Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: An essay on matter : in five chapters. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)
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![[ *5 ] Small are the same. All that we can judge of it, is from thofe parts of it whofe compofition are of a fize more or lefs fitted to our's, and thereby noticeable to our fenfes. From thefe Ave find that there is a continued circulation going en in it—a perpetual, and as far as we can obferve, a regular exchange of matter between it and it's atmofphere; of which the exchange of matter between the earth, atmo- fphere and us, is an epitome. We obferve that the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms, are necefiary to this cir- culation, and are to it, perhaps, what the exci-etory organs, the organs of perfpiration, are to us. This Globe, let us view it which way we will, is in large, what a part of it, a man for inftance, is in fmall. The diftindt organized beings, which enter into our compo- fition, are too fmall to be obferved by us; but we, bearing the fame relation to the earth, have fome knowledge of thofe parts of it, whofe compofition are, from their fize, fitted to our fenfes. As all Matter centers in this Globe, fo all Life centers in it; it's faculties deriving the benefit of all the faculties that are a part of it, muft, as before obferved, be above our conception. The Earth, befide the kind of motion which we have been fpeaking of, has a general, a total, or what may be called it's compound motion; a motion in which all it's parts unite.—This motion fhows us that the univerfe is not comprifed in the globe; for this motion muft have the fame kind of relation to, and dependence on, fome other body, that the motions of our bodies have to the globe. Befides, the work of that power which is infinite, muft bear a proportion to the power, and be infinite alfo. Our knowledge can compafs this earth, and obferve it's bounds; but our knowledge cannot compafs that which is infinite. D There](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21136099_0035.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
