The vanity of this mortal life, or, Of man, considered only in his present…

His providence towards the inferior Creatures, hath no resemblance of any such thing; whom his bounty sustains agreeably to their natures, who have no foresight of their own cessation from being, to keep them in a continual death by the expectation of it. And who serve to valuable and reasonable purposes, while they are continued; for they are useful, partly to the sustentation of man, and partly to his instruction, in order to his higher Ends.

And though each individual of them do not actually so, it is sufficient that the several kinds of them are naturally apt thereto, which are propagated according to a settled course and Law of Nature in their individuals. And if all immediately serve not man, yet they do it mediately in serving those that more immediately do. Besides that when such a ⟨p. 72⟩work was to be done, as the furnishing out, and accomplishing this lower world; It was meet all things should be in number, weight and measure, and correspond in every part. As if one build a House for entertainment, though the more noble Rooms only do come in view, yet all the rest are made answerably decent, on supposition that they may. It was becoming the august and great Lord of this world, that it have in it, not only what may sustain the indigent, but gratify the contemplative, by fresh variety; who would be apt to grow remiss by conversing only with what were of every days observation. Nor was that a low end, when such contemplation hath so direct a tendency to raise a considering mind to the sight, and love, and praise of the Supreme Being, that hath stamped so lively signatures and prints of his own perfection upon all his works.

And though each individual of them do not actually so, it is sufficient that the several kinds of them are naturally apt thereto, which are propagated according to a setled course and Law of Nature in their individuals. And if all immediately serve not man, yet they do it mediately in serving those that more immediately do. Besides that when such a ⟨p. 72⟩