Page images
PDF
EPUB

trary as Conftancy and Chance. Should I fee a Man throw the fame Number a thousand times together upon but three Dice, could you perfuade me that this were Accidental, and that there was no neceffary Cause of it? How much more incredible then is it, that Confancy in fuch a Variety, fuch a Multiplicity of Parts fhould be the Refult of Chance? Neither yet can thefe Works be the Effects of Neceffity or Fate, for then there would be the fame Conftancy obferved in the smaller as well as the larger Parts and Veffels; whereas there we fee Nature doth ludere, as it were, fport itfelf; the minute Ramifications of all the Veffels, Veins, Arteries, and Nerves, infinitely varying in Individuals of the fame Species, fo that they are not in any two alike.

VII. The great Wisdom of the Divine Creator appears, in that there is Pleasure annexed to thofe Actions that are neceffary for the Sup port and Preservation of the Individuum, and the Continuation and Propagation of the Species; and not only fo, but Pain to the Neglect or Forbearance of them. For the Support of the Perfon, it hath annex'd Pleasure to Eating and Drinking. Which elfe, out of Laziness or Multiplicity of Business, a Man would be apt to neglect, or sometime forget. Indeed, to be obliged to chew and fwallow Meat daily for two Hours fpace, and to find no Relish or Pleasure in it, would be one of the most burdenfome and ungrateful Tasks of a Man's whole

[ocr errors]

Life. But because this Action is abfolutely neceffary, for abundant Security Nature hath inferted in us a Painful Senfe of Hunger to put us in mind of it, and to reward our Performance, hath adjoined Pleasure to it. And as for the Continuation of Kind, I need not tell you, that the Enjoyments which attend those Actions are the highest Gratifications of Sense.

*Bishop of Che

VIII. The wonderful Art and Providence of the Contriver and Former of our Bodies, appears in the Multitude of Intentions he must have in the Formation of the several Parts, or the Qualifications they require, to fit them for their feveral Uses. * Galen in his fter's Nat. Rel. Book De formatione Fatus, takes lib. x. c. 6. notice, "That there are in a humane Body above Six hundred feveral Mufcles, and there are at least Ten several Inἐσ tenfions or due Qualifications to be observed "in each of thefe; proper Figure, juft Mag"nitude, right Difpofition of its feveral Ends,

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

upper and lower, Pofition of the whole, the "Infertion of its proper Nerves, Veins, and Arteries, which are each of them to be du ly placed; fo that about the Muscles alone,

Сс

[ocr errors]

no less than Six thousand feveral Ends or "Aims are to be attended to. The Bones are "reckoned to be 284. The diftin&t Scopes or "Intentions in each of these are above 40, in " "all about fooooo. And thus it is in fome

CC

Proportion with all the other Parts, the Skin, Ligaments, Veffels, Glandules, Humors:

But

241 "But more especially with the feveral Mem→ "bers of the Body, which do, in regard of the great Variety and Multitude of those several "Intentions required to them, very much ex"ceed the homogeneous Parts. And the Fail

Сс

[ocr errors]

ing in any one of thefe, would caufe Irreἐσ gularity in the Body, and in many of them "fuch as would be very notorious. Now to imagine that fuch a Machine composed of fo many Parts, to the right Form, Order and Motion whereof fuch an infinite Number of Intentions are required, could be made without the Contrivance of fome wife Agent, must needs be irrational in the highest Degree.

This wonderful Mechanism of humane Bodies, next to viewing the Life, may be seen at large in the excellent Figures of Spigelius and Bidloo; their Situation, Order, Connexion and Manner of feparating them, in Lyferus his Cult. Anatom. The almoft infinite Ramifica tions, and Inofculations of all the feveral forts of Veffels, the Structures of the Glands, and other Organs, may easily be detected by Glaffes, and trac'd by blowing in of Air, and drying them, or by injecting through peculiar Sy ringes, melted Wax, or Quickfilver; the Operations whereof may be learnt out of Swammerdam, Cafpar Bartholine, and Antonio Nuck.

IX. Another Argument of Wisdom and Defign in Contrivance of the Body of Man, and other Animals, is the Fitting of fome Parts to divers Offices and Ufes, whereby Nature doth R

(aş

242 (as the Proverb is) Una fidelia duos parietes dealbare; Stop two Gaps with one Bush. So for inftance, the Tongue ferves not only for Tafting, but also to affift the Maftication of the Meat and Deglutition, by turning it about, and managing it in the Mouth, to gather up the Food in Man by licking; in the Dog and Cat-kind by lapping; in Kine, by plucking up the Grafs Particularly in Man, it is of admirable Ufe for the Formation of Words and Speaking.

:

The Diaphragm and Mufcles of the Abdomen or lower Belly, are of Ufe not only for Refpiration, but alfo for compreffing the Inteftines, and forcing the Chyle into the lacteal Veins, and likewife out of the faid Veins into the thoracick Channel: And here, to note that by the way, appears the Ufe of a common Receptacle of Chyle, that by the Motion of the Mufcles of Refpiration, it being preffed upon, the Chyle might with more facility be impelled into the foremention'd Duct. Befides, this Action of Refpiration and Motion of the faid Diaphragm and Muscles, may ferve alfo for the Comminution and Concoction of the Meat in the Stomach (as fome, not without Reason, think) by their conftant Agitation and Motion upwards and downwards, refembling the pounding or braying of Materials in a Mor

tar.

[ocr errors]

And to inftance in no more, the muscular Contraction and Pulfe of the Heart ferves not only for the Circulation of the Blood, but also

for

for the more perfect Mixture of its Parts, preferving its due Crafis and Fluidity, and incor porating the Chyle and other Juices it receives with it.

X. The Wisdom and Goodness too of the Divine Former of our Bodies appears in the Nourishment of them. For that Food which is of a wholfome Juice, and proper to nourish and preferve them in a healthful State, is both pleafant to the Tafte, and grateful and agree able to the Stomach, and continues to be fo till our Hunger and Thirst be well appealed, and then begins to be lefs pleafant, and at laft even nauseous and loathfome. The full Stomach loaths the Honey-comb.

On the other fide, that which is unwholsome and unfit for Nourishment, or deftructive of Health, is alfo unpleasant to the Tafte, and ungrateful and difagreeable to the Stomach, and that more or lefs according as it is more or lefs improper or noxious. And though there be fome forts of Food lefs pleasant to the Tafte, which by Ufe may be rendred grateful: Yet to Perfons that are in Health, and in no neceffity of using fuch Viands, I think it were better to abstain from them, and follow Nature in eating fuch things as are agreeable to their Palate and Stomach. For fuch unpleafant Diet muft needs alter the Temper of the Body, before it can become acceptable; and doubtlefs for the worse.

R2

I might

« PreviousContinue »