:fl;r; ^ , • .' -- •NEW CYCLOPEDIA OF PEOSE ILLUSTRATIONS, ADAPTED TO CHRISTIAN TEACHING; EMBRACING MYTHOLOGY, ANALOGIES, LEGETOS, PARABLES, EMBLEMS, METAPHORS, SIMILES. ALLEGORIES, PROVERBS; CLASSIC, HISTORIC, AND RELIGIOUS ANECDOTES, ETC. A COMPANION VOLUME TO NEW OYCLOPJEDIA OF POETICAL ILLUSTKATIONS By Rev. ELON FOSTER. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY REV. STEPHEN H. TYNG, D. D. •■ For the purpose of teaching, one Ulastration is worth a thousand abstractions." — ^E. Paxton Hoop. " Because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge ; yea, he sought out and set in order iimny prov srbs. The Prt\icher sought to find out acceptable words." — Ert;LESiA8TES xii, 9, 10. SEVENTEENTH THOUSAND. ff >^ ^ ^^ . TuiriVBRSITYl NEW YORK W. 0. PALMER, JR., & CO., 14 BIBLE HOUSE. fenreinl^ 1875. 1' V '> Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by REV. ELON FOSTER, In the Clerk's Office 01 ihe District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New Yovli. TO THE CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTORS OF THE AGE, BOTH CUiRICAI, AND LAY, IN THE PULPIT, ON THE PLATFORM, IN THE SUNDAY SCHOOL, AND IN THE HOUSEHOLD, iriTHOCT REGARD TO SECT, C^ts Wiax\\ is gesptdfuIIiT ^tUxmitH; WITH THE AUTHOR'S EARNEST PRAYER THAT IT MAY PROVTE A VALUABLE ASSISTANT IN THEIR IMPORTANT LABORS. [UFITBRSITT] INTRODTJCnON. The animated and intelligent author of the remarkable production, New Cyclo- paedia OF Illustrations, has honored me with the request for an introductory notice of his labor. I have examined several portions of the work with admiration and pleasure. I am satisfied that it would be equally agreeable and instructive to read the whole with the same attention, if I had the opportunity. It contains a vast amount and variety of substance and suggestion. Its arrangement is distinguished by an order, a fulness of detail, and a compactness of statement, which leave nothing to be desired in such a work. Public speakers, in every branch of their art, will be grateful to the compiler for the patient labor and the unquestioned skill which he has devoted to their aid and con- venience. Many a pen will be dipped into his copious fountain, and many an inspiring thought will be laved from its flowing stream, by those wlio come after him. All who " draw " from his " well " will find that it is " deep " and abundant, and thank him for the provision which he has made for them " to draw with." In the appropriate use of such a work, there is required a skill scarcely less than that demanded for its preparation. The difierence between the skilful and the bungling use of an illustration in public speaking is kindred and about equal to the difference between the art of the practised fencer and the rough plunges of the excited rustic. The one, with half the labor, does twice the execution of the other. The adequate and eifective employment of an illustration in speaking requires a very distinct perception of the point to be illuminated, and of the precise analogy of the fact or character em- ployed in its discriminate expression. Beyond this, there must be, for the successful introduction of such a system of teaching, a gracefulness of presentation which shall not allow the figure to appear blunt, inadequate, or inappropriate. For all this, there is, perhaps, as real a demand for an original refinement of thought as for a practised cultivation of expression. "When such qualifications are possessed and exercised, no one can wisely depreciate the employment of an illustrative habit of speaking, in addressing a public audience. It gives to an address all the life and demonstration which the experiments of the skilful chemist give to the abstract theories and distinctions of his lecture. And the speaker who is able skilftdly and effectively to illustrate his theme of discourse will retain possession of the attention and interest of his audience far longer and far more completely than by any mere skill in logic, however manifest, or accuracy in statement, however undeniable. As a helpful provision for the acquisition and exercise of this art, the present varied compilation of themes and analogies will be found most valuable and important. Stephen H. Ttng. St. Geoegb's Rbctoet, New Yoek, January, 1870. PREFACE. The practice of illustration in religious teaching is sanctioned by the example of prophets, apostles, the great preachers of all ages, and, most of all, by our Lord himself ; for " without a parable spake he not unto them." Its importance has never been more appreciated than now, and that, too, by the most earnest laborers, both in the pulpit and in the Sunday school. The aim of this work has been to furnish a treasury of illustrations so complete, that the preacher or teacher need not look in vain for some apt analogy, fable, simile, proverb, or anecdote with which to make clear or impress any subject he may wish to discuss. Its success cannot be decided by a casual glance. The more it is used and studied, the richer its contents will be discovered