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Every one knows that mites and maggots are found in cheese. They are feen in the fkins of dead beats, and in their flefh, where large flies lay their eggs, which afterwards change into an animal like that which laid them. Although infects are not fond of fat or oily fubftances, they fometimes however lodge in bacon, which hath loft fome of its fat by being fmoaked. Laftly, it is but too well known that moths lodge in cloth, in paper, and in books.

How admirable is the providence of God! He hath not only provided a habitation for man, but with infinite wildom hath likewife taken care to furnish, for every ipecies of animal he hath created, a fuitable and appropriate place. They are all devoid of reafon, and yet there is not one of them that is not endowed with a natural inftinct which leads it to inhabit the places deftined for it, where it finds the food which beft agrees with it. Can we be furprised at this? He who has endowed hem with this instinct is the fame," who hath planted the Cedars of Lebanon, where the birds make their nefts, who hath given the fir tree as an houfe for the ftork, the high hills as a refuge for the wild goats, and the rocks for the "conies. PS. CIV. 17,18. At his command "doth the eagle mount up and make her neft on

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high, fhe dwelleth, and abideth on the rock, from whence the feeketh the prey; for her eyes behold "afar off." JOB. XXXIX. 27,29. "God doth

great things which we cannot comprehend, he "makes the beafts go into dens, and remain in their "places." JOB. XXXVII. 5. 8.

What inference ought we to draw from this paternal care which providence hath taken to provide a habitation for all its creatures? It is very plain. If God hath provided with fo much goodness for the

wants

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wants of the fmalleft infect, and furnished it with a lodging convenient for it, ought we to fear that he will neglect or abandon us? Are we not of more value than thefe little creatures? Should it happen, that on account of our perseverance in the faith we fhould be expofed to perfecution, and that those who perfecute us, should force us to fly from our country, our houses and our homes, the Lord of the Universe will provide a place for us to retire to. Of this we have lately had an example in the perfons of the Saltzburghers. Thefe poor people, being driven from their habitations for the fake of the gospel, have not wandered hither and thither without knowing how to provide for themfelves. The Lord of heaven. and earth made them find an afylum in many places, even in the bofom of America. Different fovereigns took pleasure in affording a retreat to people whom their cruel country had expelled. Should the perfecution be fo violent as to prefent no alternative between lofing life and renouncing the gofpel, let us not hesitate. Let us continue firm in the faith; perfuaded that our body alone will return to the duft, but that our fouls, redeemed with the precious blood of Jefus Chrift, will be received into those everlasting habitations which God hath prepared for the faithful after death. In my Father's houfe,' faith Jefus Chrift to his difciples, are many manfions: had it not been fo, I would have told you; I go to prepare a place for you; and when I am gone and have prepared a place for you, I will come again, and take you with me, that where I am, there you 6 be alfo.' JOHN XIV. 2,3. may

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May we not likewise infer, from what has been faid of the fpermatic animals of which man is formed, and of that multitude of infects which live on us both within and without, how ill it becomes us to be proud? A creature which perhaps derives its origin from

an

án infect so small as not be discoverable by our fenfes, and which serves as food to fuch myriads of others, cannot be too humble or too fenfible of its own wretchednels. Worms make as it were a part of ourselves; they enter cur bodies with the first food we take, even in the womb, and from the common mother of all mankind, have perpetuated themselves continually from generation to generation. At our birth we are not delivered from them; the milk and other aliments we take are impregnated with them. They infinuate themselves into our bodies, which become for them a fort of moving house where they grow, and feed, and multiply. As God has made no new creation, these infects muft undoubtedly have been formed at the beginning of the world; but I will not fay that they were created to inhabit man. If they were, God has endowed them with the qualities neceffary for living in our bodies without hurt to us, or inconvenience to themfelves. The food deftined for them is perhaps a fuperfluity, the abundance of which would be hurtful to man. At any rate, God does nothing without a reason; and if he meant that animals fhould live within us, we muft believe that they are neceflary for our welfare. This we are fure of, that they are fo deeply rooted in our bodies that the fpecies has been preferved there from the beginning of the world without perifhing or being incommoded by the place they inhabit. Thus do wretched mortals carry in their bofom, millions of enemies ready to devour their bodies the moment the foul quits them. None are excepted from this general law, they no more respect the carcafe of a lord, a prince or a king, than the loweft of the human race. Kings may defend themfelves against the attacks of their enemies by oppofing formidable armies; but can they refift thofe legions of infects! And who after this does not feel his own wretchedness? Who will not exclaim with one of the friends of Job? "The

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"moon and the ftars are not pure in the fight of "God; how then can he be clean that is born of a "woman? man that is a worm, and the fon of man "that is but a worm?" -JOB XXV. 4-6.

CHAP. X.

OF THE MOTIONS OF INSECTS.

1

It is worthy of admiration that the faculty of motion is diverfified in as many different ways as it hath pleased God to create beings. The courfe of the Sun and the Moon, and Stars is fixed and invariable; the Sea has its motion of flux and reflux in a manner pe culiar to itself; and all animals have in general one fort of motion proper to their species and adapted to their wants. Some move in a straight line; others like lizards proceed in a winding line. The motion of fnails is very flow, they glide along almost imperceptibly by gluing their body to the ground on which they creep, by means of a flimy liquor they are abundantly provided with. Frogs move in a fingular manner, and can leap to a great diflance by means of their hind legs. The little green frogs called Graiffets by the French, creep with eafe along the moft polished furfaces, and find a fort of fteps where we can fcarcely perceive the fmalleft roughnefs. The manner in which ferpents advance is very remarkable; they have neither wings nor legs to help

their

their motion; they move however at pleasure, fome times quick, fometimes flow. The rings of the hinder part of their body contracting thofe of the fore part dart forward, and draw after them the rest of the body. What agility do not fishes difcover in their various movements? They fwim to every fide with equal facility, darting fometimes upwards and fometimes downwards with the velocity of lightning. The wings of birds fupport them in the air in which they move in all directions and cleave it with the greatest rapidity. The mole, blind and without a guide, makes itfelf a road under ground. This vast variety, which is obfervable in the motions of different fpecies of animals, has appeared fo remarkable to many authors, that they have thought it worthy of their particular attention; but as they have not entered at large upon the motion of infects, I hope it will not be useless to take fome notice of it here, and to impart my observations on the subject to the reader.

The motion of infects varies according to the ele ment they inhabit. Thofe which live in water move in one way; and thofe which continue always on land in another. Befides, each fpecies has a motion peculiar to itself. In the water fome swim in a ftraight line, moving their head alternately to the right or left fide, while their tail keeps a corefpond ing but oppofite.motion, and thus the animal always preferves the figure of the letter S. This is the cafe with the larva of the common gnat. Others fwim from one fide to another, advancing fometimes in a straight line, fometimes defcribing a circle or fome other Thus Swammerdam obferved three different ways of fwimming in the Monoculus Pulex, first in a right line like a fifh; fecondly, by an irregular motion like the flight of a fparrow, and thirdly by a fort of tumbling like fome pigeons. Some fpring in the M

water

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