at its Pleafure. r ; When we take a View of the Workmanfhip we find k moft wonderful, we fee Matter moil curioufly wrought into an in¬ numerable Variety of Shapes, and fitted to make, a convenient Habitation for the Soul, and intimately united to an intelligent Being; which has Power of Reflection upon its own Operations*, and is confcious not only of what is prefent, but can recolleCt what is paffed, and fometimes penetrate into FuturityWhich thinks and reafons about an infinite Number of Things, and at¬ tains to the Knowledge of the moft difficult Arts and Sciences* which is endowed with right Notions of Truth and Error, Tight arid wrong ; and is capable of obferving Laws, and of knowing and contemplating the fupreme, eternal, and infinitely perfect Being. And the Union between thefe fo vaftly differing Things, is fo very intimate, that a Thought in the Soul produces Motion in the Body; and the Motions of the Body produce Senfation and Thoughts in the Soul. An Intellect fo penetrating as This, cannot be the ProduCl of mere Chance, and fiuggifli Matter. Thus fearfully and wonderfully are we made. Thus great, thus good to us, is our Creator. God, who has thus curioufly wrought our Wonderful Frame out ofi.the.Duft, knowing how prone we are to diforder it, by Irregularities* of his. tender fatherly Care for us* has, not only