• One of the first realities which the light of heaven discovers to his wondering mind, is this; that true religion is not a name, a form, or an opinion, but a life, actuating its proper fpirit, and its proper body; that is, confifting of internal powers and principles, and an external conduct conformable to them: thefe will generally appear to go hand in hand. But fhould the outward man, in fome inftances, when viewed with a worldly eye, seem to act inconfiftent with the internal principles of truth, we must, nevertheless, be very cautious in forming our judgment in fuch cafes. For the principle within is often good and right, when, from fome strange concurrence of outward circumftances, fuch as education, prejudice, national customs and obfervances, there feems to be a deviation from that principle. The regenerate Chriftian, fenfible of this, and living, as he does, in the ele ment of love, has too liberal and extenfive views of the fecret and falutary influences of the divine Spirit, to think of confining them within the fcanty limits of any particular religious fect or fects in the world. He believes that they may be frequently found as operative and effectual amid the noife and hurry of fecular life, as within the narrow precincts of a monaftery, or the parrower cell of the folitary anchorite.

• Wherever the fruits of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentlenefs, goodness, faith, meeknefs, temperance," are vifible, there, undoubtedly, the Spirit of God hath been fent, the

face of the earth hath been renewed." The truly regenerate hath, therefore, a religious contempt for all thofe littleneffes, which are so often feen among nominal profeffors of the gospel. We cannot think that those perfons have made any great proficiency in Chriftian knowledge or Chriftian practice, who dare to call their neighbour's good nefs in queftion, if they should happen to differ in fome particular notions of truth from themfelves. These external minutiæ may ferve as fuel to the falfe zeal of phairfaical profeffors, but are beneath the notice of the heaven-born Chriftian. He knows, that to the pure, all things are pure:" and, as on the one hand he is careful to avoid every thing that looks like a licentious abufe of this maxim; fo, on the other, he would not abridge his Chriftian liberty by any formal and needlefs aufterities. In a word, his grand concern is to live above the world, and to regard its praises as little as its cenfures: he is, therefore, in no wife anxious to be thought a spiritual man, but to be so in reality.'

It is to be wished, that our young divines, in their fermons, would pay a due attention to the true characteristics of facred oratory; and confider, that the proper language of the Chrif tian preacher does not confift in rhetorical flourishes, fplendid defcriptions, a long train of metaphors, or the fubtilties of myftical theology; but in plain and fober fenfe, a rational explanation of fcripture, manly fentiments, and, on every occa fion, a natural and majestic fimplicity,

Chemical

Chemical Obfervations and Experiments on Air and Fire. By Charles-William Scheele, Member of the Royal Academy at Stockholm; with a Prefatory Introduction, by Torbern Bergman; tranflated from the German by J. R. Forfter, LL. D. F. R. S. and S. A. To which are added Notes, by Richard Kirwan, Esq. F. R.S. With a Letter to him from Joseph Priestley, 8vo. 35. 6d. Served Johnson.

LL. D. F. R. S.

AT T entring upon the review of this work we meet with ftriking inftance of the poffibility of investigating the principles of nature by different paths of fcience. We find that, while Dr. Prieftley was profecuting his researches on air by physical experiments, another ingenious enquirer in the North, unapprised of those discoveries, was employed in examining the fame fubject by experiments founded in chemistry. Their diftin&t modes of procedure terminate in one common refult; and the conclufions of each of the philofophers ferve to confirm thofe of the other.

When Mr. Scheele began his experiments, he was fenfible that without being intimately acquainted with the history and properties of air, it was impoffible to investigate the phenomena of fire, which he purposed to explain; and therefore he diligently applied himself to examine the former of these ele

ments.

The firft obfervation which he deduces from his experiments is, that air is a compound of two kinds of elastic fluids, one of which only attracts the phlogifton, and makes between a third and a fourth of the whole bulk of the air.

Mr. Scheele next relates experiments to prove that common air, confifting of two kinds of elastic fluids, after having been separated by means of phlogiston, may again be compounded. We shall lay before our readers a part of the author's remarks on this fubject.

