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the poor little herbs, that arise out of the earth, and 

 considered the secret spark of life, which is in every 

 one of them, that attracts, increaseth, groweth, 

 produces seed, preserves them and their kinds ; the 

 various virtues that are in them, for the food, medi- 

 cine, and delight, of the more perfect creatures ; 

 my mind was sweetly carried up, to the adoration, 

 and praise of that God, whose vusdom, and power, 

 and influence, and government, are seen in these 

 fopsteps of his goodness. 



So that take all the wisest and ablest, men, the 

 most powerful and the most knowing, under heaven* 

 they cannot ail equal the wisdom and power, that are 

 seen in a blade of grass. Nay, they cannot so much 

 as trace out, or clearly and distinctly decypher, the 

 great varieties in the production, growth, and pro- 

 cess, of its short, yet wonderful, continuance. Inso- 

 much that there is scarce any thing upon earth, 

 be it ever so inconsiderable, but yields me inscrip- 

 tions of the power arid wisdom of its Maker written 

 upon it. 



4. In the contemplation of thy great works of the 

 heavens, these goodly, beautiful, and numerous bo- 

 dies, so full of glory and light, I could not but make 

 that natural reflection, Lnrd, whnt is man, that thou 

 art mindful of him, or the son of man that thou re- 

 gardest him ? It is true, man, considered in himself 

 is a creature full of wonder ; but compared with 

 these goodly creatures, he seems but an inconsider- 

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