Besides all this, the spine is to be so adjusted that the ribs may be fastened to it, as well as the legs and arms; and finally, to this the various muscles, which enable the limbs and body to move, are to be fastened.
Now suppose that an ingenious mechanic were to undertake to construct an artificial skeleton, in imitation of that which belongs to man; would it not be impossible for him to accomplish the task; and would he not be compelled to give up in despair? Let us consider that we only ask of the human architect an imitation, and that even this is beyond his ability. How great, then, must be the wisdom and power of that Supreme Architect, who not only made, but designed and contrived his works, and not only designed and contrived them, but furnished the very materials from his own manufactory—the bones, the muscles, the nerves, and the fluids necessary for his purpose.
The veins.
Let us take another illustration of the wisdom and power of God, as displayed in animal mechanism. It is the design of the Creator that the blood shall be distributed throughout the body, and that this shall be essential to life. The body is, therefore, provided with two systems of blood-vessels—arteries and veins; the first to carry the blood from the heart, and the latter to bring it back.
These tubes are wonderfully contrived and distributed over the body; and the blood, which is to pass through them, is furnished by means equally wonderful. But what machinery can be devised to receive the blood from the veins and force it through the arteries and throughout the system? The heart is destined to perform the work. This is a hollow muscle, in the centre of the body, surrounded by spiral fibres, running in both directions, the layers crossing and interlacing each other. By a contraction of these spiral fibres, the hollow muscle is compressed, and whatever fluid may be in it, is squeezed out from the cavity within. By a relaxation of these spiral fibres, the cavities in the hollow muscle are prepared to admit any fluid that may be poured into it. Into these cavities the great trunks or pipes of the arteries and veins are inserted—the one to carry out the blood and the other to return it.
The arteries.
The heart.