CREEPING THINGS and FLYING FOWL.-Praife ye the LORD, Pf. cxlviii. 7, 10. And Let Every Thing that bath BREATH Praise the LORD. Pfa. cl. 6.

FROM the Confideration of

GOD's Power exhibited in the CREATION of the Brute Animals, Let us now proceed to the Contemplation of his Goodnefs manifefted in his PROVIDENCE over them.

• The Lord of the Heavens and Earth, the Creator of the Waters is the King of every Crea' ture*. What GOD hath created, he cannot but love; and what he

• it.

loveth cannot but be the object of his Goodness. O Lord, Thou loveft all the things that are,' (faith the Writer of the excellent but too much neglected Book of * WISDOM) and abhorrest nothing that Thou haft made; for C never wouldft Thou have made any thing, if Thou hadft hated And how could any thing have endured, if it had not been thy Will? Or been preserved, if not called by Thee?' creature, that GOD hath made, can be unknown to or difregarded by him. Hear the words of the great Creator himself, who in the fiftieth Pfalm is represented as the Speaker in terms that command our utmost attention: The Mighty

* Wisdom of Solomon, i 24, 25.

No

GOD,

GOD, even the LORD hath Spoken, and called to the Earth from the Rifing of the Sun, unto the Going down thereof;—EVERY BEAST of the Foreft is Mine, and the CATTLE upon a thousand Hills; I know all the FOWLS of the Mountains, and the Wild BEASTS of the Field are Mine; or * with me; or † in my fight; i. e. of my Creation, and under my Protection.

The Goodness and the Mercy of GOD are as extenfive as his Wisdom and Power. For what He hath created by his Power and Wisdom, He preferveth by his Goodness and Mercy. The

* The Margin.

+ Common Prayer Verfion.

I 2

Eyes

Eyes of ALL wait upon Thee, O Lord, and thou giveft them their Meat in due feafon. Thou openeft thine hand, and fatisfieft the Defire of EVERY LIVING THING.* No fooner were the Animals created, than they received the Blefling of their Creator. For having appointed unto MAN his proper food, and declared what fhould be meat for Him +; he then adds, as a teftimony of his Providential Care over the BrutesTo EVERY BEAST of the Earth, and to EVERY FOWL of the Air, and to EVERY THING that creepeth upon the Earth, wherein there is Life, I

* Pfa. cxlv. 15, 16.

+ Gen. i. 29.

have given every green herb for Meat, Gen. i. 30.

How excellent is thy LovingKindness, O GOD; Thou preferver of MAN and of BEAST. Pfa. xxxvi. 6.-0 Give Thanks unto the GOD of Heaven, who giveth Food to ALL FLESH; for his Mercy endureth for ever. Pfa. cxxxvi. 25.

But befide these declarations in Holy Scripture concerning the Benevolence of GOD to all his Creatures in general, let us turn to the CIVth Pfalm, and we fhall find therein a strikingly beautiful Illuftration of his Providential Goodness to various Species of them. Which Pfalm if any man