In this fyftem of Being, there is no creature fo wonderful in its nature, and which fo much deferves our particular attention, as man, who fills up the middle space between the animal and intellectual nature, the vifible and invifible world, and is that link in the chain of Beings, which has been often termed the nexus utriufque mundi. So that he who in one refpect is affociated with Angels and Arch-angels, may look upon a Being of infinite perfection as his father, and the highest order of fpirits as his brethren, may in another respect say to corruption, thou art my father, and to the worm, thou art my mother and my fifter.

Facies non omnibus una,

Nec diverfa tamen

TH

Ovid.

HOSE who were skilful in anatomy among the ancients, concluded' from the outward and inward make of an human body, that it was the work of. a Being tranfcendently wife and powerful. As the world grew more enlightened' in this art, their difcoveries gave them fresh opportunities of admiring the conduct of Providence in the formation of an human

human body. Galen was converted by his diffections, and could not but own a Supreme Being upon a furvey of this his handy-work. There were, indeed, many parts of which the old Anatomifts did not know the certain ufe, but as they faw that most of those which they examined were adapted with admirable art to their feveral functions, they did not queftion but those, whofe ufes they could not determine, were contrived with the fame wisdom for respective ends and purposes. Since the circulation of the blood has been found out, and many other great difcoveries have been made by our modern Anatomifts, we fee new wonders in the human frame, and difcern feveral important uses for those parts, which uses the ancients knew nothing of. In fhort, the body of man is fuch a fubject as stands the utmoft teft of examination. Tho' it appears formed with the niceft wisdom, upon the most fuperficial furvey of it, it ftill mends upon the search, and produces our furprize and amazement in proportion as we pry into it. What I have here faid of an human body, may be applied to the body of every animal which has been the fubject of anatomical obfervations.

The

The body of an animal is an object adequate to our Senfes. It is a particular fyftem of providence, that lies in a nar row compass. The eye is able to command it, and by fucceffive enquiries can fearch into all its parts Could the body of the whole earth, or indeed the whole universe, be thus fubmitted to the exami nation of our fenfes, were it not too big and difproportioned for our enquiries, too unwieldy for the management of the eye and hand, there is no queftion but it would appear to us as curious and wellcontrived a frame as that of an human body. We should fee the fame concatenation and fubferviency, the fame neceffity and usefulness, the fame beauty and harmony in all and every of its parts, as what we discover in the body of every fingle animal.

The more extended our reafon is, and the more able to grapple with immenfe objects, the greater ftill are thofe difcoveries which it makes of wisdom and providence in the work of the creation. A Sir Ifaac Newton, who ftands up as the miracle of the prefent age, can look through a whole planetary fyftem; con fider it in its weight, number, and mea-

fure;

fure; and draw from it as many demonftrations of infinite power and wisdom, as a more confined understanding is able to deduce from the fyftem of an human body.

But to return to our fpeculations on anatomy. I fhall here confider the fabrick and texture of the bodies of animals in one particular view; which, in my opinion, thews the hand of a thinking and all-wife Being in their formation, with the evidence of a thousand demonftrations. I think we may lay this down as an incontefted principle, that chance never acts in a perpetual unifor mity and confiftence with it felf. If one fhould always fling the fame number with ten thoufand dice, or fee every throw just five times lefs, or five times more in number than the throw which immediately preceded it, who would not imagine there is fome invifible power which directs the caft? This is the proceeding which we find in the operations of nature. Every kind of animal is diverfified by different magnitudes, each of which gives rife to a different fpecies. Let a man trace the dog or lion-kind, and he will obferve how many of the

works

ons.

works of nature are published, if I may ufe the expreffion, in a variety of editiIf we look into the reptile, world,. or into those different kinds of animals that fill the element of water, we meet with the fame repetitions among feveral: fpecies, that differ very little from one another, but in fize and bulk. You find the fame creature that is drawn at large,, copied out in feveral proportions, and ending in miniature. It would be tedious. to produce inftances of this regular conduct in Providence, as it would be fuperfluous to those who are versed in the natural history of animals. The magnificent harmony of the univerfe is fuch, that we may obferve innumerable divifons running upon the fame ground. I, might alfo extend this fpeculation to the dead parts of nature, in which we may find matter difpofed into many fimilar fyftems, as well in our furvey of stars and planets, as of ftones, vegetables, and o-. ther fublunary parts of the creation. In a word, Providence has fhewn the richness of its goodness and wifdom, not only in the production of mauy original fpecies, but in the multiplicity of De-. fcants which it has made on every origi-. nal fpecies in particular. But