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 DISSERTATIONS 
 
 O N T H E 
 
 MOSAICAL CREATION, 
 
 DELUGE, 
 
 Building of BABEL, 
 
 AND 
 
 I. Againft modern Infidels ; fhew- 1 
 ing, that Mofes jnftly declares the^ 
 whole Uniyerfe, Matter and Form/ 
 to have been created by God : His 
 Authority, "both as a Human and 
 Divine Lfgijlator : That the Mo- 
 faical Account, Gen. i. contains no- 
 thing contrary to Natural Pbilofopby: 
 Explications of it, Verfe by Verle : 
 Where, of" the Powers of the Air ; 
 of the Expan/ion ; of the Production 
 of Light 5 of the Waters above the 
 Firmament ; of the Fable of the 
 Prtadaautgs, again it Peirerius ; of 
 the Obligation of the Sabbath from 
 the Beginning, again ft Moniieur 
 "Jurieu : That the material Ele- 
 ments were not the original Gods 
 of the Gentiles, againlt Monfieur 
 Le Pluche : The Origin of Idolatry 
 and what the Heathen Gods were 
 originally :" That the God of the 
 Je^ius was not a mere local and 
 tutelar God, againft feme Moderns : 
 Of the Exiftence of Spirits, good 
 ' and bad, and their Apparitions : 
 Why Devils called Hairy -ones, &c. 
 
 II. Againft the Hutchinfonians : 
 That the Mofaical Account is an 
 hiftorical revealed Truth, not a Syf- 
 
 tem of Philofophy ; much lefs their 
 Syllem of fire, Ligbt, and. Spir.it.: 
 Errors of that Syitem againft Tlxp- 
 logy and Pbilofopby : That their Ex- 
 plications of the Hebre^ . Words 
 Elohim, Ruab, Rakia, Shaptajvtf.&K, 
 containing luch Errors againft both, 
 ntuft be wrong : Of the Defers pf 
 modern Syfteras, not excepting- the 
 Newtonian ; particularly, where they 
 depart from their great Mafter : 
 Whether the Scriptures are blame- 
 able for not luppofmg the Earth's 
 Motion : The natural Reafons a- 
 gainit fuch a Motion, though not 
 Demonstrations, juftify them, on 
 that Head : Of the Figure of the 
 Earth, &c. 
 
 III. That the Deluge, though 
 univerfd, did not drj/bfoe the whole 
 Mafs of the Earth into a Hodge- 
 podge, againft Dr. IVoodiuard and 
 others : Phyfical Proof* for the 
 Truth of the Deluge. 
 
 IV. That the Coufu/ion of Babel 
 was of Languages, net of Confef- 
 
 fwns of Religion, againft the Hut- 
 chinfonians. With ieveral pther cu- 
 rious Enquiries. 
 
 By S. BERI NGTON. 
 
 Opinionum commenta delet dies^ natures judicia confirmat. Cic. 
 
 ' L O N . D O N : 
 
 Printed for the AUTHOR : And Sold by C. DAVIS in 
 , and T. OSBORNE mGray's-ltm. M pec L.
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 DISS. IV. page 64. line 18. dele s. Ib. p. 93. 1. 23. fcf 
 than readthai. DifT. V. p. 171. read a. Ib. p. 192. 1. 
 iz. <7<&f that. Ib. p. 210. 1. 34. for felves raz^ Senfes. DifT. VI. 
 p. 233. read Names. Ib. p. 253. 1. 31. dele ad. Ib. p. 254. 1. 
 19. vff</ collated. Did". IX. p. 346. 1. b.forCouiksread Curves. 
 Diff. XII. p. 452. 1. 34. read Heftisus.
 
 Introduction by way of Preface. 
 
 THE Enemies of Divine Revelation grow 
 more numerous every Day than other, 
 and Infidelity pours in upon us on all fides , 
 the deteftable Fruits of which are too confpicuous in 
 the dreadful Inundation of Wickednefs and Cor- 
 ruption overflowing the Face of the whole Earrh. 
 Infidelity, or Ignorance of the Divine JLaw, may 
 be reckoned among the chief Caufes of this Inun- 
 dation ; and the reigning Immoralities of the Age 
 as the vifible Effects of them. The Caufe is no- 
 torious, the Effects evident and palpable, and the 
 Confequences mod deplorable, both for this Life 
 and the next ; but particularly for the next : For 
 it is as certain that there is a Life to come, as that 
 we have an immortal Soul that will not die with 
 the Body. Muft not Men then be worfe than 
 flupid, who lay the Strefs of eternal Confequences. 
 on fome fpeculative Difficulties againft Divine Re- 
 velation, when the accumulative Proofs for it are 
 fuch, that a Man would act like a Fool or a Mad- 
 man, who mould run counter to fuch Proofs in. 
 Civil Life ? Thefe Proofs may be feen in the Argu- 
 ments for the Divine Eftablifhment of Chriftianjty, 
 which can never be anfwered, or invalidated, not- 
 wkhftanding fome fpeculative Difficulties in its 
 Myfteries , as indeed when we come to intrinfic 
 Caufes, every thing in Nature is myfterious ; much 
 more, when we come to confider the Nature and 
 Attributes of God : Shall we dare to maintain 
 A 2 then, 

 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 then, thar there is no fuch thing as Nature, no 
 fuch thing as God, becaufe there are incomprehen- 
 fible Myfteries in both ? Yet modern Infidels 
 chiefly attack Divine Revelation both in the Old 
 and New Teftament on that Ace unt. But the 
 Tree is known by 'us Fruit , we fee the vifible Ef- 
 fe<5ts of their way of arguing, in the general Cor- 
 rup.ion of the World ! Men had Vices and corrupt 
 Appetites at all times ; and 'tis to be feared always 
 will have : But when the Patrons of Infidelity give 
 a general loofe to all interior Faith and Belief of 
 the principal Duties of Life, that Men may believe 
 or difbelieve whatever Points of Religion they pleafe; 
 when they attack openly that Divine Law which 
 eftabliflies the purefl Principles of Morality that 
 ever were, how can we wonder if Nature, weak 
 and corrupt of kfdf, mould rufli headlong into the 
 Gulph of Vice and Immorality, when they are al- 
 moft authorized and encouraged by numberlcfs 
 Trcatifes wrote againft Religion, either not to 
 mind, or to reject and difbelieve any Parts of Re- 
 ligion they think proper , and fome to believe no 
 Religion at all ? 
 
 wJ B 
 
 Hence it mud be highly prejudicial to Divine 
 Revelation -, nay, mod pernicious Doctrine in itfclf, 
 that, provided you do not attack the public Doc- 
 trine, Worthip, and Difcipline of the Eltablifhed 
 Church, but conform to it exteriorly, you may 
 believe what you pleafe interiorly. But the Doc- 
 trine toiGbrifi is to be believed in our Hearts, as 
 well as -to be conteffed with cur Lips. Without 
 Faith it is impolliblc to pleafe God. Abraham 
 was juftified before God, as well by his interior 
 Faith, as by his external Obedience ; it is want of 
 fuch interior Faith, that has brought on fuch ruin- 
 fyiis Diforders among us ; when People take the 
 Liberty to difbelieve what Points of the Chriftian 
 
 Faith
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Faith they think proper, or even all of ir, they 
 would foon throw off all exterior Conformity to 
 Church Government, if they durft j or if nor, 
 fuch an external Compliance without interior Fairh, 
 makes Men downright Hypocrites: But to give our 
 modern Unbelievers their due, Hypocrify is not 
 their predominant Fault. 
 
 Hence farthdr, all who profefs their Belief of the 
 Divine Revelation of the Holy Scriptures, ought to 
 contribute to the beft of their Power to put a Stop to 
 the ruinous Progrefs Infidelity is making upon us 
 every Day. All the different Branches of Chrifti- 
 anity, under what Denomination foever, 'tis pre- 
 fumed, look upon the Divine Revelation of the 
 Scriptures, as one of the chief Foundations of 
 their Belief, though they may differ in the Expli- 
 cation of fome particular Points of it. Oar mo- 
 dern Infidels then, are common Enemies to all. 
 'Tis therefore every Chriftian's Duty to throw in 
 his Mite, in order to ftem the Torrent of fuch de- 
 teftable Principles. Thefe modern Heathens at- 
 tack Chriftianity in every Shape ; fome fall upon 
 one yftery, fome upon another, fome difcard all 
 Myfteries in Religion by the Lump. The ridicu- 
 lous Abfurdity of this laft flares one in the Face, 
 fince whoever believes a God, muft acknowledge 
 unfathomable Myfteries in his Effence. The very 
 Sun blinds our Eyes when we view it without a 
 Veil : But their great Efforts are to Hip the Foun- 
 dation of the two Teftaments, new and old. They 
 rummage every part of them to fee what they can 
 pick out againft them. They attack the old Tefta- 
 ment in the very Origin of it, and would make us 
 believe, that the Mofaical Account of the Creation 
 contains direct ImpofTibilities. Now, if it can be 
 (hewn, that there is no ImpofTibility in that Ac- 1 
 count, that Point is gained ; fince the Credentials 
 
 A he
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 he brings for his Vouchers, are fufficient to con- 
 vince any Man of a hardened Incredulity^ who 
 fliould ftand outagainft them. 
 
 'Tis impofTible to comprize all their Objections 
 and Cavils againft the Holy Scriptures in fuch a 
 Work as this ; whole Volumes would not be fuffi- 
 cient : on which Account the Author of this Trea- 
 tife took t e Mofaical Creation for the Subject of 
 his Labours, againft which they raife fuch Cla- 
 mours j and, in their own Opinion, almoft tri- 
 umph. They erect their Batteries againft it, as 
 they pretend, from natural Reafon, from Philofo- 
 phy, from modern Difcoveries of phyfical Caufes, 
 and Parts of the Earth, and even from the mo- 
 dern Syftem of the World, which obliged the Au- 
 thor to follow them in feme of thofe Points ; 
 where, without adopting any one Syftem, he not 
 only mews, that no new Difcoveries can invalidate 
 the Divine Authority of the Scriptures , but alfo, that 
 all Syftems found out hitherto, have greater Flaws 
 and Difficulties in them, than can be objected 
 againft the Mofaical Creation. It was in this View 
 chiefly, that he urges the Difficulties againft the 
 modern Syftem of Attraction and Gravitation^ 
 which the great Sir Ifaac Newton only took as an 
 Hypothecs ; acknowledging that the Gravitation of 
 Bodies might proceed from an external Caufe, what 
 it is he does not fay : Whereas thofe who pretend 
 to be his Followers, run away with it, as if mu- 
 tual Attraction were a real innate Quality in all 
 Bodies. The fame Motives induced him to urge 
 the moft obvious physical Arguments againft the 
 Motion of the Earth, which the fame great Man 
 only took as an Hypothefis, or as a Point that has 
 never yet been determined ; whereas fome of his 
 modern Dilciples not only take it for a certain Truth, 
 but make an Objection of it againft the Scripture. 
 
 Yet,
 
 INTRODUCTION, 
 
 Yet, fuppofing it were certain that the Earth move", 
 and not the Sun, which they can never prove, the 
 Scripture ought to fpeak according to the common 
 and general Acceptation of Men ; as all our Senfes 
 tell us, that it is the Sun moves, not the Earth j 
 Nay, thefe Gentlemen fay, the Sun rifes^ the Sun 
 fets, &c. it would be ridiculous to fpeak other- 
 wife. And as the Scriptures don't enter into any 
 Syftem of Philofophy, Jojhua (peaking at the Head 
 of his Army, had(pokeridiculoufly,if he had bid the 
 Earth (land ftill. However, the phyfical Difficul- 
 .ties againft the Earth's Motion arefogreat and ob* 
 vious, that it muft be extremely ram, not to fay 
 any more, to tax the Scriptures with any Abfurdi^ 
 ty on that Account. As for the incomparable Sir 
 Ifaac Newton, as he is juftly called, he may be 
 Jooked upon as the greateft Man that ever appear- 
 ed in the World fince the Revival of Learning and 
 Sciences, and the particular Glory of this Nation 5 
 if he was not the Inventor of thofe Sciences, he was 
 the greateft Improver of them ; but the Superiori* 
 ty of his Genius would never let him eftablifh as 
 certain Truths, what at the beft can be but mere 
 Hypothefes. Thefe were the Motives that induced 
 the Author to enter into that Part of this Work ; 
 and to mew our Unbelievers, that Revelation does 
 not clafh with any certain Difcovenes of Nature. 
 He defires, that when he mentions the Newtonian 
 Syftem^ it may be underftood, not with reference 
 to that great Man, but to what fome who pretend 
 to be his Difciples advance, as from him -, that our 
 Free-thinkers make an Obje&ion of it againft the 
 Scriptures. 
 
 The Author no more enters into any Dilutes 
 
 between Chriftians of any Denomination, than he 
 
 does in the Eftablifhment of any particular Syftem 
 
 of Philofophy : He only proves, that no Syftem 
 
 ,A 4 carl
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 can invalidate the Truth of the holy Scriptures, 
 v hr-n every Syftem hitherto has fuch vifible De- 
 ft 6b ; that common Senfe tells us, that divine 
 Revelation was not to enter into any of them. He 
 meddles not with any eftablifhed Sects of Chri- 
 ftianity among us: If he confutes the Hutchinfonian 
 Syftem Root and Branch, that can't be efteemed 
 an eftablifhed Sect, but only fuch novel and ex- 
 travagant Explications, both in Theology and Phi- 
 loibphy, as would be highly prejudicial to the Scrip- 
 tures, and Chriftianity itfelf, if it taught us fuch 
 exotic Reveries. Their unaccountable Explications 
 of the Mofaical Creation, made it necefiary to lay 
 open fuch erroneous Principles. He hopes alfo, 
 that whatever he advances, as belonging to true 
 Chriftianity, may be look'd upon as fuch, and may 
 be fafdy followed by all, who glory in the Dig- 
 nity of being Members of the Chnftian Church : 
 But his chief View is to mew, that the common 
 Enemies of divine Revelation, are Enemies at the 
 fame time to all juft and rational way of arguing 
 in that refpect, let their Learning and Parts be ever 
 fo great in others. But, 
 
 It is time to come nigher the Mofaical Account 
 of the Creation of the World, which makes the 
 chief Subject of thefc DifTertaiions. It is certain, 
 it Hands recommended by the mort rational part of 
 the World, at leaft from Mofes's Time till the 
 Coming of Chrift ; and I may lay, by the moft ra- 
 tional part of the World, irom the Coming of 
 Chrift to this Day. Alofes might alfo have re- 
 ceived it from his Forgathers, by a faithful Tra- 
 dition from the primitive Patriarchs up to Noah $ 
 Noah from the Sons of Setb, who are called the 
 Children of God j and I hope, on that Accgunt 
 mightbe looked upon as the moft rational part of 
 Mankind, with refpect to the wicked Descendants 
 
 of
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of curfed Cain, who are called the Son's of Men ; 
 the Patriarch Seth might have had it from our 
 common Parent, and he from God. However, 
 fince Mofes's Time, his Account has been received 
 by the moft rational Part of Antiquity ^ that is, 
 by thofe who had the moft juft Notions of the fu- 
 preme Deity, as diftinguifhed by the Profeffion of 
 the Worfhip of the true God, from the moft 
 monftrous, ilupid, and unnatural Abfurdities of the 
 Heathens. I prefume our Unbelievers would not 
 have us imagine, that the idolatrous Heathens pro- 
 fefled a more natural Religion, than the Wormip- 
 pers of the true God, which undoubtedly the He- 
 brews were ; and all believed the Mofaical Account 
 of the Creation from his Time at lead, which car- 
 ries us up to a higher Antiquity than the oldeft 
 Accounts of the Heathens can pretend to. Befide 
 the unparalelled Audaciotifnefs of our modern Infi- 
 dels to tax fo great a Man, as Mofes undoubtedly 
 was, fo great a Legiflator, with impofing fuch a 
 monftrous piece of Forgery on fo many hundred 
 thoufand Men whom he commanded, if the Thing 
 were poflible in itfelf, and among theie fo great a 
 General, as Jojhua, with feveral other great Men 
 among them, who/risprefumed, might be as rational 
 as our prefent Unbelievers. However, it muft argue 
 a moft prodigious Effrontery to deny, that there 
 were very great Men among the Defendants of 
 the Hebrews from Mofes' s Time, who never called 
 in Queftion the Mofaical Account, but received it 
 with the moft religious Veneration. The whole 
 Nation not only believed it, but were ready to lay 
 down their Lives for a Teftimony of their Belief of 
 it. King David, to go no higher, was one of the 
 greateft Men in all refpech, as ever appeared in 
 the World , as a very learned and confummate Wri- 
 ter has fhewn in the Life of King David, publifhed 
 
 by
 
 .INTRODUCTION. 
 
 by him fome Years ago. Solomon was both i 
 great King, a great Philoibpher, and a Ferfon of 
 molt profound Speculation, as well as recorded to 
 have been the wifeft Man in the World : The 
 Depth of his Knowledge fhewsitfelf fufficiently in 
 his Books of Proverbs and Ecckjiaftes ; which ex- 
 cite the Admiration of Perfons of the greateft Judg- 
 ment : That the holy Prophets were Men of mod 
 fublime Scnfe cannot be doubted : That there were 
 very learned Doctors, Hiftoriographers, and Wri- 
 ter?, among the antient Jews before our Saviour's 
 Time, mull be acknowledged by all, who are not 
 worfe than Sceptics, even in Antiquity, as well as 
 in Religion ; yet all thefe believed the Mofaical 
 Account, as a moll lacred Truth. Were thcv 
 all impofed upon by the mod notorious Forgeries ? 
 That is, they mutt be all Knaves or Fools, like 
 Dr. Mijdbtotfs primitive Chriitians ; either For- 
 gers of Miracles, or impofcd upon by the molt 
 impudent Forgeries. 
 
 Since Chriltianity, we find the greateft Men in 
 their refpedtive .Ages, of the fame Sentiments, re-- 
 ceiving that venerable Account as the moft authen- 
 tic ; not barely on the Credit and Authority 
 of others, but on the itricteft Examination, 
 by Perfons the belt qualified for it, on account or* 
 their Learning, Knowledge of Languages, Hiftory, 
 Antiquity, as well as facred Theology. Among, 
 thefe we have the moft celebrated Doctors of their 
 refpective Ages, Ajrlcanus^ Juftin, Clemens Alex, 
 Origen, the great Eufebius, St. Hierom, Ambrofe^ 
 Auguftin, Bafil the Great, the different Gregones^ 
 St. Cbryfcftom, with the reft of the learned Men, 
 both of the Latin and Greek Church : Till thefe 
 latter Times, when Dablers in Le.u ning and An- 
 tiquity, only remarkable for their Inr.dehty, have 
 ftancd u j to call it in Queftion. BefiLk-s the learned 
 
 modern
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 modern Doctors of all Perfuafions, one would thick 
 fuch a venerable Belief from the ear Heft Times, 
 fuch a Cloud of Witnefles, fucn an auguft and 
 awful Series of the greateft Men in the World, 
 mould induce Perfons of Senfe to receive this fa- 
 cred Account, before all the little vain Endeavours 
 of Sceptics and Free-thinkers to fbake its Autho- 
 rity. 
 
 Perfons of Penetration and Knowledge in thefc 
 Matters, can eafily fee that there is a very large 
 Field to expatiate on the Reafons for the Belief of 
 this venerable Account, recommended to us by the 
 remoteft Antiquity, as well as infinite Arguments 
 for the Truth of it, both- intrinfic and extrinfic : 
 But this Work being much longer than was at firft 
 defigned, I refer the Reader to the preliminary 
 Differtations, of the Authority of Mofes> both as 
 a human and divine Legiflator. 
 
 THE
 
 T H E 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Firft Preliminary DISSERTATION. 
 
 MOSES jujtfy declares the World, both Mat- 
 ter and Form, to have been created by 
 God. Page 2 
 
 That Matter could not be felf-exiftent. 'That an 
 infinite Series of Caufes and Effefts is impojfible^ 
 without a diftinff Caufe from fuch a Series. 8 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Of the Teftimonics of the Antients of the Nature 
 of God. 15 
 
 Second Preliminary DISSERTATION. 
 
 Of the Dignity of Mofes as an Human Legijla- 
 tor. 2 2 
 
 iy?, His Antiquity. ibid. 
 
 zdly, Antient Authors who have fpoke of Mofes. 23 
 
 The Character and Dignity of Mofes, as the Le- 
 gijlator and Commander of a numerous Na- 
 tion. 26 
 
 His Wifdom and "Learning. ibid. 
 
 Third Preliminary DISSERTATION. 
 
 The Authority of Mofes as a Divine Legijlator. 34 
 
 Proofs for the Mofaical Faffs being true as re- 
 corded. 43 
 
 Mr. Toland confuted. 55 
 
 Proofs for the evident Finger of God in the Mo- 
 Jaical Fafts. 56 
 
 DIS-
 
 The C O N T E N T S. 
 
 DISSERTATION IV. 
 
 The Particulars cf the Mcfaical Creation examined. 
 
 59 
 No way inconjiftent with Natural Philofopby. 64 
 
 Explication of the Firft Chapter of Genefis, Verfe 
 
 by Verfe. 78 
 
 Of the Production of Light. 93 
 
 Of the Firmament. 102 
 
 . Of the Divifion of Waters. 1 1 2 
 
 Of the Luminaries. 1 1 6 
 
 The Folly of judiciary AJlrology. 117 
 
 Of the Fable of the Pre-Adamites, againft Ptyre- 
 
 riiis. 127 
 
 Of the Blejfing of Increafe and Multiply, no abfcr- 
 
 lute Precept. 129 
 
 Of the Obligation of fantlifying the Sabbath from 
 
 the Beginning, againft Monfieur Jurieu. 13^ 
 
 That the God of the Hebrews was not a mere local 
 
 and tutelar God, but the God ef the Univerfe, 
 
 againft modern Infidels. '53 
 
 DISSERTATION V. v 
 Of the Errors of the Hutchinfonians in particu- 
 lar. 158 
 Their chief Objections confidered. 182 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 An Enquiry what the Heathen Gods were.'* 196 
 Of the Hairy -ones. 2.02 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Proofs for the Exigence of Spirits, and their Ap- 
 paritions. 206 
 
 DISSERTATION VI. 
 
 Errors of the Hutchinfonians with refyett to the 
 
 Trinity. 2 1 8 
 
 Their forced Explications of the Words Elohim, 
 
 Elah, Eloah. 231 & ddnceps. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Of th& Punctuations of the Hebrew. 246 
 
 That
 
 ^CONTENTS. 
 
 That Eloah is only a different Dialeft of the He- 
 brew. 260 
 
 DISSERTATION VII. 
 
 Of the Errors of the Hutchinfonians in Philofo- 
 
 phy, as pretending to prove their Syftem from 
 
 the Hebrew Words Shemaim, Ruah, Rakia, 
 
 Tohu & Bohu, &c. 268 & fequent. 
 
 Mr. B 'j Explications, Verfe by Verfe. 272 & 
 
 fequent. 
 
 DISSERTATION VIII. 
 The Hutchinfonian Syftem conjidered philofophically, 
 and confuted. 300 & feq. 
 
 DISSERTATION IX. 
 Dsfefts of modern Syftems, not excepting the New- 
 tonian. 318 & feq. 
 Another modern Syftem examined. ib. 343 
 Phyfical Conjeftures concerning the Figure of the 
 Earth. 353 
 
 DISSERTATION X. 
 Phyjical Reafons againfi the Motion of the Earth, 
 annual or diurnal. 365 & feq. 
 
 DISSERTATION XI. 
 That the Earth was not totally dijfolved at the De- 
 luge, againft Dr. Woodward. 392 
 
 DISSERTATION XII. 
 
 Of the Building of the Tower of Babel, and Con- 
 
 fnjion of Tongues 407 
 
 That the Confujion was of Tongues, or Languages, 
 
 not of Confejfions. 423 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 That there were different Languages in the World 
 
 in Abraham and Jofhua'j Time, againft the 
 
 Hutchinfonians. 434 to the End. 
 
 Witb fome curious Enquiries about the primitive 
 
 Language. 
 
 DIS-
 
 DISSERTATIONS 
 
 O N T H E 
 
 I N T H E 
 
 Firft Chapter of G EWE SIS, &c. 
 
 Firft Preliminary DiflertatioHi 
 
 MOSES jujlly declares the World -to have been 
 created by GOD* 
 
 N. B. 'ST/j cu/tcrnary, and in feme Manner itecejjary 
 to premife the three following Differ tations -, tho* 
 woft of the Learned may have been acquainted 
 ''with the chief Arguments for them before. 
 
 !. f" '^HE wonderful Syflem of the Hea- 
 
 vens and Earth, with all their Orna- 
 
 JL ments, naturally excites all Perfons ca- 
 
 pable of Reflection, to confider bow, and by whom 
 
 they were formed. Who can lift up his Eyes to- 
 
 wards thofe glorious Luminaries, the Sun, Mooj), 
 
 Planets, fix'd Stars, &c. as well as contemplate 
 
 B the
 
 a Dl/ertatlons en the DifT. I. 
 
 the Beauties and Riches of the Earth, Seas and 
 Air, without afking this Queftion, within himfelf, 
 What could be the Caufe of all thefe ! Now, what 
 can occur to fuch a natural Queftion, but one of 
 the following Anfwers ? Either, that they had no 
 Caufe at all ; or that they produced themfelves ; 
 or that there muft be fome fupreme Caufe, diftinct 
 from them, containing all their Vertues and Per- 
 fections in himfelf. If one were to afk our mo- 
 dern Infidels^ or indeed any Man endowed with 
 Reafon, which of thefe Anfwers is the moft natu- 
 ral and rational ? Undoubtedly, as one would think, 
 the laft is the moft natural, and agreeable to Reafon - 9 
 viz. that there muft be fome fupreme Caufe, dif- 
 tinct from, and fuperior to them all ; containing all 
 their Powers and Perfections in himfelf. Then, 
 as the whole Series of their Operations, Effects, 
 Ends, Regulations, proceed uniformly, agreeable to, 
 the ftricteit Rules of Art, and Intelligence - t nay, 
 are fb wonderfully adapted to all their refpective 
 Ufes, that all the Wit of Man, all the Philosophers 
 in the World, could never contrive to form and 
 adapt them fojuftly, to their refpective Ends and 
 Ufes, as they are, in the infinite Variety, and at 
 the fame Time inimitable Connexion of Caufes and 
 Effects : This being inconteftible Matter of Fact ; 
 why then, whoever confiders it, muft conclude, 
 that this fupreme Caufe, befides his immenfe Pow- 
 er and Fecundity, is evidently an all-wife, intelli- 
 gent Being, containing every Degree of Perfection 
 conceivable by Men. This Confideration is clear, 
 ealy and convincing > and is fuffident of itfelf to 
 prove the Production of the Univerfe by God, as 
 Mofes declares. 
 
 II. To confider the other Anfwers, and com- 
 pare them with this. Firft, for Example, if any- 
 one can be- fa ftupid, as to amrm, that the glorious 
 
 Svftem,
 
 DiiT. I. MOSAIC At Creation^ 3 
 
 Syfterri of Heaven and Earth had no Caufe at ail >, 
 what a vaft Difparity of Reafon offers itfelf to the 
 mcaneft Capacity, between fuch an Anfwer, and 
 the foregoing Conclufion ? That all the glorious 
 Effects of the whole Univerfe, had no Caufe at all, 
 is a Proportion fhocking to Reafon, and clafhes with 
 common Senfe, at the firft hearing. Should we 
 afk ferioufly, any Perfon of common Senfe, Whe- 
 ther he was produced without a Caufe, he would 
 certainly think, we were in a Phrenfy, or judgec. 
 him to be fo. It comes much to the fame, as if we 
 asked him, whether he was produced at all. If we 
 fhould afk him the fame Queftion, of his Father, 
 Grandfather, and all his Anceflors upwards, till 
 we came to fome firft, or an infinite Series of 
 them, it would be as ridiculous as the other. If 
 we fhould afk the fame Queftion concerning other 
 Animals, Plants, and all the particular Produfh of 
 Nature ; or fuppofe we went further, and afked 
 him of the Earth, Seas, Planets, Stars* &c. which 
 are evidently all limited, and particular Beings, com- 
 pared to the reft of the Univerfe, as a Man^ or a 
 Plant is, with refpect to the Earth j he could fee 
 no more Reafonj why any one mould be produced 
 without a Caufe, than the othr. On the contra- 
 ry, he might rationally afk, if the fmalleft Infect, 
 or Plant, could not be produced without a feparate 
 Caufe, how could the greateft Bulks be produced 
 without fuch a Caufe ? Befides, that all we fee iri 
 the Univerfe, whether above u? i or below us, 
 Earth, Seas, Air, Sun, Stars, &f t they are all 
 Bodies j all mere Matter, not only incapable of 
 Reafon and Knowledge, but incapable of any Mo- 
 tion, but what is given them* by fome other dif- 
 tinct Caufe, impelling them onj as might eafily 
 be proved, and will be confidered afterwards : 
 How therefore cculd they be produced without a 
 B 2 Caufe ?
 
 4 - Diflertations on the Di I, 
 
 Caufe ? Again, if any Parcel of Earth* any Mea- 
 fure of Water, any Portion of Air, any Quantity 
 of the Sun's Rays contracted in a Focus, are evi- 
 dently as incapable of being produced without a 
 Caufe, as a Man, an Animal, Tree, or Plant , 
 and 'tis Madnefs to imagine theie laft can be pro- 
 duced without a Caufe ; how could the whole 
 Earth, Seas, Air, Sun and Stars be produced with- 
 out one ? Why then, laftly, if neither Man, nor 
 Animals, nor Plants, nor the Earth, nor Seas, 
 nor Sun, could be produced without a Caufe, 'tis 
 a like Madnefs to imagine, that the whole Univerfe 
 taken cclle^ively^ could be fo produced. Why 
 fhould not new Earths, new Worlds fpring up dai- 
 ly and hourly, if the Univerfe could be produced 
 without a Caufe ? By Confequence, if fuch a 
 Thought be directly againft the Light of natural 
 Reafon, by another evident Confequence, this vi- 
 fible World had a Caufe of its Exiftence. This 
 fhews the firft Anfwer, viz. of the World's being 
 made without a Caufe is inconfiftent with Reafon , 
 and by Confequence to be rejected by all. 
 
 III. Neither can it confift with natural Reafon, 
 that the Univerfe produced itfelf. This is very 
 nigh equivalent to having no Caufe at all. 'Tis 
 faid, nigh equivalent ; becaufe the World can't be 
 diftindt from itfelf, can't depend on itfelf, as 
 Caufes and Effects muft do. Befides, to be a Caufe, 
 and to produce any thing, prefuppofes Exiftence ; 
 now as the Univerfe could not have Exiftence be- 
 fore it was produced, by Confequence it muft have 
 fome, diftinct Caufe to produce it ; and by a fur- 
 ther Confequence, could not produce itfelf. But 
 as there may be a (lender Diftinction between hav- 
 ing no Caufe at all, and producing itfelf ; or at 
 leaft, if our modern Infidels with an Effrontery pe- 
 culiar to fuch unaccountable Tenets, mould make 
 
 fucli
 
 DiiT. I. MOSAICAL Creation. 5 
 
 fuch a quibbling Diftinction ; or mould pretend 
 that the Univerfe could exift of itfelf ; fuch extra- 
 vagant Petitions may as eafily be prov'd to be 
 {hocking to Reafon, as that the Univerfe was pro- 
 duced without any Caufe at all. For fuppofe, as in 
 the other Cafe, we fhould afk any Man of com- 
 mon Senfe, Did he make himfelf? Could he make 
 himfelf ? Did he exift of himfelf ? He would cer- 
 tainly look upon us to be out of our Senfes, or took 
 him to be- fo : He would think the fame with re- 
 fpect to our Progenitors, or the whole Series of 
 Men collectively ; which laft would be flill more 
 prepofterous : For, if any one particular Being, as 
 any one Man, for Example, or even the Earth, 
 or Water, or the Air, or the Sun, or a Star, &c. 
 could not produce itfelf, nor exift of itfelf. ; nor any 
 particular Series of diftinct Caufes and Effects, much 
 lefs an infinite Series and Collection of different 
 Caufes and Effects, could there be any fuch, would 
 ever be capableof exifting of themfelves, orproducing 
 themfelves: For if one Man can't exift of himfelf, can 
 any one thoufand of Men exift of themfelves, any 
 more than each Particular ? So of any other Col- 
 lection, either finite or infinite. The very Thought 
 of it is mocking to common Senfe, and does not 
 deferve half fo much as has been faid of it already. 
 
 That the Univerfe then mould be felf-exiftent, 
 when we come to confider it attentively, is a moft 
 groundlefs Subterfuge of Perfons reduced to the laft 
 Shadow of an Argument. Perfons who can ad- 
 vance fuch an extravagant Suppofitioh, mould con- 
 fider what it is to be felf-exiftent. Self-exiftence 
 feems to be the moft excellent and fundamental Per- 
 fection of all others , fo great, that let whatever we 
 fee in Nature, be it ever fb excellent and perfect, yet 
 it can't give itfelf the Perfection of Exiftence ; but 
 ftill it had its Exiftence from another, which is evi* 
 B 3 dent;
 
 6 "Differ tatiom on the Diff. I. 
 
 dent from the Enumeration of all the Beings in 
 Nature. So that, whatever could have its Exiftence 
 from itfclf, might much more cafily have all other 
 Perfections . This appeared fo evident to fome an- 
 tient and modern Heathens, that they made a God 
 of the Univerfe ; as if they thought, what was felf- 
 exiftent muft be a God ; and in Effect, whatever has 
 Exiftence from itfelf, with more Reafon might have 
 all other Perfections. If one World, and a mate- 
 rial one too, could have Exiftence from itfelf, why 
 might not new Worlds, endowed with Reafon, and 
 all other Perfections, as well as material ones, have 
 the fame ? Or, in Reality, Why has not this vifible 
 material World all other Perfections ? On the other 
 hand, all we fee in this vifible World, except the 
 Soul of Man, is nothing but mere Matter vari- , 
 Dufly modified; which Matter, to all human Ap- 
 pearance, is fo far from being capable of exifting of 
 itfelf, that it can't fo much as move of itfelf, but as 
 impelled by fome other diftinct Caufe. In fine, 
 the whole Univerfe in itfelf is but fo many different 
 Portions of Matter (except the Soul of Man) any part 
 of which, as we fee evidently, is no more felf-exi- 
 ftent than any one Tree, Stone, or Plant, but re- 
 quires fome other diitinct Caufe of its Exiftence : 
 With much more Reafon does the whole Afafs, as 
 well as every diftinct Part of it, require fuch a 
 Caufe of its Exiftence. But then, the innumerable 
 Beauties, Harmony, Order, Proportion, fo won- 
 derfully adapted to the refpective Ufes of each Be- 
 ing, according to the ftricteft Rules of Reafon and 
 Knowledge, evince, as clear as the Sun, that this 
 diftinct Caufe of all, which all Nature demonftrates 
 to be neceffary for the Exiftence of the Univerfe, 
 js indowed with Reafon and Knowledge, as well as 
 Fecundity and Power, in a fupreme Degree ; and 
 ;his is what all Believers mean by God : By Con- 
 
 icquence
 
 DifT. I. MOSAICAL Creation. y 
 
 fequence Mofes moft juftly declares, That in the 
 Beginning God made Heaven and Earth, &c. 
 
 The AfTertion therefore of Mofes in general, viz. 
 That the univerfal Syftem of Heaven and Earth, 
 Matter and Form, was originally from God, is 
 agreeable to the jufteft Dictates of right Reafon. 
 Whether the World was made out of pre-exifting 
 Matter ', but created by the fame Caufe, or it could 
 not be at all, will be examined by and by. But 
 it is no lefs certain, that the actual Formation of 
 it, the Manner how it was performed, how long in 
 being brought to Perfection, could not be difcovered 
 by natural Reafon ; for who flood by when he laid 
 the Foundation of it ? Even the firft Man (for un- 
 doubtedly there was a firft) as foon as he was 
 formed, found the Earth ready made for his Ha- 
 bitation, the Air for him to breathe, Fruits and 
 Plants for his Food, the Sun to enlighten him, 
 &c. yet neither he nor his Defcendants ever faw or 
 could fee with their natural Eyes, how this was 
 done, (Man being produced afterwards) unlefs 
 God were pleafed to reveal it to them. This is evi- 
 dent to natural Reafon. It was alfo highly natural, 
 if not necefTary, that Man mould know fomething of 
 the Particulars of that Creation, that he might more 
 particularly adore God for it : But this fhall be treated 
 more at large in a feparate DifTertation, with all the 
 other Parts of the Mofaical Creation, which are either 
 objected againft by modern Infidels, or ftrangely mif- 
 applied by novel Explications of fome modern Sy- 
 ftems j by which it will appear, that there is nothing 
 contrary to natural Reafon in the whole Mofaical 
 Account. 
 
 IV. Objections of modern Infidels againft this 
 Article are, Firft 9 That the World was, or at leaft 
 might be eternal ; that there might have been an in- 
 finite Chain and Series of Caufes and Effects -, for 
 B 4 Exam-
 
 Dijertations on the Difif. I. 
 
 Example, an infinite Series of Men from Father to 
 Son, or rather from Son to Father upwards, with- 
 out ever arriving at the firft , becaufe, in an infi- 
 nite, eternal Series of Caufes and Effects, there ca,n 
 be no Firft, no Beginning, &V. with leveral other 
 fuch like extravagant Propofitions, of which we 
 can frame no Idea, and by which they would ob- 
 fcure one of the mod evident Truths in Nature. 
 
 Anfaer. There is a very ju(t and natural Diftinc- 
 tion to be applied to fuch Propofitions , that is, 
 Whether they mean that the World was eternal of 
 itfelf, without any diftinct Caufe of it ; the firft of 
 which they can, never prove, and the Impoflibility has 
 been feen fufficiently in the Proofs of the Queftion, 
 befide what will appear prefently ; or they only mean, 
 that an infinite eternal Caufe might pr.odu.ce an eter- 
 nal Effect coeval to its Caufe-, as that God, for 
 Example, might have produced the World from 
 all Eternity. Tho* it is prefumed, they do not 
 mean that an infinitely perfect Caufe may produce 
 an infinitely perfect Effect , that is, another God, 
 which is the mofl palpable Contradiction in Nature. 
 But if they only mean, that an eternal Caufe may 
 produce an Effect coeval to it ; this laft, though 
 falfe in itfelf, does not belong to this Queftion. 
 Which is to mew, that the World could not be 
 produced without a diftinct Caufe ; whether prior or 
 coeval to it, is not neceflary to examine in this 
 Place ; and that the World could not produce it- 
 felf, qor be felf-exiftent. For fuppofe God coulcl 
 have produced the World from all Eternity 
 (which is only an Hypothecs ad Hominem) fucji 
 an Hypothefis will do Atheifts and modern Infidels 
 very little Good, fince eyeii in that Hypothefis they 
 muft acknowledge God to be the Caufe of the Unj- 
 verfe , to be the firft, fupreme Caufe, and Author 
 of their Being j and undoubtedly requires all their 
 
 Acknow-
 
 JDilf. I. MOSAICAL Creation.' '9 
 
 Acknowledgments and Adorations for it, whether in 
 pad: he produced the World in Time or Eternity. 
 But if they mean that the World might be eternal of 
 itfelf without any diftinct Caufe, or could produce 
 itfeif, or that an infinite Series of Caufes and Ef- 
 fects might be felf-exiftent, fuch. Propofidons are 
 beyond the Stretch of human Ideas. For if one 
 Man, or ten Men, or Millions of Men, cannot be 
 produced or exift of themfelves without a diftinct 
 Caufe, out of that Number ; how can an infinite Se- 
 ries of Men be produced without a diftincl; Caufe ? 
 That diftinct Caufe, infinite in all Perfections, is 
 the God of the Chriftians, Jews, and Heathens, 
 and of all Nature. If thea God created the Uni- 
 yerfe, even in fuch an Hypothefis, he is to be ac^ 
 fcnowledged and ador'd : If the Univerfe could 
 not exift without a Caufe, reaffirm which is one of 
 the moft palpable Inconfiftencies in Nature, nor 
 could produce itfelf, there muft be a diftinct Caufe 
 of its Exiftence -, which fupreme Caufe is God 
 bleffed for evermore. 
 
 id Objection. Matter however, fay they, was not 
 produc'd ; nor indeed is it ever deftroyed , for 
 whatever Changes happen in the Univerfe, there is 
 the fame Quantity of Matter ftill, only differently 
 modified. This was the Opinion of moft of the an- 
 tient Philofophers, who fuppofed the World was 
 made out of fome pre-exifting Chaos, or Materia 
 Informi. Nor does the Mofaical Account, clearly fay 
 the contrary -, if fo, Matter, by Chance, or by the 
 Concurrence of accidental Caufes, might put on 
 different Forms, an.d appear in the Drefs it has on 
 at prefent. 
 
 Anfwer. One" would think Perfons of Penetra- 
 tion could not be ferious in fuch an Objection as 
 jthis. Could Matter be produced without a Caufe ? 
 Could it produce itfelf ? Can it be felf-exiftent, any 
 2 more
 
 f o 'Differ tat ions on tie DHT f. 
 
 more than it can be felf-intelligent, if the Term 
 may be allowed, felf-moving, rational, wife, juft, 
 prudent, &V. Why may not then, new Men, 
 new Earths, new Suns, new Worlds, fpring up 
 every Day, if mere ftupid Matter might be felf- 
 exiftent ? Sure if it be impoffible to conceive how 
 mere Matter can have the leaft Motion of its own 
 nature, it can never have Self-exiftence. But if 
 Matter was j?r/? formed by God, and the Univerfe, 
 as it is, was made out of it, that will never do 
 Atheifts any Good, or the Mofaical Account any 
 Harm, becaufe God will be the Caufe of all ftill. 
 
 As for the antient Philofophers imagining that 
 the World was formed out of a pre-exifting Chaos, 
 neither they, nor any Man living, could know how 
 the World was firft formed, unlefs by Revelation^ 
 either renewed to Mofes, as is moft likely, or de- 
 livered down by Tradition from the firft Man to 
 whom it was revealed ; neither of which will do 
 Religion any Harm. Who was God's Afiiftant ? Or 
 did the Antients (land by him when he firft framed 
 Heaven and Earth ? Neverthelefs, 'tis hardly to be 
 queftioned, but the antient Philofophers, whofe 
 Opinions we mail fee in due Time, in their blind 
 Defcriptions of the firft Chaos, did derive their No- 
 tions from fome Tradition, or fome imperfect Ac- 
 count of the Mofaical Creation -, which, for juft 
 Reafons to be considered, when we come to that Ar- 
 ticle, declared, that the Earth was created void of 
 all Ornaments, with which it is now cloathed. Mo- 
 fes declares it in Terms, and at the fame Time pub- 
 limes to the whole World, as the Foundation of all 
 Religion, that Heaven and Earth, and all that is 
 contained in them, was originally from God. 
 W T here then is any Room for felf-exifting Matter ? 
 A Notion producing as great a Chaos in our Ideas, 
 as ever was in Nature. Ifnofeccxd Caufe can an- 
 i nihilate
 
 DifT. I. Mos A i c A L Creation.' i j 
 
 nihilate Matter, does it follow, that God can't do it* 
 who drew it out of nothing ? Can't God reduce it 
 to its priftine State, if he were fo pleafed ? Is it har- 
 der to deftroy than create ? In a Word, feif-exift- 
 ing Matter is harder to conceive at firft Appearance, 
 than a felf-exifting Series of Men, without any Au- 
 thor of their Being ; either of which is mere Non- 
 fenfe. 
 
 As for the ridiculous Notion of the Epicureans, 
 that the fortuitous Jumble of Atoms, or mere Mat- 
 ter, might dance themfelves into that glorious Form 
 the World has continued in fince the Creation, every 
 Perfpn who has wrote againfl it, has demonftrated it 
 to be the moft inconfiftent Dream imaginable . All 
 the wifeft Heathens rejected it with Scorn, as may 
 be feen in Cicero's Natura Leorum, and other an- 
 tient Authors. In fine, if one had a Mind to 
 make oftentatious Quotations out of Antiquity, 
 now known to moft Men of Learning, they may be 
 feen in the Remains of the Antients, preferved in 
 Clemens Alexandrinus, L. Strom. Eufeb'ms Prasp. 
 Ev. Photius, &c. and quoted by the learned Gro~ 
 ttus t L. de ver. Rel. Chriil. Bockart's Phakg and 
 Chanaan^ and other modern Authors. 
 
 %d Objection againft this Article, and the laft 
 worth mentioning, is drawn from another Medium ; 
 as when fome People advance, that we have no 
 Idea of a felf-exiftent Being, without any Caufe or 
 Beginning ; by confequence, fay they, we can have 
 no Idea of any God at all. 
 
 Anfwer. Here is alfo a very jtift and natural Dif- 
 tindion to be applied : If they mean a comprehen- 
 five Idea a -priori, as God is in himfelf, infinite in 
 all Perfections, to be fure we have not fuch an Idea, 
 nor indeed any adequate Idea of any of his Perfec- 
 tions and Attributes, becaufe each Attribute is in- 
 finitely perfect in kfelf, and all our }deas and Images, 
 
 taken
 
 12 Differtations on the DifT. I. 
 
 taken from external Objects by the Miniftry of our 
 Senfes, are finite and bounded, that they can't ade- 
 quately reprefent the divine Attributes : But we 
 can have diftinct Ideas -of Power, of Majefty, of 
 Wifdom, of Knowledge, &c. which we fee evident- 
 ly, by the Effects, muft be in God, and even fur- 
 pafiing all our Knowledge ; we may therefore juftly, 
 nay, muft conclude not only that there is a God, 
 but that God is a Being endowed with all thefe At- 
 tributes, even in an infinite Degree ; and that no- 
 thing we fee in Nature befides is : But then, as we 
 actually fee that this vifible World has an Exiftence, 
 and we ourfelves are exifting in it, which Exiftence we 
 could not pofiibly have of ourfelves without a dif- 
 tinct Caufe, we are fure there muft be a fupreme diftinct 
 Caufe of the whole Univerfe, and all that is con- 
 tained in it , which fupreme Caufe could not create 
 the Univerfe, unlefs itfelf exifted : And, as it is evi- 
 dent, there can be no fupreme Caufe of the fupreme 
 Caufe, 'tis alfo evident from the Effects, that there 
 is fuch a fupreme Caufe exifting of itfelf ; by confe- 
 quence we have a pofteriori^ or from the Effects of 
 Nature, a certain Knowledge of God's Exiftence ; 
 and that it was this fupreme God that created the 
 ' World. 
 
 If they urge,that we can have no Idea ^Creation, 
 or of any thing living produced out of nothing ; be- 
 caufe, fay they, we fee every thing produced out of 
 fbme pre-exifting Subject ; by Confequence it feems 
 to follow, at moft, that God only made the World 
 out of fome pre-exifting Chaos, as the Antients held. 
 Anf. The fame Diftinction, in a great meafure, 
 is to be applied to this, as in the foregoing Objec- 
 tion : Tho* 'tis' to be prefumed, that God can do 
 more than his Creatures can do, or even comprehend ; 
 fmce it is a very lame Confequence, fecond Caufes 
 can produce nothing without fome Subject Matter 
 
 to
 
 Diff. I. Mos A ICAL Creation. 13 
 
 to work upon; therefore, the firft and fupreme Caufe j 
 infinite in Power, and all Perfections, could noc 
 produce any thing without fome Subject Matter to 
 work upon : The Difparity is evident, and one can 
 have no Proportion to the other. But we will allow a 
 Diftinction to be made in our Ideas of Creation, or 
 a Production without any pre-exifting Subject to 
 work upon, viz. we can have no diftinct Idea of 
 Creation a priori, as to the Power and Manner 
 how it was done ; but we have a very clear Idea, 
 nay evident and certain Knowledge of the Creation 
 a pofteriorii and by the Effects, even as to the firft 
 Matter, or the Subftance of this vifible World ; be- 
 caufe we fee evidently by our Senfes, that this Earth 
 and Univerfe actually exifts ; we are evidently fure, 
 that neither the Matter, nor Form of it, could 
 produce itfelf, as is demonftratedby the Proofs before ; 
 we are alfo evidently fure, that there could be no firft 
 Matter prior to the firft Matter, for that would be 
 a childifb, Proceffion in infinitum, as there can be no 
 Caufe of the fupreme Caufe : By confequence, if the 
 Subject Matter could no more produce itfelf, or exift 
 of itfelf, than a Man or an Ox can; and there 
 can be no Subject Matter prior to the firft Mat* 
 ter of the Univerfe, it evidently follows, that the 
 Univerfe, both Matter and Form, with all that is 
 contained in it, was produced out of nothing, 
 which is what all underftand by Creation ; and by a 
 further Confequence, the vifible Things of this 
 World, and the Univerfe itfelf, demonftrates to us 
 the Exiftence of God, as well as that it was pro- 
 duced out of no pre-exifting Matter, as Mofes de- 
 clares ; which is all that is meant by Creation. 
 
 V. Thus far may be known by natural Reafon : 
 But Mofes goes farther, and informs us of feveral 
 Particulars, where natural Reafon falls quite fhort, 
 fince no Man can, or could tell, whether it was done 
 
 at
 
 14 Differ tatiom on the DifT. I. 
 
 at once, or by Degrees, or by what Steps, unlefs 
 God were pleafed to reveal it to us ; which I pre- 
 fume all will grant to be one of the moft defirable 
 Parts of Knowledge, as well as one of the moft ufe- 
 ful Parts of Hiftory, and which none of the antient 
 Philoibphers, Hiftorians, or Poets, could ever 
 know, unlefs they drew it directly or indirectly 
 from the fame original Fountain. All that has any 
 Appearance of Reaibn in their Account of the Ori- 
 gin of the World, feem to have been taken from 
 him, either by Tradition from Father to Son, or 
 from Hints of his Writings ; but fo mangled and in- 
 confiftent incomparifon of the Mofaical Account, that 
 every Man of common Senfemuft give the Preference 
 to this laft. The unaccountable Whims of the An- 
 tients in the original Formation of the World, 
 according to their Heathenifh Notions, may be 
 feen in the Authors mentioned above, Clemens 
 Alex. Eufebiut) Pbotius, who were chief Collec- 
 tors of the Remains of the Antients ; Heji- 
 cd's Theogeneia, Bochart's Account of Sancbo- 
 niatbon, the ancient Phoenician Hiftorian ; Jofepbus 
 againft Appion, &c. in all whofe Accounts, there 
 is nothing confident with natural Truth and Rea- 
 fon , except fome Hints, manifeftly taken from the 
 Mofaical Account. But thofe very Hints may help 
 to convince us, that all the antient Hiftorians had 
 no other confident Account of the primitive For- 
 mation of the World, but what came originally 
 from Mofes. 
 
 A P P E N-
 
 DifT. I, MOSAICAL Creation* 15 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 TO THIS 
 
 DISSERTATION. 
 
 onles of the Antients concurring 'with 
 MOSES, in the Belief of one fupreme GOD. 
 
 I Mentioned in the laft DifTertation, the Names 
 of the Authors, where the Teftimonies of the 
 Antients may be found : Thofe who have a Mind 
 to fee a more particular Collection of them, may 
 find them at length in the Chevalier Ramfay's Theo- 
 logy of the dntients, collected by that Author, 
 with a great deal of Pains and Erudition ; the moft 
 remarkable of which I mall here copy for the Be- 
 nefit of the Reader. 
 
 I. Of the antient Perfians, in the Book of Zo~ 
 roafter^ which the learned Eufelitts^ who lived a 
 matter of fifteen hundred Years ago, in his Pr<e- 
 par. Evan. L. r. Ed. Paris, fays he faw himfelf, 
 intitled, The facred Collet ion 0/Perfian Monuments y 
 wherein are the following Words. <e God is the 
 " firft of all incorruptible Beings ; eternal, and un- 
 ** begotten : He is not compounded of Parts : 
 " There is none like or equal to him : He is the 
 " Author of all Goods, and intirely difmterefted; 
 " the moft excellent of all excellent Beings, and 
 
 the
 
 1 6 Dljertations en the DuT. L 
 
 " the wifeft of all intelligent Natures : The Father 
 <c of Equity, the Parent of all good Laws -, felf- 
 44 inftructed, felf-fuffident, and the firft Former of 
 
 2. Of the antient Egyptians out of Jamblicu;, 
 who thoroughly underftood the Doctrine of the: 
 Egyptians, was Difciple of Porphyrius, who lived 
 in . the third Century : He had read the Egyptian 
 Books, which were then extant, as we are aflured 
 by Clemens Alexandrinus, L. 6. Strom, and St. Cy- 
 ril contra Jut. tho* thofe Books are now loft; 
 Jamblicus gives the following Account of the Egyp- 
 tian Theology. " According to the Egyptians, 
 " the firft God exifted in his Iblitary Unity, before 
 " all Beings. He is the Fountain and Original of 
 " every Thing, that either has Underftanding, or 
 " is to be underftood : He is the firft Principle of 
 ** all Things, felf-fufficient, incomprehenfiblc, and 
 '* the Father of all E/ences" Jam. de Mi ft. Egypt > 
 
 3. Of the antient Greeks. This will appear, fays 
 the Author, from the very antient Traditions, which 
 we have ftill left, of the Philofophy of Orpbetts. 
 I am far frorn thinking, fays he, that Orpheus was 
 the Author of thofe Works, which go under his 
 Name -, I believe with the famous Grotius, that 
 thofe Books were wrote by the Pythagoreans, who 
 profefled themfelves Difciples of Orpheus : But, 
 whoever was the Author of thefe Writings, 'tis cer- 
 tain they are older than Herodotus, or Plato, and 
 were in great Efteem among the Heathens : So 
 that by the Fragments of them, ftill preferved, we 
 may form a Judgment of the Theology of the 
 antient Greeks. I mail begin, fays he, with the 
 Argument, which Timotheus the Cofmographer 
 gives us of the Doctrine of Orpheus. This Abridg- 
 ment is preferved, in Suidas de Orpheo, p. 350. 
 ^ There is one unknown Being, exalted above, 
 
 " and
 
 Diff. I. MOSAICAL Creation. 17 
 
 and prior to all Beings ; even of the /Ether*, and 
 ' of every thing that is below the /Ether. This 
 " exalted Being, is Life, Light and Wifdom ; 
 * e which three Name?, exprefs only one and the 
 ** lame Power, which has created all Beings, vi- 
 *' fible and invifible, out of Nothing.'* 
 
 Proclus, continues this learned Author, has 
 tranfmitted down to us, the following extraordinary 
 PaiTage of the Theology of Orptous. " The 
 " Univerfe was produced by Jupiter^ the Empy- 
 " rseumj, the deep Tartarus^ the Earth, and the 
 ' Oceanj the immortal Gods and Goddeffes j all 
 ' that is, all that has been, and all that fhall be, 
 ' was contained originally in the fruitful Bofom of 
 * Jupiter. Jupiter is the firft, and the laft, the 
 k Beginning and End of all Beings, all derive their 
 ' Origin from him. He is the primitive Father, 
 *' and the immortal Virgin -, he is the Life, the 
 <c Caufe and Energy of all Things ; there is but 
 " one only Power, one only God, and one fole 
 " uniyerfal King of all." Proclus de fimao, p. 92. 
 
 6. Tbales, the Melejian^ Chief of the lonick Se6t, 
 who lived above fix hundred Years before Chrift ; we 
 have none of his Works now left, but we have 
 forae of his Maxims, which have been delivered 
 down to us, by the moft venerable Writers of An- 
 tiquity, Diogenes Laert. vita Tbales, L. 2. Cicero 
 Nat. Dear. Clemens Alex. L. 5. Strom. &c. " God 
 " is the moft antient of all Beings : He is the Au- 
 " thor of the Univerfe, he is full of Wonders, he 
 " is the Mind that brought the Chaos out of Con- 
 " fufion into Order : He is without Beginning, and 
 <c without Ending, and Nothing is hid from him." 
 N. B. Abates calls the Soul, a f elf -moving Prin- 
 
 C 
 
 * N. B. This intirely deftroys the Hutcbinfoman 
 that the Air was the fupreme God of the Gentiles.
 
 j 8 Differ tations on the Diff. I, 
 
 ciple, to diftinguifh it from Matter. Pltrt. de Pla- 
 to. Phil L. 4. c. 2. Stob. Phyf. c. 40. 
 
 Pythagoras, the fecond great Philofopher after 
 Tholes, who has left us the following Notions of 
 the Deity. " God is neither the Object of Senfe, 
 " nor fubject to Paflion, but invifible, only intelli- 
 " gible, and fupremely intelligent in his Body [i.e. in 
 " his Subftance] he is like the Light, in his Soul 
 " he refembles Truth, he is the univerfal Spirit, 
 " that pervades and diffufes itfelf over all Nature, 
 " all Beings receive Life from him. There is but 
 *' one only God, who is not, as fome are apt to 
 " imagine, feated above the World, beyond the 
 *' Orb of the Univerfe, but being himfelf all in all, 
 " he fees all the Beings, that fill his Immenfity ; 
 " the only Principle, the Light of Heaven, the 
 " Father of all. He produces every Thing, he 
 " orders and difpofes every Thing ; he is the Rea- 
 ** fon, the Life, and the Motion of all Beings. " 
 Thefe Paflages and Maxims are taken out of Flor. 
 Olymp.' 60. Diog. Laert. L. 12. Plutarch vita 
 Num. vita Pythagor. vita Porphyr. &c. 
 
 After Pythagoras, continues this Author, comes 
 Anaxagoras of the lonick Seel, Mafter to Pericles 
 the Athenian Hero, cotemporary with Socrates. 
 This Philofopher was the firft after Thales^ in the 
 lonick School, who perceived the Neceffity of in- 
 troducing a fupreme Intelligence , for the Formation 
 of the Univerfe -, he rejected with Contempt, and 
 with great Strength confuted the Doctrine of fuch 
 as held, that a blind Neceffity, and the cafual Mo- 
 tions of Matter, had produced the World. He 
 endeavours to prove f that a pure, and uncom- 
 pounded Spirit, prefides over the Univerfe. Ac- 
 cording to Ariftotle'y Account, the Reafoning of 
 Anaxagoras was founded on two Principle?, the 
 firft of which is, " That the Idea of Matter, not 
 
 " includ-
 
 DilT. I. MOSAICAL Creation^ 19 
 
 including that of aftive Force *, Motion could 
 <c not be one of its Properties, we muft therefore 
 ' feek fomewhere elfe, to find out the Caufe of its 
 *' Activity. Now, this active Principle, as it was 
 " the Caufe of Motion, he calls the Soul, becaufeic 
 ic animates the Univerfe." Plutarc. vit. Pythag. 
 Ariftot. de An. L. i. c. 2. This feems to be pro- 
 perly the Spiritus intus alens of Virgil, not the ma- 
 terial Air, as fome People dream. 
 
 There is fcarce any Need of mentioning Socrates, 
 Plato, Ariftotk, and their Followers, any more 
 than the antient Romans, Cicero, Virgil, Horace 
 and Seneca, &c. They all acknowledge one fu- 
 preme Calue of the Univerfe, diftindt from Matter. 
 Socrates difputing with Ariftodemus, tells him, " if 
 * c the Spirit, that refides in your Body, moves and 
 ' difpofes of it, as it pleafes, why mould not that 
 *' fovereign Wildom, which prefides over the Uni- 
 *' verfe, be able like wife to regulate and order eve- 
 ' ry Thing, as it pleafes ? It your Eye can fee 
 ' Objedts at the Diftance of feveral Furlongs, why 
 '* mould not the Eye of God be able to fee every 
 * 4 Thing at once ? If your Soul can think at the 
 *' fame Time, upon what is done at Athens, in 
 Egypt, and in Sicily, why mould not the di- 
 *' vine Mind, be able to take Care of every Thing ? 
 * c being every where prefent to his Works.** 
 
 Plato in one of his Dialogues defines God, " the 
 " efficient Caufe, which makes Things exift, 
 ke which had no Being before." Plat. Sopbif. p. 185. 
 Ed. Franc. And in his < Tim<Us, he calls the divine 
 Subftance an uncreated Matter, but diftinguifhes ic 
 always from the Jenfible Univerfe, which he con- 
 
 C 2 fiders 
 
 * Matter therefore, or Bodies, can have no Motion, no Ac- 
 tivity of itfelf, towards the Center, by Confequence no Gra- 
 vity i but is impelled by fome other Caufe.
 
