SERM. The first I fhall mention is the animal life, II. of which we fee a numberless variety; bodies growing up from very fmall beginnings, by imperceptible degrees, to a large bulk, and animated by a principle, which is endued with fenfe and felf-motion. The structure of animal bodies is curious, confifting of parts exquifitely fine, and most artificially difpofed for receiving nourishment and a gradual increase; but above all, the faculties of perception and fpontaneous motion, are never to be accounted for, without the interpofal of an intelligent Caufe.

Some mechanic philofophers, even who profefs to believe a Deity, have made too near approaches to Atheism; at leaft, too much ferv'd its caufe, by pretending to explain all the Phænomena of the world, without any divine interpofition. But they appear to be very bungling world-makers, and their hypothefes, not only defective, failing in a tolerably fair folution of many very important and very common appearances; but fome of their effential principles have been demonftrated to be falfe. Especially in the point before us, their schemes are most remarkably defeated; for they have never been able to give, I do not fay, a certain and fatisfying, but even a plaufible account of the animal conftitution, in any state of its exiftence, or any step of its progress, from its

com

II.

commencement to its perfection, especially, SERM. not of the fentient and felf-moving powers. The formation of the fœtus is, as the fcripture justly calls it, a work curious and wonderful, according to a divine model; its members were all writ in the volume of God's book, that is, the composition of all its parts exactly answers to his defigning idea. Not to infist on the modern discoveries, whereby it feems probable that the nutrition of an animal, in the dark recess appointed for its first abode, and where its existence has been generally thought to commence, is no more than extending and enlarging upon the flender pre-existent, vital ftamen; (which leads us ftill more clearly to the acknowledgment of a mighty creating hand, the wife author of nature;) not to infift on this, it is evident to an attentive mind, that no general impulfe or motion impress'd upon matter, according to mechanical laws, can give us the leaft tolerable pretence for imagining, that, in the first ftage of its being, an animal cou'd have been produc'd without a special intelligent direction.

The notions of the Epicurean Atheists, concerning the origin of animals, and man in particular, are fo ridiculously abfurd, that it is fcarce decent enough to repeat them. They profefs to imagine, that as numberless atoms,

SER M. after moving fortuitously through a fucceffive II. infinite duration, in an infinite void, at last, 'by various unguided rencounters, accidentally jumbled themselves into this terraqueous globe, and these beautiful celeftial spheres; fo the earth having been long barren, yet ftill retain, ing the motive quality of its parts, (no body knows from whence derived) and therefore labouring with a strong actual inteftine motion, in procefs of time brought forth monftrous unfhap'd births, which had fome little likeness to living things of the feveral kinds, and it may be fome low beginnings of life which could not long fubfift for want of proper vehi cles; at length, after many imperfect effays, growing more fkilful in the plastic art, (strange how that should come to pafs!) the produc'd finish'd complete animals. If one should ask how it happens in all ages of the world, of which we have any hiftorical monuments, there are not the leaft footsteps of such generation: No man ever faw, or pretends to have seen animals of any kind, perfect or imperfect, iffue from the teeming womb of mother earth what can the reafon be according to this philofopher? Is it that he became barren by age? This is hard to conceive, confidering that the came to her prolific virtue fo late as after an eternity was past; and that the

conftituent atoms had preferv'd their vigour in SER M. an unwearied dance thro' numberless ages. Or II. did the wifely (but who made her wife?) refign her fertility, when the fettled law (by what direction?) took place for the more orderly propagation of the fpecies? Again, if it be enquired in what condition these earthborn animals appeared; did they come to the world in a state of maturity, and of different sexes, ready to increase and multiply? This is the account given in the Mosaic history of the creation, but must be resolv'd as it is most reasonably in that history, into the mighty command of the Creator as the fole cause. But if the animals were thrust out in infancy, (which the Epicureans choose to say, that their formation in every step of its progress may look the more like random work) the question then will be, how were they cared for, how de fended in that weak and helpless state? Here the most precarious fuppofitions are heap'd up very unphilofophically, a feveral hypothefis to folve every particular difficulty; too plainly fhewing, that philofophers of this fort will admit of any thing, be it ever fo abfurd, rather than a Deity; and having refolved in their hearts that they will not fee God, they indulge their imaginations in the most unbounded liberty of forming pretences, whereby they may harden themselves in unbelief. Since

SERM.

Since I have mentioned fome of these in

II. ferior appearances in the animal kingdom, I fhall take notice of one more which strongly evinces intelligent direction, that is, the confervation of the diftinct fpecies, by a regular propagation. Is it not a furprizing thing, and to them who deny a governing wisdom in the univerfe, utterly inexplicable, that for fo many ages wherein we have any knowledge of animals being in the world, unerring nature has followed one invariable rule in their production? The feveral kinds remain as distinct as ever they were, they have never run into confufion, nor mix'd with each other. We fee no fuch thing as Syrens and Centaurs, which are only the creatures of human imagination; and yet if we exclude ruling wisdom, they might have a chance for actual existence as well as intire men, or intire horses, intire women, or intire fishes. But there has never once fuch a monster happened as a human face joined to a brutal body, or fo much as the head of a bull placed upon the neck of an ass. Nay, fo true is nature to her rule, and fo nicely accurate in preferving the diftinction, that when two kinds fo nearly resemble each other, as the horse and the ass, that there is not difference enough in the outward form to direct the instinct of the fexes, and therefore they