An Antidote Against Atheism/Book II/Chapter III
Chap. III.
1. That there is nothing in Nature but what passes the approbation of a Knowing Principle. 2. The great Usefulness of Hills and Mountains. 3. The Condition of Man in order and respect to the rest of the Creation. 4. The designed Usefulness of Quarries of Stone, Timber-Wood, Metalls and Mineralls. 5. How upon these depend the glory and magnificence both of Peace and Warre: 6. As also the defence of Men against Beafts.
1. Let us therefore swiftly course over the Valleys and Mountains, found the depth of the Sea, range the Woods and Forrests, dig into the Entrails of the Earth, and let the Atheist tell me which of all these places are silent, and say nothing of a God. Those that are most dumb will at least compromise with the rest, that all things are by the guidance and determination, (let the Matter move as it will) or at least by the allowance and approbation, of a Knowing Principle. As a Mason that makes a wall, sometimes meets with a stone that wants no cutting, and so only approving of it, he places it in his work: and a piece of Timber may happen to be crack'd in the very place where the Carpenter would cleave it, and he need not close it first, that he may cleave it asunder afterwards. Wherefore if the mere Motion of the Matter can doe any rude general thing of good consequence, let it stand as allowable: But we shall find out also those things which do so manifestly favour of Design and Counsel,that we cannot naturally withhold our assent, but must say There is a God.
2. And now let us betake our selves to the search, and see if all things be not so as our Reason would desire them. And to begin at the Top first, even those rudely-scattered Mountains, that seem but so many Wens and unnatural Protuberancies upon the face of the Earth, if you consider but of what consequence they are, thus reconciled you may deem them ornaments as well as useful.
For these are Nature's Stillatories, in whose hollow Caverns the ascending vapours are congealed to that universal Aqua vitæ, that good fresh-water, the liquor of life, that sustains all the living Creatures in the world, being carried along in all parts of the Earth in the winding Chanels of Brooks and Rivers. Geography would make it good by a large induction. I will onely instance in three or four; Ana and Tagus run from Sierra Molina in Spain, Rhenus, Padus and Rhodanus from the Alps, Tanais from the Riphean, Garumna from the Pyrenean Mountains, Achelous from Pindus, Hebrus from Rhodope, Tigris from Niphates, Orontes from Libanus, and Euphrates from the Mountains of Armenia, and so in the rest. But I will not insist upon this, I will now betake my self to what doth more forcibly declare an Eye of Providence directing and determining, as well as approving of, the results of the supposed agitation of the parts of the Matter.
3. And that you may the better feel the strength of my Argument, let us first briefly consider the Nature of Man, what Faculties he hath, and in what order he is in respect of the rest of the Creatures. And, indeed, though his Body be but weak and disarmed, yet his inward abilities of Reason and Artificial contrivance is admirable. He is much given to Contemplation, and the viewing of this Theatre of the world, to traffick and commerce with forein Nations, to the building of Houses and Ships, to the making curious instruments of Silver, Brass or Steel, and the like: in a word, he is the flower and chief of all the products of Nature upon this Globe of the Earth. Now if I can shew, that there are designs laid even in the lowest and vilest products of Nature that respect Man the highest of all, you cannot deny but that there is an Eye of Providence that respecteth all things, and passeth very swiftly from the Top to the Bottom, disposing all things wisely.
4. I therefore now demand, Man being of this nature that he is, whether these noble Faculties of his would not be lost and frustrate, were there not Materials to exercise them on. And in the second place, I desire to know, whether the rude confused Agitation of the particles of the Matter do certainly produce any such Materials fit for Man to exercise his skill on, or no: that is to say, whether there were any Necessity that could infallibly produce Quarries of Stone in the Earth, which are the chief Materials of all the Magnificent Structures of building in the world; and the same of Iron and Steel, without which there had been no use of these Stones; and then of Sea-Coal and other necessary Fewel, fit for the working or melting of these Metalls; and also of Timber-Trees, for all might have been as well brush-wood and shrubs, and then assuredly there had been no such convenient Shipping, whatever had become of other buildings: and so of the Load-stone, that great help to Navigation, whether it might not have lain so low in the Earth as never to have been reached by the industry of Man; and the same may be said also of other Stones and Metalls, that they being heaviest, might have lain lowest. Assuredly the agitated Matter, unless there were some special over-powering guidance over it, might as well have over slipt these necessary useful things as hit upon them: But if there had not been such a Creature as Man, these very things themselves had been useless, for none of the brute Beasts make use of such commodities. Wherefore unless a man will doe enormous violence to his Faculties, he must conclude, that there is a contrivance of Providence and Counsel in all those things, which reacheth from the beginning, to the end, and orders all things sweetly: and that Providence foreseeing what a kind of Creature she would make Man, provided him with materials from whence he might be able to adorn his present Age, and furnish History with the Records of egregious exploits both of Art and Valour.
5. But without the provision of the forenamed Materials, the Glory and Pomp both of War and Peace had been lost. For men in stead of those magnificent Buildings which are seen in the world, could have had no better kind of dwellings then a bigger sort of Bee-hives or Birds-nests, made of contemptible sticks, and straws, and durty morter. And in stead of the usual pomp and bravery of War, wherein is heard the solemn sound of the hoarse Trumpet, the contagious beating of the Drum, the neighing and pransing of the Horses, clattering of Armour, and the terrible thunder of Cannons; to say nothing of the glittering of the Sword and Spear, the waving and fluttering of displayed Colours, the gallantry of Charges upon their well-managed Steeds, and the like: I say, had it not been for the forenamed provision of Iron, Steel and Brass, and such like necessary Materials, in stead of all this glory and solemnity there had been nothing but howlings and shoutings of poor naked men, belabouring one another with snag'd sticks, or dully falling together by the ears at Fisti-cuffs.
6. besides this, Beasts being naturally armed, and men naturally unarmed with any thing save their Reason, and Reason being ineffectual having no materials to work upon; it is plain, that that which made Men, Beasts and Metalls, knew what it did, and did not forget it self in leaving Man destitute of natural Armature, having provided Materials, and giving him wit and abilities to arm himself, and so to be able to make his party good against the most fierce and stoutest of all living Creatures whatsoever; nay indeed, left him unarmed on purpose,that he might arm himself, and exercise his natural wit and industry.