 2O "Divert ations on the DifT. I; 
 
 fiders merely as an Effetf and Production -, and Lib. 
 de Repub. 1. 10. p. 749. he calls God, the fupreme 
 ArcbiteR, who created the Heavens and Earth, 
 and does whatever he pkafes in Heaven j in Earth, 
 and in the Shades below. 
 
 Ariftotle, Plato's Difciple, arid Prince of the Pe- 
 ripatetick Philofophers, calls God, " The eternal 
 " and living Being, the moft noble of all Beings , 
 *' a Subftance intirely diftinct from Matter j with- 
 " out Extenfion, without Divilion, without Parts, 
 " and without Succeflion, who underflands every 
 " Thing, by one fingle Act, and continuing himfdf 
 " immoveable, gives Motion to all Things. Ariftot. 
 Mela. L. 14. 0.7. p. 1000. ib. 14. c. 10. p. 1004. 
 He fays, ** that God is a fupreme Intelligence, that 
 " acts with Order, Proportion and Defign ; and 
 " is the Source of all that is good, excellent and 
 " juft ; and the firft Principle : is neither Fire^ 
 *' nor Earth, nor Water, nor any Thing, that is 
 " the Object of Senfe : but that a Spiritual Subftance 
 c< is the Caufe of the Univerfe, and the Source 
 " of all Order, and all the Beauties, as well as of 
 " all the Motions, and all the Forms we admire 
 " in it." L. i.e. 7. p. 628. 
 
 'Tis necdlefs to mention the Latin Writers, as 
 more modern, and known unto moft of the Learned, 
 the wifeft of whom acknowledge one fupreme 
 God over all, particularly Cicero, the moft learned, 
 as well as eloquent of all the Romans : See his 
 Treatifes, de Nat. Deorum^ Legibus, &c. Thefe 
 Sentiments of the greateft Philofophers of all Anti- 
 quity, may be feen more at large, in the foremen- 
 tioned learned Author's Theology of the dntients ; 
 and convince us, that Mofes juftly declares God to 
 be the fupreme Caufe and Creator of Heaven and 
 Earth. 
 
 Thtfc
 
 PJ# L 
 
 Thefe Teilimonies alfo deftroy that unaccount- 
 able Syftem of the Hutcbinfonians, who in their 
 Jate Treatifes, prepofteroufly maintain, that the 
 antient Heathens believed the Air to be the folc 
 God of the Unjverfe. Hence their Patriarch, 
 Mr. Hutchinfon, ridiculoufly, as well as injuriouQy, 
 with Refped to the facred Trinity, calls the Air* 
 under the Denomination of Fire, Light and Spirit^ 
 the Trinity of the Gentiles ; and publifhed a Trea- 
 ti'fe under that Title. But can any thing be more 
 point blank contrary to that Notion of the Air be- 
 ing the fupreme God of the Heathens, than thefe 
 Teftimonics of the greateft Men among all the an- 
 tient Heathens ? However, I fhall confute that Syf T 
 tern, in every Branch of it, before the End f this 
 Treatife. Hence it appears, that thefe wife Hea- 
 thens were not Ib foolifh as to dream of a material 
 God ; or that the material Air, was the God of the 
 Univerfe ; an Opinion more fottifli than the Anima 
 
 Mundi. 
 
 ' 
 
 SEOONIX
 
 -toi/erfatiow on the Diff. II. 
 
 SECOND 
 
 Of tie Dignity of MOSES, merely as 
 human LegiJIator. 
 
 I. TT I S Antiquity ; which muft give a moft 
 JL_L venerable Commendation to his Works. 
 If our late Mr. Pope had a Veneration for Homer 9 
 becaufe he look'd upon him, as the moft antient 
 Writer extant after Mofes ; this laft, juftly de- 
 ferves our greateft Veneration, both upon that, 
 and a great many other Accounts, as will be feen 
 prefently. That the Mofaical Account is the moft 
 antient Hiftory in the World, and he the moft 
 antient Legiflator, known to us by Hiftory, of 
 Tradition, is allowed by the moft learned Cbronolo* 
 gers, both of our own and other Nations, which 
 may be feen by the Chronological Tables of the 
 moft learned Men in Europe. Nor do our modern 
 Infidels, I believe, pretend to difpute it ferioufly, 
 except throwing in fome Doubts, from the fabulous 
 Accounts of the Egyptians , Chaldeans , and, as fome 
 add, the late Accounts of the Origin of the Chi- 
 mfe Empire. As for the Egyptian Accounts of the 
 Succeffion of their Kings, and Dynafties, they are 
 fo confufed, and in fome Points fo evidently fabu- 
 lous, that nothing of any Certainty, can be drawn 
 from them. J Tis moft likely, their Numbers of 
 Kings were hot all fucceffiVe, but cotemporary, 
 
 over
 
 DnT. II. MOSAIC AL Creation; 23 
 
 over different Dynafties, or Provinces, like our 
 Heptarchy, among the antient Saxons ; and indeed 
 among mod antient Nations. The Chaldeans, were 
 very early Obfervers of the Planetary Syftem : But 
 when at the Defire of Ariftotle, their Accounts came 
 to be fearched into, by the learned Greeks, who at- 
 tended Alexander the Great in the Conqueft of 
 Babylon, the Center of thofe Chaldeans, they were 
 found to reach no higher, than as marked down 
 jn the jEra of Nabonajfar, who was ore of the 
 Founders e>f the fecond Monarchy of the A$yriam % 
 about the Middle of the Kings of Judah, long af- 
 ter Mofes's Time. See Pri'deaux^ Account of him, 
 and that JEra. Nay the Greeks, who were cer- 
 tainly a learned and antient People, give a very 
 Jame, confufed, and fabulous Account of their own, 
 as well as foreign Affairs, when they would afcend 
 nigh the Time of Mofes, which Times, Varro, the 
 learned Rcman 9 calls either fabulous, or Mythologi- 
 cal; fuppofing any one fo critically inclined, as tq 
 make a Diftin&ion, between Fabulous and Mytho- 
 logical. Nor are the Periods of the firft Olym- 
 piads very certain, as to the fixing of them, as may 
 be feen by the various Opinions of the learned Chro j 
 nologers, fuch as Scaliger, Petavius^ U/her, Pri- 
 deaux, &c. though they are very great Helps for 
 counting the Times upwards ; from the laft of 
 them, as are known : yet we are uncertain, when 
 the Olympiads .firft begun. 
 
 The Chinefe Empire is undoubtedly of very 
 antient {landing, tho 1 almoft unknown to the 
 learned, for any great Certainty, till of late Years. 
 One can't wonder, if their Accounts, either hifto- 
 rical, or traditional, fhould touch upon the gene- 
 ral Deluge, fince all Nations of the Earth had a 
 traditional Notion of it, which will never be oblite- 
 rated, as long as the Earth fubjftfts. We know 
 
 C 4 alfo,
 
 24 Dtjfertatiom en the : Diflf. II. 
 
 alfo, that Noah's Ark refted upon the Hills, eaft- 
 ward of Babylon, which willjeadus not far off China; 
 as the antient Seres were Eaftward -, and, may be, 
 before the Difperfion at Babel, The People met 
 in the Plains of Shinar, from the Eaft : Perhaps 
 they left Noah, and fbme of his Defcendants, behind 
 them in the Eaft, which makes lome learned Men 
 think, that Noah remained in the eaftern Parts, not 
 far from China, and peopled it, from whence the 
 Chinefe had the Character of being the mod juft and 
 moral People, of all the Heathens, in the World. 
 I have feen a little Trad, dedicated to King Charles 
 II. which gives fome Probability, not only that the 
 Cbinefecame from fome Defcendants of Noah, fettled 
 there immediately after the Flood, and were never 
 at the Meeting, for that frantick Work of Building, 
 the Tower of Babel , but what is a Confequence of 
 fuch a Notion, that the Chinefe Language was the 
 real Language of Noah at the Deluge. ' 'Tis cer- 
 tain, it differs from all other Languages, the moil 
 of any other now known. However, let thefe 
 Points be as they will, yet when we come to ex- 
 amine the Accounts of the Chinefe Empire, in feve- 
 ral Particulars, both of the Lives and Succeffion 
 of their antient Emperors, they are ufhered in 
 with fuch Fables, as no Man of Senfe can bear ; 
 wHich may be feen by all the Accounts of their An- 
 tiquity, as have appeared hitherto. Thefe Heads 
 are only mentioned in general, becaufe the Inten- 
 tion of this Work, more immediately regards the 
 impious Pretenfions of modern Infidels, of greater 
 Confequence, than Criticifms on Chronology. How- 
 ever, they are challenged to difpute any of the fore- 
 going Heads, as to the Subftance of them, with 
 refpecl to the Antiquicy of the Mofaical Account, 
 in Comparifon with any other hiftorical Accounts 
 whatfover ; which can't chufe but recommend it to 
 
 thq
 
 piff. II. M os A ic AL Creation.' 25 
 
 the Veneration of thofe, who would not be thought 
 yo ^hinkers at all, as Dean Swift calls the Free- 
 thinkers. 
 
 But there is fomething {till more remarkable, for 
 the Antiquity of the Mofaical Account, viz. that 
 fome of the moft antient Remains of the heathen- 
 i(h Antiquity, make mention of Mofes, either as 
 an Hiftorian or Legiflator. Thefe may be feen in 
 the Quotations of the learned Monfieur du Pin, in 
 his firft Book of Preliminary Dijfcrtations. on the 
 Bible, c. 3. for Example, the Teftimony of Mane- 
 tbon., from Jofephus, L. c. con. App. That of 
 fhilochorus from the Author of the Exhortation to 
 the Gentiles, attributed to St. Juftin ; of Polemon* 
 Quoted by the fame Author -, of Eupolemus, by 
 Alexander Polyhiftor. reported by Eufebius L. 9. 
 pr<ep. Evan, of Apollanius Molon, from Jofephus^ 
 L. 2. con. App. of Caftor of Rhodes, by the Au- 
 thor of the Exhortation to the Gentiles ; of Dio- 
 dpri^s SJcuIus, by the fame ; of Cheremon Author of 
 the Hiftory of Egypt, by Jofepkus ; of Trogus Pom- 
 pelus, abbreviated by Juftitf* who mentions Mofes, 
 as the Legiflator of the Jews ; of Nicholaus Damaf- 
 cenus, by Jofephus ; of Menedemus, by the Au- 
 thor of the Exhortation to the Gentiles, and by 
 Tatius, Eufebius, and St. Cyril. Strabo makes 
 Mofes the Author of the Laws and Religion of the 
 Jews : Even Appion, their great Enemy, fuppofes 
 Mofes to have been the Author of their Laws, as 
 well as Porphyry, and Julian, as great Enemies of 
 the Chriftians. We may add to thefe, fuch antient 
 Heathen Authors, who have manifeftly taken fbme 
 Things from the Works of Mojes-, as Htecat*us, 
 Berofus the Chaldean, Abidenus, Manethon, Eupo* 
 lemus, Alexander Polyhiftor, mentioned by Jofe- 
 phus, St. Clement^ Eufebius, &c. not to mention 
 Satyr 14. Tradidit arcano qttodcttnqoe vo- 
 
 lumine
 
 2 6 'Differtatiom on the Diff. If. 
 
 famine Mofes, where arcane volumine, infmuates 
 old Records, hidden in the remoteft Antiquity ; or 
 Ptolemy Alex. Pliny, Tacitus, Juftin, Lcnginus, 
 in his Treatife of the Sublime, who admires the 
 Beginning of Gtnefis, and calls Mofes the wife Le- 
 gtjlator of the Jews. Nay Eupolemus makes Mofes 
 the Author of Letters, before Cadmus commonly 
 called the Phoenician. See Eufebius, L. 9. Prxp. 
 Evan. c. 4. Why then furely, if the moft antient 
 of the heathen Authors, make mention of Mofes, 
 as long before them, we muft allow him to be the 
 moft antient Hiftorian and Legiflator, known hither- 
 to in the whole World -, and deferves our Venera- 
 tion on that Account 
 
 II. The Dignity and Character of the Man, both 
 as a wife Legiflator, and great Commander of a 
 very numerous Nation -, befide that native Simpli- 
 city and Sincerity, which Ihew themfelves through 
 all his Works, and makes us fee, that he himfelf 
 was more thorotigly pofTefTed, and convinced of the 
 Truth of what he wrote, than even thofe for whom 
 he wrote it : This muft have flill greater Weight, 
 if we confider him, as he is allowed by moft, to 
 have been one of the great Commanders of Anti- 
 quity, conducting fix hundred thoufand Men, able 
 to bear Arms, with all their Families : conducting 
 them, I fay, in fpite of all the Oppoiition of a pow- 
 erful Kingdom and People, fuch as Egypt was in 
 thofe Days; carrying them over an Arm of the Sea, 
 through inhofpitable Deferts ; conquering by him- 
 felf, or his Directions, a warlike and powerful Peo- 
 ple, defended with walled Towns, military Arms, 
 and Chariots ; whereas, jt does not appear, that 
 the Ifraelites had any other Arms, than what 
 Chance, or Neceffity, fupplied them with, at leaft 
 not comparable to the People of Chanaan ; ex- 
 pelled the Inhabitants, vaftly more numerous, and 
 
 in
 
 Diff. IT. MOSAICAL Creation.' 27 
 
 in all Appearance much more powerful, than the 
 Jfraelites ; Men who had lived in Slavery and Op- 
 preffion fo many Ages before ; in fine, fettled them 
 in a lading Poffeffion of one of the richeft Countries 
 in the World. This muft evince us, that Mofcs 
 was a very great Man, in the Capacity of a Com- 
 mander. If he performed thefe Actions by hu- 
 man Power alone, he mult have been one of the 
 mod renowned Commanders of Antiquity ; if by 
 the immediate Aftiftance and Direction of God, he 
 was ftill greater. 
 
 III. Mcfes muft alfo be allowed to have been 3. 
 Lawgiver of fuperlatiye Wifdom, not only leading 
 and governing a headftrong People, but eftablifh- 
 ing them under fuch Laws, as prcferved them art 
 united and happy Nation, as long as they preferv- 
 ed his Laws ; foretelling them, what would be the 
 Confequence if they did not preferve them, and 
 this not according to the common and natural Re- 
 fult of a difunited People, but more particular- 
 ly, that they mould fly and fall before their Ene- 
 mies if they broke them, and forfook their Lord 
 and God, as was verified too often by fad Experi- 
 ence ; till a new Lawgiver mould arife, as he alfb 
 foretold, to eftablifh a Kingdom of greater Sancti- 
 ty and Ri^hteoufnefs. 
 
 j * / 
 
 IV. 'Mofes was alfo one of the learnedeft Men 
 of all Antiquity, being trained up in ail the Learn- 
 ing of the Egyptians. His Writings mew us, 
 that he was a Philofopher, a Geometrician, Geogra- 
 pher, Hiftorian, as well as a great Legiflator ; and 
 his Ciiriticks^ or his divine Poems, mixed among 
 his Works, manifeft fuch an infpired Genius, as 
 might be imitated by the Antients, but never excel- 
 led. The rrioft fublime Strokes in Homer , I am 
 fure, don't furpafs the exalted Flights of Mofes^ 
 
 ; in his Canticles, particularly that of the PafTage over 
 
 the
 
 2 8 Di/ertattons on the DiiT. II. 
 
 the Red Sea. By the by, 'tis highly probable, that 
 all the Learning of the Antients came originally 
 from Abraham, or at lead from his Anceftor Sem ; 
 and fo to the Chaldeans JM& from them to the Egyp- 
 tians and Ph(Knicians t from whence the Greeks had 
 theirs, and the Latins from the Greeks. 'Tis not 
 alfo unlikely, that the more refined Principles of 
 Architecture came from the Model of Mofes's Ta- 
 bernacle, pr Solomon's Temple, either from Befe- 
 leel, who, as the Scripture fays, was taught by God, 
 or from the Wifdom of Solomon^ or from Hints de- 
 rived from Mofis and Aaron, retained among the 
 Priefts his Defcendants. 'Tis certain, tho* there 
 might be fome little heathen Oratories, before So- 
 lomon's Time, we can't find in the Traces of Hifto- 
 ry any famous Pieces of Architecture, higher than 
 that Epocha. 
 
 The little Temple of the Philiftines, which Samp- 
 fon fhook down on their Heads and his own, nor 
 the Temple of Dagon, where the captive Ark was 
 placed, could not be any famous Pieces of Architec- 
 ture : Herodotus, 'tis true, mentions the Temple of 
 Bel, upon the Tower of Babel ; but that was rather 
 an Oratory, than a Temple, fince it was placed to- 
 wards the Top of the Tower, built at the Confu- 
 fion of Tongues ; for he fays, there was an Altar 
 before the Statue of a Man, towards the Top of 
 that Tower, which in all likelihood, was the Sta- 
 tue of Belus, one. of the Founders, if not the firfl 
 Founder, of the Kingdom of Babylon: See Hero- 
 dotus, in the Defcription of Babylon. All which does 
 not hinder the firft Rudiments of Architecture to 
 have fprung from the Hebrews. So that Mofes 
 might be inftructed, both in the Learning of the 
 Egyptians, and of his Fore-fathers, from whence 
 all Learning had its Origin.
 
 *. II. MOSAICAL Creation. 29 
 
 Vi But let thefe later Points be as they will, 
 which are only laid down as hiftorical Conjectures, 
 within the Limits of great Probabilty* there are 
 other Confiderations, which ought to have great 
 Weight in Favour of Mofes, efpecially with Per- 
 fons who are chiefly biaffed by human and worldly 
 Motives, viz. that there does not appear in the 
 whole Tenour of Mofes\ Writings, or Actions, 
 the leaft Sign of human Ambition, Oftentation, 
 Vain-glory, Self-intereft, Affectation of Grandeur, 
 or Royalty for himfelf, or his Pofterity ; but his 
 whole Soul feems to be pofleft with an inexprefllblc 
 Zeal for the Worfhip, Honour and Glory of the 
 fupreme Deity : All his Actions have no other 
 Tendency, but to make known, promote and efta- 
 blifh the Worfhip of one only God. Tho* his 
 Power and Authority over fuch a numerous People 
 was fo great, as we have feen, and was manifefted 
 by the Events, fetting them in PofTefllon of the 
 Land of Promife, if not perfonally, at leaft by his 
 Directions, as alfo by the Condition and Concern 
 his People were in for him, when they thought 
 they had loft him on the Mountain, refolving upon 
 it to return to Egypt, and made themfelves Egyp- 
 tian Gods to reconduct them : Yet we can't difco- 
 ver the leaft Sign or Moti9n of his eftablifhing his 
 own Grandeur, or Domination over them, or that 
 of his own Pofterity, any farther than to convince 
 them, that they were God's chofen People, and to 
 fix them in the Worlhip of the true God. This 
 was all his Care, all his Ambition ; fubftitut- 
 ing at his Death, a Leader over them, of another 
 Tribe and Family, leaving his own Children only a 
 common Share in the Land. If he eftablifhed the 
 Priefthood in his Brother's Family, it was by the 
 exprefs Command of God ; to preferve Unity in 
 the Worihip of the true God, ameng a People fo 
 
 prone
 
 30 Dtffertattons on the Biff. IT. 
 
 prone to Schifm and Idolatry. Add to thefe, the 
 wonderful Piety and Sanctity of the Man, with 
 that amazing Zeal for the fpiritual, as well as tem- 
 poral Good of his Charge, that he defired to be 
 blotted out of the Book of Life, rather than God 
 fhould abandon his People, and punifli them for 
 their Crimes. I wifli Mr. Warburton had confider- 
 ed this laft, before he publifhed, that Mofes never 
 dreamt of a future State. Can we therefore find 
 any Qualifications in Nature, that can recommend 
 the Veracity of an Hiftory, and the Facts contain- 
 ed in it, with more convincing Influence, than what 
 appears in the Mofaicat Account ? 
 
 VI. If we confider the moral and religious Parts 
 of the Mofalcal Legiflature, properly fuch,- which 
 evidently made the principal End of all his Care 
 and Solicitude ; I fay, the moral and religious Parts^ 
 abftracting from the ceremonial, they are moft juft 
 and rational -, confirmed by the jufteft Dictates of 
 right Reafon , witnefs the Ten Commandments, the 
 moft holy Rules of human Life. That the moral 
 and religious Parts were the chief Intent of the 
 Mofaical Legiflature, no one can juftly call in 
 Queftion. They were ufhered in, under the Ter- 
 ror of being given in Thunder and Lightning, and 
 of being written vvith the Finger of God, with the 
 ftricteft Injunction poflible, for their perpetual Ob- 
 fervance. As for the ceremonious Parts, had we 
 lived in Mofes' s Time* and known the Nature of 
 the People, and other Circumftances, we might 
 better judge of the Neceflity of them, to teach a 1 
 {lifF-necked Race the Way of Obedience. But 
 one would think that fuch a Perfon as Mofes, fb 
 great and wife a Legiflator, could much better 
 know what was proper for the Government of his 
 People, than we can at this Diftance , not to men- 
 tion as yet, his Character and Authority of a Di- 
 vine
 
 DifT. II. MOSAIC AL Creation. 31 
 
 vine Legijlator, commiffioned immediately by God, 
 as will be fully proved in the next DifTertation. Bur, 
 as to the moral and religious Part of his Law, 'tis 
 evident, it was to teach the Jews, and all the 
 World befides,. if they would learn them, the chief 
 Duties of Life, with Refpeft to God and Man : 
 with refpect to God, to fhew the Unity of his God- 
 head, againft all Idolatry, and falfe Gods, which 
 the World began to run madly after, even in his 
 Time, and at the fame Time to teach that Wor- 
 fhip, which was indifpenfably due to the true God ; 
 with Refpeft to Man, to teach them the moral 
 Duties of Juftice, Equity and Sanctity, which Per- 
 fons were obliged to obferve, towards their Neigh- 
 bours and themfelves, in all Occurrences of Life ; 
 and 'tis to be feared, that it is on this Account our 
 modern Infidels are fuch great Enemies to Mofes. 
 Thefe Duties are chiefly comprifed in the Com- 
 mandments : thefe Commandments are all redu- 
 cible to the firft Principles of Nature, Do Good, and 
 decline from Evil. Principles taught us by the fame 
 natural Evidence,as teach us the Truth of the Propo- 
 fitions of Euclid. If natural Evidence can deceive us 
 in one, it may in the other, which would reduce us 
 to univerfal Scepticifm, and would be a Blot upon 
 human Nature. A more full Explication of which 
 Duties, may be feen in the Authors of Mr. Boyle's 
 Leffures, in a Treatife called the Gentleman InftruR- 
 ed, and in a former Treatife of the great Duties of 
 Life ; where the Exiftence of moral Good and 
 Evil, with the Obligations attending them, are di- 
 reftty demonflrated againft modern Infidels. Now 
 as thefe Precepts of Morality are fo ftrongly in- 
 culcated by Mofes-t and made the great End of his 
 Law, it muft be as ftrong an Inducement, to make 
 all Perfons endowed with Reafon, not only efteem, 
 but even revere his Works. As indeed no Works 
 
 in
 
 32 Dijjertatiom on tie DJiT. II. 
 
 in the World were ever fo religipufly preferved 
 and revered, as they are to this Day, except the 
 New Teftament *. . , 
 
 Before we leave this , Article, there is another 
 Confideration, which highly deferves our Attention, 
 *uiz. that the moft juft Notions of the fupreme Dei- 
 ty, and the pureft Maxims of Morality, found 
 among the antient Heathens, were in a great Meal- 
 lure borrowed from the Hebrews , and the antient 
 Patriarchs 5 if not originally derived from the 
 Writings of Mofes i undoubtedly the oldeft Book 
 now in the World ; either known to neighbouring 
 Nations, or learnt by Tradition from their Fore- 
 fathers, till we afcend to the antient Patriarchs, or 
 even to Noah, who was the chief of the Sons of 
 God ; or of thofe, who preferved the true Wor- 
 Ihip and Duties of Religion down to his Time ; 
 which Worfhip and Duties, without all doubt, he 
 inculcated to his Defcendants ; yet the Corruption 
 of Man had foon as good as abolifhed them again, 
 till they were renewed by Mofes. And, as far as 
 the antient Gentiles departed from his Principles, fo 
 far they degenerated into the grofleft Enormities 
 and Abfurdities. Hence St. Clement Alex. L. 
 Strom, in his Collection of the Remains and Frag- 
 ments of the old heathen Writers, calls them Fures 
 or Thieves, as taking all their bed Notions from 
 Mofes i either having feen his Works, or by con- 
 verfing with his Followers, or learnt the moral 
 Part of his Doctrine, by Tradition. And God 
 knows, all the Maxims of the heathen Philofophers 
 were little better, than refined Speculations, ne- 
 ver reduced to Practice by the general Mafs of 
 
 Cor- 
 
 * A T . 5. By the Mofalcal Works is meant not only the Pen- 
 tateuch ttriftlv taken, but all the Old Teftament.
 
 D11T. II. MOSAICAL Creation. 33 
 
 Corruption ; and very feldom by thofe Philofophers 
 themfclves. So that Mofes may bejuftly ellecmed 
 the great Reformer of the World, if Men had made 
 Advantage of it, and not run into thole Enormities, 
 which are a Blot to human Nature. 
 
 THIRD
 
 34 DiJ/er fat ions on the DHT, III, 
 
 THIRD 
 
 PRELIMINARY DISSERTATION. 
 
 *The Authority of MOSES as a Divine 
 Legiflator. 
 
 I. /^\UR modern Infidels reject the Authority 
 
 \J of Mofes, chiefly on thefe two Accounts ; 
 
 firft mat his Account of the Creation, was merely 
 
 of his own Invention, upon human and politick 
 
 Motives ; as was, fay they, his Eftablimment of a 
 
 new Religion, to amufe an ignorant People, and 
 
 fix his own Authority over them. 2dly, That his 
 
 Account of the Creation, in itfelf is abiurd and in- 
 
 confiftent j nor can be reconciled with the Laws of 
 
 natural Reafon and Philolbphy. Tho' this laft is 
 
 the chief Subject of the following Differtations, 
 
 and indeed the chief Motive for undertaking this 
 
 Work, to vindicate fo great, and even divine a Le- 
 
 giflator, from fuch impious Afperfions,' as alfo to 
 
 confute fome exotick Notions of a few late Divines, 
 
 pretending ftill a great Zeal for the Old Teftamenr, 
 
 yet I hope, it will not be judged improper, or un- 
 
 neceflary, to fum up thofe Arguments, which ought 
 
 to convince any Man of Judgment, that Mofes 
 
 was really commiflioned by God ; and by Confe- 
 
 quence ought to be confidered as a divine, as well 
 
 as human Legifiator. 
 
 II. The divine Legation of Mofes may be proved 
 both from natural Confiderations on the whole, or 
 from particular Faffs, fufficient to convince any 
 ierious Perfon, that he was. commiilioned by God. 
 
 Til
 
 DitfMIL MOSAICAL Creation! 35 
 
 *Tis not queftioned by any, as I know of, but 
 that Mofes did eftablifh a Form of r orfhip, by 
 which Men might be diftinguifhed aud ^pirated 
 from the almoft univerfal Corruption and w'icb.d- 
 nefs, the whole World was again involved in -, as 
 it is deplorable' Matter of Fact they were : To 
 revive the almoft obliterated Laws and Duties of 
 Nature, and to preferve the Practice of thofe Du- 
 ties by a particular Law, 'till a more perfect Law- 
 giver mould come. A great Work ! and fo effec- 
 tually executed, that it actually feparated them from 
 the general Contagion, and preferved them in the 
 Knowledge and Worlhip of the true God, 'till 
 that more perfect Lawgiver came. -This Confide- 
 rration alone has its Weight, and feems already to 
 argue fomething more than human in it. The 
 Knowledge of one only God, Creator of Heaven 
 and Earth, is the Foundation of all true Religion. 
 This is as certain, as any Proportion in Euclid. 
 Again, fome Religion, or fome religious Worfhip, 
 to be paid to God by Men, is as neceffary a Con- 
 Fequence of natural Reafon, as that there is a God ; 
 as alfo, that there may be Good and Evil in our 
 Actions, as well as Truth and Falfliood in our 
 Judgments: Reafon no more fubfifts without the 
 one, than without the other ; on the contrary, a 
 Power to diftinguifh between Good and Evil feems 
 more neceffary of the two, for the Conduct of our 
 Lives, than a Power to difcover any fpeculative 
 Truth whatfoever ; neverthelefs, both are effential to 
 natural Reafon, tho' the Paffions of Men may 
 abufe both ; our modern -Infidels being a flagrant 
 Example. Now the more particular Deduction of 
 thefe Principles, are contained in the Mofaic Law; 
 nay, make the Groundwork and chief Foundation of 
 it : And what is more, Mofes was the moft antient . 
 publick Legiflator, ever known to the World, 
 
 D 2 who
 
 36 Diflertattom on the DifT. III. 
 
 who promulgated thefe facred and even divine Prin- 
 ciples, made them the Foundation, and great End 
 of his Legiflature -, he may juftly therefore be filled 
 a divine Legiflator, as to the Object and End of his 
 Legiflature, viz. the pure Knowledge of God, and 
 his divine Attributes ; and the moft juft Principles 
 of Morality, Religion, and Duties between Man 
 and Man. So that it is evident already by the 
 mod natural Obfervations, that Mofes was fome- 
 thing more than a mere civil Legiflator. Further, 
 
 III. Thefe divine Principles, of the Worlhip of 
 one only God, Creator of Heaven and Earth - 9 
 and the juft Laws of Morality delivered down by 
 God himfelf (the Truth of the Facts fhall be prov- 
 ed by and by) in the Holy Commandments, tho* 
 capable of being known by natural Reafon, were 
 fo obfcured, mangled, and almoft deftroyed, by 
 the univerfal Corruption of Men, all over the 
 World, from the Beginning of it, both before, 
 and after the Deluge, from whatever Head and 
 Caufe, thofe Corruptions fprung, are no other Way to 
 be accounted for, but by Mofes's Principles of the 
 Fall of Man, as will be feen afterwards ; fuch an 
 Univerfal Corruption appears naturally to be uncapa- 
 ble of being reformed , but by a Legiflator, imme- 
 diately commiffidned by God, and by fuch divine 
 Principles, as Mofes promulgated to all the World; 
 nay did reform his own Nation by them, and others 
 incorporated with them , and by thofe Means 
 propagated the only true and pure Religion, either 
 intirely perverted by the Gentiles, or mixed with 
 fuch falfe Allays, as made up the monftrous Te- 
 nets of the Heathens, 'till they were refined by his 
 divine Principles : 'Tis therefore natural to believe, 
 that he was immediately commifTioned by God, as 
 he cxpreGly declares he was, to reform fuch univer-
 
 Biff. III. MOSAICAL Creadon. 37 
 
 fal Corruption. Nay, it is natural to believe, that 
 nothing but fuch a Commifiion could reform ir. 
 
 That there was fuch an almoft univerfal Corrup- 
 tion from the Beginning, till the Time of Mofes, 
 and continued down, through all other Nation.", 
 where his divine Principles were not received, 'till 
 Chrift the Fulfiller and Perfecter of his Law appear* 
 ed, is fo evident, and indeed fo deplorable Matter 
 of Fact, as I believe the moft hardened Free- 
 Thinker does not deny, unlefs he demonftrates 
 himfelf to be ignorant of all Antiquity and Hifto- 
 ries of all known Nations under the Heavens. 
 What monftrous Idolatries ! what horrid Bruta- 
 lities were the Practice of the Generality of the 
 World before and after Mofes's Time, till the 
 coming of Chrift ! The inhuman Rites of facrific- 
 ing their own Children was practifed by moft Na- 
 tions on certain Occafions ; as appears not only 
 by the Hiftory of Mofes and his Law, forbidding 
 fuch Practices under the fevereft Penalties , but by 
 the Hiftories of almoft all other Nations, at leaft, 
 as to human Sacrifices-, by the antient Phoenicians ^ 
 whom the learned Bochart proves in his Canaan* 
 to have eftablifhed their Colonies in moft of the 
 known Parts of the Earth : The fame was prac- 
 tifed by the Carthaginians, their Defcendants, once 
 a mighty Nation, and even a Match for the Roman 
 Commonwealth, for fome Ages; nay practifed by 
 the Romans themfelves on foms Occafions, as is. 
 well known by their Hiftories -, when by a Decree 
 of the Senate, one of the wifeft human Societies, 
 in other Refpects, they buried alive a Greek and a. 
 Gaul, in the Ox-market ; not as a Punimment for 
 Crimes, as they did their Veftals, but on a religious 
 Motive, tho' a horrid one, as a Sacrifice to their 
 infernal Deities. See the Roman Hiftories, and 
 Connexion, on the Sybils^ and the Prac-t 
 D 3 ticc
 
 3 8 Differ faf ions on tie Diff. IIF. 
 
 tice of other Nations. Where fuch inhuman Rites 
 were not praftrfed, jf any heathen Nation were free 
 from them, firfl or laft, yet they ran mad after fuch 
 ftupid Idolatries, as make human Nature biufh for 
 them : Wormiping Stocks and Stones, or inanimate 
 Elements, Earth, Fire, Seas, Air, Sun, Moon, 
 Planets, &c. or elfe mortal Men, both living and 
 dead, with fuch beaftly Rites, attending the Fefti- 
 vals of their Gods and GoddefTes, that it is one of 
 the greateft Myfteries in Nature, how rational 
 Creatures could ever arrive to fuch a Degree of 
 Pervcrfion, as one would think nothing but a Mi- 
 racle, or the immediate Power of God could re- 
 claim. But this laft is a Confideration, which re- 
 quires a farther Enlargement. 
 
 - IV. This horrid Perverfion, and Corruption of 
 human Nature, fo deplorably evident by all Ac- 
 cpunts ofr Antiquity, can never be rationally^ nor fo 
 naturally accounted for, as by the Principles of 
 Mofes^ and thofe of the Chriftian Religion, which 
 are one and the fame, as to this Point ; that is, by 
 the Sin and Fall of the firft Man ; and the Power 
 which the Devil, or Satan^ the Adverfary, as he is 
 called in Scripture, had over him and his Poflerity, 
 till his Power was overcome by our blefTed Re- 
 deemer. I fhall prove in another Differtation, not 
 only the Exiftence of evil Spirits, but alfo that Sa- 
 tan was the original Caufe of all Idolatry, and the 
 horrid Confequences of it, if not the firfl and real 
 Object of it, tho' perhaps unknown to them, dif- 
 guifed, as an Angel of Light, and worshiped un- 
 der the Form of their Deities ; buc waving that at 
 prefent, 'tis morally impofilble to give any rational 
 Account of this almoft univerfal Corruption and 
 Perverfion of human Nature, fo Ihocking to the firft. 
 Principles of Reafon, but by the Principles of Mo- 
 bs 5 that is, by the Perverfion of Nature in the 
 
 Fall
 
 Dift III. MOSAICAL Creation. 1 39 
 
 Fall of the firft Man, and that Power the Devil had 
 over his Defendants on that Account : 'Tis to be 
 prefumed, that even our modern Infidels will allow, 
 unlefs they have as good as blinded their own Rea- 
 fon, that thofe horrid, unnatural, and monftrous 
 Rites, of the Worfhip of the Heathens, which in 
 Effect was the more general Worfhip of the whole 
 World, (except God's chofen Race) was directly 
 againft the Light of Nature and Reafon : They are 
 moft of them fo mocking to Nature, that one fhud- 
 ders to think of them ; yet 'tis deplorable Fad:, 
 they did give into them, almoft univerfally, from 
 the earlieft Accounts of Time : What could induce 
 them, againft Reafon and Nature, to worfhip Stocks 
 and Stones, or the Works of their own Hands, or 
 the inanimate Beings of the Elements, all mere 
 Matter, not equal to the Dignity of the leaft Infect ; 
 or even the Sun, Moon and Stars, all material Be- 
 ings ? Nay farther, to facrifice their own Species, 
 to offer human Victims, even their own Children, 
 to their infernal Deities ! to ingulph themfelves in 
 thofe horrid Abominations attending the Worfhip of 
 their monftrous Gods and GoddefTes ! unlefs we ac- 
 knowledge fome Faulty db origine^ in Punifhment 
 of which, that univerfal Blindnefs and Perverfion 
 was inflicted, with the infinite Miferies attending 
 the Offspring of Man, from the World's firft In- 
 fancy ; which certainly had a Beginning, from one 
 Pair ; unlefs Men fprung out of the Earth like 
 Mumrooms : nay we may add, unlefs fome evil 
 Spirit, fome evil invifible Power, Enemy to God, 
 pufhed them on to thofe horrid Impieties j and at 
 the fame time deluding them, either by fome pre- 
 ternatural Prodigies, or Preftigite, or Terricula- 
 menta, or Rewards, within his Power, to worfhip 
 nimfelf, or the Creatures, inftead of the Creator ? 
 Let modern Infidels account for this monftrous 
 
 D 4 Blind-
 
 40 Di/ertat'ons on the Diff. Ilf, 
 
 Blindncfs and Perverfion of Nature, if they can, 
 better than Mofes does j or with half the Appear- 
 ance of Reafon for the Caufe of them, as they are 
 by the Mofaical Principles ; fo far are they from 
 being an Imposition upon Reafon. And at the 
 fame Time let them acknowledge the immediate 
 Hand of God in the divine Legation of Mofes, to 
 item the Torrent of this univerfal Corruption, and 
 eilablifh Principles, not only directly oppofite to 
 iuch horrid, yet univei'fally eftablifhed Practices ; 
 b'-it Principles the mod pure and holy in themfelves, 
 the mpft agreeable to the jufteft Dictates of right 
 Reafon, as all his religious Principles are with Re- 
 fpect to God and Man. As for the ceremonial 
 Part, there can be no great Difficulty, if we will 
 but allow a moft wife and prudent Ltgiilator, as 
 undoubtedly 'Mofes was, to know what was belt for 
 the Government of his People, to prevent them 
 from falling into the Perverfion of the Heathens all 
 ground them ; especially if we take them, as the 
 Chriftians dp, as Preparations and Types of a more 
 perfect Law to come. 
 
 V. I lhall add one natural Confideration more, 
 before we come to the direct Proofs of the divine 
 Legation of Afofes, which is, that no Perfon, who 
 has any juft Ideas of Things, not even the Free- 
 Thinkers, can deny, but that the Mofaical Account, 
 if true, muft have been notified by God to Men, 
 either immediately to Mofes, or to the antient Pa- 
 triarchs before him, or to their firft Progenitors, 
 delivered down by a faithful Tradition, till the 
 Wicked nefs and Perverfion of the World made it 
 neceffary to have it promulgated anew, in a more 
 authentick manner : Any of thefe Suppofitions are 
 Efficient for revealed Religion. 'Tis faid, firft, 
 if true : becaufe that Point will be proved directly 
 by and by. ?Ti added 2dly, to our/r/? Progeni- 
 
 (ors,
 
 Diff.III, MOSA i CAL Creation. 4.1 
 
 tors, becaufe, I hope, as was obferved before, no 
 one pretending to Reafon, will imagine that Men 
 forung out of the Earth like Mufhrooms -, or that 
 the firft Man and Woman produced themfelves, or 
 were produced without any Caufe at all ; by Confe- 
 quence, we muft come to fome frft : A Proceflion 
 of Men in infinitum t being one of the greateft Ab^- 
 furdities in Nature : Now, how could the firft 
 Man, how could any of his Defendants know the 
 Manner of his Creation, and of the firft Origin of the 
 World ? the Precepts given him, but by the Me- 
 diation of God who gave them ? the Punifliments 
 denounced for the Breach of thofe Precepts, the 
 actual Inftitution of which Punifliments, deplorably 
 evident from the innumerable Miferies, under which 
 human Nature groaned from the Beginning ? The 
 Knowledge of thefe, could not be communicated 
 to Man, but by the Mediation of God originally ; 
 or to other Men, but cither by the perpetuated Tra- 
 dition of that Revelation, down to Mofes, or ra- 
 ther fuch Revelation being as good as obliterated, 
 by the Perverfion of the World, was renewed to 
 Mofes by the immediate Revelation of God. On 
 the other Hand, the true Knowledge of the Crea- 
 tion of the World by God, the Foundation of all 
 Religion ; the Fall of Man, and Punifhments fo 
 evidently conlpicuous in the Miferies of the World 
 for Sin ; the almoft univerfal Perverfion of Nature, 
 and Power of Satan on that Account *, the Means 
 to appeafe the Wrath of God, the Knowledge of 
 their intire Dependance on their Almighty Crea- 
 tor, for their Reconciliation ; the Eftablifhment of 
 the true and pure Worlhip of God, preferable to 
 the moft perfect of all his Creatures, whether the 
 Elements of Nature, the bright Luminaries of the 
 Heavens, or the moft fublime of all created Beings, 
 which Mofes declares to have been, all of them, 
 
 the
 
 42 Di/ertations on tie DifT. III. 
 
 the Works of his Hands, by Confequence not to 
 be worfhiped as Gods ; tho' the Blind nefs of Man 
 did worfhip them as God, almoft univerfally, 
 before his Time. As thefe were Truths fo wor- 
 thy of, fo necefiary to, and ought to be efteemed 
 the moft defirable by rational Creatures, fo it was 
 neceflary, in the divine Legislator, to eftabliih them, 
 in the Syftem -of true Religion ; as they could 
 not be ib juftly and perfectly known, but by Reve- 
 lation : Nay 'tis deplorable Fad, that great Part of 
 the World either were intirely ignorant of them, or 
 they did not obferve them, or at leaft had fo far 
 blinded their Reafon as not to mind them. 'Tis jufb 
 and natural to believe, that Mofes was immediately 
 commiffioned by God, to eftablifh his holy Law 
 among Men. So far, thefe juft and natural Con- 
 liderations, might induce any Man of common 
 Senfe, to believe the divine Legation of Mofes, of 
 which the Account of the Creation in the firft Chap- 
 ter of Gemjls, is the Foundation. They are not 
 propofed, as direct Demonftrations , but as very 
 much flrengthening the Proofs of Fact, as will be 
 feen prefently. I hope they will neither be thought 
 long, or unneceflary ; they are only brought to 
 fliew, that all human Confiderations concur in efta- 
 blifhing the Truth of the Mofaical Account ; that 
 it was not a political Impofiuon upon ignorant Peo- 
 ple, but the true and real State and Origin of the 
 World, necefTary to eftablifh the true Knowledge 
 of God, and our felves, and that divine Worfhip 
 all Men ought to pay him, as the Foundation of 
 all Religion. 
 
 VI. To proceed from thefe natural Confidera- 
 tions, to Proofs of Faff, for the divine Legation, 
 of Mofes, where the immediate Finger of God 
 will appear in the Eftablifh ment of theMofaic Law. 
 It may be fafely affirmed, that we have one of the 
 
 i moft
 
 Diff. III. MOSAICAL Creation.' 43 
 
 moft credible, unexceptionable Wknefles in the 
 World for his divine Legation : That is, the Tef- 
 timony of Mofes himfelf, and the moft venerable 
 Hiftory in the World, recording that Teftimony, 
 and bearing Witnefs to it. Let us but confider again 
 what Sort of Perfon Mofes was, and the Character 
 of the Man ; we fhall find him to be the moft an- 
 tient and venerable Hiftorian in the World, the 
 wifeft Legiflator of all Antiquity, acknowledged to 
 be fuch by the oldeft Remains of heathen Authors, 
 whofe Character, as to his human Authority, was 
 never exceeded, if equalled, by the wifeft Legifla- 
 tors ; in whom, all the Signs of Truth, Sincerity, 
 Veracity, Sanctity concur, as ever did appear in 
 any Writer in the World : A Man without Am- 
 bition, without Intereft, without any Endeavours 
 to raife his own Family, but only feeking the Good 
 of the People he govern* d ; whofe chief Views and 
 Ends in all his Labours, was to eftablifti the Know- 
 ledge and Wormip of the true God, with the pu- 
 reft Morality between Man and Man: Yet this 
 great Lawgiver aflerts in Terms, that he was corrr- 
 mifiioned by God, nay almoft forced by him, to 
 undertake the leading of his People, and eftablilh 
 his Law among them. When fuch a Perfon afferts 
 the Facts recorded in his Hiftory, and affirms his 
 Commiffion to have been from God in the Efta- 
 blifliment of his Law ; nay, proves the Truth of his 
 Legation by fuch Facts, as none but God, or one 
 commiffioned by him, could perform, as will be 
 ieen afterwards : If ever any Legiflator, or if ever 
 any Hiftorian deferves Credit, were we to go no 
 further, the divine Legation of Mofes deferves it. 
 We believe other Hiftorians, even heathen Hiftori- 
 ans, when they relate pofitive Facts, without any 
 further Proof; yet we will not believe the moft 
 antient, the moft venerable, the moft religioufly 
 
 prefer-
 
 44 DiJJertatlom on the DliT. IIT, 
 
 preferved, the moft authentically eftablifhed Hifto- 
 ry, as ever yet appeared ! Does not fuch an Incre- 
 dulity argue a Perverlion of the Judgment of mo- 
 dern Infidels, as well as Corruption in their Morals? 
 
 But perhaps they will object, that Mofes was then 
 cftablifhing a Syftem of Religion ; and his Hifto- 
 ry treats of religious Matters : therefore not to be 
 credited. A very rational Confequence this, truly ! 
 Tho* it is the real Englifh of moft of our Free- 
 Thinkers Objections againft Mofes, becaufe he 
 would eftablifh a revealed Religion. As if one of 
 the wifeft, and greateft Men in the World, recom- 
 mended by all the Characterifticks as can afcertain 
 any hiftorical Account, muft forfeit all his Right 
 to Truth and . Credit when he treats of religious 
 Matters ! What naturally ought to be inferred from 
 thence, is, that as Religion, even revealed Religi- 
 on, as to be its Being, or no Being, is a Point of 
 the greateft Importance in Nature : This laft might 
 be demonstrated, as clear as any Propofition in Eu- 
 clid : So it ought to be examined and confidered 
 with the moft unprejudiced Solicitude of any Point 
 whatfoever. I wifh our Free-Thinkers would con- 
 fider it in that Light. That the Mofaical Syftem 
 will bear fuch an Examcn, will be feen further, in 
 the following Articles. 
 
 VII. The fupernatural Proofs for the divine Le- 
 gation of Mofes, joined to the foregoing ones, are 
 a moral Demonftration, that he was immediately 
 commiflloned by God : by fupernatural Proofs are 
 chiefly meant, thofe ftupendous, and miraculous 
 Actions performed by Mofes, with the Circumftan- 
 ces attending them, by which any one, not quite 
 blind to the Light of Truths muft acknowledge 
 his Legation to be divine. Thefe Proofs may be 
 ftated under the following Heads, viz. ift, Whether 
 the Facts recorded to have been performed by Mo-
 
 Diff III. MOSAIC A L Creation." 45 
 
 fes, were really true as recorded: 2dly, If true as 
 recorded, whether they evince a divine Power and 
 Authority in his Commlffion. For if he was com- 
 miiTioned by the divine Authority of God, we muft 
 believe his divine Legation, or give the Lie to the 
 fupreme God of Truth : That this laft is impious 
 and unnatural, is as clear as the Sun. 
 
 Firft then, that the Fact? recorded to have been 
 done by Mofes, were really true as recorded, is 
 proved by the moft forcible Arguments, as can af- 
 certain any paft Fads : The chief Proofs for paft 
 Facts, are Hiftories, historical Monuments ; folemn 
 Rites and Ceremonies, to commemorate and per- 
 petuate thofe Facts to Pofterity ; a conftant Belief, 
 and Tradition of them from Generation to Genera- 
 tion, to the Time they are called in Queftion ; 
 authentick and credible Witnefies, living, and pre- 
 fent when the Facts were performed ; let them be 
 done, as yet, by what Power you pleafe. Who ever 
 fhould call in Queftion any juft Facts, attefted by 
 fuch Proofs as thefe, ought to be begg'd for a Scep- 
 tick in Hiftory, nay in common Life, as well as in 
 Religion. Now all thefe Proofs, and a great many 
 more, concur in Confirmation of the Mofaical Facts. 
 i. Hiftories. Tho' heathen Hiftories, either 
 collateral or cotemporary, cannot be expected on 
 this Subject ; becaufe the Mofaical Hiftory, and the 
 Scriptural next adjoining, are allowed to be the 
 mod antient of all others extant, yet known ; nor 
 do any profane Hiftories, certain, commence, till 
 long after Mofes's Time, nor, if they did, can 
 any Hiftory in the World be recommended to us 
 by more authentick Marks of Veracity, than the 
 facred Hiftories recording thefe Fails. The Marks- 
 and Proofs of their Authenticity have been partly 
 fet down already, and, if the Strefs Say there, may 
 be compared with the moft authentick Hiftories, as 
 Ver yet appeared j or indeed can be affigned : 
 
 Thefe
 
 46 Dictations on the DifT. III. 
 
 Thefe are not only thofe Books, juftly fuppofed to 
 have been wrote by Mofes himfelf ; which were re- 
 ceived, acknowledged, revered, and preferved with 
 the greateft Veneration by the then whole living 
 Generation, in the midft of whom, thofe Facts 
 were performed : That the Books of Mofes may 
 be juftly efteemed the Record of the whole Jewift 
 Nation at that Time. But there are other Hifto- 
 ries befide his own, confirming the Mofaical Ac- 
 counts ; nay, which is more, receiving them as un- 
 doubted and certain. As the Book of Jojhua, which 
 is not only a Confirmation, but an actual Continua- 
 tion of the wonderful Facts in the Eftabliihment of 
 the Mofaical Law and Government. Jojhua, as all 
 know, was cotemporary with Mofes, and com- 
 pleated the Settlement of the People of God, 
 which Mojes had begun. The Book of Jojhua is as 
 properly a Hiftory of the Acts of the Children of 
 Ifrael, in his Time, as the Hiftory of any other 
 Nation can be ; and I am fure more religioufly be- 
 lieved and preferved, than any prophane Hiftory 
 ever was ; nor do I believe any Man in his Senfes 
 will deny it to be a Confirmation of the Mofaical 
 Facts. That the aftonifhing Conduct and Con- 
 quefts of Mofes and Jojhua* were not Accounts 
 compofed by the Jews in After-times, is confirmed 
 by the honourable Mention made of Mofes, as the 
 great Lawgiver of the Jews, in the Remains of 
 the moil antient heathen Writers : See the foregoing 
 Differtation. But more particularly in that cele- 
 brated PafTage of Procopius, where he mentions a 
 Pillar, that was found in Africa, erected by the 
 Tbffnicians, i. e. Chanaanites flying from the Face 
 of Jojhua -, with an Infcription in Phoenician Cha- 
 racters, which the Learned know were the fame with 
 the Chanaanites, to this Effect ; We art 'thcfe, who 
 fed from tbe Face of Jofluia the Son of Nave. Prc- 
 
 cop.
 
 DhT. III. MOSAIC AL Creation." 47 
 
 cop. de Bell. Vandd. apud Bocbart, in Pr<efat. Cha- 
 naan. The fame learned Author quotes a PafTage 
 from Eufebius of the Chanaanites. <Tbefe fled from 
 the Face of the Children of Ifrael, and pecpkd Tri- 
 po!y in Africa, Eufeb. Chron. Gr<ec. p. u. 
 
 TV. B. This Infcription in Pb&mcian Characters, 
 as Procopius fays it was, feems to deflroy the Opi- 
 nion of fomc Moderns, viz. Mr. Hutcbinfon and 
 his Difciples ; who imagining they can't give too 
 much to MofeS) make him the firft Author of Let- 
 ters and Writing. For if the Cbanaanites^ drove 
 out by Mofes and Jofnua, carried Characters, or Let- 
 ters along with them, they had neither Time fuffi- 
 cient, or Correfpondence with the Hebrews, to learn 
 their Characters. For the Hebrews deftroyed and 
 extirpated thofe People, as they advanced in their 
 Conquefls. 
 
 But to return to the Hiftories confirming the Mo- 
 faical Facts : The Kiftory of Jojhita cotemporary 
 with Mofes, is undoubtedly a ftrong Confirmation 
 of thofe Facts. He acted in Commifllon with him 
 for fome Time; was General of the Hebrews , after 
 him, and performed as great Wonders, for the 
 Confirmation of his divine Legation, as Mcfes. did, 
 in the Eftablifiiment of it. 'Tis certain, I fay, this 
 Hiftory of Jojhua* is as properly an hiftorical Ac- 
 count of the Acts of the Hebrews, in thofe Times, 
 as Cafar*s Commentaries are of his, or any Hiftory 
 we have of William the Conqueror,, or indeed of 
 any other People : And I am fure, no Marks of 
 Veracity, or Authenticity, can be brought, which 
 don't concur in the facred Accounts. 
 
 The antient and facred Book of Job^ may be al- 
 ledged in Confirmation of the Mofaical Facts, or at 
 leaft, of thofe of Jojhua ; which are an Appendix 
 of the Molaical Facts, performed by Virtue of tlje 
 lame divine Commiffion. This antient Book pf 
 
 Job
 
 48 Di/ertations on the DifT. III. 
 
 "Job feems to allude evidently to one of the greateft 
 Miracles in the eftablimment of the Mofaical Legif- 
 
 ^j 
 
 lature; I mean the flopping of the Sun and Moon 
 in their natural Courfe : For take it how you pleafe, 
 philofophically, whether the Sun ftopt, or the Earth, or 
 theProgrefs of the Light ftopt, it was contrary to the 
 common Courfe of Nature, at the Command of a, 
 mortal Man, tho* infpired by God, to command 
 them fo to flop. The Book of Job alludes alfo to 
 the hardening of P bar cab's Heart, to Mofes's Mi- 
 racles in fplitting the Rocks, to give Water to the 
 Children of Ifrael \ to the miraculous Paffage over 
 the Red Sea, as well as flopping of the Sun : The 
 manifeft Aliuiion to thefe miraculous Facts, with- 
 out any great ftraining of the Text, may be feen 
 in Job c. 9. Who refifted Gcd, fays he, and had 
 Peace? In the Hebrew Text of Pagninus it is, 
 *' Who has hardened himfelf againft him, or towards 
 ** him, and had Peace? Alluding to Pharoah's 
 hardening his Heart againft God, and Mofes, and 
 differed fo much by it. Transferring Mountains* 
 v. 5. alluding to Mofes fplitting the montanous 
 Rocks for Water, treading on the Surges of the 
 Sea, ib. alluding to the Paflages over the Red Sea. 
 But particularly, v. " Who commanded the Sun, 
 ' and it does not rife ? and fhuts up the Scars, as 
 <{ it were under a Seal ?" as it is the Latin vulgat ^ 
 in the Hebrew, it is, u fpeaking, or faying to the 
 Sun, and he fhall not rife, and feals the Stars :** 
 Putting a Stop to all the apparent Motions of the 
 Planets. Is not this a manifeft Allufion to Jo/hua*s 
 bidding the Sun and Moon ftand flill ? Which 
 Miracle is referred to in a great many other Parts of 
 the old Scripture , and no Wonder, fince they were 
 fuch ftupendous Works, as none but the Power 
 of God could perform. The Learned may opine 
 differently of thefe Allufions, yet I will appeal ro 
 
 any
 
 DJfT. III. MOSAICAL Creation. 49 
 
 any one who underfbnds Authors, whether they 
 don't feem more naturally to refer to thofe miracu- 
 lous PafTages than any other. Thefe Texts therefore, 
 of Job^ fo manifestly referring to the Miracles of 
 Mofes and Jcjbua, are a fignal Monument of An- 
 tiquity confirming the Mofaical Fads. And tho' 
 fuch Allufions fhew, that the Book of Jcb was 
 wrote after the Time of Mofes and Jofou/r, yet the 
 mofl learned Criticks allow it to be extremely an- 
 tienr, veiy nigh thofe Times. 
 
 Neither can it be denied by the mofl: obftinate 
 Freethinker, that the Book of Judge ^ the Books 
 of the Pfetffts, the Writings oi the antient Prophets 
 in different Ages, as indeed the whole Tenour of 
 the Books of the Old Teftament, in fome Manner 
 or other, either refer to the Mofaical Fa6rs ; or 
 fuppofing them inconteflably true, in the Accounts 
 of the Governors, Kings, and Tranfadions of the 
 Jewijb Nation ; as the whole is founded on the 
 Mofaical Eflablimment. The 78th ITalm, in the 
 Vulgat it is yyth, is a mod elegant Recapitulation 
 of the Wonders, which God performed for his 
 People by the Hand of Mofes : Reckoning up in 
 the Praife of God, almoft every Particular of the 
 Mofaical Fads. So is the iO4th and iO5th. It 
 were almoft endlefs to quote all the Places in the 
 different Books of the Old Teftamenr, where the 
 Wonders of Mofes are either referred to, or fup- 
 pofed as certain. Don't thefe dtferve the Name and 
 Dignity of hiftorical Monuments, as well as the 
 Monuments of any other Nation ? 'Tis certain, 
 they do deferve that Title, even beyond any an- 
 tient hiftorical Monuments as ever appeared yet ; 
 why then we mud allow that the Mofaical Fads 
 are attefted, as to the Truth of them, let them 
 be performed by what Power you plcafe, by the 
 moft credible Hiitories and Monuments, as can be 
 
 E affigned
 
 50 Di/ertatiom on the DilT. III. 
 
 afiigned for any paft Facts. Add to thefe, that 
 moft elegant and pathetical Canticle, or divine 
 Hymn, fung by Mofss and the Children of Ifrael, 
 after their miraculous Pafiage over the Red Sea, 
 and Deftruclion of Pbaroab and all his Army en- 
 deavouring to purfue them. Exod. xv. is not that a 
 flanding Atteftation of that famous Paflage ? 
 
 But the fifth Chapter of the Book of Judith, 
 only taken as an antient hiftorical Monument, as it is 
 a moft fignal one of the Acts of Mofes, deferves a 
 more particular Obfervation. Achior, Commander 
 of the Moabites and Ammonites, then in the Ar- 
 my of Holofernes making War againft the Jews, 
 was afked by his General, what thofe mountainous 
 People were originally ; upon which Achior gives 
 him a plain and fuccinct Account of their Origin, 
 from their firft coming out of Mesopotamia. " That 
 " they left that Country, becaufe they would not 
 ct adore the Gods of it ; but only adored one God 
 *' of Heaven : That they went into Egypt, and fo- 
 '* journed there four hundred Years , that being 
 *' cruelly oppreflfed by the Egyptians, they cried to 
 " their God, who ftruck Egypt with various 
 " Plagues : That flying out of Egypt, the God of 
 *' Heaven opened the Sea to them, fo that the 
 *' Waters flood on each Side of them like a Wall, 
 " while they pafled dry-foot over the Bottom ef 
 ** the Sea : But that the Egyptians purfuing them 
 " were all overwhelmed with the Waters, that 
 " none of them efcaped : That coming out of 
 " the Red Sea, they occupied the Defarts of Mount 
 44 Sinai, where no Man ever did, or could in- 
 *' habit before : That there bitter Fountains were 
 " fwcetened for them to drink ; and they were fed 
 *' by Bread from Heaven (Manna) for forty Years : 
 " That wherever they went, without any Bow, or 
 
 " Ar-
 
 DifT. Ill, MosAicAL Creation^ 5! 
 
