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Synopsis

Or, a demonstration of the being and attributes of god, from his works of creation. being the substance of sixteen sermons, preached in st mary-le-bow church, london; at the honourable mr boyle's lectures, in the years 1711, and 1712. with large notes, and many curious observations. by w. derham, d. d. late canon of windsor, rector of upminster in essex, and f.r.s. a new edition.

Item Description

12mo. 4.25 x 7 inches. 415 + [1] pp. + [8] pp. index.

Illustrations

According to ESTC, COPAC and WorldCat, this edition should have a plate, which is not present in this copy.

Notes

The best known work of William Derham (1657-1735), theologian and natural philosopher. Educated at Oxford, he was ordained in 1681 and later was a canon of Windsor and Rector of Upminster, where he was the first to produce a reasonably accurate measurement of the speed of sound. He was elected F.R.S. in 1703 and was Boyle Lecturer, 1711-12, when he delivered these sermons. As a natural theologian, Derham argues for the existence and attributes of God from the works of his Creation. The sections of the book cover the terraqueous globe, animals, man, quadrupeds, birds, insects, reptiles and vegetables and conclude with six practical inferences from this survey. The work, first published in 1713 with many subsequent editions, includes numerous important scientific observations and recognises a natural variation within species. Derham also wrote The Artificial Clockmaker (1696) and Astro-Theology (1714).