180 NATURAL THEOLOGY. 



as to fulfil any purpose whatever which he is 

 pleased to appoint. 



They who refer the operations of mind to a sub- 

 stance totally and essentially different from matter, 

 (as most certainly these operations, though affected 

 by material causes, hold very little affinity to any 

 properties of matter with which we are acquaint- 

 ed,) adopt perhaps a juster reasoning and a better 

 philosophy : and by these the considerations above 

 suggested are not wanted, at least in the same 

 degree. But to such as find, which some persons 

 do find, an insuperable difficulty in shaking oft^ an 

 adherence to those analogies, which the corporeal 

 world is continually suggesting to their thoughts ; 

 to such I say, every consideration will be a relief, 

 which manifests the extent of that intelligent power 

 which is acting in nature, the fruitfulness of its re- 

 sources, the variety, and aptness, and success of 

 its means ; most especially every consideration, 

 which tends to show that, in the translation of a 

 conscious existence, there is not, even in their own 

 way of regarding it, any thing greatly beyond, or 

 totally unlike, what takes place in such parts (pro- 

 bably small parts) of the order of nature, as are 

 accessible to our observation. 



Again; if there be those who think, that the 

 contractedness and debility of tlic human facul- 

 ties in our present state seem ill to accord with 

 the higli destinies which the expectations of reli- 

 gion point out to us ; I would only ask them, whe- 

 ther any one, who saw a child two hours after its 



