Puslapio vaizdai
PDF
„ePub“

him, I form fome kind of acquaintance with them, and enjoy a kind of dominion over every inhabitant of the globe.

Shall we be permitted to form an idea of what might be the natural knowledge of ADAM? did he ftare at the Sun, as ignorant of his effects? did he difregard the filver Moon? Rather, let us fuppofe, that he well knew the importance and magnificence of the folar light, the ferenity and coolness of the Queen of Heaven; nor was he perhaps uninformed of those remoter, yet neighbour worlds, the planets, or undelighted with the luftre of the star-befpangled firmament. Certainly, we must admit his intimate acquaintance with himself, and the regions of his immediate dominion: The air, the light, the water, the earth, were fo many divifions of his kingdom, and alternately engaged his attention. He faw HIMSELF the only rational creature' moving upon the earth; endowed with faculties capable of very extensive comprehenfion, intelligent, and exact. Around him were the quadrupeds of various bulk; from that unwieldy mountain of flesh, the elephant, to the most diminutive: poffeffing an infinite variety of diversified qualities; courage and valour, fagacity and cunning, wifdom and prudence, ftrength and perfeverance; diftributed among them, not by chance, but in exact proportion; not united in one clafs, to the deprivation of others, but so regulated as to prevent both scarcity and monopoly. The feathered fowl delighted him with their ingenuity in the conftructions of their habitations, with their melody in the

[blocks in formation]

1

verdant grove, with their gay and fprightly plumage. The infect tribes excited his curious inspection, and shewed in miniature the vivacity of the most splendid decorations; even the (now) reptile ferpent had his many attractions, his vivid fpots, his variegated fcales, and peculiar fubtlety "above every creature of the field;" nor was the vegetable world less important to him: the arbour which composed his dwelling, the trees which furrounded his habitation, thofe from whence he gathered his fuftenance, could not but be familiar to his remark. The various fruits, of fragrant smell, of fimple tafte, of poignant relish; the various leaves, broad or narrow, downy or fmooth; the flowers, whose odour refreshed his fpirits, and regaled his fmell, while they delighted his fight, and charmed his view, by their beauty and variety. What might be his knowledge of the inhabitants of the waters, we know not: We find them well deferving our investigation.

What forbids us from endeavouring to be as wife as ADAM? The pleasures arifing from this wisdom may perhaps be diminished, but are by no means deftroyed; they yet remain, as among the natural, fo among the most confi derable, enjoyments of mankind; they are our purest pleafures, and, in regard to advantage, we have some (and very forcible) reafons for the ftudy now, which existed not in the state of innocence; for now many brute animals are deftructive; thefe we muft learn to avoid,. to conquer, or to tame: many trees are poifonous, many fruits deadly, many plants noxious, thefe we must learn to distinguish,

left

left our food become fatal, and left we miftake difeafe for health. We must now avoid the infect, unless we are certain it has no fting; we must forbear the flower, unless we are fure its fragrance is not injurious; not only fo, but the phenomena which furround our earth, the air, the meteors, are not as they were originally: we know storms and tempefts by experience; thunder and lightning, the rolling billows, the mountainous furge; and we also wifh to inquire into their causes, and into their properties.

By the experiments of our predeceffors, by the labours of many intelligent men, we are enabled to give reasonable anfwers to questions on these subjects, and to acquire a competent knowledge of the operations of nature; not, indeed, that we pretend ability to account for all, or to develope every mystery of nature: we admit that much remains hitherto unexplored, much that never will be explored. 'It is high as heaven, what can we do; deep as hell, what can we know.' Yet, from this our inevitable and infuperable ignorance, we will take occasion to acknowledge the greatness of the universal Author, and to our own humble abilities. We are not yet difembodied fpirits, we are not yet immortals at liberty, but furrounded by numerous wants, and tenants of tabernacles

confefs

of clay.

Come then, my friends, to whom knowledge opens her copious ftores, to whom liberal Nature offers her choiceft treasures, come, and, like rationals, enjoy rational fatisfaction; inspect the glorious Sun, the lucid Moon, or "kindle your

verdant grove, with their gay and sprightly plumage. The infect tribes excited his curious inspection, and fhewed in miniature the vivacity of the most splendid decorations; even the (now) reptile ferpent had his many attractions, his vivid fpots, his variegated scales, and peculiar subtlety above every creature of the field;" nor was the vegetable world less important to him: the arbour which composed his dwelling, the trees which furrounded his habitation, those from whence he gathered his fuftenance, could not but be familiar to his remark. The various fruits, of fragrant smell, of fimple tafte, of poignant relish; the various leaves, broad or narrow, downy or smooth; the flowers, whofe odour refreshed his fpirits, and regaled his smell, while they delighted his fight, and charmed his view, by their beauty and variety. What might be his knowledge of the inhabitants of the waters, we know not: We find them well deferving our investigation.

What forbids us from endeavouring to be as wife as ADAM? The pleasures arifing from this wisdom may perhaps be diminished, but are by no means deftroyed; they yet remain, as among the natural, fo among the most confi derable, enjoyments of mankind; they are our pureft pleasures, and, in regard to advantage, we have fome (and very forcible) reafons for the ftudy now, which existed not in the state of innocence; for now many brute animals are deftructive; these we muft learn to avoid, to conquer, or to tame: many trees are poifonous, many fruits deadly, many plants noxious, thefe we must learn to distinguish,

[ocr errors]

left

« AnkstesnisTęsti »