their ends; If I have lift up my hand against the fatherless when I saw my help in the gate, then let my arm fall from my shoulder-blade, and my arm be broken from the bone, Job xxxi. 21, 22. Befide this, they may be faid to keep the house, in that they provide for it, getting maintenance for the whole body, for by working they get bread, 2 Thes. iii. 10. Paul faith, Thefe hands have miniftred to my necessities, Acts xx. 34. And as they do defend the house, and provide for it; fo also they do offend whomfoever would hurt it; they do not only get, but protect, and alfo keep off the adverfary. And all this was done at once by the power of the hands of the Jews in their great neceffity, when they were rebuilding the temple, their hands were throughly filled, and employed in a double defence; For they which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with thofe that laded, every one, with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon, Neh. iv. 27. Now fuch, through the wisdom of God, is the dexterity of the hand, that it can employ a weapon to be a better defence to a man, than whatsoever is naturally alloted to any creature befide. And that audacious carper at the works of God (who complained that other creatures had naturally a defence given, and man only left weaponless) was fufficiently filenced, when it was told him; man had reafon and hands,

which together, can make a better defenfive or offenfive weapon for him, than all the horns, and hoofs, the tusks, and talons, or whatsoever nature hath more largely lent to other creatures, can do for them. And if we throughly confider the fabrick of these parts, according unto what anatomy doth give fufficient light unto, we shall yet farther be convinced of the truth of this matter. If we confider on the part of the bones, first the fcapula, and take notice that it is feated in the frong part of the back, with freedom of motion in its place, in which it is contained by the clavicle, and with great advantage of moving the arm which way foever it pleaseth; that it is formed with its bafis, angles, ribs, proceffes, cavities, for the better feat of the muscles, and command of them to their appointed fervices; that it is articulated to the humerus, per arthrodiam, wherein the cavity is improportionate to the head of the humerus, that the shoulder may thereby with greater facility and liberty admit of all manner of motion, which it could not poffibly have done, had this articulation been any firmer and closer in itself. Now that this joint may be kept from luxation, either from itself, or from any thing that might fall upon it, to which it was very liable by reason of what was before faid; it is fufficiently defended by a very thick, and nervous ligament; and by the broad tendons of four

great

great muscles; which do fo ftrictly compass about the joint, that by its own motion, tho' never fo violent, it cannot be put out; and alfo by the clavicle or kennel bone, which is to directly laid cross over it, that it defends it from all external violence whatsoever. Again, if we

confider the humerus, its head, its neck, its pullies, its cavities, its extuberances; if we confider the cubitus, and the radius, and their divers articulation; the one being per ginglymum, which gives flection and extenfion with ftrength; the other per arthrodiam, which gives pronation and fupination with ease. Lastly, if we confider the bones of the extreme hand; and therein the eight bones of the carpus, which are joined to the cubitus, and to the bones of the metacarpus per arthrodiam, among themselves per harmoniam, if we confider the four bones of the metacarpus, and their articulation to the fingers per enarthrofin, the fifteen bones of the fingers, and their articulation among themfelves, (for the firmer holding any thing in the hand) per ginglymum. Now I cannot pass the thumb in the general name of the fingers, without a particular and fpecial taking notice of it; forafmuch as that above all the reft both in its ufe, and alfo in its repute, may be faid to contribute chiefly to the keeping of the houfe; for it is equivalent to all the fingers, and therefore in Latin is called, pollex, à pollendo, being as it were an antagonist grafper to the whole hand,

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hand, and doth as much towards the firm holding and dextrous ufing of a weapon as all the hand: And therefore it is that idle perfons, or effeminate men, or whofoever are unfit for fervice in war, are called polletrunci ; as who should fay, men that have not the use of their thumbs. And it was a cuftom among the nations, for the conquerors to cut off the thumbs of the conquered, thereby rendering them disgraced, and utterly unable for future employments either at fea or land. And fcriptural story alfo seems to confirm this in Adonibezek, who faid, Threefcore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table; as I have done, fo God hath requited me, Judg. i. 7. Thus far on the part of the bones. Again, if we confider on the part of the muscles; how they are variously shaped and formed according to their several uses, how they are perforated according to neceffity, how they are seated to the best advantage, how they are to one another friends or antagonists, how they are derived from one part, and inferted into another, how much ftrength and vigour they have, how by their hormetick power and contraction into their own bodies, they can readily perform whatsoever motion the organ is capable of; they can ftir the limb inward, outward; forward, backward; upward, downward; they can perform adduction, abduction; flexion, extenfion; pronation, fupinati o

pination, the tonick motion, circumgiration; and all these with fo great expedition and agility, that they are much sooner done than said, yea, as foon done as thought on; the actions of the muscles keeping pace, nay, many times out-stripping the volubility of the mind: If we yet further confider them in their tendons, and the variety of them, how they are either solid, plain, round, broad, long, fhort, one, many; or of whatsoever form may render them moft expeditious in their motions; how they are ftrengthened by feveral ligaments, especially that annulary ligament in the wrist.

I fay, if we confider these wonderful things, wherein man differs from all other creatures, and many others, which good skill in the anatomy of these parts would easily furnish a man with, all which would be too large here to infert; it would enforce us to say, that thefe of all the parts of man do most properly defend him, and may justly be ftiled, the keepers of the house.

Now, that these may be faid to tremble, needs no words to make appear, forafmuch as the experience of every old man doth fufficiently confirm it. Which word doth compiehend within itself all the weakneffes, infirmities, inabilities of these parts in this condition: Whether they be outward, as stiffness, contraction, rugofity; or inward, as aches, pains, numbnefs, palfies, cramps, tremblings;