2/14/2023 0 Comments Articles of faith![]() Next to the Praise due, to 9 his Wisdom, I believe he is pleased and delights in the Happiness of those he has created and since without Virtue Man * can have no Happiness in this World, I firmly believe he delights to see me Virtuous, because he is pleas’d when he sees me Happy.Īnd since he has created many Things which seem purely design’d for the Delight of Man, I believe he is not offended when he sees his Children solace themselves in any manner of pleasant Exercises and innocent Delights, and I think no Pleasure innocent that is to Man hurtful. I conceive for many Reasons that he is a good Being, and as I should be happy to have so wise, good and powerful a Being my Friend, let me consider in what Manner I shall make myself most acceptable to him. It is that particular wise and good God, who is the Author and Owner of our System, that I propose for the Object of my Praise and Adoration.įor I conceive that he has in himself some of those Passions he has planted in us, and that, since he has given us Reason whereby we are capable of observing his Wisdom in the Creation, he is not above caring for us, being pleas’d with our Praise, and offended when we slight Him, or neglect his Glory. Howbeit, I conceive that each of these is exceeding wise, and good, and very powerful and that Each has made for himself, one glorious Sun, attended with a beautiful and admirable System of Planets. ![]() It may be that these created Gods, are immortal, or it may be that after many Ages, they are changed, and Others supply their Places. ![]() As among Men, the Praise of the Ignorant or of Children, is not regarded by the ingenious Painter or Architect, who is rather honour’d and pleas’d with the Approbation of Wise men and Artists. I CONCEIVE then, that the Infinite has created many Beings or Gods, vastly superior to Man, who can better conceive his Perfections than we, and return him a more rational and glorious Praise. Therefore I think it seems required of me, and my Duty, as a Man, to pay Divine Regards to Something. More especially, since it is impossible for me to have any positive clear Idea of that which is infinite and incomprehensible, I cannot conceive otherwise, than that He, the Infinite Father, expects or requires no Worship or Praise from us, but that he is even INFINITELY ABOVE IT.īut since there is in all Men something like a natural Principle which enclines them to Devotion or the Worship of some unseen Power Īnd since Men are endued with Reason superior to all other Animals that we are in our World acquainted with When I think thus, I imagine it great Vanity in me to suppose, that the Supremely Perfect, does in the least regard such an inconsiderable Nothing as Man. I Believe there is one Supreme most perfect Being, Author and Father of the Gods themselves.įor I believe that Man is not the most perfect Being but One, rather that as there are many Degrees of Beings his Inferiors, so there are many Degrees of Beings superior to him.Īlso, when I stretch my Imagination thro’ and beyond our System of Planets, beyond the visible fix’d Stars themselves, into that Space that is every Way infinite, and conceive it fill’d with Suns like ours, each with a Chorus of Worlds for ever moving round him, then this little Ball on which we move, seems, even in my narrow Imagination, to be almost Nothing, and my self less than nothing, and of no sort of Consequence. Thro’ all her Works), He must delight in VirtueĪnd that which he delights in must be Happy. (And that there is, all Nature cries aloud, Here will I hold-If there is a Pow’r above us
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