of Organs, as thofe of Refpiration are, both in Land and Water-Animals! Who could contrive fo curious a Set of Limbs, Joynts, Bones, Mufcles, and Nerves, to give to every Animal the most commodious Motion to its State and Occafions! And to name no more, what Anatomift, Mathematician, Workman, yea Angel, could contrive and make fo curious, fo commodious, and every way fo exquifite a Set of Senfes, as the five Senfes of Animals are; whofe Organs are fo dexterously contrived, fo conveniently placed in the Body, fo neatly adjusted, fo firmly guarded, and fo compleatly fuited to every Occasion, that they plainly set forth the Agency of the infinite Creator and Confervator of the World. So that here, upon a tranfient View of the Animal World in general only, we have fuch a throng of Glories, fuch an enravishing Scene of things as may excite us to admire, praife, and adore the infinitely wife, powerful, and kind CREATOR; to condemn all atheistical Principles; and with holy David, Pfal. 14. 1. to conclude that he is in good earnest a Fool, that dares to fay, There is no God, when we are every where furrounded with fuch manifeft Characters, and plain Demonftrations of that infinite Being. H But in the next Book we fhall ftill find greater Tokens, if poffible, when I come to take a View of Animals in particular. A SURVEY Of the Particular Tribes of ANIMALS N the foregoing Book, having taken a View of the things in common to Animals, my Bufinefs in the next, will be to inIpect the particular Tribes, in order to give further Manifeftations of the Infinite Creator's Wifdom, Power and Goodness TH OHE firft Genus of Animals that I fhall take notice of, fhall be Man, who may juftly claim the Precedence in our Difcourfe, inafmuch as God hath given him the Superiority in the Animal World; Gen. 1. 26. And God faid, Let us make Man in our Image, after our Likeness: and let them have Dominion over the Fish of the Sea, and over the Fowl Fowl of the Air, and over the Cattel, and over all the Earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the Earth. And as to Man, we have fo excellent a piece of Workmanship, fuch a Microcofm, fuch an Abridgment of the Creator's Art in him, as is alone fufficient to demonftrate the Being and Attri butes of God. Which will appear by confidering the Soul, and the Body of Man. CHAP. I. Of the SouL of Man: Y Survey of Man, I fhall begin with the Soul of Man, by reafon it is his most noble Part (1), the Copy of the Divine Image in us (2); in which we have enough to fill us with Admiration of the Munificence, Power, and Wifdem of the Infinite Creator (3), when we con tem (1) Fam vero Animum ipfum, Mentemque hominis, Rationem, Confilium, Prudentiam, qui non divina cura perfect a effe perfpicit, is his ipfis rebus mihi videtur carere. Cic. de Nat. Deor. 1. 2. c. 59. (2) Senfum à Cælefti demiffum traximus àrce, Juven. Sat. 15. Et cum non aliter poffent mortalia fingi. Adjunxit geminas, illa cum corpore lapfe Intereunt: bac fola manet, buftoque fuperftes Evolat. Claud de 4 Conful. Hon. (3) Nam fiquis nulli fecte addictus, fed libera fententia rerum confiderationem inierit, confpicatus in tanta carnium ac fuccorum colluvie tantam mentem habitare; confpicatus item &cujufvis animalis conftru&tionem (omnia enim declarant S 4 Opifi template the noble Faculties of this our fuperiour part, the vaft Reach and Compafs of its UnderStanding, the prodigious Quickness and Piercingnefs of it's Thought, the admirable Subtilty of its Invention, the commanding Power of it's Wisdom, the great Depth of it's Memory (4), and in a word, it's Divine Nature and Operations. But I fhall not dwell on this, tho' the fuperiour, part of Man, because it is the leaft known. Only there are two things I can't easily pass by, becaufe they manifeft the efpecial Concurrence and Design of the Infinitely wife Creator, as having a Opificis Sapientiam) Mentis, quæ homini ineft, excellentiam intelliget, tum opus de partium utilitate, quod prius exiguum effe fibi videbatur, perfectiffime Theologia verum principium conftituet: que Theologia multo eft major atque præftantior tota Medicina. Galen. de ufu Part. L. 17. c. I. (4) Among many Examples that I could give of Perfons famous for Memory, Seneca's Account of himself may be one, Hanc [Memoriam] aliquando in me floruiffe, ut non tantum ad ufum fufficeret, fed in miraculum ufque procederet, non nego. Nam & 2000 nominum recitata, quo ordine erant dicta, reddebam: & ab his qui ad audiendum præceptorem noftrum convenerunt, fingulos verfus a fingulis datos, cum plures quam 200 efficerentur, ab ultimo incipiens ufque ad primum recitabam. After which, mention is made of the great Memory of Latro Porcius (chariffimi mihi fodalis, Seneca calls him) who retained in his Memory all the Declamations he had ever fpoken, and never had his Memory fail him, not so much as in one fingle Word. Alfo he takes notice of Cyneas, Ambasfadour to the Romans from King Pyrrhus, who in one day had fo well learnt the Names of his Spectators, that poftero die novus homo & Senatum, & omnem urbanam circumfufam Senatui plebem, nominibus fuis perfalutavit. Senec. controverf. L. I. init. Vid. quoque Plin. L. 7. c. 24. where he also adds other Examples, viz. Cyrus rex omnibus in exercitu fuo militibus nomina reddidit; L Scipio populo Rom. Mithridates 22 gentium rex, totidem linguis jura dedit, pro concione fingulas fine interprete affatus. Charmidas (feu potius Carneades) que quis exegerat volumina in bibliothecis, legentis modo reprefentavit. a particular and neceffary Tendency to the Management and good Order of the World's Affairs. The 1. Of which is the various Genii, or Inclinations of Men's Minds to this, and that, and the other Bufinefs (5). We fee how naturally Men betake themselves to this and that Employment: fome delight moft in Learning and Books, fome in Divinity, fome in Phyfick, Anatomy and Botany, fome in Critical Learning and Philology, fome in Mathematicks, fome in Metaphyficks, and deep Researches; and fome have their Delight chiefly in Mechanicks, Architecture, War, Navigation, Commerce, Agriculture; and fome have their Inclinations lie even to the fervile Offices of the World, and an hundred things befides. Now all this is an admirably wife, as well as moft neceffary Provifion for the eafy, and fure tranfacting the World's Affairs; to answer every End and Occafion of Man, yea, to make Man helpful to the poor helplefs Beafts, as far as his Help is needful to them; and all, without any great Trouble, Fatigue or great. Inconvenience to Man; rather as a Pleasure, and Divérfion to him. For fo far it is from being a Toyl, that the greatest (5) Diverfis etenim gaudet natura miniftris, Paling. in Scorp. Οὕτως ἐ πάντεσσι Θεὸς χαρίεντα δίδωσε 'Ardegow, &c. Ita non omnibus hominibus fua dona dat Deus, neque bonam indolem, neque prudentiam, nec eloquentiam : alius namque vultum habet deformem; fed Deus formam eloquentia ornat, &, Homer. Odyf. 8. The like alfo in Iliad. 1. 13. |