to be. While this work has this specific adaptation, it is not without interest for casual or fireside reading. The field from which these illustrations are drawn is very broad. More than five hundred different authors have been quoted ; and more than six thousand distinct illustrations are given. Here nature and art, literature and science, sculpture and painting, eloquence and imagination, astronomy and geology, mythology and history, legend and anecdote, parable and metaphor, blend their most fascinating strains in the enforcement of the lessons of the Christian religion. An enumeration of the many works from which the matter has been drawn would only be tiresome to the reader : the names of authors, given wherever known, except as to original items, will sufficiently indicate this. In the arrangement of the work, we have followed the alphabetical method as the most simple and practicable. Turn to the subject as to a word in a dictionary, and look not only for the subject, but also for the predicate of the subject. For example, if you wish to illustrate the compassion of Christ, turn to Christ, and follow down the predicates till you find Christ, Com- passion of. If a satisfactory illustration is not found under the subject, turn to the same topic in the index, and trace out the numbers appended to it, which will lead you to synonymous and affiliated subjects and scattered items. Each illustration has been numbered, and a copious index prepared on the basis of these numbers. So many of them are adapted to more than one subject, that it was thought best to bring them together in a general index. This affords all the advantage of a logical arrangement. In reference, the numbers enable you to find the item 8 rRKm^CK. desired at once, which otherwise might not be found without reading a whole page. In using this work, the numbers may be set down for reference in the preacher's or teacher's notes, and the labor of transcription be avoided. Out of the material collected in the preparation of this work, many volumes might have been made, with less labor than the single one now presented. It was thought best to limit the Cyclopedia to one volume to bring it within the reach of the masses of Christian laborers. To do this, the best matter only could be used, diffusiveness had to be avoided, and compression as to type secured. This book contains as much printed-matter as six ordinary 12mo volumes. It presents and utilizes many of the gems of literature. Many go hunting as travellers through the world, or labor through volume after volume in search of appropriate illustrative matter. If they were search- ing for gold or diamonds, they would go to Australia or Golconda. This book opens the treasure-house, and invites each to take and use for the Master. Elon Foster. 23 Sx-Mabks PiiACB, Kbw-Yobk Crrr. /^ Of THB ^ [TJFIVBRSITI NEW CYCLOPilDIA OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Ajammms. 1. ABILITIES, Human. Tlie abilities of man must fall short on one side or other, like too scanty a blanket when you are abed : if yon pull it upon your shoulders, you leave your feet bare; if you thrust it down upon your feet, your shoulders are uncovered. Sir W. Temple. 2. ABILITIES, UseM. The raven was an unclean bird ; Grod makes use of her to feed Elijah : though she was not good meat, yet it was good meat she brought. A lame man may with his crutch point out to you the right ■way, and yet not be able to walk in it himself. Mead. 3. ABSENT-MINDEDNESS, Example o£ Mr. Lawson once lefl his lecture-room, taking with him a student's hat, instead of his own book, which he was to carry home. Once he was on the point of leaving his house, having put on his head a lady's bonnet, which had been left hanging on the peg where his own hat ought to have been. Once, walking in a co- i)ious shower, a friend took pity on him and oaned him an umbrella, which the meditative divine put under his coat, through fear of wet- ting and thus injuring what had been kindly loaned to him. While intent on his books, his frightened servant opened his study door, and shrieked out abruptly, " Sir, the house is on fire 1 " The doctor did not intermit his studies for a minute, but simply remarked, " Go and tell your mistress : you know I have no charge of household matters." 4. ABSTINENCE, as a Eemedy. An elderly gentleman, accustomed to indulge, entered the room of a certain inn, where sat a grave friend by the fire. Lifting a pair of green spectacles upon his forehead, rubbing his inflamed eyes, and calling for hot brandy and water, he com- plained that "his eyes were getting weaker and weaker, and that even spectacles didn't seem to do them any good." — " I'll tell thee, friend," replied the Quaker, " what I think. If thee was to wear thy spectacles over thy mouth for a few months, thy eyes would get round again." 