SERM. The first I fhall mention is the animal life, II. of which we fee a numberless variety; bodies

growing up from very small beginnings, by imperceptible degrees, to a large bulk, and animated by a principle, which is endued with fenfe and felf-motion. The ftructure of animal bodies is curious, confifting of parts exquifitely fine, and most artificially disposed 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 Cause.

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. Efpecially in the point before us, their schemes are moft 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 existence, or any step of its progrefs, from its

com

II.

commencement to its perfection, especially, SER M. not of the fentient and self-moving powers. The formation of the fœtus is, as the scripture 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 compofition of all its parts exactly answers to his defigning idea. Not to infist on the modern discoveries, whereby it seems 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 stamen; (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 impulse or motion impress'd upon matter, according to mechanical laws, can give us the least tolerable pretence for imagining, that, in the first stage 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 scarce decent enough to repeat them. They profefs to imagine, that as numberless atoms,

it

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 celestial spheres; so the earth having been long barren, yet still retaining the motive quality of its parts, (no body knows from whence derived) and therefore labouring with a strong actual intestine motion, in process of time brought forth monstrous unfhap'd births, which had fome little likenefs to living things of the feveral kinds, and may be fome low beginnings of life which could not long fubfift for want of proper vehicles; at length, after many imperfect effays, growing more skilful in the plastic art, (strange how that should come to pafs !) fhe 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 fuch 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 she became barren by age? This is hard to conceive, confidering that he came to her prolific virtue fo late as after an eternity was paft; and that the

conftituent atoms had preferv'd their vigour in SER M. an unwearied dance thro' numberless ages. Or II, did she wifely (but who made her wise?) 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 refolv'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 defended 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 so absurd, 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 shall take notice of one more which strongly evinces intelligent direction, that is, the confervation of the distinct fpecies, by a regular propagation. Is it not a furprizing thing, and to them who deny a governing wisdom in the universe, 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 distinction, that when two kinds fo nearly resemble each other, as the horse and the afs, that there is not difference enough in the outward form to direct the instinct of the fexes, and therefore they