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a plan fo wife, are fo evidently difcernible, that one must shut one's eyes againft the light not to acknowledge in the whole the hand of a God all wife, and almighty.

If we confult the Scriptures they will fully confirm this truth. "The Lord fays the Pfalmift, cau"feth grafs to grow for the cattle, and herbs for the "fervice of man. All creatures wait upon thee, "that thou mayeft give them their meat in due fea"fon. What thou giveft them they gather thou

openeft thine hand, and they are filled with good. "Thou hideft thy face; they are troubled; thou ta"keft away their breath, they die and return to

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their duft. Thou fendeft forth thy fpirit, they are "created, and thou reneweft the face of the earth." Ps. civ. 14,27,30. And in another place, "The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou giveft them "their food in due feafon. Thou openeft thine "hand, and fatisfieft the defire of every living thing." Ps. CXLV. 15,16,

The care which God takes of infects carries with it fo many diftin&t marks of paternal folicitude as ought to induce mankind to place their confidence in his bounty. If we have not always every thing that it is neceffary for us, and if even common refources fail us, we ought not to lofe all hope. The wife ruler of the world, who feeds with fuch abundance all thofe animals, will not forfake us his rational offspring. This fovereign monarch of the universe, who provides for the neceffities of the meaneft of his creatures, who leaves not deftitute the fmalleft worm, will he allow to perifh with hunger, the beings he hath defigned to call his children? This reasoning is not mine, it is that of the Saviour of the world himself."Behold the fowls of heaven, faid he to his "difciples, they fow not, neither do they reap, nor O

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"gather into barns, and yet your heavenly father "feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" MAT. vi. 26.-It is our duty then, that our trust in him may not be vain, to conduct ourfelves fo that we may gain the favour aad protection of the fupreme being. His bleffings will then be renewed to us every morning; for the Lord will never forfake those who put their truft in him.

CHA P. XII.

OF THE ARMS WITH WHICH INSECTS DEFEND
THEMSELVES AGAINST THEIR ENEMIES; AND

OF THE MEANS THEY EMPLOY FOR AVOIDING
OTHER DANGERS.

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In this Chapter I propofe to treat not only of the fagacity of infects in guarding aginft danger; but of the organs with' which divine Providence hath furnished them, both for fecuring themfelves against the inclemency of the feafons, and for efcaping the purfuits of their enemies. Calen, long ago, made the following judicious remarks upon this fubject:

The body of all animals, lays that great man, is always proportioned to the faculties and inclinations of the mind. The horfe, that a ve, fierce, and noble animal has the hocfs of his feet hard and ftrong, and his neck is adorned with a mane, which

contributes

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contributes not a little to give him that majestic air which we fo much admire in him. The teeth and claws of the Lion correfpond exactly to his natural difpofition, which is daring and fanguinary. The fame may be faid of the horns of the bull, and the tulks of the boar. Timid animals fuch as the stag and the hare, have only for their defence the fwiftnefs of their feet."

This reflection may be justly applied to infects. God has not been at lefs pains to provide for their fafety, than for that of other animals. Some are endowed with fuch velocity as to efcape danger by the fuddennefs of their flight. Some creep with a good deal of fpeed, but others fly moft rapidly; others allow themselves to drop from the place of their ordinary abode upon being disturbed. Those which cannot move with the fame facility, make ule of addrefs. Some not being able to change their co lour like the Camelion, choofe for their abode, pla- hamams ces of the fame colour as their bodies, that their e nemies may not be able eafily to difcover them. Others wrap themselves up like a hedge-hog to put in fafety their heads, and the more delicate parts of of their body. Some feem willing to intimidate their enemies by an appearance of anger which they testify by a violent motion of the head: and laftly, fome when they are touched, difcharge a fetid li quor which difgufts their enemy, and forces him to

retire.

But the goodness of the Creator does not reft, here. Many of them, have arms for their defence. The fkin of fome is hard enough to fecure then from ordinary injuries; the teeth of others are exceedingly formidable. Some are invefted with fine and fharp hairs which oblige their enemies to quit them, from the piercing pain thefe darts occafion. Others

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have horns with which they feize and crush their aga greffors. Some have ftings that pierce the hardest fubftances; and others putting the anterior part of their body into holes, leave the other expofed which ferves to defend them by the fharp points or pincers,with which it is armed.

All these are fo many vifible marks of the wife and provident care, which God hath had of these defpifed animals. It appeared fo great to fome philofophers, that they imagined nature had been more kind to them than to man, and that he acted as a ftep-mother to him, by denying him those weapons of defence fhe hath beftowed on other animals. The confequence however does not follow from the premifes. Reafon, which God hath given to man, is of more ufe to his prefervation, than all the means of defence' he hath given to other creatures. He is capable of fabricating arms to himself for refifting the most ferocious and beft armed animals: he can invent the means of taming the moft favage, and thofe that feem the moft ungovernable. But without enlarging further on this circumftance let us ftate the answer which Galen gave to the fame objection." Nature, fays he, hath given hands to man. Directed by his Tagacity they are the inftrument by which he executes whatever he finds neceffary either for peace or war. He therefore "had no ufe for horns; his hands can form a "fword or a lance which are weapons much longer " and more deftructive than horns. The feet, the "claws and horns are of no ufe at a diftance; but

the arms of man's invention can annoy at a dif cc tance as well as near. Would the horns of a bull "be as ufeful to a man, as bows and arrows? We can not only procure arms for ourselves by our own induftry, but we can wrap ourselves up in a sc coat of mail, which renders us more invulnerable

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than the hardest skin.

Befides cannot man build "himfelf a house, raise walls around him, enclose himself in a tower &c. ?"

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This reflection of Galen's fhews that God has not been lefs attentive to the fafety of man than to that of other animals. Expofed to fo many dangers, naked and destitute of every fort of defence, what would have become of us had not the Creator endowed us with reafon, a gift fo precious, that it ferves us instead of all the arms beftowed on other animals. muft not imagine however that even with this we are in a condition to refift all our enemies; they are in too great numbers, and are inceffantly laying fhares for our body and our foul. In this cafe we fhould be miferable indeed, did God forfake us; but will he do fo? Will he who leaves not without defence the vileft worm, will he fuffer man to become the prey of his cruel adverfaries? Affuredly not. He is too beneficent, and has given us too many marks of his kindness to allow us to entertain fuch a thought. Let us then cry out boldly with David, the Lord is a refuge in time of trouble for the oppreffed. Ps. xi. 9. This that holy man had often experienced, and accordingly he fays in another place, "the Lord has been my defence, "and the rock of my refuge." Ps. xciv 22.

Let us therefore rely more on the powerful affistance of our Creator than on our own ftrength, being af fured that our truft fhall not be in vain." The eyes "of the Lord." fays the wife fon of Sirach" are on "those who love him; he is their mighty protection "and ftrong ftay, a defence from heat, and a cover "from the Sun at noon, a prefervation from stumb. "ling, and an help from follies. He raifeth up the "foul, and lighteneth the eyes; he giveth health, life "and bleffing."

CHAP. XIII.

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