But to pursue his thought ftill farther: Every living creature, confidered in it. felf, has many very complicated parts, that are exact copies of fome other parts which it poffeffes, and which are complicated in the fame manner. One eye would have been fufficient for the fubfiftence and prefervation of an animal; but, in order to better his condition, we fee another placed with a mathematical exactness in the fame mofl advantageous fi-. tuation, and in every particular of the fame fize and texture. Is it poffible for chance to be thus delicate and uniform in her operations? Should a million of dice turn up twice together the fame number,, the wonder would be nothing in comparifon with this. But when we fee this fimilitude and refemblance in the arm, the hand, the fingers; when we fee one half of the body entirely correfpond with: the other in all thofe minute ftrokes, without which a man might have very. well fubfifted; nay, when we often fee: a fingle part repeated an hundred times. in the fame body, notwithstanding it confifts of the moft intricate weaving of numberless fibres, and these parts differing ftill in magnitude, as the convenience

of

of their particular fituation requires; Sure a man must have a strange caft of understanding, who does not discover: the Finger of God in fo wonderful a work. Thefe duplicates in thofe parts. of the body, without which a man might have very well fubfifted, tho' not so well as with them, are a plain demonstration. of an all-wife contriver; as thofe more numerous copyings, which are found among the veffels of the fame body, are evident demonftrations that they could: not be the work of chance. This argument receives additional ftrength, if we apply it to every animal and infect within our knowledge, as well as to thofe numberless living creatures that are objects too minute for a human eye: and if we confider how the feveral fpecies in this whole world of life refemble one ano-. ther in very many particulars, fo far as is convenient for their respective states of existence it is much more probable that. an hundred million of dice fhould be cafually thrown a hundred million of times. in the fame number, than that the body. of any fingle animal fhould be produced by the fortuitous concourse of matter.. And that the like chance fhould arife in.

innumerable inftances, requires a degreeof credulity that is not under the direction of common fenfe. We may carry this confideration yet further, if we reflect on the two fexes in every living fpecies, with their resemblances to each other, and those particular diftinctions that were neceffary for the keeping up of this great world of life,

There are many, more demonstrations of a Supreme Being, and of his tranfcendent wifdom, power and goodness in the formation of the body of a living crea ture, for which I refer my reader to other writings, particularly to the fixth book of the Poem, entitled Creation, where the anatomy of the human body is described with great perfpicuity and elegance. I have been particular on the thought which runs through this fpeculation, because I have not seen it enlarged upon by others.

Jupiter:

I

Jupiter eft quodcunque vides

Lucan.

Had this morning a very valuable and kind prefent fent me, of a translated work of a most excellent foreign writer, who makes a very confiderable figure in the learned and christian world, It is entitled, a demonftration of the Exiftence, Wisdom, and Omnipotence of God, drawn from the knowledge of nature, particularly of man, and fitted to the meanest capacity, by the Archbishop of Cambray, author of Telemachus, and tranf lated from the French by the fame hand that Englished that excellent piece. This great author, in the writings which he has before produced, has manifefted ap heart full of virtuous fentiments, great benevolence to mankind, as well as a fincere and fervent piety towards his Crea

His talents and parts are a very great good to the world, and it is a plea fing thing to behold the polite arts fubfervient to religion, and recommending it from its natural beauty. Looking over the letters of my correfpondents, I find one which celebrates this treatise, and recommends it to my readers.

SIR,

I

To the GUARDIAN..

Think I have fomewhere read, in, the writings of one whom I take tobe a friend of yours,, a faying which. truck me very much, and as I remember it was to this purpose: The Exi-. ftence of a God is so far from being a thing that wants to be proved, that I think it the only thing of which we are certain. This is a fprightly and just expreffion; however, I dare fay, you will not be difpleafed that I put you in: mind of faying fomething on the Demonftration of the Bishop of Cambray. A man of his talents views all things in, a light different from that in which ordinary men fee them, and the devout. difpofition of his foul turns all thofe talents to the improvement of the plea-. fures of a good life. His ftyle clothes. philofophy in a dress almoft poetick, and his readers enjoy in full perfection the advantage, while they are reading him, of being what he is. The pleafing reprefentation of the animal powers in the beginning of his work, and