As to the first Creation of Animals I have already proposed two Opinions, both consonant or reconcileable to the Scriptures.
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That God Almighty did at first create the Seeds of all Animals, (that is, the Animals themselves in little) and disperst them over the superficial part of the Land and water, giving power to those Elements to hatch and bring them forth; which when they had done, and all the Animals of these created Seeds were produced and perfected, there remained no more ability in them to bring forth any more; but all the succeeding owe their Original to Generation.
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Because some will not admit that God at first created any thing imperfect, we did propose that he might by his Almighty Power, out of the Water and Earth, make the first set of Animals in their full state and perfection, (as it is generally believed he did Adam) and give to each Species a power by generation to propagate their like. For his commanding the Waters and Earth to produce such and such living Creatures, signifies that he did himself efficaciously form them out of the Earth and Water; as when he saith, Let there be light, &c. the meaning is not that he did permit or command something else besides himself to produce light; but that he did by his own Almighty power effectually create it. Indeed the Scripture doth in this manner interpret it self: For whereas it is said verses 20. and 24. Let the waters bring forth, &c. and Let the earth bring forth the living creature, &c. in the next verses it follows, And God created great whales and every living creature that moveth, &c. And God made the beast of teh earth,&c. But now there may a further Question or two be moved concerning the Creation of Animals.
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Whether God created at first a great number of every kind of Animal all the Earth over, in their proper Places and Climates; or only two of each Species, a Male and a Female, from which all the rest proceeded by generation? This latter opinion I find embraced by some modern Philosophers, and it may be made probable by several Arguments.
First from the Analogy to Mankind. There being at first only one Man and one Woman created, it is very likely, there were no more of any other Creatures, two being sufficient in a short time to stock the World.
Secondly, Because at the time of the General Deluge there were only two of each kind (of unclean Beasts) preserved in the Ark; and if two might then suffice, why not as well at the first Creation? And if there were no need of creating more, what likelyhood that there were more created?
But the first Opinion, That there were many at first created, seems more consonant to Scripture, which in the mention of the Creation of Aquatic Creatures useth the word Abundantly, Gen. 1. 20. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And in the next verse it is said· That the waters did bring them forth abundantly. So that at least of Birds and Fishes there were many individuals at first created. As for Plants, certain it is that they were created dispersedly all the world over; they having no locomotive power, but being fixt to a place, and the Seeds of many of them being ponderous, and not portable by winds or any other means, and yet those of the same Species to be found in far distant places, and on the tops of high Mountains as remote from each other, as the Helvetick and Austrian Alps.
- Concerning the Creation of Animals there may yet a further Question be moved, viz. Whether all Animals that already have been, or hereafter shall be, were at first actually created by God? or whether hath he given to each kind of Animal such a power of generation, as to prepare matter and produce new individuals in their own bodies? Some are of opinion that God did himself at first actually create all the individual Animals that ever were or ever shall be, and that there is no such thing as any production of new ones. For, say they, what were that but a creation of such individuals? And what did God at the first Creation more then, if this be true, we see every day done, that is, produce a new Animal out of matter, which it self prepares: All the difference is the doing that in an instant which the Creature must take time to do. For as for the preparation of matter, that must be made fit, be the Agent never so Omnipotent.
Besides, the Animal-parent cannot be the Agent or Efficient in the generation or forming and nourishing of the foetus. Because that is a work of Art and Reason, which brute Creatures are not endued withal, nor indeed doth Man himself understand any thing of the process of generation in himself, neither is conscious of what is done in the Womb, so far is he from being the doer of it.