Chemifts have frequently distilled the fuming spirit of nitre, from oil of vitriol fpread on falt-petre; and they could not help obferving, that this acid is in the beginning of the operation red; in the fequel white and colourless; and at laft again so intenfely red, that it is impoffible to look across the receiver. Here it ought to be remarked, that in cafe the heat is much increased towards the end of the diftillation, the whole mixture is put into fuch an effervefcence, that every thing paffes over into the receiver; and during this effervefcence a kind of air is difengaged, which deferves every attention.-If for this operation a very black oil of vitriol is employed, the acid going over in the be

ginning

ginning is not only by far more red than if a white oil of vitriol had been used; but also by putting a burning candle into the receiver, after the paffing over of about one ounce of acid, you fee it inftantly extinguished; whereas a burning candle introduced towards the end of the operation when the mixture is in effervefcence, into the receiver filled with intenfely red vapours, not only continues burning, but its flame becomes infinitely more vivid, than in common air. The fame phenomenon appears, if towards the end of the operation a receiver filled with air, wherein a candle will not burn, is luted to the apparatus; for after it has been fixed about half an hour, a candle will again burn in the air it then contains.

The previous question therefore ought to be put: whether the vapours of acid of nitre are naturally red? I beg leave to introduce here this queftion; fince I have reason to believe that there are people, who make the red colour a characteristic of this acid. The colours of the acid of nitre are accidental: for if several ounces of fuming fpirit of nitre be diftilled by a very moderate heat, the yellow colour feparates from it, and paffes over into the receiver, and the refiduum in the retort is as white and colourlefs as water. This acid has all the chief qualities of acid of nitre, and the yellow colour alone is wanting: this I would call the acid of nitre. No fooner comes it in contact with an pure inflammable principle, than it grows more or less red. The red acid is more volatile than the pure, because moderate heat alone will feparate it; and for this very reafon in the diftillation of Glauber's fpirit of nitre, the volatile fpirit goes over first, and after it has paffed, the uncoloured follows. However, why does the acid again pass over intensely red at the end of the diftillation? why was the red colour not gone off in the beginning of the operation? whence obtains it phlogifton at that period? Here lies the difficulty.

I mentioned in the preceding number, that a burning candle is extinguifhed in the receiver at the beginning of the dif tillation. The caufe of it is alledged in the experiment already defcribed, No. 13. The acid of nitre paffing over in the form of vapours, attracts the phlogifton, which difcovers itself in the black colour of vitriol, immediately after it meets the air; which again, by elective attraction, deprives the phlogifticated acid of its inflammable principle; by which means part of the air contained in the receiver is loft, whence flame immerfed into it is extinguished.

• Acid of nitre can take up phlogifton in various proportions, and obtains at each proportion different qualities. If it be, as it were, faturated with it, real fire rifes, and it is entirely deftroyed. If the inflammable principle be lefs copious, the acid is converted into a kind of air, which will neither unite with alkalies, nor with abforbent earths, and with water only in fmall proportions: if this acid of nitre analogus to air, meets

the

the air, the latter attracts the phlogifton, and lofes its elafticity. The vapours become red, the air undergoes likewife this remarkable and natural change, of being not only diminished, but also of growing warm. If the acid of nitre receives a still lefs proportion of phlogiston, it is likewife changed into a kind of air; which, like common air is invifible, but capable of uniting with alkalies and terreous fubftances, and of yielding by their mixture true neutral falts; however, this phlogifticated acid fo closely adheres to these abforbent fubftances, that even the addition of vegetable acids cannot expel it. In this manner it is to be met with it, in faltpetre, made red hot; and likewife in the nitrum antimoniatum. If this acid of nitre meets the common air, the latter lofes its elafticity, and is diffolved in red vapours; if mixed in certain proportions with water it becomes tinged, blue, green, or yellow. If the pure acid of nitre receives but a very fmall proportion of inflammable principle, the vapours become only tinged red, they are deprived of elafticity; but this acid of nitre is however become more volatile than a pure acid: and this fmall quantity of phlogiston fo firmly adheres to the acid, that even air, which has the strongest affinity to phlogifton, is incapable of extricating the fame.'

