NATURAL THEOLOGY. 29 



other considerably, and suffer the head to be reduced 

 in size. Besides this, there is another difference. 

 As we advance into declining life, the whole skull be- 

 comes more like one uniform bone, when our own 

 care and our usual aversion to personal exposures, 

 render the securities of nature of less importance to 

 us. " The alteration in the substance of the bones, 

 and more particularly in the skull," says a most dis- 

 tinguished modern anatomist, " is marvellously order- 

 ed to follow the changes in the mind of the creature, 

 from the heedlessness of childhood to the caution of 

 age, and even to the helplessness of superanuation." 



B There seems to be no end to the wonders of 

 this curious box. Who would have thought of the 

 skull's changing its structure and texture to suit dif- 

 ferent periods of life ! We have only to lift our hand 

 to our heads to be persuaded of a Divine Architect. 



T. Can we trace any particular wisdom in the 

 different form of the head in different parts ? 



A. The strongest form is at the back. Here the 

 head is the most rounded. Here also the skull is 

 particularly thick ; and besides both these provisions, 

 there are strong ridges of bone upon the inside, which 

 render it incapable, or nearly so, of any crack. It is 

 by far the strongest part of the head. Now, what is 

 remarkable, it happens to be the most exposed part, 

 as to being liable to the heaviest blows, from falling 

 backward. In short, here is that marked and distin- 

 guishing species of foresight, in which a distant danger 

 is taken into view ; that is, in which the structure of 

 the head is adapted to the accidents of the feet. 

 c 2 



