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nerally prowl about, either in companies, or fo near each other, that when the alarm is given they flock together, either for mutual defence, or the deftruction of whatever comes in their way. In these lands they have long fince been destroyed; yet in many parts of America, as well as in other places, they do exift, and are destructive, and will be fo, till the general change fhall take place.*

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2. If we attend again unto the Serpent kind, we shall find them equally malignant, and almost as destructive, and fome of them using a great deal of cunning to accomplish their defign, infomuch, that the Devil is ftiled that old Serpent, feeing it was in that form he deceived the Mother of Mankind. Not to lay any stress upon fome accounts which are deemed fabulous, which, indeed, appear incredible, but to fuch things as are well attested. fall in the way of the rattle fnake, is fure death; for tho' he makes that noise, from whence he has his name, before be makes his fpring, yet it is too late for the unwary to efcape. Others again lie fo concealed, at the foot of old trees, or in the grafs, or in old walls, or ruins, so that if the foot touches them, they inftantly bite; and the poifon which accompanies that bite, is fo fpeedy in its operation, that it kills before any remedy can be had; nay, and so penetrating is the poifon, that it will even affect iron and

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* Julius Cæfar mentions a moft dreadful animal, which he says the Germans call Uri, of which I have read no where else.

Tertium eft genus eorum, qui Uri adpellentur. Hi funt magnitudine paullo infra elephantos; fpecie, et colore, et figura tauri. Magna vis eorum, et magna velocitas: neque homini, nequi feræ quam confpexerint, parcunt, &c. Comment. Lib. vi. cap. 28.

fteel.- -Our climate is too cold for many of thofe very poisonous animals; yet we have an Adder, by fome called a Blind Worm, whose venom is fure death, without a speedy remedy. There are faid to be others, the touch of which will convey the mortal contagion.

The Crocadile is a moft dreadful creature, and is faid to conceal itself in the reeds of the river; upon whose banks it refides, and will mimick a human voice fo in its cries, that the unwary are apt to turn afide to look for the perfon they fuppofe in distress, and so fall a prey to the devourer.

3, WITH regard to the winged tribes, it is true, they are not fo formidable to the human race as beafts and ferpents; yet many of these are birds of prey, and, therefore, are continually devouring, and herein differ from their original fate; and which plainly fhews they have partook of the fall, and, therefore, in their capacity, are breaking the order and harmony which fubfifted when every thing was very good.

4. If we turn our attention to the Great Deep; this may be called death's capital, where deftruction is continually raging for all the inhabitants of this awful region are strictly cannibals; and, in the most literal sense, are devouring each other. Here, battles, murders, and fudden deaths, are bourly maniféßed. Some of these fea monsters are extremely voracious, as the Shark, the Grampus, and the like, and fpare nothing that has life which they can mafter. Now, whether we confider deftruction, pain, agony, and death, raging among the hu man kind, or in the brute creation, we must confider it as the pleafing work of the great Abaddon, the first destroyer,

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and contrary to His nature-whofe effential character is that of love, and whofe tender mercy is over all his works.

5. I CAN but take a very tranfient view of things, the limits of a Sermon will not admit any thing more; but from these short hints, we fee clearly what a mere shambles the creation is, and how it daily groans, being burdened, and feems to pant for deliverance.

6. As to the vegetable parts of the creation, death hath alfo found its way into their compofition, and likewife marks ruin and defolation in the fame. Even in thofe plants which are pleafing and profitable to us, how foon do they vary and turn to duft! See, yonder verdant grove, how rural, how pleafing to the eye, how grateful to the fmell! yet, in a fhort space, a furprizing change will take place-death will tear its graceful locks, and fhed its blooming honours in the duft. See, thefe blooming fruittrees, the general refort of the induftrious Bee, whofe delicate whiteness vies with the new fallen fnow, and decorated with purple spangles, how foon muft it fade! Yea, the grafs withered and the flower fadeth, and the fashion of it path away. Proud man, who admires his ftrength or beauty, is often fent to fchool here, to learn humility and felf-abafement *. But not only the ornamental parts of the vegetable creation, but even the moft ufeful and neceffary, are but creatures of a day; even the hardy grain, the staff of life, is but of a very fhort duration; it foon fpoils and perishes, whatever care is taken to preferve it: and fo the most delicious fruits of the earth, they, like their ufers, muft fpeedily turn to duft, though raised with

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*Ifa. xl. 6---9. Pf. xc. 5. Jam. i. 1o.

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very great labour and toil.

Indeed, we have reafon to

blefs God for caufing the earth to yield that increase which it does, feeing all were forfeited when man fell; and, we must not forget, they are thus far reftored in the covenant of redemption, the head of which is the feed of the woman, who fhall bruise the ferpent's head. Now, if death and destruction have entered fuch fruits, plants, and flowers, as are useful and pleafing to us, what shall we say of numbers, known and unknown, which are extremely pernicious? Some plants are fo poifonous, that the very touching them will cause an immediate numbness to penetrate the hand and arm that has dared to approach it; and if the juices are expreffed from them, and touch any part, that blifters and forenefs will inftantly enfue. Now this was not the cafe, when all these were food for either man or beaft; and I am thoroughly perfuaded, that thofe poisonous qualities entered into their effence only when man had finned; for it was not till then God faid, Curfed is the ground for thy fake; thorns, alfo, and thiftles fball it bring forth unto thee*. With that awful Curfe, entered in all the poisonous influence which affects a great many fruits and plants, and, it is very probable, affects more or less every thing which the ground produces.

7. SUCH is the prefent ftate of things. The brutes are at perpetual war with each other, and the greater part of them are in hoftility against man, who led the way in the grand rebellion himself; and, as his fin has brought a curfe into the creation, it feems both animate and inani

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* Genefis iii.

mate are ready to avenge the quarrel of the affronted Creator. I here fay nothing of thunder and lightening, hail, ftorm, and tempeft; I fay nothing of dreadful volcanos, deftructive earthquakes, and defolating inundations, though joined in league, as it were, with all the rest, to chastise man for his difobedience, and are fad effects of that daring rebellion against God. But mut things remain in this ftate? Muft the great destroyer for ever triumph in deftruction and 'defolation? God forbid.-There is a Redeemer of the world-a Divine Reftorer of all things-a ferpent's Bruifer-and a gracious Undertaker: and this fhall,

III. LEAD me to view the bright fide of the mountain-that nothing fhall hurt or deftroy therein. But here I must appeal to the law and the teftimony. If God has faid it, he will make it good.

I HAVE already obferved the state in which the creation originally was, how harmonious and beautiful, how compleat and lovely, and how fin has brought confufion and destruction into the whole fabrick; therefore nothing lefs than an Almighty Power can reftore things to their primitive rectitude. Let us fee what is faid upon this important point.

First, the state of animals. I make no doubt but many of the infpired fpeakers were carried out of their own depth, and did not fully understand the extent of their own fayings. One may fee (as as remarked) inftance of this in the Apostle Peter, when on the day of Pentecoft he said the promise (viz. of the Holy Ghoft) is unto you, and to your children,

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