Key Publications:

Wisdom of God Manifest in the Works of Creation, 1691

 A Persuasive to a Holy Life, 1700

 Three Physico-Theological Discourses, 1713

Despite challenging some common religious beliefs, especially in relation to fossils and the age of the Earth, Christianity remained important to Ray throughout his life. He saw his life’s work as revealing the ‘Glory of God, manifest in the works of nature’. In his own time his most popular works were his ‘Wisdom of God’ and ‘Persuasive to a Holy Life’.

The primary focus of the Wisdom of God is how the adaptation of plants and animals to their environment demonstrates the power, wisdom and art of the Creator and contains many useful examples of what we would today call adaptation. His work influenced Darwin’s theory of evolution.