NATURAL THEOLOGY. 103 



our attention would be called to examples of health 

 and competency, instead of disease and want. 



One great cause of our insensibility to the good- 

 ness of the Creator, is the very extensiveness of his 

 bounty. We prize but little what we share only 

 in common with the rest, or with the generality of 

 our species. When we hear of blessings, we think 

 forthwith of successes, of prosperous fortunes, of 

 honours, riches, preferments, i. e. of those advan- 

 tages and superiorities over others, which we hap- 

 pen either to possess, or to be in pursuit of, or to 

 covet. The common benefits of our nature entire- 

 ly escape us. Yet these are the great things. 

 These constitute what most properly ought to be 

 accounted blessings of Providence ; what alone, 

 if we might so speak, are worthy of its care. 

 Nightly rest and daily bread, the ordinary use of 

 our limbs, and senses, and understandings, are gifts 

 which admit of no comparison with any other. 

 Yet because almost every man we meet with pos- 

 sesses these, we leave them out of our enumera- 

 tion. They raise no sentiment ; they move no grati- 

 tude. Now, herein is our judgement perverted by 

 our selfishness. A blessing ought in truth to be 

 the more satisfactory, the bounty at least of the 

 donor is rendered more conspicuous, by its very 

 diffusion, its commonness, its cheapness : by its 

 falling to the lot, and forming the happiness, of the 

 great bulk and body of our species, as well as of 

 ourselves. Nay, even when we do not possess it,, 

 it ought to be matter of thankfiilness that others- 



