Another proof that God can by different means- 

 produce the same effect, is the various \vays of ex- 

 tracting the nutritious juice out of the aliment in "va- 

 rious creatures, 



In man and beasts the food first cheered, is receiv- 

 ed into the stomach ? -where it is concocted and reduced 

 into chyle, and so evacuated into the intestines, 'where 

 being mixed with the cholcr and pancreatic juice, 

 it is farther subtilized, and rendered so fluid, that 

 its finer parts easily enter the mouth of the lacteal 

 veins. 



In 'birds there is no chewing : but in such as are 

 not carnivorous, it is immediately swallowed into the 

 crop, or anti-.storna.ch (which is observed in many, 

 especially piscivorous birds) where it is moistened by 

 some proper juice, and then transferred to the . giz- 

 zard, by the working of whuso, muscles, assisted by 

 small pebbles, which they swallow for that purpose, 

 it is ground small, and so transmitted to the Intes- 

 tines. 



In oviparous reptiles, and al! kind of serpents, 

 there is neither chewing nor comminution in the sto. 

 tnach, but as they swallow animals whole, so they 

 void the skins unbroken, having extracted the nutru 

 tious juices. Here, by the bye, we may observe the 

 wonderful dilatabiiity of the throats and gullets of 

 serpents. Two entire adult mice have been taken out 

 of the stomach of an adder, whose neck was no bigger 

 than one's little finger. 



Fishes which neither chew, nor grind their meat, 

 do, by means of a corrosive juice in their stomach, 

 reduce skin, bones, and all into chj-le. And yet this 

 juiee shews no acidity to the taste. But how mild 

 soever it tastes, it corrodes ail animal substances, as 

 aqua fortis docs iron. 



3. Several eminent men hare been of opinion, that 

 all brutes are mere machines. This may be agreeable 

 enough to the pride of man ; but it is not agreeable 

 to daily observation. Do we not continually observe 



