that it was the work of a human mind contriving it, and acting on the members of a human body to execute the contrivance.

Now, we have evidences of the same kind everywhere around us of the existence, intentions, power, and will of an all-pervading, though invisible mind. Every organised body, every plant, every animal, furnishes stronger proofs of design and power and will than a watch does; and when we become acquainted with the composition of unorganised substances, as air, water, earth, stones, we learn that there are in them evidences of intention as clear, with evidences of wisdom and power more wonderful, more surpassing our comprehension, than even in the structure of plants and animals. We are in the midst of a vast workshop of machines, exhibiting every conceivable description of mechanical contrivance-a vast cabinet of the most glorious pictures, the source from which all pictures derive their beauty, and copies of pictures repeated ten thousand times over with the most perfect exactness; so that it seems to be scarcely possible that any rational creature, looking on these objects, should not see and feel that he is looking on the productions of an all-powerful, and all-skilful mind, which has contrived all these wonderful things, and produced them in such amazing perfection.

We are conscious of forming designs for converting material substances to our own use in various ways. We are conscious that, by the power of our will over our bodily frame, we can, by digging, cutting, hewing, rubbing, and other operations, convert various kinds of material substances to various implements for our conveniency. We have sometimes to avail ourselves of the general laws of matter, and sometimes our employment is to counteract some law by artificial contrivances. Now, we see machines everywhere around us, formed for particular purposes, the maker of which has availed himself of the same laws of matter which we have to work

with, and has often employed one law to counteract another, so as to produce an obviously intended result. The bodily frame of animals is formed on the same mechanical principles, of which we must avail ourselves if we would imitate them. Use, in some instances, is made of the weight of the body to enable the animal to procure its food, while, in other instances, there are contrivances for counteracting the weight of the body, and enabling it to float high in the air. We see contrivances for combining lightness with the requisite strength. All the mechanical powers are brought into requisition We see levers of various kinds in operation, joints and hinges of various kinds, the tightening and slackening of cords, contrivances for impelling heavy bodies through the air, or through water, or over the surface of the ground; contrivances for enabling animals of various kinds to procure their necessary food. We see, therefore, everywhere around us as palpable evidences of design, and of power to execute design in the material world which we inhabit, as we see in visiting a museum of the works of art. We are conscious that our own designs proceed from the mind, and are executed by its direct power over the members of the body, and its indirect, or mediate powers, by means of the body over external substances; and we therefore infer that the designs which we see on every side are formed by an allpervading mind, and are carried into effect by a power over all matter, similar to that which we exert over the muscles of our body, but infinitely more perfect. Nothing short of the most absolute power over every separate atom of matter, to arrange all of them in any order, so as to give its peculiar form and use to every object in the universe of matter, could produce the results that we everywhere witness.

We have stated that we have not precisely the same evidence of the presence of the Deity that we have of the presence of the mind of a fellow-man, because he

does not connect himself with a body like our own, and express the movements of his mind by movements of that body, similar to the movements by which we make manifest the movements of our minds; but that we have that kind of evidence of the existence of the Divine mind that we have of the existence of a human mind when we inspect any of the works of men in their absence. But we now further observe that we have that kind of evidence in a much more perfect form, and with infinitely greater power and variety than we have for the existence of other minds than our own, For,

1. We see many of the designs of the Deity actually being executed and completed before us. We see herbage of vast variety and beauty produced under our eye, and covering whole tracts of ground previously bare of covering, and innumerable living creatures formed to people places previously tenantless. Suppose, for

example, a piece of plain bare cloth were spread out before us, and that while we were looking at it, curiously formed, and beautifully coloured pictures of flowers, trees, fruit, insects, birds, quadrupeds, men, and women began to cover it, all perfect in their forms and colouring, the same forms repeated with the most minute exactness in various parts of it; and the whole, when completed, exhibiting the aspect of an exquisitely wrought carpet, while yet no artist appeared; we should infer that some human hands or some machinery was at work below the cloth which was throwing up these regular and beautiful pictures, that the work could not be accidental, but must be the effect of design and power in actual operation. Now, does not every meadow, every copse, every morass, exhibit precisely this indication of a designing powerful mind at work, although we cannot discover it, nor discern any bodily frame that it inhabits? Does not every season of the year present to us myriads of plants and animals, springing up into being, formed with perfect regularity, and forms precisely

similar repeated a thousand and a thousand times? And how can any man be so blind as not to see the energy of a planning and executing mind actually at work? It does not make the wonderful exhibition less, but more wonderful, that these forms are produced in a certain regular order. It would not make the filling of the carpet which we have supposed to be figured under our eye, less but more an evidence of design and power, that we were permitted to see the wheels and levers, the various-coloured threads, and the needles inserting them in the underground machinery, by means of which the effects were produced. So neither does it render the clothing of any portion of the earth with vegetation at stated times, and peopling it with animals, less but more wonderful, that we are permitted to see a little of the machinery that is at work ;-plants shedding their seeds, animals depositing their eggs, the sun rising upon it and warming it, the rain watering it, the air sweeping over it. All these, and many other steps in the progress towards the result, only render stronger and more impressive the evidence of a mind at work, possessing intellect of the highest conceivable order, with will and power to execute its purposes.

2. This kind of evidence of a mind possessing intellect to design and power and will to execute, at work in external nature, is infinitely stronger than any evidence that we possess of the existence of other human minds in any of the works of men; because the evidences of design and power in external nature are infinitely more distinct and more varied, than in any or all the works of man. The evidences of design, accompanied with power in external nature, are, in regard to our powers of estimating them, infinite. Not a root, nor a stem, nor a leaf, nor a flower, nor a seed of any vegetable, but possesses innumerable evidences of design. Not a limb nor an organ of sense, not a feather, nor a hair, nor a scale, not a heart, nor an artery, nor a nerve, nor an in

testine of any animal, but possesses still more wonderful indications of mental power. The more deeply we search, the more do the wonders of the planning and executing mind of the Diety crowd upon us. Taking the most superficial view of the structure of animal bodies, we see common mechanical principles employed in giving them the power of locomotion, and of finding and masticating their food. The eyes, ears, legs, wings, fins, claws, teeth of various tribes of animals, are wonderful specimens of mechanical skill. When we look deeper, and consider how the food is assimilated so as to form and sustain the various parts of the body, -the bones, muscles, skin, hair, feathers, scales, and, for that purpose, examine the stomach, bowels, heart, lungs, veins, arteries, nerves of the animal, we find ourselves in the midst of a system of mechanics that perfectly fulfils its purpose, but which passes beyond our powers of investigation. When we look to the food itself of animals,-namely, the vegetable kingdom, on which the animal kingdom depends (for, although many animals feed on other animals, yet, the animals on which they feed, are sustained by plants), we find a new and beautiful system of assimilation, by which inorganic substances are converted into the infinite variety of vegetable substances. When, for example, we learn that much, if not all, of the most solid parts of vegetables, is derived from the light invisible air, we find ourselves standing amidst new scenes of wonder. When we proceed further, and examine the inorganic substances which form the food of vegetables, new wonders of design and power await us in molecular forms and motions, contributing, by various combinations, to produce the various qualities of unorganised substances, their specific gravity, their crystalline forms, their consistency, solidity, fluidity, elasticity, hardness softness, toughness brittleness, their smell, colour, taste, and innumerable others. When the mysterious agencies of imponderable