When we are in company, we
may discover something more of human nature, of human passions and
follies, and of human affairs, vices and virtues, by conversing with
mankind, and observing their conduct. Nor is there any thing more
valuable than the knowledge of ourselves and the knowledge of men,
except it be the knowledge of God who made us, and our relation to Him
as our Governor.
When we are in the house or the city, wheresoever we turn our eyes, we
see the works of men; when we are abroad in the country, we behold more
of the works of God. The skies and the ground above and beneath us, and
the animal and vegetable world round about us, may entertain our
observation with ten thousand varieties.
Fetch down some knowledge from the clouds, the stars, the sun, the moon,
and the revolutions of all the planets. Dig and draw up some valuable
meditations from the depths of the earth, and search them through the
vast oceans of water. Extract some intellectual improvement from the
minerals and metals; from the wonders of nature among the vegetables and
herbs, trees and flowers. Learn some lessons from the birds and the
beasts, and the meanest insect. Read the wisdom of God, and his
admirable contrivance in them all: read his almighty power, his rich and
various goodness, in all the works of his hands.
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