An Antidote Against Atheism/Book II/Chapter IX
Chap. IX.
I, 1. The Beauty of several brute Animals. 2. The goodly Stateliness of the Horse. 3. That the Beauty of Animals argues their Creation from an Intellectual Principle. 4. The difference of Sexes a Demonstration of Providence. 5. That this difference is not by Chance. 6. An Objection answered concerning the Eele. 7. Another answered, taken from the consideration of the same careful provision of difference of Sexes in viler Animals. 8. Of Fishes and Birds being Oviparous. 9. Of Birds building their Nests and hatching their Eggs. 10. An Objection answered concerning the Ostrich. 11. That the Homogeneity of that Crystalline liquor which is the immediate Matter of the generation of Animals implies a Substance Immaterial or Incorporeal in Animals thus generated. 12. An Answer to an Elusion of the foregoing Argument.
1. I return now to what I proposed first, the Beauty of living Creatures: which though the course-spirited Atheist will not take notice of, as relishing nothing but what is subservient to his Tyranny or Lust; yet I think it undeniable but that there is comely Symmetry and Beautifulness in sundry living Creatures, a tolerable Proportion of parts in all. For neither are all men and women exquisitely handsome, indeed very few, that they that are may raise the greater admiration in the minds of men, and quicken their natural abilities to brave adventures either of Valour or Poetry: But as for the brute Creatures, though some of them be of an hateful aspect, as the Toad, the Swine, and the Rat; yet these are but like Discords in Musick, to make the succeeding chord goe off more pleasantly; as indeed most of those momentany Inconveniences that the life of Man ever and anon meets withall, they do put but a greater edge and vigour upon his Enjoyments.
2. But it is not hard to find very many Creatures that are either καλὰ χρήματα, or ἀστεῖα, as the Philosopher distinguishes, that are either very goodly things and beautiful, or at least elegant and pretty; as most of your Birds are. But for Stateliness & Majestie, what is comparable to a Horse? whether you look upon him single, with his Mane and his Tail waving in the wind, and hear him coursing and neighing in the pastures; or whether you see him with some gallant Heros on his back, performing gracefully his usefull postures, and practising his exploits of War; who can withhold from concluding that a Providence brought these two together, that are fitted so well to each other, that they seem but one compleat Spectacle of Nature? which imposed upon the rude people near Thessaly, and gave the occasion of the fabulous Centaurs, as if they had been one living Creature made up of Horse and Man.
3. That which I drive at is this, There being that Goodliness in the bodies of Animals, as in the Ox, Grey-hound and Stag; or that Majestie and Stateliness, as in the Lion, the Horse, the Eagle and Cock; or that grave Awfulness, as in your best breed of Mastiffs; or Elegancy and Prettiness, as in your lesser Dogs, and most sorts of Birds; all which are several Modes of Beauty, and Beauty being an intellectual Object, as Symmetry and Proportion is (which I proved sufficiently in what I spake concerning the Beauty of Plants:) That which naturally follows from all this is, That the Author or Original of these Creatures which are deemed beautiful, must himself be Intellectual, he having contrived so grateful Objects to the Mind or Intellect of Man.
4. After their Beauty, let us touch upon their Birth or manner of Propagation. And here I appeal to any man, whether the contrivance of Male and Female in living Creatures be not a genuine Effect of Wisdom and Counsel; for it is notoriously obvious that these are made one for the other, and both for the continuation of the Species. For though we should admit, with Cardan and other Naturalists, That the Earth at first brought forth all manner of Animals as well as Plants, and that they might be fastned by the Navel to their common Mother the Earth, as they are now to the Female in the Womb; yet we see she is grown steril and barren, and her births of Animals are now very inconsiderable. Wherefore what can it be but a Providence, that whiles she did bear she sent out Male and Female, that when her own Prolifick virtue was wasted, yet she might be a dry-Nurse, or an officious Grand-mother, to thousands of generations? And I say it is Providence, not Chance, nor Necessity; for what is there imaginable in the parts of the Matter, that they should necessarily fall into the structure of so much as an Animal, much less into so careful a provision of difference of Sexes for their continual propagation?