 " Arrow, without Shield, or Sword, their God 
 " fought for them, and overcame, &c" 
 
 Here is a fuccinct hiftorical Narration, confirm- 
 ing the greatefl Part of the Mofaical Facts, given by 
 a Foreigner, a commanding Officer to his General. 
 Achior might very well know their Hiftory, be- 
 caufe the Moabites and Ammonites^ whofe Leader 
 he was, were Neighbours to the Tfraelites ; and 
 tho' defcended from Lot, Abraham's Kinfman, yet 
 they were generally Enemies to the Hebrews^ made 
 a feparate Nation from them, and were then Auxi- 
 liaries againft them. 'Tis not to be wondered, if 
 this Officer, who we find was inftrufted, as he 
 might well be, in the Hiftory of a neighbouring 
 Nation, and incorporated himfelf with them after- 
 wards, when he faw the vifible Hand of God over 
 them, mould give fuch a fuccincT: Account , nei- 
 ther can it be a Derogation to this Hiftory, that the 
 Book of Judith is not in the Jewijh Canon ; on 
 the contrary 'tis rather an Argument, they did not 
 invent it ; but though it was not in their principal 
 Canon, the learned |St. Hierom fays it was always 
 efteemed by them as a facred Hiftory -, and that 
 the Nicene Synod reckoned it among the facred 
 Writings. Hier. Pr*fat. in Judith. St. Clem. Alex. 
 L. 4. Strom. Origen. Horn. 9. in Lib. Judith, and 
 fertullian^ L. de Monogam, look upon it as fuch ; 
 as it is certainly a venerable Monument of great An- 
 tiquity, preferred down to us, ever fince the Affy- 
 rian, or at leaft Perfian Monarchy, which is fuffici- 
 ent. Ought not thefe Records and Monuments to 
 be juftly efteemed real hiftorical Monuments, as any 
 other whatfoever ? 
 
 Before I leave this Article, I cannot omit a rrioft 
 
 remarkable Paragraph out of Didorus Sic&us, an 
 
 antient heathen Author, confirming' the mirar wlcus 
 
 Paflage over the Red Sea. He flourilhed in the 
 
 E 2 Tim e
 
 52 Differ faf ions on the DilT. III. 
 
 Time of Julius and Auguftus C<efars, of whom 
 our learned Dean Prideaux, in the ihird Part of 
 his Connexion of the Old and New Teftament, 
 gives a very great Elogium ; this antient Author, 
 ipeaking of the Icthyopbagi, a People inhabiting on 
 the Borders of the Red Sea, fays thus of them. 
 " Among the neighbouring Ictbyopbagi, fays he, 
 <{ there is a traditionary Account, prefer ved from 
 *' their Anceftors, that by a huge Chafm the Bot- 
 *' torn of the Bay [of that Sea] became dry ; the 
 " Waters of the Sea receding in oppc/ite Parts, ex- 
 " pofed the Bed of it to open View, which ap- 
 " peared of a green Colour, and then with a fud- 
 " den Flood returned to their Place again. Dio- 
 dorus Siculus, L. 3. p. 122. apud Eochart. in Pha- 
 leg. L. 4. c. 29. The Habitation of thefe Icthyo- 
 pbagi, being on that very Arm of the Red Sea, 
 where the Children of Ifrael pafied over. This 
 Tradition is a fignal Confirmation of that miracu- 
 lous Paflage, which being one of the grcateft Won- 
 ders performed by Mofes, confirms the reft. 
 
 VIII. Befide fo many hiftorical Monuments con- 
 firming the Mofaical Facts, that they were really 
 performed as recorded ; they are ftill more con- 
 firmed by the mod folemn Rites, Feafts and Cere- 
 monies, inftituted to perpetuate the Memory of 
 them ; and obferved with the greateft Veneration, 
 by the whole Nation, even to this Day as far as 
 they can, in the Places of their Difperfion. As 
 firft the Rite of Circumcifion, in Token of being 
 God's chofen People, when God miraculoufly efta- 
 blifhed his Covenant with their Forefathery/^^w; 
 and for which they were ready to lay down their 
 Lives, as Numbers of them did at different Times, 
 'rather than forfake that holy Rite eftablifhed by God. 
 2dly, The great Feaft of the Paflover ; which Mo- 
 fes commanded the Children of Ifrael to folemnize, 
 
 when
 
 DilT. III. MOSAICAL Creation.^ 53 
 
 when they were juft fetting out for their miraculous 
 Deliverance out of the Land of Egypt, and out of 
 the Houfe of Bondage. Exod. xii. v. 3. et dein- 
 ceps : " And I will pafs thorough the Land ot 
 " Egypt* tnat Night, and I will ftrike every firft 
 " born in the Land of Egypt, from Man, even to 
 " the Cattle j and in all the Gods of Egypt [VP^K] 
 tc will I make my Judgments appear ; I the Lord, 
 " ib. v. 12." ordaining that great Feaft to be fo- 
 lemnly kept for ever in Memory of thofe Judg- 
 ments. N. B. The Gods of Egypt are called Elo- 
 hi, by the Name of the true God : So that the He- 
 brew Word Elohi, or Elobim, could never fignify, 
 Perfons lying under a conditional Execration to re- 
 deem Man, as the Hutcbinfonians affirm. I juft 
 mention this, as I go. jdly, Part alfb of the 
 Manna, with which they were miraculouQy fed, for 
 forty Year?, and Aarotfs Rod, the Inftrument of 
 fo many Prodigies performed by it, were ordered 
 to be laid up in the Ark of the Covenant, as a per- 
 petual Memorial of the Wonders, the whole Na- 
 tion at that Time faw done with their own Eyes. 
 4thly, The Feaft of Tabernacles, or Tents of 
 Boughs , which they were to folemnize forty Days 
 together, for ever, in Memory of their living in 
 Tents, after their miraculous Deliverance from 
 Egypt; in fhort a great Part of their Rites and 
 Ceremonies, their other Feafts, and the -very De- 
 calogue itfelf , fo ftridly commanded to be kept, as 
 delivered down to them by the Voice of 'God in fo 
 dreadful a Manner, in the Hearing of the whole 
 Multitude, all thefe are indelible Monuments of 
 the Truth of thofe Fads. But, 
 
 IX. When we add to thefe, the univerfal, con- 
 ftant, uninterrupted Tradition and Belief of thefe 
 Fads, by the whole Nation of the Jews, from 
 the Time they were performed to this very Day,
 
 4 Di/ertations on the DiC III. 
 
 by which we may trace the Belief of them from Ge- 
 neration to Generation upwards, 'till we come to 
 the living Generation, who faw them done with 
 their own Eyes : When we confider that they were 
 performed in the Sight of fo many hundred thou- 
 fand Perfons ; and feveral of them in the midft of 
 other Nations, their great Enemies : That they 
 were fuch open, notorious, and at the fame Time, 
 fuch ftupendous Facts, that it was impoflible to 
 impofe the Belief of them againft their Wills ; for 
 it is to be prefumed Men in their Senfes knew, 
 whether they were delivered out of the Land of 
 Egypt* and the Houfe of Bondage, by luch Means, 
 or not : When they were often upbraided for their 
 Ingratitude in forgetting that miraculous Deliver- 
 ance : They muft certainly know, whether they 
 patted the Arm of the Red Sea dry-foot, or not : 
 Whether they were conducted thro' the Defart, by 
 the Pillar of Fire and Clouds rifing and fetting of 
 their own Accord, to direct them, .when to pro- 
 ceed, and when to reft : Whether they were fed fo 
 many Years by Bread from Heaven, with the reft 
 of the Miracles performed by Mofes, which were 
 abfolutely impoflible to be impofed upon them 
 againft their J^ills : And that fo many thoufands 
 fhould confpire together to impofe fuch a Lie on 
 their Pofterity, is equally impoflible. All thefe accu- 
 mulative Proofs taken together, eftablifli the Truth 
 of the Mofaical Facts, that human Reafon muft 
 believe them true as recorded : If true as recorded, 
 we (hall fee in the next Article, whether they do 
 not evince the immediate Hand and Power of God, 
 in the Performance of them : If they do, the Le- 
 garton of Mojes was divine, and immediately from 
 God. 
 
 The Objections of modern Infidels againft the 
 Truth of thefe Facts, are fo frivolous, that 'tis 
 
 i mer
 
 III. MOSAICAL Creation; 't>g 
 
 mere lofs of time to mention them. 'Tis certain 
 from the foregoing Proofs, that whoever mould 
 endeavour directly to perfuade us to doubt of the 
 Truth of them, let them be done as yet, by 
 what Power you pleafe, may at the fame time en- 
 deavour to make us renounce all our Senfes at once : 
 So far are Freethinkers from having Reafon on their 
 Side. However, I mall jjuft take notice of an Ob- 
 jection of the late Mr. Toland againft the Miracle of 
 the Pillar of Fire, in the Guidance of the Children 
 of Ifrael through the Defart. I think it is in his 
 Nazarenus y tho* it is a long time fmce I read him. 
 He there pretends to prove, that the eaftern People 
 of old, ufed to march their Armies by the Signal of 
 Fire in the Night, and by Smoke in the Day-time, by 
 which he would have us believe, that fuch an Expe- 
 dient was a mere human Invention. 
 
 But who told Mr. Toland^ that thofe Signals, 
 ufed, as he lays, by the eaftern Nations, did ever 
 rife of themfelves and flop of themfelves, indepen- 
 dent of the Will of the People, as it is evident from 
 the Scripture they did, in their Encampments : Does 
 not the Hiftory of Exodus tell us over and over 
 again, with a particular Emphafis, that the Cloud 
 covered the Camp for a long time together : That 
 they never ftirred, till the Cloud rofe up of itfelf, 
 and marched before them ; which they always fol- 
 lowed, till it ftopt : And always lay encamped, till 
 that, or the Pillar of Fire moved again , and this 
 for feveral Years together : could they be ignorant, 
 whether this was a common Stratagem of War, or 
 not ? Did not they all believe, nay faw, that it 
 was the Hand of God, that conducted them ? Is it 
 not recorded as fuch, is it not referred to as fuch, 
 in all their Hiftories ? in their Hymns, and Can- 
 ticles in Praifes of God for fuch a miraculous Deli- 
 verance ? What if the eaftern People might after- 
 wards take the Hint from that Miracle, to march 
 
 E 4 their
 
 56 Di/ertatktu en the DifT. III. 
 
 their Armies by Signals of Fire, as they do now by 
 Beat of Drum, firing a Cannon, erecting a Standard, 
 &c. Mr. TQland, needed not to have taken any great 
 Glory to himkif in fuch a Difcovery. But where 
 can he difcover that any other People were conducted 
 by fuch Signs from Heaven, and io authentically 
 attefted, as the Children of Ifrael were ? Till he 
 difcovers that, he difcovers nothing to the Purpofe. 
 
 X. The Mofaical Facts being proved to be cer- 
 tainly true as recorded, they as certainly prove his 
 divine Legation from God : Becaufe they mani- 
 fcftly argue the immediate Power of God in the Per- 
 formance , and as they were manifeftly performed 
 to eftablifh the Mofaical Law, they evince that Law 
 to be divine. That the Mofaical Fa6ts, as they 
 are now proved to be abloltKely true, argue the im- 
 mediate Power of God in them, may be eafily feen 
 by the Nature of thofe Facts th'emfelves, compared 
 with any human, or indeed any other natural Agent ; 
 either yet known, or capable of being known, by 
 all the Philofophy in the World : Much lefs is it in 
 the Power of Freethinkers, to '{hew that they could 
 be performed by any natui al Power , by Confe- 
 quence we have all the Reafon in the World to be- 
 lieve them to have been performed by the divine 
 Power : So far are Chriftians from departing from 
 Reafon in their Belief ; and fo far do all depart from 
 the moft natural Reafons, who difbelieve them : 
 For, though we don't know the v.niverfal Extent 
 of Nature, yet when we come to fee fuch aftonifh- 
 ing Wonders performed, as never were feen in the 
 Operations of Nature, fmce Nature itfelf had its 
 Being ; and this, not as it were by Chance, not for 
 once, or twice, but repeated for a long Serks of 
 Years, as fome of thofe Miracles were, in the Sight 
 of a whole Nation, and very likely in the Sight of 
 fome other Nations round them ; and this exprefly 
 to demonftrate to them the divine Authority in the 
 
 Legation
 
 DifT. III. MOSAICAL Creation. 57 
 
 Legation of. Mofes, 'tis a. mod rafli Conclufion to 
 advance, that they were performed by any natural 
 Means. 
 
 But there is fomething ftill more pofitive, and 
 evincing in the Mofaical Fads, viz. That the 
 known Laws of Nature were actually exceeded in 
 the Performance of them -, by Confequence, they 
 were performed by the Author of Nature : and as 
 they were performed to convince a contradicting 
 Race, that Mojes was commiffioned by the God of 
 Nature , 'tis a moil rational Conclufion, on the 
 other hand, to believe that this Legation was from 
 God, as, he declared it was. On the whole, to 
 divide the Sea by his Command, to make the Wa- 
 ters ftand on both Sides like a Wall, till his own 
 People were all pafTed over ; and then by the fame 
 Power, to make the Waters return and overwhelm 
 his Enemies ; to make the Earth open, and fwal- 
 low up the rebellious Cor -ah > and his Adherents ; 
 to caufe Fire to come out of the Tabernacle, and 
 devour the Incredulous ; to heal People flung by 
 S-rpentr, fl-nt immediately among them by the 
 Hand of God, by only looking at a Lump of Brafs ; 
 with the reft of the Wonders performed by Mofes^ 
 already demonflrated to be true as recorded : If fuch. 
 Operations don't exceed the Laws of Nature, we 
 are entirely in the Dark what does: Nay, we find 
 that the moft conftant, and univerfal Law of Gra- 
 vitation, was exceeded, fufpended, and overcome 
 by the Sufpenfion of the Waters in the Paffage of 
 the Red Sea : And as thefe Facts, as to the Truth 
 of them, are better attefted to us than that there was 
 fuch a Battle as that of Pharfalia^ Perfons muft be 
 harden'd againil all Conviction, who fhall difbelieve 
 them, or the dvine Power by which they were 
 performed. 
 
 When we add to thefe, not only the fucceeding 
 Miracles in the other Parts of the Old Teflament, 
 
 by
 
 5^ Di/ertatiom on the DHT. III. 
 
 by Virtue of the fame Divine Legation ; but all 
 the accumulative Proofs for the Chriftian Religion, 
 which bears Teftimony to, and is grounded upon 
 the divine Legation of Mofes t fuch Proofs, as all 
 the Power of Earth and Hell could never (hake ; 
 thefe Proofs, taken together, render the divine 
 Legation of Mofes inconteftable, with refpect to all ? 
 who are not wilfully blind. 
 
 Thefe DifTertations may be taken as Preliminary 
 to the fubfequent ones -, thofe that follow being the 
 chief Subject of this Treatife, on account of the 
 clamorous Objections of modern Infidels againft the 
 particular Parts of the Mofaical Creation : As be- 
 ing, fay they, contrary to natural Phiiofophy ; and 
 fo varioufly mangled by Commentators, that it 
 ought to be look'd upon, as they would have us 
 believe, no better than a mere human Invention. 
 Though this lad Confequence, drawn from the va- 
 rious Opinions of Commentators, is a very lame 
 one : For admitting by way of Hyfotbefts, that no 
 Commentators have rightly explained the firft Chap- 
 ter of Gene/is^ or even that it is above our Compre- 
 henfion in fbme Points, yet the Credentials Mofes 
 brings for the Truth of what he writes, with all the 
 foregoing Proofs of his divine Legation, are fuffi- 
 cient to convince any Man in his Senfes, that 
 though we may not comprehend all he writes, yet 
 we may be fure, that all is true in itfelf : Otherwile 
 it follows evidently, that God performed all thofe 
 Miracles to confirm a Lye j fmce thofe Fac~ls are 
 undoubtedly true, as recorded , and being true as 
 recorded, they manifeftly exceed the Power of Na- 
 ture. But there is no Necefiity of admitting fuch 
 an Hypothefis, as will be feen in the following Dif- 
 fertation ; where it will be proved, that the Mofaical 
 Account of the Creadon no way clames with natural 
 Phiiofophy. 
 
 DISSER-
 
 Diff. IV. MOSAICAL Creatioru 59 
 
 FOURTH 
 
 DISSERTATION. 
 
 rfhe Particulars of the Mvfaical Creation in 
 the firjl Chapter of Geaefis, confidered ; and 
 the Truth of them ejlablijhed> againjl modern 
 Infidels. 
 
 Previous Obfervations relating to it. 
 
 Mofes was commifiloned by God, 
 is certain from the laft Diflertation ; by 
 Confequence, what he delivers as the Foundation of 
 his Law, which he was commiflioned by God to 
 eftablilh, is alfo certainly true from the very fame 
 Reafons and Proofs, as eftablifh his divine Lega- 
 tion. Then by a further Confequence, the Particu- 
 lars of the Creation, which, tho' no Way contra- 
 ry to the Laws of Nature, could not be known to 
 Man but by Revelation, either mediate, or imme- 
 diate, muft alfo be true in themfelvcs, tho' they 
 may not be comprehended by every Capacity, 
 'Tis alfo certain, that the Creation of the World 
 by God, or the Knowledge of God, as Creator of 
 Heaven and Earth, and all Things contained in 
 them, with his fupreme Independency in himfelf, 
 and our Dependance on him, is the Foundation of 
 all Religion ; this will not bear any rational Dif- 
 pute : Why then, by another evident Confequence, 
 it was not only juft and natural, but even neceflary 
 for Mofes to begin with the Creation of the 
 World, as the firft Point of the divine Law, he 
 was going to eftablifh j not only for the Ifraelites, 
 
 but
 
 60 Differ tatlons on the DilT. IV. 
 
 but indeed for all Men, who were obliged to have 
 a juft Notion of Religion : Particularly fince there 
 were Perfons in the World then, as obftinate and 
 blind, as Freethinkers can be now ; who had wrong 
 Notions of Religion, with Refpect to the very 
 firft Principles of it. We need only read the 
 monftrous Notions, moft of the antient Heathens 
 had of the Origin of the World, and even of their 
 monftrous Gods, to be convinced of it , and of 
 the NecelTity there was, to eftablifh this fundamen- 
 tal Point. 
 
 II. Tho' the firft Chapter of Genejis has been 
 commented upon, and even varioufly explained by 
 numberlefs Commentators, in almoft all Ages to 
 this Day ; that does not argue the Text, to be 
 falfe and precarious in itfelf ; till Freethinkers can 
 perfuade us, that learned, and even fincere Men, 
 may not have different Notions in explaining an- 
 tient Writings ; which may be confidered as a dead 
 Letter, and yer, fuch Writings may be natural 
 and plain enough in the obvious Senfe , tho' learn- 
 ed and curious Perfons may fearch for various Mean- 
 ings and Myfteries in them. Befides, moft of the 
 Commentators of the Old Teftament, except Infi- 
 dels, and Freethinkers, believed every Particular of 
 the firft Chapter of Gencjis to be true in itfelf ; tho' 
 perhaps they might not take it right. Others having 
 embibed erroneous Principles of Philofophy -, or 
 taking fome Principles for granted, which further 
 Difcoveries have found to be wrong, they imagine 
 the Text muft be taken in that Senfe ; fo that if 
 fuch Expofitions are wrong, the Fault is in the 
 Expoiitor, not in the Text. Some of thofe Ex- 
 pofitions may not be hurtful to Faith, or Moral?, 
 whether they are true, or falfe ; other Expofitions 
 may have bad Tendencies, tho* perhaps, not in- 
 tended by the Authors of them ; others in fine may 
 
 be
 
 Dill IV. MOSAICAL Creation. 61 
 
 be invented to eftablifh, by the Authority of Mofes, 
 f;me whimfical Syftem of their own, contrary to 
 the current Syftem?, and true Philofophy. This 
 undoubtedly was not the Defign of Mofes , nor can 
 it be any Difcredit to his Writings, if ibme People 
 draw wrong Syftems from thole Writings ; or 
 would father their wild Notions upon him. How- 
 ever, 
 
 III. As there are, principally, two different Sorts 
 of Enemies with Refpect to the Mofaical Creation : 
 Firft, Thofe who reject the whole Account of the 
 Creation, as delivered down by Mcfes ; imagining 
 it to be contrary to the Laws of Nature and Philo- 
 fophy : 2dly, Thofe who impofe upon Mofes fuch 
 Syftems as are inconfiftent both with Religion and 
 Philofophy : For Example, that Mofes expredy wrote 
 the firft Chapter otGene/zs, to teach theWorld a Syf- 
 tem of Philofophy : To eftablifh fuch and fuch 
 Notions of the blefled Trinity, and a great many 
 other erroneous Notions, as will be feen in the diffe- 
 rent Differtations of this Treatife. The Enemies of 
 the firft Sorr, are our modern Infidels and Free- 
 thinkers, who reject the Mofaical Creation, as clafti- 
 ing with Reafon and natural Philofophy : Againft 
 theie, this prefent Differtartion is intended. The fe- 
 cond Sort are the Hut chin fonians -, of whom, and of 
 whofe particular Syftem and Tenets, I fhall give an 
 Account from their own Writings, in the fubfc- 
 qucnt Differtations. 
 
 But as the Notions and Objections, both of the 
 Freethinkers, and the Hutchinfonians^ will frequently 
 and neceffarily occur in explaining the Particulars of the 
 Molaical Creation ; thofe of greater Moment re- 
 quiring a longer Difcuffion ; I fhall refer to parti- 
 cular Differtations. In the mean time, tho* I fhall 
 prove afterwards, that the Defign of Mofes was not 
 to teach the World Philofophy, but true Religion 
 
 and
 
 62 Di/ertations on tie DiiT. IV. 
 
 and Morality , Subjeds of a quite different Nature 
 From Philofophy ; one may fubfift without the other ; 
 fince there may be, and without Doubt are, very 
 good, juft, and religious Perfons, who are no Phi- 
 lofophers ; yet we neither will, nor ought to grant* 
 that Mofes's Principle* clafii with any known and 
 certain Laws of natural Philofophy : 'Tis one Thing 
 not to teach Philofophy, and quite a different Thing 
 to advance Principles contrary to it : His Subject 
 feems to lead him no further, than to teach, that 
 the whole Syftem and Frame of the Univerfe was 
 immediately from God , created by him, in fuch a 
 Manner, as might give Men a more thorough, 
 more diftinct, and by Confequence a more lively 
 and fenfible Knowledge of his divine Power and 
 Majefty. Wherefore 'tis abundantly fufficient 
 againft modern Infidels, if it be proved, that the 
 Particulars of the Mofaical Creation are juft and 
 natural, taken according to the almoft univerfal No- 
 tions of Mankind ; and no Way inconfiftent with 
 any certain Laws of Nature. Nay, this is a Conde- 
 fcendence to their Weaknefs , becaufe the divine 
 Legation of Mofes being abfolutely proved to be 
 true, the Principles he eftabliflies by it muft be true 
 alfo : A Confequence as clear, as natural Reafon can 
 require. If therefore fome of the Particulars mould 
 be difficult to explain, a Perfon of any rational Un- 
 derftanding, would fooner diftruft his own Judg- 
 ment, than call them in Queftion : However I hope 
 it will be made appear, that it even argues a Want 
 of Judgment to doubt of them. 
 
 IV. I prefume, it may be allowed as certain, that 
 God, if he had fo pleafed, might have created the 
 whole Univerfe with one omnipotent/^/, as eafily 
 as he created the material Subftance of it : Which, 
 material Subftance muft have been created by him, 
 or could never have been at all : as has been de- 
 
 monftrated
 
 Diff. IV. Mas A i c A L Creation .' 6 3 
 
 monftrated in the firft Differtation. But whether, 
 as to the Fact, he created the Univerfe in the Whole, 
 at once, or in Parts, fuccefilvely, or inftantly, can 
 have no Difficulty in Rcafon, one more than the 
 other. The obvious and more natural Purport of 
 the Text declares to us, that he created it in Parts, 
 fucceffively. The Truth of which Text, on the 
 whole, is eftabliflied, by fuch Proofs, as are fuffi- 
 cient to convince any one of downright Obftinacy, 
 who fhould fland out againft them. Religion is 
 not concerned whether God created the World in 
 Whole, or in Parts, provided all was created by 
 God, at leaft with Refpect to Unbelievers. Neither 
 in reality does it much concern the Faith of the 
 Chriftian, or Jewijh Church, whether God on the , 
 Creation of the material Subftance of the Whole, 
 eftablifhed fuch Laws, as might form the other par- 
 ticular Productions naturally : Though no fuch Laws 
 could ever be afligned hitherto, by which the firft 
 particular Productions, as the firft Animals, firft 
 Fruits, Plants, or the Sun, Moon and Stars, &c. 
 might be formed ; but that all fuch Productions, 
 primarily, required the immediate Power of God in 
 their firft Formation j as well as the material Sub- 
 ftance of them. The Ufe of this Obfervation will 
 be feen afterwards, when we come to examine the 
 Hutcbinfonian Syftem ; who pretend that the chief 
 Intent of Mofes, was to teach the phyfical Syftem 
 of the Univerfe : By eftablifhing the Air, confidered 
 under three Denominations of Fire, Light and 
 Spirit, to be the univerfal Agent , which formed all 
 other Productions, material ones, at leaft : The*' 
 they grant that fuch an univerfal Agent, was firft 
 produced by God ; and by Confequence can't be 
 efteemed Atheifts, .or Deifts : Tho' they almoft 
 make a fecondary God of the Air, as will be feen 
 by Extracts out of their own Writings : However^ 
 
 fuch
 
 64 Differtations on the Diff. IV. 
 
 fuch a Syftem does not concern the Difpute with 
 Unbelievers, any further than it is a wrong and ab- 
 furd Expofition of the facred Text, which they re- 
 ceive, tho* explain wrongfully. But the main 
 Point in this DifTtrtation , is againft modern Infi- 
 dels : viz. Whether the Particulars of the Creation, 
 as laid down by Mofes are irreconcilable with na- 
 tural Reafon -, and claih with any known Laws of 
 Nature, which will be abundantly anfwered by the 
 Truth of the following Propcfidon. 
 
 The Mojaical Account of the Creation is no 
 way inconfiftent 'with Reafon, nor clafoes 
 ivith any known Laws of Nature. 
 
 THE Truth of this Proportion requires no- 
 thing more than the natural and obvious Senfe 
 of the Text, both in general, and in the particular 
 Branches of it : So that if the moft difficult Parts 
 of it, which will be obferved, as we go, contains 
 nothing impoflible, and irreconcilable with natural 
 Reafon, it is iufficient. As modern Infidels acknow- 
 ledge no Authority but natural Reafon, how juftly, 
 I will not here determine, 'tis needlefs to clog the 
 Queftion with the various Explications of it ; whe- 
 ther by the antient Fathers, or other Commentators, 
 to be feen in moft Libraries. Nor is it necefiary to 
 examine all the antient Verfions and Tranflations of 
 the Bible, but only the moft generally received ones. 
 On this Account, the chief Texts, I fhall have 
 Recourfe to, will be the original Hebrew ; the lite- 
 ral Verfion of it by Pagninus, allowed and put in 
 the firft Place, by our learned Walton in his Poly- 
 glot i the Latin Vulgat^ fo much efteemed by the 
 Learned of all Parties j and our own Engli/h Bible. 
 
 Not
 
 Di/T. IV. MOSAICAL Cieatioru | 
 
 Not but the Septuagint, fo much blamed by the 
 Hutchinfonians^ and other antient Tranflations may 
 help fbmetimes, for the better underftanding of the 
 fext ; but the four mentioned above, are thofe I 
 mall chiefly, make ufe of. N. B. Even the Hnichin- 
 fonians acknowledge the literal Tranflation of Pag- 
 ninus, to agree very well with the original Hebrew. ' 
 
 In order to examine the Mofaical Senfe more dif- 
 tinctly, I mail take the firft Chapter of Genejis, 
 Verfe by Verfe* as containing the chief Difficulties ; 
 occafioned more by the extravagant Notions of 
 fome Expofitors, than any Fault in the Text , in 
 fome Places almoft each Word in a Verfe is con- 
 troverted by the Extravagance of human Curioiity. 
 When each Difficulty is confidered, the whole may 
 be J3lit together, not as a Tranflation, but as what 
 feems to be the juft and natural Senfe of it \ with 
 Submifllon to fuperior Authority^ and even the 
 Judgment of any candid and impartial Reader j 
 giving my Reafons after any Verfe, or Part of a 
 Verfe, why I think it implies fuch a Senfe : And, 
 if I differ from Commentators of greater Note, or 
 find that any modern Expofitors draw wrong and 
 dangerous Inferences from the Text, marking fuch 
 Expofuions for further Difcufilon. 
 
 I muft make bold to repeat once more, that tho' 
 this Difiertation is chiefly againft Unbelievers^ yet 
 there will occur fome modern Expofitions fo necefTa- 
 rily mixed with the Examination of the Text, and 
 ifbme of them of a very dangerous Tendency, that 
 one can't help taking Notice of them as we go, of 
 which tho' a particular Confutation of them will be 
 referved till afterwards, yet the Reader will eafily fee 
 that 'tis violently wrefting the Text, to imagine fuch 
 Expofitions can be the Senfe of Mofes> I mean 
 the novel Opinions of Mr. Hutcbinfon and his 
 Followers, 
 
 As
 
 66 Diflertatiom on tbt DhT. IV. 
 
 As to the Holy Father?, and other orthodox 
 Expofitors of holy Writ, thefe believing the whole 
 Text to be divinely infpired, as undoubtedly it is,, 
 might very fafely and juftly fearch after different 
 Meanings of the Text, whether literal, allegorical, 
 typical, myftical, &c. without any Prejudice to the 
 Text ; hence fome of them explain the firft Words 
 of Genefts, In the Beginning , of the Son of God : 
 As if it were in his Son, God created Heaven and 
 Earth : Becaufe the Son of God is called Principium 
 in the 8th Chapter of St. John , when the Jews 
 afked him, Who art thou ? His Anfwer to them in 
 the Latin Vulgat, is, Ego principium, qui & loquor 
 vobis. 'Tis much the fame in the Greek, tho* our 
 Englijh exprefs it otherwife. Other Expofitors un- 
 derftand the Words, In the Beginning, as if it were 
 in Principatu, becaufe Principium and apyy are 
 fometimes taken in that Senfe ; ;. e . in his fovereign 
 Dominion God made Heaven and Earth. Others 
 underftand it of the Beginning ot Time, others of 
 the Beginning of God's Works ad extra, viz. that 
 the firft Production of God with Refpedt to Crea- 
 tures, was the Creation of Heaven and Earth. All 
 thefc Explanations very little concern the Difpute 
 with Freethinkers : What chiefly regards them, is 
 to take the Words of Mofes in the natural and ob- 
 vious Senfe, and then to fhew that fuch a Senfe is 
 no way repugnant to right Reafon and the Laws of 
 Nature, which will fully appear by examining the 
 Text, Verfe by Vcrfe. 
 
 GENE-
 
 DhT. IV. MorA i CAL Creation. 
 
 GENE S IS Chap. i. ver. i. 
 
 //; the Beginning God created the Heavens and 
 the Earth. 
 
 One may appeal to any Man of found Under- 
 fbnding, if the natural and obvious Senfe of this 
 Verfe in general, docs not mark out to us, that 
 the whole Univerfe received its firft Being and Exif- 
 tence from God. If fo, one may afk any rational 
 Perfon, is not that a Truth, fo far from being incon- 
 fiftent with Rcafon, the moft conformable to it of 
 any Thing in Nature ? See the firft Diflertation : 
 This therefore is certain in general, and nothing 
 could be more juft and natural, than that Mofes 
 fhould make that Declaration, as the Foundation 
 of his divine Legation and the Laws he eftablifhed 
 by it. 
 
 In the next Place, let us confider the Particulars 
 of this Declaration, and fee if we can find any Pare 
 of this Verfe inconfiftent with Reafon. The firft 
 Difficulty is raifed about the Words in the Begin- 
 ning, &c. Tbat is the literal Senfe of it, both in 
 the Hebrew and moft of the other Verfions of it : 
 This is as natural a Way of fpeaking as any Author 
 can make ufe of, when he is treating of the Origin 
 of the World. It is to exprefs more emphatically, 
 that it was God who gave the firft Being to the 
 Heavens and the Earth ; or that the firft Origin of 
 the World, or if you pleafe the Beginning of the 
 World's Exiftence, was from God. To fhew us, 
 that the Work! neither could make itfelf, exift of 
 itfelf, or could be at all, without a Beginning ; or 
 in fine, could have any Caufe of it, but God. By 
 which all Atheifm and Idolatry is fufificiently de- 
 
 F 2 ftroyd- g '
 
 68 Di/ertations on tie Diff. IV 
 
 ftroyed, with all Worfhip of Creatures, as Gods, 
 either the Heavens, Earth, Seas, Air, Elements, 
 Sun, Moon, Planets, &c. moft of which were 
 wormiped as Gods, even in Mofes 1 5 Time ; and 
 which he fufficiently (hews, could never be Gods, 
 becaufe they had their firft Origin from another. Is 
 this any way repugnant to Reafon ? Neither do the 
 Words In the Beginning , or Primarily, contain any 
 Pleonafmus, or ufdefs Repetition, but as a ftron- 
 ger, yet common way of Expreflion : We fay na- 
 turally, In the Beginning, Printing was invented by 
 fuch a one, or fuch a one firft invented Printing -, 
 in the Beginning of failing by Sea, fuch a one found 
 it out ; Mufick was firft invented by fuch a one ; 
 not that it was invented a fecond Time, but only to 
 mark more emphatically, from whence it had its 
 Invention. 'Tis true if Mofes had only faid, that 
 God created Heaven and Earth, it had been fuffici- 
 ent for Scholars , but Mofes wrote for all the World, 
 for the learned and unlearned ; and for that Reafon 
 exprefies it more emphatically : Nay, if he had 
 faid, in the very firft Beginning of the World's Ex- 
 iftence, it had that Exiftence from God : Such Ad- 
 ditions of fynonimous Words, has nothing abfurd 
 and uncommon in them. Thus he defcends after- 
 wards to the chief Particulars of the whole Creation, 
 to make the greater Impreffion on the Minds of 
 Men ; to mark out to them, that every Thing in 
 Nature was originally from God ; whereas if he had 
 faid only, that God created the Heavens and die 
 Earth, it had been fufficient, to imply that every 
 Thing belonging to them had its primary Origin 
 from the fame Caufe. The obvious and natural 
 Senfe then of that Verfe is, that the World had its 
 firft Origin from God. 
 
 Hence it appears, that it is a trifling, imperti- 
 nent Queftion to aik, tho' fome People have done 
 
 it,
 
 DiiT. IV. MOSAICAL Creation.' 6 
 
 it, In the Beginning of what ? Why in the Begin- 
 ning of the World's Exiftence, both Heaven and 
 Earth, and all that is contained in them, had this 
 Exiftence folely from God. Is there any Thing un- 
 intelligible in this ? Is not the real Senfe of it de- 
 monftrable by Reafon ? Was it not, natural to de- 
 clare to all Men, that the very Beginning, the very 
 firft Origin of the World, was from God ? Efpe- 
 cially in fuch a remarkable and important Epocba 9 
 as the Creation of the World. Hence alfo thofe 
 Words may confecutively imply the Beginning of 
 Time : Becaufe, as Time is the Duration of created 
 Beings, the very IVfoment the World was created, 
 Time began. I have been longer about this Ar- 
 ticle than fuch trifling Difficulties feem to require ; 
 becaufe fome People find Difficulties, as one would 
 think, for mere cavilling, whereas both the Way 
 of exprefting,- and the Senfe exprefied, is juft and 
 natural ; particularly, if we take the Scope of the 
 Author, who is teaching us, that the Origin of all 
 Things was from God. 
 
 God created, &c. This is literally, as it is in the 
 Hebrew i except, that OTl^K, Elobim, the He- 
 brew Word for God in that Place, is in the plural 
 Number , that is, Gods created the Heavens and 
 the Earth. This Difficulty, viz. why Mofes makes 
 ufe of the plural Number for God, will not do Un- 
 believers the leaft Good : Becaufe it is evident from 
 natural Reafon, that there can be but one God. 
 'Tis alfo certain, with Refpect to all,, who have 
 read the Scriptures, that both Mofes, and all the 
 Jews from the Beginning to this Day, bating fome 
 Prevaricators among them, in general, were the 
 moft ftrenuous AiTertors of the Unity of the God- 
 head of any People in the World. 'Tis no lefs 
 certain, that all the known Verfions and Tranfla- 
 tions, even the literal Tranflation of Pagmnus^ 
 
 F 3 render
 
 7Q Differ* a tions tn the Diff. IV. 
 
 render Elohim in this Place God, in the fingular 
 Number -, as it is evident it ought to be underftood- 
 fo in the real Senfe of it. Several Perfons give fe- 
 veral Reafons, why that Nanie of God is generally 
 exprefTed in the plural Number. Some think it is 
 to give us an Infinuation of the bleded Trinity : 
 Suppoie this ware fo, there can be no Inccnveniency 
 in it ; but that does not feem to be the literal Senfe 
 of the Text, nor the Meaning of Mofes, on Ac- 
 count that the Jews were fo prone to Idolatry ; but 
 more of this, when we copie to the Verfe, Let us 
 make Man, &c. The learned Monfieur Chevreaux, 
 in his Cbeveriana, p. 312. quotes one Erenclus^ 
 -who thinks, that, where Elohim is ufed for the 
 Name of God, as it is in the plural Number, there 
 is a Reticencia underftood, of Eloah, or rather El- 
 Elohim, the God cf Gods -, if that were true, there 
 xvould be no Difficulty in the Cafe : Such way of 
 expreffing is found in other Languages i thus 'tis 
 laid in Lattn^ in Pr<efentiarum> Homo frugi, and 
 the like, where there is a Reticencia of fome other 
 "Word : Now, as there were fo many falfe Gods, 
 "worfhiped in thofe Times, and God is often- called 
 in the Scripture the God of Gods, the Word Elohim 
 might be ufed, to exprefs it in fhort, and underftood 
 fo by the Jews. Others fay 'tis ufed in the plural 
 Number, as a more magnificent Way of exprefling 
 the Grandeur of God : As great princes fay -zc-f, 
 and j, in the plural Number, when only a fingle 
 Pcrfon fpeaks. Philo Judaus fays, 'tis to exprefs the 
 manifold Powers of God, tho' one in himfelf -, his 
 Words are " Unum faclorum dominium effe, necef- 
 *' fum eft : quo concede, attendenda funr, qu?e 
 ^ c inde confequenter dependent, quaenam funt ilia ? 
 " viz. Deus, cum fit UP.UF, dici non poteft, quam 
 ." multas babeat facias potentias, &c." In Engiijh^ 
 '* ' /is necedary, fays he, that there be but one 
 
 " Dominion
 
 Diff IV. MOSAIC AL Creation^ 71 
 
 " Dominion of things made (or in the Creation) 
 " which being granted, we mull have Attention to 
 " what follows from it, what is that ? viz. God 
 ** being one in himfelf, yet it can't be exprefied how 
 " many focial Powers he has. Phil. Jud. de confu- 
 " fione Linguarum, p. 345." This Reafon of his, 
 why Elobim in this Place, the very firft Name for 
 God ufed in the Scripture, mould be in the plural 
 Number, feerns to be a very good one, becaufe El t 
 one of the Names of God in the Angular Number, 
 fignifies powerful, or the mod powerful one : 70- 
 him or Elhim^ is the plural Number of /, as I 
 mail fhew at large, when I come to treat of the 
 Hutcbinfonian Syftem. But there is no need of 
 having Recourfe to any of thefe Explications, to 
 give a Reafon why the Name of God, Elobim, is in 
 the plural Number. 
 
 Becaufe the Hebrew^ as well as our own, and 
 other Languages, often exprefs any vaft and im- 
 menfe Beings in the plural Number : As appears 
 frequently in this very Chapter, where Heaven, is 
 Heavens i Water, Waters ; Face of the Abyfs, Faces, 
 and the like : See thefe Words in the Hebrew 
 Text, by Confequence 'tis a manifeft Idiom of the 
 Hebrew Language. In like Manner, when they 
 would exprefs the omnipotent and immenfe Power 
 of God, they often ufe the plural Number, as in 
 this Place, where Mofes is declaring the immenfe 
 Power that created the whole Univerfe. Tho* 
 when they would exprefs the incommunicable E- 
 fence of God, they ufe the Word Jebovab, which 
 is fingular. The Senfe therefore may be, that 
 God in his immenfe Power, or Powers, created Hea- 
 ven and Earth, without the lead Derogation to the 
 Unity of the Godhead. Nay in Englijh, we fay 
 fometimes, the fupreme Powers, the Powers above^ 
 and the like, yet we don't underftand a Plurality of 
 
 F 4 Gods :
 
 72 Dtffertations on tie Diff. IV. 
 
 Gods : Thus Heaven, tho* one immenfe Space in 
 itfelf, is either called Heaven, or Heavens : So we 
 fay Sea, or Seas ; Water, or the Waters , withou^ 
 any Impropriety in the Cafe ; efpecially if the Sub- 
 ject: be of any vaft and immenfe Extent. 
 
 Note, That not only the Hebrew, but mod other 
 Languages, exprefc God by different Names ; as we 
 fay, the Deity, the Supreme Being, the Firft Caufe, 
 the Divine Effence, meaning one God ail the while f 
 So the Hebrew Language has different Denomina- 
 tions for God : mn' Jehovah^ to fignify his EfTence : 
 ,*?K El, n*?K Elab, or Eloab\ and CD^n 1 ?** Elhim^ 
 or Elobim, 'to exprefs his immenfe Power ; \H8 
 Adoni, or Adonai* and 1<5 Jt[7 Shaddai, to exprefs his 
 Domination , \vb]) Elion, to exprefs the Height of 
 his Excellence. See Leigh's, Critica Sacra, in the 
 Preface. So that Mofes, when he was treating of 
 the Creation of the World, very properly makes ufe 
 of the Word Elobim for God, to fignify, that it 
 was the Power of God that gave the World its firft 
 Origin ; 'and in the plural Number, to exprefs the 
 Immenfity of that Power. ' 
 
 Hence there can be no great Difficulty in the 
 Word bar a, created -, whether it be taken as a Verb 
 fingular or plural, it is In the Hebrew as it is in 
 Englijh, the fame in both Numbers ; hence we fay, 
 He created^ or, they created : But as long as neither 
 Mofes^ nor any one elfe, could rationally underftand; 
 it of a Plurality of Gods, there can be no rational 
 Difficulty in it. That bara in this place fignifies 
 created^ in the ftrict and proper Meaning 'of the 
 Word, that is, the Production of Heaven and Earth 
 out of nothing, or no pre-exiftent Matter, is evi- 
 dent: Becaufe, by the firft Differtatiori it is certain, 
 that Matter could neither produce itfelf, "nor exift of 
 itfelf ; nor could there be any firft Matter prior to 
 the firft Matter : By Conference, the whole Mat- 
 '-:' ' . ter
 
 Difl*. IV. MOSAICAL Creation. 73 
 
 ter and ;: ubftaace of Heaven and Earth, was pro- 
 duced by God, out of no other Subject, either pre- 
 cxifting of itfelf, or produced by any other Caufe 5 
 which is properly Creation. 
 
 Before I leave the different Explications given by- 
 Authors of the Word Elobim being in the plural 
 Number, I fhall juft obferve, as yet, that the Hut- 
 doinfonidns not only explain it of the Trinity, but 
 of fuch a Trinity as Christianity never heard of, viz. 
 That Elohim> or rather Elbim, for it is neither 
 wrote Elohim t nor Elahim^ in the Hebrew, but 
 D^n^K Elbim, unlefs by the Punctuations, which 
 they utterly reject: But they fay, that Elobim i$ 
 not derived from El God, and in , the Plural 
 Elhim Gods, but from Elab, to execrate and curfe : 
 So that, according to thefe Gentlemen, Elhim, or 
 Elabim, as they always affect to write it, fignifies 
 the Perfons of the Trinity laying themfelves under a , 
 conditional Execration to redeem Man : That the 
 fecond Perfon of the Trinity performed the Condi- 
 tion, and was actually 1 execrated for Man, was ac- 
 curfed, and hung upon a Tree In bis Divinity ; That 
 Mofes taught this to the Jews by the Word Elabimi 
 that the Jews underftood '/#/> in that Senfe, &c. 
 I bslieve I need not acquaint the Reader, that this 
 is the moft abfurd Explication as ever was put 
 upon the facred Text 5 and to mention it is fuffi- 
 cient to confute it. But as it contains a great many 
 Errors and Difficulties, too long for this Place, J 
 fhall referve it for a particular DuTertation. 
 
 Heavens and Earth. There can be no great Dif- 
 ficulties in this Place, with refpedt to Unbelievers ; 
 fince it has been proved, that Heaven and Earth, 
 and all that is contained in them,' muft have been 
 created by God, or they could not have been at all. 
 But fome Moderns give very odd Explications of 
 them, at leafi of the Word 'Heavens, which mail be 
 I examined
 
 74 Di/ertatiom on the DiiT. IV. 
 
 examined prejently : But there is a Word, or rather 
 a Particle, in the Hebrew, placed before the Words 
 Heavens and Earth, which the Hutcbinfonians lay- 
 much Strefs upon ; though none of the Verfions of 
 the old Scripture take any notice of it. Except, as 
 fome may think, the Syriac Verfion in Walton's 
 Tranflation of it, which has effe Call, & effe Terr<e ; 
 the Being of Heaven, and the Being of the Earth. 
 This is the Word, or Particle HN Etb, or Atb^ 
 which moft Interpreters fuppofe to be a Sign of the 
 Accufative Cafe after Verbs Active ; though it is 
 ufed with other Cafes. One of the Followers of 
 Mr. Hutcbinfon has happily difcovered it to fignify 
 Atoms : As thofe Gentlemen maintain, that the 
 World was firft created all in loofe Atoms. Others 
 of them imagine, it fignifies ipjiflimam rei Subftan- 
 tiam : The very Subftance of the Thing fpoken of. 
 In the Hebrew Text it is Eth Sbamaim, and Etb 
 Erets ; i. e. according to fome, the Atoms of the 
 Heavens, and the Atoms of the Earth : According 
 to others, the very Subftance of the Heavens, &V. 
 but, by which Subftance they all, as I have read, 
 underftand Atoms : Becaufe, as they fay, all was 
 created in loofe Atoms. However, as was obferved, 
 neither the antient Verfions, nor the Generality of 
 Interpreters, take any notice of that Particle Etb ; 
 but rather fuppofe it to be, either a Sign of a Cafe, 
 or an Inclitic ; or, in fine, an Expletive, and Idiom 
 of the Hebrew Language. But neither Cornelius a 
 Lapide, nor the Notes on the celebrated Bible of 
 du Hamel, nor the learned Grothis, nor Junius and 
 TremeWus, nor the learned Notes in Englifo, in Fo- 
 lio, London printed, in the Year 16 , (the reft of 
 the Title Page being torn off) nor indeed any other 
 Antient or Modern, as I have yet feen, take the 
 leaft notice of it, as fignifying Atoms, or even Sub- 
 ftance, in this Place ; except, as was obferved, the 
 
 TranQa-
 
 Dili. IV. Mos A ic AL Creation. 75 
 
 Tranflation of the Syriac Verfion. But as this does 
 not regard the Difpute with Unbelievers, becaufe if 
 God created Heaven and Earth, in Effect he created 
 the Subftance of them ; yet this being a novel Ex- 
 pofition of the facred Text, and attended with a 
 Multiplicity of Errors, with refpect to the Syftem 
 fo which it leads, the Difcuflion of it (hall be referved 
 till we come to the Queftion, Whether God, firft 
 of all, created the World in Atoms, and then left 
 the Formation of all the reft to their univerfal Agent ^ 
 the Air. 
 
 As for the Word Heavens, 'tis amazing People 
 fhoiild make any Pifficulty about it, provided we 
 take it in the obvious Senfe of the Word, viz. thole 
 immenfe Heights and Spaces above us ; which were 
 alfo created by God, or they could not have been 
 at all : Neverthelefs, the vain Curiofity of Men can 
 fincl Difficulties in every thing. Hence feveral Au- 
 thors give a different Explication of the Hebrew 
 Word for Heavens. In Hebrew, leaving out the 
 Vowel Points, 'tis wrote CD^DtP Shamim, or Sha- 
 maim, becaufe one cannot pronounce Confonants 
 without the Sound of fome Vowel joined with them. 
 'Tis generally pointed, both in the Hebrew Bible of 
 Walton, and in the Dictionaries, Sbamim, or fome- 
 times Sbamaim. Mr. Hutchirifon and his Difciples 
 fay, it is the plural Number of the Word Sbem, a 
 Name. Hence Mr. Hutcbinfon fays 'Names in- 
 .ftead of Heavens ; God created the Names, inftead 
 of God created the Heavens ; not only becaufe the 
 Man would be fingular, or rather out of the Way 
 in all Things, tho' his Drift by it is, to introduce 
 his new Syftem of the Air, under the three Names 
 of Fire, Light, and Spirit, being the unii-erfal 
 Agent ; which he calls the Trinity of the Gentiles. 
 As if the Air, under thofe three Denominations, 
 Were eftabliihed by Mofes, not only for the uniyer- 
 
 fai
 
 7 6 Di/ertations on the DhT. IV. 
 
 fal Operator of all Nature, but as a real Emblem of 
 the uncreated Trinity. His Words are fo remark- 
 ably fingular, that it is pity to deprive the Reader 
 of fuch a Curiofity. In his Treatife called Glory 
 Mechanical^ p. 1 1 . he fays thus : " The Elahim 
 *' called the Expanfion, Names. Ibid. p. 3 1 . Fire, 
 *' Light, and Spirit, were not only called the 
 *' Names, by the Elahim, but were appointed Ru- 
 ? lerSy Subftitules, Reprefentatives of their Per- 
 "' finality" Which grand Agent, with thofe 
 three Names, according to him, the Gentiles adored 
 as the fupreme God. 
 
 Some hold, that the Word Shamim, Heavens, 
 is derived from Sham, an Adverb fignifying There, 
 and Mim, Waters-, as if it mould fignify, There 
 Waters, or the Place of Waters , to explain the 
 Waters being above the Heavens. This Derivation 
 is needlefs, becaufe the Waters above the Firma-r 
 ment will be (hewn to be the vaft Quantity of Wa- 
 ters contain'd in the Clouds, poifed by the Columns 
 of Air interpofed between them and the Earth and 
 Seas. Others indeed derive it from Sbem ; not 
 from Sbem, as fignifying a Name ; but becaufe that 
 Word alio fignifies Glory : as the Heavens wonder- 
 fully (hew forth the Glory of God. Others, in fine, 
 think it not a compound Word, but that it fignifies 
 of itfelf, Highnejjes, or immenfe Height*. The 
 learned Bocbart is of this Opinion ; in the Word 
 Samett, or Sbamen : Hence Kaalfamtn, or Ealjha- 
 men, ?*. Vide Bocbart in his Canaan, L. i. c. 33. 
 & alibi ; which feems to be the true Meaning of 
 the Word. However, Derivations and Radixes of 
 Words, are very uncertain ; efpecially in a Lan- 
 guage, of which there is fo little left , and only one 
 Book, without any other antient Authors in the 
 fame Language, to help us to find out the original 
 Signification of Words. I believe if one fhould afk, 
 
 from
 
 DiiT. IV. MOSAICAL Creation. 77 
 
 from whence the Word Heavens in Englijh is de- 
 rived, it would be hard enough to give a fatisfac- 
 tory Anfvver. One would think Heaven fliould have 
 a proper Word to exprefs it in Hebrew^ as well as 
 other Languages : However, that the Hebrew Word 
 for the Heavens does not fignify Names, tho' the 
 Confonants are the fame, feems to be certain ; efpe- 
 cially in the Senfe of the Hutcbinfsnians : Firft, from 
 the Abfurdities of fuch a* Senfe ; as appears fuffi- 
 ciently already, and will be feen more at large when 
 their philofophical Syftem is examined. 2dly, Be- 
 caufe none of the antient Verfions, Tranflarions, or 
 holy Fathers of the Church of Chrift, ever under- 
 ftood it in that Senfe. gdly, Becaufe it is univerfally 
 pointed Sbamim, not Sbemim, to fhew that they are 
 different Words. As to the pointing of it, it will 
 be made appear in its proper Place, that though the 
 Maforites were Triflers in a great many Things, 
 yet all the antient traditionary Marks for diftin- 
 guifhing Words, are not to be rejected with fuch 
 Scorn, as the Hutcbinfonians do, merely to favour 
 their Syftem. Before I leave this Article, I muft 
 obferve, that a very zealous Defender of Mr. Hut- 
 cbinfon, maintains, That by the Heavens Mofes 
 really meant the Air, or the vaft Fluid above us. 
 There is no great Hurt in that Opinion, provided 
 he does not mean the Air as the univerfal Agent^ 
 under the Shape of Fire, Light, and Spirit : The 
 infinite Abfurdities of fuch a Syftem, will be feen 
 afterwards. 1 never met with any Difficulty of 
 Moment about the Word Earth, when Mofes de- 
 clares, that God created Heaven and Earth, unlefs 
 in explaining the following Verfe. 
 
 Verfe 2. And the Earth was without Form, and 
 void ; and Darknefs was upon the Face of tbs 
 Deep -, and the Spirit of God moved upon the 
 Face of the Waters. 
 
 The
 
 78 Dffirtations on the Dlff. IV. 
 
 The Spirit of Difputing, or the extravagant Way 
 of Thinking of fome People, has railed feveral fruit- 
 lefs Quefllons on this Verfe : Tho' they don't fo 
 much concern Religion, unlefs, as a wrong Way 
 of explaining the lacred Text. Whether God 
 created the Earth at once, adorned with all its na- 
 tural Decorations, or produced only the Bulk and 
 Mafs of it, but as yet without Form and void of 
 its different Species, is equally poflible with refpcct 
 to Unbelievers ; nor is there the lead Contradiction 
 in Nature to take it either way : Neither can the 
 Free-thinkers infer from this Verfe, that Mofes meant 
 to defcribe the antient Chaos of the old heathen 
 Philofophers, fince none of thofe Philofophers were 
 fo aitient as Mofes \ nor are we fure that there was 
 any Tradition cf the heathen Chaos till after his 
 Time : On the contrary, 'tis more probable that 
 the Tradition of the heathen Chaos took its Rife 
 from a wrong Tradition, or fome imperfect Notions 
 of the Mofaical Creation. 'Tis very well known, 
 that one of the firft Principles of the heathen World, 
 was, not a pre-exiftent Matter, but Erebus, Dark- 
 nefs or Night : Very likely taken from that Place of 
 MofeSy where be fays, that Ereb and the Morning 
 made one Day : Which Ereb^ is the Hebrew Word 
 for the Even. Hence the Orientals of old begun 
 their Day from the Evening. Fide Bocbart's Ac- 
 count of the Doctrine of Sanconiathon, towards the 
 End of his Canaan, and He/tod's Genealogy cf the 
 Gods^ and Grotius upon this Chapter. On the other 
 Hand, a Chaos of pre-exiftent Matter independent 
 of God, and not produced by him, has been proved 
 already to be one of the greateft Chimeras in Nature. 
 What feems directly to follow from this Verfe of 
 Gen. i. 2. is, that Mofes meant to declare, that God, 
 for Reafbns bed known to his infinite Wifdom, took 
 feveral Steps or Degrees in the Creation of the World, 
 
 and
 
 IV. MOSAICAL Creation. 79 
 
 and did not create it in one Inflanr, tho' he might 
 have done it, to make the greater Impreflion on the 
 Minds of Men, that all things in Nature were creat- 
 ed by him. On which Account 'tis faid in another 
 place of the Scripture, that God created all things 
 together, or at once j to mew us, that there was 
 not one Being in Nature but what was created by 
 God. 
 
 But tho' we don't pretend to penetrate into the 
 Defigns of the Almighty, for taking fuch different 
 Steps in the Creation ; as the firft Day for the Crea- 
 tion of the whole Bulk and Matter of the Heavens, 
 and Earth, Seas, Air, &c. then, in the follow- 
 ing Days, the facred Text marks exprefly the diftinct 
 Creation' of the Ornaments belonging to each Ele- 
 ment ; the Sun, Moon, and Stars, for the Hea- 
 vens ; Animals and Plants for the Earth, Fowls for 
 the Air, Fifhes for the Sea, &c. neverthelefs, 
 even according to our way of conceiving, there may 
 be very good Reafons afligned for fuch a Diftinftion 
 of Days in this great Work. Firft, Thefe diftinft 
 Steps, as was obferved before, give us ftronger, 
 and more diftinct Ideas of the Omnipotence of God; 
 fo far are they from containing any Impoffibility, 
 or Abfurdity in them, zdly, That fince the Know- 
 ledge of God, as the Creator of all Things, is one of 
 the chief Fundamentals of all true Religion, it 
 feems highly proper in the Divine Lawgiver, to in- 
 culcate in the Minds of Men, as llrongly as pofli- 
 ble, a more diftinct Knowledge of their intire De- 
 pendance on, him ; efpecially, fince the Generality 
 of the World, even in his Time, were fo prone to 
 Idolatry as to adore Creatures, of every Element, 
 inftead of the Creator of all. Such a momentous 
 Point was not to be patted over (lightly : The 
 World was to be more diftinctly informed, that 
 thofe Elements, all the different Species of Beings, 
 
 all
 
 86 Dictations M tfa DiiT. IV. 
 
 all the Wonders and Beauties of the Urfiverfe, 
 which they aclually adored as Gods, were far 
 enough from being fuch, fince they were all created 
 by God, and by Confequence could not be Gods : 
 By this railing our Ideas of his infinite Power and 
 Majefty, and convincing us of it, by (hewing that 
 he made thofe very Beings, they took for Gods, we 
 might be more ready to pay our Adorations fd 
 juftly due to him. 3dly, As the Adoration of the 
 fupreme Deity, was a Duty incumbent on all Men; 
 fo it was highly proper that fome external Worfliip, 
 and Time for that Worfhip, mould be eftablimed 
 from the Beginning ; as fetting apart one Day, at 
 a competent Time, as one Day in feven, to pay our 
 Adorations to him ; which was marked out by the* 
 Sanctification of the Sabbath : Neither could any 
 be more proper, than the Day on which God reft- 
 ed from his Works : That the Diftinction of the 
 feven Days, fix of them for the Works of Godj 
 and the feventh for his Reft, might very properly 
 be to eftablifh fuch a folemn Worlhip : And that 
 folemn Wormip and SancYification, might bs a 
 perpetual Monument of the diftin<5t Creation of all 
 the Works of God ; as well as an Emblem of our 
 perpetual Reft with him, if we labour in this World 
 as we ought to do. The Beginning therefore of 
 the Works of God, was only the Creation of the 
 whole Matter and Subftance of the Univerfe ; to 
 be diftinguifhed into particular Species afterwards. 
 Whether this Subftance of the whole was created in 
 mere Atoms, or much more agreeably to the fa- 
 cred Text, in their natural Bulk and Confidence* 
 as to the Matter of them, is nothing to the Dif- 
 pute with modern Infidels ; though they were not 
 as yet difpofed in their proper Order. 
 
