« back to search

"The Natural Power of Conscience, which reproves and torments a Man for the heinous Crimes he has committed, tho' the Person be above the fear of human Punishment, or the Crime be committed so secretly, as to escape all natural means of discovery; in which Cases Conscience by its Sentence does, as it were, bind a Man over to the Judgment of a superiour invisible Judge."

— Psalmanazar, George (1679?-1763)

Author

Psalmanazar, George (1679?-1763)

Work Title

An Historical and Geographical Description of Formosa: an Island Subject to the Emperor of Japan

Place of Publication

London

Publisher

Printed for Dan. Brown; G. Strahan, and W. Davis; Fran. Coggan; and Bernard Lintott

Date

1704

Metaphor

"The Natural Power of Conscience, which reproves and torments a Man for the heinous Crimes he has committed, tho' the Person be above the fear of human Punishment, or the Crime be committed so secretly, as to escape all natural means of discovery; in which Cases Conscience by its Sentence does, as it were, bind a Man over to the Judgment of a superiour invisible Judge."

Metaphor in Context

Thus the Plants and Herbs serve for food to Animals, and both Plants and Animals are useful for many purposes to Man, as for Food and Physick, and several other necessary ends in humane Life: Man himself is wonderfully made, all the parts of his Body being wisely adapted to perform their several Functions, and mutually subservient to one another, and to the good of the whole, as might be largely prov'd by particular instances, if it were necessary. We cannot open our Eyes but we meet with many Arguments of a wise over-ruling Providence; for the Air serves us to breath in, and is so necessary to our Life, that it cannot subsist many Minutes without it. The Earth supplies us with Corn for food, and Wood for firing; it supports or houses, and furnishes the materials for buildings of them: The Sea serves to transport our Ships and Commodities to the most distant parts of the Earth, and to bring home into our Harbours the Products of all other Countries. The Sun does not shine for himself, but appears to be made on purpose to give Light to them that live upon the Earth, and it is placed at such a convenient distance, and moves in such a constant uniform course, as is necessary to refresh all things on Earth with its heat, and to ripen all the Fruits of the Ground. By which, and many thousand other Instances wherein the Creatures are admirably fitted for useful and excellent purposes, it plainly appears, that the Works of Nature cannot possibly be the Effects of blind Chance and Necessity, but must be the contrivance of an All-wise Creator and Governour. 3. To these Arguments we might add for a farther confirmation of this Truth, 1st. The Universal consent of all Nations, which generally agree, that there is one supreme God, who made and governs the World. 2dly, The Natural Power of Conscience, which reproves and torments a Man for the heinous Crimes he has committed, tho' the Person be above the fear of human Punishment, or the Crime be committed so secretly, as to escape all natural means of discovery; in which Cases Conscience by its Sentence does, as it were, bind a Man over to the Judgment of a superiour invisible Judge. But I shall conclude all with this Reflexion: That from what has been said it appears, that tho' Mankind had not any innate Notion of a God, yet they are endow'd with such a rational Faculty, by which they can deduce the existence of a God, from such Principles as are universally known and acknowledg'd by the Light of Nature: And this they can do without the help of Revelation, which must always presuppose the being of a God who makes that Revelation. (pp. 53-55)