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。　　For；　was　the　surface　of　the
  earth　even　and　level；　and　the　middle　parts　of　its　islands　and
  continents　not　mountainous　and　high　as　now　it　is；　it　is　most
  certain　there　could　be　no　descent　for　the　rivers；　no　conveyance
  for　the　waters；　but；　instead　of　gliding　along　those　gentle
  declivities　which　the　higher　lands　now　afford　them　quite　down　to
  the　sea；　they　would　stagnate　and　perhaps　stink；　and　also　drown
  large　tracts　of　land。
  〃＇Thus＇　the　hills　and　vales；　though　to　a　peevish　and　weary
  traveler　they　may　seem　incommodious　and　troublesome；　yet　are　a
  noble　work　of　the　great　Creator；　and　wisely　appointed　by　him　for
  the　good　of　our　sublunary　world。〃
  You　see　how　natural　it　is；　from　this　point　of　view；　to　treat
  religion　as　a　mere　survival；　for　religion　does　in　fact　perpetuate
  the　traditions　of　the　most　primeval　thought。　　To　coerce　the
  spiritual　powers；　or　to　square　them　and　get　them　on　our　side；
  was；　during　enormous　tracts　of　time；　the　one　great　object　in　our
  dealings　with　the　natural　world。　　For　our　ancestors；　dreams；
  hallucinations；　revelations；　and　cock…and…bull　stories　were
  inextricably　mixed　with　facts。　　Up　to　a　comparatively　recent　date
  such　distinctions　as　those　between　what　has　been　verified　and
  what　is　only　conjectured；　between　the　impersonal　and　the　personal
  aspects　of　existence；　were　hardly　suspected　or　conceived。
  Whatever　you　imagined　in　a　lively　manner；　whatever　you　thought
  fit　to　be　true；　you　affirmed　confidently；　and　whatever　you
  affirmed；　your　comrades　believed。　　Truth　was　what　had　not　yet
  been　contradicted；　most　things　were　taken　into　the　mind　from　the
  point　of　view　of　their　human　suggestiveness；　and　the　attention
  confined　itself　exclusively　to　the　aesthetic　and　dramatic　aspects
  of　events。＇335＇
  ＇335＇　Until　the　seventeenth　century　this　mode　of　thought
  prevailed。　One　need　only　recall　the　dramatic　treatment　even　of
  mechanical　questions　by　Aristotle；　as；　for　example；　his
  explanation　of　the　power　of　the　lever　to　make　a　small　weight
  raise　a　larger　one。　　This　is　due；　according　to　Aristotle；　to　the
  generally　miraculous　character　of　the　circle　and　of　all　circular
  movement。　　The　circle　is　both　convex　and　concave；　it　is　made　by　a
  fixed　point　and　a　moving　line；　which　contradict　each　other；　and
  whatever　moves　in　a　circle　moves　in　opposite　directions。
  Nevertheless；　movement　in　a　circle　is　the　most　〃natural〃
  movement；　and　the　long　arm　of　the　lever；　moving；　as　it　does；　in
  the　larger　circle；　has　the　greater　amount　of　this　natural　motion；
  and　consequently　requires　the　lesser　force。　　Or　recall　the
  explanation　by　Herodotus　of　the　position　of　the　sun　in　winter：
  It　moves　to　the　south　because　of　the　cold　which　drives　it　into
  the　warm　parts　of　the　heave