5. Nor was it the frequent attempts of the moved Matter that first light on Animals, which perpetually were suddenly extinct for want of the difference of Sexes, but afterward by chance differenced their Sexes also, from whence their kinds have continued. For what is perpetual is not by chance; and the Births that now are by putrefaction shew that it is perpetual; for the Earth still constantly brings forth Male and Female.
6. Nor is it any thing to the purpose to reply (if you will make so large a skip as to cast your self from the land into the water to dive for Objections) that the Eele, according to Plinie and Aristotle, though it be See Plin. Natural. Histor. lib. 10. cap. 68. and Aristot. Histor. Animal. lib. 6. cap. 14. and 16. Also lib. 4. cap. 11. and lib. 9. cap. 30.ζῷον ἔναιμον, an Animal so perfect as to have blood in it, yet that it has no distinction of Sexe: For if it have not, there is good reason for it, that creature arising out of such kind of Matter as will never fail generation; for there will be such like Mud as will serve this end so long as there be Rivers, and longer too, and Rivers will not fail so long as there is a Sea. Wherefore this rather makes for discriminative Providence, that knew afore the nature, and course of all things, and made therefore her contrivances accordingly, doing nothing superfluously or in vain
7. But in other Generations that are move hazardous, though they be sometimes by putrefaction, yet she makes them Male and Female; as 'tis plain in Frogs and Mice. Nor are we to be scandalized at it, that there is such careful provision made for such contemptible Vermine as we conceive them: for this onely comes out of pride and ignorance, or a haughty presumption, that because we are incouraged to believe that in some sense all things are made for Man, therefore they are not made at all for themselves. But he that pronounces thus is ignorant of the nature of God, and the knowledge of things. For if a good man be merciful to his beast; then surely a good God is bountiful and benign, and takes pleasure that all his Creatures enjoy themselves that have life and sense, and are capable of any enjoyment. So that the swarms of little Vermine, and of Flyes, and innumerable such like diminutive Creatures, we should rather congratulate their coming into Being, then murmure sullenly and scornfully against their Existence; for they find nourishment in the world, which would be lost if they were not, and are again convenient nourishment themselves to others that prey upon them.
But besides, Life being individuated into such infinite numbers that have their distinct sense and pleasure, and are sufficiently fitted with contentments; those little Souls are in a manner as much considerable for the taking off or carrying away to themselves the overflowing benignity of the first Original of all things, as the Ox, the Elephant, or Whale. For it is sense not bulk, that makes things capable of enjoyments.
Wherefore it was fit that there should be a safe provision made for the propagation and continuance of all the kinds of living Creatures, not onely of those that are good, but of those also that we rashly and inconsiderately call evil: For they are at least good to enjoy themselves, and to partake of the bounty of their Creator. But if they grow noisome and troublesom to us, we have both power and right to curb them: For there is no question but we are more worth then they, or any of the brute Creatures.
8. But to return to the present point in hand; There are also other manifest footsteps of Providence which the Generation of living Creatures will discover to us; as for Example, the manner of Procreation of Fishes and Birds. For there being that notable difference in Animals, that some of them are Oviparous, others Viviparous, that the τὰ νηκτὰ (as Philo comprehends them by that general term) that Fishes and Birds should be Oviparous, is a plain sign of Counsel and Providence. For though it will be granted that their Species might continue and subsist though they had been Viviparous, yet it would have brought their Individuals to very small numbers.
For as for Fishes, since Grass and Herbs are no fruit of the Sea, it was necessary that they should feed one upon another, and therefore that they should multiply in very great plenty; which they could not have done any thing near to that fulness they now do, if they had been Viviparous, as four-footed Beasts are; But being now Oviparous, and the lesser kinds of them so many at first, and sending forth such infinite numbers of Spawn, their generations are neither extinct nor scanted, but are as plentiful as any Creatures on the Land.
And the reason why Birds are Oviparous and lay Eggs, but do not bring forth their yong alive, is, because there might be more plenty of them also, and that neither the Birds of prey, the Serpent nor the Fowler, should streighten their generations too much. For if they had been Viviparous, the burthen of their womb, if they had brought forth any competent number at a time, had been so big and heavy, that their wings would have failed them, and so every body would have had the wit to catch the Old one. Or if they brought but one or two at a time, they would have been troubled all the year long with feeding their young, or bearing them in their womb: besides there had been a necessity of too frequent Venery, which had been very prejudicial to their dry carcases. It was very reasonable therefore that Birds should propagate by laying of Eggs.
