QUADRUPEDS. 



347 



regard to his .spirit, the moral consciousness of responsi- 

 bility,, the principle which constitutes him capable of wor- 

 shipping God, that he is separated from the brute creation, 

 and placed per se. The contrast between Man and Beast 

 is not a contrast between reason and instinct, common, and 

 almost universal as is this supposition, for it can be readily 

 shewn that these two mental qualities, though very differ- 

 ent, are by no means incompatible; that in point of fact 

 the Dog is endowed with reason as well as instinct, and 

 that Man performs many actions which are purely in- 

 stinctive, as well as those which are prompted by reason. 

 "VVe shall presently adduce some examples in proof of the 

 former of these propositions. 



What is the nature of Spirit, or How that principle can 

 be defined, by the possession of which Man is raised above 

 companionship with the Ape and the Dog, is a question 

 which we will not attempt to answer. " In the image of 

 God made He man." The Creator, who spoke all other 

 terrestrial existences into being by His almighty word, 

 condescended to " breathe into the nostrils" of Man, whom 

 He had formed out of dust, "the breath (or spirit) of life." 

 Thus his spiritual part was a direct emanation from the 

 Deity, who had respect to the w 7 ondrous plan, devised before 

 the foundation of the world, whereby the creature Man was 

 to be brought into the closest union with Himself. Here 

 is the true dignity of Man : it is not that he is a reason- 

 able being; it is not that he is a moral being; but it is 

 that, by an act of stupendous grace, his being has been 

 shared by the everlasting God, who became partaker of his 

 flesh and blood,* in order that he might become a partaker 



* Heb. ii. 14. 



