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may be either leffen'd or corrupted, every Living Creature would perifh with Thirst ?

How many Years, yea Ages, has this Water been moved by the Winds? been rolled along hard Beds? dafhed against Rocks? used in extinguishing Fire? ferved for Drink to fo many Creatures? drawn up into the Clouds? fallen down into Rains, and, by reafon of its Weight, driven violently down Walls, Houses, Mountains, Rocks, and other hard Bodies? been congealed into Ice, Hail and Snow? And finally been moved and handled in the rougheft Manner by different Powers? And may not every one then, with great Probability, fuppose, that the Water, after having undergone all that is abovemention'd, for fo many thousand Years, fhould be worn out and have changed its Figure, or, which is the fame thing, its Properties. So that any Body who knows how much all things are worn by a continual Ufe, by which they are certainly render'd lefs fit for Motion, could hardly be induced to believe, that one and the fame Subftance, after having withstood fo many and fo great Shocks, between five and fix Thousand Years, fhould be able to preserve the fame Figure. Notwithstanding which, we are taught by daily Experience, that the Waters of the Sea, of Rivers, and of Rains, have remained always unchanged, and preferved their Nature and Properties. Can we not then obferve herein a Government, a Providence, not only furpaffing all humane Power, but even all Opinions and Arguments? And is not the mighty Hand of a Great Preferver visible enough to all that will confider this without Prejudice?

Now if any Body fhould object against this, that Water, as well as all other Subftances, does undergo an Attrition; but, that there is continually as much new Water produced by other Causes, as

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that which is worn away and otherwise wasted ; yet that wo'nt leffen the Wonder, nor in the least enervate this Proof: For if it be allowed, will there then be no want of a wife and powerful Direction to fubftitute continually an equal Quantity of Water, to that which is loft by Attrition, and without which the whole Earth would fall into Disorder? And can any Body, upon fuch an Hypothefis, pretend that it comes to pass by Chance or ignorant Causes, that there is just as much Water produced as was worn away, or confumed, by the various Ufes thereof? Why then is not there more produced than was loft? And why are not the Rivers, in fo many thoufand Years, increased to fuch a degree as to overflow the most Part of the dry Land? Or, on the other Side, why is not the Water diminished? Why is not there more corrupted or wafted than is produced? And why are not the Seas, and all the Collections of Waters, evaporated or dried up in fo many Ages? Moreover, in cafe the Particles of Water were anywife Angular or Oval, why are they not become quite round, by a perpetual Attrition against each other for fo long a time, that being the laft Figure affumed by moft Bodies after the Attrition of their Angles? And if these Particles are globular, why are they not entirely crumbled to Atoms by this inceffant rubbing, and wearing, and ftriking against each other, or, as fome Philofophers fancy, turn thereby into the Substance of Fire? At leaft, if the Effence of Water confifts in a determinate Figure of its Parts, how can fuch an Attrition happen without any Change in its Properties at the fame time that the Figure thereof is changed? And why is not Water, for thefe Reafons, represented to us now under a quite different Appearance from what it was feveral Ages ago? If we now add to what has been already faid, and

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if we confider how much Water (according to the abovementioned Experiment of Mr. Boyle) can and will be turned into Earth by a continual Diftillation caused by the Sun and the fubterraneous Fires; how much is fixed and incorporated with, or converted into thousands of Plants; how much is used in the Compofition of the Bodies and Humours of fuch an infinite Number of Creatures; might we not with great Reafon judge, that this continuing for thousands of Years, and the great number of things which are made up of Water in a great measure, being likewife confider'd, it must have been long fince exceedingly diminished, if it had not quite failed. Nevertheless, we fee, that this Water remains in the Quantity that is neceffary for all our Ufes.

Now let a Philofopher, of what Sect foever he be, fhew us, whether this can happen and continue unvariably (which alone is a Wonder) without the Direction of a fuperiour Power and Wifdom For if the Care of a fupreme Director ever appear'd glaringly, it is certainly in this Cafe, in which he will not fuffer his Creatures to want what is fo neceffary for their Prefervation. And why does not he argue juftly, who thinks that at every Draught we take for extinguishing our Thirst (which, whatever you pleafe to call it, confifts of or is derived moftly from Water) that we are bound to return our Thanks to the Giver of this fo wonderful, fo agreeable, and fo useful a Bleffing, which he deals out with fo much Wisdom for the Prefervation of all that live; to fay nothing of our own Impotence, as big as we appear in our own Eyes, who can't produce one fingle drop of this Element. Let then the most prefumptuous Atheist tell us how he, with all his imaginary Wisdom, can prevent the entire Defolation of this Globe, and the certain and unavoidable

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Death of every thing that breathes And in cafe he finds himself unable to perform this fmail Matter, can he still imagine that he is only beholden to a meer and stupid Chance, to Causes ignorant of their own Effects, and operating without Knowledge or Wisdom, not only for the Discovery, but alfo for the bountiful Participation of this most unvaluable Prefent; and that thofe, as ignorant as they are, have been able to fuppeditate a Means of furnishing the World with Water?

If now the very Atheifts themselves fhall own it to be unreasonable to think thus of Matters, as in truth they muft, if they pretend to maintain their Title to Wisdom, what need have we of more Arguments to confute them?

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Of the EARTH.

SECT. I. Tranfition to the EARTH.

OW, if after having contemplated_the Air and the Water, we pafs on to the EARTH, we cannot help affirming, that whofoever fhall maintain that all the Qualities and Properties that are to be found therein, are to be only afcribed to mere Chance, or ignorant Laws of Nature, operating without Defign, muft cleave to a wonderful kind of Philofophy, if he does not affirm the fame against the Contradictions of his own Confcience.

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It is true, that the Earth, as fuch, and fo long as it remains in its natural State, cannot serve either for Meat or Drink to Men and Beafts; but however, that every thing living is fupported and preferved by its Fruits, is plainly taught us by Experience.

SECT. II. The Earth produces Grafs, Corn, &c.

LET an Atheist, to fetch no Proofs from the Depth of Nature, caft his Eyes, Firft, upon that common Herb, that contemptible Grafs which fprings fo abundantly out of the Earth, and feeds fuch a number of Cattle: And, Secondly, upon the various Kinds of Corn, whereby fuch Numbers of Men are likewife nourished; and then let him confider with himself, whether it be by Chance that the first grows of its own accord out of the Earth in fuch an infinite number of places, and ferves for Provifion to the Cattle. And in cafe there were not fuch a Difpofition in the Earth, that it produces Grafs in fo vaft a Quantity almost every where, without the leaft Labour, or without any Cultivation, what poffible Means could have been invented for the nourishing and preferving alive fo many Millions of living Creatures, which in themselves have not the leaft Fitness for tilling and fowing the Earth ?.

SECT. III. Beafts are Kitchens for the Grass.

FURTHERMORE, fince he cannot deny neither, that tho' the whole World were full of Grafs, yet all Mankind might perifh with Hunger, fince fad Experience has frequently taught us, in barren Years, that no body can live of Grafs; will he again fay, that this is likewife accidental, and without a wife Direction, that the Earth is adapted

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