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find every-where foffil ; and belides, fays the author 
of Telliamed, their difpofition is fo regular, that ic 
is plain the confufion of a deluge could never have 
placed them in fuch a manner. But as to the im- 
menfe quantity of foffil Ihells, upon which thefe gen- 
tlemen infill fo much, they have been milled by ima- 
gining, that many parts of the furface of the earth 
contain marine bodies, which evidently do not ; and 
thefe parts are, as I obferved above, the mountains 
properly fo called, in the conllituent llrata of which 
no fea-lhells nor marine bodies of any kind, no bones 
of land animals nor impreffions of plants, are to be 
found. And as to the regular difpofition of thefe 
bodies, this could not have happened in fuppofing a 
violent commotion of the waters to have continued 
the whole time they covered the earth. But is fuch a 
fuppolition natural or neceffiiry ? From the leripture 
account, I am fure, it is not ; for the rupti funt fontes 
abyjji implies, that this was only to procure water fuf- 
f cient for the deluge ; and that the waters afterwards 
receded gradually, and were rellored to tranquillity 
before they entirely difappeared, is manifell from the 
fame infpired writings. Upon the whole, we may 
dare boldly to advance, that we meet with daily obfer- 
vations, that dellroy all the fine hypotheles of our mo- 
dern theorills, but not a lingle one in the leaf: con- 
tradictory to the fimple, and at the fame time fub- 
lime and true account delivered by the facred hifto- 
rian. How vain are the efforts of man, when he 
has the boldnefs to fet up the chimeras of his own 
brain in oppolition to fo much of the truth, as Al- 
mighty God has permitted us to difeover from his 
holy word, and from the obfervation of his works, 
4 R 2 which 
