1P1 .tAV;'-.\'-' *?32 if.* .' '■"..'"■ v . ■ ■ ■: \-- ;\v. \>\..■•■::■.,< r ^ NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE Bethesda, Maryland A N ESSAY O N MATTER. In FIVE CHAPTERS. Trace Science then, with modefty thy guide, Firft ftrip off all her equipage of pride; Dedud what is but vanity, or drefs, Or learning's luxury, or idlenefs; Or tricks to fliew the ftretch of human brain, Mere curious pleafure, or ingenious pain: Expunge the whole, or lop th' excrefcent parts Of all, our vices have created aits. Pop i. PHILADELPHIA: Printed for the Author* M, DCC,LXXXI V. APOLOGY. / CT'HE Author begs leave to remark to his Reader, that his Thoughts upon Matter are here placed in the order in which they were conceived\ and that when he had -written the firjl and fecond Chapters, he had not anticipated the laft, or even the twofollowing s that he had never read any Author who had confidered Matter in this way, whereby to fajhion his mind to a Jyjlem, nor did he even know that thoughts fimilar to theje, had ever been conceived. The Reader, therefore, will enjoy the advantage of having his ideas on the fubject", excited in the fame order that the Author's were, which he conftders mojl natural, therefore bejl; the fubjeil growing out of itfelf. Indeed he confidered words as being the mojl imperfecl ftgns of thoughts; of courfe, the mojl common fource of impofttion : he, therefore, cautioujly avoided any information upon his fubjeB from that fource, lejl, injlead of acquiring information, he Jhould imbibe prejudice; and depended upon reafon alone for truth. When the Author had done what is contained in this Treatife, a fevere illnefs put a flop to further progrefs in the work, and thereby prevented him not only from giving a better arrangement to this Differtation, but alfo from fhowing how the theory of it would apply inpraBice, which he, perhaps too vainly, confidered would be important information to mankind. After waiting many months, the Author finds his indifpofttiotl fo objlinate as to make him defpair, at leaf for a long time, of recovering that health of body and vigour of mind, which is required for Juch an arduous work. The Reader, therejore, will find in it a gnat deal of matter only propojed to his mind, not APOLOGY. not finijhedfor it; but if he have been in the habit of thinking clojely upon things, the hints may be fufficient; if not, perhaps the mojl prolix manner would afford but little information to the mind of indolence. The Author is aware that his JubjeB has the prejudices of mankind to combat; he the more regrets that he is obliged to expofc it to them in this imperfeBfiate: but if his health and private concerns of life will hereafter permit, he promifes the fubjeB all the advantages which fo weak a fupporter can give it. In the mean while he hopes thatfome generous and fironger mind than his, may anticipate this necefftty, and do the JubjeB jufiice. s»=-«a CONTENTS. CHAP. I. Matter fimply confidered. CHAP. II. Matter as conneBed with the vital Principle. CHAP. III. The Generation and Change or Death of Matter. CHAP. IV. The finer Compofition and ABion of Matter. CHAP. V. The Earth, A N ESSAY on MATTER. CHAP. I. MATTER SIMPLY CONSIDERED; See thro* the air, this ocean, and this earth, All Matter quick, and burfting into birth. Pope. THE term Matter includes every thing that we carf pofllbly fee, hear, feel, tafte, or fmell. Our minds can have no information or conception of that which is not material. A complete divifion of matter is impoffible, and to our fubjectunneceffary: it is of it's general principles only that we mean to treat. We mall therefore obferve, firft, the Combination of Matter, fecondly, it's Motion, and thirdly, it's Duration. It is generally known what in Chymiftry is meant by Affinity. On this principle not only the union of all com- pound bodies depends, but alfo their confiftence and form* The Union of Bodies is. of different kinds, or wha*t we Ihall name Perfect and Imperfect. The imperfect may Include thofe bodies which, after union, maintain all their primary qualities unchanged. The perfect thofe whoftt fmall and imperceptible parts, when united, apparently lofe their primary form and quality. A Wd C * 3 We can feparate the component Parts of Bodies until we come to what, from the imperfection of our fenCcs, we arc obliged to call Firsts, which in reality they are not, being themfelves compounds. The particles of matter which enter into their compofition, are fo fmall, and bear fo much nearer relation and likenefs to each other, that our eyes are eluded in the fearch. There is no body but what is a compound. We find ourfelves capable of compounding any tAvo Firfts: Of which compound we can form another, and add com- pound to compound without end; for every new compound makes the mafs groffer, and thereby fits it to unite with groffer things. As we know no end of compounding, fo it follows that we can know no beginning. Matter cannot waste. Philofophy and Reafon can allow nothing fupernatural to happen in this world, as it carries with it an idea of imperfection in Omnipotence, which is both impious and abfurd.