 But before we defcend to the particular material 
 Species : As Chriftians believe From the invincible 
 
 Proofs
 
 DHT. IV. MOSAIC AL Creadon. 81 
 
 Proofs for Chriftianity, that there are fuch Beings as 
 Angels -, and as natural Reafon convinces u?, that 
 ail Beings under God mud be created Beings, it 
 may naturally raile a Queftion, When thefe Angels 
 were created ? becaufe Mofes does not mention any 
 thing of them in particular. But rhere is a very 
 juft Reafon for his Silence in that Refpect ; on ac- 
 count that the Generality of the World, and even 
 the People he was then intruding, were fo prone 
 to Idolatry, that they were inclined on feveral Oc- 
 cafions to worfhip mere material Elements ; much 
 more might they be inclined to worfhip fuch fupe- 
 rior and fublime Beings as Angels. What his par- 
 ticular Reafbns were we don't know -, but he fays 
 nothing of them in the Account of the Creation ; 
 though they are mentioned in other Places. The 
 fame Reafon might make him fo fparing in men- 
 tioning the Holy Trinity , for fear of being thought 
 by thofe ignorant People to have a Plurality of God?, 
 againft which he cautions them fo much. But as 
 for the Angels, fmce they mud be created Beings ; 
 and fmce they are fuppofed to be nearer the Throne 
 of God, according to our Way of Thinking, and 
 their Habitation to be in Heaven, there is much 
 greater Foundation to believe, that they were created 
 with the Heavens the firft Day, than, as fome have 
 believed, that they were created before God began 
 the Creation of the material World. When Mofes 
 fays, In the Beginning God created the Heavens^ 
 one may juftly believe he meant all other Brings be- 
 longing to the Heavens ; except thofe, whofe par- 
 ticular Formation he mentions diftinctly afterwards : 
 as the Sun, Moon, Stars, &c. which, though 
 they have their Stations allotted them in the Re- 
 gions above us, yet properly belong to the material 
 Beings, being really material Bulks, and are pro- 
 perly ferviceable to the Earth, by their illuminations, 
 
 Q natural
 
 8 2 Di/ertafiom on the Diffi IV. 
 
 natural Influences, and the like. As for the Pat- 
 fage of Job, where it is fuppofed by fome, that 
 the Angels flood by, when God laid the Founda- 
 tion of the Earth, and by Confequence, iay they, 
 muft exift before , fo they might, not improperly, 
 and yet be created the firft Day in the Beginning of 
 the Works of God : Since by the Order of the 
 Creation, as declared by Mofes, the Heavens were? 
 created firft ; and the Angels might very juftly be 
 the firft Part of the Creation of the Heavens ; and 
 even exult with Raptures of Joy, when they faw 
 the wonderful Works of God in the reft of the Crea- 
 tion. By Confequence, the Opinion of thofe who 
 imagine, that the Angels were created before God 
 began the Creation of the World, has very little 
 Foundation in Scripture. But as the Heavens arc 
 ranked in the firft Order of Creation, in which it is 
 manifeft, God obferved different Gradations, the 
 natural Tenor of the facred Text leads us to be- 
 lieve, that the principal Beings belonging to the 
 higheft Heavens were then created ; and being 
 created perfect Intelligences, might very juftly be 
 underftood to ftand by, according to the Scripture 
 Phrafe, when God laid the Foundations of the Earth. 
 But provided they were created, is fufficient againft 
 modern Infidels ; the chief Point againft them, is, 
 whether there be any Angels at all good or bad : 
 Both which mail be proved in its proper Place. 
 
 3. Without Form and void. Although Commen- 
 tators in this Place, as well as the different Verflons 
 and Trarifiations, make fome fmall Difference in the 
 meaning of thefe Words ; in Hebrew they are fohu ve 
 .S0.TheTranflation of them by Pagninus^ is Defert 
 and Emptinefs ; in the Latin Vulgat^ 'tis Empty 
 and Void ; in the Septuagint, Invifible and Incom- 
 pofed ; from the Syriack^ Defert and Uncultivated - y 
 the Samaritan, the fame as the Vulgat -, the Ara- 
 
 bick t
 
 Dill IV. MOSAICAL Creation. 83 
 
 tick, covered with Abyffes : Thefe Tranflations 
 are allowed by our learned Walton. One fees by 
 them, that there is but little Difference in the real 
 Meaning of them, but that all the Verfions would 
 exprefs die firft State of the Earth : viz. that only 
 the material Bulk of it was the firft Creation of the 
 material Beings, without Animals, Trees, Plants, 
 Fru its, Grafs, &c. By coniequence, it might be juftly 
 declared to be empty and void of all Things. Then, 
 by a further Confequence, modern Infidels cannot, 
 juftly, object any thing againft this Part, provided 
 only, that God could have fo created the Earth -, that 
 is, by different Degrees, as well as all at once. But 
 what Man of common Senfe will deny-, but God 
 could have done one as well as the other ? not that 
 the Earth in this firft Creation, was without the pro- 
 per Nature of Earth, or a mere Nothing ; fork was a 
 real material Earth ; but without all other Orna- 
 ments and Productions, covered, and in a great 
 Meafure mixed with Waters, and the whole Mafs 
 overwhelmed with Darknefs. But not mere loofe 
 Atoms, to be formed afterwards into different Spe- 
 cies, by their univerfal Agent, the Air, as the Hutch - 
 infonians fondly pretend -, as if, according to thefe 
 Imaginers, God at firft only created the Atoms of 
 all Things, and then formed out of thefe Atoms 
 another Agent ; or at leaft made the fineft of thef 
 Atoms the Agent which produced the other Species. 
 9 Tis an Explication, I am fure, the Text ftands in 
 no Need of ; and will be (hewn to be monftroufly 
 wrong in itfelf. But it is fufficient in this Place, that 
 Cod firft created the whole material Subftance of 
 the Earth, &c. and then, to give us a more diftinct 
 and. permanent Idea of his Omnipotency, produced 
 the different Species in the Order he thought pro- 
 per. Is there any Inconfiftency in this ? 
 
 But to examine thefe Words a little more parti- 
 cularly. The Jr&me i W6rcIs, without Form and void* 
 
 G 2 ex-
 
 84 Di/ertations on the DifT. IV. 
 
 exprefied by Fobu and Bohu, are almoft fynonymcus, 
 as they are tranflated by the Vulgat, Empty and 
 Void ; of which the learned Leigh, in his Critica 
 Sacra, fays, " That the antient Latin Interpreter 
 " rightly renders them [Tohu ve Bohu] by Inanis 
 " and Vacua, fynonymous Terms, as thofe Words, 
 " fays he, after Munfter, almoft fignify one and the 
 " fame Thing. When extream Emptinefs, con- 
 " tinues he, and Defolation of Place is meant, it 
 c< is exprefled by tfohu and Bohu." Leigh* sCrit.facr. 
 In the Word IPO, it is in reality a mere Hebrew 
 Phrafe and Idiom, joining thofe two Words toge- 
 ther to exprefs more emphatically the fame thing, 
 when exceeding Defolation is fignified. Hence in 
 Ifaiab xxiv. 12. 1HH obu 9 is rendered by Pagni- 
 xus, Inanitas \. and the Stones of Bohu, don't fig- 
 nify Stones of Hcllownefs, that is mere Nonfenfe ; 
 but Stones of Defolation : The Reafon of this lad 
 Remark will be feen afterwards. 
 
 5 Tis not improbable, that the antient Heathens 
 derived their firft Chaos from this defolate State of 
 the firft Creation, which they mifunderftood, as if 
 the Chaos, or the Materia informis, exifted of itfelf. 
 The Bau of Sancomathon feems to be taken from 
 this Word Bohu. Grotius fays, it fignifies Inanity, 
 Lib. de ver. rel. ch. Bochart in Sanconiatban, thinks 
 it mould be wrote Baut y which according to him 
 fignifies Night, that is, the dark, inform Mafs of 
 the firft Creation. Be that as it will, the Antients 
 had an imperfect Tradition of the State of the 
 Earth, at its firft Creation ; not altogether unlike 
 the Defcription of Mofes, which fee in thofe two 
 learned Authors, 
 
 But, tho* the Earth at the firft Creation may be 
 properly faid to have been without Form and void, 
 yet the Word void, in this place, does not neceffa- 
 rily imply a vaft central Hollo wnefs, or an immenfe 
 Cavity in the Bowels of the Earth, as the Hutcbin- 
 
 fonians
 
 DifT. IV. MOSA i CAL Creation. 85 
 
 fonians and fome more antient Commentators have 
 imagined. Which central Cavity, fay they, at the 
 firir Creation, was filled with Air, called by them 
 Darknefs ; and a Darknefs, maintained by thefe 
 Gentlemen to be a real Subftance ; and indeed, ac- 
 cording to them, to be the very fame Subftance 
 with Light, as we (hall fee afterwards . But at the 
 Separation of the Waters, the Air and Waters, I 
 don't know by what PaiTages, or Art, mifted their 
 Places ; the Air flying up, and the W'ater remain- 
 ing in that central Cavity, till the Deluge ; then the 
 Waters mounted up again, and the Air defcended 
 to fill their Place ; and by that Means, fay they, 
 the Waters were above the Air or Firmament, viz. 
 above the Air in that central Hollow. After the 
 Deluge was over, lay the Hutcbinfoniaris, the Air 
 mounted up again, and the Waters took their Place, 
 remaining ftill in that central Hollow. Whether 
 the Earth was created with fuch a central Cavity, 
 full of Air, will be examined more particularly after- 
 wards ; however, the Word imd % in this Place, 
 does not necejjarily imply fuch a central Cavity, 
 which is fufficient for the prefent ; but only a want 
 of external Ornaments and Prod u&ions, with which 
 it was to be adorned afterwards. The Word void 
 is taken frequently in all Languages in this Senfe ; 
 as void of Fruit, void of Leaves, Grafs, &c . void 
 of all living Creatures ; nay we fay commonly, void 
 of Meaning, void of Senfe, where, I am fure, a real 
 Hollownefs is not underftood ; altho* it is taken 
 fprrietimes for a real Hollownefs and Cavity. But 
 the moft natural and obvious Senfe of it in this Place 
 is, that the Earth, at its firft Creation, was void of 
 all Ornaments and different Species, with which it 
 was replenifhed and adorned afterwards. This is 
 manifestly confirmed by the facred Hiftorians parti- 
 cularizing the pofterior Productions of Animals, 
 
 G 3 Flams,
 
 86 DiJJertatiom on the DiiT. IV. 
 
 Plant?, &c. according to their different Species. 
 Nor, in fine, is it any way necefiary to imagine 
 fuch a central Cavity in the Bowels of the Earth, 
 whether there be any fuch, or not, in order to ex- 
 plain the Separation of the Waters, above and fo- 
 xealbthe Firmament : befide the Difficulties attend- 
 ing fuch a Suppofition, when we come to the fepa- 
 rate DifTertauon upon it. 
 
 And Darknefs was upon the Face of the Deep. 
 There can be no great Difficulty in this, with re- 
 ipect to Unbelievers, provided they will but allow, 
 that God had Power to create the material Sub- 
 Itance of the Univerfe, before he was pleafed to 
 create material Light. I fay, material Light ; for 
 a!l luminous Bodies, as we yet know of, confift of 
 real material Particles , let them be never fo fmall, 
 let them be in what Shape you pleafe, they are 
 Matter ftill. Why then, if God could have creat- 
 ed the Earth before he created fuch luminous Par- 
 ticles, or any luminous Body, the whole Mafs muft 
 as yet be covered with Darknefs. But, without 
 Doubt, God could have created what Part of the 
 Univerfe he pleafed, before any other : By Confe- 
 quence, there can be no Abfurdity in the leaft, if 
 . Darknefs was on the Face of the Abyfs, before it 
 was illuminated by the Production of Light. 
 
 This is evident with refpect to Unbelievers. But 
 the Hutchinfonians have created a Difficulty, ex- 
 ifting only in their own, or fuch like Imaginations, 
 about the Word Darknefs, imagining it to be a 
 real pofitive Subftance ; viz. that by Darknefs is 
 meant the real Subftance of Air , but, as yet, in 
 a ftagnating Condition. They term it ftorkened, 
 or congealed ; whereas the Generality of Philofo- 
 phers by Darknefs underftand Abfence of Light, 
 and that very juftly : Where there is no Light, in 
 this fublunary State, whether there be Air, or not, 
 
 \v'e
 
 DiiT. IV. MOSAICAL Creation." 87 
 
 we may properly fay, there is Darknefs. The Air 
 may be without any Light, as well as any other 
 Bodies -, but then neither the Air, nor other Bodies, 
 will be Darknefs. Suppofe there might be Vacui- 
 ties in Bodies, 'or diffeminate Interftices in the in- 
 ward Texture of Bodies, where neither Air or 
 Light can penetrate, there would be properly Dark- 
 nefs in fuch Interftices ; by Confequence, Air is not 
 Darknefs, nor Darknefs Air, in any Condition. 
 
 Neither is it eafy to conjecture, why thefe Gen- 
 tlemen would make us believe, that Mofes in this 
 Place by Darknefs meant ftagnated or ftorkened Air, 
 unlefs to introduce their new favourite Syftem, That 
 Air, under their three Denominations of Fire, Light^ 
 and Spirit^ is almoft every Thing , their univerfal 
 Agent, by which God, after the firft Creation of 
 the Chaos, produced all other natural Effects ; or 
 rather, according to them, gave it Power in iuelf 
 to produce all other Species -, as will be fhewn trcrn 
 their exprefs Writings, making it, if not their own 
 God, at leaft the fupreme God of all Heathens. 
 Air, according to them, is called Spirit ; and is 
 the fame in Effect, with them, as Darknefs : So 
 that Spirit, inftead of being active in itfelf, is mere 
 Darknefs, mere Stagnation. Let them fix their 
 whimfical Notions to Words of their own Creation, 
 if they pleafe ; but how the Hebrew Word Cajbek, 
 which Mofes in this Place ufes for Darknefs, comes 
 to fignify Air, and Spirit, is not eafily feen. Mo- 
 fes ufes in this Chapter Aor for Air or Light, and 
 Ruah for Spirit, not Chafek for either ; but for 
 Darknefs, quite a different Thing from either ; 
 each Word having its proper Signification. But 
 more of this, when we come to their Derivation of 
 the Hebrew Words. 
 
 According to the fame Gentlemen, Air broken, 
 
 pr ground to a vaft Fincnefs, and endowed with. 
 
 Q 4 Motion,
 
 S ttiffertations on'tke DifT. IV. 
 
 Motion, is Light ; when the fame Air is intirely 
 melted, it becomes Fire ; as far as it is poffible to 
 underftand their unaccountable Syftem, or the Mo- 
 tives for it : So that the very fame Being is Light 
 and Darknefs, Fire and Stagnation. But the Scrip- 
 ture Words ought not to be wrefted to eftablifli any 
 new Syftem of Philofophy, much lefs fuch a Syftem : 
 And as that Syftem will be thoroughly examined in 
 its proper Place, where the State of the Queftion 
 \vill be drawn up in their own Words, let it fuffice 
 as yet, that the Word Darknefs, in this Text, does 
 not mean ftagnated Air. 
 
 On the Face of the Deep. There can be no great 
 Difficulty in this, either as to the Words or Senfe. 
 Abyfs or Deep, is generally taken for an immenfe 
 Depth of Water, or any other vaft Fluid ; or fome- 
 times for an immenfe Cavity ; fometimes for a 
 Gulph, or Whirlpool ; but generally fuppofing a 
 vaft Depth. Some People may quibble on it, but 
 it is not worth notice. Grotius, L. ver. R. ch. 
 fays, it means the fame as /Aw, a Word the antienc 
 Heathens ufed for the Mixture of their Chaos ; Wa- 
 ter, Earth, and perhaps Air, blended together. Taken 
 in either of thefe Significations, it properly expreffes 
 the State of the new Creation, without Form, and 
 void of all particular Productions. When the 
 whole Mafs of the Earth was covered with Waters, 
 and in fome meaiure blended with them, that is, 
 for a confiderable Depth, how far is not eafy, nor 
 necefTary to determine ; neither is it neceflary any 
 way to believe, that the whole Mafs of the Earth 
 was fo blended together with the Waters, as to 
 make a Hodge-podge, or a mere Hafty-pudding ; 
 as the late Mr. Woodward^ in his Hiftory of the 
 Earth at the general Deluge, would perfuade us : 
 Which Opinion is adopted by fome of the Hut- 
 chinfonians, and (hall be examined apart : But that 
 the vaft Bulk of Waters, which were afterwards 
 
 drawn
 
 Diff. IV. MOSAICAL Creation. 89 
 
 drawn up into Clouds, lay upon the Face of the 
 Earth, diflblving it for a good Depth into Mud ; 
 the whole Body of the Air lying upon the Waters 
 at the fame time, and blended perhaps with the 
 Waters, as the Waters were with the upper Parts 
 of the Earth , the whole Mafs of the Fluid mufl 
 conftitute an immenfe Abyfs'and Deep; and all be- 
 ing overwhelmed with Darknefs, as muft happen 
 before any Light was produced, the divine Hifto- 
 rian fays very properly, And Darknefs was upon 
 the Face of the Deep. 
 
 And the Spirit of God moved upon the Face of 
 the Waters. This Text contains fome Difficulty 
 with refpedl to Chriftian Expofitors , but very 
 little, with refpeft to Unbelievers. For fuppofe by 
 the Spirit of God we underftand the Holy Ghoft, 
 as feveral of the Fathers of the Church did ; that 
 vivifying Spirit, which enlivens all things, now im- 
 pregnating, quickening, and preparing the inform 
 Mais for future Productions , there can be nothing 
 improper or abfurd in this, till Unbelievers can 
 prove there 'is no Spirit of God in Being -, which 
 they never can do, till they invalidate the invinci- 
 ble Proofs for the Chriftian Religion ; which never 
 was done yet, nor ever will be. Neither can it be 
 any Derogation to the Holy Spirit, to prepare the 
 Chaos for future Production, than it was with re- 
 fpecl: to God to create it. 
 
 The Difficulty between Chriftian Expofitors is 
 about the Words, the Spirit of God moved. The 
 Hebrew Word for the Spirit is mi Ruah \ it is 
 taken either for the Holy Spirit, or for a Breath, 
 or for Wind ; which laft, in Effecl, is nothing but 
 Air moved. If it be taken for the Holy Spirit, as 
 feveral of the Holy Fathers do, it is properly called 
 the Spirit of God. But if it be taken for the Air 
 tying upon the Waters, as feems to be the literal 
 
 Sen*
 
 9 d Differ tat lorn on the DifT. IV. 
 
 Senfc of the Text, why is it called the Spirit of 
 God ? The Hutcbinfonians imagine it to be called 
 the Spirit of God, becaufe the Air, fay they, being 
 the univerfal Agent ^ by which God produced all 
 the different Species afterwards, it is emphatically 
 called the Spirit of God on that Account. A fine 
 Aflertion truly ! and the fundamental Hinge of 
 their new fcripturiftical Syftem of Philofophy. But 
 if it fhould appear that Mofes did not defign to 
 write a Syftem of Philofophy, particularly fuch a 
 Syftem as theirs, it will be evident, it is not called 
 the Spirit of God on that Account : Wherefore, 
 till we come to prove directly, that Mofes never 
 intended to write fuch a Syftem, we may very fafely 
 fuppofe, that the Air is here called the Spirit of 
 God, unlefs you underftand by it the Holy Spirit, 
 by a peculiar Idiom of the Hebrew Language. As 
 they fay, Monies Dei, Mountains of God, for very 
 high Mountains ; with feveral fuch Expreflions, to 
 be feen frequently in the Old Teftament. Vide 
 Walton's Prolegom. That this feems to be the 
 Senie of the Text, is confirmed by the following 
 Conliderations. The three principal Beings in this 
 immediate Creation, are Earth, Water, and Air : 
 Light and Fire will be confidered afterwards : Now 
 Mofes having defcribed the primitive chaotick State 
 of the Earth, without Form and void of all Orna- 
 ments, and the primitive State of the Waters lying 
 over, and covering the Earth, he then defcribes 
 the primitive State of the Air, lying incumbent 
 over both. And as the aerial Fluid, taken generi- 
 cally, is of an immenfe Extent, reaching up to the 
 higheft Heavens, and is indeed the moft active 
 Principle of the three, and of prodigious Influence 
 in the Operations of Nature, as thefe Gentlemen 
 will eafily allow ; tho* certainly not the univerfai 
 Agent jn their Senfe ; this immenfe active Principle, 
 
 by
 
 Diff IV. MOSAICAL Creation. 91 
 
 by a peculiar Idiom of the Hebrew Language, may 
 be called the Spirit of God. 
 
 This State of the Air, lying incumbent over the 
 Waters and the Earth, is the natural State of the 
 Air, fit for the Ufes God applies it to afterwards. 
 It is alfo confirmed by the Hebrew Word P9mO 
 Merachepheth. St. Hierome, Grot'ms^ and other 
 learned Commentators, explain it fomething diffe- 
 rently from Pagninus ; from which laft Author 
 our EngHJb Bible feems to have taken it, and 
 tranfiates it moved upon : Whereas St. Hierome* 
 Queft. in Gen. Grctius, and others, fay, that Me- 
 rachepheth) or Merahepheth, fignifies incubabat^ 
 fate upon, as a Hen fits on her Eggs. See the 
 Word am Rehem, or Rabam, in Leigh's Critica 
 Sacra ; which, he fays, fignifies the Womb or 
 Bowels ; as alfo Love, Compaffion, and the like. 
 The Latin Vulgat is ferebatur ; which may be lite- 
 rally render'd in Engii/h, born upon, or lying upon 
 the Waters. This laft Senfe does not neceffarily 
 imply any Motion, nor does the Text feem to re- 
 quire it ; or at moft, but a waving Motion : On 
 the contrary, the firft created Motion feems to 
 commence in the next Verfe, when God faid, Fiat 
 Lux. The Hutchinfonians learnedly maintain, that 
 Merachepketb is a Subftantive, with a Mem prefixed 
 to it, and even of the Feminine Gender, denoting 
 by the prefix'd Mem^ an Inftrument ; the Senfe of 
 . it according to them is, that the Spirit of God was 
 the Inftrument of Incubation on the Waters -, con- 
 trary to the learned Expofitors mentioned before. 
 The Reafon, as far as I can learn, that makes them 
 fo learnedly particular, is becaufe the Word ends 
 in a n tb. The Difference is of no mighty Con- 
 fequence. Be that as it will, the Senfe of this part 
 of the Text, taken all together, feems to be, that 
 the immenfely extended Fluid of the Air, was born 
 
 upon
 
 92 Differ tations on tie DiiT. IV. 
 
 upon the Waters, or lay upon the Waters, as the 
 Waters lay upon the Earth : Which is fo far from 
 being inconfiftent with Nature, that it defcribes the 
 moil natural Situation of the Air, at the firft Crea- 
 tion. Tho* I acknowledge, that its being as yet 
 without any Motion, is not according to the com- 
 mon Senfe of Commentators ; my Reafon is, be- 
 caufe no Motion yet feems to be implied in the 
 Text. However, leaving my own Opinion to bet- 
 ter Judge?, it can be no Detriment to the Text, 
 no Abfurdity in itfelf, nor any Afiiftance to Mr. 
 Hutcbinfon's univerfal Agent, if we allow, with 
 other Commentators, that the Air, or the Spirit 
 lying upon the Waters, might have fome waving 
 Motion backwards and forwards, mixing and in- 
 tinuating itfelf into the fubterjacent Mafs, and even 
 txening ibme Influence upon it, as a brooding Hen 
 has on her Eggs, which is the Metaphor of the He- 
 brew Verb werabepbetb : Provided we don't un- 
 derftand this Brooding with the Hutcbinfomans^ 
 ttf'z. as the Aclion of their univerfal Agent the 
 Air, exerting -itfelf now, according to them, for its 
 grand Employment, the Pfodttffivn of Ligbt t and 
 all other corporeal Species ; fince it will be made to 
 appear by and by, that Mofes never dreamt of 
 fiich an univerfal Agent, conftkuted by God to 
 produce the reft of the Species. However, the 
 Reafons were given juft now, why neither the 
 Hdrew Word brwdsd upon, nor the Latin V*lga$ 
 -ferebatur^ necefianly imply any real Motion in the 
 Air : Becaufe the firft real Motion, of any great 
 Importance towards the understanding of the Texr^ 
 produced in the new created Chaos, feems to be 
 ihe Production of Light in the next Yerfe ; if fb 
 the Words bwcded n^)n^ &R&-ftrehatur y precifeiy ex- 
 prefe, the Air being oorn upon, or fuftainedupon the 
 Waters 4 wl^ich is the proper Situation o that Ek-
 
 D11T. IV. Mos A ic AL Creation. 93 
 
 Ver. 3. And God faid^ Let there be Light. 
 
 This I own is one of the mod difficult Places in 
 the whole Chapter , more in the Senfe than the 
 Words ; however, with refpect to modern Infidels, 
 it can never argue any Inconfiftence, or Abfurdity 
 in the divine Hiftorian or Text ; provided only that 
 God could but illuminate the Creation, before he 
 produced the Sun for that Office. To deny this in 
 general, is tying up the Hands of the Almighty ; 
 to be fure, therefore, God could have produced ei- 
 ther fuch a Motion in the etherial Fluid ; or fome 
 luminous Body, or fuch Corufcations of Light, as 
 might illuminate the Chaos, till the Sun was form'd; 
 which luminous Particles, or, if the Expreffion 
 may be allowed, which generical Body of Light, 
 either by its own Motion round the Earth, or, ac- 
 cording to the new Syftem, by the Earth's Motion 
 round its Axis, might conftitute the firft Day. 
 There does not appear any Repugnance in the Cafe ; 
 but what Light confifts of, or indeed what Light is 
 in itfelf, or what is the real Nature of our prelent 
 Sun, if Free-thinkers would tells us, they would 
 be greater Patrons of natural Philofophy, than they 
 have yet appeared to be. 'Tis fufficient againit 
 fuch Pretenders to Philofophy, than there can be no 
 Repugnance in Nature, if it pleafed the Almighty 
 to produce fuch a Body of Light, till he thought 
 fit to transfer it, and form it into more particular 
 Luminaries , the Sun, Stars, &c. 
 
 However, to be more particular for the Satisfac- 
 tion of every Reader j the facred Hiftorian, or ra- 
 ther God by him, in order to give us a more di- 
 ftincl Idea of his Power, feems in this to obferve a 
 perfect Uniformity in his Works. At firft he 
 creates the whole material Subftanceof the Heavens, 
 Earth, Air, and Water -, whether iri their proper 
 
 Con-
 
 94 t)i/ertations on the DiiT. IV. 
 
 Confluences* as is mod natural, or in mere Atom?, 
 is out of this Queftion, and belongs to another. 
 From thefe firft Productions, "he defcends to the 
 Produflions of different Species out of them, out 
 of the Earth the different Species belonging to it j 
 lb of the Water, and Air : Now as Light feems 
 to be a different Species from Earth, Water, and 
 even the common Air, as will be proved afterwards 
 againft fome modern Expofitors , agreeably to this 
 uniform Order, it mould feem, that God ntft pro- 
 duced the Nature and Body of Light out of the 
 etherial Fluid, or if you pleafe, out of the Sub- 
 ftance of the Heavens, to be divided fubfequently 
 into different Luminaries, to ferve for Times, 
 Seafons, &c. Befide, as Light feems to be the moil 
 glorious Production of all material Beings, and 
 the facred Hiftorian ranks the Creation of the Hea- 
 Vens in the firft Order -, the fame Order feems to 
 require, that the particular Species belonging to the 
 Heavens mould be produced firft. Mofes does not 
 undertake to inform us, what the phyfical and 
 intrtnfical Nature of Light is , nor indeed have any 
 natural Philofophers ever given us any fatisfactory 
 Account of it : The phyfical Effences of all Beings are 
 ftillEnigmas ofNature as to their primaryConftituents: 
 Neither does he inform us, what Earth, Water, or 
 even Air is. That was not his Bufinefs, I hope 
 he is not to be blamed for it : His Bufinefs was to 
 teach us, that all Nature had its Origin from God, 
 and by Confequence, him only arc we to adore. 
 But left, the glorious Effects of the God of Na- 
 ture mould dazzle our Eyes, and induce us to 
 adore Creatures inftead of him, to cure the World 
 of fuch Folly, even prucYic'd in his Time, he mews 
 that all the Elements, all the moft glorious Opera- 
 tions in Nature, were particularly produced by God. 
 But to return. 
 
 As
 
 Diff. IV. M os A i CAL Creation. 9- 
 
 As God might have produced the Earth, adorned 
 with Fruits, Plants, Animals, &V. by one Aft of 
 Creation -, yet did not do it, for Reafons bed known 
 to his infinite Wifdom, fo he might have adorned 
 the Heavens with the Sun and Stars by the fame 
 A 61 ; yet he thought proper to produce the Sub- 
 ftance of Light firft ; and then to divide it into fe- 
 parate Luminaries, to anfwer the particular Offices 
 defigned for them. There can be no Repugnance 
 in Nature in fuch a Suppofuion -, from whence it 
 follows, that though this Light was not the Sun,nor 
 fixe Stars, yet it might be of the fame Nature with 
 them ; only, perhaps, more diffufed, and not con- 
 denfed into particular Globes, as it was, when thofe 
 Luminaries were produced. It was obferved before 
 that Light feems to be as much a diftinct: Species? 
 from Air, and all other Species of Beings, as Air is 
 from Water, Water from Earth : Light, having 
 as diftinc~b Operations, Effects, and Phenomena, 
 from the Air, as the Air has from Water. Light 
 may be mixed with Air, and almoft extinguifli- 
 ed by it ; as Air may be mixed with Water, 
 and Water with Earth, fo as to be imperceptibly 
 blended, and overpowered by a different Element ; 
 yet upon a Separation they return, or rather re- 
 main in their natural Being : If fo, what Repug- 
 nance can there be in Nature, if we fuppofe the firft 
 produced Light here mentioned to be the real ele- 
 mental Light of the World ? taking the Word Ele- 
 ment in the more general Acceptation of it. Per- 
 haps it may be moft properly an Element of any 
 other, as diftinct from Air, Water, &V. without 
 inquiring, as yet, into their primary Conftituents j 
 which luminous Element was afterwards, by the 
 fupreme Caufe, condenfed into feparate Globes ac 
 proper Diftances, to illuminate the imm en fe Regions 
 of the Univerfe. But whether primarily created, 
 
 us
 
 96 Dffirtathm on the Diff. IV. 
 
 as to the Subftance of it, with the Subftance of the 
 Earth, Water, and Air ; or fccondarily produced 
 out of the etherial Fluid, and adapted to illuminate 
 the Univerfe, till the Sun, Stars, as diftincl Branches 
 of it, were formed out of it, is a Queftion that 
 contains no Inconfiftence either Way. Where we 
 may obferve, as we go, that theLight of the Sun and 
 Stars difFufcd at all Diftances from the main Body 
 of thofe Luminaries, feem only to differ according 
 to Magls and Minus : i. e. either being more dif- 
 fufed and intermixt with heterogeneous Particles of 
 Air, or other Bodies overpowering them, or by 
 having .the peculiar Motion neceffary for Light, 
 quite flopt and extinguifhed by the Oppofition of the 
 Medium ; but when condenfed or united again, as 
 paffing through a burning Glafc, hindering the he- 
 terogeneous Particles from palling along with it, it 
 becomes a real Light and Fire, feemingly of the 
 lame Nature with the Subftance of the Sun ; from 
 wheqce alfo it is highly probable, that if the Sun 
 and fixed Stars be a Species of Fire, as the Effeds 
 almoft evince, and even of a fiercer Nature than 
 our fublunary Fires, the Light emitted from them 
 is Fire alfo, but of a weaker Degree; by the In- 
 termixture of heterogeneous Particles, as Water 
 mixed in Mud or Mortar, is of the fame Nature 
 with unmixt Water, though the Grofsnefs of the 
 Mixture deftroys part of its Effects. 
 
 But we muft not imagine, with \.\\o.Hutchinfonians^ 
 that this Light was produced by their univerfal 
 Agent the Air, which is called Spirit in the 
 preceding Verfe ; which Air, according to them, 
 by virtue of its firft Motion, received from God, 
 grinds itfelf into Light and Fire, and even pro- 
 duced all the other Effects of Nature, by which 
 they make almoft a God of it. This unaccountable 
 Syftem, including fo many Difficulties, is too long 
 
 for
 
 Diff IV. MOSAIC AL Creation. 97 
 
 for a thorough Difcuflion in this Place ; all that s 
 proper to obferve here, is, that God did n >t iav, 
 Let the Air, or, Let Ruab the Spirit make Light i 
 bat, Let there be Light ; or, as it is in the Hebrew, 
 Bt Light; which Words, tho' they don't neceflarily 
 imply a Creation, yet they naturally fignify to us^ 
 that it was the immediate Will and Power of God, 
 which firft gave Light its Being and Exiftence, not 
 the Air ; fo that it is wrdting and (training the 
 Text to a ftrangeDegree, to aflert magifterially, that 
 God having confthuted the Air under different Dc- 
 noininations, for his univerfal Agent, by thofe 
 Wordsj gave it Leave to work and produce Light, 
 as a Man who has fitted up a Clock (their, own 
 Example) may fay to ir, noti) go* 1 fay^ 'tis 
 (training the Text to a grtfat Degree, to give it 
 this Senfej in order to form a new and peculiar 
 Syflerh. Becaufe, though God might have fram'd 
 the whole Univerfe in fuch a manner, that after- 
 wards it might perform all material Functions mecbc:* 
 mcally, as long as the Parts would laft, yet the fa- 
 cred Hiftorian fpecifies the chief Productions, after 
 the material Subftance of the whole was created^ a3 
 being performed by the immediate Power of Godj 
 as firli, Let there be Light, Let there be a Firma- 
 menti Let the Earth -produce Fruits^ Let us wake 
 Man, &c. All thefe are produced and exift imme- 
 diately out of the common Courfe and Laws of 
 Nature, by Confequence by the immediate Power of 
 God ; as it is faid a little lower, And God, not the 
 Air, produced all thole Beings. And I appeal to all 
 unbiafs'd Readers, if this does not leem to be he 
 natural and obvious Meaning of the Text. Befides 
 the infuperable Difficulties of fuch an univerfal 
 Agent in itfelf, with the Improbability that Mofes 
 fhould exprefsly defign to eftablifh fuch a Syftem on 
 Purpofe to teach the ,World true Pbilofophy, as 
 H Mr.
 
 98 "Differ tations on the DifT. IV. 
 
 Mr. Hutcbinfon would have us believe. In fhorr, 
 Light feems to be fo different a Being from Air in 
 any Shape, exerting itfelf by different Operations, 
 that a great many Effects of Light are obftructed, 
 and even deftroyed by the Air. However that be, 
 as yet, 'tis evidently forcing the Text, to maintain, 
 that Mofes makes the Air in any Shape to be the 
 immediate Producer of Light, and not God ; much 
 kis that the Air Ihould be the univerfal Agent, and 
 immediate Producer of all other Effects in Nature. 
 
 *Tis needlefs to particularife the different Expo- 
 fitions of Commentators on thefe Words, Let there 
 It Light. Some underftand them of the Produc- 
 tion of Angels ; which are not exprefsly mentioned 
 in any part of the Chapter -, as if by Light were 
 meant thofe illuminated Intelligences, or intellectual 
 Luminaries attending the Throne of God , but the 
 literal Senfe of the Text, will hardly bear fuch a 
 bold Metaphor: Befides that there are juft Reafon?, 
 mentioned in the foregoing Paragraphs, to induce 
 us to believe, that the Angels were created at the 
 firft Production of the Heavens. But the Text 
 here manifestly intimates a material Light, fince it 
 adds immediately, and the , Evening and Morning 
 were one Day. Others think it was a luminous 
 Quality, or Occident : others, that it was a Body of 
 Fire, or Light, created exprefsly for thofe three Days, 
 and then either annihilated, or incorporated into the 
 Sun afterwards- Such Conjectures rather obfcure 
 the Text, than iliuftrate it. Since the literal Senfe, 
 and Order, which God was pleafed to obferve thro* 
 the whole Creation, without any Repugnancy in 
 Nature, feems to mean die elemental Body of Light? 
 perhaps more diffufed than when it was formed and 
 collected into thofe luminous Globes, the Sun and 
 fixed Stars,, affigned for the different Regions of the 
 
 Heavens
 
 Difll IV. MOSAICAL Creation^ 99 
 
 Heavens, but constituted as fuch immediately by 
 God, not by the Air, or any other fecond Caufe. 
 
 The only Shadow of a Proof for the Hutchinfo- 
 nian Syftem from this Chapter, is drawn either from 
 the forced Explication of the foregoing Verfe, and 
 the Spirit moved) &c. or from thefe Words, Let 
 there be Light. By the firft, fay they, the Spirit, 
 or the Air, being before in a State of Stagnation, 
 or ftorkened, in which State it is called Spirit^ 
 how properly, let others judge; but then, fay they, it 
 began to move, I prefume itfelf, or at the moft, 
 as they hold, by the Power given it by God to move, 
 prepare, and grind itfelf ready to become Light : 
 When it was thus prepared, God, according to 
 them, gave it a Commifiion to become Light, fay- 
 ing to it, Let there be Light ; that is, now let my 
 tiniverfal Agent produce Light ; the Word Let, 
 fay they, not implying any Creation, but fuppofes 
 that God fpoke to fome pre-created Agent to pro- 
 duce it. 
 
 As to the firft Text, the Spirit of God movedfac, 
 it has been anfwered and explained in that Verfe ; 
 and that it can't be taken in the Senfe of the Hutcb- 
 infonianS) needs no farther Proof, than the bare 
 dating it, as will appear by the Application of it to 
 the following Words, Let there bt Light^ except 
 fome Difficulties, merely philofcphical, which will 
 be examined afterwards. And as for the Word 
 Lef 9 to advance that it fignifies the PermifT:on, or 
 if you pleafe the Command of God, for the Air to 
 begin its Operations, is not only {training and forc- 
 ing the Text to a great Degree, to eftabiim a new, 
 and, I may fay, a precarious Syftem, but is contrary 
 to the univerfal Courfe of Nature, and fecond Caufes. 
 All which Caufes require more Time for their Pro- 
 ductions than the Text will allow, unlefs the imme- 
 diate Power of God intervenes. They fhou'd con- 
 H 2 fider
 
 ioo -Di/crtations on the D'uT. IV. 
 
 fider, that by the Text of Mofes, the whole ma- 
 terial Univcrfe, with all the Elements, Earth, Wa- 
 ter, Air and Light, were produced within the Space 
 of one Day ; as all the Productions of the Earth 
 were in the Space of another : Which is not ac- 
 cording to the Courfe of Nature, or in the Power 
 of any natural Agent, as we know of. Tho' God 
 faid, Let them be produced ; no natural Agent 
 ever produced full-grown Animals, Fruits, Plants, 
 in fo mort a time ; by Confequence, that the Earth 
 fhouJd produce Animals, Fruits, Plants, jV. the 
 Air Fowls, the Seas innumerable Species of Fifh.es, 
 and in an Inftant, or even in the Space of a Day, 
 argues the immediate Power of God in their Pro- 
 ductions. Tho' the material Part, in general, was 
 created before , it muft be an Agent with a Wit- 
 nefs, that could produce all thefe, naturally and 
 mechanically, in the Space allowed for them by the 
 Text. 
 
 Again, the Word Let, on which they lay fo 
 much Strcfs, is not in the original Hebrew -, 'tis 
 only an Idiom of our own Language, to exprefs a 
 Command in the third Perfon : In the Hebrew it 
 is 118 irv Be Light, which Pagninus tranflates li- 
 terally, Sit Lux : In the Greek it is yw&ii'rto <pa>?, 
 Be Light made, or generated : In the Latin Vulgat, 
 Fiat Lux, much the fame as the Greek : Which 
 Words, as flrong as pofllble, exprefs the imme- 
 diate Power of God in the firfl Productions of all 
 Things, as well as in the Creation of the Matter. 
 This is alfo confirmed by the Words of the Text 
 immediately following, and Light was, or, there 
 was Light : to fignify, that immediately, by the 
 omnipotent Will of God, not by the Operations of 
 the Air, Light was produced. I leave it therefore 
 to every impartial Judge, whether the Text, as 
 well as the Nature of the Thing, does not indicate 
 
 the
 
 DifT. IV. Mos A ic AL Creation. 101 
 
 the immediate Power of God in the Production of 
 Light, and other firft Productions, rather than the 
 omnipotent Operations of the Air ; and what we 
 ought to think of the Builders of this new Syftem, 
 who aflcrt with fuch magifterial Afilirancc the three 
 Powers of the Air, Fire, Light^ and Spirit , as if 
 it were the undoubted univerfal Agent in the Pro- 
 dudion of all Things after the Creation of Matter, 
 and this from their underftanding Hebrew better 
 than others , nay, that Mofes fhould exprefly de- 
 fign the Air under thofe three Denominations for 
 an Emblem of the blefTed Trinity, and eftablifh 
 them, as Mr. Hutchinfon> quoted before, fays, for 
 the Representatives of the Godhead. 
 
 Verfe 4. And God faw the Light that it was 
 good, and God divided the Light from the 
 Darknefs. 
 
 There is no great Difficulty in the firft part of 
 this Verfe. The Light was good, and perfectly 
 anfwered the Will and Intent of the Sovereign Caufe 
 of it : It was alfo good for all the Ufes the whole 
 Creation was to receive from it. The following 
 part of the Verfe feems to intimate no more, than 
 that Light being prefent over one Part of the Earth, 
 or over one Hemifphere, illuminated that Part -, 
 but by the Interposition of the lame Earth, the 
 other Part was deprived of fuch Illumination, which 
 was Darknefs : For Darknefs, as was cbferved be- 
 fore, is not any pofitive fubftantial Being, but either 
 Abfence, or Privation of Light. Abfence of Light, 
 before there was any Light in Being; as when. 
 Darknefs was on the Face of the Deep ; Privation, 
 if any opake Body intervenes. Where note, that 
 it was God who divided the Light from the Dark- 
 nefs ; fince the firft Motion, either of the Light 
 round the Earth, or the Earth turning to the Light, 
 
 H 3 which.
 
 102 Dijertat'ions on the Diff. IV. 
 
 which I will not difpute here, was caufed by God. 
 This Motion of the Earth, or Light, would caufe 
 alternate Light and Darknefs , which alternate Light 
 and Darknefs made cne Day , as it is in the Hebrew 
 in the next Verfe, and that Vcrie being a Continua- 
 tion of the foregoing, needs no further Explication ; 
 efpecially, fince God was pleafed to diflinguifh 
 his Works by Days, which he might have per- 
 formed all at once, as they were performed by one 
 omnipotent Caufe. The Evening is named before 
 the Morning, becaufe the Abfence of Light, or 
 Darknefs,\vas before the Production of L ; ght. Hence 
 fome Antients commenced their Day from the pre- 
 ceding Night : Hence alfo fome learned Men be- 
 lieved that the antient Heathens fuppofed Erebus, 
 as concerned in the Production of the World ; that 
 is, Night, or the God of Night -, becaufe Ereb is the 
 Hebrew Word for Even, or Evening j which in a 
 J^itin or Qreek Termination, will be Erebus > or 
 prebos. 
 
 The 5th Verfe contains no particular Difficulty. 
 
 Verfe 6. God faid^ Let there be a Firmament in 
 the Mi dft of the Heaters. 
 
 This is one part of the facred Text which has 
 been more obfcured than illuftrated by Commenta- 
 tors ; fome railing Difficulties about the Meaning 
 of the Word Firmament , others, about the Wa- 
 ters thus feparated by the Firmament ; viz. where 
 to place the Waters faid to be above the Firma- 
 ment, and thofe faid to be below it. Some People 
 placing a Body of Waters in the upper Regions of 
 the Heavens, referved, fay they, for the univerfal 
 Deluge, that was then to come : Others placing the 
 Waters under the Firmament in, I don't know 
 what central Cavity in the Bowels of the Earth j 
 Srft filled with Air, which they call Darknefs ; the 
 
 common
 
 DilT. IV. MOSAICAL Creation. 103 
 
 common Seas being, fay they, above this central 
 Air, were the Waters above the Firmament : But 
 upon this Separation of the Waters from the Wa- 
 ters, this central Air mounting upwards, and fo 
 making Room for the Waters to defcend into that 
 central Cavity, there to be flint up till God had fur- 
 ther Need of them ; which central Waters, now 
 the Air had popt out and got above them, they 
 call the Waters beneath the Firmament. 
 
 To recite this laft Whim, is to confute it : The 
 ficred Text does not ftand in need of any of thefe 
 Expofitions *, in which, I mail follow the fame 
 Method I have obferved hitherto, viz. to mew 
 lirft, againft modern Infidels, That there is no 
 manner of Inconfiftence in this Verfe : And, 2dly, 
 That there is no Need of having Recourfe to the 
 foregoing precarious Suppofitions, to give a juft 
 and natural Explanation of it. 
 
 Fir/}, Againft Unbelievers. As there can be no 
 Inconfiftence in Nature, that God having created 
 the Subftance of the whole, mould obferve a certain 
 Gradation in the Production of the different Spe- 
 cies of Nature ; on the contrary, it gives us a more 
 diftincl: and continued Idea of his Power in fo do- 
 ing : In like manner, having now produced Lighr, 
 and divided the Night from the Day, there can be no 
 Inconfiftence if he defcends to lower Elements, the 
 Air, and Water, to make a Separation between the 
 Waters defigned for the Sea, and the Waters taken 
 up to ferve for the Ufe of the Earth, Plants, 
 Fruits, &c. by the Interpofition of a Body capable 
 of fnftaining fuch Waters, defigned for the Ufe of 
 the Earth ; which Body, thus fuftaining thofe Wa- 
 ters, may be properly called a Firmament. So far, 
 I hope, there is no Repugnance in Nature. Now, 
 the Air is not only capable of fuftaining, but ac- 
 tually does fuftain an immenfe Body of Water 
 H 4 contain* d
 
 3Q4 Dtffertatiow en the Diff. IV. 
 
 conraiqM in the Clouds, hanging over the whole 
 Jtarfh, to diftil their Rains at proper Seafons. This 
 is certain Ma ter of Facl, known to all capable of 
 common Sen e ; which Body of Waters, contain'd 
 in all the Clouds over the World, not only may be 
 juftly computed tp be an irnmenfe Quantity in the 
 vvhole, but perhaps equal to the Quantity contain'd 
 in the Seas : Why, then God having created Light 
 and Heat fufficient to rarify the Waters, /<?,-?, 
 covering the whole Fa-ce of the Earth , and the 
 Waters fb ra rifted becoming fpeciftcally lighter than 
 jthe Air, muft mount up, as in Fact they do, 
 thorough the Air, till they come to fuch a Height, 
 that the Bulk of the Air below them becomes 
 capable of fuftaining them ; and by Confequence 
 may be mod properly called, and is in Fact a 
 Firmament, in the midft of tlie Waters, divid : 
 ing the Waters from the Waters, viz. thofe 
 immenfe Quantities of Waters contain'd in the 
 Clouds, from thofe remaining in the Seas : And by 
 a further evident Confequence, fuch an immenfe 
 Quantity of Water being drawn up from the Wa- 
 fers then covering the whole Earth, muft fo far 
 hffcn the Quantity of them, that not fufficient to 
 cover the Earth, the fame Earth muft be left bare, 
 when the remaining Part are funk into Seas, or in- 
 to that vaft Channel made for the Receptacle of the 
 reft of the Waters. If Perfons would but reflect, 
 what a prodigious Quantity of Water is capable of 
 falling in great Storms, in one Week, or even in. 
 Four and twenty Hours, they might eafily judge, 
 that if all the Waters in the Clouds were to fall at 
 once, joined with the Waters of the Ocean, they 
 might eafily cover the whole Earth again , and the 
 fame Quantity as fall in fuch Rains being exhaled 
 again into the Clouds, would leave the Earth and 
 Seas in the fame State they are now in. Since 
 
 there-
 
 piff. IV. MOSAICAL Creation. 105 
 
 therefore 'tis Fact, that the Atmofphere fuftains 
 an immenfe Quantity ot Waters above us, and muft 
 begin to exercife this Function, as ibon as the Wa- 
 ters covering the Earth began to be rarified into 
 Vapours, at the fame time it began to be a Firma- 
 ment, or Supporter of the Waters, thus rarified , 
 and the fame Firmament divided the Waters above 
 jt, from the Waters in the Seas below it. 
 
 Where note, frft, that this feems to have been 
 fhe firft Operation of the Air, defended by the 
 facrecl Text -, not to grind itftlf into Light and Fire, 
 and become the univerfal Agent, as the Hutchln- 
 fonians vainly and unintelligibly imagine ; ~ but by 
 its Expawjion to receive the exhaled Vapours, and 
 by its Depth and Bulk to fuftain them at fuch a 
 Height, till being collected into Drops, they fall 
 down again in Rains> Hail, Snow, &c. 
 
 iience, 2dly, Rachiab, the Hebrew Word for 
 the Firmament, is Expanjion \ which the Greek 
 and Latin Interpreters tranflate, a Firmament or 
 Supporter, more according to the Senfe than the 
 Letter ; becaufe the Office of thisExpanfion beingto 
 receive anc} divide the Waters from the Waters, it 
 muft be able to fqftain the upper Waters from the 
 lower ; as it does actually, and by Confequence is 
 properly called a Firmament. 
 
 3 /fly, This Account of Mofes is fo far from be- 
 ing inconfiftent in itfelf, or repugnant to Nature, 
 that it is real Fact, and marks out to us the true 
 and natural State of Things, from the Beginning 
 to this Day, and will be fo till the End of the 
 World. 
 
 4//6/y, Hence alfo, we may eafily conjecture, 
 how there might be a fufficient Quantity of Waters 
 fo drown the whoJe World at the Deluge ; if all the 
 Waters, for Example, fuftain'd above the Expan- 
 fion or Firmament, were to be cpndenfed. into 
 
 fuch
 
 1 06 Differtations on the DhT. IV. 
 
 fuch Rains, and continued in fuch a terrible man- 
 ner, fo long together, as defcribed by the facred 
 Penman no way impoflible, there would loon be 
 enough to increafe the Waters in the Seas to cover 
 the whole Earth. The prodigious Quantity of 
 Waters contain'd in all the Clouds round the 
 Earth, may not on]y be computed by what we fee 
 to fall fometimes in a few Hours in great Floods : 
 but alfo, if we confider what an immenfe Quantity 
 of Waters run into the Sea in a Day's Time, from 
 all the Rivers in the World. 'Tis certain, the 
 Main Ocean in the whole, is as much bounded 
 with refpect to the whole Earth, as the Cafpian 
 Sea, or any other great Lake, with refpect to par- 
 ticular Traces , and by Confequence, the Ocean it- 
 felf may be confidered as an immenfe Lake, in- 
 termixt with different Parts of the Continent, in- 
 terfperfed with Iflands, &c. Which immenfe Lake 
 would certainly overflow the Earth, from fuch pro- 
 digious Quantity of Waters pouring into it daily 
 from all the Rivers in the World, unlefs an equal 
 Quantity of Waters were daily difcharged out of 
 it again, either by Waters running back to their 
 Fountains by fubterraneous Pafifages, which is al- 
 moft impoflible to imagine; or elfe, an equal 
 Quantity of Water be daily exhaled into Clouds 
 from the fame Ocean, to fall at proper Times and 
 Seafons. 'Tis undoubted, the Sea in Procefs of 
 Time would overflow the whole Earth, if there 
 were not fuch Difcharges to equal the Quantity run- 
 ning into it from all the Rivers in the World. 
 Neither has there been any other Way for fuch 
 Difcharges found out hitherto, but thofe two juft 
 mentioned, viz. either by continual Exhalations 
 in Vapours, which in the whole amount to a pro- 
 digious Quantity ; or by an equal Quantity running 
 back under Ground, and mounting thorough the 
 
 Bowels
 
 Dift IV. MOSAIC AL Creation. 107 
 
 Bowels of the Earth up to the Mountains and Hills, 
 to break out into Springs and Rivers, and fo fall 
 into the Sea again. This laft, perhaps, I fhall 
 fhew to be improbable, when I come to examine 
 a certain modern Syftem. The Improbability of it 
 will eafily appear by the following Confideration?, 
 viz. Upon great Droughts many Rivers, as well as 
 fmall Brooks, are quite diied up ; and fuppofing an 
 univerfal Drought for any confiderable Time, it is 
 not to be queftioned but the greateft Rivers would 
 fail as well as the fmall ones : Such a Drought 
 would be very little Hindrance to the fubterraneous 
 PafTages, were there any fuch ; for as long as the 
 Sea contains its Waters, external Droughts cannot 
 be a Hindrance to the Sea Waters from mounting 
 up through thofe Paffages from the Bottom of the 
 Sea, or even from the middle Depth of it, to feed 
 the Fountains and Springs of the Rivers. Now 'tis 
 Fact, the Rivers in fuch Droughts' are not fupplied 
 and fed as ufual, but on the contrary are quite dried 
 up in fome Parts of the World, and the Waters of 
 the greateft Rivers much diminimed j except fome 
 particular Caufes, as in the Nile* or other Rivers, 
 which increafe in Summer. By Confequence, Springs 
 and Rivers are not fupplied by the Waters of the 
 Sea mounting back again thorough fuch fubterraneous 
 Paflages ; nor do they fail by the Obftruftion of 
 thofe Paflages, were there any fuch, but for want 
 of Rainsj Dews, &c . finking thorough the Earth 
 to fupply and keep up their Sources : And by a far* 
 ther Confequence, the Sea is hinder'd from over- 
 flowing the Earth, by the prodigious Quantity of. 
 Vapours exhaled daily from it, and from the Ri* 
 vers and Lakes themfelves, to counter- balance the 
 Quantity of Waters that run into it from the 
 Rivers : But if thofe Exhalations were to be ftopt, 
 .and fuch prodigious Rains fall, as defcribed in the 
 
 Deluge,
 
 io8 DiJJertations on the Di# IV. 
 
 Deluge, they wou'd fo far increafe the Waters of 
 the S?a, as might foon cover the whole Earth, 
 till -the Separation of the Waters from them were 
 made again by the Interpofition of the Atmofphere 
 or Firmament. Hence it appears, that Rivers and 
 Fountains are not fupplied from fubterraneous Mea- 
 tus's, from the Sea upwards, but from Rains, Dews, 
 &c. foaking thorough the Earth. 
 
 5/^/y, Hence likewife, that to explain this Verfe 
 there is neither need to fearch out for a Place for 
 tliefe Waters laid to be above the Firmament, any 
 higher than that part of the Heavens or Skies, where 
 the Clouds are ; which Part is often called Heavens 
 in other Places of the Scripture, as well as in this 
 Chapter, and by the common Acceptation of moft 
 Nations : hence, when it is faid in the Scripture, as 
 in the Song ot the three Children, and the Pfalm Lau- 
 date: All ye Waters which are above the Heavens , 
 blefs cur Lord^ &c. it muftmean above fome part of 
 the Heavens, not above all the Heavens : the Waters 
 in the Clouds are actually above part of the Hea- 
 \-ens , the Kite is faid to be in Heaven ; Mifous 
 in ccelo , volatilia ceeli, volucris cceli^ &c. Nor to 
 place thefe Waters in I do not know what Part 
 above the higheft Spheres and Regions of the Hea- 
 vens, no one can tell where or for what ufe ; much 
 iefs is there need 9 vt\thihtHutl>infottians, to eftablifh 
 a fictitious Firmament in the Center of the Earth, or 
 Air, included in the central Hollow under the Sea, 
 were there any fuch ; fo that the Sea-water, ac- 
 cording to them, being above that pent-up Air, are 
 the Waters above the Firmament-, but when that 
 f\tr mounts up again, and the Waters get in its 
 Place, viz. in that central Hollow, the fame Waters 
 are the Waters under the Firmament. But admitting 
 that there were fuch a central Hollow in the Bowels 
 of the Earth, which we can never come to examine 
 
 with
 
 Diff. IV. MOSAICAL Creation. 109 
 
 with our natural Eyes, 'tis impofing upon fuch a 
 learned Man as Mofes was, if not on the facrecl Text 
 itfelf, to imagine that the Sea above that centralAir, 
 conftituted theWaters above the Firmament , and the 
 fame Sea with refpect to the common Air lying upon, 
 it, are the Waters under the Firmament. See a 
 late Treatife publifhed Ann. 174-4, by a zealous 
 AfTertor of the Hutchinfcnian Syftern in all its 
 Branches, intitled, The Philofophical Principles of 
 Mofes. I own the Earth may be perforated in 
 many Places, and 'tis probable, there may be a 
 Communication between Seas and Seas, but they 
 are Seas (till, and their Waters belong to the main 
 Ocean ; but it is ridiculous to imagine fuch Waters 
 were thofe above the Firmament. 
 
 Their chief Objection as to this Part, is from 
 what is faid in the 5th Verfe of the next Chapter, 
 viz. that God bad not caufed it to rain upon the 
 Earth. Therefore, fay they, the Waters in the 
 Clouds, could not be the Waters above the Firma- 
 ment : But what kind of Confequence is this ? 
 Becaule it did not actually rain at the firft Separa- 
 tion of the Waters, therefore there was no Prepa- 
 ration for it ; no Material?, no Clouds, no Va- 
 pours and Exhalations to be condenfed into Rain 
 at proper Seafbns. Perfons, who make this Ob- 
 jection, ihould confider, that we were treating of 
 the Beginning of the Creation before it was quite 
 finifhed. The Waters might begin to be divided by 
 the Firmament ; there was Light and Heat already 
 created to rarify and exhaJe the Waters, which of 
 Confequence would begin to be rarified and exhaled 
 by the new created Body of Light. It was not ne- 
 cefTary it mould, as yet, rain upon the Earth ; but 
 only Materials for it in the Clouds when it ihould 
 be wanted: 'Tis fact, there may be a great many 
 Clouds, and Water in them, yet they don't pour 
 
 down
 
 Ho btffertatiotts on tie DIft IV, 
 
 down Rain at all Times, nor did the Earth, as 
 ihen, ftand in need of a6tual Rain : it was but un- 
 covered from the Waters. In the nextVerfe, after the 
 Objection, it is faid, that a Mid went up from the 
 Earth, and watered the whole Face of the Ground -, 
 fo that the Earth, as well as Seas, fent up Vapours, 
 great Part of which were fuftained by the Firma- 
 ment, to be condenfed into Rains at proper Seafons. 
 'Tis hoped therefore this Objection can have no 
 great Weight againft the foregoing Explicaiion. 
 
 The Objection about the Fountains of the Alyfs 
 being opened at the general Deluge, will be anfwer'd 
 when we come to fome Difficulties concerning that 
 dreadful Cataftrophe. Thefe Gentlemen would in- 
 iinuate by it, that the Waters then burft out of 
 that central Hollow, where the Air took Place till 
 the Waters returned again to that central Hollow ; 
 but this is to explain one Difficulty by a greater, 
 and makes fuch chopping and changing between the 
 Air and Waters in that central Hollow, were there 
 any fuch, that 'tis lofing Time to fay any more 
 about it. To be fure, the main Ocean might break 
 its Bounds, nay, did break its Bounds at that Time, 
 its Bulk being increafed by fuch univerfal Rains, that 
 it burft through the ftrongeft Repagula and Bar- 
 riers, which kept it in before, that Mofes might 
 very well fay, the Fountains of the Abyfs were 
 poured out, without ever dreaming of fuch a 
 central Hollow, as thefe Gentlemen vainly ima- 
 gine. 
 
 There is another fmall, I might almoft fay quib- 
 ling Objection, about the Word above, from their 
 fuperlative Knowledge of the Hebrew : The He- 
 brew Prepofition *7y, rf/, fay they, fignifying 
 alcve, the Waters in the Clouds muft be faid to be 
 afcove the Firmament, not in it j as the bun is
 
 Diff. IV. Mos A i CAL Creation. in 
 
 faid to be in the Firmament, not above it, tho* he 
 is much higher than the Region of the Rains and 
 Clouds. 
 
 Anfwer. The Waters contained in theCIouds may 
 be faid, and not improperly, to be either in the Fir- 
 mament, or above it : In the Firmament, with re- 
 fpect to the whole Expanfum of the Air and Hea- 
 vens j as the Sun and Moon are faid to be in the 
 Firmament ; and the Waters may be properly laid 
 to be above the Firmament, with refped: to that 
 Part of the Expanfum which fuftains them. This 
 Explication ought to have lefs Difficulty with the 
 Hutchinfonians, becaufe, where it is fb often tranf- 
 lated in other Places of the Bible, that God fits, or 
 was fitting upon the Cherubim , the Meaning, fay 
 they, is, that he is in the Cherubim, or between the 
 Cherubim, not upon them : Which laft would be a 
 great Derogation to their new Syftem, viz. of the 
 Cherubims being the facred Trinity. And the Che- 
 rubims made by Mofes were another Emblem of 
 the Hutcbinfcnian Trinity, much as good a one as 
 the three Powers of the Air, Fire, Light, and Spi- 
 rit, which Mr. Hutchinfon calls their Reprefenta- 
 tives : Yet this very Word al y which is tranflated 
 ' here, above, is applied to the Cherubim, in Pfal. 
 xviii. io. where it is faid in the Hebrew *?y al Cbe~> 
 rub, upon the Cherub, or above the Cherub. 
 
 On the whole, one would wonder thefe Gen- 
 tlemen fhould not obferve, that the next Verfe, 
 with what is faid of the Sun and Moon being placed 
 in the Firmament, quite deftroys their Syftem- of 
 the Air in the central Hollow being the Firma- 
 ment meant by Mofes \ for it is laid in the 8th 
 Verfe, that God called this very Firmament di- 
 viding the Waters, Heavens : And afterwards, 
 God placed the great Luminaries in the Firmament, 
 
 or
 
 1 1 2 Dffirtations on the DiiT. IV. 
 
 or in the Expanfion. Are the Heavens, and the 
 great Lumiharies, in the Center of the Earth ? 
 