5. ABSTINENCE, Compulsory. A drunkard was often urged by his wife to sign the pledge. He would reply, " I'll sign it after a while ; but I don't like to break off at once. The best way is to get used to a thing." — " Very well, old man," said she, " see if you don't fall into a hole, one of these days, with nobody to help you out." Strangely enough, as he returned home, drunk, one day, he fell into a shallow well, and shouted for help. His forbearing wife came to his rescue, saying, " Didn't I tell you so ? It's lucky I was in hearing, or you might have drowned." Then she let down the bucket, and told him to " take hold." She tugged at the windlass ; but, when he was near the top, her grasp slipped, and down he went into his cold bath again. This was repeated till he grew suspicious and furious, and screamed, " Look here I you're doing that on purpose : I know you are." — " Well, now, I am," said the woman, conscious of her opportunity. " Don't you remember telling me it's best to get used to a thing by degrees ? I'm afraid, if I bring you up sudden, you would not find it whole- some." He could but laugh at this application of his own logic, but felt his case growing des- perate, and promised to sign the pledge at once, if she would lift him out. This she did, and started him off immediately to sign the pledge ; warning him, that, if he ever fell into the ditch again, she would leave him there. 6. ABSTINENCE, Decided. A heathen king, who had been for years confirmed in the sin of drunkenness, had been led to forsake the habit. He said to a missionary, " Suppose you put four thousand dollars in one hand, and a glass of rum in the other. You say, ' You drink this rum, I give you four thousand dollars.' I no drink it. You say you kill me. I no drink it." 7. ABSTINENCE, Gain of. A man, long noted for intemperate habits, was induced by Rev. John Abbott to sign the pledge " in his own way," which he did in these words : " I pledge myself to drink no more intoxicating drinks for one year." Near the end of tlie 10 -AJBSTnsrKNCE. ACTION'. year, he again appeared at a temperance meet- ing, without having once touched a drop. "Are you not going to sign again ? " asked Mr. Ab- bott. " Yes," replied he, " if I can do it in my own way." And, accordingly, he wrote, " I sign tliis pledge for nine hundred and nine- ty-nine years ; and, if I live to that time, I in- tend to take out a life-lease ! " A few days after, he called upon the tavern-keeper, who welcomed him back to his old haunt. " Oh 1 landlord," said he, as in pain, " I have such a lump on my side ! " — " That's because you have stopped drinking," said the landlord : " you won't live long if you keep on." — " Will drink take the lump away ? " — " Yes ; and, if you don't drink, you'll soon have a lump on the other side. Come, let's drink together ; " and he poured out two glasses of whiskey. " I guess I won't drink," said the former inebriate, *' especially if keeping the pledge will bring another lump ; for it isn't very hard to bear, after all." And with this he drew the lump — a bag of dollars — from his side-pocket, and walked off, leaving the landlord to his re- flections. 8. ABSTINENCE, Pledge of. A young sol- dier was promoted to be a second lieutenant in one of the colored regiments. " Now let me sign the pledge," said he. Free drinking was then too common in officers' quarters. " Why, you don't like drink," said one of his com- rades : " there is no danger of your drinking too much." — " No," answered the young sol- dier, " I don't like the taste of liquor, and, what is more, 1 don't mean to like it ; so I in- tend to take my stand as an officer pledged against it." Not finding a temperance society ito join, he wrote a pledge of total abstinence, signed his name to it, and put it in his pocket. ■" Let this never witness against me, so help mie God," he said. 9. ABSTINENCE, Reason for. "I took the pledge," said an old man, "at the foot of the gallows, when I saw a young man hung. The sherifl" took out liis watch, and said, ' If you have any thing to say, speak now, for you have ■only five minutes to live.' The young man burst into tears, and said, ' I have to die ! I had only one little brother ; he had beautiful blue eyes and flaxen hair ; and I loved him. But one day I got drunk, and, coming home, found him gathering berries in the garden, and I became angry without cause, and killed him with one blow with a rake. Drink has done it : it has ruined me ! I have but one word more to say : Never ! neveu ! NEVER ! touch any thing that can intoxicate ! ' " 10. ABSTRACTION, Dangerous, Sir Isaac New- ten, finding himself extremely cold, one evening in winter, drew his chair very close to the grate, in which a large fire had recently been lighted. By degrees, the fire having completely kindled. Sir Isaac felt the heat intolerably intense, and rang his bell with unusual violence. His ser- vant was not at hand at the moinimt, but he soon made his appearance. By this time. Sir Isaac was almost literally roasted. " Remove tlie gral e, you lazy rascal I " he exclaimed, in a tone of irritation very uncommon with that amiable and bland philosopher ; " remove the grate, before I am burnt to death 1 " — " And pray, master," said the servant, " might you not rather draw back your chair ? " — " Upon my word," said Sir Isaac, smiling, " I never thought of that." Percy. 