any, the exquifite formation of which he defcribes with wonderful elegance.

V

Galen in his book De ufu Partium, hath fuch remarkable obfervations to this purpose, that moft of those, who have treated upon this fubject, have taken notice of them, as being full of expreffions, acknowledging not only a wonderful wisdom and power, but goodness also, mani feft in the contrivance of the Animal structure. Even Mr. Hobbes himself, who is never fufpected of having too elevated or noble thoughts of Providence, yet confeffes, that those who throughly confider all the curiously contrived organs of generation and nutrition, and can think they were not ordered and defigned to their several ends and offices by an understanding mind, ought to be look'd on, as perfons void of all mind and understanding themselves.

Now as curious as all this Animal structure is, and as capable as it is of receiving grateful fenfations, by the exquifite make of so many different organs, fo there is a like variety of provifion made in nature, to satisfy every one of them, in a way suitable to its capacity; inasmuch as all the inanimate part of the Creation

v Hobbes De Homine, cap. I.

Creation, is fitted to minister to the preservation, fatisfaction and delight, of the animate; there being no living creature fo contemptible, but what has ample provision made for it. Even all the fenfes of Animals have provifion made for their grateful entertainment, and to all fuch distances as thofe fenfes will reach. Can the eye be gratified with feeing, and is there not provided an infinite variety of colours and figures, of leaves, flowers and fruits, of great beauty and delight to be seen, and Light, a pleasant medium, to see them by? And to man, especially, the heavenly bodies, at a prodigious distance, afford a very entertaining profpect. And is there not a proper provision made likewise for the ear, in that infinite variety of sounds, with which nature abounds? And fo for all the fenfes, to fome or other of which, almost every thing is contrived to minifter fomething of comfort and delight. And on the contrary, how few are the things and how eafily avoided, that are greatly ungrateful to any one of them? No more than what may seem defigned on purpose, to fet off those that are grateful to more advantage, and to give us a more fenfible relish of them. "So many, fo plain, and fo exactly congruous, (fays the forenamed Author) are the "rela

"relations of things here about us to each ô"ther, which surely could not otherwise come, "than from one admirable Wisdom and Pow" er, confpiring thus to adapt and connect "them together; as alfo from an equal Good"nefs, declared in all these things, being squa"red fo fitly for mutual benefit and conveni"ence."

Methinks, when a man confiders this ferioufly, (and it well becomes every man to confider it) he can hardly forbear breaking out in language like that of the Pfalmift, " O Lord, how manifold are thy works? In wisdom haft thou made them all, the earth is full of thy riches, &c.

W

7. Lastly, If we confider Man, the principal inhabitant of this lower world, with whom we have most opportunity of being acquainted, our notions of thefe Attributes of God must needs be more ftrongly impreffed upon us; the evidence for them being, as it were, brought home to our felves. And whatever has been hitherto hinted at, either of the curious ftructure of the bodies of other animals, or of the provision made to preserve and support them, or to please and gratify their natu

ral

W Pfal. 104.24.

X

ral fenfations, is yet more eminently to be obferved in man, to whom Providence has been bountiful in an higher degree, as having manifeftly defigned him for nobler purposes; and has accordingly distinguished him in figure from the reft of the creatures, all of which he has, in fome measure, made fubfervient to him: Infomuch, that even x Pliny himself owns, that nature feems to have produced all other things for his fake; though he complains at the fame time, as many other Atheistical perfons have both before and fince done, of her being a cruel Step-mother to him, in that he is not so immediately provided with the conveniences of food and clothing of his own, as other creatures are. But this complaint is both ungrateful and abfurd: 'tis as if a prince or a governor of a city fhould complain, that he has not time to drefs his own meat, or make his own shoes. "Tis indeed true, that man is not by nature so immediately, and without his own industry, provided with food and clothing of his own, as fome other creatures are: but this is no defect in the goodness of Providence towards him; because he has Reason given

* Principium jure tribuetur homini, cujus causâ videtur cuncta alia genuiffe natura. Plin, N. Hift. 1. 7. in proœmio.

given him to fupply himself in such a way as he likes beft, and ability to make a more ample ufe of all things than the reft of the creatures can; fo that he has a power of making almost every thing in nature minister to his neceffity, convenience or delight. For how plentifully is he provided, both from the earth, the air, and the fea, with great variety, for the support even of his animal life? Many of the creatures, which are much greater, and stronger, and fwifter than he, yet own a plain fubmiffion to him; fo that he can use them both to ease his own labour, and fatisfy his neceffity, and to furnish him with many kinds of pleasure and delight. Of this I might say much more, to fhew what a convenient reference all this part of the creation has to man: by which I do not mean, that nothing has any other defigned use,

but what man makes of it: for it would be a diminution to the infinite wisdom of Providence, to fuppofe that we fee all the uses to which every thing is defigned; but that things are contrived, with as much wisdom and goodnefs towards man, and as aptly fuited to him, as if he had been the creature principally defigned to be taken care of: And nothing can hinder us from thinking fo, but man's unworthiness of such infinite care and goodness towards him.

But