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allow of an infinitely powerful and perseSlAuthor of the Universe, the very proportionand reason of things would make us vehe-mently suspect, that there cannot be so muchdead substance, and so few living Beingscreated in it. All from brute-matter to thefoul of Man, is a curious and wonderfulscale of perfection, rising by easy steps;but, certainly, the human foul cannot bethe perfectest living creature; unembodiedspirits should not, one would think, makea mean part of a rational creation, but ra-ther by much the most considerable part. Itmay also be supposed, that the higher ordersof these Beings may be employed in thingsproportionable to their nature and perfec-tions ; hut not to speak more of that , the ex-istence of inferior species is evident, I think,from the present phænomenon. This seemsthe natural lesson we should draw from it;for, as was said, God and Nature do nothingfor no end, or for a bad end; only to stum-ble men: it's an argument against Atheism,and the Atheist himself is terrified at it. Ci-thers might have reasoned on this subjectfrom other topicks; and perhaps better :But the theory as in this Essay, is a conse*

quence