11. ABSTRACTION, Fatal. When Syracuse was taken, Archimedes was describing mathe- matical figures upon the earth ; and when one of the enemy came upon him, sword in hand, and asked his name, he was so engrossed with tha desire of preserving the figures entire, that he answered only by an earnest request to the soldier to keep off, and not break in upon his circle. The soldier, conceiving himself scorned, ran Archimedes through the body, the purple streams gushing from which soon obscured all traces of the problem on which he had been so intent. Thus fell this illustrious man, from the mere neglect to tell his name. Percy. 12. ACTION, BiUe Role of. Boleshius, one of the kings of Poland, carried about him the picture of his father ; and when he was to do any great work, or set upon any design extra- ordinary, he would look on the picture, and pray that he might do nothing unworthy of such a father's name. Thus it is that the Scriptures are the picture of God's will. Be- fore a man engages in any business whatso- ever, let him look there, and read what is to be done, what to be omitted. 13. ACTION, Effect of. " Don't write there," said one to a lad, who was writing with a dia- mond pin on a pane of glass in the window of a hotel. " Why ? " said he. " Because you can't rub it out." The glass may be destroyed, but the human soul is immortal. How careful, then, should we be of the impressions we make on death- less souls ! 14. ACTION, Enduring. The famous rose-tree planted a thousand years ago by the Emperor Louis le Debonnaire, in the eastern choir of the Cathedral at Hildersheim, has been in par- ticularly fine bloom this season, and looks tresher and greener than ever. Two shoots, which sprang up from the knotty millennial roots in 18G3, have attained already the height of the roof. 15. ACTION, Exhortation to. Let not your exertions end in tears ; mere weeping will do nothing without action. Get on your feet : ye that have voices and might, go forth and preach the gospel ; preach it in every street and lane of this huge city ; ye that have wealth, go forth and spend it for the poor and sick and needy and dying, the uneducated, the unen- lightened; ye that have time, go forth and spend it in deeds of goodness ; ye that have jiower in prayer, go forth and pray ; ye that can handle the pen, go forth and write down iniqui- ty, — every one to his post ; every one of you to your gun in this day of battle ; now for God and for his truth ; for God and for the right ; let every one of us who knows the Lord seek to fight under his banner. Spurgeon. ACTION-. -A-CmVITY. 11 16. ACTION, Important A certain king woulJ build a cathedral ; and, that the credit of it might be all his own, he forbade any from con- tributing to its erection in the least degree. A tablet was placed in the side of the building, and on it his name was carved, as the builder. But that night he saw, in a dream, an angel, who came down and erased his name, and the name of a poor widow appeared in its stead. This was three times repeated ; when the en- raged king summoned the woman before him, and demanded, " What have you been doing ? and why have you broken my commandment r " The trembling woman replied, " I love the Lord, and longed to do something for his name, and for the buijding up of his church. I was forbidden to touch it in any way ; so, in my poverty, I brought a wisp of hay for tlie horses that drew the stones." And the king saw that he had labored for his own glory, but the widow for the glory of God ; and he command- ed that her name should be inscribed upon the tablet. Ralph WelU. 17. ACTION, Motive of. Zinzendorf owed much of his religious fervor to the casual sight of a picture of the crucifixion, with this sim- ple inscription at the bottom : " All this for thee : how much for me f " 18. ACTION, Necessary to Life. AVhilst the stream keeps running, it keeps clear ; but if it comes once to a standing water, then it breeds toads and frogs, and all manner of filth. The keys that men keep in their pockets, and use every day, wax brighter and brighter ; but if they be laid aside, and hang by the walls, they soon grow rusty. Thus it is that action is the very life of the soul: whilst we keep going and runninf in the ways of God's commandments, we keep clear and free from the world's pollu- tions ; but if we once flag in our diligence, and stand still, oh, what a puddle of sin will the heart be ! IIow rusty and useless will the graces grow 1 Spencer. 19. ACTION, Quality of. The Hebrews have a saying, that God is more delighted in adverbs than in nouns ; 'tis not so much the matter that's done, but the matter how 'tis done, that God minds. Not how much, but how well! 'TIS the well-doing that meets with a well- done. Let us, therefore, serve God not nomi- nally or verbally, but adverbially. Venning. 