of Latitude, and confequently very near to the Tropick of Cancer, in the hotteft Part of the Torrid Zone, and is overflowed in the like manner by the River Niger; which leaving a kind of Mud every Year upon this fcorched Country, makes it become the moft fertile of all Africa. See concerning the fame, Mr. Robbe's Geography, as alfo that of Varenius, Lib. I Cap. XVI. §. 20. about several Rivers befides the above-mention'd, that produce the fame Advantages. Many of which there named, and amongst them particularly the River Zaire, do overflow their Banks yearly; fo that this last renders the Kingdom of Congo, where the Air in clear Weather is intollerably Hot, exceeding Fruitful in all forts of Herbs and Plants that are good for Food. He therefore that is surprised hereat, and has a mind to be farther informed, how in fuch a Burning Climate the Earth yields fo great a Plenty of all things, may learn from the above-mention'd Geography of Mr. Robbe, and the fo often praised Varenius, how the Rivers Indus and Ganges overflowing always in June, July and Auguft, do Water whole Kingdoms lying about 'em, and make them Fruitful to a great Degree; as they likewife ferve for a fufficient Provifion of Water to the Inhabitants during the reft of the Months, in which there hardly falls any Rain.

After how wonderful a manner the Heat of this Torrid Zone is farther qualified in feveral Places by cool Breezes and Rains, is likewife fhewn by Varenius, Lib. II. Cap. XXVI. §. 11. even fo far, that by other means, which the Wisdom of the Almighty has been there pleased to use, the Seasons feem frequently to run contrary to the approaching and receding of the Sun. It would be too tedious, and, according to all probability, an unneceffary Work too, to enquire into all the Caufes thereof.

VOL. II.

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SECT.

SECT. XXXIV. Convictions from hence.

Now let me once gain ask thefe Philofophers, that are really worthy of Compaffion, and who will have all things come to pafs as they are, without the Wisdom of the Creator and Preferver of all things, whether, if any Body had found a Method to furnish a little District of Land with, a milder Air, and with as much Water as is wanted, and which without the fame must have perifhed by Drought and Barrennefs, together with all the Men, Beafts and Plants that were upon it; whether it could be denyed, that the Wisdom of Him that found out and effected the the fame (efpecially if the Knowledge and Power of the greatest Number and moft Skilful of Men, would not have fufficed for that Purpose) were not worthy of the highest Praife; and whether they, or any one. elfe, could imagine, that the Canals and Aqueducts whereby in the drained Meers or Lakes of North-Holland the Lands are water'd in dry Seafons, and the Cattle are provided with Drink, could have been brought about without the Contrivance of a Skilful Engineer?

Now this is what we fee performed, not in drained Meers or Fens, but in vaft Kingdoms; not a few Cattle water'd, but Millions of Men, Millions of Wild and Tame Beafts, Millions of Trees, Shrubs, Plants, Corn, and other Herbs, preferved alive thereby; not fome few Acres of Land, but Whole and Great, and otherwife Ufelefs Parts of the World, fertilized thereby, and put intó a Condition, from the abundance of their Productions, to communicate their Agreeableness to other People. Here are no Śluices or Mills made ufe of, which must be yearly maintaind at the Charge of the Country, but prodigious Bo

dies, and vaft Mountains difcharging those Fun&tions; and which having been once placed there by the Great Director of all things, remain there ftill without any Expence to thofe that reap the Benefit of them, being fitted to perform this their great Work, thousands of Years, without any Diminution or Attrition. Here are no Artificial Canals or Sluices of a fmall Extent neceffary for this Purpose, but vaft Floods of Water, and the greateft Rivers of the World.

Now, fince all this is incomparably more Noblé and of greater Benefit than that which every one readily confeffes to be brought to pafs in the aforefaid Meers by humane Contrivance and Wisdom What Reafon can thefe miferable Philofophers produce, to justifie their perfevering in their Opinions, that the fame is here done without any Wisdom?

SECT. XXXV. Concerning the Temperate Zones.

;

AFTER this Torrid Zone a b c d (Tab. XVI. Fig. 1) there follows two others, one on the one fide ab bg, and t'other on the other c d ki; which, in refpect of the leffer Heat, as in the Torrid Zone abcd, and leffer Cold, as in the two Frigid Zones gph, and im k; and therefore on account of the greater Temperament of the Air, are called the Temperate Zones.

Taking then p, for the North Pole, abgh is the North Temperate Zone, and c'd ki the South the former of which is inhabited by us, and almost all Europe, and the greatest Part of Afia, and contains all thofe Lands and Seas which we may fee in the Map of the World, lying between the Tropick of Cancer a b, and the Polar Circle gb; the South Temperate Zone c d ki, which may be likewife feen there, confifts chiefly of Seas.

SECT. XXXVI. The Advantages of the most Northern Parts.

IT is not neceffary to expatiate here more particularly upon the Northern Zone : Every thing about us, or that has been reprefented in all thefe Contemplations, centers in this, namely, to manifeft the Power, Wifdom and Goodness of GoD, which has fhined out fo brightly in thefe Parts of the World. This is certain, that in Fruitfulness, in the Temperature of the Seasons, and particularly in the Learning and Understanding of its Inhabitants, it will give place to no other whatever; forafmuch as it is beyond all doubt, that in the Government of its Countries, in Commerce, in Navigations, in the Arts of War, and in an infinite Number of other Sciences, it far exceeds all other People.

But the greatest Benefit of all, and that which incomparably exalts this Zone above all the other Parts of the whole Globe, is, that the Knowledge of the True Go D, and his right Worship, have here their prefent Seat: Since that this fame bright Sun is now fet in respect to unhappy Afia, GOD having thought these People worthy (which exceeds all Humane Gratitude) to whom he might reveal Himself and his Holy Word, and by them to propagate and diffufe the Knowledge thereof to other Nations.

A truely upright Soul, fuch as loves and fears GOD, will efteem nothing more deteftable, nothing more unreafonable, than to imagine, that the Worship of Him also has acquired by Chance, or by a stupid Neceffity of Natural Laws, its fo 'juft and equitable Principles, worthy of the True GOD, and furpaffing all other Idolatrous Worship,

And

And if an Atheift would but ever have taken. the Pains to examine the adorable Wisdom of GOD in this his Word, and the fundamental Knowledge therein of all Creatures; if he would but compare the exa& Accomplishment of fo many Prophecies with Hiftory; if he would reflect upon the wonderful Prefervation of the holy Scriptures, in fpight of the Rage and Perfecution of great Tyrants and Oppofers of the WORD, he will be able to produce very few Arguments to make an impartial Perfon believe, that it is the Effect of mere Chance that GOD is worshipped in this Part of the World after the manner contained in his Word.

SECT. XXXVII. The Chriftian Religion is no Art of Politicians.

THE Atheists and Infidels have never yet been fo Foolish and Brutal (if we may ufe fuch hard Words) as to afcribe that impreffion which every one has of a Deity or his Worship (how much foever they are difpofed to deduce every thing from thence) to mere Chance or Fatality. Wherefore being now obliged to feek for other Subterfuges and Evafions, they now refer it to the Arts and Stratagems of great Politicians, who thereby endeavour to keep in awe the People under their Go

vernment.

That this has Place in fome Pagan Religions, as alfo in the Mahometan, is eafie to be fhewn, they having been established by the Force of Arms. But nothing is more impoffible than to prove the fame in the Chriftian Religion: For if it be the Policy of Rulers and Princes to bridle and keep in awe a giddy Multitude, why has not fuch Policy, with the Addition likewife of all their Power (whereby they have extirpated hundreds of thou

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