_Father._ My dear boy, since our heavenly Father is so great, so powerful, and so wise; since he takes such care of this little insect which crawls upon the ground; think how great must be his care of his own children, whom he loved so much as to give his well-beloved SON to die for them, that they might be saved, from eternal death! _Child._ Yes; our Saviour himself says that his children 'are of more value than many sparrows;' so they must be of more value than this little insect: and since it has received, and does all the while receive from GOD, its food and its rich and beautiful clothing, surely the same GOD will feed and clothe us also! My dear papa, are we not very happy in having seen this insect, since it has shown us the power and goodness of the LORD? _Papa._ Yes, my dear; let us thank GOD for thus enlarging our views of his goodness and infinite wisdom. How good GOD is, thus to fill our hearts with confidence, to assure us of his guardian care, and to teach us that he sees, protects, and preserves us! I now turned the microscope, that we might examine the cochineal on the other side; it was equally beautiful and perfect. The side legs, which were so disposed as to balance the body, and make its motions easy, were partly covered with scales, like those on the back; but they were much smaller and more flexible. There were no scales near the joints, and the legs were fastened to the body with such exactness that it was impossible to perceive the smallest defect, even by means of the strongest lens. Its light and delicate limbs moved with the greatest ease, and with most astonishing regularity. "How wonderful is even one of its legs!" said I; "could the most skilful artist or human mechanic imitate it, even in the clumsiest manner? Could the most learned man give motion and life to this little creature?" _Child._ And yet some people say that all this is done by chance; is this possible, papa? _Father._ My dear, there is no such thing as _chance_. GOD made the world, and all that it contains. He alone is the Creator and Preserver of all. Those that say that this insect was made by chance, show that they have never examined it; and thus they cannot have seen the powerful hand of GOD. _Child._ And what do those mean who say that _nature_ created animals and plants? _Father._ Those who speak so are generally irreligious and ignorant persons, who, instead of glorifying and blessing GOD as their Creator and Preserver, never mention his name in their works or conversation; and thus, instead of saying, 'GOD made this or that,' they say 'Nature made' such things. _Child._ GOD then made every thing? _Father._ Yes, every thing, except what is bad. _Child._ This must be true: GOD created us, and preserves us every moment. Yet few think of him, or speak of him. How does this happen, papa?