20. ACTION, Universal. Man was not made to live merely for the possible reception of ex- ternal impressions, a harp upon which every fitful wind might blow : he was made to act, to will, to influence, to become a power, and the living centre of ever-radiating impressions. It were strange, indeed, if, in a laborious uni- verse, man should be the only idler among the works of the Creator's hands. ^Vhile all around are working, from the wavelet's tiniest ripple, and from the rosebud's heart, ever glow- ing into deeper crimson, to the tireless ocean, and the menial and monarch sun ; whilst un- wearied labor was the condition of Paradise, and angels cease not in their ministry, and there is no faltering in the march of the heav- ens, and the Son went about doing good, and the Eternal Father, the Watchman of Israel, neither slumbereth nor sleepeth, you will not wonder that, by a law as benign as it is authoritative, God has impressed activity upon his favorite creature, man, and has provided that his shall not be a zoophito existence, clinging in blind helplessness as a parasite to its guardian rock, but a life beautiful and holy, a lite of quickened pulses, and an activity and an energy of which insensate matter knows not ; and finding in the rapturous doing of every-day life its very soul and essence of joy. There is a necessity in man, then, for activity. Act he must and will ; and it is the province of religion to direct and control this tendency, so that his doing may be according to that which is right. W. M. Punshon. 21. ACTIONS, Record ot Every man, says a Turkish allegory, has two angels, one on the right shoulder and another on his left. Whea he does any thing good, the angel on the right shoulder writes it down and seals it, because what is done is done forover. When he does evil, the angel on the left shoulder writes it down. He waits till midnight. If before that time the man bows down his head, and ex- claims, " Gr.acious Allah ; I have sinned : for- give me 1 " the angel rubs it out ; and if not, at midnight he seals it, and the angel upon the right shoulder weeps. 22. ACTIONS, Eesponsibility for. Just as the tiny shells make up the chalk hills, and the chalk hills together make up the range, so the trifling actions make up the whole account, and each of these must be pulled asunder separately. You had an hour to spare the other day — what did you do? You had a voice — how did you use it ? Each particular shall be brought out, and there shall be de- manded an account for each one. Spurgeon. 23. ACTIONS, Usefulness of Common. It is the bubbling stream that flows gently; the little rivulet which runs along day and night by the farm-house, that is useful, rather than the swollen flood or warring cataract. Niagara excites our wonder ; and we stand amazed at the powerful greatness of God there, as he Sours in from the hollow of his hand. iSut one Niagara is enough for the continent of the world, while the same world requires thou- sands and tens of thousands of silver fountains and gently flowing rivulets that water every farm and meadow, and every garden, and shall flow on every day and night with their gentle, quiet beauty. So with the acts of our lives. It is not by great deeds, like those of the martyrs, good is to be done, but by the daily and quiet virtues of life. Rev. Albert Barnes, 24. ACTIVITT, Aoliievements of. Dr. Adam Clarke said that " the old proverb about having too many irons in the fire was an abominable old lie. Have all in it, — shovel, tongs, and poker." Wesley said, " I am always in haste, but never in a hurry : leisure and I have long taken leave of each other." He travelled about five thousand miles in a year ; preached about three times a day, commencing at five o'clock 12 -A.CTIVITY. j\X>AJPXA.TIOIir. in the morning; and his published works amounted to about two hundred volumes. Asbury travelled six thousand miles a year, and preached incessantly. Coke crossed the Atlantic eighteen times, preached, wrote, trav- elled, established missions, begged from door to door for them, and labored in all respects as if, like the apostles, he would " turn the world upside down." At nearly seventy years of age he started to Christianize India. Dr. Stevens. 25. ACTI7ITT, Importance of. It is good policy to strike while the iron is hot : it is still better to adopt Cromwell's procedure, and make the iron hot by striking. The master-spirit who can rule the storm is great, but he is much greater who can both raise and rule it. To attain that grand power, one must possess the brave and indomitable soul of activity which prompted Edmund Burke to exclaim to his constituents in his famous speech at Bristol, " Applaud us when we run ; console us when we tall ; cheer us when we recover : but let us pass on, — for God's sake, let us pass on." E. L. Magoon. 