to produce Corn and other things, which ferve Mankind for Food? And fince Grafs of it felf is not fit for that purpose, that by being eaten of Beafts, it fhould be changed into their own Subftance, and fo become ufeful not only for Food, but even for Dainties too: Infomuch, that we may look upon Oxen, Sheep and all other Creatures, that are taken by Men for Food, as fo many living and walking Kitchens, in which is prepared the otherwife unprofitable Grafs, which thereby becomes good, wholfome, and palatable Food.

SECT. IV. Convictions from the foregoing Obfer->

vations.

AND whereas the greatest Philofopher, with all his Wisdom, cannot produce one fingle Grain of Wheat, or the fmalleft Leaf of Grafs out of the Earth, nor even inform us with Truth, how they grow and fubfift, and much lefs, what is the Cause that Grafs ferves for Food to the Cattle, and yet can nourish no Man before it becomes Milk or Flesh by the Changes it undergoes in their Bodies; Can he then perfift in fuch an Opinion, that it is without any Defign, or Knowledge, of a Providential Being, that there is this analogy found in Beafts and Grafs, in Men and Corn, by which both are fupported; and that it is one and the fame Earth which produces them both?

If this can be maintained, I don't see why one may not fay, with as great an Appearance of Reafon, that a Lock and the Key that is made and adapted to it, are both of them produced by the fame Iron, without Understanding and without Defign.

Let thofe that would make ufe of fuch Evafions, confider only how many other forts of Herbs daily come out of the Earth; and fince there are pro

2

duced

duced Thorns and Thistles (to fay nothing of Poifonous Herbs) as well as Fodder for Beafts, and Bread for Men; let him fhew us the least reason, why the first, namely Grafs, grows almost every where without any Trouble even in the most solitary Wilderneffes, where it feeds Harts and Hinds, and other Grass-eating Creatures, in great abundance; whereas, on the contrary, to produce Corn and humane Food from the Earth, there is required fo much Plowing, Harrowing, Sowing, Weeding, Mowing, and fo much other painful Toiling?

This has frequently put me in mind of the Accomplishment of that Threat which GoD pronounced to Man, at the Beginning of the World; Gen. iij. 17, 18, 19. Unto Adam he faid, because thou haft hearken'd unto the Voice of thy Wife, and haft eaten of the Tree of which I commanded thee, Saying, Thou fhalt not eat of it: Curfed is the Ground for thy fake; in forrow halt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns alfo and Thiftles fhall it bring forth to thee: and thou shall eat the Herb of the Field. In the Sweat of thy Face fhalt thou eat Breadtill thou return unto the Ground; for out of it waft thou taken; for duft thou art, and unto duft fhalt thou return. Now all this is true by fad Experience; by which we are taught how much Pains are required to clear the Ground from Thorns and Thiftles, that it may be fitted for the Support of Mankind.

SECT. V. Different Productions and Powers from the fame Earth.

STRONGER Demonftrations of a wife and gracious Go D, no Man can juftly require, than that which the Earth may teach every one who Contemplates the Properties thereof. Nor is

there

there any deep Philosophy necessary for fuch Con

victions.

Bring a Man only into Meadows where the Grafs fprings out of the Earth for the Cattle; or into plowed Lands, where the Corn grows for Mankind; into Gardens, where one sees such noble and refreshing Fruits; into Woods, where one finds innumerable Trees which furnish Materials for Building; into a Kitchen and Phyfick Garden, where are a number of Plants and Herbs, fome of which ferve for Food, others for Medicines in the Disorders and Diftempers of our Bodies, and for other Ufes; into Flower-Gardens, where there appears an infinite Quantity of the most charming Colours and Smells of various Powers and Effects. Then ask him, Whether he or any Body else, ever understood the Manner in which all this is produced in the Earth; and whether those can be thought to argue fo improperly, who maintain that all this feems to them one continual Miracle and Demonftration of a terrible, but no less bountiful GOD, who, from one and the fame Earth, is able to produce fuch an unconceivable Variety of Plants. Let them freely maintain, purfuant to late Difcoveries and Experiments, that there are Seeds, Plants and Stamina in all Seeds and Buds, which are expanded and augmented by additional Juices : But how will he be able to deduce the Diverfity of Powers from the fame Earth, after fuch a manner as may give entire Satisfaction to the Learned?

SECT?

SECT. VI. Convictions from the foregoing Obfer

vations.

Now if there fhould be fhewn to one of thefe unhappy Philofophers, who had never feen any Earth, a piece of black and uncomely Matter, would he not, upon contemplating all the beforemention'd Operations and Effects, take it for one of the most wonderful things in the World? And farther, if fome Body that were the only Poffeffor of this Earth, fhould declare, that he had thus difpofed it by his Wifdom, and would generously prefent him with a fmall Parcel thereof, would he not reckon this noble Gift among his moft valuable Rarities, and fhew it to other curious Perfons as a very precious thing? And if it fhould fo happen, that one of thofe to whom he fhould fhew it, fhould fay, that he did not think the Perfon that had prepared it, to be wife or knowing; and, that altho' he had made fuch a Mixture, it could not be afcribed to his Skill or Judgment, but only by mere Chance, or fome other ignorant Caufe; would not even this Philofopher declare, that great Wrong and Injuftice was done to the Maker of fuch a prolifick Matter; and that from the Aptitude and Property which this Earth has to produce fo great a diverfity of Plants, an irrefragable Proof may be drawn, that he who invented and compounded fuch a Mixture, muft have had not only a particular Knowledge thereof, but likewise of all the Herbs and Plants which fuch a Matter produced; and confequently must be wifer than Thousands of other Men, who, how learned foever they may be, if once the Earth fhould fail, could never inform us whereof it properly confifted, and wherein lay its Power or Faculty to produce all

Sorts of Plants.

Lee

Let a deplorable Atheist himself make the further Application to what has been faid: And forafmuch as he will find that this Earth is difpofed in fo great an abundance, and for the fervice of all Men throughout the whole inhabitable World; far from being any Want or Defect thereof, this noble miraculous Matter is trod under foot by Men and Beasts, and ferves for Ways to Travellers: And whereas we should have acknowledged an unconceivable Wisdom in the Preparation and Difpofition thereof, if there had been but a very fmail. Quantity of it in the World; fhall we now doubt of the Wisdom and Goodness of the Great Creator, only because he has been fo bountiful and liberal thereof, and has communicated this wonderful Gift in fo great an abundance to Mankind.

To fay a little more upon the fame Subject: Whereas every one would ftand amaz'd if he had feen but one Tulip, one Rofe, or one Lilly only growing out of fuch contemptible Matter as the Earth appears to be, and could never be tired in praifing the Wifdom of Him who had found out the way of producing thofe noble Flowers; fhall: we therefore now be more backward in acknowledging the Great Creator in his Perfections, because instead of difclofing to us one Wonder in one Plant, we daily difcover a thoufand Wonders in as many Plants.

I have often confider'd with wonder, the Obdurateness and Infenfibility to which the Cuftom of continually enjoying a thing is able to bring Men's minds; that can make an unhappy Atheist believe, that fuch innumerable Trees, innumerable Flowers, and innumerable Plants are produced by meer Chance, at leaft without Wifdom; whereas he muft own, even against his Will, that the Man. who could but find out the way of making one only Julyflower or Tulip fpring out of its Onion VOL. II. LI

or