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wounds inflicted on us by infects either on our bodies or on the goods we poffefs, proceed from an Almighty hand which knows when to ftrike, and which cures when it fees fit. What a fhame is it for man that the vileft animals of the earth fhould teach him to remember God, and to refpect his power!

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The juftice of the fupreme being displays itself in the punishment of the crimes of a whole nation. He excites against them voracious enemies which fwallow up all expectations from the fruits of the earth. This is founded on the authority of Scripture. Among other maledictions with which the deity threatned the Ifraelites if they difobeyed his voice, this is not one of the leaft; DEUT. xxviii. 38. " Thou fhalt carry much feed out into the field, but shalt gather little in for the locuft fhall confume it." Such in effect was the inftrument he made ufe of to punish the iniquities of that people. IoEL i. 5.. "The locuft hath eaten what the palmer-worm hath left; and that which the locuft hath left, hath the canker-worm eaten; and that which the canker worm hath left, hath the caterpillar eaten." This chastisement was as real as the threat had been pofitive: but as famine awaited the crime, plenty fucceeded repentance; IOEL ii. 25. 26. "I will restore to you the years that the locuft hath eaten, the canker worm and the caterpillar and the palmer-worm, my great army which I fent among you. And And ye fhall eat in plenty." Of the different plagues with which God vifited the Jews, thiswas always one of the moft confiderable. When the armies and the chiefs trangreffed his commands, he fent against them a hoft of foes which human power was totally unable to refift. I have fmitten you with blafting and mildew; when your gardens and your vineyards, and your figtrees, and your olive trees increased the palmer-worm devoured them. Amos iv. 9.

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The Jewish nation is not the only one which have been perfecuted by infects; their ravages have often aftonished and defolated the countries of the heathen. After diligently fearching into the nature and reafon of fuch phenomena, nothing appear more probable, than to attribute the cause of them to the anger of the Gods. This fentiment ought to make atheists fufpect themselves; the more fo, as without the aid of Scripture, without any motive of interest, without any propenfion but that of the heart, without any lights but thofe afforded by their own minds, thefe Pagans acknowledged the existence of a Deity in whom refides the fupreme right to chastise vice, and to reward virtue,

If we examine attentively what we fuffer from infects, far from finding any thing to blame in the conduct of the Supreme Being, to whom we owe obedience, we shall find nothing but striking inftances of infinite wifdom. The very fear which these animals inspire us with has its ufes; it ferves to make us more attentive, more prudent, more careful. They oblige the gardener to provide the proper means for preferving the precious fruits of his care and toil. Vermin excite us to the cleanliness of our perfons; the spider to that of our houfes; and the moth to that of our furniture and clothes. Befides, by a marvellous difpofition of Providence, there is not an infect on the face of the earth whofe poifon has the fame degree of ftrength on creatures in general; that is, it does not affect all bodies equally as it affects fome. The caterpillar and spider may be fatal to man, while they not only prove delicate morfels to many birds, but even specific remedies againft their diseases so that it may with truth be said that some things which are poison to one animal become falutary to others. The rule is not even general in the human fpecies. There are inftances of people who

have lost their life by having had the misfortune to fwallow infects which others have eaten from a capricious taste without feeling the fmalleft inconvenience. Such is the profound wisdom of the Creator, who hath introduced into this lower world fuch admirable order, that the fame thing which tends to the prejudice of one contributes to the advantage and happiness of another.

Laftly, the goodness of the first mover is confpicuous in the bounds which he has prescribed to the life of those infects which are dangerous to us. By limiting their duration to a few months, or a few days he has been careful for our peace, as well as for our neceffities. For who doubts that instead of momentary evils we would have been fubject to perpetual torments, had thefe animals been generated with us, if they attended us during life, and had furvived us or our descendants? One infect which commits depredations can act only in a certain time; another which would eat inceffantly is obliged to wait till night before it can appease its hunger; a third feeks its fubfiftance during the day; but when night comes it can neither find nor devour any thing. What would be the confequence could all thefe voracious infects fatisfy their hunger at all times and in all places? And if they can give us pain, many methods concur to defend us from them, or to prevent their hurting us beyond a certain degree. The openings of the ears, and of the noftrils, for inftance, have their natural means of defence. The one is covered with a skin, and furnished with fmall glands, which exude a bitter fubftance, difagreeable to infects: the others are furnished with hairs, which crofs, and form a fort of barrier, to defend the entrance. Let us add to this, that all countries are not equally favourable to infects. There are fome, in which they rather languish than live; fome, which do not feem at all

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made for them, fending forth vapours, which are abfolutely noxious to them. Even in their favourite regions, they are not protected from many dangers which threaten them. Wind, rain and moisture weaken and kill them, when in their greatest strength; fometimes the North wind and frost furprise them in the midst of warm weather, or before they have had time to fortify themselves against the approach of winter. Some vegetables are prejudicial to them, certain animals feed on them, and one fpecies of infect fometimes hinders another from multiplying. On the earth the spider eats the fly, and the chafer the gnat; in the water, the crab devours the leech; on the furface of rivulets, the trout feizes the fly; in the fields and about towns, the fwallow clears the grananaries and farm yards; the tom tit the gardens; the fparrow and the wagtail, the lower grounds. The Lizard and the Chameleon likewife live on infects. Who is there that will not acknowledge in all these particulars, an over-ruling providence? Who is there who will not look up to the exillence of a first cause, who hath aranged all things with fuch order and goodness, that while fo many infects are of fuch real advantage to us, fo many different animals, and even infects concur in preventing the exceffive mul tiplication of thofe which might hurt us, fo that in every view, the good overbalances the evil?

CHA P. V.

OF THE PROPER MEANS OF EXTERMINATING
INSECTS.

WE have feen, in the preceding Chapter, obvious traces of the wife conduct of the Deity in the creation and government of this world. Some others remain to be pointed out in the prefent. The faculty which God has bestowed on man, of contriving different means of defence against the injuries caufed by infects, is one very evident mark of his beneficence. Nature is a school; but how few people incline to ftudy at it! We wish ourselves enriched by its treafures, we wish to be ignorant of no mystery which it teaches; but no fooner do, we encounter its difficulties, than we turn our back and refufe to return. One is difcouraged on the road, indolence prevents others from fetting out. Far from attempting to gain the fource by a glorious but difficult road, we turn afide, and content ourselves with foolish fancies, which abfurd cuftom only hath fanctioned. And indeed we are at this day ftill almoft in the dark with regard to thofe means by which we may deliver ourfelves from the depredations of infects. In the Church of Rome, recourfe has been had to different exorcisms, other people have fabricated amulets and talifmans to which great virtues have been attribu Whatever

ted.

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