68 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



Nature has made nothing in vain. It is not 

 credible that (he fhould have created momentary 

 lives, and beings infinitely minute, to fill up ima. 

 ginary chains of existence. The Philofophers who 

 afcribe to her thefe pretended plans of univerfality, 

 which are deftitute of every fhadow of proof, and 

 which make her defcend into the infinitely fmall, 

 for purpofes equally frivolous, would reprefent 

 her as acting fomewhat like a mother, who gives, 

 as toys to amufe her children, tiny coaches, and 

 minute articles of houfehold furniture, of no ufe 

 in the world, but which are imitations of domeftic 

 utenfils. 



The averfions and the inftincts of animals ema- 

 nate from Laws of a fuperior order, which we 

 mail never be able to penetrate into in this world ; 

 but, fuppofing thofe intimate conformities to elude 

 our refearches, they mult be referred, like every 

 other, to the general conformity of beings, and 

 efpecially to that of Man. There is nothing fo 

 luminous in the fludy of Nature, as to refer every 

 thing that exiils to the goodnefs of GOD, and to 

 the demands of humanity. This method of view- 

 ing objects not only difcovers to us a multitude 

 of unknown laws, but it fets bounds to thofe 

 which we do know, and which we believe to be 

 univerfal. 



If 



