Against what we have said of the necessity of the Air for the maintenance of the Vital Flame, it may be objected, That the Foetus in the Womb Lives; its Heart Pulsses; and its Blood Circulates; and yet it draws in no Air, neither hath the Air any Access to it. To which I Answer, That it doth receive Air so much as is sufficient for it in its present state from the maternal Blood by the Placenta uterina, or the Cotyledones. This Opinion generally propounded, viz. That the Respiration of the Dam, did serve the Foetus also; or supply sufficient Air to it, I have met with in Books, but the explicit Notion of it I owe to my Learned and worthy Friend Dr. Edward Hulse, which comparing with mine own Anatomical Observations, I found so consonant to Reason, and highly probable, that I could not but yield a firm Assent to it. I say then, That the chief Use of the Circulation of the Blood through the Cotyledones of a Calf in the Womb, (which I have often dissected) and by Analogy through the Placenta uterina in an Humane Foetus, seems to be the Impregnation of the Blood with Air; for the feeding of the vital Flame. For if it were only for Nutrition, what need of two such great Arteries to convey the Blood thither? It would (one might rationally think) be more likely, that as in the Abdomen of every Animal, so here there should have been some lacteal Veins formed, beginning from the Placenta, or Cotyledons, which concurring in one common ductus, should at last empty themselves into the vena cava. Secondly, I have observed in a Calf, the umbilical Vessels to terminate in certain Bodies divided into a multitude of carneous papillae, as I may so call them, which are received into so many Sockets of the Cotyledons growing on the Womb; which carneous papillae may without force or laceration be drawn out of those Sockets. Now these papillae do well resemble the Aristae or radii of a Fishes Gills, and very probably have the same use to take in the Air. So that the maternal Blood which flows to the Cotyledons, and encircles these papillae, communicates by them to the Blood of the Foetus, the Air wherewith it self is impregnate; as the Water flowing about the carneous radii of the Fishes Gills doth the Air that is lodged therein to them. Thirdly, That the maternal Blood flows most copiously to the Placenta uterina in Women, is manifest from the great Hemorrhagy that succeeds the separation thereof at the Birth. Fourthly, After the Stomach and Intestines are formed, the foetus seems to take in its whole nourishment by the Mouth; there being always found in the Stomach of a Calf, plenty of the liquor contained in the Amnios wherein he swims, and faeces in his intestines, and abundance of urine in the Allantoides. So that the foetus in the Womb doth live as it were the life of a Fish. Lastly, Why else should there be such an instant necessity of Respiration so soon as ever the foetus is fallen off from the Womb?

This way we may give a facile and very probable account of it, to wit, because receiving no more Communications of Air from its Dam or Mother, it must needs have a speedy supply from without, or else extinguish and die for want of it: Being not able to live longer without Air at its first Birth, than it can do afterward.

And here methinks appears a necessity of bringing in the agency of some Superintendent intelligent Being, be it a Plastick Nature, or what you will. For what else should put the Diaphragm, and all the Muscles serving to Respiration in motion all of a sudden so soon as ever the foetus is brought forth? Why could they not have rested as well as they did in the Womb? What aileth them that they must needs bestir themselves to get in Air to maintain the Creatures life? Why could they not patiently suffer it to die? That the Air of it self could not rush in is clear; for that on the contrary there is required a great force to remove the incumbent Air, and make room for the external to enter. You will say the Spirits do at this time flow to the Organs of Respiration; the Diaphragm and other Muscles which concur to that action, and move them. But what rouses the Spirits which were quiescent during the continuance of the foetus in the Womb? Here is no appearing impellent but the external Air, the Body suffering no change but of place, out of its close and warm Prison into the open and cool Air. But how or why that should have such influence upon the Spirits, as to drive them into those Muscles electively, I am not subtil enough to discern.

Thirdly, Water is one part, and that not the least of our Sustenance, and that affords the greatest share of Matter in all Productions; containing in it the Principles or minute component particles of all Bodies. To speak nothing of those inferiour Uses of Washing and Bathing, Dressing and preparing of Victuals. But if we shall consider the great Conceptacula and Congregations of Water, and the distribution of it all over the dry Land in Springs and Rivers; there will occur abundant Arguments of Wisdom and Understanding. The Sea, what infinite variety of Fishes doth it nourish? Psalm 104. 25. in the verse next to my Text. The earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide Sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts, &c. How doth it exactly compose itself to a level or equal Superficies, and with the Earth make up one spherical Roundness? How doth it constantly observe its Ebbs and Flows, its Spring and Nepe-tides, and still retain its saltness so convenient for the maintenance of its Inhabitants? serving also the uses of Man for Navigation, and the convenience of Carriage. That it should be defined by Shores and Strands and Limits, I mean at first, when it was natural to it to overflow and stand above the Earth. All these particulars declare abundance of Wisdom in their primitive Constitution. This last the Psalmist takes notice of in the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th verses of this Psalm. Speaking of the Earth at the first Creation, he saith, Thou coveredst it with the Deep as with a garment, the waters stood above the mountains. At thy rebuke they fled, at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away. (The mountains ascend, the valleys descend) unto the place thou hast prepared for them. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over: That they turn not again to cover the earth. Again, the great use and convenience, the beauty and variety of so many Springs and Fountains, so many Brooks and Rivers, so many Lakes and standing Pools of Water, and these so scattered and dispersed all the Earth over; that no great part of it is destitute of them, without which it must without a supply other ways be desolate and void of Inhabitants; afford abundant Arguments of Wisdom and Counsel. That Springs should break forth on the sides of Mountains most remote from the Sea. That there should way be made for Rivers through Straits and Rocks, and subterraneous Vaults, so that one would think that Nature had cut a way on purpose to derive the Water, which else would overflow and drown whole Countries. That the water passing through the Veins of the Earth, should be rendred fresh and potable, which it cannot be by any percolations we can make, but the saline Particles will pass through a tenfold Filtre. That in some places there should spring forth metallick and mineral Waters, and hot Baths, and these so constant and permanent for many Ages; so convenient for divers medicinal Intentions and Uses, the Causes of which things, or the Means and Methods by which they are performed, have not been as yet certainly discovered; how can we reasonably deny that they are the Products and Effects of profound Counsel and Understanding?

Lastly, The Earth, which is the basis and support of all Animals and Plants, and affords them the hard and solid part of their Bodies, yielding us Food and Sustenance and partly also Cloathing. How variously is the Surface of it distinguished into Hills, and Valleys, and Plains, and high Mountains affording pleasant Prospects? how curiously cloathed and adorned with the grateful verdure of Herbs and stately Trees, either dispersed and scattered singly, or as it were assembled in Woods and Groves, and all these beautified and illustrated with elegant Flowers and Fruits, quorum omnium incredibilis multitudo, insatiabili varietate distinguitur, as Tully saith. This also shews forth to them that consider it both the Power and Wisdom of God: So that we may conclude with Solomon Prov. 3, 19. The Lord by Wisdom hath founded the Earth, by Understanding hath he established the Heavens.

But now, if we pass from Simple to Mixt Bodies, we shall still find more matter of Admiration and Argument of Wisdom. Of these we shall first consider those they call imperfectly Mixt, or Meteors.

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