 Ver. 7, 8. And God made the Firmament, and 
 divided the Waters^ &c. 
 
 Since it appears by the foregoing Explications y 
 that the Firmament was above the Seas, extending 
 to the Place where the Sun and Moon were to have 
 their Stations, there can be no great Difficulty in 
 this Verfe : Only the Reader will obferve, that it 
 was God made the Firmament, and Gcd divided 
 the Waters from the Waters^ to mew us, that it 
 was not a fecondary univerfal Agent that divided 
 the Waters, but the immediate Power of God. 
 
 Ver. 9. AndGcdfaid, Let the Waters under the 
 Heavens be gathered together, viz. to one 
 Place -, and let the dry Land appear. And 
 vcr. i o. And God called the dry Land^ Earth^ 
 and the gathering together of the Waters called 
 be Seas, &c. 
 
 Here we fee, that the Waters under the Hea- 
 vens, or under the Expanfion and Firmament, are 
 thofe which conftitute the Sea. This naturally 
 agrees with the foregoing Divifion of the Waters 5 
 becaufe the Waters covering the whole Earth before, 
 being now diminifhed by the great Quantity of 
 Waters exhaled up into the Firmament, and fu- 
 ftained there in Clouds, the remaining part of them 
 were not fufficient to cover the whole Earth, but 
 only, being gathered together, to fill the vaft Chan- 
 nels and Depths between the different Parts of the 
 Earth ; either qiade for them by the fame Power 
 of God, or by creating the Earth in that irregular 
 Form, or, in fine, by the Weight and Motion of 
 the Waters, working away the fofcer Beds of Mould 
 
 artti
 
 . IV; MOSAIC AL Creation.' 113 
 
 and Sand, and driving them on Pleaps to the more 
 folid PartSj "which became Downs , Mounds, or 
 Shoars, while the Waters funk down into thoie 
 immenfe Cavities and Channels* which we call Seas: 
 There does not feem any Repugnance in Nature, 
 take it which way you pleafq which is fufficient in 
 this Place. 
 
 However it will not be improper to take notice 
 Of fome Expofitors, who imagine, that the Earth, 
 with all its different Parts, was fo blended through- 
 put with Water, as to make one conf ufed Mafs or 
 Hodge-podge of Mud mingled together -, as they 
 alfo maintain^ that it muft have been at the general 
 Deluge, But fince the facred Texc mentions no- 
 thing of thisj it is not neceffary to di'fcufsrfUch an 
 out-of-the-way Notion in this Place, but mail leave 
 it till we come to examine Mr. Woodwards Syftem 
 of the Deluge. However; on the whole, it feemi 
 much more natural to believe, that the Earth, witK 
 its more iignal Parts, or at leaft the firft Rudiments", 
 and Materials of the different Strata, Rocks, Mi- 
 nerals, &c. were created fuch at firft, and not in 
 mere Atoms of the whole, to be formed after wards ( 
 into different Species by the Powers of the Air,' 
 their univerfal Agent* and that too by a mere 
 "Juxta-Pofition, and Preffure of the Parts together; 
 For tho' we allow, that fuch a Juxta-Pofinon and 
 Preffure of the great ambient Fluid, joined withr. 
 Motion, may make fome Bodies cohere together 
 in a very folid Manner^ yet it is very difficult tcr 
 conceive, how a mere Juxta-Pofition and Preffure 
 of the Air, could form Atoms into all the different 
 Species of Trees, Plants, Animal*, Metals, Mr-* 
 ncrals 4 &c. But be that as it will, as yet, 'tis 
 more natural to believe* that it was at firft formed 
 In its proper Confiftence, tho' covered with the 
 Waters till their Separation ; and though rhe upper 
 
 J Parts
 
 1 1 4* DiJJertations on the DifT. IV, 
 
 Parts of the Earth for a confiderable Depth might 
 be, and probably were difiblved into a fort of Mud, 
 by the Waters covering the whole Face of it -, but 
 that the whole Bulk of it, Rocks, Me tals, and all 
 to the very Center, was a mere Hafty-pudding (I 
 hope the Expreflion will be excufed, becaufe it is 
 difficult to find proper Terms for fuch Whims) is 
 what cannot well be comprehended. Neither can 
 there be any Inconfiftence, if we fuppofe the Bulk 
 of the Earth to have been created as it is, viz. in 
 the proper Nature of Earth ; Water in the Nature 
 of Water, Air in the Nature of Air ; liable to fucb 
 accidental Changes as may be made by fecond 
 Caufes. In fine, the lacred Text feems to afcertain 
 this, when God faid, Let the dry Land appear r 
 It was therefore real Land> the third Day after the 
 firft Creation. Is it not then natural to believe,- 
 that the Bulk of the Earth appeared in its proper 
 Confidence, when God bid the dry Land appear ? 
 If it was created the firft Day in mere Atoms, to 
 be formed afterwards by their univerfal Agent, it 
 muft be an Agent with a Witnefs, that in a few 
 Hours could form thofe Atoms into Earth, Rocks, 
 &c. and prefently after could make the fame Earth 
 produce an infinite Number of Tree?, Plants, Ani- 
 mals, &c. What an Advantage it is to underfland 
 Hebrew better than all the Doctors of the Church 
 hitherto ! fince no one had ever dreamt of thefe 
 Powers of the Air, if Mr. Hutchinfon had not ham- 
 mered them out of the Hebrew, to build his new 
 Syftem. 
 
 The loth, nth, i2th, and i3th Verfes, about 
 the Production of Tree?, Plants, &V. contain no- 
 additional Difficulties in them ; provided we don't 
 underftand the Words, Let the Earth produce 
 &c. in the Senfe of thefe new Expofitors, 
 as if by thofe Words God. gave Commifiion 
 
 to
 
 Diff. IV. MOSAICAL Creation. ii 
 
 to his univerfal Agent to produce them. Do we 
 know of any natural Mechanifm in the World, ca- 
 pable of forming Atoms into all the Species of Be- 
 ings in a few Hours Time ? Is this according to 
 the prefent Courfe of Nature and lecond Caufes ? 
 If not, why then, all thefe Productions at firfl re- 
 quired the immediate Concurrence of the Almighty 
 Fiat to produce them. 
 
 Ver. 14. And God faid> Let there le Lights in 
 the Firmament of Heaven : With the other 
 VerfeSj concerning the great Luminaries, to 
 Verfe 20. 
 
 The chief Difficulty in this Place* with refped to 
 our modern Infidels, is, that the Sun, Moon, and 
 Stars, mould be produced after the Light. Bu% 
 as it has been proved before, and is evident in itfelf, 
 that there can be no Repugnance in Nature, if God 
 were fo pleafed, as to create the Element of Light, 
 or at leaft a luminous Body, to enlighten the Earth, 
 till he formed the Globes of the Sun and other 
 particular Luminaries, either out of that fir ft creat- 
 ed Light, as is more probable, or out of the Mat- 
 ter of the Heavens, as he forced Trees, Plants, and 
 Animals, out of the Earth -, nothing elfe was re- 
 quired, but God's Pleafure to do fo. Now that he. 
 did produce them feparately, is evident from the 
 Text j as he produced the material Earth fir ft, and 
 then the particular Species out of it i there can be 
 no Repugnance in Nature either way. 
 
 Neither can there be any great Difficulty, that 
 thefe Luminaries fliould be laid to rule the Day and 
 the Night ; on the contrary it is Fact, they do rule 
 the Day and the Night in this Senfe, that the Di- 
 ftinction of Day and Night depends on their Ap- 
 pearance above our Horizon. They are alfo pro- 
 perly kid to be Signs of Diftinclion for Times 
 I 2
 
 116 Differtatiom on the Diff. IV. 
 
 and Seafons. The Sun, by his annual Revolution, 
 teaches us to diftinguim the Years : I fpeak in the 
 Senfe of the Scripture, according to the common 
 Acceptation, and the apparent Motion of the Sun ; 
 fince by all our Senfes, 'tis the Sun that moves, not 
 the Earth , which I do not examine in this Place -, 
 as it had been very improper in Mofes to contradict 
 all our Senfes, by eftablifhing the Earth's Motion, 
 provided it had any. By the Variation of his Ap- 
 pearance over different Quarters of the Horizon, 
 he makes the Distinction of the eafons, &c. 
 The Moon alfo, by her periodical Revolutions, 
 teaches us to diftinguifh different Times and Sea- 
 fons : As for their dividing Light from Darknefs,, 
 I hope there is no need of any further Explanation. 
 Doubtlefs the facred Hiftorian did not relate thefe 
 Effects, as philofophical DifcGveries, but only 
 marked out the moft obviou?, and natural Ufe of 
 thefe Luminaries ; which is fuffident in this Place. 
 'Tis true, Mofes was a learned Naturalift and Phi- 
 lofopher ; but it was not his Intent, or necefiary 
 here, to teach us a Syftem of Philofophy, but to 
 relate divine hiflorical Truths. The cabbaliftical 
 Rabbins, with fome other weak or wicked Men, 
 .would have us believe, that Mofes, by thefe 
 . Words, Let them be for Signs, and Times, and 
 Seafons, would intimate to us, That the Stars, Pla- 
 nets, &c. were defigned for Aftrological Predic- 
 tions, cafting Nativities, creeling Schemes, to fore- 
 tell the Fortunes of Men, Manner, or Time of 
 their Death, and the like ; which Fooleries Num- 
 bers of Men gave into in former Ages, and even 
 to this Day fome Figure-Flingers talk of the mighty 
 Influence of the Stars over fublunary Affairs ; as if 
 mere material, mechanical, infenfible Beings, as all 
 the Stars and Planets are, could govern Free-wills, 
 even more than Reafon itfelf can do. It is not 
 
 worth
 
 DifT. IV. Mos A re AL Creation ; 117 
 
 worth while to dwell long on fuch Impoftures : 
 How far the Power of the Devil, or any Rulers of 
 the Air may go, I fhall not examine here j but I 
 am fere judicial Aftrology^ merely as fuch, is a 
 mere Illufion : which may be demonfrrated by this 
 one Confideration, viz. In a great Fight at Sea or 
 Land, great Storms, Earthquakes, Peftilences, 
 and the like ; great cataftrophes, where Men of all 
 Ages, States and Conditions, are deftroy'd at once, 
 k is almoft impoffible, but Numbers of fuch Per- 
 fbns were born under different Afpefts of the Stars, 
 yet all run the fame Fortune : Nor can it be ima- 
 gined, but perfons born under the fame Afpects^ 
 may yet run different Fortunes ; on which Account, 
 'tis Lofs of Time to fay any more on this Head ; 
 ,and 'tis abufing the facred Text, to draw any fuch 
 Conclufions from it. 
 
 Nor does it any more appear by this Text, that 
 Mofes defigned to teach us by it, That it is the 
 Force of the Sun, or the univerfal Agent under 
 the Denomination of Fire, or in fine, the Stroke of 
 his Rays, which gives the Earth its Motion, both 
 annual and diurnal, when he is faid to rule the 
 Day, or to have the Dominion of the Day, as the 
 Hebrew expreffes it : Since it will be made appear, 
 that Mofes did not undertake to teach Phifofophy, 
 much lefs fuch a Syflem, incumbered with fo many 
 Difficulties^ not to -fay Abfurdities ; which I am 
 fure, no forced Derivations from Hebrew Books 
 will ever prove. The Sun may be properly faid 
 to have the Dominion of the Day, and of the Year, 
 if fuch a Syftem had never been dreamt of. It 
 was not nqceflary that Mofes mould decide the 
 Queftion, whether the Earth or Sun moves ; he 
 might have taught his People the true Syftem of 
 Religion without that. 'Tis certain, to our com- 
 mon Senfes, as was mention'd juft now, that trie 
 
 I 3 Sun
 
 1 18 DiJ/ertations on the PUT. IV, 
 
 Sun feems to move, not the Earth. 'Tis natural 
 to adapt one's Speech to the common Acceptation 
 of Men -, fo that Mofes^ who was to inftrud the 
 World, that Times and Seafons were from the Ch> 
 dinatkm of God, he was to fpeak according to the 
 common Senfes of Mankind. In fine, I may mew 
 afterwards, that if we confider the Scriptures <zlone y 
 they rather of the two declare to us, that the Sun 
 moves, not the Earth : But fuppofe it were de-r 
 monftrable that the Earth moves, not the Sun ; as 
 the Scriptures were not to teach us Philofophy, but 
 Religion, provided they fpeak according to the ge- 
 neral Apprehenfion of Men, it is fufficient. 
 
 Thefe Gentlemen will be pleafed to obferve, that 
 as Mofes gives the Dominion of the Day to the 
 Sun, fo he gives the Dominion of the Night to the 
 Moon, expreffincr both in the fame manner , on 
 which Account the Words to rule, or bave Domi- 
 nion, feem only to mean, that the Sun was ap^ 
 pointed by God to illuminate the Earth by Day j 
 not to drive the Earth round annually or diurnally, 
 which in all Appearance Mofes never thought of: 
 and the Moon was appointed to illuminate the 
 Earth by Night, as far as her various Phafes will 
 allow. Hence, by that Text precisely , we may 
 as well maintain that the Moon moves the Earth 
 by Night, as the Sun does by Day : yet I prefume 
 the Moon is not any way the Caufe of the Earth's 
 Motion, provided it has any fuch Motion, which 
 is another Queftion not neceflary to be decided in 
 this Place. 
 
 We ought ftilj to obferve againft thefe Expofi- 
 tors, nor can it well be repeated too often, that it 
 was God made thefe Luminaries, as the Text fays 
 exprefly, and alfo the Stars -, not the Ruab, or 
 Air, or any univerfal Agent, except himfelf. And 
 hp' he had faid juft before, Let there be Ligbts it) 
 
 tbe
 
 Diff. IV. MOSAICAL Creation* 119 
 ,t-he Firmament ', as he had laid, Let the Earth bring 
 forth Grafs, &c. yet the Text adds immediately, 
 That God made two great Luminaries ; and God 
 fet them in the Firmament ; to mew us, that the 
 firft Productions of all Beings, even after the Mat- 
 ter was created, was immediately from God : and 
 though God might eftablifh mechanical Laws, by 
 which fecondary Caufes might continue to act, as 
 long as the mechanical Parts were in due Order, 
 not at all necefiary to define in this Place ; tho* 
 none could ever tell us yer, what thofe Laws were; 
 neverthelefs, the firft Productions were quite fupe- 
 'rior to, and out of the common Courfe of Nature : 
 and one would think, that the immediate Produc- 
 tion of all the glorious Ornaments of Heaven and 
 Earth with one Fiat, required fomething more. than 
 a Jumble of aerial Atoms to effect it. 
 
 Ver. 20. And God faid, Let the Waters bring 
 forth abundantly, &c. and Fowl, that may 
 fly above the Earth, &c. 
 
 There is a Queftion between Commentators, 
 though of no great Confequence, Whether the dif- 
 ferent Species of Fowls, called in other places of 
 v the Scripture, the Fowls of the Air, were produced 
 out of the Waters, as the Fifh were ; or out of the 
 Subftance of the Earth, as other Animals ; or out 
 of the Subftance of the Air ? I fay this Queftion 
 is of no great Confequence as to Unbelievers, be- 
 .caufe God might have produced them out of the 
 Earth, Air, or Water ; or indeed, out of no pre- 
 exifting Subject ; as he did the Earth, which is de- 
 monftrable muft have been fo produced, as to the 
 firft Matter of it, or it had never been at all. But, 
 as on the one hand, the Text feems to intimate, 
 that Fowl were produced as Fifh were, out of the 
 Waters -, and yet there are Land Fowl, which feem 
 
 -I 4 *
 
 120 . Differ tat ions on the DilE iy. 
 
 to have no Connection with Water. There does 
 not feem any great Difficulty, if we fuppofe 
 the Water , Fowl, or Sea Fowl, to have been 
 
 . produced from Water ; and the Land Fowl out of 
 the Earth, like Qther other Jiving Creatures ; or 
 perhaps, out of the Subftance of Air, as thek Flef}i 
 
 s is different from the Flefh of Beafts, and thejr 
 feathers approach more to the Subftance of Air. 
 ."Where note, 7"ha though there is no Mention 
 
 ' made of the different Kinds of Fowl in Noah's Ark, 
 except the Pigeon and the Crow, yet 'tis certain, 
 there was no Neceffity for Sea Fowl and Water 
 Fowl to have been there. Nor were the original 
 Kinds of Fowls, or even Beads, nigh fo numerous 
 as People may imagine : Promifcuous Copulations, 
 different Climates, different Food, and the like, in 
 Procefs of Time, by various Mutations and Caufes^ 
 might vary the Natures both of Fowls and Beafts, 
 that the original Species of them might not be nigh 
 fo many, as they may feem to be now. Thofe who 
 have fludied Nature will eafily comprehend this, 
 'without calling in Queftion the divine Authority of 
 the holy Scriptures ; eftablimed upon fuch Founda- 
 tions, as no Quibbles of Scepticks can ever make. 
 But to return; 
 
 The Production of Animals in the following 
 Verfes, containing no particular Difficulties, unlefs 
 3gainft the Patrons of an univerfal material Agent, 
 we may pafs them over. But to the greater Mif- 
 fortune of that Syflem, the 25thVerfe immediately 
 adds, And God made the Beafts of the Earth after 
 their Kind. It muft be the Effects of a ftrong 
 Imagination, more than any Derivations from the 
 Hebrew. Words, that can perfuade us, that the 
 Air, fet in any Motion, could produce either the 
 Souls, if they have any, or even the Bodies of 
 Brutes j an,d that too, not by any regular and fuc- 
 
 ceffive
 
 JDjff. IV. MOSAIC AL Creation." 12? 
 
 effive Formation, as they are produced now, but 
 by one fingle Fiat ; he faid the Word, and they 
 .were made , he faid, Let them be, and they were : 
 Yet thefe Gentlemen (the Hutchinfonians) fpeak 
 with fuch a pofitive Afliirance of this their univerfal 
 Agent under God, as if all were intirely ignorant 
 .of the true Senfe of the Scripture, who believe the 
 .contrary. 
 
 Ver. 26. And God faid, Let us make Man to our 
 Image, after our Likenefs, &c. 
 
 The Dignity of Man is emphatically mark'd out 
 by this Text, which i hope modern Free-thinkers 
 .cannot find Fault with, unlefs they would have us 
 believe, either that Man made himfelf, or was 
 made by Chance 5 or are offended, that the Dig- 
 nity of Man above brute Beads, fhouki be diftin- 
 guifhed in fuch a peculiar manner. This God 
 himfelf does by faying, Let us make Man to our 
 own Image, &c. whereas he had faid of other Pro- 
 ductions, Let the Earth produce, let the Waters 
 produce, and die like ; but here he fays, Let us 
 piake him : And the fame Text adds another di- 
 ftinguilhing Mark of his Dignity, viz. by breath- 
 ing in his Noftrils the Breath of Life. All the 
 principal Verfions and Translations of this Text 
 agree in the real Senfe and Purport of it ; tho' the 
 peculiar Idioms of different Languages may exprefs 
 jit in a manner Ibmething different : However it is 
 obvious, -that the Word Let, in our Englijh, is 
 peculiar to our Language, to exprefs the impera- 
 tive Mood in the thirid Perfon fingular, or plural, 
 we fay, Make thou, make ye ; but in the third Per- 
 fon fingular, we fay, Let him make -, in the firft 
 Perfon plural, Let us make ; in the laft Perfon, 
 Let them make. This Obfervation, tho' feemingly 
 obvious to every one, may mew us the wrong 
 
 Senfe
 
 122 Differ tations on the DifT. IV. 
 
 Senfe fome Expofitors give to the Word Let, in 
 <his Chapter. When the Text faid, Let there be 
 Light, Let the Earth bring forth, they would make 
 us believe, that by the Word Lef t all thofe Pro- 
 ductions were left to their univerfal Agent: Where- 
 as by the Propriety of our Language, we are forced 
 to put the fame Word in the Mouth of God, if we 
 may be allowed to fay fo, when he was going to 
 produce Man. By confequence the Word Let 
 does not exclude the immediate Power of God, 
 but is only a way of exprefiing peculiar to our 
 Language ; unlefs thefe Gentlemen will maintain, 
 that their univerfal Agent made Man alfo ; which 
 far be it from me to tax them with, till they fpeak 
 out. 
 
 The greateft part of Commentators in this Place 
 fuppofe, that thefe Words, Let us make Man* 
 exprefs the Belief of the facred Trinity, Father, 
 Son, and Holy Ghoft. To be fare, it may very 
 well be taken, as a ftrong Intimation of that facred 
 Myftery: Which feems alfo to be confirmed by 
 the facred Penman's making ufe of the Word 
 Elohim for God, throughout the whole Creation ; 
 which Word Elobim is allowed by all to be of the 
 plural Number : Tho' no one could be a greater 
 Afiertor of the Unity of the Godhead, than 
 Mofes was. Further, 'tis not at all to be doubt- 
 ed, but that MofeSy and the ancient Patriarchs and 
 Prophets, had fome Belief of the holy Trinity, 
 tho* they never fpoke exprefly of it ; their People 
 being fo very prone to Idolatry ; being alfo induced 
 to it by the almoft univerfal Practice of the Nations 
 around them. Nor can it be well fuppofed, that 
 Mofes would introduce God fpeaking to his Angels 
 in the Formation of Man. On which Accounts, it 
 would not be any great Force on the Text, if we 
 fcjppoft here that Mofes would intimate a joint Con- 
 currence
 
 DifT. IV. MOSAICAL Creation." 123 
 
 currence of the Blefled Trinity in that great Work. 
 Provided we don't underftand with the Hutchin- 
 fonians, the execrated 'fbree (verbo abfit Blafpbe- 
 mia) or the Three Divine Perfons, lying under a 
 Conditional Execration, which they fay is meant by 
 the Word Elobim -, and which will deferve a more 
 particular Confutation afterwards. 
 
 Neverthelefs, taking the Holy Trinity in the 
 true Senfe of it, the literal Meaning of thefe Words, 
 J.et ffs make Man, does not neceffarily require us 
 to believe that they were fpoke of the Holy Tri- 
 nity j but only to notify to us more emphatically, 
 that God himfelf made Man , or, that there was 
 nothing more wanting to compleat his Works, but 
 the Creation of Man, as the Head and Ruler over 
 the reft, in this lower Creation : As it is Fact, the 
 Empire of Man extends itfelf over this whole lower 
 Creation, and turns the Beafts of the Fields, the 
 Fruits of the Earth, the Fowls of the Air, and the 
 Fifh. of the Deep, to his own Ufe and Benefit. 
 Further, 
 
 The Word Elobim being in the Plural, neither 
 expreffes the Plurality of Gods, nor neceflarily a 
 Plurality of Perfons, but is an Idiom of the He- 
 brew, to exprefs the immenfe Power, or Powers of 
 God, powerful in all his Attributes. If you fay it 
 is joined in this Place with a Verb plural, fo it 
 may in other Places, yet undoubtedly was always 
 underftood by Mofes to fignify one only true God. 
 The Hebrew Verbs are not declined by different 
 Variations, as the Latin and Greek Verbs are, or 
 even fome modern Languages, but more like the 
 Englijh. We fay in Englijh, I did, or tbey did \ 
 J created, or they created ; where the Verb is the 
 fame in the fingular or plural Number. When the 
 fiebrew would exprefs the Eflence of God, it i* 
 flops by Jehovah, Jeh or Jab, El, Elab, or in 
 
 the
 
 124 Di/ertatiom on the Dill IV. 
 
 the Sjriac Dialed Eloab, as they have different 
 Names for God, in the finguiar or plural Number: 
 But when they would exprefs any thing of a vaft 
 Extent, they often ufe the plural Number, or re- 
 peat the fame Word twice over. So that Elobim, 
 the Powers^ or the moft powerful God, does nei- 
 ther exprefs a Plurality of Gods, nor Plurality of 
 Perfons. I fay necefifarily, you may underftand it 
 of the Trinity, without any Prejudice to the Text, 
 as feveral of the holy Fathers did, as well as feveral 
 modern Expofitors ; but it is not neceffary it mould 
 be fo understood, and it is more probable that Mo- 
 fes did not ufe it in that Senfe, on Account of the 
 Jews being fo prone to Idolatry -, nor was there 
 'any Danger of fignifying a Plurality of Gods, tho* 
 Elohim be in the plural Number, and joined here 
 with a Verb plural, when Mofes fo ftrongly affert- 
 jed, and fo frequently inculcated the Unity of the 
 Godhead. But as he was treating of the Creation 
 of all Things, where the omnipotent Power of God 
 chiefly manifefted itfelf, he always in this Chapter 
 makes ufe of that Name of God, which more 
 nearly exprefles his .Omnipotence, and that in the 
 plural Number. 
 
 In our Image^ &c. The Latin and Greek Ver- 
 fion is, 70 our Image and Likenefs. The Senfe is 
 much the fame -, undoubtedly it is meant of the 
 Soul, not the Body. J Tis demonftrable, that God 
 is not mere Matter, as all Bodies are : by Con- 
 fequence the Likenefs cannot be in the Body, and 
 .corporeal Figure of Man : God is a pure Spirit ; 
 the Likenefs therefore of Man to God confifts in 
 his Soul being a Spirit, not of infinite Perfection, 
 as God is, but a real fpiritual Being diftint from, 
 and independent of Matter, as to its Efience ; in- 
 /dowed with Knowledge and Understanding, capa- 
 ble of directing both itfelf, and the other l>arts of 
 
 i the
 
 Dill IV. Mos A ic AL Creation. 125^ 
 
 the Creation within its Sphere of Adivity , as it is 
 Fad he has a very great Dominion over the Beings 
 of this lower Creation, both animate and inanimate. 
 Nor is the Soul of Man a mere Breath, or an 
 slfflatuS) as the impious Poland (fo he was fre- 
 quently called) would have us to understand the 
 Text, when it is faid, that God breathed in the 
 Noftrih of Man the Breath of Life. By which 
 he feems to mean, not a real fpiritual Being, diftinct 
 from all the Organs of the Body, but I don't know 
 what fort of Motion given to the Machine of the 
 Body, which makes it perform the Operations we 
 fee in Man. This impious Syftem, againft the 
 Being of a real, rational Soul in Man, is confuted 
 in all its Branches, in a former Treatife of the 
 Great Duties of Life ^ in the Article of the Immor- 
 tality of the Soul. If Mr. 1'oland, by his dfflatm , 
 means a Life-giving Principle capable of Know- 
 ledge, and really diitind from Matter, and inde- 
 pendent of it, as to its Being, 'tis much the fame 
 as an immortal Soul r If he means a mere Acci- 
 dent, a thinking Quality, or a mere tranfient Mo- 
 tion given to the Body by the Breath of God, to 
 fubiift no longer than the Machine is in order, 'tis 
 either a mere nonfenfical Quibble, or an unphilo- 
 fophical, as well as impious Notion. 
 
 ' ' ; --lXL ,"i.-.".: ; ;.' : '..J jti'j nr.v. .;: , iy 
 Ver. 27. Male and Female created he them. 
 
 Some No-thinkers, as Dean Swift called the 
 Free-thinkers, or at leaft wretched Thinkers, would 
 have us believe, that God left out the Woman in 
 the fix Days Creation, and compleated his Works 
 before the Woman was made -, becaufe the Pro- 
 duction of Eve is defcribed in a feparate manner in 
 the next Chapter. They feem to mean this as a 
 Sneer on the Mofaical Creation ; as if .Mofes had 
 forgot the Woman, or look'd upon her as a mere 
 
 Apr
 
 126 bi/ertatiotu on the >ifl". IV, 
 
 Appurtenance of Man : or as feme Jewijh Hub- 
 bins, either from Plato, or from feme wrong Tra- 
 dition, imagined that Adam was created an Andro- 
 gyne, and cut in two afterwards. Thefe foolifh 
 Suppofitions are directly contrary to the facred Text, 
 which fays exprefly, before the fix Days were com- 
 pleated, That Man, or Mankind, were created, 
 Male and Female ; is not that a Man and a Woman 
 at lead ?- Neither does the Text fay that God 
 created him Male and Female, but them ; which 
 them is exprefied in the plural Number, both in 
 the original Hebrew, and in all the other Verfions j 
 only in the Arabic, according to Walton's Tran- 
 fiation in his Polyglot, it is ambos, both : to mew 
 that a Man and a Woman were created, and that 
 neither of them had their Being but from God. If 
 Mofes in the next Chapter gives a more particular 
 and diftincl: Defcription of the Formation of the 
 Woman from a Bone of Adam, it was, as the Scrip- 
 ture marks exprefly, to inculcate the ftric~t and in- 
 difiblvible Union between Man and Wife. But if 
 we would infer, that the Woman was not created 
 in the firft fix Days, from the diftinct Defcription 
 of her Formation in the next Chapter, we may as 
 well infer, that the Man was not created till then 5 
 for there is a diftincl Defcription of the Formation 
 of Adam in that Chapter, which is not in this. 
 
 As for the Notion of the firft Man being cut 
 in two from an Androgyne, it is fo ridiculous, it is 
 almoft a Shame to mention it. Male and Female, 
 fays the Text, created he them. 'Tis true, when 
 their Likenefs to God was declared, it is faid him \ 
 becaufeMan and Woman have the fame human Na- 
 ture, and both were created to the Likenefs of God. 
 But when the different Sexes are mentioned, it is 
 (aid them, to (hew that both the Man and the Wo- 
 lijan were then created. 
 
 From
 
 DifT. IV. Mos A i CAL Creation. 127 
 
 From this Text, with Tome others, both of the 
 Old and New Teftamcnt, mifunderftood or vilely 
 mifapplied, as aifo from the diftinct Defcription of 
 the Creation of Adam and Eve in the next Chapter, 
 whereas Male and Female were faid to be created 
 before, Monfieur Pereyre drew his romantick Sy- 
 ftem of the Prtadamites, viz. That the- firft 
 created Man and Woman were long before Adam 
 and Eve -, who, according to him, were only the 
 Progenitors of the Jewijh People. As this whim- 
 fical Syftem, as good as died with the Author, 
 who alfo recanted, and difbwned it before he diedj 
 and as there can be no antient Hiftories or Monu- 
 ments in the World brought for it, or againft it, 
 but the old Teftament, I think it is pretty evident 
 from this lad, that Mofes makes Adam and Eve 
 not only the firft Parents of the Jewijb Race, but 
 of all the World. Adam> in the next Chapter, is 
 reprefented as the Head of the whole new Creation. 
 Immediately after the firft Creation, Paradife 
 planted, and Adam placed in it in the primitive 
 State of Innocence ; all Beafts are brought to him 
 to give them their Names ; the long Lives of the 
 firft Men, for peopling the World, are marked 
 out ; Eve is called the Mother of all Living : In 
 fine, the whole fucceeding Chapter reprefents the 
 Word in its firft Infancy, and Ad^n and Eve as the 
 .firft People of this infant World, not as if there 
 had been Numbers of People before them, as this 
 frantick Author fuppofes. But it is giving it an Air 
 of fomething, to fpend any more Time about it. 
 
 The whole Syftem at Length, with its Confuta- 
 tion and Account of the Author, may be feen in 
 the Hiftoire des Dogmes & Cuhe de I* Eglife of Mon- 
 fieur Jurieu, heretofore chief Miniftcr of the French 
 Refugees in Holland. In that learned Work Mr. 
 Jurieu informs us, that Perayre was Secretary to the 
 
 Prince
 
 128 itiflertations on the Di# IV* 
 
 -i^ 
 
 Prince of Conde 9 when in his Banifhment at BruJJels. 
 
 He was a Hugonot when he wrote that Syftem, 
 only to make himfelf talk'd ofy as Mr. Jurieu 
 conjectures. He turned Catholick afterwards, 
 and made a folemn Recantation of his Errors, and 
 of this Syftem in particular. Mr. Jurieu calls it a 
 Theological Romance. The Author of it fuppofes ' 
 many Ages of Men before Adam^ yet allows that 
 Adam was produced of the Dull of the Earth. 
 His Preadamites had no Law given them by God,- 
 and by his Confequence there was no imputed Sin 
 in the World before Adam. This he pretends to 
 eftablim on a hard PafTage of St. Paul, in the 5th 
 Chapter to the Romans : For unto the 'Time of the 
 Law, Sin was in the IVorld^ but Sin is not im- 
 futed while there is no Law : But Death reigned 
 from Adam to Mofes, &?f. 'Tis not my prefent 
 Bufinefs to enter into the Difcuflion of the difficult 
 Places of the New Teftament , but it is evident 
 St. Paul did not mean by this, that there were 
 Men before Adam , not only becaufe it is directly 
 contrary to the Mofaical Account, but becaufe the 
 fame Apoftle fays exprefly in the i yth Chapter of 
 the ARs, Ver. 26. And made from one all the 
 Race of Men to inhabit on the Face of the whole 
 Earth. 'Tis obfervable, that St. Paul fpeaks to 
 Men who were not of the Race of the Jews. 
 The Greek Text exprefTes it, From one Blood -, or, 
 from one Stock. If all the Race of Men on the 
 Face of the Earth came from one, undoubtedly 
 Adam was that one in St. Paul's Meaning, what 
 became of the Defendants of thefe Preadamites ? 
 'Tis equally prepofterous to imagine, that this one 
 was the firft of the Preadamites , if fo, what be- 
 came of the Defendants of Adam ? As for the 
 PafFage in the fourth Chapter of Genefis, Ver. 14. 
 where Cain fays, Every one that Jhall fnd me Jhall 
 
 Jiay
 
 IV. Mos A ic AL Creation. 129 
 
 Jlay me : The Wickednels of his Crime, and his 
 own guilty Confcience, might make him afraid of 
 his own Defendants. Befides, if it were necefiary, 
 'tis no very difficult Matter to prove, that there 
 might be many thoufands of Men before the Death 
 of Cain : Who alfo exprefies his Fears rather for 
 the time to come, than for the prefent. But I am 
 afraid the Reader will think I have dwelt too long 
 upon it already. 
 
 Verfe 28. And God bkffed them, and faid, Be 
 fruitful^ and multiply, and repleniflj the 
 Earth. 
 
 Some Perfons may imagine, that thefe Words, 
 Be fruitful, or increafe and multiply, imply an ab- 
 Tolute Command for all Perfons to rriarfy, who are 
 capable of it -, and by Confequence, that Celibacy 
 is condemned by it. But it is certain, thefe Words 
 do not imply fuch a Command. The Text here 
 evidently applies them as a EleJJing^ and a Power 
 given them to propagate their Kind by Marriage : 
 as we fee in the next Chapter they were to be two 
 in one Flefli, more infeparably united than any other 
 Relation, fo as to forfake Father and Mother and 
 cleave to each other. This feems to be the natural 
 and evident Purport of the Text, imply'd by the 
 Words, God bleffed them. How did he blefs them", 
 but by giving them Power and Fecundity to mul- 
 tiply their Kinds ? which are certainly temporal 
 Bleffings : but not to be obliged to exercife this 
 Power, but when the Diftates of right Reafon, 
 and the Laws of Nature and Religion, told them it 
 was proper to do it ; otherwife it would be filling the 
 World with wild Confufion, and Ciirfes inftead of 
 Bleffings. However it infmuates, both that the 
 World was to be peopled, and that it was to be 
 done by Marriage, not by promifcuous Copulation. 
 
 K 2. if
 
 130 Differ fattons on th Diff. 
 
 2. If this -were an exprefs Command, as it was 
 given by God's own Mouth, from the very Origin 
 of the World, all Perfons who live in voluntary 
 Celibacy, either all their Life, or a confiderable 
 part of it, without propagating their Kind after 
 they are fit for it, mud live in open Breach of one 
 of the exprefs Commands of God, given by his 
 own Mouth from the Beginning of the World : 
 But as this is abfurd, uncharitable, and unreafona- 
 ble, to condemn all fuch fingle Perfons as guilty 
 of the open Breach of the Commands of God : By 
 Conlequence, thofe Words don't imply a formal 
 Precept, as feveral learned Proteflants as well as 
 Roman Catholicks explain it. 
 
 3. Chriftians who believe the New Teftament, 
 as one would think, mould not look upon this Blef- 
 fmg as a Precept of Obligation, fince our blefled 
 Saviour himfelf, who came to fulfil the Law, ne- 
 ver obferved this Precept, or commanded his Fol- 
 lowers to do it -, but rather advifed the contrary, 
 when he told them, there were fome who were 
 Eunuchs for the Sake of the Kingdom of Heaven ; 
 fince he chofe to be born of a Virgin who never 
 knew Man , fince St. Paul commends Virginity fo 
 much, ^nd fays exprefly, that, He tkrt marries 
 does wel^ but he that does not, dee ./ . Mar- 
 riage is certainly a holy State, bin ail Men ure not 
 obliged to engage in it, when the World is fuffi- 
 ciently peopled, 
 
 4. This Blefllng, to increafe and multiply, was 
 exprefled before in the very fame Words, with re- 
 fpecft to irrational Beings and Productions, which 
 are evidently incapable of any moral Precept : By 
 Confequence, by the mere Force and Purport of 
 this Text, no Command of Obligation can be in- 
 ferred , but it expreflfes a very great natural Benefit 
 and Bkffing given to all Beings from the Beginning 
 
 of
 
 DI/T. IV. MOSAICAL Creation. 1 131 
 
 of the World, to have Power and Principles of 
 Fecundity to multiply their Kind; as Barrennefs 
 and Sterility, in every refpect, are look'd upon as 
 great Misfortunes. To be fure s at the Beginning 
 of the World it was highly proper to make nfe of 
 this Blefling, as Mankind in general will always 
 make ufe of it ; not as an Obligation under Sin in- 
 cumbent on every Particular, but as a Blefling given 
 by God. 
 
 If you object,, that Perfons who cannot live vir- 
 tuoufly and chaftly are obliged to marry ; as St. 
 Paul fays, Better marry than Itirn. 
 
 Anfwtr. ift. There is a Very great Fallacy in the 
 Word cannot ; for a great many Perfons may fay 
 they cannot^ when they will not live virtuoufly : 
 In fuch a Cafe, provided they are fai juris and free, 
 they may be obliged to marry. But as God faid to 
 GZ/JI, the Appetite of Sin is ftill under our Com- 
 mand, affifted by God's Grace, if we don't thruft 
 ourfelves into the immediate Occafion of it ; as if 
 a Man mould put a flaming Torch to a Stack of 
 Hay, he cannot, then help burning it, let him make 
 what Acts of his Will he pleafes -, but he might 
 have kept from it. So, if all Perfons cannot re- 
 frain from carnal Sins when they put themfelves in 
 the immediate Occafions of it, yet they might re- 
 frain from fuch Occafions. God does not com- 
 mand Impoffibilities ; 'tis Man that creates them, 
 by running into fuch Occafions and Circumftances 
 as make it morally impoflible but the Effect muft 
 follow. Every one then may refrain from Sin, if 
 he refifts the Beginning of his evil Inclinations ; if 
 he daily prays for the Afliftance of divine Grace ; 
 if he does not expofe himfelf to fuch Temptations, 
 as make it morally impoffible, in thofe Circum- 
 ftances, to avoid ir, and will but have the Fear and 
 Law of God before his Eyes. 
 
 K 2 Anfwtr.
 
 3 3 2 Differ tations on the DifT. IV. 
 
 Anfwer. 2dly, As for thefe Words of St. Paul, 
 Better marry than burn , it might eafily be fhewn, 
 if it belonged to this place, that to burn there, 
 chiefly means burning everlaftingly, not burning by 
 Concupifcence, which may be refilled in all States, 
 when it leads to SHI, by duly applying thofe Helps 
 and Remedies mentioned juft before. But admitting 
 it may be applied fometimes to burning by Concu- 
 pifcence, 'tis evident, it cannot mean an Obligation 
 at all Times either to marry, or to take a Woman 
 when Concupifcence urges -, if it did, all Perfons 
 who fhould not marry, when that urges, would be 
 guilty of Sin , whereas the fame Apoftle fays, we 
 muft refill the Deeds of the Flefh : Otherwife what 
 would become of thofe who live fingle for fome 
 Time, after they are come to Years of Puberty ? 
 Again, fuppofe married Perfons being necefiitated 
 to feparate from each other for a confiderable Time, 
 and mould burn with carnal Appetites, as much as 
 fingle Perfons, perhaps more, would they be 
 obliged to take other Wives, or other Hufband?, 
 if fuch may be called fo, while their firft are living? 
 not according to the Scriptures 1 am fure. I own, 
 where Perfons are free and fui juris, 'tis better 
 marry than burn, if they will not live chaftly ; nay, 
 fometimes may be obliged to it : But where there 
 is a prior Obligation, they are obliged to mortify 
 the Deeds of the Flefh, or they will burn everlaft- 
 ingly. The Words concern both Men and Wo- 
 men i Are married Women, when feparated from 
 their Hufbands, obliged to take a Man if they burn 
 by Concnpifcence ? 
 
 Verfegi. and laft. And the Evening and the 
 
 Morning were the fix tb Day. 
 It was obferved before, at the mention of the 
 firft Day, that tho' we mould not be able to com- 
 prehend
 
 Di/T IV. MOSAIC AL Creation. 133 
 prehend the Motives of the Almighty in creating 
 the World in the Space of fix Days, rather than all 
 at once ; either way being equally poflible to God, 
 yet his refting on the feventh Day, and fanffifying 
 it, in fuch a folemn Manner, feems to imply feme 
 great and religious Duty incumbent on Men, infti- 
 tuted from the firft Origin of the World, *. e. the 
 Sanctification of the feventh Day ; or at leail one 
 Day in feven. That as Men received all from God, 
 they fhould not live unmindful of his Benefits ; but 
 fhould be obliged to fet apart one Day, at proper In- 
 tervals,to pay their Adorations to their Creator. This, 
 fo far from being inconfiftent with Reafon,is not only 
 natural and rational, but I believe was look'd 
 upon as a ftricl: Duty, by all Chriftians at leaft ; till 
 Monfieur Jurieu, the Hugonot Minifter in Holland^ 
 called it inQueftion, in his Hiftcire des-Dogmes, c. 15. 
 Monfieur Jurieu there endeavours to prove, 
 that the Sanctification of the Sabbath was not obli- 
 gatory with refpecl to any Perfons, till it was madl 
 one -of the Precepts of the Decalogue. To give him 
 his due, he fets the Arguments pro and con in their 
 proper Light ; but happens to chufe the wrong 
 Side of the Queftion. As that learned Work (his 
 Hiftoire des Dogmes) is not in every body's Hands, 
 nor as yet tranilated into Englijh, as I know of, 
 I mall faithfully give the Reader the Heads of his 
 Arguments on both Sides ; and fhew where he is 
 Wrong in his Choice. 'Tis not an eafy Matter tp 
 aflign his Motives for fuch an Opinion, mocking 
 and offenfive to Chriftian Ears. But by his en- 
 deavouring to prove afterwards, that there was no 
 fet Form of Worlhip till Mofes's Time ; no Tem- 
 ples, no AfTemblies, nor any religious Meetings, 
 unlels in private Families, nor fet Times for Prayer 
 or Sacrifice i but every eldeft Male was Prieft in 
 his own Family, and offered Sacrifices when, and 
 K where
 
 'i 34 DiJJertations en the Difl". IV. 
 
 where he thought proper ; and on this Account he 
 thinks, there was no Obfervation of one Day more 
 than another ; by Confequence, in his Opinion, no 
 Sabbath to be fan&ified. But one may guefs at 
 another Motive in Mr. Jurieu, for endeavouring to 
 eftabiifh iuch a Syftem. Monfieur Jurieu was a 
 rigid Calvinift^ or, in other Words a rigid Prejby- 
 terian ; very much leaning to that Sect of them 
 called Independents : No wonder therefore, he mould 
 endeavour to make the Antient Patriarchal Church 
 to confift of feparate Congregations, or rather fe- 
 parate Families, independent of "each other. But, 
 admitting that this laft were fo ; it does not follow 
 in the lead, that the Church of Chrift was fo in- 
 ftituted : Nay we are fure, that even the Jewijh 
 Church, inftituted by God's immediate Authority, 
 as well as the Chriftian Church, was not inftituted 
 in fuch feparate Congregations, independent of each 
 other. Mr. Juri$u therefore, may prove as much 
 as he pleafes, that his Cahiniftical Conventicles 
 have fome faint Refemblance with the way of Wor- 
 fhip before the Law -, provided he will not make a 
 Chriftian Church of them. Neither does it follow 
 at all, fuppofmg there were no publick Temples, 
 nor Meetings affigned for publick Worfhip before 
 Mofes's Time, that there was no Sabbath to be 
 fanclified, tho' there was no mention made of it after, 
 pill the Commandments were given ; becaufe there 
 both may, and undoubtedly were feveral religious 
 Obligations incumbent on Men, whether they lived 
 feparately, or in Community ; whether they exer- 
 cifed their Devotions in publick Aflemblies, or in 
 private Families, as this or. fandlifying the Sabbath 
 might be one. But to examine his Arguments 
 more particularly, for fuch an out-of-the-waySyftem. 
 His firft Argument is drawn, as he thinks, from 
 the Silence of Mofes on that Head : But how can 
 
 S-4* 4, ..... f . i .. . _ - 
 
 ; Mofes
 
 Diff. IV. MOSA ic AL Creation. 
 
 Mofes be thought to be filent in it, when he men- 
 tions the Inftitutbn and Confecration of the Sabbath 
 in fuch a folemn Manner by God's own Mouth, 
 when he had finished the Creation, Gen. c. ii. v. 2. 
 And on the Seventh Day God ended his Wcrks which 
 he had made, and he refted on the Seventh Day from 
 all the Work which he had, made, v. 3. and God 
 Ibleffed the feventh Day, and janffified it, becaufe 
 that in it, he had rejlcd from all his Work, which 
 be had created and made ; by which we fee, that 
 inftead of being filent in it, nothing can be more 
 folemn than the exprefs Sanctification of it. What 
 was the Meaning of fuch a folemn Sanctification, if 
 Men were not to fanctify what God had fanctiiied ? 
 So far the Letter is more againft him than for him. 
 I hope it was not neceftary, that Mofes fhould re- 
 peat this Sanctification in every Chapter. Nay we 
 find afterwards in Exodus, before the Decalogue wa 
 promulgated, that the Children of Ifrael were exr 
 prefly ordered to gather a double Quantity of Man- 
 na, to ferve them for the feventh Day ', and the 
 Sanctification of it is confirmed by a Miracle, fince 
 the Manna would corrupt and putrify, if kept on 
 any other Day ; yet on the feventh Day it would 
 keep fweet : This was before the Ten Command- 
 ments were given. And when afterwards the Deca- 
 logue was promulgated, the San&ification of the Sab- 
 bath is rather repeated, than reprefented as newly in- 
 ftituted ; Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath Day. 
 Thus, I prefume, no Argument can bejuftly drawn- 
 from any Silence of Mofes. But 
 
 2. Mofes, fays he, never mentions any Aflem- 
 blies, Sacrifices, or Exercifes of Devotion, on that 
 Day, more than another ; nor ever taxes any one 
 with the Violation of it, from the Beginning of the 
 World : Whereas he mentions a great many other 
 Sins of Men, and even Particulars j as the Murder 
 
 K 4 of
 
 136 Differ Nations on the Dif IV. 1 
 
 of Abel by Cam , the Sins of Sodom ; the Inceft of 
 Lot , the Sin of Efau, in felling his Birth-right ; 
 the Idolatry of Laban , the Violence of Simeon and 
 Lwi, in killing the Sichemites , the felling ofjofepb 
 by his Brothers, &c. Is it poffible, fays he, that 
 none of the Sons of Men ever violated the Sabbath ? 
 or that there fhould be no mention made of fuch 
 Violation ? nay, there is no mention made of it a- 
 mong the Grimes of Men, which brought on the 
 Univerfal Deluge. 
 
 Anfwer. Such negative Arguments, from Silence 
 of Facts, are oftentimes very fallacious. There is 
 no particular Mention made of any Prayers, or De- 
 votions paid to the fupreme Creator, by Num- 
 bers of holy Men (as doubtlefs there were fuch, 
 before the Flood, as the Children of God, diftin- 
 guifhed expreOy from the Children of Men) or even 
 after the Flood ; except in fome Sacrifices, on par- 
 ticular and extraordinary Occafions ; as in Noah's 
 coming out of the Ark ; Job's Prayers and Sacrifices 
 for his Children , Abraham's and Jacob's Sacrifices, 
 &V. But muft we infer from thence, that no holy 
 Men ever faid Prayers, or paid any Adoration to 
 the fupreme Deity ? Again, fuppofe on Hypclhefis^ 
 it were admitted, that there were no publick Meet- 
 ings for Devotion, on that Day, does it follow from 
 thence, that the holy Servants of God, pf which to 
 be fure there were fome at all Times, might not 
 fanctify that Day in their own private Families, 
 which they knew that God had fo folemnly fancti- 
 fied ; if holy Men always fanctified it in their pri- 
 vate Families, it were fufficient ; tho' wicked Men 
 might neglect this as well as other Duties ; which 
 are not exprefly mentioned ; on which Account no 
 negative Argument from Silence of Facts, precifely 
 as fuch, can be conclufive. Neither does Mr. Jurieu's 
 Hypothecs feem to be a true one j tho' admitting
 
 DifT. IV. MOSAICAL Creation? 137 
 
 it, it does not figniry much to his Purpofe, viz* 
 that there were no publick Meetings, or Afiembling 
 of Perfons together, to pay their Adorations 'to 
 the fupreme Deity ; among which, fanctifying the 
 Day, which God had fancYified, was a known Duty ; 
 at lead among thofe who feared the Lord : I fay^ 
 iuch an Hypothefis, as Mr. Jurieu takes for granted, 
 does not ieem to be abfolutely true and certain -, 
 becaufe the Defendants of Seth, who are called the 
 Sons of God, in Oppofition to the Defendants of 
 curfed Cain, called the Children of Men, in all Pro- 
 bability, preferved themfelves in a religious Body, 
 obferving the Law of Nature and Duties inculcated 
 to them by Jdam, and the Sanftification of that 
 Day, which God had fanctified, till at length even 
 thofe were corrupted by the Daughters of Men. The 
 fame in all Probability may well be fuppofed with 
 refpecl to Noah' 's Family, or Part of them at lead, 
 as long as they lived under his Care ; as alfo of 
 Abraham's, Ifaac's and Jacob's Families, down 
 to Mofes's Time ; for the M id wives feared the 
 Lord in the Land of Egypt. And we fee the 
 Children of Ijrael, even in the Defart, before the 
 Decalogue was promulgated, were not to gather 
 their Food on the Sabbath, when they could do it 
 the Day before. 
 
 As. for the Crimes which are particularly mention- 
 ed in the Old Teftament, before the Law -, and no 
 Violation of the Sabbath mentioned among them ; 
 befide that it is a mere negative Argument, 'tis 
 poflible, the Perfons, whofe Crimes are there men- 
 tioned, tho' very great ones, were not guilty of the 
 Violation of the Sabbath, among their other Crimes.^ 
 May not Men commit fome Crimes, even heinous 
 ones, and not be guilty of all others ? The prefent 
 Race of the Jews are fuppofed to make no great 
 Scruple of fome very immoral Pra&ices ; yet they 
 . are fcrupulous almoft to a Folly in the Obicrvation 
 
 of
 
 138 Differ tations on the DilT. IV. 
 
 of their Sabbath, and abftaining from Blood. And 
 there are fbme who would be thought very good 
 Chriftians, who make lefs Scruple of cracking the 
 reft of the Commandments on a Sunday, than play- 
 ing at Cards, or even finging an innocent Song. 
 One might add, that tho' the Sanctification of the 
 Sabbath was as old as the World, and was always 
 look'd upon as an Obligation by pious Perfons, let 
 what will be faid of the Wicked, who are out of the 
 Queflion at prefent ; yet the Violation of it was not 
 fo crying and mocking, as fome of thofe Crimes 
 mentioned above ; and tho' the Memory of it was 
 not quite obliterated in the World, as will be feen 
 by and by, yet the Generality of Men, of whom the 
 Wicked are the greateft Number, might no more 
 regard that Obligation, than they did ethers more 
 Shocking to Nature. As to the Crimes of Men, 
 which brought on the Deluge, there is no particular 
 Species of Sins mentioned in holy Writ , but only 
 that all Flefh had corrupted their Ways : Yet it is 
 not to be doubted, but that there was fcarce any 
 Crime in Being, which was not committed by that 
 Free-thinking Race : No wonder then, that the 
 Violation of the Sabbath was not mentioned, when 
 Crimes of a deeper Dye are not. By which one fees 
 that negative Arguments drawn from the Silence of 
 the Scriptures, are not to be depended upon. 
 
 3. His third Argument carries the Appearance 
 of fome Difficulty along with it. For Example, 
 that God gave but one Command to Adam in Para- 
 dife, viz. not to eat the forbidden Fruit : Where- 
 as if- he were obliged to fan&ify the Sabbath, 
 ,he muft have had two Commands laid upon him 
 at leaft , with other collateral Confiderations to 
 ftrengthen fuch a Suppofition, all which will fall of 
 themfelves when their principal Foundation is taken 
 away : Wherefore 
 
 Anfwer.
 
 . IV. MOSAICAL Creation, 139 
 
 Anfwer. ift. Tho' this Argument alfo feerjis to 
 border upon the Negative , furely Mr. Jurieu could 
 not thfak ferioufly, that Adam had but one Obliga- 
 tion upon him, viz. not to eat the forbidden 
 Fruit ? For, tho* they are not mentioned in par- 
 ticular, was not Adam ftri&ly obliged to adore, 
 love, and worfhip his fupreme Creator, who had 
 drawn him from nothing, and placed him in that 
 happy State ? was he not obliged to offer the Sa- 
 crifice of Praife and Thankfgiving, for Benefits re- 
 jceived ? with a great many other-Duties from the 
 Creature to the Creator ; not to mention abftaining 
 from Sins againft the Light of Nature, which with- 
 out doubt he was difpofed faithfully to obferve. 
 He muft know aiib, that God had blefled and 
 fandtified the feventh Day in a moft folemn Man- 
 ner, and could not imagine any other than that it 
 was to be look'd upon as holy and fanclified. So 
 that it is evident Adam had more than one Obli- 
 gation on him, from his firft Creation. However, 
 there is a very juft Diftindlion to be applied, as to 
 what this Author advances, viz. of only one Com- 
 rnand being given to Adam in Paradife ; on which 
 Account the following Diftindion may juftly be ap- 
 plied to it. 
 
 'Tis anfwered therefore 2d!y, That there was but 
 one Command given to Adam in Paradife, for the 
 Breach of which both he, and his Defcendants, were 
 to die everlaftingly ; in this Senfe it may be ad- 
 mitted. But it is both falfe and impious to advance, 
 that Adam had no other Obligations upon him with 
 refpeft to his Creator, but abftaining from the for- 
 bidden Fruit ; fuch as thofe mentioned juft now ; 
 as alfo that of fan&ifying the feventh Day, which 
 jie could not but know, Gqd had fan&ified ; tho* 
 .God was pleafed to make the forbidden Fruit, the 
 particular Trial of his Obedience. But, as this is Mr. 
 
 Jurieu's
 
 140 Diflertatiom on the DiiT. IV. 
 
 Jurieu" 1 ^ chief Argument, one fees by it, how far 
 learned Men may be biafied for a particular Caufe ; 
 and how little Strefs is to be laid on fuch Arguments, 
 fince it's evidently built on a Fallacy , as it is evident, 
 that Adam had other Obligations upon him, tho* 
 the Breach of them might not entail eternal Dam- 
 nation upon him and his Pofterity, in the Manner, 
 the Eating the forbidden Fruit was to do, if the 
 Hand-writing which was againft him, had not been 
 reverfed by our Blefied Redeemer. 
 
 But, fays he, the forbidden Fruit, was the only 
 pofitive Command laid upon him by God, by Con- 
 fequence he was not obliged to obferve the Sabbath. 
 Anfwer. Suppofe the Antecedent were admitted ; 
 the Confequence is a very lame one ; all that can be 
 inferred from it is, that Adam had not incurred the 
 Penalty of original Sin, but by the Breach of that 
 pofitive Command. However, there may be a 
 Fallacy in the word pnfiti've : Becaufe, tho' God did 
 not repeat the Obligation of the Sabbath ; yet he 
 had pofitively blefTed and fanctifted it before ; and 
 as Adam was obliged by the Light of Nature to 
 confecrate fome proper Intervals, for the Adoration 
 of his Creator; God himfelf having confecrated the 
 feventh Day, it had been criminal in him not to 
 keep it holy, as God ordained it mould be. This 
 will be further enforced prefently, when we come to 
 the affirmative Part of the Obligation. However, 
 it is evident already, that Mr. Juried* Arguments 
 are not fuch evincing Proofs, as fuch a fingular and 
 bold Affertion requires. 
 
 The reft of his Arguments are, /r/?, That the 
 Sabbath was given to the Ifraelites, as God's chofen 
 People ; which he thinks is proved by Deut. v, 
 Remember thott wert a Servant in Egypt , and that 
 God drew thee thence with a ftrong Hand ; there- 
 fore has he commanded thee to obierve the Day of 
 
 the
 
 Diff! IV. MOSAIC AL Creation I 141 
 
 the Sabbath. 2<//y, That the Sabbath was given 
 as a Sign of their Alliance with God : As in Exod. 
 xi. fake Care to obferve my Sabbat hs, they are a 
 Sign between me and you in all Generations^ &c. &c. 
 Thefe two Proofs arifing much to the fame, may 
 be eafily anfwered ; and indeed rather intimate the 
 contrary to what Mr. Jurieu would prove, viz. 
 That tho' all other Nations mould neglect this great 
 Obligation, eftablifhed from the Beginning of the 
 World, yet you my chofen People will remember 
 to obferve it ; and it mail be a Sign of your Cove- 
 nant with me, if you duly obferve it. 3^/y The 
 fame Author, finding that the Sabbath was held 
 as facred before the Ten Commandments were 
 given, to evade this he is fo hardy, not to fay au- 
 dacious, as to advance a -prior Promulgation of 
 that Precept before thofe Commandments ; not 
 from the Beginning, nor for all the Race of Men, 
 but only in the Defart by Mofes, and only for the 
 Children of Ifrael: But when, or in what part of 
 their Peregrination, he does not mention ; nor in- 
 deed is fuch a Promulgation to be found, but in 
 his own Invention. We find, 'tis true, that the 
 Sabbath is mentioned, and that too as a find Ob- 
 ligation, before the Decalogue was given ; but no 
 particular Promulgation of the Sabbath, as a new 
 Law ; but rather as an eftablimed Obligation, very 
 well known to the Children of Ifrael, by the Tradi- 
 tion of their Fathers from the Beginning. Such a 
 rafh and forced AfTertion, is a fufficient Evidence 
 of the Weaknefs of his Caufe. As to what the 
 fame Author brings from the Jewijh Rabbins to 
 ftrengthen his Opinion, is of no weight. 'Tis very 
 well known, thofe rabbinical Doctors are not always 
 to be believed in their Traditions, to magnify the 
 peculiar Care which God had over them above all 
 other People ; that it is not. worth while to enter 
 
 into
 
 1 42 Di/ertations on the DifT. IV. 
 
 into the Difcuffion of what the Jeivijh Doctors hold 
 in that refpect. 
 
