72 Natural Theology. 



be said that they show more special contrivance in 

 the structure of the body, and that the principle of 

 perfect adaptation is continued to the last analysis 

 of every organ and every process ; and this is true. 

 But if this adaptation is not seen and recognised 

 as proof of an intelligent Creator at the outset, 

 then it never will be seen. When you fairly come 

 to the edge of the ocean, if your friend cannot see 

 it, he never will, though he sail a thousand leagues 

 upon it. If we see that man is fitted to this world, 

 the question naturally arises, was he fitted to a 

 world eternally existing, or was the earth made in 

 reference to him ? The earth was before man, that 

 is, before his body. His body was either fashioned 

 to the existing world, or the world was all pre- 

 arranged in reference to the being that should be 

 placed upon it. Either of these suppositions implies 

 design, and would be enough to establish the exist- 

 ence of a Personal Creator. There is a great deal 

 of discussion as to what constitutes personality. 

 But man is a person, and his wants have been fully 

 understood and provided for. Grant, if you please, 

 that we existed from all eternity, and that it is only 

 in connection with the body that we become con- 

 scious ; still, we find ourselves with these bodies 

 which we did not prepare. We know that we have 

 no more direct power over the structure and growth 

 of our own bodies, or of our offspring, than we have 

 over the bodies of other persons. The body of the 

 savage is as perfect in all its parts as the body of 

 him who can number every bone and locate every 



