duced. Thefe include the bleffings of feed-time and harvest, cold and heat, day and night, with all their benefits and beauties, which are the conftant attendants of this aftonishing Mechanifm; and without which, no fuch bieflings would be produced, fo far as we know, from all the machinery of earth and heaven.

And now, my dear Phil. we must paufe a moment, being about to advance a large ftep in the fcale of creation.

Phil. Pray what ftep is it? Shall I be able to mount it with you?

Didas. No doubt of that. But here the ftrength of human, reason, with all the aid of Revelation, will be found inadequate completely to comprehend the fubject. From inanimate, we must now enter into a world of animated naturea world of the greatest wonders! For,

However furprising it may appear to fee a world. of matter fpring, at a Word, out of nothing; light fhine out of darknefs; immenfe worlds fufpended in Ether, and flying regularly about in circles of aftonishing dimenfions, &c. &c. Thefe are but a fmall part of the works of God. The least particle of matter, that has life beftowed upon, tranfcends all other mechanifm, however huge or curious they may otherwife be. Life! What is it? Who can explore its nature or effence? We fee it in its effects-we feel it-we are replete with it-it furrounds us on every fide: From the microscopic Animalcula floating in air or water, or feafting themselves upon herbage or foliage; to the huge Elephant roaming at pleafure in the defert; or the mountainous maffy whale, fporting in gambols, like floating Islands in the watery deep-We fee millions of creatures in every fhape, of every fize, in every attitude, flying in the air, floating in the water, or boring into the bowels of the earth,

where

where Man in vain attempts to follow. "Every part of Nature is peopled, every green leaf fwarms with Inhabitants. There is fcarce a fingle Humour in the body of Man, or of any other Animal, in which our glaffes do not difcover myriads of living creatures: The furface of Animals is covered with other Animals, which are in the fame manner the bafis of other Animals that live upon it; nay, we find in the moft folid bodies, as in Marble itself, innumerable Cells and Cavities, that are crowded with fuch imperceptible inhabitants, as are too little for the naked eye to discover." Again, Thoufands of quadruped and biped animals, grazing upon herbage; catching the falling crumbs from our tables; or traversing our yards, and attending our barns to pick up the offals and refufe, that nothing be loft: All thefe, poffeft of the keene fenfibility or moft delicate feelings, exift longer or fhorter, as their maker pleafeth; and, no doubt, every Genus enjoys its felicities.

Among this vaft variety, fome are wild, others tame; fome for our service, but not fuftenance, as the horse, the mule, the afs; others for fuftenance, but not fervice, as the pig, the freep, &c! Others, again, for both, as the ox; and finally fome for neither, as the tiger, &c. But what all these are, their actions, ends, and uses, how small a part do we know! But this we know, O Lord, That in Wisdom Thou haft made them all!” Every living creature, from a mite to a man, is moft exquifitely made. Veffels, conveying different circulating fluids in a thousand directions, pervade the whole body, and carry matter in their currents, however minute, which nature affimulates, and thereby repairs its perpetual wafte. The noxious and fuperfluous vapours gain an exit thro' the pores, by infenfible perfpiration; the groffer parts, by other paffages, gain a difcharge, and

thus

thus relieve over-loaded nature. Bones, mufcles. news, and different forts of teguments, from the Lady's fkin to the hedge-hog's briftles, give ftrength, beauty, and afford defence to different animals, human and brutish; while the fyftem of the nerves afford the finest fenfibility to the whole machine. By means of thefe, every animal, by reafon or inftinet, performs a thousand volitions and actions, which, while they exite our aftonishment, leave reafon behind, in all her attempts, to account for them.

Nothing was ever brought forth by spontaneous generation. From the fhrimp to the whale, this divine fiat produced them all, "Let the waters bring forth abundantly, &c." The leaft particle of matter, being divifible ad infinitum, confounds the human intellect ! But how much more, when modified and formed into different kinds of animated creatures? i Cor. xv. 29. Both fish and fowl, God created, and formed them of matter properly prepared in the waters. To both fifh and fowl, He gave a texture and form, most curiously adapted to the refpective elements of air and water, in which they float and fly at large, the freeft of all crea

tures.

The oviparous broods of fishes are innumerable. It is curious to observe how they fcud and dive in the water: Their tails are natural helms, by which they fteer their courfe at pleasure; they dive into vaft depths, or rife to the furface to catch their prey, where human nature cannot follow. "Be fruitful and multiply," faid their Maker. What countless multitudes have those words produced fince first delivered! To this prolific word, all the innumerable fhoals in every part of the ocean, or meandering in rivers, in every age, owe their existence.

But it is obfervable, That fish are less perfect in kind and curious in their texture than land-animals: With thefe the Creator began peopling his new world. This feems to be the plan of providence, To proceed from the lefs to the more per fect; and also of grace, from the smallest beginnings to the higheft attainments, both of holiness and happiness.

Air and ocean being now replenished with inhabitants, terreftrial Animals muft now follow.

Brutes, Mofes diftributes into three claffes. The Behemoth, or the larger kinds of creatures, whether terrene or amphibious; as in the water, the Rhi noceros and Whale; upon land, the Elephant, Dromedary, &c. The Caijah, or domestic animals, as the horse, ox, fheep, dog, &c. In this word he feems to include all the wild, fiery, and more lively animals, as the lion, bear, tiger, wolf, hyæna, &c. The Remes, all reptiles and creeping things, whether upon the, furface of the earth, or within its bowels; as ferpents, worms, and the innumerable tribes of infects; all which appear to have been formed in the full perfection of their natures, and poffeffed of powers and inftincts for felf-prefervation and propagating their kinds.

But the principal, and for whom all the reft were made, was MAN. But he was not introduced into the world, until every thing was completely ready for his Comfortable Accommodation.

The folar heat and gentle breezes had fufficiently clarified the air, and prepared it for human refpiration. The water was purified from every degree of turbidnefs, and rendered fit to minifter both to his neceffities and delight. The dry land was drained and crufted, and of fufficient folidity to fupport him: At the fame time it was reple nished with herbs, flowers, fruits, &c. for 'fuftenance, when required.

The mufic of the feathered choirs would doubt. lefs charm his ears; his olfactory nerves would be regaled with the richest perfumes and fweeteft odours, conveyed from fruits, flowers, gums, &c. by every breeze. The vaft theatre of earth, and bright luminaries of heaven, ready to invite his contemplating powers into exercise, fhedding their benign influences upon him as foon as made.

The Elohim, or God, afterwards revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, confult in facred Council. One of the facred three propofed, "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likenefs." This propofal was agreed to, and immediately carried into execution. So Elohim created man in His own image; in the image of Elohim created He him."

66

Phil. Is it not evident, That Elohim muft include more perfons than one? Otherwife, how can this greatest of all the divine tranfactions that we are acquainted withal, ever be reconciled to common fenfe? The propofal is made in the firft perfon plural, Us: The execution is performed by One in the third perfon fing. mafc. gender, His, He. This change of number and perfon is fo obvious, that one would imagine it to be fufficient to filence all objections against the orthodox interpretation of Elohim, as including in it the three divine Perfons in the unity of the Deity, or Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, into whofe Name we are Baptized.

Didas. That there is a Trinity of Perfons in the Unity of the Deity, is fo plainly and frequently revealed in the New Teftament, that it is furprifing that any, who have been baptized into their acred Name, fhould ever call the truth of it into queftion. And as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, have each difcovered their refpe&tive Perfons and Works, in the redemption of mankind; is it any

wonder,