 But to counter-ballance the Tradition of the Rab- 
 bins, Mr. Jurieu is forced to acknowledge, ibid. 
 c. 16. That there was a traditional Obfervation for 
 counting the Weeks by feven Days, not only from 
 Noah's Time, but, as he thinks, from the Begin- 
 ning of the World. This is pretty plain from the 
 Hiftory of the Deluge, in which Mofes tells us$ 
 That Noah expected feven Days, to fee if the Wa- 
 ters had uncovered the Earth -, he let out the Crow 
 and the Pigeon, and when they returned, he ex- 
 pected feven Days more ; when the Pigeon returned 
 with the Olive Branch, he expected feven Days 
 longer : Juft as Men now put off their Affairs 
 from one Week to another. Thus, Jacob fulfilled 
 the Week of his Marriage with Leah : That alfo 
 the Obfervation of the feventh Day was perfectly- 
 known to the antient Patriarchs, before Mofes's 
 Time. In fine, this Author from hence acknow- 
 ledges, that the Week of ^feven Days began with 
 the World, as all who believe the Creation of the 
 Scripture muft ; and that this Belief continued in 
 the oriental Parts without any great Interruption for 
 a long while : And why fo ? Becaufe the Orientals, 
 as being nigher the firft Rife of the World, retained 
 the Tradition that the World was created in 
 fix Days, and that God had fanctified the feventh 
 Day. 
 
 Further, there are great Hints in the Remains of 
 the Antients, that not only the Space of Weeks by 
 feven Days were known from the Beginning, but 
 elfo that the feventh Day was look'd upon as iacred 
 by feveral antient Heathens : Which may be feen 
 in Clemens Alex. 8th of Sir cm. and Eufebius in the 
 Fragments of Ariflolulus. Clemens Alex, quotes 
 Paflages out of Heftod, Lixus y Callimacbu^ &c. 
 
 to
 
 DHT. IV. Mos A ic A L Creation. 1 143 
 
 to that Purpofe. Hefiod's Words, as quoted by 
 Mr. Jurieu, are eV^o/Aij ispov yfjiMp, The feventb 
 is a f acred Day -, and Linus" s, " On the feventh 
 Day all Things were finifhed ; the feventh is 
 " beautiful ; the feventh is the Origin of all ; the 
 " feventh is perfect and compleat." The fame 
 Author [Jurieu] quotes a PafTage out of 'fheophilus 
 Biftiop of Antioch, to Autolycus : " The greateft 
 " Part [of the Heathens] are ignorant of the Name 
 " of the feventh Day, neverthelefs all Men cele- 
 " brate it.'* Jofephus in his fecond Book againft 
 Appion fays, " That there is no Grecian City, nor 
 *' Barbarian, nor any Nation, where the Cuftorn 
 <c of obferving the feventh Day, which we obferve, 
 " has not reached." And Philo Jud. Lib. de 
 Cofm. calls the Sabbath g'oprfl TravJ^joco?, a Feajl 
 with all People ; with feveral other Teftimonies 
 looking that Way, mentioned by Mr. Jurieu : yec 
 he dares not own the Sabbath to have been obliga- 
 tory, till about the Time of the Decalogue^ for 
 fear it mould deftroy his independent Principles. 
 But fuppofe it were admitted, that before Mofes's 
 Time, the religious Worfhip of the true God was 
 exercifed by Families, or People independent of 
 each other, yet when God was pleafed to eftablifh 
 revealed Religion, neither the Mofaical nor Chri- 
 ftian Church was eftablifhed on independent Prin- 
 ciples ; which I prefume is not neceflary to prove 
 here. 
 
 The Fallacy of Mr. Jurieu's Argumens, his 
 own Conceffions, the Tradition and Belief of all 
 Chriftian Churches, for the Sandtification of one 
 Day in feven, with what has been faid in Anfwer to 
 his Arguments, requires very little more for the in- 
 tire Confutation of fuch a fingular and bold Afler- 
 tion. Wherefore,
 
 144 Di flirtations on the D>fT. IV * 
 
 Laftly, The Scripture is fo exprefs for the Sanc- 
 tification of the Sabbath from the Beginning of the 
 World, that one would wonder how Perfons pre- 
 tending to believe the Old or New Teftament, cari 
 call it in Queftion. Gen. ii. 3. And God Heffed the 
 feventh Day and fanttifad zY, becaiife that in it be, 
 had r eft ed from all his Work which God created and 
 made. No one can deny, without denying the 
 Scripture, that God did blefs and fanctify that Day* 
 nor can we imagine, that Adam and his Defcen- 
 dants could be ignorant of its being fo blefTed and 
 fancYified by God : ThisisaSuppofition, I believe, 
 even Mr. Jurieu durft not maintain. It would b6 
 almoft as wild an Imagination to dream that Perfons 
 
 wP 
 
 who knew, nay, were informed of it in fo folemn 
 a manner, that God had fanctified it, were not 
 'obliged to fanctify it alfo ; at leaft it would be fuch 
 a mameful Evafion and Quibble, as no fincere and 
 learned Perfon can be guilty of. But even to flop 
 fuch an Evafion, the fame Scripture exprefiy mews, 
 that this Day was to be kept holy, independent of 
 the Decalogue, in the moft ftrid manner, before 
 the Ten Commandments were promulgated, and 
 the Obligation of it confirmed by two fignal Mi- 
 racles -, one, that Manna would not keep over 
 Night, except on the Sabbath ; on that Day, it 
 would keep fweet : the other, that there was 
 none to be found on the Sabbath, tho* it fell on all 
 ' other Days, Exod. xvi. 22. And it came to pafs, 
 that on thejixtb Day, they gathered twice as much 
 Bread) two Omers for one Man : and all the Ru- 
 lers came and /<?/*/ Mofes. ver. 23. And he faid to 
 thsm^ This is that which the Lord has faid, To Mor- 
 row is the Reft of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord: 
 Bake that which you will bake, and feeth that 
 which ye will feet b, and that which remainetb over 
 lay up for you to be kept until the Morning, ver, 
 
 24,
 
 DhT.IV. Mos A ic AL Creation.' 145 
 
 24. And they laid it tip till the Morning^ as Mofcs 
 bade^ and it did not ftink, neither was there any 
 Worm therein. Ver. 25. And Mofes faid, Eat 
 thai to Day, for to Day is Sabbath to the Lord, to 
 Dayyoujhall not find it in the Field. Ver. 26. Six 
 Days ye Jball gather it, but on the feventh Day, 
 which is the Sabbath, in it there jhall be none. 
 Ver. 27. A ftd it came to pafs, that there went out 
 feme of the People to gather it on the feventh Day, 
 And they found none. All this was before the De- 
 calogue was given, and fuppofes ftill that that Day 
 was to be kept holy. 
 
 Hence, to evade thefe Teftimonies, Mr. Jurien 
 was forced to have Recourfe to that chimerical Sub- 
 terfuge, viz. That Mofes had promulgated the 
 Sanctirication of the Sabbath, as a peculiar Law gi- 
 ven to them to diftinguifh them from other People: 
 Whereas one would think they were diftinguilh d 
 iuffieiently by CircumciGon , buc as to the Sabbath 
 they knew, that God had fanctiried it from the Be- 
 ginning of the World. Mofes indeed might incul- 
 cate this Obligation to them more ftrongly, becaufe 
 they were going to be God's chofen People in a 
 more peculiar manner , and by Conlequence they* 
 of all People, mould not neglect this Obligation 
 coeval with the World. Hence alfo the Injunction 
 of fanctifying the Sabbath is mentioned afterwards in 
 .the Decalogue, as an Obligation known to them : 
 Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath-day : Which 
 clearly^ intimates, that fuch an Obligation was of a 
 more antient Handing , and tho* neglected by other 
 People, as molt other Duties were, yet God's cho- 
 fen People were to remember to fandtify it. 
 
 Thus we are come to the End of the Mofaical 
 Account of the Creation, as included in the firft 
 Chapter of Gene/is which is what was chiefly un- 
 dertaken in this Differtation. 1 don't queftion but 
 
 L it
 
 146 Diflertatiom on the DiC IV.. 
 
 it will appear to any ferious and judicious Reader to 
 be a juft and natural one, as far as the primitive 
 Origin of all Things will allow ; which fome of the 
 wifeft Heathens of Antiquity gave up as beyond 
 human Capacity : Others made the moft confufed 
 Jumble of it, and even the moft fictitious and in- 
 confiftent Stuff as was-poflible for human Reafon to 
 invent. Tho* the Mofeical Account is chiefly bifto- 
 rical, not philofophieal -, yet it does not clafli in 
 the lead with natural Reafon or Philofophy, which 
 are quite different Things. But it is fuch an hifto- 
 rical Account, as could not be known to Men, but 
 by Revelation ; either traditional, thorough the an- 
 tient Patriarchs, up to Adam ; who as he was not 
 in Being when the Heavens and Earth were created.,, 
 fo he could not know the Particulars but by Reve- 
 lation ; or it might be made known to Mofes im- 
 mediately from God : But that it neither clalhes 
 with Nature, or any known Principle of Philofo- 
 phy, will appear by making a mort Recapitulation 
 of the whole, according to the foregoing Expli- 
 cations. 
 
 In order to which we muft confider, that Mofes 
 having proved his divine Legation, by fo many in- 
 conteftible Miracles, in this legiflative Capacity he 
 was to inffouct them in the Grounds and Founda- 
 tion of all true Religion , that is, the Belief of a 
 God, the fupreme Creator and univerfal Caufe of all 
 Things. I hope this no way clafhes with Philofo- 
 phy. We muft alfb eonftder, that the Men he was 
 then inftrufting both had been furrounded with 
 Idolaters, who wormipped not the true God ; and 
 were going to be fettled in the midft of the grofieft 
 Idolatry : Great part of the World was already 
 overrun with it ; fome adored the Planets (in a 
 Senfe as will be explained afterwards) particularly 
 ;he Sun j fome adored the Elements 3 fome the 
 
 Idols
 
 DiiT. IV. MOSAICAL Creation." 147 
 
 Idols of mortal Men ; fome facrificed to Devils, as 
 Mofes himfelf declares to .them. Thefe laft in 
 Hebrew are called hairy ones, or Jhaggy ones, of 
 which more in another Place. Very likely thofe 
 evil Spirits might appear to Men in the Shape of 
 Satyrs, or Pan, whofe Worfhip, by the Accounts 
 of all Antiquity, was very early : Others might be- 
 lieve the World to have been eternal, or exifted of 
 itfelf without a Caufe, and might worfhip it as the 
 only God. All thefe impious Notions Mofes was 
 to deflroy in the Minds of Men ; which he did 
 effectually, b'y declaring to them, as the Foundation 
 of his Law, and that too agreeable to the jufteft 
 Dictates of Reafon, That the Heavens and Earth, 
 and by Confequence all that is contained in them, 
 had their firft Being from God , and by a further 
 Confequence, they could not be Gods, and vain 
 was their Worfhip. So far is intirely agreeable to 
 natural Philofophy. 
 
 But then to convince them ftill more, and to 
 give us a ftill more diftinct Idea of the Works of 
 God, he defcends to the Elements and diftinct Spe- 
 cies of Beings, which might equally have been 
 created by God all at once, or at different Degrees, 
 as he thought proper : This laft was more capable 
 of making deeper Imprefiions in the Minds of Men. 
 Accordingly God created the univerfal Subftance, 
 or Matter of all Things ; of the material Heavens, 
 of the Air, Earth, Water, and fuch as are com- 
 monly judged the Elements of all Things. The 
 Earth was a mere terreftrial Mafs, without any 
 Ornaments, Fruits, or Grafs : The Air was created 
 in its proper Nature, as yet without any of its other 
 Ornaments : The Waters, as yet, without their 
 proper Productions : Neither was there any Light 
 as yet made ; but Darknefs, a Confequence of the 
 Abfence of Light, was fpread upon the Abyfs of 
 
 L 2 Waters
 
 148 DiJJertatiGns on the DiiT. IV. 
 
 Waters which covered the Earth ; tho* all Things 
 were prefent to the Eyes of God, there were no 
 Jiving Creatures yet to enjoy Light ; and the Spirit 
 of God, or the immenfe Fluid of the Air, lay upon 
 the Waters, as the Waters lay upon the Earth. 
 Thus having deicribed the Creation of all the ma- 
 terial Part, which I am fure contains no manner of 
 ImpofTibility in it ; on the contrary, if God were 
 fo pleafed as to order the Creation by fenfible De- 
 grees, the material Subftance of all was naturally to 
 be created ficft ; whether in grofs Subilance, or in 
 Atoms, does not much concern tins Place. 
 
 Then, as Light is generally fuppafcd to be one of 
 theElements, certainly it is one of the mod glorious 
 Productions of all the Syftem : Immediately on the 
 Production of the other Elements, God was pleafed 
 to proceed to the Production of Light and Motion ; 
 as, according to our Conceptions, if Light be an 
 Element, 'tis judged fo by the general Acceptation; 
 inftead of any Contradiction, 'tis more natural to 
 produce the Element of Light before the diitinct 
 Species of it ; as he did that of the Earth, Air, 
 and Water. It does not appear by the Text, than 
 any Motion was produced before this, but only 
 the feminal Treaiures of all other Productions -, 
 agreeable not only to the facred Text, but to the 
 univerfal Tradition of all Antiquity. On the Pro- 
 duction of Light Motion began of Courfe ; for 
 tho' Mofes does not declare what Light confills 
 of, but merely relates the Matter of Fact ; nor in- 
 deed have the greater! Philofophers given .yet any 
 fatisfactory Account of the Nature of Light ; rh.it 
 is, what it confifts in : only it is generally acknow- 
 ledged now, to confift of material Particles, indowco 
 with almoft an inconceivable Agility and Motion, /. s. 
 capable of being moved , furely we flight not toblamu 
 Mofes, if he does not give us the Mature oi r. 

 
 DifT IV. MOSAICAL Creation. 149 
 
 more than he does of Earth and Water : Why then, 
 if we believe with Mofes^ that God produced a Body 
 of Lis;ht, whether out of the Matter of the Hea- 
 
 * t 
 
 vens, Air, or any other Subject, is not material 
 here , or of itfelf, without any preexifting Matter, 
 tho' not diftinguiihed into the Sun or Stars ; which 
 Light neverthelefs might move round the Globe, 
 or the Globe round it, and by its Prefence or Ab- 
 Icnce alternately caufe Illumination or Darknefs, 
 and by Confequence make the firft Evening and 
 Morning, or as it is in the Hebrew, one Evening 
 and Morning : then out of that luminous Body, or 
 if you pleaie, out of that Element of Light, pro- 
 duced the Sun and fixt'. Stars for feparate and pe- 
 culiar Offices , as the Moon and Planets were made 
 to reflect the Rays of it : 'Tis evident there is not 
 the lead ImpoiTibility in this, but rather more agree- 
 able to the general Courfe of Nature, and particu- 
 larly to the Tenor of the facred Hiftory , firft re- 
 lating Generals, and then delcencling to Particulars. 
 Alter tire Production of Light, immediately 
 follows the Separation of the Waters from the 
 Waters, as a natural Confequence of the Pro- 
 duction of Light and Heat , God cauftng by it 
 an immenfe Quantity of Waters to exhale in 
 Vapours and Clouds from the Face of the Earth, 
 to be fupported by the Firmament or Expanfion 
 of Air between them and the Earth, and to fall 
 down again in Rains, as he thought proper. The 
 immenfe Quantity of Waters, which^ 'tis Fact, are 
 taken up daily, being rarified and rendered fit for 
 it by Heat, and are ftill contained in the Clouds 
 above the Expanfion of Air, muft of Confequence 
 diminifh the Waters on. the Earth to a great De- 
 gree, that now the remaining Waters were not fut~ 
 ficient to cover the Earth, but, according to the 
 Nature of Fluids, muft run off into the immenfe 
 L 3 Channels
 
 1 50 Differtations en the Dill". IV. 
 
 Channels and Hollows deftin'd for their Reception; 
 whether mads exprefly by God at the Formation 
 of the Earth for that Ufe, as is more likely, and 
 are called Seas -, or, whether fuch Depths and Ca- 
 vities might not be worn and more enlarged by the 
 vaft Bulk and Weight of the Waters lying upon 
 the Earth, and working away the fofter Parts, and 
 driving them in Heaps, to enlarge thofe Channels, 
 is not neceffary to determine ; there is no Incon- 
 fiftence either way. 'Tis certain the Force of 
 Fluids, efpecially in an immenfe Bulk, is prodigious, 
 I have {hewn already, and lhall prove more amply 
 afterwards* that to explain this Separation of Wa- 
 ters from the Waters by the Firmament, there is 
 no need to imagine any Quantity of Waters car- 
 ried up and preferved in any fictitious Spheres, 
 no one knows where i nor yet to imagine with 
 the Hutcbinfonians and Dr. WoodfOW&t tnat by 
 the Firmament is meant an immenfe Vault in the 
 Center of the Earth, filled with Air before, but 
 now taking in the Waters, to uncover the Earth, 
 and make it ftart up its Head. No, there is not 
 any need of fuch precarious Suppofitions : for fince 
 the Hebrew Word for Firmament properly fignifies 
 Expanfion, nay that very Expansion which is ge- 
 nerally taken for the Sky above us -, even God him- 
 felf called this Expanfion or Firmament, Heavens : 
 And in fine, fince this Expanfion both can, and 
 actually does feparate an immenfe Quantity of Wa- 
 ters, which, were they to fall down in a more 
 Time, as they did at the Deluge, were fufficient to 
 cover the whole Face of the Earth again. 'Tis 
 much more natural in itfelf, and more agreeable to 
 the facred Text, to take it inthatSenfe, than to wreft 
 it to ferve a particular Syftem of their own Invention. 
 The reft of the Productions of the Earth and 
 Seas, carry no particular Difficulties along with 
 
 them,
 
 Diff. IV. MOSA i CAL Creation. 151 
 
 them, provided we don't pretend to explain the 
 Manner how, which Mofes does not take upon 
 him to do, unlefs in general by the Omnipotence 
 of God, where there can be no Inconfiftence either 
 in the Text or Senfe , provided alfo we don't ima- 
 gine that God corcftituted the Air for his univerfal 
 Agent, and .meddled no more with it. For tho' 
 the Scripture does not make ufe of the Word Crea- 
 tion^ when it fpeaks of thefe Productions, yet it 
 -does not appear that any natural Agent, without 
 the immediate Affiftance of God, could produce 
 them in the manner .they are faid to be produced by 
 the Text. 
 
 The Production of the Sun and Stars, can'c con- 
 tain in themfelves any greater Difficulty, or Jncon- 
 /iftence, than the Production of other Particulars. 
 They could neither make themfelves, nor exift of 
 themfelves. The only Difficulty is, that a Body of 
 Light mould be produced,, before the Sun : But as 
 one is no more impoffible the other ; nay we mall 
 fee prefently, a vsry juft Caufe why it mould be fo^ 
 but if the all-wife Creator thought proper to pro- 
 duce the Subftance of Light firft, as differnet from 
 other Beings ; and afterwards to divide it into dif- 
 ferent Luminaries for Times and Sealbns, who can 
 fay to God, Why didft thou do fo ? But, on the 
 .contrary, there feem to be very ftrong .Reafons,- 
 .according to our way of conceiving, why God 
 ihould produce ..the Sun, Moon, and Stars, after 
 he had produced the Earth, Water, and fevcral 
 other Productions 4 becaufe, as there was very 
 -great Danger, and indeed too much Certainty in 
 Fact, that Men would have ftrange Gods before 
 'him, thofe glorious Luminaries might claim the 
 Preheminence in Man's Efteem, before ail other 
 material Beings -, and in Fact were the great Ob- 
 jects of Idolatry, all over the World, (in the 
 L 4 Senfe
 
 152 Differ tatiom on the Diff. IV. 
 
 Senfe to be explained afterwards) perhaps the leaft 
 irrational of any other -, and therefore the divine 
 Penman, or rather the divine Infpirer of all Truth, 
 by him, fhcws us, that even the Sun, let it be ever 
 fp glorious a Being, could neither be a God him- 
 felf, nor the Caufe of other Beings ; both, fince 
 the Sun was produced by another Caufe, that is, by 
 the God of the Univerle, and even received its Be- 
 ing, not only after the Earth, Water, &c. but after- 
 the Earth was bid to produce gnd bring forth Grafs 
 and Plants according to their Kind. This was fuf- 
 l}cienr to convince Men, that the Sun was npt the 
 unimfal Caufe, nor the God of the Univerfe. The; 
 reft of the Chapter, has very little Difficulty in it -, 
 or at leail nothing but what has been explained fuf- 
 ndcntly, already ; or will be more particularly, in 
 the following feparate Pilfertations, too long to be 
 continued in this. However, I hope it appears on the 
 whole, that there is nothing in all the Chapter, that is, 
 in the whole fix Days Creation, that clashes with natu- 
 ral Reafon, or true Philofophy : On the contrary the 
 mofl obvious and natural Senfe of the Text, is moft a- 
 grecable to the common Order and known Pheno- 
 mena of Nature, without wrefting and ftraining it to 
 fcrve particular Syftems : Syftems, more contrary to 
 the Courfe of Nature, as well as contrary to the 
 Jacred Text, violently wrefted to confirm their 
 Whims, than the received Explications, which they 
 reject, as will be feen in the following DifTertations 
 concerning their particular Errors. 
 
 I was come fo far, and juft finifhcd the Explica,- 
 jions on this firft Chapter of Gene/is, when an infa- 
 mous Book fell into my Hands, intitled Sacerdotifm 
 Difplaych pretended to be wrote by a Society of 
 Gentlemen : But they had better have figned it 
 Legion. The difference is, that the Devils Believe 
 and Tremble ; But this Legion difplays ics Ignoranre
 
 JV, MOSAIC A*. Creatioru 153 
 
 by downright Blafphemy. ? Tis true, the common 
 Hangman ought to be the proper Corrector of a 
 Book fo horridly impious -, and I fcarce queftion 
 but the fupreme Legiilature, has fo much Senfe of 
 Religion, as to ftigmatize both the Book and its 
 Authors, if they can be found, in a proper Man- 
 ner. However, I fhall not go out of my Way for 
 fuch a monftrous Piece of Impiety, Blafphemy, 
 Ignorance of Antiquity, Hiftory, antient Languages, 
 and the moft impudent, audacious Falfhoods, as 
 could ever be raked up together by any other, 
 but Legion. I (hall juft take Notice at prefent, of 
 what more immediately regards the Foundation of 
 the Mofaic Law in this Chapter , if God gives me 
 "(Life and Plealth afterwards, I fhall prove the fol- 
 lowing Proportions by direct Extracts out of that 
 impious Work. 
 
 i. That it is direct Blafphemy, taking Blafphemy 
 
 in its proper Scnfe. 
 
 7. That it is Huffed with the moft notorious 
 Falfhoods, and the groffeft Ignorance, real 
 or affected, of Antiquity and antient Hiftory. 
 3. That it is a moft infolent, impudent, and 
 feditious Libel againft the Fundamentals of our 
 Conftitution, antient and modern. 
 Thefe three Propofitions fhall be proved by the 
 literal Extracts out of this impious Work : But if God 
 fhall not give me Time to finifh it, I appeal to the 
 Book itfelf ; where any Man of Learning may mew 
 evidently, t hat not only thefe, but numbers of other 
 monftrous Tenets are contained in it ; fhocking to 
 human Nature, >nd the univerfa^ Knowledge of 
 Antiquity. 
 
 In the mean Time, what regards the Foundation 
 of the Mofaic Law more immediately is -, That this 
 infamous Libel advances, that the God of Mofes 
 Was a mere local and tutelar God, and indeed a 
 
 mere
 
 I 54 Dijertatiom on the DhT. IV. 
 
 mere Idol. This is advanced over and over again in 
 Terms, in the long Preface, and in the Body of the 
 Libel. But, that this is moft notorioufly falfe, be- 
 fides the horrid Blafphemy of it, is proved by the fol- 
 lowing Demonftration, capable of being underftood 
 by any one of common Senfc, or who can but 
 read the Bible. 
 
 The fupreme, univerfal Caufe of the World, 
 the Creator of Heaven and Earth, Sun, Moon and 
 Stars, and all the Effects and Species of Nature, 
 rnuft be the fupreme God of the Univerfe, not a 
 mere local tutelar God, or a mere Idol, and even 
 inferior, on fome Occafions, to the Gods of the ido- 
 latrous Nations, as thefe blafphemous Writers ad- 
 vance : This firft Propofition is as evident, as Terms 
 can exprefs ; but the God of Mofes^ whofe Exift- 
 ence and Worfhip he eftablifhed, as the Foundation 
 of his Law, was the fupreme univerfal Caufe of the 
 World, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, of the 
 Sun, Moon and Stars, and of all the Effects and 
 Species of Nature, as the whole firft Chapter of 
 Genefts declares in the moft exprefs Terms ; which 
 may be feen by any one capable of reading the Bi- 
 ble, and explained at length in the foregoing Pa- 
 ragraphs ; by Confequence the God of Mofes was 
 the fupreme God of the Univerfe, not a local and 
 tutelar God ; and by a further Confequence, that 
 horrid Affertion of this deiftical Society is one of the 
 moft impudent and fhamefulFalmoods,not to fay the 
 moft impious Piece of Blafphemy, as ever was ad- 
 vanced by Men. There is no need to add any thing 
 more to the foregoing Demonftration ; tho' the 
 whole Tenour of the Old Teftament declares to us, 
 that the God of Mofes, worfhipped by the Ifraelites, 
 was the fupreme God of the Univerfe, the God of 
 Gods, the Lord of Lords, one only God ; the on- 
 ly true and living God, &c . One may appeal there- 
 
 I fore
 
 Diff. IV. MosjyicAL Creation. 155 
 fore to all Perfons of any natural Principles, who 
 have yet any refpect for Reafon and Religion, what 
 is to be done with fuch a horrid Set of Men ? as 
 well as, who would ever be gull'd out of all their 
 Senfes by fuch impious Arguments? I think I had 
 Reafon to fay, that the common Hangman is the 
 proper Corrector of fuch Books. 
 
 The Reafons, if they may be called fuch, which 
 they bring to ufher in this Piece of Blafphemy, are 
 as falfe and inconfiftent as their AfTertions, viz. 
 That the God of the Ifraelites muft be a mere 
 local, tutelar God ; nay, as they affert, a mere 
 Idol, and experienced by the Children of Ifrael to 
 be inferior to the Gods of other Nations around 
 them, and on that Account they fo often forfook 
 the Mofaical God, and worfhipped the Gods of 
 other Nations in his ftead : Their Reafons, I fay, 
 for this aftonifhing Affertion, are, becaufe it was 
 beneath the fupreme God to conduct any particular 
 Nation, to make them his chofen People, or de- 
 pute and inftruct Mofes in fuch a manner, as he is 
 recorded to have done. Anfwer. Here the Myfte- 
 ry of Iniquity is revealed ! i. e. 'Tis beneath, and 
 unworthy the fupreme God, to have any thing to 
 do with Men ! That Legion might go on in all 
 their Impieties fecurely, without any Fear that God 
 fhould trouble himfelf about them : This is the 
 main Hinge, and the primary Origin of Deifm. 
 But this impious Notion has. been confuted, by al- 
 mofl all who have wrote for divine Providence 
 over the World, and the Exiftence of Religion : 
 The particular Proofs may be feen in the different 
 Treatifes on chat Subject, and in a former Treatife 
 of the great Duties of Life. And in fhort, was 
 it beneath the fupreme God to create the firft Man ? 
 or did he create himfelf ? or was there a ridiculous 
 inconfiftent Collection of Men, or rather an infi- 
 nite
 
 156 Differ t at hns on the DilT. IV. 
 
 nite Collection of Collections of Men, exifting of 
 themlelves from all Eternity ? This, I am not ig- 
 norant, is what they would fain be at : But either 
 the fupreme God muft trouble himfelf about them, 
 or they muft fpring up like Mufhrooms in an infi- 
 ziite Series of Collections from all Eternity ! one of 
 the moft ridiculoufly impoflible Suppofitions as ever 
 could enter in the Pericranium even of a Deift. 
 
 There is another ridiculous Reaibn this Society 
 of Deifts gives, to make ignorant People imagine, 
 that the God of the Hebrews was only a local and 
 tutelar God, bccaufe forfpoth fome of the Ifraelites 
 forfook this God, and fell frequently off from his 
 Wor (hip, and worfhipped the Gods of the Nations 
 round about them : They might add, that fome of 
 their wicked Kings thought the Gods of the Na- 
 tions more powerful than their own, and made 
 their Worfhippers profper in this World. They 
 
 pretend alib, that Mr. W- 77, their pretended 
 
 Adversary, grants, that the God of Mofes was a 
 local God, or tutelar God, viz. the God of Ar- 
 mies, or the like. Anfaer. What ridiculous fluff 
 is this : Might not there be Apoftates, and wicked 
 hardened People among the JJraelites, as well as 
 among Chriftians ? is it a new and flrange thing to 
 jee the Wicked profper in this World ? is it an 
 Argument, for any Man of common Senfe to give 
 into, that the Idols of the Gentiles were true Gods, 
 becauie their Worlhippers fometimes profpered in 
 ihis World ? were not the Phoenicians, and their 
 Defendants the Carthaginians^ fome of the moft 
 Jiorrid Idolaters upon Earth, fo far as to facrifice 
 human Victims to their infernal Deities, with fuch 
 horrid Rites that Nature fhudders to think on 
 them? yet they profpered a long time in this 
 World, and the Carthaginians for a confiderable 
 time were a Match for the Romans themfelves. 
 
 On
 
 DiiT. IV. Mos A i c A L Creation." 1 5 7 
 
 On the other hand, did not Mofes foretell, and 
 allure the Ifraelites^ that they fhould be overcome, 
 and fall before their Enemies, if they forfook the 
 true God ? could this happen, unlefs the Idolaters 
 were Victors ? did it not often happen juft as Mo- 
 fes foretold? why might not the wicked Israelites 
 apoftatize from the true God, as well as the Deifts 
 ftpojlatize from Chriftianity, and on the fame 
 wicked Notions ? With fuch wretched Sophifms as 
 rbofe is the Book intitled Sacerdotifm difylcrfd 
 Jhift, that it 13 almoft a Shame for a Man of Senie 
 to (lain his Paper with them. The God of Mofes 
 was the God of Armies, and at the fame time was 
 the fupreme God of the Univerfe. 
 
 As for what Mr. W ;/ grants to the Deifts, 
 
 no Man of Penetration will wonder at it ; when he 
 endeavours to prove in his Divine Legation of MG- 
 fes (the Book this Society of Deifts pretend to an- 
 fwer) that neither Mofes nor the antient Patriarchs 
 ever dreamt of a future State. How far there 
 may be an Underftanding between them in other 
 Matters, I will not pretend to unravel : But to pre- 
 tend to prove the Divine Legation of Mofes , be~ 
 caufe he did not eftablim it on the Belief of a future 
 State, and acted as under the Guidance of a mere 
 local and tutelar God, is fuch a wild way of ar- 
 guing, fetting adde the Impiety of it, as will nei- 
 ther gain the Author, or Deifts, any Credit with 
 Men of found Senfe or Learning. 
 
 FIFTH
 
 158 Dffirtations on the DifT. V. 
 
 ''*''; ' ' - *iV 
 
 FIFTH 
 
 DISSERTATION. 
 
 SECTION L 
 
 Of the Errors of the HUTCHINSONIANS 
 more in particular. 
 
 SOME of thefe Errors are Theological, of which 
 fome are of dangerous Confequence with re- 
 fpecl: to Chriftianity, efpecially thofe concerning the 
 blefTed Trinity, tho* they pretend to be ftrenuous 
 Affertors of it. But it is a Trinity the Chriftian 
 Religion never heard of before, unlefs fomething 
 like it in thePatropaJfixns, and in Peter the Fuller' 's 
 Additions to the Trifagim. Other Errors are mere- 
 Jy Philofophical, of no great Confequence with re- 
 Iped to Religion, if they did not father them on 
 Mofes. In this laft refpecl they may be reducible 
 to Errors in Theology, whether their Philofophical 
 Syftem were true in iifdf or not ; fince it is impo- 
 fing on the divine Writings of Mofes t to aflert, 
 that he wrote his Hiftory of the Creation to efta- 
 blilh a Syftem of Philofophy. However, their 
 Syftem, merely as Philofophical, mall be confuted 
 in all its Branches, to confirm ftill to us, that Mo- 
 fes never taught fuch Whims. But before we pro- 
 ceed any further, it will not be improper to give 
 
 fomc
 
 DilT. V, Mos A i CAL Creation^ 
 
 fome Account of the Author of thefe Reveries, and 
 
 his Followers, out of their own Writings. 
 
 Mr. Htftchinfon, the firft Broacher, as I believe, 
 of thefe Whims, according to the bed Information 
 I could get of him, was a Steward, or fome fort of 
 Dependent of his Grace the late Duke of Somerfet : 
 a learned Man, particularly in the Hebrew ; as fm- 
 gular in his Explications of that facred Language, 
 as in his Opinions. As the Duke had a great 
 many Benefices in his Gift, feveral Divines fre- 
 quented Mr. Hutcbinfon's Company, whom he 
 exhorted to fludy Hebrew, a Language fo little 
 known to others ; and by that took an Occafion 
 to inftill into them both his own lingular Explica- 
 jfions of the Hebrew Words, and unaccountable 
 Principles. He publilhed feveral Tracts looking 
 that way, which I have feen ; as Mofes's Prtnci- 
 pia, an Effay towards the Natural Htfttry of the 
 Bibk, the Trinity of the Gentiles, &c. the Scope 
 of which is to eftablifh, that Mofes taught the only 
 true Principles of Philofophy ; that the Air, or 
 Airs, as Mr. Hutchinfon calls it, and fbmetimes 
 the Names, under the three Denominations of 
 Fire, Light, and Spirit, is the universal Agent of 
 this Syftem, and that too, as exprefly taught by 
 Mofes, that is, by their arbitrary Explications of 
 the Hebrew Words ; that this Air, as underftood 
 above, was the fupreme God of the Gentiles, 
 which Mr. Hut chin f on calls the Trinity of the 
 Gentiles, and was, fay they, a real Emblem of the 
 moft holy and undivided Trinity ; perhaps, that 
 the God of the Heathens might be as like the true 
 God as poflible. 'Tis certain, they as good as make 
 a real God of the Air, bating, that they allow it 
 to have been firft created by God, /. e . the Atoms 
 of it. This excufes them from being Idolaters. 
 But, as to Mr. Hutchinfon himfelf, he gives fuch 
 
 immenfe
 
 160 Differtationsonthe DifT. V. 
 
 immenfe Powers to the Air, as will be feen pre- 
 fently by his own Words, that it may feem doubt- 
 ful whether he did not believe it to be the God of 
 others, as well as the God of the Gentiles, 
 
 But the moil dangerous of all their Errors, is 
 that concerning the real Trinity of the Chriftians ; 
 which Trinity, fay they, was not only exprefiy 
 taught by Mofes in the Name of Elahim : If they 
 itopt there, it might be of no great Confequence ; 
 feveral of the holy Fathers thought fo before : But 
 they eftablifh a new Trinity of their own, viz. a 
 Trinity laying themfelves under a conditional Exe- 
 cration from all Eternity to redeem Man. To 
 prove this, as exprefly taught by Mofes, they al- 
 ways write the Hebrew Word for God in this 
 Place Eltfhim, not Elihim, as all other Expofitors, 
 antient and modern, wrote it, except one or two, 
 befides themfelves. Which Word Elabim, fay 
 they, is derived from Elah, to execrate , and by 
 confequence, Elahim mufl fignify the three Perfons 
 of the blefied Trinity, binding themfelves under a 
 conditional Curfe and Execration to redeem Man : 
 That one of thefe divine Perfons did fulfil this 
 conditional Execration, was actually execrated and 
 accurft, and hung upon the Tree in his Divinity \ 
 which will be proved by their own Words in ex- 
 prefs Terms, with a great many other Points feem- 
 ingly offenfive to Chriftian Ears. At the fame 
 time they pretend to be zealous AfT-rtors of the 
 Trinity, and feem to glory that they have found 
 out fuch Proofs for it from the Derivation of Ile- 
 brew Words, magnifying the Authority of Mofes 
 both in this and in their Fhiloibphical Principles, 
 as taught by him, /. e. by their own Explications 
 of the Hebrew^ they fet up for Builders of Syfiems 
 in Oppofition to all other Syftems, inveighing mo'ft 
 bitterly againfl all the hitherto eftabliihed Syitems, 
 
 bur
 
 DifT. V. - MOSAICAL Creation. 1 6 1 
 
 but withal endeavouring to uflier in their novel 
 Opinions by pompous Quotations of Hebrew Texts, 
 in which they are really learned, and that gene- 
 rally in Hebrew Characters, for the Benefit of the 
 Ignorant. 
 
 As for the Authority of Mofes, the Refpeft due 
 to Revelation, and the like, I don't queftion but 
 the Reader is convinced, that no one can have a 
 greater Veneration for his Writings than myfelf, 
 or for the Neceftity of Revelation in religious Mat- 
 ters -, but it can be no Derogation from the Autho- 
 rity of Mofes, that he did not fet up for a Teacher 
 of Philofophy -, that was not his Bufinefs, let him 
 have been ever fo well qualified for it ; particularly 
 fuch a Syftem, either of Theology or Philofophy, 
 as thele Gentlemen would faften upon him. Nei- 
 ther that the Study of the Scriptures in the original 
 Hebrew Language is to be blamed, but on the con- 
 trary ought to be highly encouraged, provided they 
 don't pretend to draw new Sy Items merely from 
 the Derivations of Hebrew Words, which one may 
 fafely fay are the leaft known of any other Lan- 
 guage : Syftems in themfelves mocking to the re- 
 ceived Notions of Chriftianity, and indeed incon- 
 fiftent with the Laws of Nature, as will appear 
 when we come to that Part. Nor are they, or any 
 others, to be reprehended for endeavouring to dif- 
 cover the true and real Syftem of Nature, as far as 
 cither divine or human Lights will give us Leave. 
 Such a Syftem, or a real Difcovery of the true 
 Syftem of Nature, would be very defirable, tho* 
 never found out yet. Nor ought any one to be car- 
 ried away with Prejudices for any popular Syftem 
 ever fo much in Vogue, which our Part of the 
 World of late Years has run into Hand over Head, 
 merely, as one would think, from the Authority 
 of the Teacher. I mean the unaccountable, un- 
 
 M philofophical
 
 1 62 Dl/ertatlom on the DifT. V. 
 
 philofophical Syftem of Attraction, or immechani- 
 cal, immaterial Power lodged in Bodies , /'. e. mere 
 Matter, to draw all Bodies, without any phyfical 
 Contact, without any external Trufion or Impulfe 
 whatfoever. The Hutcbinfonians are juftly Ene- 
 mies to fuch a precarious Syftem, as to that Branch 
 of it, but at the fame time eftabliih another as pre- 
 carious to the full ; and to give it a facred Sancti- 
 on, would father it on the Authority of Mofes. 
 5 Tis the Confutation of this laft part I undertake 
 in this Place, and (hall examine it as a philofophical 
 Syftem afterwards. In the firft Senfe, i. e. by their 
 fathering it on Mcfes, 'tis rather a theological or 
 fcriptural Error, than a philofophical one ; but will 
 appear to be falfe in both. And left Perfons mould 
 imagine that I impofe fuch Opinions on them, I 
 fhall give the Heads of their Syftem in their own 
 Words, which I have faithfully tranfcribed out of 
 their Treatifes publifhed in Print. 
 
 Firft, Mr. Hutchinfon^ the Patriarch of this 
 Syftem, prepares his Readers for it, in the very 
 firft Page of his Mofis Principia. '* The Know- 
 ledge imparted in this Hiftory [of the Creation] 
 ' is offered in general to all Men, without Regard 
 " to this or that Family or Tribe, this or that 
 " Time, or Period, or Church, not only to thofe 
 " who think themfelves learned or wife, but thofe 
 c they term vulgar ; to every Man, who has been 
 ** fince, and will be ; and the Fountain of all their 
 real Knowledge, of what they call Nature, is 
 4< there, [i. e. in the Hiftory of the Creation and 
 " of the Flood.] And I have always thought that 
 ** a Man infpired by him who created and formed 
 " all Things, might write, or give a Defcription 
 " of thofe Things with as much Certainty, Pro- 
 " priety, and Elegancy, and his Writings deferved 
 " as well to be confidered as the Works of an Au- 
 
 " thor,
 
 DiiT. V. Mo s A ic A L Creation. 163 
 
 44 thor, or DrefTer up of a few idle, imaginary 
 44 Stories." But fuppofe Mofes might have been 
 capable of giving us a Syftem of Nature and Phi- 
 Jofophy, the Queftion is, whether he did give us 
 luch a Syftem in Fact ? By DreJJers up of imagi- 
 nary Stories, he fquints at the Newtonian Syftem. 
 
 Ibid. Page 2. The firft Pofition of this revealed 
 Philofophy is, That Mofes teaches us, that the World 
 was originally formed in Atoms. " The firft Act 
 44 of God, fays he, which this Hiftory treats of, 
 44 was, that he produced from nothing the Cor- 
 4 * pufcules, or Matter contained in the Airs 9 or 
 
 44 in the Earth Tho* neither Subftance, 
 
 <4 nor Form of Atoms, comes under our Senfes. 
 * 4 [which one may allow him in his Atoms.] There 
 44 may in its proper Place appear as much Wifdom 
 44 in the Forms and Sizes of thefe Atoms, which 
 44 have been called a Cbaos^ and fuppofed to im- 
 
 <c ply Confufion, as in vifible Forms The 
 
 44 Chaos of earthly Bodies was in the Sphere of 
 44 Waters ; and the Chaos of airy Bodies, in Airs : 
 44 and 'tis likely, the Matter of each celeftial Orb, 
 44 within a determined feparate Orb or Sphere; 
 44 Fluids remain in Atoms, or adhering in fmall 
 44 Mafles, fcfr." So that, according to him, 
 Mofes makes a great many Chaofes inftead of 
 one. 
 
 Thefe Airs, which he fpeaks of, were to be the 
 tmiverfal Agent, by which God produced the other 
 Species. I think, fays he, fpeaking of the Pro- 
 duction of Light, or the Motion which divided the 
 Light from Darknefs, Page 20. ibid. " I think it 
 44 was for other Ends than any which have yet 
 44 been afligned, viz. To prepare the Airs for the 
 44 next Change or Accident, or to bring it to a 
 44 greater Degree of Motion, and thereby enable 
 41 them [the Airs'] to execute a vqfl Commiffwn^ 
 M 2 4t which
 
 1 64 bijpriations on the Dill". V. 
 
 " which was to have vaft Conferences* &c." But 
 what were thofe vaft Confequences ? Why, to 
 make the Airs* or the Air, under the three Deno- 
 minations of Fire, Light* and Spirit, to be the 
 uriiverfal Agent, by which alt other Things were 
 produced , and from which univerfal Agency they 
 maintain, that the Airs, or Air, was the only God 
 of the Gentiles. Hence one of Mr. Hutchinforfs 
 Treatifes is intitled, 'The Trinity of the Gentiles. 
 To prove this univerfal Agency of the Air, is one of 
 the main Scopes of the different Treatifes of Mr. 
 Hutchinfon mentioned before ; this is the grand 
 Syftem of Philofophy, of which Mofes is made the 
 Author ; nay, according to them, wrote the Hi- 
 ftory of the Creation purpofely to teach the World 
 this Syftem. But i mufl beg the Reader's Patience 
 to hear a little more of this fingular Doctrine. 
 
 In his Eflay towards the natural Hiftory of the 
 Bible* Page 280. "I have an Opportunity, fays 
 <c he, to pleafure others by fhewing .... that the 
 ** antient Heathens were not fuch flupid Fools as 
 " they have been reprefented, nor were they fuch 
 t( as have been lately : They were not fo mad as 
 " to dream of Chance, or regular Properties in in- 
 " fenfible folid Matter. The material Pows r in this 
 " Fluid [the Airs] which could give them Vittuals* 
 f* move the Light, move the Globes, raife Vapours 
 " for Rain and Springs, move the Atoms of veget- 
 " able Matter, and form them into Vegetables, and 
 " perform all the Operations in inanimate Matter ; 
 " form Creatures, and perform all the Operations 
 ' in them : and that material Power, which could 
 " give them Strength and Health* and muft per- 
 " form the Motions and Operations in their Bodies, 
 " [I fuppofe inftead of a Soul] and this they faw 
 * c it did mechanically. " He fpeaks out boldly 
 now, fuppofing he had proved his Syftem before, 
 and that as taught by Mofes * is there not Reafon 
 
 to
 
 V. MOSAICAL Creation. 165 
 
 to fufpec~t, that he makes a real God of the Air ? 
 a material Power, that can perform all thefe Won- 
 ders? Tho' what he advances towards the Begin- 
 ning of this EfTay is equally aftonifhing. 
 
 Ibid. p. 1 1 . " If he [Mofes] wrote as a Pro- 
 " pher, or one infpired, and had the Knowledge 
 " of Things paft and to come, why an imperfect 
 * ; Account ? [meaning the Syftem of Nature] I 
 " warrant you, becauie thofe he then writ to were 
 *' vulgar People, and not Philofophers : That is 
 " De gi n g tw Queftions, which will neither of 
 " them be granted : Firft, that they were vulgar, 
 c< becaufe it will appear, that AH Men were mucri 
 " better Philofophers than they are now; and Jthat 
 " the Ifraelites were then the moft knowing People 
 " in the World." Men who had been oppreiTed 
 with the moft cruel Slavery, continually employ 'd 
 to make Bricks, nay fp pick Straw to burn them, 
 the moft knowing People in the World ! 
 
 Ibid. p. in. " This Operation of the Airs 
 " was, and is, apparently the Agent , which does, 
 " and fupplies every Thing for the Support of our 
 " Bodies here ; and fo far the Chaldeans y &c. were 
 *' 'in the Right." Again, ibid. p. 140. " Mofes's 
 *' Principia, fays he, are not yet explained fo far, 
 " as to fhew what hand this Agent [the Air] had 
 " in the Colleftion of the proper Atoms and For- 
 " mation of Plants, before it was fettled in the 
 " prefent Manner ; nor after that, what Share it 
 *' had in collecting the feveral Sorts of Atoms, 
 " created, and then difperfed in the Waters ; and 
 " forming them into Fowls, and Fifhes, and creep- 
 f ' ing Things ; nor of collecting the feveral Sorts 
 w of Atoms created, and then difperfed in the 
 *' Earth, and forming them into each Sort of Beafts 
 M and Men ; placing each Sort in its, proper Part 
 " and Place, giving each Part its proper Degree 
 M 3 ':' of
 
 1 66 Di/crtatiom en the Diff. V. 
 
 " of Solidity and Fluidity, anfwerable to the Ufes 
 " for which they are defigned, and adapting them 
 <c fo to its fettled Operations, that it keeps their 
 " Wheels going, \_Rifum teneatis] each for Terms 
 " to anfwer the Ends of the whole ; what it does 
 * e continually, or in Courfe of every Part of Mat- 
 " ter ; how it fixes fome, moves fome, and r e g u- 
 " lates all, which are called its Hoft , what it does 
 " continually in fome Places, and periodically in 
 " each Place, on Earth, in collecting proper Mat- 
 " ter and diftributing it, and thereby new form- 
 " ing, thorough Seeds or Roots, the feveral Sorts 
 '* of Vegetables ; what it does continually in every 
 " Place, where Animals are, in diftributing pro- 
 " per Matter, out of their Food, taken in by 
 " them, to fupport their Parts, form new Crea- 
 " tures of each Species, &c. which is furprizing 
 * l beyond Exprefiion." This Jaft is certainly true j 
 but what is more furprizing, is, that he mould have 
 any Followers in fuch Reveries' ! 
 
 I obferved before, that the chief Drift of this 
 magifterial Author, in his Principle and Eflay 
 towards the natural Hiftory of the Bible, was to 
 maintain, that Mofes undertook to teach the World 
 Philofophy ; but particularly to eftablifli the won- 
 derful Operations of this their univerfal Agent. 
 TJiofe, who can wade through fuch Reveries, may 
 fee more of him in his various Treatifes. He had 
 faid before, Nat. Hift. p. 14. " That they [the 
 ** 'Heathens] before Writing was revealed^ had'ad- 
 " ded fome of their own Imaginations, which 
 " loft them the chiefeft Benefits intended by that 
 " Revelation. God, by his Prophet Ifaiab, chal- 
 " lenges the pretended Gods to give an Account, 
 *' or their Account, or any other Account, than 
 " he by Mofes had given of the Beginning of 
 " the Matter, eretting the Powers^ and forming 
 
 " this
 
 DifT. V, Mos A ICAL Creation. 167 
 
 14 this material Syftem." And again, ibid. p. 16. 
 " Since we were to (hew fome Reafon, why Mofes 
 
 44 meddled with Philofophy fince thefe 
 
 <l Power s and Operations [of the Airs] are Things 
 
 " fb defirable to be known could God 
 
 " have done a more pleafing thing to Men of Senfe, 
 " except in revealing the Means of their Reconcili- 
 " ation, than to have fet them right in thefe 
 " Matters ?" 
 
 I thought to have left this Gentleman here ; but 
 he has dropt a Hint in the fame EfTay, p. 209. of 
 fuch an extraordinary Nature as ought not to pafs 
 unobferved. Speaking of the Sun's (lauding (till, 
 really or apparently, from page 208 to p. 209. 
 *' 'Tis implied in Confequence [of what went be- 
 " fore] that a Globe flood Jlill, or at leaft did not 
 " turn round, and if that Globe moved itfelf, it 
 *' would be proper to fpeak to it ; but if it were 
 *' moved by an Agent, it would be proper to fpeak 
 ** to that Agent) or Operation, that moved, or 
 <{ turned it ; for flopping the Operation would (top 
 ' the Progreflion, or Rotation of the Globe . , . . 
 " Jojhua had the fame Matter, as his Mafter Mofes : 
 " He made no Miftakes, he fpoke to that, which 
 " had the firfl Motion, and which moves every thing 
 " in this Syftem, which does move ; and if itsOpe- 
 " perations be filent in any Part, that Pa? t will 
 
 " ftand ftill But neither of thefe [*'. e. 
 
 44 the Sun's Handing ftill, and the Shadow going 
 ct ten Degrees back] will be underftood, till it be 
 " fhewn what Light is, except by one Perfon, to 
 " whom it was (hewn fome Years ago.'* 
 
 What is naturally to be obferved in this wife Pa- 
 ragraph, is, firft, that according to this Author, 
 neither the Earth nor the Sun were bid to (land (lill f 
 or bejilenf, as it is in the Hebrew : But the great 
 Agent, which fet them a going ; /. e. the Air in 
 M 4 ore
 
 1 6$ Di/ertations on the DiiT. V. 
 
 one of its triple Denominations , which is draining 
 the facred Text to ferve a Syftem, and trifling with 
 the Difficulty at the fame Time. zdly\ Thefe 
 Words of his except by one Perfon to whom it was 
 fhevvn fome Years ago, make us naturally fufpecl, 
 that there is a Cabala or fome hidden Myftery in 
 this new Syftem. Mr. Hutchinfon in himfelf is the 
 mod obfcure, difagreeable Author, as ever I waded 
 thorough in my Life , at firft I thought it was the 
 Man's natural way of writing, which he could not 
 help, unlefs by not writing at all. But thofe 
 Words feem to infinuate, that he did not care to 
 fpeak out then, which always looks fufpicious in 
 Matters of fuch Confeqnence, when People would 
 erect newSyftems in the Explication of the Scriptures, 
 contrary to the current Belief of the World. With- 
 out fuch a Cabala, 'tis aftonifhing he mould find 
 any Followers, efpecially among Men of Learning, 
 as fome of them are, particularly in the Hebrew 
 Language ; tho' in Effect it were much better not 
 to be fo learned, than to draw fuch an unaccountable 
 Syftem from it, and father it on Mofes. This laft 
 is the chief Point for which they are blameable. Tho' 
 moft of them, as I have feen, imitate their Mafter 
 in his Stile, as well as Doctrine, not only in his 
 Obfcurity, but alfo in the moft magifterial, and 
 fometimes uncharitable Manner as I have met with 
 in any Authors , unlefs, as was obferved, Mr. Hutch' 
 infon had communicated fome grand Myftery to 
 them, what could induce his Difciples to give him 
 fuch Elogiums in their Difcourfes and Writings, as 
 to put him almoft on the level with Mofes and the 
 Apoftles ? " I make bold, fays one of them, to 
 " aflert, that I look upon Mr. Hutcbinfon in the 
 " above mentioned Refpects, to have equalled, if 
 ** not exceeded, any that have preceded him fince 
 " the Time of^ehe Apoftles." Anfwer to a Pam- 
 phlet
 
 Diff. V. MOSAICAL Creation.- 169 
 
 phlet intitled An Examination of Mr. HutchinfonV 
 Remarks, &c. p. 3. 4. WhatthefeRefpects, are the 
 fame Author tells us, ibid. p. 4. " But it muft be 
 * c obferved, that Mr. Hutchinfon does throughout 
 " the whole Treatife, write in a fuppofed Character 
 *' in Defence of Mr. Catcofs Sermon, upon this 
 * c footing, I fee no Abfurdity, or Self-conceit in 
 ct extolling his Qualifications [/'. e. his own Quali- 
 " ficationsj as a Man that beyond any has cleared 
 " the Text of all the falfe Defcriptions of vifible 
 *' Things, &c. and has from the Scripture mewed 
 ** us the Exiftence and diftinct Operations of Fire, 
 " Ligbt,znd Spirit ,in the one Subftance of this Ma~ 
 " chine [Mr. Hutcbin fan's Trinity of the Gentiles} 
 lf and given us more Knowledge, than the mod ex- 
 <e travagant Man could have expected from the 
 " Scriptures." This is the Character, the modeft 
 and apoftolical Mr. Hutchinfon gives of himfelf ; 
 tho' under the Character of a Defender of Mr. Cat cot ^ 
 one of his moft zealous Profelytes. But I believe 
 by this Specimen of his Scripture-explications, the 
 moft extravagent Men befides himfelf, and his Fol- 
 lowers, would never have thought of them. He 
 may fafely be faid to have exceeded the Apoftles in 
 this Syftem of Fire, Light , and Spirit -, for I dare 
 fwear they never dreamt of them in his Senfe, any 
 more than Mofes. Another of Mr. Hutchinfon^ 
 Profelytes, adopts this modeft Character given of 
 himfelf, and by himfelf -, in the Preface of a Jate 
 Pamphlet intitled, the Examiner Examined. *' I need 
 
 " not fay how fuccefsful Mr. H 's Labours 
 
 " have been, Time will mew : I mail repeat, what 
 " I inferted among other Things in a Pamphlet on 
 " the Subject in Difpute, that he hath given us 
 *' more Knowledge from the Scriptures, than the 
 " moft extravagant of us could have expected." 
 And p. 4. in the fame Preface, " Mr. Hutchinfon by 
 
 " examining
 
 170 DiJ/er fat ions on the Di/T. V. 
 
 *' examining more narrowly into the Matter, faw 
 " thorough the Labyrinth of Errors, the Commen- 
 " tators of the old Teftament were involved in ; 
 " hath expofed the maliciousDefigns of the Enemies 
 " of Chrift and Chriftianity ; with indefatigable 
 " Pains hath recovered the true Genius of the Tongue, 
 " explained, and given us frefh Proofs of the moft 
 " important Articles of our Creed, cleared the 
 " Scriptures from thofe Blots, the fuppofed Miftakes 
 f l in Philofophy, which had made them fuffer, &c." 
 i. e. by giving us the pretty Syftem of the Airs 
 under the Denominations of Fire, Light, and Spirit, 
 being the universal Agent and Producer of all things 
 under God ; and not only that, but making it to 
 have been one of the chief Ends of Mefes in writing 
 the Hiftory of the Creation, to teach the World 
 that Syftem. But it is to be hoped, this, and the 
 abfurd Explications of the word Elohim will appear 
 to be greater Blots in Mr. Huttbinfon's Doctrine, 
 than any he has cleared up. The laft Author whofe 
 Words I quoted juft above, has fo far efpoufed this 
 Syftem of Fire, Light, and Spirit, that he has framed 
 a new Syftem of Philofophy upon it, and endeavours 
 to explain the whole Syftem of Nature by it ; in a 
 Treatife intitled Experimental Philofophy AJJertcd* 
 he has defended it, as well as fuch a Syftem will 
 bear : His Reafons mail be candidly examined, when 
 we come to that Part : He is a learned and ingeni- 
 ous Man : One would wonder, what could be his 
 Motives to give into the Reveries of Mr. Hutchin- 
 fon, particularly thofe about the blefTed Trinity, from 
 the ftrange Explications of the word Elohim -, the 
 moft dangerous Error of that Sect, of which I mail 
 in due Place give their Opinions in their own ex- 
 prefs Words ; as I have in this about making Mofes 
 a Teacher of Philofophy, by which 1 prefume the 
 Reader is convinced, I don't combat a Syftem of 
 my own making. N. B.
 
 V, MOSAICAL Creation. 171 
 
 N. B. ift. I don't yet undertake to confute 
 their Syftem of Fire, Light, and Spirit, as falfe Phi- 
 lofophy, let it be ever fo falfe, as yet, but only as 
 a fcriptural or theological Error, on their Pretence, 
 that it was exprefledly defigned to be taught by 
 Mofes in his firft Chapter of Genejis. idly. That 
 Mofes exprefly taught their Notions of the Trinity, 
 as explained by the Hutchinfonians : This laft Error 
 was the true Occafion of the following Differtations. 
 The firft has two Branches ; one, that Mofes in the 
 firft Chapter of Genejis, expreQy taught a Syftem of 
 Philofophy ; and namely this Syftem of Fire, Light, 
 and Spirit, &c. whether this Syftem be true or 
 falfe in itfelf ; if it was not taught by Mofes, 'tis 
 fcriptural Error to faften it upon that divine Author ; 
 thefe Points premifcd, 'tis Time to examine and 
 confute them, as fuch rafh Affertions deferve, firft 
 then 
 
 Of the Firft one may fafely affirm that it is one 
 of the moft ram, out-of-the-way, groundlefs Af- 
 fertions, as ever was advanced by Men of Learning, 
 to pretend that the Defign of Mofes in the firft Chap, 
 of Gtkfjb) was to teach a Syftem of Philofophy : 
 But that the Hutchinfonian Syftem of Fire, Light, 
 and Spirit ; or that the Air under thofe Denomina- 
 tions,wastheuniverfal Caufe of all otherProdudtions, 
 was that very Syftem \vh\chMofes there taught,to ufe 
 their own Words, is what the moft extravagant of 
 us, could never have dreamt of before Mr. Hutch- 
 infon publiflied fuch Reveries. This is eafily, as well 
 as evidently proved from the following Confidera^ 
 dons. 
 
 I. 'Tis evident to all who have perufed the 
 Writings of Mofes y that the whole Pentateuch was 
 wrote to cftablifh a Syftem of Religion, joined with 
 fuch civil Regulations as might contribute thereto. 
 He wrote as a Legt/latcr, not as a Teacher of Phi- 
 lofophy ;
 
 172 Differ fattens on the DifT. V. 
 
 lofophy : But as a Divine Legiflator, more than a 
 Civil and Political one, to teach the World the true 
 Religion ; and if the reft of the World would not be 
 taught, at leaft to eftabliih the Knowledge and 
 Worfhip of one only true God among his chofen 
 People, of whom the reft of the World might 
 learn it, if they pleafed ; providing and eftablifhing 
 Rules and Laws for fuch Profelytes, who need not 
 fubmit to his legal Conftitutions, provided they ac- 
 knowledged and worfhipped the true God of Hea- 
 ven and Earth : In this Light, namely as a Legi- 
 flator, and an Eftabliiher of a religious Worfhip, all 
 the antient Philofophers, as well as Hiftorians, fa- 
 cred, as well as prophane, who ever fpoke of him, 
 underftood Mofes, and his Writings, never as a 
 Teacher of Philofophy -, as in Reality, what has a 
 Divine Legiflator and Eftablifher of religious Wor- 
 fhip to do, to concern himfelf about the Phyfical 
 Caufes of Nature ? at leaft there was no manner of 
 Neceffity for it, being Subjects of quite a different 
 Nature : The one might be very well known with- 
 out the other ; Perfons might be truely religious 
 without being Philofophers, and vice verfa ; but 
 more of this prefently. Nay the Scripture fays, that 
 God delivered the World, i. e. the Phyfical Caufes 
 thereof, to the Difputes of Men, without their be- 
 ing capable of finding out the primary Caufes of 
 Nature ; as it is fad no Syftem of Nature was ever 
 found out yer, to give any intirely fatisfaflory Ac- 
 count of them -, I may fay, without immenfe Flaws 
 and Blots in every Philofophical Syftem as has ap- 
 peared hitheno ; which can never be believed of an 
 infpired Author, as Mofes undoubtedly was. No, it 
 was fufficient that Mofes taught nothing contrary to 
 the known Caufes of Nature, as I am fure Mofes did 
 not -, and was fufficiently proved in the preceding Dif- 
 fertations. But then, on the other Hand,as there were 
 
 fo
 
 Diff. V. MOSAICAL Creation. 17^ 
 
 fo many Errors, nay monftrous Opinipns concern- 
 ing the World's Exiftence ; fome believing it to 
 have been from all Eternity; others that it produced 
 itfelf ; or that it exifted without any Caufe at all ; 
 others made a God of it, &c. Mofes was obliged 
 to fhew, and did teach his People, as the Foun- 
 dation of all true Religion, that the whole Univerfc 
 could have no other Caufe but God ; that he was 
 the fupreme Creator of Heaven and Earth, and all 
 the glorious Beings appearing in it ; and that he 
 alone was ,to be worfhipped as the fupreme God. 
 This Mofes did teach directly j which was abun- 
 dantly fufficient in a religious Legiflator ; without 
 entering into the Difputes of Philofophers about the 
 phyfical Syftem of it, liable to fuch infinite Exceptions 
 and Difficulties of the capricious Imaginations of 
 Men, as we fee de fatto every Syftem is \ yet I pre- 
 fume Men may be truly religious, and duly wor- 
 fhip the fupreme God, without troubling their Heads 
 about them. 
 
