TARTS AND FUNCTIONS 67 



the secretions, the urine, the tears, and the swxat, are salt ? 

 Why does the gland within the ear separate a viscid sub- 

 stance, which defends that passage ; the gland in the outer 

 angle of the eye a thin brine, which washes the ball? Why 

 is the synovia of the joints mucilaginous ; the bile bitter, 

 stimulating, ani soapy? Why does the juice which flow:? 

 into the stomach contain powers which make that organ 

 the great laboratory, as it is by its situation the recipient of 

 the materials of future nutrition ? These are all fair ques- 

 tions ; and no answer can be given to them but what calls 

 in intelligence and intention. 



My object in the present chapter has been to teach three 

 things : first, that it is a mistake to suppose that, in reason- 

 ing from the appearances of nature, the imperfection of our 

 knowledge proportion ably affects the certainty of our conclu- 

 sion, for in many cases it does not affect it at all ; secondly, 

 that the difierent parts of the animal frame may be classed 

 and distributed according to the degree of exactness with 

 which we compare them with works of art ; thirdly, that the 

 mechanical parts of our frame, or those in which this com- 

 parison is most complete, although constituting probably 

 the coarsest portions of nature's workmanship, are the most 

 propp.r to be alleged as proofs and specimens of design. 



