246 THE COUNTRY CLERGYMAN. 



to allow them to possess; if their affections, their gra- 

 titude and their fidelity may be classed with those of 

 the human race, how much does it become man to 

 treat them with kindness and gentleness, especially 

 those animals, such as the horse and dog, which are 

 naturally disposed to associate with him. A wise 

 and good being made them all, and all with infinite 

 wisdom. Some animals are endowed with facul- 

 ties which others do not possess, but in the whole 

 scale of creation, from man to the almost inanimate 

 polypus, every thing has a mutual dependence on 

 each other, and its peculiar use ; so perfect and 

 graduated is the chain of existence. 



Mr. Hilary interrupted Dr. Hastings, by enquir- 

 ing the use of certain insects and reptiles. Dr. 

 Hastings replied, that the annihilation of any one 

 of these species, although some of them may be 

 inconvenient, and even noxious to man, would 

 make a blank in nature, and prove destructive to 

 other species which feed upon them. These, in 

 their turn, would be the cause of destroying other 

 species, and the system of devastation would gra- 

 dually proceed, till man himself would be extirpated, 

 and leave this earth destitute of all animation. Every 

 partial evil, therefore, is a cause, or an effect, of 

 general good. 



In fact, continued, Dr. Hastings, the more we 

 enquire into the order, regularity and economy 

 which may be found in the works of creation, and 



