ter; as alfo, forafmuch as afterwards mention is made in the 24th Verse, of the Earth (of which all Creatures do at prefent confift, fince all of 'em receive their Food from thence) after a different Manner: And moreover, how much this first Command of the Creator does continue firm, and prevail even to this very time, appears especially from hence, that in both the quoted Places the Expreffion of bringing forth abundantly, is only found in relation to Fishes, but not at all mention'd concerning Birds and Beafts, tho' they are compared with one another in this fame Chapter. Now that the Fishes do multiply in much greater abundance beyond other Creatures, even to this day (tho' an abundant Production is likewise afcribed to other Places where there is no Comparison; and in Genefis the viii. and 17. and the ix. and 7. the fame radical Word is used) at least that they can be more multiplied, is obvious enough, from the prodigious Quantity of Eggs in their Spawn, and from other Relations that have been hinted at above, Thus in Pf. civ. they are faid to be innumerable; and upon the fame Foundation Jacob wishes that Ephraim and Manaffes may grow into a Multitude (or, as it is in the Margin of that Text, as Fishes do encreafe, Gen. xlviii. v. 16.) At least, it is plain from hence, that those Words were not fpoken without a Fundamental Knowledge of the Properties of Fishes, as two great Circumftances in which they differ from other Creatures, namely, the Effect of Water in their Production, and their great Fœcundity.

SECT. XXXVII. The Curse appears from the Production of Fishes.

THERE may ftill one Remark be made about the foregoin g Matters; namely, that this fo great VOL. II.

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Multi

Multiplication of the Fishes, which feems to be the neceffary Confequence of the Quantity of their Eggs, is not however obferved to be fo at this time. Now fuch as allow the above-mention'd Text to be the Word of GOD, may discover herein the Force of the Curfe, which after the Fail of Man is extended to all things; for the fake of which not only the Trees are lefs Fruitful than from their Contexture one might have expected them to be (of which hereafter more largely) but Men likewife live a fmaller Space of Time than their Structure feems to promife (of which fomething has been faid above in Contemplation XII.) Now if this be ferioufly confider'd by a Sceptical Atheift, it will not be eafy for him to affign any other Caufe befides this Curfe for the fame, nor to remove the Difficulty which offers itself, that fo many Things, and among them the Fishes, do not answer the Expectation which we might juftly entertain from their Structure; and which is more, have not in fo many Ages anfwer'd the fame, tho' every thing be compleatly difpofed thereto.

SECT. XXXVIII. Creeping Creatures not yet

thoroughly known.

Now how the Creeping Creatures, fuch as Worms, Snails, &c. do move from one place to another without Legs, and other external Inftruments, has not (that I know of) been yet examined into with fo much Accuracy, as to enable any one to fay any thing fatisfactory about it; he that defires any account thereof, and how, according to the Opinion of the great Mathematicians, fuch Motion may be perform'd, let him confult Borelli in his Book about the Motion of Animals, Part II. Prop. XIII. Mr. de la Hire, in his Treatife of

Me

Mechanicks, §. CXII. p. 358. feems to have carried his Obfervations upon this Matter fomewhat farther, affirming, that in great Worms, such as are found in the Sea, the Mufcles can be difcover'd, fome of which encompass the Worms like fo many Rings, others are extended lengthwife in the faid Worms. Now if this latter fort be fo form'd as Mr. Borelli defcribes them, the Serpentine Motion of Worms seems to be performed by those Muscles; fince when the long Mufcles are contracted, the Worms becomes fhorter, and when the round ones, it is stretched out in length. But forafmuch as the Structure itself of thefe Creatures does not feem to have been fufficiently enquired into, we fhall be filent about it, that we may (as much as poffible) avoid fubftituting Conjectures, tho' of very learned Men, and propofing them to any. one, instead of the true Works of the Creator. This only would I ask of any one that does not own a GOD, whether it can appear reasonable to him, to suppose that a Worm is made without Wif dom, when fo many learned Gentlemen, tho' urged to give an account thereof, must acknowledge it to be a very difficult Question.

SECT. XXXIX. Infects, Silk-worms, Caterpil lers, &c.

Now if we pafs on to the Examination of the furprifing Structure of fo many different Kinds of Shell-Fish, both great and fmall, and yet farther of Caterpillers and Worms, and of the Aurelias proceeding from them, and of Flies, Grafhoppers, Beetles and the like; with which at present the Closet of Perfons of Diftinction (that delight themfelves in contemplating the furprifing Works of the great Creator) do with laudable Charge and Pains abound; and wherewith a great many Books

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befides

befides are filled, without near comprising all the kinds thereof; to produce many Instances thereof will not be neceffary here, fince they are to be found in fo great a number elsewhere.

But to inftance in two or three of 'em; ask any Body, be it who it will, whether he can think, that it is by meer Chance, that a Silk-worm comes out of an Egg furnished with all the Inftruments for Moving, Eating and Digesting its Food as other Animals are; that afterwards Spinning itself up with the Silk that comes out of its own Bowels, it is turned into an Aurelia, from whence at laft proceeds a Butterfly, which after Copulation with a Male of the like kind, lays Eggs again, which in the following Year become Silk-worms; this is known even to our Children that are wont to breed the fame.

They that in Summer meet with fo beautiful a Butterfly as is reprefented Tab. XVII. Fig. 8. flying with Wings, running with Legs, and furnished with all the neceffary Parts for Nourishment and Generation; when they read in the Obfervations of the accurate Mr. Goedart, that the said Creature was a Caterpiller B before, and that it was first turned into the Aurelia C, and afterwards became a Butterfly; could they, feeing fuch Metamorpho fes, and change of Figures in fo many kinds of Animals as are briefly named above, and of which the faid Author faithfully reckons up a great number; could they look upon 'em, I fay, otherwife than as so many Wonders of a great and wife Creator? Or can they perfwade themselves, that all this is brought about by Caufes divested of Understanding and Knowledge? And the rather, forafmuch as the little Eggs of those that we know are found by Experience not fooner to disclose their young Ones, than till the Herbs and Leaves that are to serve them for Nourishment, do spring

out of the Ground or Trees. Now if this be true, as several Naturalists pretend they have obferv'd, let an Atheist see whether he can calmly perfift in that Opinion, that here is no room for an End and Design of a great Preferver. And if the fame has place here, and that there is undoubtedly fo great, fo adoreably Wife and Powerful GOD that governs all Things, woe be to them, yea, double woe to all that deny him.

SECT. XL. The Confideration of Small Animals in general.

To return to the Matter again; Since these Infects, together with Shell-fish, have been confider'd with great Diligence by many learned Men, every one may find Matter of Astonishment in what has been tranfmitted to the learned World concerning the fame; and I hope that this happy Beginning, which Men of Note and Judgment have made, may in process of time be an inducement to great Minds, to contemplate these fmall Animals in certain other Views, and to enquire farther into the Wisdom and Art that do fo manifeftly appear in the Inftruments which they use for Motion, Nourifhment, and all external Senfation; by which particularly the Glory of their great Creator (which does not appear lefs in the Structure of a Fly, a Flea, or a Mite, than in the making of the biggest Elephant) may be demonstrated by yet ftronger Arguments against those that refufe to acknowledge the fame.

He that doubts hereof, let him confult those great Enquirers, who by the help of their Microfcopes have discover'd as it were a new World, and thousands of otherwise invifible Creatures; in the unconceiveable fmallness of which, not only the Defires of a curious Eye will meet with intire Tt3 Satif