THE Obscurity of these Things, and their Remoteness from common Knowledge, will be made an Argument by some, why we should not undertake them; and by others, it may be, the very same Thing will be made an Argument why we should. For my Part I think _There is nothing so secret that shall not be brought to Light_, within the Compass of _our World_; for we are not to understand that of the whole Universe, nor of all Eternity, our Capacities do not extend so far; but whatsoever concerns this Sublunary World in the whole Extent of its Duration, from the Chaos to the last Period, this I believe Providence hath made us capable to understand, and will in its due Time make it known. All I say, betwixt the first Chaos and the last Completion of Time and all Things temporary, this was given to the Disquisitions of Men: On either Hand is Eternity, before the World and after, which is without our reach: But that little spot of Ground that lies betwixt those two great Oceans, this we are to cultivate, this we are Masters of, herein we are to exercise our Thoughts, to understand and lay open the Treasures of the Divine Wisdom and Goodness hid in this part of Nature and of Providence. AS for the Difficulty or Obscurity of an Argument, that does but add to the Pleasure of contesting with it, when there are Hopes of Victory; and Success does more than recompense all the Pains. For there is no sort of Joy more grateful to the Mind of Man, than that which ariseth from the Invention of Truth; especially when ’tis hard to come by. Every Man hath a Delight suited to his Genius, and as there is Pleasure in the right Exercise of any Faculty, so especially in that of Right-Reasoning; which is still the greater, by how much the Consequences are more clear, and the Chains of them more long: There is no Chace so pleasant, methinks, as to drive a Thought, by good Conduct, from one end of the World to the other; and never to lose Sight of it till it fall into Eternity, where all things are lost, as to our Knowledge. THIS Theory being chiefly Philosophical, Reason is to be our first Guide; and where that falls short, or any other just Occasion offers it self, we may receive further Light and Confirmation from the Sacred Writings. Both these are to be look’d upon as of Divine Original, God is the Author of both; he that made the Scripture made also our Faculties, and ’twere a Reflection upon the Divine Veracity for the one or the other to be false when rightly used. We must therefore be careful and tender of opposing these to one another, because that is, in effect, to oppose God to himself. As for Antiquity and the Testimonies of the Ancients, we only make general Reflections upon them, for Illustration rather than Proof of what we propose; not thinking it proper for an _English_ Treatise to multiply Citations out of _Greek_ or _Latin_ Authors.