26. ACTIVITY, Incitement to. Were the Olympian Agonistae inspired by the admiring gaze of applauding thousands ? Did the thun- ders of acclamation which awoke the echoes of Olympus excite the Athletse to higher ener- gies ? How, then, shall we be affected, who believe that we are under the watchful eye of the Dread Supreme? The King looks on those who are running the heavenly race, who are wrestling with spiritual antagonists, and who are handing " a cup of cold water " to some drooping and thirsty disciple ! As the King's eye brightens with approbation, let us resolve to climb the highest steps of duty, and to walk on the loftiest mountains of holy enter- prise. Dr. J. Parker. 27. ACTIVITT, Eesnlt ofi If we travel slowly, and loiter on the road, Jesus will go on before us, and sin will overtake us. If we are dilatory and lazy in the vineyard, the Master will not smile on us when he walks through his garden. Be active, and expect Christ to be with thee : be idle, and the thorns and briers will grow so thickly, that he will be shut out of thy door. Spurgeon. 28. ACTIVITT, Eeward of: History informs us of an old Roman soldier who served forty years in the cause of his country, — ten as a pri- vate, and thirty as an officer. He had been present in one hundred and twenty battles, and had forty-five times been severely wounded. He had obtained fourteen civic crowns for havi/ig saved the life of a Roman citizen, thrae mural crowns for having been the first to mount the breach, and eight golden crowns for having rescued the standard of a Roman legion from the hands of the enemy. He had in his house eighty-three gold chains, sixty bracelets, eighteen golden spears, and twenty-three horse- trappings, the spoil of war. Let the Christian be equally faithful to his Saviour, and the glory and value of his reward shall far exceed that of this old Roman soldier. Bate. 29. ADAPTATION, Porce ofi A French- man of infidel principles was walking one evening beneath the shade of some noble trees, in the neighborhood of B. " How grand and beautiful are these noble trees 1 " said the wanderer, as he looked up into their branches ; " but how singular that so large a tree should bear a fruit so small as the acorn ! " Still wondering, he cast his eye upon a gourd-vine running along the hedgerow, with its stem so tender, that the slightest pressure would have severed it, and yet yielding a fruit weighing one hundred pounds. " How singular," said the wanderer, " that so small a plant should grow so large a fruit 1 If I had been God," said he, "I would have managed creation better than this. I would have put the small fruit on the small plant, and I would have placed the large gourd on this noble oak." And then, wearied with the heat of the day, he laid himself beneath the shade of its spread- ing branches, and fell asleep. An acorn, already ripe, fell on the face of the sleeper. Awakened by the falling of the little fruit, the thought flashed upon his mind, " Had that been the gourd of one hundred pounds weight, I should probably, by this time, have been a corpse." He immediately went on his knees to ask forgiveness of God. He saw that the Author of all good had rightly disposed of every tree, and the fruit thereof. Conviction went on, under Divine direction, until conver- sion took its place, and the thoughtless blas- phemer became a servant of the Most High God. Clements. 30. ADAPTATION, in Nature. The bodies of animals hold in their constitution and prop- erties a great and important relation to the elements by which they are surrounded. The wings of birds bear a relation to air, and the fins of fishes to water. Throughout the universe there is a won- derful proportioning of one thing to another. The size of animals, of man especially, when considered with respect to other animals, or to the plants which grow around him, is such as a regard to his conveniency would have pointed out. A giant or a pygmy could not have milked goats, reaped corn, or mowed grass; a giant could not have rode a horse, trained a vine, or shorn a sheep, with the same bodily ease as we do, if at all. A pygmy would have been lost amongst rushes, or carried off' by birds of prey. It may be observed, likewise, that the model and the materials of the human body being what they are, a much greater bulk would have broken down by its own weight. The persons of men who much exceed the ordinary stature betray this tendency. How close is the suitableness of the earth and sea to their several inhabitants, and of these inhabitants to the places of their ap- pointed residence ! . Take the earth as it is ; and consider the correspondency of the powers of its inhabitants with the properties and condition of the soil which they tread. Take the inhabitants as they are ; and consider the substances which jajDAJETTAJnON. AJyVTEJElSTirS'. 13 the earth yields for their use. Tliey can open its surface ; and its surface supplies all which they want. Such is the length of their facul- ties, and such the constitution of the globe, that this is sufficient for all their occa- sions. When we pass from the earth to the sea, from land to water, we pass through a great change ; but an adequate change accompanies us of animal forms and functions, of animal capacities and Avants, The earth in its nature is very different from the sea, an