SERMON XLII.

SUPERIORITY OF MEN TO ANIMALS.

Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding.—Psalm 32: 9.

"THE proper study of mankind is man." To know our own nature, powers, and capacities, and to understand our connections, relations, and obligations, is highly necessary, in order to act agreeably to our rank in creation, and to the end of our being. Our Creator and Lawgiver has adapted all his precepts to our powers and capacities. He neither requires us to act like creatures above us, nor like creatures below us, but commands us to act like men. Whenever, therefore, we disregard his authority, and blindly follow our perverse inclinations, he upbraids us for our stupidity, absurdity, and folly, by comparing us with inferior creatures, and reminding us of the dignity of our nature. He commands us to show ourselves men, and not to be as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding. To enter into this, as well as many other divine precepts, it is necessary to draw the line of distinction between men and the lower animals. The above passage suggests, that we possess some powers and faculties, of which they are entirely destitute; but this does not imply, that there is no resemblance between rational and irrational creatures. Though the horse and the mule are said to have no understanding, yet we are told," the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle, and the crane, and the swallow, observe the time of their coming;" and that "the ox knoweth his

VOL. VI.

learning had risen to a considerable height, and there was light enough to refute their vain pretensions.

It is further objected that the great diversity in the customs, manners and complexions of different nations, is inconsistent with the supposition of their all descending from one origi stock.

It is easy to answer that all these things may be account a for by the different circumstances in which different nations have been placed, and the different climates in which they have lived. We know that different circumstances have great influence in forming the customs and manners, and even moral habits of mankind. It is natural to suppose that nations which have long been placed in different circumstances, should form different customs, manners, and habits, when left to the sole guidance of the dim light of nature. As to the diversity of complexions, this may be chiefly owing to the different climates in which they live. Warm climates have a tendency to darken the complexion, and cold climates to lighten the complexion. Besides, a multitude of accidental causes may concur to form this distinction among different nations. And after all, it is not, perhaps, more difficult to account for national differences in the respects that have been mentioned, than to account for family differences in the same respects. The truth of fact against which there can be no solid reasoning is, that all nations are of one blood, and descendants of one original stock.

1. If it be the truth of fact, that all nations are of one blood. then we may justly conclude, that the Bible is the word of God. This important truth is denied by multitudes among the different nations of the earth. They presume to call in question the inspiration and authenticity of the sacred Scriptures, and represent them as a cunningly devised fable. But this one plain fact which has been, perhaps, sufficiently estab lished, that all nations are of one blood, completely refutes, in various ways, all their subtle objections and sophistical reasonings against the Bible. The plain and simple fact, that all nations are of one blood, confirms the certainty of the principal facts and events, which we find related in the sacred Scriptures. It confirms the plain and rational account, which the Bible gives of the first and great event, of the creation of the world.

Some have denied that the world ever was created. The greatest pagan philosopher supposed the earth was eternal and never had a beginning. Other philosophers have attempted to prove the absolute impossibility of creation; and asserted that it is a plain absurdity to suppose that God could produce something out of nothing, or produce something where nothing existed before. The same sentiment has been imbibed and propagated within less than thirty years past. But the Bible tells us that the world had a beginning, and that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, the sun, moon, and stars; that he separated the waters from the dry land, and formed the earth and the ocean; that he caused the earth to bring forth trees, fruits, plants, and herbs; that he created every beast of the field, every fowl of the air, every fish in the sea, and every monster in the deep; and that last of all, he formed one man and one woman, united them in a family state, and commanded them to multiply and replenish the earth. The Bible tells us that God thus created the whole world in six days; and this account must be true, if all nations are of one blood, and sprang from the same two parents. We cannot account for the existence and similarity of all nations, on any other supposition than this.

The Bible tells us, that after God had placed Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, he gave them an express prohibition not to eat of the tree of life, which was in the midst of the garden, upon pain of death; but a subtle and malignant spirit in the form of a serpent, tempted them to eat of the forbidden tree, by which they forfeited the divine favor, and incurred the penalty of death, the proper wages of sin; and in consequence of the divine constitution, they hereby entailed sin and guilt on all their posterity. This is the scriptural account of the first apostasy of mankind, and the sin and misery which have flowed from it, among all the nations of the earth; and this is the only account of the universal depravity, which carries its own evidence of its truth and certainty. Though men have sought out many inventions to account for the universal depravity of mankind; yet the Bible gives the only rational account of it, that by one man's disobedience all were made sinners. This must be true, if all nations are of one blood, and derive their origin from one man.

owner, and the ass his master's crib." These are plain intimations, that there are some resemblance between men and other species of living creatures.

I. I shall consider wherein men are not superior to some irrational creatures.

And,

II. Wherein they are superior to all irrational creatures. And here I may observe,

1. That men are not superior to some of the irrational creation in respect to perception. We have the power of perceiv ing all external material objects around us. We can perceive the sun, the earth, and all that grows, and lives, and moves upon the earth. But we have no ground to think that we are superior to some of the irrational creatures in this respect. For they have eyes and ears, and every organ of sense, by which they can see, and hear, and perceive all external objects around them, and with greater acuteness and sensibility than we can.

2. We are not superior to them in respect to memory, or the power of retaining and recollecting those ideas which have been derived from sensation and reflection. The ox remembers his owner and the ass his master's crib. These and other animals appear to consider, hesitate, and reflect, before they move and act. We have ground to think, that some of the fowls of the air and beasts of the earth can remember places and objects for as long a time, and at as great a distance from them, as mankind can.

3. We are not superior to some of the animal creation in respect to the power of volition, or a capacity of choosing and refusing in the view of different objects. They choose and refuse, love and hate, and exercise both friendly and unfriendly affections towards one another, and towards mankind. They have a quick sense of inferiority and superiority. The lion reigns king in the forest, and makes every creature, man not excepted, tremble at his presence and displeasure. We find a sublime description of the native grandeur of the war-horse in the thirty-ninth chapter of Job. "Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? The glory of his nos trils is terrible. He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the

sword. The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage; neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha! and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting." No men have stronger sensibilities, or keener appetites than some of the irrational creation.

Having considered these points of resemblance between man and the various species of creatures below him, I proceed,

II. To trace out the line of distinction, and search for the powers and faculties peculiar to him, and which place him at the head of all the irrational creation. I begin with observing,

1. That men have the faculty of Reason, which does not belong to any of the lower animals. Reason is that power of the human mind, by which we are capable of comparing and arranging our ideas, and of perceiving their agreement or disagreement between each other. By this faculty, we can prove things less evident, by things more evident or self-evident. By this faculty, astronomers discover the distances and magnitudes of the sun, moon, and planets, and their various revolutions and eclipses. By this faculty, philosophers discover the causes of tides, earthquakes, thunder and lightning, winds, storms, and fruitful showers. By this faculty, mechanics erect our buildings, prepare our clothing, and furnish us with all the implements of industry. In a word, all the arts and sciences origi nate from the use and exercise of reason, which is one of the distinguishing properties of men, and which raises them above all the animal creation. It may be justly questioned whether any of the animal species possesses the faculty of reason in the least degree. Though the ant "provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest; " yet it may be doubted whether she exercises the same reason about her future wants that men do, or knows any motive why she exercises care and foresight, but only blind instinct. It may be questioned whether birds exercise any such reason in constructing their nests, as the mechanic does, in constructing a building; or know any reason why they should place their materials in such a curious order, but their native disposition or inclination to do it. Though bees construct their cells, so as to contain the largest quantity in the least space, yet there is no ground to think that