Many creatures which appear mean are not fo in themfelves. Our pride and ignorance lead us to think this. If we had more enlarged views, the lowest of them might reveal many wonders and beauties. All of them are admirable in their several ways. God's infinite perfection is intimately present to every part of his vaft creation; and knoweth and taketh care of all things at once with the fame ease, as though he had only one thing to mind. What an amiable idea of the goodness, benignity and Condefcenfion of our great univerfal Lord!

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THE SIXTH DAY'S WORK.

GEN. i. from verfe 24th to the end.

And God faid, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth, after his kind: and it was fo. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God faw that it was good. And God faid, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the fea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them. And God bleffed them, and God faid unto them, Be fruitful and multiply

and replenish the earth, and fubdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the fea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God faid, Behold I have given you every herb, bearing feed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding feed, to you it shall be for meat and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat; and it was fo. And God faw every thing that he had made, and behold it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the fixth day.

BY a gradual progrefs the divine power produced crea

tures that were still more noble; the matter being more digefted and prepared in five days time than it was at first. Three forts of living creatures are immediately mentioned, viz. cattle, which always fignifies the flocks. and herds of tame beafts. Beafts of the earth; that is wild. Creeping things, a kind of middle living creatures; whose feet most of them are fo fhort and small, that they feem to crawl, rather as walk. Of each there are various forts, and of every kind some vastly great, others very little. The earth did not bring them forth, by virtue of the influence of heaven upon prepared matter; but God, from thence, did so prepare and produce them in full perfection,

fo that he was pleased with their variety, and fuitableness for their feveral uses.

God not only reserved man for the last of his works; but, as it were, doth advise and confult about his production, not to fignify any difficulty, but to represent to us the dignity of man. He is brought into this world, as into a noble palace ready furnished. A greater power and skill, fo to fpeak, is employed upon a creature of fo much beauty and majesty. He speaks after the manner of kings, who advise with their council, but do things themselves; and who are wont to fpeak in the plural number, when they declare their pleasure. There is no occafion, therefore, why men should err, about. God's moft fimple divine unity:

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Man was not created properly and perfectly in the image of God; but in a refemblance of him, as to understanding, freedom of choice, fpirituality, immortality, &c. All have a power of designing, confulting, and for appointing what they intend to do. Purity and holinefs likewise seem to be comprehended in this; as may be gathered from Col. ïñ. 14; for the new man confifts in righteousness and true holinefs; Eph. iv. 25. He was not made immutably good, which belongs to God alone; but might, without due care, be induced to do evil, as we fee he did. Even then an habituated confirmed state of holiness was to have been by care and exercife. Upon this would follow dominion over other things, that are not indued with fuch understanding. How magnificently doth Mofes fpeak of man! Lord over all creatures, however wild! There is none upon earth equal to him. Mofes repeats this, to imprint a fense of it. Both fexes were made upon the fame day, and in the fame image. Human fouls are created and not made out of preexiftent matter.

Befides being made to multiply, like other creatures, ver. 22. they were to replenish the earth, and fubdue it, for their poffeffion. In their food affigned, no mention is made of beafts; whence, for a time at least, they were not to be killed compare Gen. ix. 2-44. fruit given to beafts, may be included in every green thing, or herb. "When "God faw every thing that he had made, and beheld it "to be very good;" man may have been meant in the firft, or principal place. And, therefore, reafon always employs itself with fuccefs, when it strives to render experinental truth useful. When it prudently uses God's favours, and praises him for them. This is the whole fum of man's knowledge. God, infinitely wife and good, has implanted fuch means of both duty and happiness within ourfelves. The rich, it may be, flatter their own minds, that they fhall obtain this laft amid the brilliant companies they affemble; and, by displaying pomp and magnificence, endeavour to purchase it with gold. Alas! they know not, that this flies the importunity of oftentation, difdains a bribe, and contemns the pride and vanity of wealth. Men are unhappy, not by want, but by the vices to which they are fubject. Labour, cheered by a fong, is not difgraced through employment. Only the rich who can purchase service from the hands of the poor, blush to make ufe of their own Pfal. xxxvii 16. "The "little that a righteous man hath, is better than the riches "of many wicked.”

Upon no principle of reafon or justice does it appear that mankind can found a right of wantonly killing or doing hurt to creatures in a fubordinate rank to themselves. That of food, and felf defence, is the utmost they fhould pretend. Their difproportionate body to our own is no proof that they do not feel, but the direct reverfe. They