The Religious Philosopher: Or, The Right Use of Contemplating the Works of the Creator

Originally published in Dutch in 1715, this two-volume work by the philosopher and theologian Bernard Nieuwentyt (1654-1718) is reissued here in the 1724 third edition of the English translation by John Chamberlayne (1668/9-1723). The book seeks to persuade both Christians and atheists that scientific examination of the natural world is compatible with religious belief. According to Chamberlayne, Nieuwentyt published this illustrated work to 'magnify the Wisdom and Goodness of God' while challenging those who did not see proof of the divine in nature. The work is known to have influenced the natural theology of the English philosopher William Paley (1743-1805), whose famous analogy of the watchmaker is believed to have been taken directly from Nieuwentyt. Arguing against rationalist philosophers such as Spinoza, Volume 1 defends natural theology and presents a series of detailed 'contemplations' about the complexity of the human body.