Page:A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr. Henry More.djvu/123

Rh 6. You may adde to these the notable contrivance of the Heart, its two Ventricles and its many Valvulæ, so fram'd and situated as is most fit for the reception and transmission of the Blood, which comes about through the Heart, and is sent thence away warm to comfort and cherish the rest of the Body: For which purposs also the Valvulæ in the Veins are made, that the Blood may the more easily ascend upwards.

7. But I will rather insist upon such things as are easie and intelligible even to Idiots, who if they can but tell the Joynts of their Hands or know the use of their Teeth, they may easily discover it was Counsel, not Chance, that created them. For why have we three Joynts in our Legs and Arms, as also in our Fingers, but that it was much better then having but two, or four? And why are our fore-teeth sharp like chiesels to cut, but our inward-teeth broad to grind, but that this is more exquisite then having them all sharp or all broad, or the fore-teeth broad and the other sharp? But we might have made a hard shift to have lived though in that worser condition. Again, why are the Teeth so luckily placed, or rather why are there not Teeth in other bones as well as in the jaw-bones? for they might have been as capable as these. But the reason is, Nothing is done foolishly nor in vain, that is, there is a Divine Providence that orders all things. Again, to say nothing of the inward curiosity of the Eare, why is that outward frame of it, but that it is certainly known that it is for the bettering of our Hearing?

8. I might adde to these, that Nature has made the hindmost parts of our body which we sit upon most fleshy, as providing for our Ease, and making us a natural Cushion, as well as for instruments of Motion for our Thighs and Legs. She has made the hinder part of the Head, more strong, as being otherwise unfenced against falls and other casualties. She has made Back-bone of several Vertebræ, as being more fit to bend, more tough, and less in danger of breaking, then if they were all one intire bone without those gristly Junctures. She has strengthned our Fingers and Toes with Nails, whereas she might have sent out that substance at the end of the first and second joynt, which had not been so handsome nor useful, nay rather somewhat troublesome and hurtful. And lastly, she has made all the Bones, devoid of sense, because they were to bear the weight of themselves and of the whole Body. And therefore if they had had sense, our life had been painful continually and dolorous.

9. And what she has done for us, she has done proportionably in the contrivance of all other Creatures; so that it is manifest that a Divine Providence strikes through all things.

10. And therefore things being contrived with such exquisite Curiosity as if the most watchful Wisdom imaginable did attend them, to say they are thus framed without the assistance of some Principle that has Wisdom in it, and that they come to pass from chance or some other blind unknowing Original, is sullenly and humorously to assert a thing because we will assert it, and under pretence of avoiding Superstition, to fall into that which is the onely thing that makes Superstition it self hateful or ridiculous, that is, a wilful and groundless adhering to conceits without any support of Reason. Rh