ON THE STUDY OF NATURE. H 



to exclude the others ; and this singular harmoiiy 

 and just proportion has now been supported for seve- 

 ral thousand years. " One generation passeth away, 

 and another succeedeth," but all so equally as to ba- 

 lance the stock in all ages and in all countries. 



We will for a moment recur, as it certainly be- 

 longs to our subject, and is a material illustration of 

 the above remarks, to the first peopling of the world. 

 In the beginning we find that the life of JNIan was 

 lengtliened to ten or twelve times its present term. 

 After the flood it appears to have been the same. 

 We have an account of one person who lived upwards 

 of nine hundred years. Several of those born in the 

 first century reached four hundred years ; none of 

 the second, that we can discover, reached two hun- 

 dred and forty ; and only one of the third, arrived 

 at the age of two hundred years. The number of 

 children had also been in full proportion to the age, 

 and at this period cities, nations, and societies began 

 to be formed. In the time of Moses, when the 

 Earth was fully peopled, and from thence to the pre- 

 sent, we find that seventy or eighty' years was the 

 extent of Man's life. *' The days of our age," says 

 David, *' are threescore years and ten ; and though 

 Men be so strong that they come to fourscore years, 

 yet is their strength then bat labour and sorrovi% so 

 soon passeth it aw'ay, and we arc gone*." These 

 exact adaptions to circumstances and situation can 

 be accounted for in no other manner but by an im- 

 mediate recurrence to God, their first cause. 



* j^alni xc. V. iO. 



