SECT. VI. Alcaline Salts likewife difperfed in many Bodies.

ONE may say the fame thing of the Alcaline Salts alfo.

From all the Parts in a manner of Animals, there are Alcaline Volatile Salts extracted in great Quantities; to say nothing here of other Alcalies, which cannot properly be named Salts, such as Crabs-Eyes, Egg-Shells, the burnt Shells of Oyfters and Mufcles, Hartfhorn and Bones.

Plants, when putrify'd or rotten, do likewise yield Alcaline Volatile Salts. The Smoak of burnt Wood makes a Soot, which does also afford an Alcaline Volatile Salt; and the Leaves of fome Plants, fuch as the Palm, yield an Alcaline Spirit by Diftillation. The Chymifts do moreover extract from most Plants by Burning, a fix'd and lixiviate Salt, which is likewife Alcaline, and of which the Afhes themselves will effervefce with Acids.

All fort of Coral is Alcaline, fo are many Minerals, and will ferment with Acids; as alfo all Metals, Gold, Silver, Copper, Iron, Tin, Lead, Quickfilver, Antimony, Marcafites, the Lapis Calaminaris, Chalk, &c. Even a good fertile Earth will effervefce with Spirit of Salt-Petre. There are likewife fome of the Mountain or Rock-Salts of the fame Nature. Accordingly we are informed, that in the Repofitory of the Royal Society of England, there is preferved a Salt brought from the Rocky Places of the Ifland of Teneriff, the Properties of which are entirely Alcaline; and in how many Mineral Waters a like Alcaline Salt is found, may be feen in the Hiftory of the Academie Royale des Sciences, &c. An. 1702, p. 57 and 58, and 1708, p. 73 and

74; where an Inquiry being made into the Waters of Bourbon, Lancy, Bourbon d'Archambaut, Bourboule, Mont d'Or, Chaudes, Aigues, Evaux, Neris and Vechil, are all found to yield a natural Alcaline Salt: So that it likewise appears from hence, that Alcalies as well as Acids may be met with in great Quantities in many Bodies.

SECT. VII. Convictions from the foregoing Obfer

vations.

FROM what has been faid, and from a farther Inquiry into Nature, one might produce a vast number of Experiments and Proofs, capable of convincing a judicious Reader, that there is an infinite number of Particles in the World, each of which are constantly moved according to particular Laws, which in fome Circumftances are at reft, and of which others being brought to a certain determinate distance, as the Acids and Alcalies, begin a regular Motion, being fometimes attracted, and at other times repelled from each other. Do not the Parts of Diamonds adhere together very closely, tho' they have great Orifices or Pores in them, and therefore touch one another with little Superficies, as appears from their Transparency? Do not we fee in Fermentations fome Particles which were at first still and at reft, and afterwards begin to move among one another, in which, always following certain Laws, they one while feparate, and then again unite with each other? But they who defire to see a brief Collection thereof at one view, may confult Sir Ifaac Newton's Optics,in the Queries at the End, and most of the Chymifts; and from thence extra&t what they think may ferve for a Proof ftrong enough of what has been faid above.

But

But to fuch as are not fo well experienced in Chymiftry, to give a more familiar Inftance from whence they may fafely infer the foregoing Propofitions, and juftly conclude likewife that there is a God, who has not only Created all these things, but does alfo Govern them by his Providence according to wife Laws; let an Atheist, how great a Philofopher foever he be, reflect with himfelf, and confider, Firft, this Univerfe, as confifting of an infinite Multitude of Hundreds of Thousands of Millions of Particles, which, according to the preceding Experiments, cannot be deny'd; Secondly, let him reprefent to himself all these Particles as being at reft and unmoved; which he may eafily do, because Motion is not a neceffary Consequence of their Existence: If now he contemplates this unconceivably great Heap of Matter, can he think it credible, firft, That from thence are produced fo many determinate, and fuch exceeding fmall Stamina, or Original Seeds, and from them again fo many glorious Machines, as are the Bodies of Men and Beafts, Fishes and Birds? Such wonderful Structures of Plants and Herbs, divisible into fuch numerous Claffes? So many agreeable Liquors which Men extract from the fame, making use therein of thofe Laws, according to which the Juice of the Grape, for Inftance, and others are wont fo uniformly and conftantly to operate? Finally, that great and amazing Machine the World itfelf, with that Order and Symetry, by which one part thereof renders fo many Services to the other, whilft not one fingle Particle thereof can affume any kind of Figure or Motion, but according to certain Laws prescribed to it, by and fubfervient to the great Designs of its Creator; nor can it separate itself from one, nor adhere to another Body, but in Subordination to the fame Laws.

SECT.

SECT. VIII. The Prefervation of Things proves a God.

We must not think that nothing but thefe Laws, and the infinite Wisdom by which they have been contrived, has place in the great and regular Stru&ture of the World; for the preferving and continuing of all things in the State and Condition in which they were first created, has likewife a Share in proving a God.

Would we fee a Proof thereof, how the great Director, from a Collection of an inexpreffible number of Particles entirely differing from each other, and which feems to us to be jumbled together in the utmoft Confufion, causes only fome determinate ones, and fuch as are fubfervient to his high Defigns, to approach towards each other, and to unite among themselves and with other Bodies proper to preferve, nourish and increase them according to the Laws impreffed therein by his infinite Providence; let us recollect what has been faid above upon this Occafion.

Is not the Air a Mixture, yea, a very Chaos, confifting of Hundreds of Thousands of Millions of different Particles? How many things confumed by Fire, and diffolved by Corruption, do mingle their Effluvia, Steems, or Vapours, with the Air? How many Men and Beafts do perfpire therein; yea, according to Mr. Boyle, almost all Bodies, not excepting Ice and Snow themselves, become lighter by Perspiration, and tranfmit their exhaled Particles into the Air? How many fweetfcented Flowers, how many Spices and other things impregnate the fame with fragrant Particles, infomuch that the Perfumes of them have been fmelt fome Leagues diftance from the Islands where they grow, according to the Relations of those who have experienced the fame? Every

body

body knows, that in Cellars where there are fermenting Wines, the Air is full of their Vapours and Spirits; which holds true likewife in all other fermenting Matters. How many watry Vapours from Seas, Rivers, Lakes, Marfhes; how many fulphureous and other corrofive and poisonous Particles afcending from burning Mountains, mingle themselves with the Air? Iron which, in all Parts of the World almost, being exposed to the naked Air, becomes rufty, furnishes us with unqueftionable Proofs of the Acidity thereof. With all these there is mingled an unconceivable quantity of Rays of Light, derived from the Sun and other Heavenly Bodies; and how much Fire is elevated and retained there, appears by Lightning and other ignite Meteors. Add to all this the proper Particles of which the Air itself is compofed, and let an Atheift tell us, where he can find fuch another confufed Heap.

Let him farther confider the Earth, and obferve of what a mighty Variety of Kinds and Parts it confifts. Water is turned to Earth, as we have fhewn before; poisonous and wholfome Herbs, Shrubs and Trees, all the Bodies of Fishes, Beafts, and Men do likewife become Earth. In a word, whatever proceeds from the Earth, is by Corruption or otherwife changed into the fame. Let an Atheist reflect again, how many Thousands of Kinds of different Compofitions all this Heap of Matter might produce, every one of which might likewise be exceedingly different from all that we now fee proceeding from the Earth.

In the Water we may obferve the fame; How many Plants and Fishes are corrupted therein ? What a great diverfity of Dews fall upon it, drawing Particles of the Air along with them? How many Salts are diffolved therein? How many fubterraneous Fires fill them with the Matter that

burfts