THEORT of the EARTH. 295 



to the' purpofes of man, who inhabits all its climates, who mea- 

 fures its extent, and determines its productions at his pleafure. 



THE whole of a great objec~l or event fills us with wonder 

 and aftonifhment, when all the particulars, in the fucceffion of 

 which the whole had been produced, may be confidered with- 

 out the lead emotion. When, for example, we behold the py- 

 ramids of Egypt, our mind is agitated with a crowd of ideas 

 that highly entertains the perfon who underftands the fubjecl: ; 

 but the carrying a heavy {tone up to the top of a hill or moun- 

 tain would give that perfon little pleafure or concern. We 

 wonder at the whole operation of the pyramid, but not at any 

 one particular part. 



THE raifing up of a continent of land from the bottom of 

 the fea, is an idea that is too great to be conceived eafily in all 

 the parts of its operation, many of which are perhaps unknown 

 to us ; and without being properly underftood, fo great an idea 

 may appear like a thing that is imaginary. In like manner, 

 the co-relative, or correfponding operation, the deftruclion of 

 the land, is an* idea that does not eafily enter into the mind of 

 man in its totality, although he is daily witnefs to part of the 

 operation. We never fee a river in a flood, but we mud ac- 

 knowledge the carrying away of part of our land, to be funk 

 at the bottom of the fea ; we never fee a ftorm upon the coaft, 

 but we are informed of a hoflile attack of the fea upon our 

 country ; attacks which muft, in time, wear away the bulwarks 

 of our foil, and fap the foundations of our dwellings. Thus, 

 great things are not underftood without the analyzing of many 

 operations, and the combination of time with many events hap- 

 pening in fucceffion. 



LET us now confider what is to be the fubjecl of examina* 

 tion, and where it is that we are to obferve thofe operations 

 which muft determine either the (lability or the inftability of 

 this land on which we live, 



OUR 



