NATURAL THEOLOGY. 155 



they who seek their subsistence by constant ma- 

 nual labour, must still form the mass of the com- 

 munity ; otherwise the necessary labour of life 

 could not be carried on ; the work could not be 

 done, which the wants of mankind in a state of 

 civilization, and still more, in a state of refinement, 

 require to be done. 



It appears to be also true, that the exigencies 

 of social life call not only for an original diversity 

 of external circumstances, but for a mixture of 

 different faculties, tastes, and tempers. Activity 

 and contemplation, restlessness and quiet, courage 

 and timidity, ambition and contentedness, not to 

 say even indolence and dulness, are all wanted in 

 the world, all conduce to the well "oing on of hu- 

 man affairs, just as the rudder, the sails, and the 

 ballast of a ship, all perform their part in the 

 navigation. Now, since these characters require 

 for their foundation different original talents, dif- 

 ferent dispositions, perhaps also different bodily 

 constitutions ; and since, likewise, it is apparently 

 expedient, that they be promiscuously scattered 

 amongst the different classes of society, — can the 

 distribution of talents, dispositions, and the con- 

 stitutions upon w hich they depend, be better made 

 than by chance ? 



The oj)j)osites of apparent chance, are constancy 

 and sensible interposition ; every degree of secret 

 direction being consistent with it. Now of con- 

 stancy, or of fixed and known rules, we have seen 

 in some cases the inapplicability ; and inconve- 