 2. As to this firft Chapter of the Creation, it 
 evidently appears to be more Hiftorical^ than Phi- 
 lofophical ; tho* the divine Narration contains no- 
 thing impoflible nor contrary to any known Laws of 
 Nature, as was proved before. He declares in it 
 the true and original Caufe of the World, which he 
 might have received from the Tradition of the pri- 
 mary Patriarchs, revealed to Adam^ and by him to 
 them ab origine^ or immediately revealed to himfelf 
 by God ; the Truth of which Mofes confirmed to 
 his People by fuch ftupendous Miracles, fuperior to 
 and tranfcendrng all the known Laws of Nature, as 
 no Malice or Cavils of Unbelievers could ever make. 
 Now what need has fuch a revealed Hiftory to con- 
 cern itfelf with Philofophy ? could not the Mofajcal 
 Account of the Creation, as to the Fact of ir, be 
 true *, nay, a divine and revealed Truth, without 
 sneering into any Philofophical Syftem ? on the con- 
 trary
 
 174 biflertations on the DliT. V. 
 
 trary 'tis againft the Laws ofHiftory to enter into fuch 
 Syftems ; if not unworthy the divine Hiliorian to 
 concern himfelf about them ; unlcfs God had pleafed 
 to fatisfy our vain Curiofity in fuch Matters. 
 
 3. If Mofts undertook to teach the World Philo- 
 fophy, one might very naturally afk thefe Gentle- 
 men, what Branches of it he undertook to teach us ? 
 and this by an Induction and Enumeration of thofe 
 different Branches : For not to mention Logick and 
 Metaphyficks, Mathematicks feem to be the moft 
 ufeful Part with refpect to Men, except Ethicks ; 
 yet we dont find in the firft Chapter of Ge^ejl^ either 
 the Elements of Mathematicks, or indeed any 
 other diftinct Branches of that, or any other parts 
 of Philofophy, not even Phyjicks, as to any 
 diftinct Compofitions or primary Conftituents of 
 the Species of Nature : Nor of Aftronomy, nor 
 Geography, nor of Navigation, nor the Tides, nor 
 Laws of Motion, nor of the Loadftone -, nor in fine 
 f any of the occult Operations of Nature, as to 
 any of the Principles, or Laws, by which we might 
 certainly arrive at the intrinfical Knowledge and 
 primary Caufes of Nature. Let Mofes have been 
 ever fo great a Philofopher himfelf , as he was cer- 
 tainly a very great Man, and well verfed, perhaps, 
 in all the Branches of Learning then known in the 
 World, as well as infpired by God ; yet none of 
 thefe Arts and Sciences appear in the leaft to have 
 been taught, much lefs to have been defigned to 
 have been taught by him. The End and Scope of 
 his. Writings evidently appear to be quite of a dif- 
 ferent Nature from a Syftem of Philofophy. 
 
 4. From the Silence, not only of all the antient 
 Fathers and Expofitors of the Scripture, all the 
 different Religions and Seels of Religion, who pre- 
 tended to follow or believe t-he Principles of Mo- 
 fes t none of thefe fesm to have dreamt that Mofes 
 
 under-
 
 . V. Mos A ic A L Creation. 175 
 
 undertook to teach the World Philofophy. I 
 know the Hutcbinfonians laugh at and defpife all 
 other Expofitors, as intirely ignorant of the Hebrew^ 
 but could none of thofe Dodors and Fathers, who 
 went before us, ever fmellout that Mofes' s Defign 
 was to teach his People Philofophy ? 'Tis wonder- 
 ful, that when they turned the Scriptures all manner 
 of ways to find out the Senfe of them, they fhould 
 never ftumble on this great Difcovery ? But not 
 only thefe, but even the antient Heathens, feem to 
 have been filenr, and even ignorant of the Hut- 
 chinfonian Syftem. If, as Mr. Hutchinfon fays, 
 that the Children of Ifrael, nay all the reft of the 
 World at that Time, were greater Philofophers 
 than our modern Imaginers and Dreflers up of 
 Stories , that is, than all our modern Builders of 
 Syftems ; 'tis a ftrange Thing the old heathen Phi- 
 lofophers did not deliver down that Syftem to us, 
 as being, fome of them, pretty nigh the Time of 
 Mofes ; whereas on the contrary, among the va- 
 rious, jangling, and even monftrous Opinions of 
 the Antients, not one of them mould retain, or re- 
 vive the Syftem of Fire, Light, and Spirit, which 
 Mr. Hutchinfon fays the World was fo well apprifed 
 of in Mofes's Time. Such a Silence is more ex- 
 prefiive than all Mr. Hutchison's Reafo.ns. 
 
 5. As it fufficiently appears already, that Mofes 9 & 
 Bufmefs was not to teach the World Philofophy in 
 general, before 1 defcend to their particular Syftem, 
 in itfelf lefs probable to have been taught by Mofes 
 than any other, I mail add one other Confidera- 
 tion, which ought to have very great Weight with 
 Perfons who believe the Chriftian Religion, as thefe 
 Gentlemen folemnly profefs they do ; namely, the 
 Silence of Chrift our great LegiQator, and his Apo- 
 ftles, on this Head. Surely Chrift was as well 
 qualified to teach the World Philofophy as Mofes : 
 
 He
 
 176 Differ tatiom on the DifT. V. 
 
 He came to fulfil the Mofaical Law, and bring it 
 to its laft Perfection ; if the Knowledge of any 
 Syftem of Philofophy was fo necefiary, that Mofes 
 made it one of his chief Intents in writing the Hi- 
 ftory of the Creation, 'tis wonderful Jefus Chrift 
 mould fay nothing of it, neither himfelf, nor by 
 his Apoftles, whom he left the Explainers of his 
 Law. No , he, as well as Mofes^ came to teach 
 Men Religion, not Philofophy , to teach them a 
 more perfect Knowledge of the Divinity , to ex- 
 plain to them the Elements of a more fublime Re- 
 ligion ; to eilablim the Law of Grace, by which 
 they were to obtain Life everlafting. Nay, St. 
 Paul, the mod learned among the Apoftles, more 
 than once inveighs againft Philofophy, and the vain 
 Science of this World. They no more troubled 
 themfelves about Philofophy, than Mofes did , nor 
 Mofes any more than they did. Perhaps thefe 
 Gentlemen, with their magifterial A durance, will 
 fay, that Mofes had eftablimed their Syftem fo 
 clear, that there was no need of Chrift or his 
 Apoftles mentioning it. That there was no need 
 of mentioning it, I will readily grant them -, nay 
 I believe neither Chriftians nor Heathens ever 
 dreamt of it till it came out of Mr. Hutchinfon's 
 Brain : but that Mofes ever taught fuch a Syftem, I 
 utterly deny. . 
 
 6. The fame Arguments, as prove that Mofes never 
 taught a Syftem of Philofophy in general, have ftill 
 more Force againft their unaccountable Syftem in 
 particular, viz. that the Air, under the Denomina- 
 tions of Fire, Light, and Spirit, was the univerfal 
 Agent of all Things, after the firft Creation of 
 Atoms, as they are pleafcd to affert, this is the Phi- 
 lofophy taught by Mofes. I don't argue as yet, 
 from the infinite Abfurdities and Inconfiftencies of 
 fuch a Syftem, which alone demonftrate it was ne- 
 ver
 
 DifT.V. Mos A ic A L Creation. 
 
 vcr taught by an infpired Author. Thofe fhall he 
 left till we come to examine it philofophically. But 
 we examine it here as a fcriptural or theological 
 Error, more temerarious and groundlefs, if pofilble, 
 than the former. And this, in the firft place, from 
 the Silence of Mofes himfelf, who does not make 
 the leaft mention of the Air, as being to be di- 
 vided and confidered under the triple Denomination 
 of Fire, Light, and Spirit , much lets does he at- 
 tribute to it the Production of all Things after the 
 Creation of the firft Chaos, or the Atoms of all 
 Things, as thefe Gentlemen pretend ; fuppofing 
 the firft Chaos was of nothing but Atoms ; a Sup- 
 pofition which will not eafiiy be granted them -, 
 tho' if it were, 'tis of no great Confequence as to 
 this Difpute ; fince Mcfes did not concern himfelf 
 about the philofophical part, tho' he aflerted no- 
 thing repugnant to Nature. I appeal therefore to 
 all other Perfons who ever read the firft Chapter of 
 Genejis^ or, if they don't underftand the original 
 Hebrew, may read it as it is tranflated according 
 to the Letter by Pagninus^ whofe Tranflation our 
 learned Walton, and even thefe Gentlemen allow : 
 I fay, I appeal to every ferious Reader of the Text, 
 if they find, that Mofes either mentions, or attri- 
 butes fuch immenfe Powers to the Air, or Airs, as 
 they are pleas'd to exprefs it, as Mr. Hutcbinfcn 
 . attributes to it, fo as to make it the Producer 
 of Animals, Fruits, Plants, and all the Spe- 
 cies of Nature. See the Quotations out of his 
 Writings above. And that too, not by the com- 
 mon Courfe of Nature, but in a Day's Time : for 
 all thefe, according to Mofes, were only the Work 
 of different Days. Nothing of all thefe wonder- 
 ful Operations of the Airs, furprizing beyond Ex- 
 preffion, as Mr. Hutcbinfon fays, are declared, or 
 even mentioned by Mofes.^ ' unlefs by wrefted, ar- 
 
 N bitrary
 
 173 Differtations on the Diif. V. 
 
 bitrary, and forced Inferences, from the Deriva? 
 tions of Hebrew Words, as we fhall fee, when we 
 come to their Objections. To put this further out 
 of doubt, let us confider, and put the whole Tenor 
 of the Text of the Creation together, and fee whet 
 ther it eftablilhes this Syfte.n of Fire, Light, and 
 Spirit, this univerfal Agent, whofe Powers and 
 Operations produced all Thing?, after the Creation 
 ot Matter, and that Matter only in Atoms, as 
 thrfe Gentlemen magifterially affert. Mofes tells us 
 hiftorically, that God created Heaven and Earth, 
 /. e. the Atoms of Heaven and Earth, fay they, 
 not Mofes. 'The Earth was without Form, and 
 void, and Darknefs was upon the Face of the Deep ; 
 and the Spirit of God was lorn upon the Heaters. 
 And Godfaid, Let there be Light \ Let there be an 
 Expanjion to divide the Waters from the Waters ; 
 Let the Earth appear ; Let it bring forth Fruit, 
 &c. Now is there any thing in all this hiftorical 
 Narration of the material Air, under the triple De- 
 nomination of Fire, Light, and Spirit, being the 
 univerfal Agent, by whofe Powers and Operations 
 .all other Species were produced ? If this is not 
 violently wrefting the Text to ferve a particular 
 Syftem, I dqn't know what is. To fay nothing 
 as yet, that God mould chute the material Atoms 
 of the Air, before the Atoms of all other Beings, 
 to make it his univerfal Agent. All this is preca- 
 rious and arbitrary in the higheft Degree. Did 
 ever the Chriftian Religion, any Chriftian Church, 
 any of the antient Fathers and Expositors of Holy 
 Writ, find out, or ftumble upon fuch a Syftem in 
 the facred Text ? or indeed any Man ever dream 
 qf it before Mr. Hutchinfon ? I have heard thefe 
 modeft Gentlemen maintain, and it may be feen in 
 their Writings, that none of the antient Fathers 
 a.nd Expof}cors underilqod the Force of the He- 
 
 Ireia 
 
 1 . -w
 
 Di/T. V. Mos A ICAL Creation. 179 
 
 brew Words, till Mr. Hutchinfon put us right , by 
 giving us fuch Lights therein, as the molt extra- 
 vagant could not expert. But to proceed. 
 
 This Syftem of the material Air, under the De- 
 nomination of Fire, Lighr, and Spirit, bei'ng the 
 univerfal Agent, by whofe Powers and Operations 
 all the Species of Nature, except the primary 
 Atoms, were produced, is not only arbitrary and 
 precarious, &c. but incompatible with the Mofai- 
 cal Account of the Creation , fetting afide as yet, 
 the infuperable Difficulties in applying it- to the par- 
 ticular Productions. The facred Text declares to 
 us^directly, and in Terms, that it was God who 
 produced the different Species, not the material 
 Atoms of the Airs. After the Creation ot the 
 Subftance of the whole, God faid, Let there It 
 Light y and there was Light ; Let there be an Ex- 
 pan/ion, or Firmament, and there was ont ; Let 
 the Earth produce Plants, and Fruits, and it did 
 produce them. Did God fay, Let the Air t under 
 one of its Denominations, produce thefe Effects? 
 Nay, to take off all Sufpicion of fuch a Thought, 
 the Text declares exprefly, that God himfelf pro- 
 duced them ; God f aw all which he had made, and 
 they were good. And the Lord produced of the 
 Ground all Wood and 'Trees, beautiful to fee, and 
 fweet to feed on : And God created great Whales % 
 and every living Creature which the Waters brought 
 forth, according to their Kinds. And God formed 
 Man of the Earth, 8?c. Are not all thefe Pro- 
 ductions afcribed to God directly ? not to the Air, 
 or indeed any other Agent ; of whom ic might be 
 faid, without derogating from his omnipotent 
 Power, that lie left the Agency to produce all other 
 Species ; after the Creation of the firft Matter, at 
 lead, fuch a Thought is contrary to the whole 
 Tenor of the Scripture; that there is fcarce any 
 N 2
 
 180 Dijertatiom on the Diff. V. 
 
 one Species in Nature, if any, in the Heavens, in 
 the Earth, the Seas, and Air, but what are de- 
 clared in fome part of the Scripture or other, to 
 have been directly produced by God, not by any 
 other material Agent impowered by God to pro- 
 duce them , tho* he gave every Species Power to 
 generate" after their own Kind, when the Species 
 v/as once produced by God , but to generate in 
 a due Courfe of Nature, not in a Day's Time, as 
 thty were produced at the Beginning, contrary to 
 the common Courfe of Nature, as well as con- 
 i;ary to the Mofaical Account, who tells us ex- 
 prefly that God produced them, and that too by 
 his omnipotent fiat. 
 
 Perhaps they may quibble, and advance here, 
 That what God does by his Agent, he does by 
 himfelf. But does Mofes tell us, that God made 
 ufe of fuch an Agent ? or left the Production of all 
 Things to fuch an Agent? Certainly not-, ancj 
 nothing but the moft violent Cpntoriions of the 
 Text can infer fuch an Agent, with thofe almighty 
 Powers attributed by Mr. Hutchinfon to it, pro- 
 vided it were capable of working fuch Wonders. I 
 w.ifh thefe Gentlemen would inform us, how the 
 Air could produce the other Species of Nature im- 
 mediately, in a Day at moft, refpectively \ and 
 this all naturally and by pure Mechanifm -, or elfe 
 they fay nothing. Admitting that the Machine be- 
 ing once fet at work, might perform fuch Wonders 
 by thejuft Meafures taken by God : But after the 
 whole Creation was com pleated, the Offspring of 
 Nature requires a conftant Courfe in its Productions, 
 fuch and fuch flated Periods ; Animals are fo long 
 b'jfore they are formed to Perfection ; Trees and 
 Plants are raifed by Degrees, before they arrive at 
 Maturity, and produce others ; but here they are 
 produced at opce, wich Seeds and Fruits after their; 
 
 kind j
 
 DilT V. MOSAICAL Creation. 
 
 kind ; God laid the Word, and they were made : 
 Could Fire, Light and Spirit, were they intelligible, 
 produce thefe Miracles naturally and mechanically ? 
 or if they could, does Mofes tell us fo ? for that's 
 the Cafe here. To pretend therefore that God, if 
 he were pleafed, could give Power to a material 
 Agent to perform thefe Wonders for him, is mere 
 trifling ; and to fay it was by the material Air he 
 did it, is a mere gratis dittum^ provided fuch an 
 Agent were intelligible , as it will appear afterwards 
 it is not. 'Tis true, God can do more than thefe 
 Gentlemen are aware of i whether he could have 
 made ufe of another Agent is quite a different Que- 
 ftion : But in the Suppoiition that God could give 
 this Power, this omnipotent Power, to a mere ma- 
 terial Agent, to produce the Sun, Moon, and 
 Scars, and all the Species of Nature, in one Day's 
 Time refpectively, would fuch an Agent, if any 
 fuch were poflible, produce them naturally and me- 
 chanically ? would it not ftill be by the omnipotent 
 Power of God, not in the natural way of Opera- 
 tion? In fine* if this univerfal Agent could pro- 
 duce all the Species of Nature in one Day refpec- 
 tively then, why can't it do fo now ? why does 
 not the Air, under fome of its pretty Names, pro- 
 duce new Worlds, or new Species of Men, Ani- 
 mals, Plants ? &c. &c. &c. Perhaps, lay they, 
 it is not God Almighty's Will it ihould be fo. 
 There I agree with them, but not in thinkirg fuch 
 a' mere material Agent poffible j or if it could be 
 'poflible, I am fure Mofes never afierts it in Fad in 
 the Hifbory of the Creation. But, fay they, the 
 Air can't produce new Worlds and new Species, 
 becaufe it can't produce the Atoms of Beings ; but 
 when God had created the Atoms, then his uni- 
 verf il Agent produced all the reft : A pretty phi- 
 lofo t 1 ical Eyafion this, and worthy to be taught 
 
 N 3 by
 
 1 82 Differ txtions on tl'f DilT. V. 
 
 by Mofes ! If this omnipotent Air could produce, 
 nay, as thefe Gentlemen maintain, actually did pro- 
 duce al! the glorious Effects of Nature in one Day 
 refpectively, let us but allow it one Power more, 
 and it might produce the Atoms of thofe Species, 
 it might be the God of the Ur.iverfe, as well as 
 the God of the Gentiles, as Mr. Hutchirifcn main- 
 tains it was, and I wifh. he did not interiorly believe 
 fb. We have fcen that he pofitively afferts, that 
 it formed all the glorious Effects of Nature out of 
 mere Atoms, yet a mere material Agent itfelf : Why 
 might not he believe ic could form new Atoms, as 
 well as new Species out of them ? He maintains, 
 that all the antient Heathens believed the omnipo- 
 tent Air to have been the fupreme God of the Unir 
 verfe (which fhall be confidered apart prefently) 
 as the Cbinefe believe and adore the material Hea- 
 vens as God. I don't tax him with fuch impious 
 Tenets ; but it is a very odd Syftem in itfelf, and 
 monftrous to father it upon Mofes. This is one 
 of the great Difcoveries he has found out in the 
 Scriptures, as well as in natural Philofophy ; for 
 which his Difciples magnify him, and extol him 
 as one of the greateft Men fince the Apoflles. 
 Thefe are fome of their great Lights drawn from 
 their fuperior Knowledge of the Hebrew. The 
 reft of their Objections will require a longer Dif- 
 cufllon, and involve feveral difparate and material 
 Points of which in the following Branches of this 
 Diflertation. 
 
 The chief Objfflions of the Hutchinfonians conjidsred. 
 
 The Objections of the Hutchinjcnians in Favour 
 of their novel Opinions, can't be fo properly 
 called Arguments, as bold and unheard-of AfTer 
 tions, which require fo be laid open at length, to 
 
 difcover
 
 Dili*. V. MOSAICAL Creation. 183 
 
 clifcover the Fallacy of them : Some of them arc 
 to mew that Mofes's Bufiriefs was to teach ths 
 World Philofophy in general \ others, fuch a" Sy- 
 Hem in particular : Tho' both thefe Affertions are 
 furHciently confuted by the Arguments in the Body 
 of the Queftion, yet the Reader may be willing to 
 hear what can be alledged by them to fupport fuch 
 Reveries. Their Reafons for them run upon diffe- 
 rent Mediums : The firft is, That Mofes was irt- 
 fpired by God , was perfectly qualified^ if God had 
 fo pleafed, to teach the World the true Syftem of 
 Philofophy , and to be fure, if ever a Syftem of 
 Philofophy was neceflaryj it was when he was giv- 
 ing an Account of the Creation of the World. Men 
 might run into Errors, and did run into Errors, 
 about the Origin of the World and Operations 
 -of Nature, &c. &V. &c. 
 
 Anfwer. Can any one but the Hutchinfoniarts 
 imagine, that the Infpiration of Mofes is an Argu- 
 ment to induce us to believe, that hisBufinefs was to 
 teach the World Philofophy ? Was not Jefus Chrift 
 as much infpired, and as well qualified in the Know- 
 ledge of Nature as Mofes ? did he undertake to 
 teach the World Philofophy ? did the Apoftles, 
 did the Principles of the Chriftian Religion, did the 
 whole Body of Chriftians, or indeed any particular 
 Body of them, ever imagine that the Knowledge of 
 the natural Syftem of the World was neceflfary for 
 a Chriftian ? or ever dream of fuch Reveries, till 
 Mr. Hutcbinfon was pleafed to publim them to the 
 World ? I believe fome Nations, when they were 
 firft converted to Chriftianity, were was ignorant 
 of the Syftem of the World, as they were in Mofts** 
 Time ; nay more, according to Mr. Hutchinfon, 
 who aflerts, that all Men then were better Philofo- 
 phers than our modern Dreflfers-up of Syftems : Buc 
 could not Men know, love and ferve God, then 
 
 N 4 as
 
 1 84 'Dlffertations on the Difl". V. 
 
 as well as now, and now as well as then, without 
 the Knowledge of the Syftem of the World ? is 
 that, or was ic ever, neceffary to Salvation ? Mofes 
 .taught Men the true Knowledge of God, and Du- 
 ties of Motality ; fo did Jefus Cbrift, and in a 
 more perfect manner ; but neither of them thought 
 Philofophy neceflary for any of thofe Duties. If 
 that Knowledge be neceflary, what muft become 
 of thofe Chriflians, who neither know any thing of 
 Mr. Hutcbinfon's Syftem, or can believe it when 
 notified to them ? There were great Errors about 
 the Origin of the World in Mofes's Time, and are 
 even now, as well as of the Operations of Nature ; 
 Mofes therefore very juftly declares, that the Origin 
 of the World was from God, when he declared 
 God to be the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and 
 all Things contained in them -, that he created 
 the whole Subftance and Matter of the Univerfe, 
 and produced the different Forms and Species of 
 all Beings, by his omnipotent Fiat , not by the 
 Operations of the Air, under the Denominations of 
 tire, Light, and Spirit ; and by confequence to 
 r worfhip any Creature fo made by him as God, 
 Was impious and irrational ; by which all Idolatry 
 was effedually confuted. This he does as a fa- 
 cred, hiftorical, revealed Truth, and confirms it 
 by the moft aftonifhing Miracles ; but does not 
 enter into any general or particular Syftem of Phi- 
 Jofophy, as no way neceilary for the Knowledge or 
 Practice of Religion, let him have been ever fo 
 well qualified for it. The main End and Scope of 
 his Legifiature was to teach Men the Knowledge of 
 one only true God, with the Practice of moral 
 Duties, comprifed in the Ten. Commandments ; 
 with fuch ceremonial and civil Rite?, as he thought 
 proper for that People -, without obliging other 
 Nations to the legal Part, but only to the Know- 
 ledge
 
 DifT. V k MOSAICAL Creation. 185 
 
 ledge and Worfhip of one God, and moral Du- 
 ties, as may be be feen by his Regulations about 
 Profelytes, a Subject much more fublime and ufeful 
 to Mankind, than a Syftem of Philofophy, which 
 never was yet, nor perhaps ever will be eftablifhed, 
 to any demonstrative Satisfaction. *Tis therefore 
 one of the moft extravagant, and even romantick 
 Pofitions, as ever entered into the Imaginations of 
 
 w 
 
 Men, that a religious Legiflator was to eftablifh a 
 Syftem of Philofophy ; tho* nothing that Mofes ad- 
 vances is any way inconfiftent with the true Princi- 
 ples of Nature. I prefume this Objection requires 
 no further Anfwer. But, 
 
 Their other Objections, or rather unaccountable 
 Pofitions, require a more ample Difcuffion ; tho* the 
 Novelty and even Improbability of them ftrikes one 
 at the firft Sight : For Example, i/, That the an- 
 tient Heathens worlhipped the Air as the fupreme 
 God, as believing it, like Mr. Hutchinfon, to be the 
 true Caufe of the Operations and Effects of Nature. 
 This naturally leads us into the Difquifitions of what 
 the Heathens believed of their Gods, and what they 
 were originally. zdly. That Mofes knew this * 
 and therefore was to inftruct them concerning the 
 immenfe Operations and Powers of the Air, left they 
 fhould adore it as the fupreme God, as well as the 
 Heathens, when they knew what immenfe Powers it 
 had ; and that Mofes did inftruct the Children of 
 Ifrael concerning thefe Powers of the Air, fo that 
 the Children pf Ifrael knew that the Air was the 
 univerfal Agent in the Productions of Nature. 3^/y, 
 That the Hebrew Words made ufe of by Mofes, 
 neceflarily infer all this ', where one is obliged to 
 examine more particularly thefe Powers of the Air * 
 and whether thofe Hebrew Words made ufe of by 
 Mofes rteceflfarily infer fuch a Syftem. I (hall put 
 thefe fingular Pofitions in the form of Objections, that 
 
 we
 
 1 86 Di/ertatiotu on the DifT. V. 
 
 we may fee what force of Argument they carry along 
 with them. 
 
 id Objection of the Hutcbinfonians. The an* 
 ticnt Heathens fay they adored the Air as the fupreme 
 God, becaufe they knew that it was the immediate 
 Caufe of all the reft of Nature , produced all the 
 other Species, Animal?, Plants, Fruits, gave Men 
 Life, Victuals, &c. with all the other Wonders 
 aflcrted by Mr. Hutchinfon in the Quotations men- 
 tioned out of his Works : By Confequence the Air 
 was the univerfal Agent under God, at leaft; which 
 Mofes as an infpired Author could not be ignorant 
 of, and was obliged to teach the World this great 
 Difcovery when he treated of the primary Creation. 
 
 Anfwer. Here are almoft as many Fallacies as 
 Words in his Premifes, and as fallacious Inferences 
 in theConclufion. *Tis falfe,that the antient Heathens 
 univerfally worfhipped the material Air, as the fu- 
 preme God ; the' fome of them might worfhip the 
 Air and other Elements under falfe Notions of tome 
 Divinity inhabiting in them : But the generality of 
 the mod Learned among the antient Heathens be- 
 lieved the fupreme God to be a Being fuperior to all 
 material Beings, and namedly fuperior to immaterial 
 Air* as was feen in the Appendix to the firft Dif- 
 fertation, and will be proved from other Reafons 
 prefently. ' Tis falfe that the antient Heathens knew 
 that the Air was the univerfal Caufe and Producer 
 of all other Species and Effects of Nature in their 
 Senfe : Since the material Air Under their three De- 
 nominations, could never be the univerfal Agent, 
 according to their Syftem ; as will be feen when we 
 come to examine it philofophically. 'Tis a wrong 
 inference, that if the Heathens did believe the Air 
 to be the fupreme God, and was the univerfal Agent 
 in Mr. Hutchinfon^ Senfe, therefore it was really 
 fuch an univerfal Agent. Becaufe the antient Hea- 
 thens
 
 Diff. V. Mos A i CAL Creation. 187 
 
 thens had fuch monftrous and abfurd Notions with 
 refpect to the Origin of the Woild, and the primary 
 Production of all things, for want of Revelation 
 even in that refpect, that it is a Shame to mention 
 them, as they may be feen in the Remains of their 
 Writings, in Clem. Alex. Eufeb. Bcchart, Grotius^ 
 6fr . In fine 'tis a wretched Inference, that in fuppo- 
 fition of the Air being endowed with fuch Powers 
 as Mr. Hutchinfcn attributes to it, Mofes was obli- 
 ged to declare it in the Hiftory of the Creation ; 
 but rather the contrary. The Abfurdity of fuch a 
 Suppofition is almoft palpable , though they urge it 
 frequently ; becaufe,fay they, thetiea thens worihipped 
 the Air, and believed it to be the fupreme Caufe of 
 all Things, therefore Mofes was obliged to inftruct 
 the children of Ifrael, nay, did actually teach them 
 in this Hiftory of the Creation, that this Air was 
 really the univerfal Agent, and Producer of all 
 Thing?, except, if you pleafe the primary Atoms, 
 and giving the Air Power to move itfelf, and by that 
 Power to move itfelf, to move all the reft, as one 
 of Mr. Hutcbinfoit* ftrenuous Defenders aflerts, in 
 Experimental Philofo-phy Afferted^ p. 3,4. But what 
 an odd way of arguing is this ? One would think, 
 if the Air was the fupreme God of the Gentiles, on 
 account of thefe omnipotent Powers afcribed to k f 
 and the Children of Ifrael ib prone to Idolatry, 
 that Mofes would not have taught them, that this 
 Air was really the univerfal Agent, and endowed 
 with Power to move itfelf, and produce all other 
 Species ; though this Power mould be given it by 
 God : Was this the Way to preferve them from 
 worfhipping it ? Suppofe, the Children of Ifrael 
 fhould take it in their Head, that the Air might as 
 well make itfelf^ as move itfelf, and produce all 
 other Species, not as they are produced by the 
 Courfe of Nature } but all ac once refpectively, as
 
 1 88 Di/ertatiom an the Diff. V. 
 
 Mcjes fays they were ; then they might have wor- 
 fhipped ir, as God, in earneft. They faw, as Mr. 
 Hutchinfon is pleafed to inform us, nay, had a more 
 perfect Knowledge of it, than all our modern Phi- 
 lolbphers, that the Air did all things, produced 
 Animals, Plants, gave them Victuals, &c. Were 
 thefe proper Motives to preferve them from making 
 a God of it, as the Heathens did ? Mofes to be lure 
 deftroyed all Idolatry fufficiently in the Account of 
 the Creation ; but to any ones thinking he deftroyed 
 it much more effectually, by {hewing that God 
 created Heaven and Earth, and all things contained 
 in them, than by teaching them that God made the 
 Air his univerfal Agent, gave it Power to move it- 
 felf, and then give Motion to all the reft ; to pro- 
 duce all other Species, Sun, Moon, Stars, Animals, 
 with the other Effects of fuel vaft Conferences, 
 which Mr. Hutchinfon fays, the Air was defigned 
 for. So that, according to thefe Gentlemen, God 
 had little elfe to do in the firft Creation, but to 
 create the Atoms of all things, and give -Power to 
 the Atoms of the Air to move tbsmfehes -, and the 
 World was made in a Trice. This, inftead of turn- 
 ing the Children of Ifrael from worfhipping the 
 Air, was rather making a God of it. 'Tis only 
 fuppofing a little further, that thofe omni-efficient 
 Atoms were eternal, improducible* or exifting of 
 themfelves ; then we mould know more clearly what 
 they would be at. 
 
 The Reader will ftill obferve, that tho* one mould 
 admit fcveral of their wild Hyothefcs, yet they don't 
 prove the Inferences they would draw from them. For 
 Example, fuppofe the antient Heathens did wor- 
 fhip the Air, as the fupreme God of th'- Univerfe, 
 was Mofes obliged to teach the Ifraelites, on that 
 Account, that this Air was the univtrfal Caufe of 
 our Syftem, after the Production of the firft Atoms 
 
 efpecially
 
 DifT. V. MOSAICAL Creation. 189 
 
 efpecially when he exprefly taught the contrary, by 
 affirming that God produced the immediate Works 
 of Nature after the Chaos. Again, Mofes was infpired 
 by God ; therefore he was obliged, or even did 
 teach the Ifraelifes, the philofophical Syftem of the 
 World. What an Inference is this ? The antient 
 Heathens believed the Air to be the great Caufe and 
 Mover of all our Syftem ; therefore Mofes was ob- 
 liged to do it, and did actually teach the Israelites 
 this, to keep them from wormipping it ; and by . 
 ir, as Mr. Hutcbinfon fays, did make the poor 
 Children of Ifrael in the Defart greater Philofophers, 
 than all our Builders of Syflems. Withleveral fuch 
 Inferences they pretend to draw from their Know- 
 ledge in the Hebrew ; but I hope they don't oblige 
 other People to believe them. 
 
 Well, bur, they fay, 'tis Fact the antient Hea- 
 thens did worfhip the Air as the fupreme God of 
 the Univerfe , for which they pretend to quote 
 fome Paflages out of them -, and Jovis omnia plena 
 is what they pronounce with fuch a magifterial Air, 
 as if there could be no doubt of it. But fuppofe 
 this were Fact, it does not follow that the Antients 
 meant the Names, as Mr. Hutcbinfon is pleafed to 
 call the Heavens, or .the Air under the three De- 
 nominations of Fire, Light, and Spirit ; which 
 none of the antient Philofophers, among their ex- 
 travagant Syftems, ever took the leaft notice of. 
 But to follow them in all their Suppofltions, 
 
 I anfwer directly, That it is repugnant both to 
 the Accounts of Antiquity, and of the eftablimed 
 Notions of their Gods, that the antient Heathens 
 worfhipped the material Air, eifher as the fupreme 
 God, or the only God of the Univerfe : Both 
 thefe Points are iufficiendy proved by the Opinions 
 of the Antients, quoted in theAppendix to the firfl 
 pjlTertation, not neceffary to be repeated here : 
 
 Some
 
 1 9 Di/ertattons on the DiiT. V. 
 
 Some of them declare exprefly, that the fupremc 
 God of the Univerfe is not the Air. Some of the 
 Heathens might worfhip the Air as God, as fome 
 did the Earth, fome the Sea, fome the Sun, Moon, 
 and Pianets, fome the Elements, &c. or rather 
 fome Deity they imagined dwelt in them. Were 
 thefe the Air under any of its Denominations ? not 
 to mention thofe who worfhipped Stocks and 
 Stones, Trees, Plants, &c. &c. &c. Now if we 
 admit, that fometimes by Jove they meant the 
 Air, though not always, as I (hall prove prefencty; 
 by Apollo, the Sun ; by Venus, the genial Virtue 
 of all Things ; they adored aifo the Earth and 
 Sea ; thefe could not be the Air in any Shape. 
 Mr. Le Pluche, a learned French Author, main- 
 tains, that the original Gods of the Heathens were 
 the primary Elements , all thefe were not the Air : 
 Though it will be proved by and by, that the an- 
 tient Heathens did not believe their Gods to be 
 mere material Beings, as all the Elements, and even 
 the Sun and Planets, undoubtedly are \ neither can 
 thefe be the material Air, in Facl:, as well as by the 
 abfolute Declarations in the exprefs Pafiages quoted 
 from them in the Appendix. 
 
 'Tis needlefs to enter into the Difcuffion of the 
 Heathen Tneology, obfcure enough of itfelf j nor 
 did they well know what they worfhipped them- 
 felves -, their Deities being involv'd, and wrapt up 
 in fuch a Lumber of myftical Allufions, that it is 
 difficult to guefs what they would be at , neverthe- 
 lefs, I believe all who are thoroughly vers'd in An- 
 tiquiry will allow, that the more judicious among 
 the antient Heathens believ'd Jupiter, the Father 
 cf the Gods and Men, as he was generally called, 
 to have been a Being fuperior to material Atoms 
 of the Air, or any other Atoms. Let them read 
 Cicero's philofophical Works, particularly de Na- 
 
 tura
 
 DiiT. V. Mas A ic AL O cation. 191 
 
 tura Deorum, with the Remains of other ancient 
 Heathens agalnft the Epicureans, and then confider 
 whether they thought the immortal Gods, as they 
 called them, were mere Atoms of the Air, or any 
 other fort of Atoms. 'Tis pad Difpute, that the 
 Epicureans were look'd upon by the wifcft part of 
 the Heathens,' as an impious Seft, for endeavour- 
 ing to take away the Belief of the immortal 
 Gods, to eftablifh that of material Atoms being 
 the primary Caufe of all Things : by Confequence 
 the wifer part of the Heathens did not believe their 
 fupreme God to be a material Heap of Atoms. 
 The Opinions of the Antients concerning their 
 Gods, more than has been quoted already, may be 
 feen in the Stromata of Clemens Alex. Eufebitts 
 Pr*p. Evan. Bocbart's Canaan, Stanley's Account 
 of the antient Philofophers, Jurieu's Hiftoire des 
 Dogmes et Cult. &c. Some of the Heathenifli 
 Atheifts, as well as the prefent Atheifts among the 
 Chinefe, might believe the Air, or the material 
 Heavens, or the Elements in general, to be a fort 
 of Gods ; but there are invincible Reafons, as will 
 be feen prefently, to allure us, that the generality 
 of the antient Heathens did not believe thefe to be 
 the only, or fupreme God of the Univerfe ; but 
 at the moft, only fecondary or minifterial Gods ; 
 and that too, not as mere material Beings, buc as 
 containing fome Divinity in them. 
 
 As for their Jovis omnia plena, if Virgil in that 
 place fhould mean the Air, it is of no great Con- 
 fequence , but it is much more natural to think that 
 Virgil in that Place meant the divine Power and 
 Virtue of the Almighty, manifefting itfelf in the 
 Works of the Univerfe : for fpeaking of thefe, 
 he fays, 
 
 1'ctofque infufa per artus 
 Mens agttat molem, et magno fe corpore mifcet. 
 
 *Tis
 
 192 Di flertations en the DuT. V. 
 
 'Tis the divine Mens, or Mind, not the material 
 Atoms of the Air, according to this judicious Poet, 
 that fills all Things, and ranges the whole Bulk of 
 the Univerfe in the admirable Order we lee through 
 the whole. But 
 
 'Tis afTerted in Terms both againft the Hufcbin- 
 fonians and Monfieur le Plucbe^ That neither the 
 Air, nor the primary material Elements, nor even 
 the material Sun, Stars, or Planets, were the fu- 
 preme and original Gods of the Gentiles j for the 
 following Reafons; 
 
 i. 'Tis certain that antient Heathens believed 
 their Dii major um gentium, their greater and pri- 
 mary Gods, their immortal Gods, to be immortal 
 intelligent Beings^ fuperior to all human Beings ; 
 and by confequence much more fuperior to mere 
 Matter, ;'. e. the Air, and Elements over which 
 they were fuppofed to prefide. I appeal to every 
 one who has perufed the Writings of the Antients, 
 whether this was not their genenal Belief, except 
 fome Atheifts, who were efteemed as impious by 
 the generality of them. By confequence, whether 
 this Belief was true or falie, they did not believe 
 the material Air, or material Elements, or even 
 the material Sun, Stars, and Planets, which are 
 all Matter, to be thofe fuprcme, immortal, intelli- 
 gent Beings , but at mod to be only the Refi- 
 denc'es, and Inftruments, by which they performed 
 their Operations in the Government of the World. 
 2. This is confirmed almoft to a Demonstration, 
 by the whole Tenor of the Heathen Worfhip. It 
 was addrefied to them as to intelligent Beings, of a 
 fuperior Excellence in companion of all material 
 Beings : They prayed to them, as Beings that could 
 hear them : They offered Sacrifice to them, both 
 to obtain Benefits, voluntary Benefits from them, 
 and to appeafe their Wrath : They fuppofed, they 
 
 could
 
 DifT. V'. MOSAIC AL Creation. 19"$ 
 
 could foretell future Events, &c. They could 
 not be fo ftiipid, as expedt fuch Effects from the 
 mere material Air in any (hape, or from mere ma- 
 terial Elements, or from the mere material Sun, 
 Planets, &?. but believ'd that their immortal Gods 
 were fublime intelligent Beings, fuperior to all thefe ; 
 and either ruled over them, or refided in them, and 
 fometimes ctaathed as it were with them. Thus 
 Jupiter was the God of the higheft Heavens, fome- 
 times the Thunderer.; Juno wastheGcddels of the. 
 lower Air; Apallo was fometimes the Sun, fome- 
 times the God of the Sun ; Neptune of the Sea, 
 Pluto of the inferior Parts of the Earth, Vulcan of 
 the Fire, Diana the Goddefs of the Moon, Venus 
 the Goddefs of the Star of Venus, and the like. 
 Whatever myfticalQi mythological Explications they 
 gave to them, they ate not .neceffary to enter into 
 here : They were fame-times contradictory to one 
 another : Neve.rthelefs, they ftill fuppofed them to 
 be intelligent Beings, that could hear them, afilft 
 them, give them Immortality, punifh them, &c. 
 Nay, Arifotle^ the moil learned of all the Heathens, 
 thought, the progreflive Motions of the Planets 
 were caufcd by Intelligences , as he expreily calls 
 them : I have not his Works by me ; but the 
 Thing is certain -, at lead it is generally reported 
 as his Opinion. By the Bye, the progreflive Mo- 
 tion of the Planets, continuing from the Creation, 
 is one of the Enigmas of Nature, which has not 
 been accounted for yet, to any Satisfaction, un- 
 lefs we have recourfe to the immediate Power of 
 God, or the Min-iftry .of Angels, which may be 
 properly called Intelligences. I am fure the Hut- 
 chinfonian way of accounting for it, by the Dance 
 X)f Fire, Light, and Spirit, is ridiculous, as will 
 be feen when we come to treat of their Syttem phi- 
 Jofophically. Be that as it may, for the prefent, 
 
 O 'tis
 
 194 Differtations on the Diff. V. 
 
 'tis as good as a Demonftration that the Heathens 
 believed their greater Gods, at leaft, to be intelli- 
 gent Beings, infinitely fuperior to Men and Matr 
 ter -, by confequence, not the mere material Air in 
 any mape, This will be more confirmed in the 
 next Article, when we come to enquire what thole 
 Gods were in their real Beings, if they had any. 
 But let us hear what they object againft this Article. 
 They maintain, that the Air was the chief Ob- 
 ject of Idolatry at the Building of the Tower of 
 Babel -, which was long before the Tribes of other 
 Gods and GoddefTes were known in the World ; 
 (this laft I am fure is more than they can tell :) By 
 confequence, fay they, the antient Heathens look'4 
 upon the Air to be the fupreme God. They af- 
 fert, for Example, that the Defign of building that 
 enormous Tower, was to erect an Altar to the 
 Heavens - 9 which is the Air, or the vaft fluid Ex- 
 pan/ion, the proper Signification of the Hebrew 
 Word Rakiah. They pretend to prove it from 
 the Hebrew Text in that Place, which they fay is 
 wrong tranflated : that inftead of, Come let us build 
 a City and Tower, whofe Top may reach to the Hea- 
 vens ; it mould be, according to them, Whofe Top 
 to the Heavens, Gen. xi. 4. i. e. to wcrjhip the 
 Heavens. 
 
 Answer. Here \ve have a frem Example of 
 their wrefttng the Hebrew Text, to ferve a new 
 Syftem. This is contrary to all the Interpreters, 
 as I could find, or hear of, befide themfelves : it 
 is contrary to the antient Verfions of this Place. In 
 the Septuagint it is, Whofe Top fhall be UP to the 
 Heavens ; s^ai -n jce(paA7? eus T oupary : in the 
 /.#///; Vulgat, Whofe Top may reach to Heaven : in 
 the Syriac, according to Walton, the fame : in the 
 Samaritan it is, Whofe Top may be in Heaven : 
 in the Arabic, Whofe Top may reach to Heaven :
 
 Diff. V. Mo SAIGAS, Creation. 195 
 
 the lame in the Targum Onkelos : as thefe Verfions 
 are tranflated by our learned Walton. So that ac- 
 cording to thefe Gentlemen, the antient Verfions, 
 which were for the Inftruftion of the faithful of dif- 
 ferent Languages, and all .the Interpreters fince, 
 cither did not underftand what they undertook, or 
 perverted the Senfe of the Scriptures, till the Kut- 
 chinfoniam put them right. But 
 
 2dl}\ They are the Hutchinfonians who mani- 
 feftly put a wrong <Conftrui5tion on this Place, to 
 favour their own Syftem : They think to ftagger 
 the generality of their Readers by appealing to the 
 Hebrew ; and tranflate this Place either wrongfully 
 or ignorantly. The Hebrew Word is CTQU^a, 
 Rajhamim^ in the Heavens, not to the Heavens. 
 Pagninus's Tranflation of it, ad verbum^ is in 
 ijccelum with an Accufatme Cafe \ which is ftrictly 
 into the Heavens., or up to the -Heavens ', which is 
 quite a different Senfe from -to the Heavens, i.e. 
 to worfhip the JHeavens, or in Honour of the 
 Heavens.. The B 9 or Beth, when a Prepofition, 
 Signifies z^, .or into, not to the I-Jeavens. 
 
 Laftly.^ If they objecl: that Her : odottts. 9 in his 
 JDefcription .of -the Remains of the Tower 4>f 
 Babel, -iays, that there was an Altar .upon it, as if 
 made for the Worfhip .of fome Deity.: But if fo, 
 what does that prove ? Might not the Affyrian Kings, 
 who were Idolaters, turn that Tower into a JPlace 
 of Heathenifh, Worfhip ? Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar 
 erected his famous Statue upon that Tower, before 
 which all were to fall down and worfhip, at the 
 Signal of the mufical Inftrurnents, fcfr. But # 
 Statue of a Go4, or a King, is not the Air in .any 
 &ape. I have not ffapdetus by me j but ,as much. 
 as I remember, he does not fay that the Altar was 
 on the Summit of the Tower, but about the 
 .Middle of it $ and, if I am not miflaken, that 
 O 2 there
 
 . 
 
 ' 1()6 DiJJertatiom on the Diff. V. 
 
 r there was a S:atue of fome Man or King, with an 
 Altar, in all Appearance in Honour of that Statue 
 or Idol. Be that as it will, neither the Text, nor 
 Herodotus proves that the Tower of Babel was 
 erected to the Air : Nay, the Scripture fays ex- 
 prefiy, ib. that .their Intention in building it was to 
 make themfelves a Name , or, to leave a Monu- 
 ment of their Fame, when they fhould be difpcrfed 
 over the Face of the Earth. But more of this 
 when we come to treat cxprefly on that Subject. 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 An Enquiry What, and Who the Heathen 
 Gods were originally j and when they began 
 to be ivorfiipped ? 
 
 IT is an hiftorical Truth, that the antient Hea- 
 thens believed their Gods to be intelligent Beings, 
 fuperior to Men and Matter : That they prayed to 
 them, afk'd Benefits of them, believed they could 
 hear them, help them, &c. This is certain Faft -, 
 but whether there were really any fuch intelligent 
 Being in Nature, is .not quite Ib clear from the 
 Heathen Monuments alone : But taking the con- 
 ftant Belief and Worfhip of the Heathens, the ur.i- 
 verfal Accounts of their Operations and Exigence in 
 confequence of them ^ together with the fcriptural 
 Proofs for it, as well as the invincible Arguments 
 lor reveal'd Religion, we mud allow, that there 
 were fome invifible Beings, which induced Men to 
 worfhip them, in Oppofition to the true God. 
 There can be no Impoffibility nor Repugnance in 
 Nature, that God could create intellectual Brings 
 Juperior to Men and Matter-, or in other Words, 
 Spirits of different Perfections. The Gradation we 
 Jce in Nature from mere iners Matter, to Vege-
 
 Dili. V. MOSAICAL Creation; 
 
 
 
 tables, to Animals, to intelligent Beings, fuch a s 
 Men, feems to mark out to us, that God might' 
 and even has created oth'-r Beings fuperior to Men, 
 and fo on, in different Degrees. On the other 
 hand, fpiritual Beings, void of Matter, feem to 
 approach nigher to the Perfections of the fu- 
 preme God, the infinitely intelligent and fpiritual 
 Being of all Beings-, one would even imagine,- ac- 
 cording to Reafon, fuch Beings fhould have leis 
 Difficulty as to their Production, than. Matter. 
 That there can be no Impofilbility and Re- 
 pugnance, either as to the Thing, or Caufe. The 
 Queftion is, Whether in foft, there is any fuch 
 Thing in Nature, as Spirits, or intelligent Beings, 
 fuperior to Men and Matter. If we confult the 
 Scriptures, old and new, and the Principles of the 
 Chriftian Religion, we are fure there are fuch Be- 
 ings both good and bad. Our bleiled Saviour 
 came to deltroy the Works of the Devil. Bur, 
 though it is certain, from the Proofs and Principles 
 of Chriflianity, that there are intelligent Beings; 
 and that the Heathen Worfhip of their Gods was 
 introduced .by the Liftigation of the evil Spirits, ic 
 is not fo certain, that the Heathen Gods were ori- 
 ginally fuch intelligent Beings, though they believ- 
 ed them to be fuch ; not Devils, or evil Beings in 
 their own Shape, but in the Shape of Angels of 
 Light. Good Beings, to be fure, they could not 
 b~. What were they then ? Why, if they were really 
 intelligent Beings, as the Heathens thought their 
 principal Gods to be, it is highly probable, that 
 thofe Gods were originally fuch Spirits , and as they 
 could not be real Gods, ni.r good Spirit?, they 
 muft be evil ones. 1 lay, it is highly probable, 
 that the original Gods of the Gentiles, and the pri- 
 mary Origin of idolatry, was from the fallen An- 
 O 3 gel?,
 
 1 9 8 Dijertations m the Diff. V. 
 
 gels, who, by their Knowledge and Power fuperi- 
 or to all the reft of Nature, induced deluded Mor- 
 tals to worfhip them as Gods. There are a great 
 many Arguments, exceeding probable, to make 
 all unprejudiced Perfons believe it, drawn from the 
 Opinion of the Antients concerning their Gods ; 
 from the Nature and Circumftances of the Heathen 
 Worfhip , from numberlefs hiftorical Accounts,,and 
 Traditions of the Heathens, not only as believing 
 them to be fuch intelligent Beings, but as hardly 
 to be accounted for in Realbn, unlcfs they really 
 were fuch , and finally, from the Tenor of the Old 
 and New Teftament. The more particular Rea- 
 fons for it, are as follow : 
 
 i. As it -was proved in the laft Article, that the 
 antient Heathens really believed the immortal Gods 
 to be intelligent Beings, fuperior to Men and Mat- 
 ter ; 'cis very hard to arraign the Scnfe of all 
 Antiquity, that they had no Grounds, no Reafons 
 for this Belief. They worfhipped them by the 
 moft folemn Rites -, they facrificed to them ; they 
 prayed to them, &c. Now k is almoft impoffibleto 
 account for all this, ( unlefs they had been induced ta 
 it ab origine, by fome real Effects, fome real Pro- 
 digies, and Wonders performed by them, fuperior 
 to the common Courfe of Nature, with other Ma- 
 nifeftations of their Power, either in Benefits receiv- 
 ed, or Punimments inflicted for Neglect of their 
 Worlhip. J Tis Fact that Numbers of fuch Effects 
 and Prodigies have been recorded and believed by 
 the antient Heathens of the Power of their Gods, 
 as well as the Prodigies recorded by Mofes to have 
 been performed by the Magicians of Pharaoh. 
 Nor can it feem incredible, only to fuch as can 
 ftrain at a Gnat, and fvvallow a Camel, that the 
 Father of Lies did perform, if not real Miracle?, 
 
 at
 
 DifT. X r i Mos A i c A t Creation.' 199 
 
 at leaft fuch preternatural Prodigies, as were above 
 the common Courfe of Nature. This were alfo 
 to impeach Antiquity and the greateft Hiilorians 
 of thofe Ages, who almoft univerfally concur in 
 Accounts of fome preternatural Operations of the 
 immortal Gods, of their ; Oracles, Apparitions of 
 Daemons, and Geniufes good and bad , attefted by 
 Ib many of their graved Authors, both Grecians 
 and Romans j part of which may be feen in 
 Plato of the Daemon of Socrates, in Livy, in Plu- 
 tarch^ but particularly in Valerius Maximus 9 
 whofe Hiftory chiefly confifls of the Wonders and 
 Prodigies performed by the Gods ; not to men- 
 tion the Accounts of Zoroafter, Mercurius^ Tref- 
 megiftus, Appollonius Tbyan<eus^ .fcfr. Though I 
 cannot omit two Accounts, the one in Suetonius, 
 the other in Tacitus. Suetonius in the Life of 
 Domitian gives a very remarkable Account of the 
 Death of that Emperor, as foretold by Afeletarion y 
 the Aftrologerj and to confirm it adds, that his 
 own Carcafe mould be devoured by Dogs : But 
 Domitian^ to make him a Lyar, ordered him to be 
 put to Death 4 and his Corps to be burnt to Ames ; 
 juft as his Body was thrown upon the Pile, a pro- 
 digious Shower of Rain quenched the Fire, and 
 drove the People away* upon which the Dogs 
 came and devoured his Carcafe. The other is out 
 of Tacitus Annal XI. and Pliny of the Genius of 
 Africa^ which appeared to Curtius Rufu:. Tacitus 
 and Pliny relate, that it appeared to him in the 
 Shape of a Woman, but more grand and beauti- 
 ful than human ; and foretold him, that he fhould 
 be Pro-conful of Africa. Pliny brings this Ac- 
 Count as an Example to confirm that there are fuch 
 Beings, and affured his Friend that he believed it 
 himfelf : He adds, that the fame bpeftrum appeared 
 again to Curtias, as he was coming out of a Ship 
 O A. on
 
 200 Dtffertatiom on the DiC V. 
 
 on the African Shore, and foretold his Death, 
 which happened to him contrary to the Expecta- 
 tion of all his Friends. Pliny Epift. I. 7. Epijl, 27. 
 Ad Suram de Cwrtio Rufo. See alfo Li^'s Ac- 
 count of the Genius of Italy , or at leaft fome Geni- 
 us appearing to Hannibal. I might add fome mo- 
 dern Accounts fiirprifing enough, but (hall confine 
 my (elf to Antiquity , 1 am far enough from be- 
 Jieving all- fiich Accounts, any more than Cicero 
 believed all the Prodigies reported in his Time - y 
 but to believe all to be mere Cheat and Juggle, is 
 to arraign theSenle of all Antiqu ; ty, who r as they 
 certainly believed their Gods to be intelligent Be- 
 ings, fo 'tis highly probable, they had fome ftrong 
 Facts,, as well as Reafons to induce them to that 
 Belief. We fhould follow the wife Rule of Plu- 
 tarch ', (peaking f thefe very Subjects : " We 
 " could, fays he, relate a. great many wonderful 
 " Things, which thou oughtft not to contemn 
 ct (lightly ; but to give too much, or too- little 
 " Credit to them r is dangerous, on account of hu- 
 " man Imbecility, which is neither circumfcribed 
 " to Bounds, nor entirely Mafter of itfelf ; but 
 " falls fometimes into Superftition and Vanity ; 
 " fometimes into Neglect of the Gods and Irreli- 
 " gion." So far this wife Philofopher. 
 
 There is another Confideration of great Weight 
 to .induce us rx> believe that fonaething mere than 
 human interfered in the Inftitution of Idolatry - y I 
 mean not only the horrid Corruptions and Immo- 
 ralities attending mod of their idolatrous Cere- 
 monies, but the inhuman, execrable and internal 
 Sacrifices offered to their Gods from the remoteft 
 Antiquity ; fuch as human Victims of both Sexes, 
 in almoit all Nations in the World ; not only at 
 Tyre, and Carthage, and among the Druids, with 
 other barbarous Nations, but in Greece and Rsme, 
 
 as
 
 DifT. V. MOSAICAL Creation. 201 
 
 as is attefted by their own Hiftorians. Nay, in the 
 eaftern Countries they facrificed their own inno- 
 cent Children to Moloch and Saturn^ with fuch 
 horrid, infernal and beaftly Rites, as makes one 
 fhudder to think on't -, and this from the earlieft 
 Antiquity. What could induce the firft Inventors 
 of fuch horrid Rites, if feme infernal, malignant 
 Power had not deluded them by fuch Prodigies and 
 Terriculamenta as the known Powers of Nature 
 could not perform, according to the Poet : 
 
 Primos in orbe Deos fecit 'Timor. 
 
 It was Fear, that firft introduced the Belief of the 
 Gods in the World -, that is, falfe Gods ; or thofe 
 infernal Spirits, who by their Terrors and Prodi- 
 gies drew in Mortals to worfhip them by fuch 
 horrid Rites, worthy of fuch Deities. I do not fay 
 thefe Confiderations alone prove demonftratively 
 that the Gods of the Heathens were Beings fuperior 
 to Men : But when confirm'd by the Authority of 
 the Old and New Teftament, a Chriftian, at lead, 
 can hardly disbelieve it. Wherefore, 
 
 2. The Gods of the Gentiles, in Numbers of 
 Places of the Old Teftament, are called Devils ; 
 and this by Mofes himfelf, as well as in the other 
 Parts of that facred Record ; by Confequence they 
 were really and in fatt intelligent Beings, fuperior 
 to Men, as the Heathens really believed them. 
 Mofes fays, 'They Jhall not offer their Sacrifices to 
 Devils^ or Demons ; Non immolabunt hojtias fuas 
 DtfmoniiS) Lev. xvii. <v, 17. They facrificed to 
 DEVILS, and not to Gods, Deut. xxxii. v. 19. 'They 
 facrificed their Sons and Daughters to DEVILS. Pf. 
 evi. Alt the Gods of the Gentiles are DEVILS, 
 Pf. xcvi. v. 5. And he (Jeroboam) ordained him 
 
 Priefts
 
 202 toiertations on f6e Ciif. 
 
 Priejls for the High Places^ and for the Devils. 
 Chron. i. v. i. 6. 
 
 N. B. The moft ufual Word in the Hebrew for 
 Devils is CDTJJ& Shagnirim *, the Shaggy-ones* 
 or the Hairy-ones. This Hebrew Word Shagni- 
 rim, is translated Devils, in the Syriac Verlion ; 
 in the Samaritan Verfion, in the Arabic Verfion, in 
 the Latin Vulgar., and our Engliftj Bible. See 
 our learned Waltcrfs Polyglot for thefe Verfions. 
 They all tranflatc thcfe Words, They facrjficed their 
 Sons and Daughters m 1 y$*7 La Shagnirim, to 
 Devils. All thefe Verfions tranflate the Shaggy - 
 ones, or Hairy-one?, by Devils , as the Latin Vul- 
 gat, and Englijh Bible tranflate it. 
 
 If we examine our modern Hebrew Dictionaries* 
 they generally tranflate it Devils, Dtemoncs, mean- 
 ing evil Spirits. The great Heptiglot Diftionary 
 of CaftelhiSi adjoining to Walton's Polyglot, tran- 
 flate l^yty Shagnir, Daemon Silvejlris. Buxftorpb's 
 Dictionary, Daemon Silvejlris. Leigh's Critica 
 Sacra^ tranflates La Shagnirim^ to tlie Hairy-ones * 
 * ; That is, fays he, to the D evils , who appeared 
 " in the Likenefs of Satyrs." And the learned 
 Eochart fays, that the Word fignifies Satyrs, or 
 Devils in the Form- -of Goats. " The Hebrews^ 
 * fays he, call Devils Sbagniritn, [he writes it fat- 
 *' rim~\ Hairy-obes, or becaufe they appeared to 
 " thofe who believed in them^ in the Shape of Goats 
 or Satyrs." By this we fee ^iib, that this learn'd 
 Author took the Heathen Gods for intelligent Be^ 
 ings j that is, evil Spirits. Now who does not 
 iee, that by the Devils called Hairy- cm 'j, they 
 meant the God Pan t a very anticnt God among 
 the Heathens. 
 