—I cannot then imagine what motives could have induced mankind to entertain, notions of the perifhable nature of Matter. They feem to fpeak of it too as a natural effect of things, and not mira- culous. Making things into nothing requires no lefs power, and is not lefs miraculous, than making nothing into things. To fuppofe that Matter could wafte or perifh, and that this- is conftantly happening, muft carry with it the fuppofition, that Matter muft be conftantly creating de novo, which is taking from the Deity the attribute of omnipotence. Can that power be omnipotent, which requires time for it's operation? Can that wifdom be infinite, which obferves imperfections in it's own works, and fees a neceffity for alterations ? Infinite wifdom knew at firft what was necefikrv to be done, and there could have been no fpace between conceiving and doing in infinite. I£ [ 3 ] If, to ufe words which are adapted to our own capacities and not to things, I may be allowed to fpeak of a beginning where there was none, I would fay, that when the Creator firft conceived the defign of creation, he muft at that inftant have conceived the whole defign j and his power was ready, at that inftant, to fpeak that whole into exiftence: nothing after that could be neceffary. CHAP. If. MATTER AS CONNECTED WITH THE VITAL PRINCIPLE. \7C7HERE there is Motion in one Particle of Matter, or * * in a number of Particles of Matter, making what we call Body, and the motion of this particle or body is independent, i. e. not influenced or actuated by any other particle or body to motion fimply, there is Life. We do not include that influence, which all bodies receive fVom the elements, either, primarily, from themfelves, or, fecondarily, through the medium of fome other matter or body1. All Matter is poffeffed of life, fpirit, action, or motion. What is called inanimate Matter, owes it's motion or life no more to the elements, than what is acknowledged to be animate. —This elementary influence prefuppofes, the animation of bodies; for as thefe cannot move without that influence, fo neither can that influence, where there is no life^.—To fay that the elements alone give motion, is to fay that the elements*give life, which is denying an Universal Agent, or making him appear to act more by intermediate agents, than Philofophy will allow. No one, I prefume, will doubt the independent Motion of Matter in that form which we name Animal, at leaft that it is as independent as in men.—We allow animals to be a compofition of Matter without SotfL, yet we allow them to be C 4 ] fee poffeffed of the principle of motion. It is from this motion folely, that we allow them to be poffeffed of life; for there is nothing befides, that can or does influence the mind to make it affent to this truth, that Animals have Life; and it is from the different combinations of motion and matter, that we form our ideas of the different kinds of animals.—It is then from motion, and nothing elfe, that we judge of and allowMatter, of aparticular kind of compofition, to be poffeffed of the living principle—the fame evidence muft have the fame weight in every other kind of compofition. Wherever Motion is diLoverable in Matter, be the form pf it what it may, we muft acknowledge it to entertain the Jiving principle. But it may be faid, that though motion be an evidence of life in matter of certain forms, and where the motion is of certain kinds, yet motion of every kind will not prove the exiftence of life in matter of every form. This abfurdity of fuppofing a Caput Mortuum* muft appear to every one who confiders the connection and dependence which exift in all bodies upon each other,—the motion which this connection fuppofes,—and life which motion evidences. There is a perpetual exchange of matter with matter of every I form. The animal creation, for inftance, is conftantly exchanging parts with the earth and it's atmofphere. If the matter compofing animals be animate, and that of the earth inanimate, how can thefe be united? This would be to fuppofe that two oppofites could exift in one body, whereas it is the nature of oppofites to recede from each other, and nothing can be greater oppofites than life and death. The independent Motion of Matter in that form called Vegetable, can be as little doubted as in Animals.—Storms, earthquakes, fires, floods, do not caufe vegetation, any more than they do generation in animals. The natural or preter- * If any one could proye to me the Annihilation of any Matter, be it ever fo fmall, they would have no difficulty in proving to me, my own Annihilation, which, until ,hcn, I am by no means willing to grant. [ 5 ] preternatural motion of bodies, no more contribute to the motion of matter in vegetables than in animals ; they, like us, receive only the natural and gentle influence of the elements, and thereby make a link in that chain, which connects all matter, and which is the harmony of creation. We fhall be more particular in fpeaking of motion in vegetables, when we come to treat of the nicer operation of matter in that action which we call Thinking. We come now to fpeak of the Motion of Matter in thofe forms where it is lefs obfervable upon a fuperficial view of things; but where, upon a nearer view, it is not lefs evident than in either of the other forms mentioned. Whoever doubts the Motion of Matter in the form of a Stone, let him take the trouble to look upon the firft rock in his way, and he will fee it's furface mouldering. What- ever decays muft be replenilhed—for Matter cannot waste. Stones then give to and receive matter from other bodies. Circulation is a very perfect motion.—Will any one affert, that the motion of giving and receiving of it's fubftance does not exift in the ftone with only that affiftance which they, in common with us and animals, receive from the elements ? The Motion of Matter in the various forms of Minerals is more obfervable, as it is more lively. There is a conftant flu^v j -\ •V51 / r; i;:jStt.r.«SatiKite.vtr-..' _;■.. »v^.>'.' ;r ;;^o»:-