A philosophical treatise on the nature of the universe and the role of God in its creation and governance, written by Bartholomew Prescot, a 17th-century English theologian and scholar. The book offers a rigorous and systematic defense of the cosmological argument for the existence of God, and engages with contemporary scientific and theological debates on the nature of causality and contingency. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.