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NATURAL THEOLOGY 



CHAPTER XXL 



THE ELEMENTS. 



When we come to the elements, we take leave 

 of our mechanics ; because we come to those 

 things, of the organization of which, if they be or- 

 ganized, we are confessedly ignorant. This igno- 

 rance is implied by their name. To say the truth, 

 our investigations are stopped long before we ar- 

 rive at this point. But then it is for our comfort 

 to find, that a knowledge of the constitution of the 

 elements is not necessary for us. For instance, as 

 Addison has well observed, " we know water suf- 

 ficiently, when we know how to boil, how to 

 freeze, how to evaporate, how to make it fresh, 

 how to make it run or spout out, in what quantity 

 and direction we please, without knowing what 

 water is." The observation of this excellent wri- 

 ter has more propriety in it now, than it had at 

 the time it was made ; for the constitution and the 

 constituent parts of water appear in some mea- 

 sure to have been lately discovered ; yet it does 

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