CHYMISTRY. 



107 



ueh a diversity of forms, shades, and colours, are 

 me result of the combinations of &quot; four or five 

 natural substances caloric, light, water, air, 

 and carbon.&quot; &quot; When we consider,&quot; says Mr. 

 Parkes, &quot; that the many thousand tribes of ve 

 getables are not only all formed from a few simple 

 substances, but that they all enjoy the same sun, 

 vegetate in the same medium, and are supplied 

 with the same nutriment, we cannot but be struck 

 with the rich economy of Nature, and are al 

 most, induced to doubt the evidence of those 

 senses with which the God of nature has fur 

 nished us. That it should be possible so to 

 modify and intermingle a few simple substances, 

 and thence produce all the variety of form, colour, 

 odour, &c. which are observable in the different 

 families of vegetables, is a phenomenon too as 

 tonishing for our comprehension. Nothing short 

 of Omnipotence could have provided such a pa 

 radise for man.&quot; Chymical Catechism, chap. 9. 



Soft soil your incense, herbs, and fruits, and 



flowers, 



In mingled clouds to Him, whose sun exalts, 

 Whose breath perfumes you, and whose pencil 



paints.&quot; T/iomson. 



What an admirable view is here opened up of 

 the economy of divine wisdom, and of the bene 

 ficent care which has been taken to secure the 

 comfort and happiness of every living creature : 

 and how ungrateful a disposition must it indicate 

 in rational beings to overlook such benevolent 

 arrangements ! It is highly probable, that in all 

 other worlds disposed throughout the universe 

 an infinite diversity of scenery exists, and that 

 no one globe or system exactly resembles an 

 other; and yet, it is probable, that the primary 

 elements of matter, or the few simple substances 

 of which our world is composed, may be of the 

 same nature as those which form the constituent 

 parts of every other system ; and may give birth 

 to all the variety which exists throughout Ihe 

 wide extent of creation, and to all the changes 

 and revolutions through which the different sys 

 tems may pass, during every period of infinite 

 duration. 



2. From this science we have every reason to 

 conclude, that matter is indestructible. In the 

 various changes that take place in material sub 

 stances, Ihe particles of matter are not destroyed, 

 but only assume new forms, and enter into new 

 combinations. When a piece of wood, for ex 

 ample, is burned to ashes, none of its principles 

 are destroyed ; the elementary substances of 

 which it was composed are only separated from 

 one another, and formed into new compounds. 

 Carbon, as already slated, appears to be inde 

 structible by age, and to preserve its essential 

 properties in every mode of its existence. 

 That Being, indeed, who created matter at first, 

 may reduce it to nothing when he pleases : but 

 it is highly improbable that his power will ever 

 be \nterposed to produce this effect ; or that any 



particle of matter which now exists will ever be 

 annihilated, into whatever new or varied com 

 binations it may enter. When any particular 

 world, or assemblage of material existence, has 

 remained in its original state for a certain period 

 of duration, and accomplished all the ends it was 

 intended to subserve in that state, the materials 

 of which it is composed will, in all probability, 

 be employed for erecting a new system, and es 

 tablishing a new series of events, in which new 

 scenes, and new beauties uid sublimities, will 

 arise from new and varied combinations. For 

 the Creator does nothing in vain. But to anni 

 hilate, and again to create, would be operating in 

 vain; and we uniformly find, that in all the 

 arrangements of Deity in the present state of 

 things, Nature is frugal and economical in all 

 her proceedings; so that there is no process, 

 when thoroughly investigated, that appears un 

 necessary or superfluous. 



From the fact, that matter appears to be in 

 destructible, we may learn, that the Creator 

 may, with the self-same materials which now 

 exist around us, new-model and arrange the 

 globe we inhabit, after the general conflagration, 

 so as to make a more glorious world to arise 

 out of its ashes ; purified from those physical 

 evils which now exist ; and fitted for the ac 

 commodation either of renovated men, or of 

 other pure intelligences. From the same fact, 

 combined with the consideration of the infinite 

 diversity of effects which the simple substances 

 of nature are capable of producing, we may be 

 enabled to form a conception of the ease with 

 which the Creator may new-model our bodies, 

 after they have been dissolved in the dust ; and 

 how, from the same original atoms, he may con 

 struct and adorn them with more glorious forms 

 and more delightful and exquisite senses than 

 they now possess. 



In short, the rapid progress which chymical 

 science is now making, promises, ere long, to 

 introduce improvements among the human race, 

 which will expand their views of the agency of 

 God, counteract many physical evils, and pro 

 mote, tq an extent which has never yet been 

 experienced, their social and domestic enjoy 

 ment. The late discoveries of chymistry tend 

 to convince us, that the properties and powers of 

 natural subjects are only beginning to be disco 

 vered. Who could have imagined, a century 

 ago, that an invisible substance is contained in a 

 piece of coal, capable of producing the most 

 beautiful and splendid illumination that this 

 substance may be conveyed, in a few moments, 

 through pipes of several miles in length and 

 that a city, containing several hundred thousands 

 of inhabitants, may be instantly lighted up by it, 

 without the aid of either wax, oil, or tallow ? 

 Who, could have imagined, that one of the in 

 gredients of the air we breathe is the principle of 

 combustion that a rod of iron may be made to 



