The Christian Philosopher Paperback - 2000

First line

THE ESSAYS now before us will demonftrate, that Philosophy is no Enemy, but a mighty and wondrous Incentive to Religion; and they will exhibit that PHILOSOPHICAL RELIGION, which will carry with it a moft fenfible Character, and victorious Evidence of a reasonable Service.

From the rear cover

Published in 1721 by the prominent Puritan clergyman Cotton Mather, The Christian Philosopher was the first comprehensive book on science to be written by an American. Building on natural theology, Mather demonstrated the harmony between religion and the new science associated with Sir Isaac Newton. His survey of all the known sciences from astronomy and physics to human anatomy presented evidence that both celestial and terrestrial phenomena imply an intelligent designer.

Winton Solberg's introduction places Mather's treatise in its widest historical context. In addition to tracing the origins and sources of Mather's work, Solberg analyzes the book's contents, its reception, and its significance in American intellectual and cultural history. This edition affirms Mather's importance to American thought, as a deeply religious intellectual who introduced the Enlightenment to America.