586 REVIEW-BRIDGEWATER TREATISES, NO. 7 . 
it; for when the Almighty Creator, “ in his wisdom, and by the 
word of his power, had first brought into being, and afterwards 
set in order the heavens and the earth; had caused the latter to 
bring forth grass, and heit), and treewhen all things, in fact, 
were properly prepared, his next care was to enliven the earth 
with a different and a higher class of beings, in whom, to or¬ 
ganization, and life, and growth, and reproductive powers, might 
be added, sensation and voluntary motion. 
Now, what was the precise order of creation in the animal 
kingdom is nowhere clearly revealed in Holy Scriptures ; but 
the author is of opinion, and it does appear probable, that, as 
the most perfect animal, man, was created last, the process 
was from those that were at the foot of the scale to those that 
were at the summit. When the word of power was spoken—■ 
Let the earth bring forth, the various tribes of quadrupeds 
issued from its teeming womb, varying infinitely in size, from 
the minute harvest mouse, to the giant bulk of the elephant and 
hippopotamus. 
The earth was now completely furnished, and decorated to 
receive her ^ destined king and master/ Again the word of 
power was spoken—‘ Let us make man,’ and he was installed 
into his kingdom over the globe which he inhabited, and his do¬ 
minion over the inhabitants of the water, of the air, and of the 
earth. The entire machine was now in action, every separate 
w'heel was revolving, and the will of Him w^ho contrived and 
fabricated it had full and uninterrupted accomplishment.” 
The learned author havins; jrot thus far in the creation of the 
world (w'e have used our own w'ords, as his beautiful and truly 
elegant description would occupy as many pages as we have 
employed lines); having, we repeat, got thus far—when the 
generations of the world were perfect and healthful, “ and God 
saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it w'as very 
good,” he troubles himself with a most extraordinary hypothesis 
—that the instincts of the predaceous animals, instead of being 
urged by an irresistible impulse to fulfil their seveial functions, 
as they are at this present time, were restrained, or they must 
soon have annihilated the herbivorous ones. “ L^hey must, there¬ 
fore^^ says the author, ‘‘ originally have eaten grass or straw, 
like the ox, and neither injured nor destroyed their fellow beasts 
of a more harmless character.” This w^as the state of things, 
according to the learned author, prior to the fall; but no sooner 
was Adam and his helpmate turned out of Paradise, than the 
harmony of the creation was put an end to. Then, as the poet 
sings— 