Mr. Scheele afterwards proceeds with a continuation of experiments, demonftrating that heat or warmth is composed of phlogifton and empyreal air, or that which contributes to the exiftence and fupport of flame.

By fubfequent experiments, Mr. Scheele endeavours to prove the existence of an inflammable principle in light; that light is not a primitive or elementary fubftance; and that, if its motion be not interrupted, it caufes neither heat nor cold. His opinion is, that each particle of light is nothing more than a fubtile particle of empyreal air, which is more charged with phlogiston than an equally fubtile particle of heat.

The author, having thus far profecuted his researches into air, advances to the examination of fire, which is the principal object of his enquiry.

'Fire,' fays he, is that more or less heating, and more or lefs luminous ftate of certain bodies, into which they come by means of the air having previously been heated to a certain degree; in which ftate they are refolved into their conftituent parts, and entirely deftroyed, whereby conftantly a certain part of the air is loft.

• Remark 1. Hence it likewife appears, that the heating of ftones, earths, falts, &c, with a red heat cannot be called a fire; fince the air undergoes by it no change, its expanfion excepted, and fince the operation can be done even without air.

Remark 2. Heat and warmth likewife cannot be called fire, fince it can be produced in various manners without heat: under the fame predicament are liver of fulphur, fome oils, varnish of linfeed

linfeed oil, iron-filings, &c. for thefe caufe a heat, no doubt by means of the air, by which fome part of the air is loft; but the abfence of light prevents their being called fire.

Remark 3. The luminous appearance of some kinds of stone, after they have been heated, the Bononian and Baldwin's phofphorus, the electrical luminous appearance, and the light of the fun, are likewise not to be confidered as fire; fince the air is not changed by thefe phænomena, and they may equally well be feen in the vacuum of an exhausted receiver. But the phofphorus of urine is an actual fire; for it is luminous, it heats, it is deftroyed, and abforbs air. None of thefe phænomena appear in foul air, or without air in the exhausted vacuum.'

The author's theory refpecting the generation of fire is contained in the following propofitions-To every combuftible body a certain quantity of heat must be communicated, in order to fet it in the fiery commotion.-Then it is enabled to part with its phlogifton, provided there be a fubftance prefent which has a ftronger attraction to the inflammable than to that with which it was before in union. If the heating is done in open air, the empyreal air has the ftronger attraction.Immediately after, the inflammable principle must come out and unite with the empyreal air, and thus be fet at liberty.From this union compounded, heat, which adheres to foul air, expands it, and rifes according to hydroftatical principles. -Scarcely is this heat generated when the combuftible body is ftill more expanded by it than at the beginning, and its phlogifton is more laid open.-Empyreal air comes in contact with more phlogifton, and, according to its nature, forms an union with a greater quantity of it, which causes radiant heat. -At that moment the integrant parts of the combustible body are fo much difunited by the ftill increafing heat, that the empyreal air continuing to pour upon it in ftreams, attracts the phlogiston in ftill greater quantities; and hence (that wonderful phenomenon) the most elaftic fubftance, light, is compofed; which, according to the quantity of combustible matter, has various colours.

We afterwards meet with fome new and curious experiments on the deficcation of air by quick-lime, and the inflammation of pyrophorus in clofe veffels. Nor will the philofophical enquirer be lefs gratified with our author's obfervations on fulminating gold. Mr. Scheele's experiments on this fubject tend to prove, that the calx of gold has a greater affinity with volatile alkalies than acids have with either. This calx, therefore, retains a volatile alkali until the moment of its reduction; but then, through its ftronger affinity to phlogiston, it decomposes the volatile alkali by divefting it of its phlogifton. A fpecies of air is then fuddenly produced, refembling phlogisticated