creeping innumerable, both small and great Beafts, &c. How doth it exactly compose itself to a Level or equal Superficies, and with the Earth make up one Spherical Roundness? How doth it conftantly observe its Ebbs and Flows, its Spring and Nepe-Tides, and ftill retain its Saltnefs, fo convenient for the Maintenance of its Inhabitants, ferving alfo the Uses of Man for Navigation, and the Convenience of Carriage? That it fhould be defined by Shores and Strands and Limits, I mean at first, when it was natural to it to overflow and ftand above the Earth. All these Particulars declare Abundance of Wifdom in their primitive Constitution. This last the Pfalmift takes Notice of in the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th Verfes of this Pfalm: Speaking of the Earth at the first Creation, he faith, Thou coveredft it with the Deep as with a Garment, the Waters ftood above the Mountains:_At thy Rebuke they fled, at the Voice of thy Thunder they hafted away (the Mountains afcend, the Valleys defcend) unto the Place thou haft prepared for them. Thou hast set a Bound that they may not pass over: That they turn not again to cover the Earth. But what Need was there (may fome fay) that the Sea fhould be made fo large, that its Superficies fhould equal if not exceed that of the dry Land? Where is the Wisdom of the Creator in making fo much useless Sea, and so little dry Land, which would have been far more beneficial and serviceable to Mankind? Might not at least half the Sea have been spar'd, and added to the Land, for the Entertainment

and

and Maintenance of Men, who by their continual Striving and Fighting to enlarge their Bounds, and encroaching upon one another, feems to be straitned for Want of Room.

To this Objection against the Wisdom of God in thus dividing Sea and Land, Mr. Keil, in his Examination of Dr. Burnet's Theory of the Earth, p. 92, 93. thus anfwers: This, as most other of the Atheists Arguments, proceeds from a deep Ignorance of Natural Philofophy; for if there were but half the Sea that now is, there would be alfo but half the Quantity of Vapours, and confequently we could have but half fo many Rivers as now there are to fupply all the dry Land we have at prefent, and half as much more; for the Quantity of Vapours which are rais'd, bears a Proportion to the Surface whence they are rais'd, as well as to the Heat which rais'd them. The wife Creator therefore did fo prudently order it, that the Sea fhould be large enough to supply Vapours fufficient for all the Land, which it would not do if it were less than now it is.

But against this it may be objected, Why fhould not all the Vapours which are rais'd out of the Sea fall down again into it by Rain? Is there not as much Reason that the Vapours which are exhaled out of the Earth fhould be carried down to the Sea, as that those raised out of the Sea be brought up upon the dry Land? If fome by Winds be driven from the Sea up Land, others by the fame Cause will be blown down from Land to Sea, and fo balancing one another, they will in Sum fall

equally

equally upon Sea and Land; and confequently the Sea contribute nothing to the Watering of the Earth, or the Maintenance of Rivers.

To which I answer, That as to the Watering of the Earth there needs no Supply from the Sea, there being fufficient Water exhaled out of itself to do that; there is no more return'd upon it by Rain so as to rest upon it, than an equivalent Quantity to what was rais'd out

of it.

But the Rivers must be fupplied otherways. Our Opinion is, That they have their Supply from Rain and Vapours. The Question is is, Whence these Vapours are brought? We anfwer, From the Sea. But what brings them up from the Sea? I anfwer, The Winds: And fo I am arriv'd at the main Difficulty. Why should not the Winds carry them that are exhaled out of the Earth down to the Sea, as well as bring them up upon the Earth, which are rais'd from the Sea? Or which is all one, why should not the Winds blow indifferently from Sea and Land? To which I answer, That I must needs acknowledge myself not to comprehend the Reason hereof. God is truly faid, Pfal. 135. 7. To bring the Wind out of his Treasures.

But

the Matter of Fact is most certain, viz. That the Winds do bring abundantly more Vapours up from the Sea than they carry down thither.

First, Because otherwise there can no Account be given of Floods. It is clear, That Floods with us proceed from Rain; and it is often a vast Quantity of Water they carry down G

to

to the Sea. Whence come thofe Vapours which fupply all this Water? I hope those who bring up Springs and Rivers from the great Abyss, will not bring thofe Vapours, which unite into Drops, and descend in Rain from thence too. Should they rife from the dry Land only, they would foon render it dry indeed; more parch'd than the Defarts of Libya. We fhould quickly come to an End of Floods, and of Rain too, if nothing were return'd from the Sea again, not to mention, that the Sea muft needs in fuch a Cafe overflow its Shores, and enlarge its Bounds.

But this Way there is an easy Account to be given. It is clear, that the Sun doth exhale Vapours both from Sea and Land; and that the Superficies of Sea and Land is fufficient to yield Vapours for Rain, Rivers and Floods, when heated to fuch a Degree as the Sun heats it: So that there wants only Wind to bring up so great a Proportion of Vapours from the Sea as may afford Water for the Floods; that is, so much as is return'd back again to the Sea.

Some may perchance demand, To what Purpofe ferve the Floods? What Ufe is there of them? I answer, To return back to the Sea the Surplufage of Water after the Earth. is fated with Rain. It may be further ask'd, What need more Rain be poured upon the Earth than is fufficient to water it? I reply, That the Rain brings down from the Mountains and higher Grounds a great Quantity of Eartlı, and in Times of Floods fpreads it upon the Meadows and Levels, rendering them thereby fo fruitful as to

ftand

ftand in Need of no Culture or Manuring. So we fee the Land of Egypt owes its great Fertility to the Annual Overflowing of the River Nilus And it's likely the Countries bordering upon the River of Ganges may receive the like Benefit by the Overflowing thereof. Moreover, all Rain-water contains in it a copious Sediment of Terrestrial Matter, which by standing it precipitates, and is not a fimple Elementary Water. This Terrestrial Matter ferves for the Nourishment of Plants, and not the Water itself, which is but a Vehicle to derive this Nutriment to all the Parts of the Plants: And therefore the more Rain, the more of this Nutricious Matter may be precipitated upon the Earth, and so the Earth render'd more fruitful. Befides all this, it's not unlikely, that the Rain-water may be endu'd with fome vegetating or prolifick Virtue, deriv'd from fome Saline or Oleofe Particles it contains : For we see, that Aquatick Plants, which grow in the very Water, do not thrive and flourish in dry Summers, when they are not alfo water'd with the Dew of Heaven.

Secondly, Another Argument to prove, That the Winds bring up more Vapours from the Sea than they carry down thither, is, Because the Winds do more frequently blow from the Sea than to the Sea. This appears from the Trees which grow on and near the Sea-fhores all along the Western Coast of England, whofe Heads and Boughs I have observ'd to run out far to Landward, but toward the Sea to be fo fnub'd by the G 2

Winds,