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By creation is commonly meant the production 

 of fomething out of nothing ; or the calling of 

 fomething into being which had no exiftence be- 

 fore. But by propagation and generation, is 

 meant the exiftence of fome being as derived 

 from another. But is fuch generation any thing 

 more than a real tranfmutation of one thing into 

 another? Every cherry-ftone virtually contains 

 in it more of thofe trees, and of that fruit, than 

 ever exifted together at any one time in the world. 

 Is it impoftible to conceive, that the feminal prin- 

 ciple of the kernel fubftantially contains fuch an 

 infinity? What then, but extraneous matter, under 

 a very different heterogeneous form, being circu- 

 lated through a fyftem of pipes of organized matter, 

 can produce fuch an infinite number, and immenfe 

 magnitude, of any clafs of living beings, from a 

 principle originally too minute to be vifible to 

 the eye? 



The earth may be conceived to be the matrix 

 of vegetation: and the hufbandman certainly 

 knows from experience, that by impregnating it 

 with certain fubftances, by laying them upon it 

 at proper feafons, a foil naturally fterile may be 

 rendered fertile. So a meadow floated with water, 

 copioufly abounding with putrefcent particles, and 

 fubftances impregnated therewith, would infalli- 

 bly 