9. But this is not all the advantage we shall make of this Consideration. I demand further, What is it that makes the Bird to prepare her Nest with that Artifice, to fit upon her Eggs when she has laid them, and to distinguish betwixt these and her useless Excrement? Did she learn it of her Mother before her? or rather does she not doe she knows not what, but yet what ought to be done by the appointment of the most exquisite Knowledge that is? Wherefore something else has knowledge for her, which is the Maker and Contriver of all things, the Omniscient and Omnipotent God.
And though you may reply, that the Hatching of their Eggs is necessary, else their generations would cease; yet I answer, that all the Circumstances and Curiosities of Brooding them are not necessary: for they might have made shift on the ground in the Grass, and not made themselves such curious and safe Nests in Bushes and Trees. Besides, if all things were lest to Chance, it is for easier to conceive that there should have been no such things as Birds, then that the blind Matter should ever have stumbled on such lucky Instincts as they that seem but barely necessary.
10. But you'l objetct, that the Ostrich lays Eggs and hatches them not, so that these things are rather by Chance then Providence. But this rather argues a more exquisite discerning Providence, then is any Argument against it. For the heat of the ground (like those Ovens in in Ægypt Diodorus speaks of) whereon she lays them, proves effectual for the production of her young. So Nature tyes not the Female to this tedious service where it is needless and useless; as in Fishes also, who when they have spawn'd, are discharg'd of any further trouble: which is a most manifest discovery of a very curious and watchfull Eye of Providence, which suffers nothing to be done ineptly and in vain.
11. I will only make one advantage more of this Speculation of the Birth of Animals, and then pass on to what remains. It is observed by those that are more attentive watchers of the works of Nature, that the fœtus is framed out of some homogeneal liquor or moisture, in which there is no variety of parts of Matter to be contrived into bones and flesh: but as in an Egge for Example, about the third day the Hen has sate on it, in that part where Nature begins to set upon her work of efformation, all is turned into a Crystalline liquid substance about her; as also several Insects are bred of little drops of dew; so in all Generations besides it is supposed by them, that Nature does as it were wipe clean the Table-book first, and then pourtray upon it what she pleaseth. And if this be her course, to corrupt the subject Matter into as perfect Privation of Form as she may, that is, to make it as homogeneal as she can, but liquid and pliable to her Art and Skill; it is to me very highly probable, if not necessary, that there should be something besides this fluid Matter that must change it, alter and guide it into that wise contrivance of parts that afterwards we find it. For how should the parts of this liquid Matter ever come into this exquisite Fabrick of themselves? And this may convince any Atheist, that there is a Substance besides corporeal Matter; which he is as loath to admit of as that there is a God.
For there being nothing else in Nature but Substantia or Modus, this power of contriving the liquid Matter into such order and shape as it is being incompetible to the liquid Matter it self, it must be the Modus of some other Substance latitant in the fluid Matter, and really distinguishable from it; which is either the Soul, or some seminal Form or Archeus, as the Chymist calls it; and they are all alike indifferent to me at this time, I aiming here onely at a Substance besides the Matter, that thence the Atheist may be the more easily brought off to the acknowledgement of the Existence of a God.
12. Nor can the force of this Argument be eluded, by saying the Matter is touched and infected by the life of the Female whiles she bore the Egge, or that her Phansie gets down into her womb.
For what life or phansie has the Earth, which, as they say, gendred at first all Animals, some still? and what similitude is there betwixt a Bee and an Ox, or a Wasp and an Horse, that those Insects should arise out of the putrefi'd bodies of these Creatures? It is but some rude and general congruity of vital preparation that sets this Archeus on work rather then another: As mere Choler engages the Phansie to dream of firing of Guns and fighting of Armies, Sanguine figures the Imagination into the representation of fair Women and beautiful Children; Phlegm transforms her into Water and Fishes; and the shadowy Melancholy intangles her in colluctation with old Hags and Hobgoblins, and frights her with dead mens faces in the dark. But I have dwelt on this Subject; longer then I intended.