NATURAL THEOLOGY. 153 



Here again we may admire the wisdom and good- 

 ness of the Supreme Being. What kind attention has 

 he shewn toward animals, in giving them the power 

 to express by sounds their wants and feelings. From 

 their organization, and the nature of their minds it 

 was impossible they should speak the language of 

 man ; but they would have been much to be pitied, 

 and less useful to us, had the Creator entirely deprived 

 them of the power of making themselves understood. 

 God has given them proper organs to produce and 

 vary a certain number of sounds ; and such is their 

 make, that each has particular and distinct sounds, 

 by which they make themselves understood. In short, 

 the Creator has given such force to the language of 

 animals, as their nature would admit of, and all that 

 was necessary in order for them to answer the end for 

 which they were designed. 



T. You say, the language of animals. 



A. The voice of animals is not, strictly speaking, 

 the same with language. By language is properly 

 understood articulate sounds expressive of definite 

 ideas, not natural, but acquired. This is the prerog- 

 ative of man ; though man at the same time partici- 

 pates with all other animals in being capable of express- 

 ing his wants and passions by natural and inarticulate 

 cries. Here again we discover the wisdom and good- 

 ness of the Creator. The infant is enabled to make 

 known its wants, and the mother to express her affec- 

 tion by this gift of nature, long before any power of 

 communication has been formed by articulate lan- 

 guage. Herder terms the natural voice the speech 