 If we add to the Authority of Mofes and the 
 Old Teftamem, that of the New, and the Tenor 
 
 of
 
 DifT. V. MOSAICAL Creation. 205 
 
 of the Chriftian Religion, with the invincible Rea- 
 fons for that Religion, which all the Power of 
 Hell can never invalidate, we muft believe the 
 Exiftence of Devils and evil Spirits. Our Saviour 
 came to deftroy the Works of the Devil, the Em- 
 pire of Satan, the Kingdom of the Devil, the Re- 
 ligion of worfhipping Devils , he went about caft- 
 ing out Devils, &. All thefe together, with the 
 Belief of the Heathens themfelves, as it is certain 
 there were fuch Beings, fo they render it exceeding 
 probable, that the original Gods of the Gentiles 
 were thofe evil Spirits ; for real Gods, or good Spi- 
 rits, they could not be ; not Daemon* or evil Spirits 
 in their own Shape, but under the Shape of fbme 
 intelligent Beings, iuperior to all the known Powers 
 of Nature ; performing fuch wonderful Operations 
 from Time to Time, as made deluded Mortals 
 believe there was fomething divine in them ; fup- 
 pofing them to prefide, feme over the Sun, fome 
 over the Planets, Elements, &c. but not to be 
 mere material Elements or Planets, fince Mofes 
 would never call thofe Elements Devils. However, 
 as the primitive Mortals inhabited the Fields and 
 Woods, and lived on the Fruits of the Earth, or 
 principally of their Flocks, thofe Spirits might more 
 commonly appear in the Shape of the God Pan, 
 whom all the Learned know to have been a very 
 antient God among the Gentiles ; either preferving 
 er destroying their Flocks, according as they wor- 
 fhipped him. Afterwards, when Perfons of a more 
 elevated Genius began to contemplate the Hea- 
 vens, the Powers and Influence of the Planets,, 
 Elements, and the like, they might eafily be in- 
 duced to believe, that their immortal Gods dwelt 
 in them, prefided over them, conferred Benefits, 
 granted or rejected their Petitions, as they really 
 
 believed
 
 'Differ tations on the DJfT. V. 
 believed of their Gods : But they would be worfe 
 than ftupiJ, if they applied all this to the Air, or 
 mere material Elements, or to the material Sun. 
 In Procefs of Time, deluded Mortals might be 
 made to believe, that thole Gods became prefent 
 in their Idols and Temples , and Kings and Heroes, 
 feeing the Veneration that was paid to them, might 
 take the Names of fome Gods, and either their 
 Flatterers, or Succefibrs, might procure them to 
 be worfhipped as Gods \ as the Book of Ecclefia- 
 fticus fays, A Father makes a Statue of bis Son, 
 and then a God of it. 
 
 The next Queflion is, When idolatrous Worfhip 
 commenced ? Very early we are fure ; it was 
 come to a great Height in Mofes's Time, fo as 
 not only to otter Sacrifices to Devils, but even to 
 facrifice their Children to them : There was allo 
 Idolatry in Abraham's Time ; and in his Grandfon 
 Jacob's Time, there were Teraphiws^ or litcle Idols, 
 in private Families, Laban's, for Example : 'Trs 
 the common Opinion, that it commenced not long 
 after the Deluge. Bochart in his Canaan proves, 
 that the antient Grecians learnt it from the Pbzni- 
 cians, who carried it with their numerous Colonies 
 which they eftablifhed over the Earth ; for being fo 
 much increafed by their Brethren the Canaanites, 
 drove out by Jo/hua^ they fought new Habitations 
 in moft parts of the World. The Hu t chin font an s 
 lay, that the firft protefTcd idolatrous Worfhip was 
 at the Building of the Tower of Babel, which, was 
 creeled, fay they, to the Air , but confuted juft 
 before, and will be more afterwards, when we 
 come to their new Opinion about the Confuiion of 
 Tongurs, which they deny ; and maintain, was a 
 Contuiion of Religions. But there are ftrongCon- 
 jcclurcs, that it began or was praclifed before that 
 
 Epccba,
 
 Diff. V. MOSAICAL Creation. 205 
 
 Epocha, even before the Deluge. The moft an- 
 tienc Remains of the heathen Authors feem to 
 make the heathen Gods as old as the World : See 
 the Accounts of them in He/tod^ Sanconiathon, and 
 others, in Clemens Ahxan. Eufebius, and in our 
 modern Searchers of Antiquity, Bocbart, Grotius, 
 &c. whofe Opinion feems much the more proba- 
 ble. For tho' the Scripture does not mention Ido- 
 latry expreily, among the Corruptions and Abo- 
 minations of the Sons of Men before the Deluge, 
 and whofe Wickednefs brought on that dreadful 
 Judgment, the Fact of which can't be doubted of 
 in Realbn, as well as Religion ; the following 
 Reafons feem to make it highly probable, that even 
 Idolatry was among the reft of their Crimes , for 
 fince the Heathen Gods were really evil Spirits, 
 who were properly the fallen Angels, 'tis not un- 
 likely, thefe by their fuperior Knowledge of Nature, 
 teaching the wicked Defendants of Cain, called 
 the Sons of Men, not only fomc peculiar Arts and 
 Sciences, whofe Invention feems to be very hard to 
 account for, either by Chance or human Induftry ; 
 but alfo working fuch Wonders, as might induce 
 them to worfhip them as Gods. This alfo the 
 Book of Enoch^ which was thought by fome to be 
 extant in St. Jude*s Time, or at leafl a Tradition 
 of ir, though what we have is fpurious, feems to 
 Jeave fome Hints of ; as well as the Tradition of 
 the Jews t that the fallen Angels did converfe with 
 Men, taught them many Secrets of Nature, and 
 raufed themfelves to be worfhipped as Gods, in 
 Oppofition of the true God : That wicked Cham, 
 or Ham y lived and converfcd with thofe wicked 
 Antediluvians, might learn their Secrets, and re- 
 eftablifli that idolatrous Worfhip after the Death 
 of, or Separation from, his Father Noah This 
 
 i feems
 
 2o6 DiJJertatiom on tie DifT V, 
 
 feems the moft probable Conjecture of the Rife of 
 the heathen Gods and Idolatry. However it is 
 certain, i/, That they were underftood to be in- 
 telligent Beings, fuperior to all Matter, and even 
 fuperior to kuman Beings. 2^/y, Good Beings 
 they could not be, by confequence wicked Beings. 
 3^/y, They were fuppofed by the Heathens to 
 have been as old as the World, by confcquence 
 they had introduced Men to worfhip them before 
 the Flood. 4*#/y, Mofes^ and the old Scripture* 
 exprefly calls them Devils. 5/&/y, The fallen 
 Angels were from the Beginning ; therefore they 
 might appear to Men, and induce them to worfhip 
 them ,; which Worfhip might have been known and 
 practifed by wicked Ham. This Section is only 
 advanced as the Author's particular Opinion, whick 
 he fubmits to better Judgments. The next Section 
 is to mew, that fuch Spirits both may be in Na- 
 ture, and may appear to Men. 
 
 SECT. HI. 
 
 Proofs for the Exiftence and Apparitions ef 
 Spirits. 
 
 OUR modern Infidels denying all Exiftence 
 and Apparitions of Spirits, it may be expect- 
 ed that I fay fomething of both, more particularly 
 than has been explained before. To apply then, 
 and enlarge a little further, what has been alledged 
 for the Exiftence of evil Spirits, it is indubitable, 
 that one can't be a real Chriftian without believing 
 both : The fame Proofs, that evince the Truth of 
 the Chriftian Religion, evince the Exiftence of An- 
 gels, or fpiritual Beings, good and bad. Angels or 
 mintftring Spirits are affmed in Terms in the Old 
 and New Teftament, in innumerable Places ; but 
 
 particularly
 
 piflf. V. MOSAICAL Creation, 207 
 
 particularly in the New ; the whole Tenor of the 
 Chriftian Religion teaches us, that our Saviour came 
 to deftroy the Operations of the Devil, the Power 
 of Satan, &c. He caft out Devils wherever he came ; 
 he is reprefented as commanding the evil Spirits 
 from the Bodies of Men : Thofe evil Spirits are re- 
 prefented as obeying him, as real Beings, trembling 
 at his Power, and the like. In the fourth Chapter of 
 St. Matthew, 'tis related at length, how the Devil 
 was permitted to take him up, and place him on 
 the Pinnacle of the Temple, from thence to the Top 
 pf a high Mountain, and mark out to him the King- 
 doms of the Earth ; How our Saviour anfwered 
 him, that God had commanded his Angels to take 
 Care of him ; how the Devil left him, &c. by 
 which both Angels and Devils, /. e. Spirits good 
 and bad, are reprefented as real exifting Beings, ap- 
 pearing to, and aflifting, or hurting Men. That 
 other Spirits allo, that is, the Spirits of human Crea- 
 tures appeared to Men, the Scripture afierts in 
 Terms , which areApparitions, properly fuch. Mofes 
 and F.lias appeared with our Saviour on Mount 
 Tabor ; nay that they appeared cloathed in their 
 Bodies , as many of the Bodies of the Saints appear- 
 ed to feveral in the holy City, not mere Bodies, but 
 their Souls with them : And the Monuments, o,r 
 Graves, were opened, and many Bodies of the Saints, 
 who hadjlept, arofe -, and going out of the Monuments 
 (or Sepulchres} came into the holy City, and appear- 
 ed to many, Matt, xxvii. 52, 53. Nay our Savi- 
 our himfelf appeared to Saul, and fpoke to him, ARs 
 ix. 4. 5. And our Lord appeared to Ananias -, as 
 Ananias did to Saul in a Vifion, before he came 
 corporally to cure him, ibid. The Angel appeared 
 to Peter in Prifon ; opened the Prilbn for him, 
 conducted him to the ftrait Street, and there left him $ 
 and when St. Peter came to his Friends they though: 
 
 it
 
 208 Differ-tations on the DifT. V-. 
 
 it had been his Angel. In fine, both the Exigence 
 and Apparitions of Spirits good and bad, is fo in- 
 terwoven with the Principles of the Chriftian Reli- 
 gion, that the very Free-thinkers will not deny, if 
 we believe the one, we muft believe the other, both 
 as to the PofTibility, and real Being of them \ though 
 as to other Particulars and Accounts of Facts, they 
 <iepend on the Credentials and Proofs they carry 
 along with them ; as a Man would be a Fool to be- 
 lieve all Stories of that kind, he would act as rafhly 
 to deny all. Undoubtedly there may have been 
 great Cheats paumed upon the World ; and fome 
 People may take their own Fancies for realVifions, 
 or if you pleafe for real Apparitions : But, to deny 
 all Accounts of that kind, let them be ever fo well 
 attefted, muft be extreme ram ; and to examine the 
 Veracity of them would require whole Volumes : 
 However, it is certain, if the Scripture Facts are 
 true as recorded, the Exiftence of fuch Beings, and 
 their appearing to Men, muft be true alfo. Now the 
 Proofs for the Truth of the Scripture Facts being 
 unfhaken, the Exiftence of fome fpiritual Beings 
 good and bad, and feveral Apparitions of them, muft 
 be fo too ; as to others they are to be believed, ac- 
 cording to the Credentials they bring along with 
 diem. The great Queftion then with modern In- 
 fidels is, whether there is any ImpofTibility and Re- 
 pugnance in Nature, that there mould be fuch 
 fpiritual Beings good and bad, or fhould ever ap- 
 pear to Men : Their Apparitions de fafio depending 
 on the Strength of the Proofs for them : This is all 
 that can be required on this Head ; the Examina- 
 tion, Proofs and Difproofs of Facts, would require 
 whole Volumes : Some Facts have fuch Proofs, 
 that it is Folly to difbelieve all. 
 
 Now it is manifeft, there can be no Impoffibility, 
 or Repugnance in Nature againft the Exiftence of 
 
 fuch
 
 DiH". V. MOASICAL Creation. 20 
 
 fuch. Beings ; either in the Caufe or in the Effect : 
 The Power of God, a perfect Spirit himfelf, could 
 as cafily to the full create fpiritual Beings, as create 
 Bodies and Matter ; one might defire thefe Gentle- 
 men to fhew the Difparity : Then, what greater Re- 
 pugnance can there be in -the Effect ? why, for Ex- 
 ample, a fpiritual Subftance endowed with fuch and 
 fuch Properties, fhould be more repugnant in itfelf, 
 than a material Subllance, endowed with Extenfion, 
 Solidity, and the other Properties of Matter ? If you 
 fay, it is fact there are Bodies, I. fay it is fact there 
 Are Spirits, or fpiritual Subftances j firft God, who 
 is a moft perfect Spirit : 'Tis more natural then to 
 believe that a perfect Spirit could produce other 
 Beings, fo much nigher approaching to his Nature, 
 than mere Matter, zdly, the Souls of Men exift in 
 Fact, as well as their Bodies : Thefe Souls are real 
 fpiritual Beings, unlefs our modern Infidels will de- 
 grade themfelves to- a mere Lump of Matter : Now 
 if thefe Gentlemen will but allow, that their own 
 Souls are Beings fuperior to all Matter, and that they 
 actually exift, they mud allow, not only the Pofft- 
 bility, but the actual Existence of fijch Beings, be- 
 fides God and Matter. 'Tis therefore as clear, that 
 there are fome fpiritual Beings^ as that a Free-thinker 
 is really and fubftantially fomething more than a 
 mere Block. Well then, will a Free-thinker maintain 
 that there can be no other fpiritual Beings fuperior 
 to their own Souls, or to the Souls of Men ? If the} 
 will, I believe few befides will do it ; but muft al- 
 low, that there may be other fpiritual Beings fupe- 
 rior to the Souls of Men, and approaching nigher the 
 Perfection of God -, as the Souis of Men may be 
 proved demonftratively to be fuperior to mere Matter 
 in their natural Entity. There can be no Repugnance 
 in this alfo : Such Beings, fuperior to the Souls of Men, 
 may be called Angels. Now as it is real fact that the 
 of Men exift j and I hope it will be allowed me 
 P here,
 
 2io Differtatlom on the . BuZ V, 
 
 here, that the Souls of Men are real Beings above 
 mere Matter, it is in natural Reafon as evident that 
 there may be fpiritual Beings fuperior to the Souls of 
 Men, as thefe are with refpeft to Matter i which 
 is all I defire here : Their Exiftt nee may be proved 
 by invincible Arguments for the "Truth of the Chri- 
 ftian Religion, which is not necoflary to prove in 
 this Place ib much for the Pbfiibility, at leaft, of the 
 Existence of good Spirits. As to bad Spirits, I hope 
 thefe Gentlemen will not deny, but that among thofe 
 ipiritrual Beings, evidently producible by God, fome 
 might fwerve from their Obedience due to him ; 
 might fin, might become bad Angels, might be 
 left by him in that finful State, might become E- 
 nemies to Man as well as to God ; and by Confe- 
 quence be what we underftand by evil Spirits, or 
 Daemons. There is no manner of Impoffibility in 
 fuch a Suppofition, any more than the other : If 
 they are in Being, they may be fent to appear to 
 Men ; if they fay fpiritual Beings can't fubfift with- 
 out a Subjecl, nor can we have any Idea of a Spirit 
 what it is, 6ff. the firft is denied dire&ly : God 
 exifts without a Subject, yet is a pure Spirit , the 
 Souls of Men, who are gone before us, mud ftill 
 exift or elfe they muft deny the Immortality of the 
 Soul j which perhaps they don't believe any more 
 than the Exiftence of fpiritual Beings , but if the 
 Poffibility of one proves the Pdmbility of the 
 other, it is fufficient in this Place ; and if thole who 
 deny the Exigence of Spirits, muft at the fame time 
 deny the Exiffence of Souls departed, they render 
 themfelves by it worfe than Brutes. As to the other 
 Part, viz. that one can have no Idea of a Spirit ; 
 if they mean, an Image formed by ourfelves, let it 
 pafs , but if they mean, that we can have no Know- 
 ledge, or Notion of a Spirit, it is directly falfe , we 
 imye a Knowledge of God, and of our own Souls ; 
 
 perhaps
 
 DiiT. V. MOSAICAL Creation, 2 1 1 
 
 perhaps more evident, than we have of Matter -, a 
 Soul has Properties of Thinking, Willing, Chu- 
 fmg, Reflecting, &V. which I am fure are better 
 known to us, than the Properties of Matter, where 
 we are puzzled in almoft every thing that belongs to 
 it. Since therefore we can't deny the Pofiibility of 
 fpiritual Beings of different Ranks, nor even the 
 actual Exiftence of fome Spirits , let us fee whether 
 there is any Repugnance, or Impoffibility in their 
 Apparitions. But, what Repugnance can there be, 
 if God mould fend his Angels to denounce things 
 to us, as he did to Zachary^ on the Birth of St. 
 John the Baptift, to St. Peter, and feveral other 
 ^Examples in the Old and New Teftament ; or if 
 God Ihould permit departed Souls, who certainly 
 exift fomewhere, to appear to living Men ; or even 
 wicked Spirits to appear alfo, what Repugnance 
 can there be in Nature againft it ? But you may fay 
 firft, how can a Spirit appear to us ? why as to the 
 How^ I believe thefe Gentlemen would be more 
 puzzled to mow how God could exift of himfelf ; 
 how he can be prefent in all Places, yet in no Place ; 
 how he could create the World out of nothing ; how 
 our Soul animates the Body ; how Matter can exift 
 in infinite, or not infinite Parts ; or even exift at 
 all ; or indeed, how any thing in Nature can be 
 formed, as to the primary Caufes and Conftituents 
 of them ; yet thefe Gentlemen are upon the How 
 againft plain matter of Fact ; viz. as to thofe Scrip- 
 ture Facts, of fome fpiritual Beings appearing to 
 Men ; which evidently mews thePoflibility of other?. 
 But they object further ; We cannot fee a Spirit, 
 how then can they appear to us ? how can a Spinr 
 move a Body ? how a Spirit can act upon Bodies ? 
 how fpiritual and immaterial Beings can put on 
 Forms to make themfelves vifible to corporeal Eyes ? 
 with a great many, I may fay, impertinent Queftions 
 P 2 'of
 
 2 1 2 DiJJertations on the DifT. V. 
 
 of this Nature. Anfucer. j/, Such Queftions, 
 as far as they would infmuate, that it is imppffible 
 for Spirits to aft upon, or move Bodies, are falfe 
 and impious : Since if it were impoffible for fpiri- 
 tual Beings in general to act upon, or move Bodies, 
 God being a pure Spirit could not create, or act 
 upon the material World -, now the Soul of Man, 
 Angels, and other fpiritual Beings, approach nigher 
 the Perfections and Nature of God, than mere 
 Matter -, and if one may fay fo, are much more 
 poffible, according to our way of conceiving, than 
 mere material Beings. Anfwer. 2dty, Such Quefti- 
 ons are againft plain Fact ; firft it is fact that our 
 Souls, or that fpiritual Being in Man (unlefs thefe 
 Gentlemen Queftioners will allow themfelves to be 
 mere Blocks) moves our Legs, Hands, &c. at its 
 Pleafure j yet I prefume every part of our Body is 
 Matter. But though we don't pretend to explain 
 the manner How, as indeed the primary Man- 
 ner Hew of numberlefs Operations of Nature 
 are intirely hidden from us , yet 'tis fact the 
 Soul of Man both can and does move its Members, 
 when in due Order, at its will and pleafure with- 
 in its Sphere of Activity ; nay by the Intermedia- 
 tion of its corporeal Members, and by the Acts of 
 its Will, "can move other external Bodies to a great 
 Degree ; as by an Act of my Will, which I hope is 
 not Matter, I can move my Fingers to flrike a 
 Spark of Fire upon a Heap of Gunpowder, and 
 caufe moft violent Motions and Convulfions round 
 about. What are all the external Effects of Art.% 
 but Materials uiic together, by the primary Move : 
 ments of the Souls of Men I Would Stones build 
 Houfes of themfelves, or Timber Ships to fail at Sea ; 
 cr Metals form Letters, and put them, in order to 
 print Books, make Inflruments for all other Arts, 
 &y. if the Souls of Men did not only direct them,
 
 Diff. V. Mos AIC A L Creation. 213 
 
 but put them in Motion by the Hands of Work- 
 men making and moving Engines and Inftruments 
 to effect it ? which Motions primarily come from 
 the Wills a'nd Souls of Men. Would mere Matter 
 once atlteft, ever be put in Motion of idclf, without 
 fbme extra Caufe to do it : If that extra Caufe was 
 mere Matter, what put that in Motion originally ? 
 As for the Manner bow infinite Effects actually in 
 Nature are performed , I wifh thefe Gentlemen 
 would acquaint us. But we might afk them another 
 Queflion in our turns ; Why might not the Souls of 
 Men departed, act upon 'our material Senfes, by 
 God's Permtffion, as well as they act upon the ma- 
 terial Organs of the Body, when united to it? why 
 might not they form fome Appearances; by the 
 fame Permiffion, to make themfclves vifible to us ? 
 If we can't fee any Impoffibility why the Souls of 
 Men departed might not do this, that were fufficier.t ; 
 provided they make themfelves prefent to us, mucli 
 more may Angels and Spirits of a higher Order per- 
 form it ; and make the fame Imprefiion on our 
 Senfes, either immediately, or by the Interpofition 
 of fome Medium, in either of which way there does 
 not feerri the lead ImpolTibility. An/wer. 3^/y, To 
 cut fuch Queftions Priorr, can't the Spirit ot God 
 manifeft himfelf to Men, by ways and m ns he 
 knows beft, though we can't explain them ? If foj 
 can't he permit fpiritual Beings to make fuch Im- 
 preffions on our Senfes, as other Beings do, fince it 
 is evident they can aft upon Matter ? by Confe- 
 quence we mould fee them, as much as we fee 
 Other Beings ; and whatever Being fhould make 
 the very fa ne ImprefTion on my Eyes, as the Shape 
 of a Man does, I fhould fee that Shape, as much 
 as I fee the Shape of a Man ; and what do I fee of 
 a Man but his Shape ? The learned Monfieur Bayle, 
 as I (hall quote on another Occafion, fays, that the 
 P 3 ,pro-
 
 2 1 4 Divert at Ions on the Diff. V. 
 
 progreffive Motion of the Planets mufl be caufed and 
 continued by Intelligences ; and thinks the Coperni- 
 cans muft come into that Notion at laft : Nay he 
 thinks, that intelligent Beings can better caufe Mo- 
 tion, than mere material Beings, for mere Matter 
 has neither any Motion, or any Tendency to Motion 
 of itfelf, any manner of way, but merely to be 
 moved and impelled by fomething elfe. 'Tis fact 
 our Souls can move our own Bodies, and thofe of 
 others, at the Twinkling of an Eye, or a Thought ; 
 fpiritual Beings have a Principle of Motion, which 
 Matter has not. Why then, there can be no Im- 
 poflibility, and Repugnance in Nature, that Spirits 
 fhould exift -, mould appear to us when God 
 fhall pleafe to order, or permit it , it only depends 
 upon Facts, whether he did order, or permit them 
 to appear : The Scripture afliires us he did do fo 
 on fome Occafions, and the univerfal Tcftimony of 
 Mankind did once believe there were fuch Appari- 
 tions. Our Free-thinkers may examine the actual 
 Accounts of them, as long as they pleafe. If the 
 Credentials for fuch Facts are ftrong and cogent ; 
 a Man would act againft common Senfe to difbe- 
 lieve them for a few fpeculative Difficulties : If they 
 are not, they may fufpend their Judgments ; but it 
 is Madnefs to deny the Pofiibility ; and little lei's to 
 to deny all Facts by the Lump. 
 
 However, to add fomething, as to Facts ; the 
 Reader will reflect on what I quoted out of Tacitus 
 and Pliny, concerning Curtius Rufus, and out of 
 Suetonius about Aftktonan, in the Life of Domitiati, 
 in the foregoing DifTertations ; not to mention the 
 Magical Performances of Appollonius 'Thyanaus : 
 Let us come to fomething more modern. The 
 celebrated Monfieur Boyle, befides what was men- 
 tioned juft above, gives us to underftand in Numbers 
 of Places in his Critical Dictionary, that he believes 
 
 the
 
 DifT. V, MOSAICAL Creation. 215 
 
 the Operations of Demons, that is, Spirits, not only 
 in their Attendance on fome Aftrologers, antient 
 and modern , but even in the Concerns of Human 
 Life* Aftrologers indeed pretended they chiefly 
 dealt with the Scars j but that is mere Nonfenfe and 
 Cant. To deny all Accounts of their Performances, 
 is to arraign the greateft Hiftorians of a foolifh Cre- 
 dulity ; yet whatever they did, or foretold, could 
 not be by the Stars, but by the Operations of Dae- 
 mons. However, Monfieur Bayle, one of the fe- 
 vereft Criticks that ever was, believes the Operati- 
 ons of Daemons in human Affairs, good and bad : 
 He declares this directly in the Article of Timoleon^ 
 where he endeavours to prove at length, v/hat we 
 call Luck, as in good and bad Luck of fome Men, 
 is caufed by fuch Daemons, or Spirits interfering 
 with human Affairs : He has the following remark- 
 able Words in the Margin, " I call them fo finvi- 
 *' fible Spirits] in Oppofition to human Souls, which 
 " are Spirits united to fenfible Bodies." I don'c 
 enter into his Notion of Luck ; but only mew the 
 Opinion of the Man , whofe Learning, Judgment 
 and Senfe, 1 am fure no Free-thinker will call in 
 Queftion. Bayle, Crif. Dift. in 'Timclecn. In the 
 Article of ^erefics^ the fame great Critick quotes a 
 modern Fact out of the learned Thuamis the French 
 Hiftorian, of one Eellomontius a famous Magician, 
 who was condemned to Death by the Parliament of 
 Paris, not only in Thuanus's Time, but that great 
 Hiftorian, in the Account of his own Life, quoted 
 at length by Monfieur Bayle, fays, that lie- was 
 himfelf prefent at his Examination, with another 
 learned Man, whom Boyle calls the Sieur Cdlgnvn. 
 Where / ellomontius confeffed he dealt with good 
 Spirits, but not with bad ones ; but was hanged 
 for all that. Bayle, Crit. Dif. in ^irejias. Novv 
 when a noted Man, and no Fool, nor Vifionaryv 
 P 4 confejfcs
 
 2 1 6 Differ fations on the DifT. V. 
 
 confeffes againft himfelf, where his Life was concern- 
 ed, it ought to have more weight with Men of 
 Senfe, then all mere fpecnlative Difficulties. Monfieur 
 Boyle was a!fo fully perfuaded of the Operation of 
 Evil Spirits, in the Performances of ibme Magicians, 
 as may be feen in his Works, pa/ftm^ particularly 
 in the Article of Appcllon'us < l'hyan<us. 
 
 Not to infill upon what that learned Critick and 
 Philofopher fays of fome wonderful Dreams, or 
 fome Notifications in Sleep, or inVifions, recorded by 
 the bed Hiftorians, as well as of fome Enchantments 
 and magical Operations, which he thinks cannot be 
 denied ; and believes that they are performed by the 
 Intercourfe of Spirits, of which he has the following 
 remarkable Words : " I think, fays he, we may 
 " fay of Dreams [or Nocturnal Notifications] the 
 " fame almoft of Inchantments, that they are far 
 *' lefs myfterious, than People believe, and fcme- 
 " what more than the Unbelievers fancy. The 
 *' Hiftories of all Times and Places relate, both 
 " with refpect to Dreams and Magic, fo many 
 *' furprifing Things, that thofe who obftinately deny 
 *' them all, render themfelves fufpedted, either of 
 *' want of Sincerity, or Judgment to tlifcern the 
 " Force of the Proofs [for them] , a violent Pre- 
 " judice, or a certain Turn of Mind, blinds their 
 " Understanding, when they compare theReafons, 
 '* pro and con" Thus this learned Critic. B*yie*Grif. 
 Dift. in the Article of Majus, where he proves that 
 fuch things muft be performed by the Intermediati- 
 on of Spirits good and bad, and thinks it equally 
 foolifh to deny all, as to believe all. 
 
 'Tis alfo as certain as paft Hiftories can make ir y 
 that feventl of the mod prudent and politick Prince* 
 and Commanders have entertained in their Court 
 judicial Aftrologers \ and feveral furprifing Events 
 have been foretold by them ; not by the Influence 
 
 of
 
 DifT. V. MOSAICAL Creation. 217 
 
 of the Stars, or Figure-flinging , for that was all a 
 mere Blind, as was proved in a former DuTerration. 
 But if they ever did foretell any Events (and 'tis 
 arraigning the good Senfe of the greareftPerfonages, 
 and the Veracity of the mod authentick Hiftories of 
 all Times .and Places, as Monfieur Bayle fay?, if 
 they did not) it was done by the Intercourfe of fome 
 invifible Beings, good or bad. 'Tis true, innumer- 
 able Cheats and Impoftures have been palmed upon 
 a credulous World : But that is rather a Proof, 
 that fome preternatural Things were really done, 
 than the contrary ; falfe Money had never been 
 forged, if there were not fome real Coin. 'Tis 
 pity but our prudent Legiflature had confulted 
 ibme learned Naturalifts, when they forbid all 
 Profecutions for Witchcraft ; by which the Ge- 
 nerality of the World may think that they deny 
 all Operations of evil Spirits. Some of our Right 
 Reverend Bifhops might have informed them, that 
 they cannot believe the Bible, if they deny all Ope- 
 rations of Spirits, both good and bad. As for the 
 Difcufilon of Facts, as was obferved before, it would 
 require whole Volumes, but as to the Poflibility, 
 'tis evident, that there may be fpiritual Beings 
 fubfifting in themfelves without Matter ; as God 
 and the Souls of Men : 'tis no lefs evident, that 
 there may be other Beings fuperior to the Souls of 
 Men ; one as well as the other ; theie Spirits hav- 
 ing free Will might fall into Enmity with God and 
 Man -, 'tis no more repugnant, that they may be fent, 
 or permitted by God to appear to Men, than thac 
 they mould have a Being : they are more capable 
 of caufing Motion in Bodies, than Bodies themfelves j 
 their actual Appearing is to be weighed by the 
 Proofs ; the Chriftian Region proves it directly. 
 Ergo, &c. 
 
 D I S S E R,-
 
 2 j 8 Di/er tat ions on the DifT. VI, 
 
 SIXTH 
 
 DISSERTATION. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 The great Error of the HUTCHINSONIANS 
 with refpett to the Eleffcd TRINITY in their 
 prepofterous Explications of the Hebrew 
 Word Elohim. 
 
 THESE Gentlemen afFect to appear great De- 
 fenders of the Blefled Trinity, againft Infi- 
 dels and Free-thinkers -, in which they are highly 
 to be commended, if they flopped there : But 
 then they fhould not endeavour to eftablifh fuch a 
 Syftem of the Blefled Trinity, as is new and un- 
 heard of before, and even mocking to Chriftian 
 Ears. They pretend to prove their unaccountable 
 Syftem from the Derivation of the Hebrew Name 
 of God Elobim. They maintain, that it is derived 
 from Elah to curfe, and execrate ; and fignifies, 
 the Three Divine Perfons laying themfelves under 
 a conditional Execration to redeem Man : That 
 one of them took the Condition upon himfelf, and 
 was actually accurfed in his Divinity. They glory 
 in the Difcovery of this Derivation, as an evident 
 Proof of the Trinity from Mofes and the Old 
 Teftament -, and infulc over thofe who will not 
 
 underftand
 
 DhT. VI. MOSAICAL Creation. 219 
 
 underftand the Word in their Senfe, as ignorant of 
 the Hebrew Language. Whether they are ignorant 
 in that Language, I will not define : But it will 
 appear manifeflly to all unprejudiced Peribns, that 
 either thefe Gentlemen arc ignorant, or wreft and 
 pervert that Word in giving it fuch a Senfe , by 
 confequence, their vaunted Learning in the Hebrew 
 is to be read with a great deal of Caution. What 
 could induce them to explain the Word in that 
 Senfe, is difficult to guefs at; tinlefs it were to efta- 
 blifh a new Belief of the Trinity, of their own In- 
 vention. 
 
 The firft Name for God in the Old Teflament, 
 in Hebrew^ is Elobim. This Name, if you reject 
 the Vowel Points^ as the Hut chin fonians do, is 
 written O'n^K Elhim, but generally pronounced 
 Elobim. This Name of God Elbim being in the 
 plural Number, according to the Hutcbinfonians, 
 not only infmuates a Trinity, as fome learned Di- 
 vines have held -, but that will not do with thefe 
 new Authors : They maintain, that it has a more 
 myfterious and peculiar Senfe, viz. that it is de- 
 rived from the Word HvN Elah^ to fwear, curie, 
 or execrate, on which account they always write 
 this Name of God Ehzhim, not E10him, (though 
 fome of them of late write it Aleim) as derived, 
 fay they, from Elab -, and being derived from 
 Elab) it exprefiedly fignified both to the Children 
 of Ifrael, and to all who underftand Hebrew^ Three 
 Perfons laying themfelves under a conditional Exe- 
 cration to redeem Man , which Redemption, not 
 being to be performed but by one of the Divine 
 Peribns being made a Curfe and Execration for 
 Man : Hence, fay they, the fecond Perfon of the blef- 
 fed Trinity in his Divinity (verbo abfit Blnfpbemia) 
 was accurft, and the execrated one for Man. Thefe 
 
 are
 
 22O Djjfertaflons on the Biff. VI. 
 
 are fome of the great Lights their Patron Mr. 
 Hut chin fon has given to the World. But can any 
 thing give a greater Handle to Infidels to ridicule 
 the Trinity, than fuch a Syftem ? 
 
 To give as clear an Explication as fuch No- 
 tions will bear, their Syftern more unfolded is, that 
 the /a/w, as they affecl: to write it, knowing 
 from all Eternity that Man would fin, laid them- 
 felves under a real Oath, or Execration, to redeem 
 him from his Sin : Hence one of them in his An- 
 fiver to A. Bedford foftens the Expreffion a little, by 
 calling them the Adjuratorcs ; others fpeak out, 
 arid make no Difficulty in expreflihg it by laying 
 themfelves under a conditional Execratio'n. The 
 Nature of this conditional Execration was, that as 
 Man was not to be redeemed but by one of the 
 Three Perfons being accurft for him, they all Three 
 took an Oath, that one of them mould bear the 
 Curfe : This is the conditional Execration, as it 
 were in common between them : The fecond Per- 
 fon fulfilled this Oath, and became the Elah> or 
 rather, as they endeavour to explain the Eloab, the 
 accurft and execrated one in his Divine Perfon, and 
 hung upon the Tree in his Divinity. 
 
 Left any one mould think I impofe upon them,- 
 or combat a Syftem in the Air , or mould fcarce 
 believe, that learned Divines, pretending to follow 
 the pure Chriftian Faith, mould introduce fuch 
 fhocking Notions of the Hdy Trinity ; I here fub- 
 join their proper Words , which I extracted out of 
 their printed Treatifes, as well as from the Dif- 
 courfes I have had with fome of them. One of 
 the moft ftrenuous Aflertors of this Doctrine is 
 otherwife a very learned Man, an intimate Ac- 
 quaintance, and for whom I have an extraordinary 
 Value : He is thoroughly apprifed that I write hY 
 
 the
 
 piff. VI. Mos A ic A L Creation. 221 
 
 the Spirit of Chriftian Charity : Though I fhaji 
 chiefly quote his Words, as he has lately publifhed 
 feveral Trearifes in Defence of this Doctrine, fome 
 of which I have by me. As he is a Perfon of Pro- 
 bity and Morals, as well as Wit and Learning, I 
 leave others to judge by his own Words, whether 
 I reprefent the Syfbem right. 
 
 In his Examiner examined, againft Mr. A. ~Bed- 
 ford y he fpeaks out, and aflerts that Syftem open- 
 ly. To begin with his Notions of the Trinity in 
 general ; in his Preface to the Examiner examined, 
 he fays thus, " The facred Laws of thofe y who 
 5* are our adorable Creators and Elahim, demand 
 " our profoundeft Veneration." The very Sound 
 of thefe Words feem to denote a Tritheifm. He 
 lays promifcuoufly in 'that Treatife, our Creators^ 
 inftead of Creator, to (lick to the Hebrew for- 
 footh. Now if the Hebrew Words for God and 
 the Creator, Ihould be fometimes in the plural 
 Number, according to the Idioms of that Lan- 
 guage, as was obferved in a former Differtation j yet, 
 as it is certain the Hebrews believed in one only 
 God, not in three Gods, nor in three Creators of 
 Heaven and Earth, any more than the Chriftians, 
 we may be aflured that fuch a way of expreffing 
 it, whether by Words in the fingular or plural 
 Number, was that fome peculiar Words of their 
 Language required it ; yet we ought Hill to be 
 careful in the Tranflation of fuch Idioms, not to 
 break in upon the Idioms and Elements of Chri- 
 ftianity : As we fee no Verfions or Tranflations 
 exprefs Elobim by Gods, when it (lands for the 
 true God ; though fometimes the fame Word Elo- 
 bim is put for the heathen Gods, nay fometimes for 
 Angels and^Ien. 
 
 In
 
 222 iJiffertatiom // tae DifT. VI. 
 
 In the Treatife itfelf, p.^io, u. he fays, "So 
 " he knew [meaning his Antagonift] that they 
 " [the Hut chin fonians} meant no more, than that 
 " the Deity had laid tbemfehes under the Obliga- 
 *' tion of an Oath, or Execration, which is the 
 " fame Thing, under a conditional Execration to 
 
 " perform the Covenant If Jehovah Elahim 
 
 " made an Oath, doubtlefs it was in full Form, 
 " with all the Circumftances that are binding 
 " among Men : As to Form, we fay, they did, 
 " when they concerted the Means of our Salva- 
 *' tion, and engaged each to perform a diftindl 
 " Part in the Execution of thofe Means ; not be- 
 " caufe they diftrufted each other, but that Men 
 " mould nocdiftruft them ; and when they mould 
 " know their Creators were under an Alab [which 
 *' he explains afterwards by a Curfe] to fave them, 
 ' they might have the flronger Confolation. 
 " P. 15, 1 6. The Doctrine raifed from ourDeri- 
 * vation of the Word Elabim^ is, That the Tri- 
 " nity were under a conditional Execration, were 
 ** under the Obligation of an Oath, or had fworn 
 " to redeem Man ; " not to Man, but between 
 themfelves, from all Eternity. Both here, and 
 afterwards, he mews that being under an Oath, 
 and under an Execration, is the fame thing, as 
 Elah fignifies more properly to curfe and execrate. 
 Let that be as it will, yet it will be proved by 
 and by, that Elohim is not derived from Elah to 
 execrate. He proves, p. 1 6, That Elab, or Alah y 
 when it is a Noun, is a Curfe, or Execration ; 
 and E^ab is alfo a Verb, to curfe and execrate. 
 " Dan. ix. 1 1. All Ifrael have tranfgrejfed thy Law, 
 " therefore the n^N Elah, Curfe, is poured upon 
 44 them. Where would be the Senfe of pouring 
 " the Oath upon them, were no Execration im- 
 
 " plied
 
 DifT. VI. MOSAIC AL Creation. 223 
 
 fc plied in the Word? Num. v. 21. The Lord 
 " make thee a Cyrfe y and an Oath among thy Peo- 
 ^ pie , is not fome fort of Malediction implied 
 *' here? " Page 19. ibid. He dreffes all up un- 
 der a fort of Syllogifm, in the following manner. 
 
 ** He that takes an Oath, puts himfelf under 
 " a conditional Execration. The Trinity did 
 " take an Oath, Therefore put themfelves 
 fs under a conditional Execration. 
 Again. 
 
 *' The Elah is a conditional Execration, or 
 *' penal Sanction of an Oath ; therefore 
 " Elabim [God] does fignify Perfons under 
 " fuch a conditional Execration, or who 
 *' have taken an Oath." 
 
 The next Bufmefs of this Author is to prove, 
 much after the fame manner, that one of the di- 
 yine Perfons of the blefled Trinity, was really and 
 actually accurft, when he hung upon the C'rofs : 
 He feems to boggle about it a good while, p. 20, 
 22, 23, &c. but at length he fpeaks out, and 
 aflerts, in Terms equivalent, That the Divinity 
 itfelf was accurft on the Crofs. " Jehovah actually 
 * fubmitted to an Elab [explained by him a 
 " Curfe or Execration] when he emptied himfelf 
 " of his Glory, and at laft hung upon the Tree. 
 " Mr. Bedford has no fixt Idea to the Word 
 " Elab 9 Execration : I do not know that it doth 
 " exprefs the particular Curfe, which is requifitc 
 " in every Oath ; but as it fignifies a Curfe, or 
 " Execration, we are to gather what the particu- 
 <c lar Elah or Execration was, which tbe Divinity 
 * c of Cbrift did undergo^ by what was performed 
 " by Jehovah in Man , by Jehovah here meaning 
 " only the fecond Perfon, as every Child may 
 
 " fee."
 
 224 'Dtflertations on the DifT. VI. 
 
 ** fee.*' But every Child, truly inftructed in 
 Chriftianity, may fee, that the divine Jehovah, 
 whether he takes it for the firft or fecond Perfbn, 
 was not a<flually accurft in his Divinity. Again, 
 
 Explaining Mr. Hutchinfon's Meaning, viz. Of 
 one of the divine Effence hanging upon the Tree, 
 fee fays, p. 27. His Meaning is, and is clear 
 enough expreffed, " That a Perfon of the God- 
 " head, or Jehovah, was a Curfe for us : (And 
 " adds, with a Scoff, p. 30.) And now we are 
 * e told, the Divinity was not on the Tree ! " To 
 be fure the Divinity was upon the Tree in Man, 
 but could not fuflfer in his Divinity. 
 
 One of his great Proofs, and indeed of all the 
 Party, for this fine Doctrine, is, That Jehovah, 
 in the Old Te {lament, is called niSs Eloab, and 
 Cbrift is Eloab, the Perfon execrated for us, p. 32. 
 Eloab, fay they, is the Participle paflive ; becaufe 
 the Hebrew Letter vau, or 0, is in the third Or- 
 der. Eloab, which, according to them, fignifies 
 the Participle paifive, and therefore might be ex- 
 plained, The execrated one , or, the Perfon exe- 
 crated : which Participle, fay they, is derived 
 from the Verb Elah to execrate. But is this a 
 Proof fufficient to build fuch a mocking Doctrine 
 upon ? Suppofe it mould be made appear, that 
 neither Elohim nor Eloab, in their Senfe, are de- 
 rived from Elab to curfe, but from another 
 Word, their new Syftem falls to the Ground at 
 once. This I undertake to prove in the follow- 
 ing Paragraphs : However, by what has been, 
 quoted juft now, T hope no one can imagine, that 
 1 impofe fuch Doctrine upon them. 
 
 Before we go any farther, it may be laid down 
 as a Conjecture highly probable, let the Reader 
 judge, that their Derivation of the Word Elabim, 
 was invented to eftablifh this new Syftem ; not 
 
 the
 
 Diff. VI. MOSAICAL Creation. 225 
 
 the Syftem drawn from the real Derivation of the 
 Word : Nay, though Elzhim, as they affect to 
 write it, were to be derived from Elab, it can 
 never be fo derived in their Senfe j nor can the 
 mere Derivation of a Word, from a Language 
 dead fo many hundred Years ago, without any 
 other Books in the'fame Language to help us out, 
 be of any great Confequence to build a new Sy- 
 ftem upon , efpecially a Syftem liable to fuch in- 
 fuperable Difficulties, as will be feen in the fol- 
 lowing Reafohs. And to make the Abfurdity of 
 fuch a Syftem appear more vifibly, let the follow- 
 ing Proportion be the Bafis of the Controverfy. 
 
 Proportion. 
 
 The foregoing Doctrine of the Hutchinfonians^ 
 with refpect to the blefTed Trinity, is ab- 
 folutely faife, to fay no more of it yet ; by 
 Confequence could never be taught by Mofes: 
 And by a further Confequence, their Expli- 
 cations of the Words Elohim, 'E/oab, 
 is intirely wrong. 
 
 I muft defire the Reader's Patience, to obferve 
 once more fome of the principal Points of the 
 Jiutchinfonian Doctrine ; they are prodigious zea- 
 lous in their Propagation of it to their refpective 
 Congregations : I* have feen feveral of their Ser- 
 
 - 
 
 mons, wherein their Syftem is inculcated in the 
 moft pompous Terms, magnifying the infinite 
 Goodnefs and Mercy of the adorable Elabim. 
 There are fcarce any of their Sermons, that are 
 not larded with Elabim, Eloab, and EIab 9 and other 
 Hebrew Words, either in Hebrew Characters, or 
 Hebrew Words in Englijh Characters : The ador- 
 able Elabim,. who laid themfelves under a condi- 
 tional Execration to redeem Man; and the di- 
 
 vine
 
 526 Dt/er fattens on the Diff. VI. 
 
 vine Eloah, who was accurft in bis Divinity to ful- 
 fill the Condition. Our adorable Creators, fays 
 another, who were fo good as to enter into fuch 
 a conditional Execration for us from all Eternity : 
 making ufe of that Expreflion, The Lamb that 
 was Jlain from the Beginning of the World ; very 
 allowable in the Chriftians Senfe, or in the Inten- 
 tion of the Godhead from all Eternity, to fuffer 
 in his a/umed human Nature, when the Fulnefs of 
 Time was come. But who told them, that the 
 Trinity laid themfelves under a conditional Curfe 
 and Execration to perform it r not to afk them, 
 were they preftrnt in the eternal Councils when 
 it was done ? who told them, that Man could not 
 be redeemed without fuch an Execration ? or, that 
 one of the divine Perfons was to be accurft, and 
 hang upon the Tree in his Divinity, to compleat 
 k ? We know there was a Promife made to 
 Man after his Fall, occafioned by the Fault of 
 the Woman, That the Seed of the Woman 
 Ihould bruife the Head of the Serpent : There was 
 a Promife made to Abraham, That in his Seed all 
 Nations fhould be blelfed : The Scripture alfo 
 lays, that God fwore to Abraham, according to 
 our way of Conception, that he would give his 
 Pofterity the Land of Promife , that he made a 
 covenant with the Ifraelites for their being his 
 chofen People, if they would obferve his Laws : 
 He fwore to David, That there fhould be one of 
 his Seed who fhould be a Priefl for ever accord- 
 ing co the Order of Melchifedeck : But all thefe 
 were made in Time fmce the Fall of Man, to 
 confirm their Faith and Hope in God -, that is, 
 according to our manner of conceiving, with re- 
 fpefl to our imperfect Knowledge, as far as God 
 can be capable of fwearing, being angry, grieved* 
 W. But where does the Scripture fay, that the 
 
 Trinity
 
 DiiT. VI. MOSAICAL Creation. 227 
 
 Trinity laid themfelves under a conditional Exe- 
 cration ? or that one of them fhould actually be 
 accurft in his Divinity, to fulfil the Condition ? 
 the Abfurdity, Indignity, and even Impollibiiity 
 of the Thing, will be confidered in its proper 
 Place. They pretend to fhew, that the very 
 Name of God Ehbim^ as they always affect to 
 write it, inftead of Ehbim, is a Proof of their 
 Opinion , though that way of writing it is con- 
 trary to all other Interpreters, as I could meet 
 with, both antient and modern. But is that a 
 fufficient Proof for fuch a novel Doctrine, in one 
 of the moft fundamental Points of the Chriftian 
 Faith ? Wherefore the moil natural way to prove 
 the Propofition laid down above, and to demon- 
 ftrate the Fallhood of fuch a novel Syftem, is to 
 compare it, 
 
 Pirjt, With the Chriftian Faith of the holy Tri- 
 nity : If it clames with that, *tis undoubtedly 
 falfe, and never taught by Mofts. To compare 
 it tht j n with the Chriftian Faith, either with re-- 
 fpect to the Godhead or the holy Trinity, one 
 might afk them. What antient Creeds, what an* 
 tient Liturgies, what Decrees of Councils, what 
 Authority of the Fathers, what Tradition of the- 
 Churches, what Catechifes and Instructions of the 
 Chriftian Doctrine ever taught us, that the three 
 Perfons of the moft holy Trinity laid themfelve% 
 Under a conditional Execration to redeem Man ? 
 and that the fecond Perfon was actually accurft 
 and execrated, hung upon the Tree, even in his 
 Divinity, to fulfil the Condition ? Now, as it is 
 abfolutely certain, that no antient Creeds, no De- 
 crees of antient Councils, no Tradition of the 
 Churches, can be produced for fuch Doctrine, 
 the immediate Confequence is, that fuch Doctrine 
 is an unheard-of Novelty and Innovation in the 
 
 2 Chriftian
 
 228 DiJJertatiom on tbe DifT. VI. 
 
 Chriftian Faith : But all Novelty and Innovation 
 in the Chriftian Faith, particularly in fuch funda- 
 mental Points as immediately relate to the God- 
 head, the bleifed Trinity, arid the Divinity of Je- 
 fus Chrift, muft be mocking to Chriftian Ears, 
 as well as falfe in itfelf : Such Doctrine therefore, 
 at the very firft Appearance, muft carry invin- 
 cible Prejudices againft it, if we compare it 
 with the principal Fundamentals of the Chriftian 
 Faith. 
 
 zdly, To compare this novel Doctrine with the 
 Dictates of right Reafon, and the juft Ideas it 
 gives us of the Godhead and Divinity of Jefus 
 Chrift, viz. that he mould be accurft and exe- 
 crated in his Divinity, fuffer, hang upon the 
 Tree, and expire in his Divinity. Such Notions 
 are fo abfurd, nay blafphemous in themfelves, 
 mocking to pious Ears, and even impoffible to be 
 Verified of the Godhead , abfurd to imagine, that 
 the fupreme Deity could not refolve to, redeem 
 Man, without laying itfelf under a conditional 
 Execration ; Wafphemous and mocking to pious 
 Ears, to maintain that one of the Divine Perforis 
 was actually accurft and hung upon the Tree in 
 his Divinity ; whatever he furfered in his human 
 Nature , nay abfolutely impofiible in itfelf, that 
 the Divinity mould fo fuffer ; 'tis execrable to 
 imagine it. The very Light of Nature, which 
 mews us the Exiftence of the fupreme Being, 
 convinces us, that neither the divine Elfence, nor 
 any of the divine Perfons can fuffer in their Divi- 
 nity, or be liable to any Change or Imperfection. 
 "We might as well maintain, that the Divinity 
 might be deftroy'd or annihilated. By Confe- 
 Cjuence it is the higheft Abfurdity to imagine, 
 that the blefled Trinity could ever Jay themlelves 
 under a conditional Execration, that one of thr 
 
 divine
 
 DiiT VI. MOSAICAL Creation. 229 
 divine Perfons fhould hang upon the Tree, and 
 be actually accurft and execrated in his Divinity : 
 nor can any Derivations of the Words Elobii % 
 Elab, or Eloah, enforce fuch a Belief. 
 
 This Confideration alone deflroys all their 
 learned Interpretations of the Hebrew, by an Ar- 
 gument capable to be underilood by all Perfons 
 whether they underftand Hebrew or not, if they 
 have but common Senfe, viz. That it is impofTi- 
 ble Mofes mould teach a Doctrine contrary to the 
 fundamental Principles of all Religion, as well as 
 thofe of Chriftianity ; and by Confequence, fuch 
 Derivations of thofe Hebrew Words muft be in- 
 tirely wrong. However, for the Satisfaction of 
 the Reader, all their Reveries mall be confidered 
 under their proper Heads. 
 
 Hence the Fallacy and Abfurdity of Mr. B /*'s 
 Syllogifm may be eafily feen, viz. " He that 
 " takes an Oath, puts himfelf under a conditional 
 *' Execration : The Trinity did take an Oath, 
 " therefore put themfelves under a conditional 
 " Execration.'* The firft Propofition, whatever 
 may be faid of Men, is abfolutely falfe and abfurd 
 with refpect to God, in their Senfe, as explain'd 
 by them : See the Quotations before. 'Tis both 
 abfurd in the higheft Degree, and abfolutely im- 
 pofiible, that God mould take an Oath to be exe- 
 crated, fuffer, and die, in any of the divine Per- 
 ibns. The fecond Propofition is directly falfe in 
 their Senfe : The Trinity neither did, nor could 
 take an Oath to deftroy their own Divinity ; 
 which equivalently would be the Cafe, were they 
 to lay themfelves under an Oath for one of them 
 to be execrated, fuffer, and die, even in their 
 Divinity ; To fuffer in the united Humanity is 
 abundantly fufficient : By confequence,-m what- 
 ever Senfe God is faid to have fworn to his Peo- 
 
 0.3 P le
 
 230 Differtatlom on the DifT. VI. 
 
 pie, and make a Covenant with them, it can ne- 
 ver be in their Senfe : Therefore that Syllogifm 
 is directly falfe ; if Mr. B le has a Mind to have 
 it in a SJlogifm, it may be drawn in a better 
 Form than his, thus : 
 
 'Tis impofiible that God mould take an Oath 
 repugnant to his own infinite Perfections : But 
 for the Trinity to lay themfelves under an Exe- 
 cration, that one of the divine Perfons mould be 
 accurft, fuflfer, and die on the Tree, is repugnant 
 to the infinite Perfections of God -, therefore 'tis 
 impofiible the Trinity mould ever make fuch an 
 Oath. His Proofs alfo for the Major, or firft 
 Propofition, are very fallacious. Every Oath, 
 fays he, implies a Penalty, or Execration. This 
 is directly falfe, with refpect to God, whatever 
 may be faid of Men , which is not at all necefTary 
 to inquire in this Place. 'Tis ridiculous to ima- 
 gine, that God could not allure his People in the 
 Itrongeft Terms, according to our imperfect way 
 of conceiving, as we look upon an Oath the 
 ftrongeft of all AiTeverations, without laying one 
 of the divine Perfons under a Penalty and Exe- 
 cration ; and fuch an Execration too ! Why then, 
 cither God never fwore at all in their Senfe, (in 
 which Senfe all their forced Explications of the 
 Hebrew are not worth a Straw) or if he did fwear 
 to his People, it mull be in the Chriftian and 
 Scripture Senfe, viz. to accommodate himfelf to 
 the Underftanding of Men, alluring them, ac- 
 cording to their Capacity, that he would be their 
 Redeemer and Saviour, by uniting their Nature 
 to the divine Perlbnality, and fuffering in that 
 human Nature, but never in his Divinity : nor 
 could he ever take or fulfil an Oath to deftroy 
 his Divinity : We muft not magnify his Goodnefs 
 Condefcenfion in fuch a blafphemous Senfe. 
 
 it
 
 Diff. VI. MOSA ic AL Creation. 231 
 
 Jt was infinite and adorable Mercy and Goodnefs 
 in him to afTume our Nature, and fuffer in that 
 Nature for us, for which all our Gratitude can 
 never make a fufficient Return j which, though 
 above our Comprehenlion, we are ahfolutely affur- 
 ed of by the invincible Arguments for Chriftiani- 
 ty. But it would be putting a Weapon in the 
 Hands of Infidels with a Witnefs, if we make 
 Chriftianity fo contradictory myfterious, as to 7 ad- 
 vance that God could fuffer in his Divinity. 
 
 Their chief Arguments for this unheard-of Svf- 
 tem are dill, that God in Hebrew is called Elahim, 
 the Powers laying themfelves under a conditional 
 Execration to redeem Man, and Cbrift is called 
 Eloab, or the Perfon execrated for us. la an- 
 fwer to this at prefent, before we examine them in 
 their own Way, which mail be done in every par- 
 ticular Branch, 'tis directly falfe, that God is 
 called Elahim in the Scripture , 'tis a Word of 
 their own Invention, to eftablifli this new Doc- 
 trine : that facred Name in the Hebrew , with- 
 out the Vowel Points, as it is in the Hebrew ; 
 which Vowel Points thefe Gentlemen reject to a 
 Man , I fay that the Name of God without the 
 Punctuations, is always Elbim ; with the Punctu- 
 ations it is Elobim, not Ehhim ; and always 
 wrote fo by all Interpreters, both antient and 
 modern -, nor can it be derived from E/<z&, to 
 execrate, in their Senfe, as the foregoing Proofs 
 make it evident, and will be feen more at large, 
 when that Article is examined more particularly. 
 
 But, fay they, we underftand it fo, and Mr. 
 
 B le declares it directly, " We fay the Tri- 
 
 " nity did lay themfelves under a conditional 
 " Execration." See his Words quoted before. 
 Mr. D. Git tins in his Anfwer to Mr. Bedford fay s, 
 " All, Elabim, became Swearers to a Covenant, 
 
 .*' and
 
 232' Differ fattens on the Diff. VI. 
 
 <l and under a conditional Execration, but one 
 *' only covenanted to become nV?S Eloah , and 
 ." he only became fo, viz. the execrated One." 
 The firft of thefe Gentlemen maintains, in his 
 Preface to the Examiner Examined^ That every 
 Man has a Right to underftand the Scripture his 
 own Way. I (hall not enter in Difpute about 
 fuch a Right, nor the Confequences evidently cie- 
 ducible from it, by which all the oppofite Sects, 
 even Quakers, Anabaptifms, Independents, and 
 every different Sect that may arife among us, 
 will fay, they have the fame Right to underftand 
 the Scriptures their own Way : But if thefe 
 Gentlemen have fuch a Right, furely all the an- 
 tient Fathers and Interpreters had the fame, 
 when they never underftood Elohim* nor Eloab y 
 as thefe Gentlemen do, as will be feen under that 
 Head. 
 
 Before we leave this Article, fome other Ex- 
 preflions of thefe Gentlemen ought to be animad- 
 verted upon, which carry odd Ideas along with 
 them, and are fhocking to Chriftian Ears , as 
 when they feem, either to multiply the God- 
 head, or make the Godhead himfelf fuffer on the 
 Grofs. One of them makes no Difficulty of fay- 
 ing our Creators ; whereas the Chriftian Religion 
 acknowledges one Creator of Heaven and Earth. 
 He explains this Text, Who is God be/ide Jehovah ? 
 Sam. xxii. v. 32. he explains, I fay, Who is 
 Eloah befides Jehovah ? that is, according to him, 
 Who is execrated, befide Jehovah? The natural 
 Senfe of fuch an Explication is, Either that there 
 are three Jehovahs, or that Jehovah the Eflence 
 of God was execrated. In like Manner, his Maf- 
 ter Hutchinfon fays, one of the EfTence hung up- 
 on the Tree. One of the Effence is an odd Ex- 
 prefllon, as it is fhocking to fav, the Eflence of 
 
 God
 
 Diff. VI. MOSAICAL Creation.' 233 
 
 God hung upon the Tree. What makes fuch 
 Expreflions more fufpicious in thefe Gentlemen, 
 is, becaufe their Mailer Hutchinfon was the Inven- 
 tor of that monftrous Emblem of the Trinity, 
 which he maintains to have been the God of the 
 Gentiles/wz.theAir under the Names of Fire, Light^ 
 and Spirit. His Words are, " The Elahim call- 
 *' ed the Expanfion, Names -, Glory Mechanical^ 
 " p. ii. and p. 31. Fire, Light, and Spirit were 
 " not only called the Namosi by the Elahim, but 
 " were appointed Ruler?, Substitutes, Reprefen- 
 " tatives of their Perfonalities." Why I call it 
 a monftrous Emblem of the bleffed Trinity, is 
 not only becaufe the whole is falfe in the Lump, 
 but alfo becaufe, Spirit, (that is, according to 
 them, grofs and concreted Air) and Light, are as 
 diftinft Beings, and Species of Matter, as any 
 other , as will be proved, when we come to the 
 Philofophical Part of their Syftem. How then can 
 they be the Emblem of the undivided Trinity ; 
 which in diftinct Perfonalities, is the moft undi- 
 vided Being and Effence in Nature ? 
 
 But to return to the Text of Sam. xxii. v. 32. 
 that Text there is directly wrong quoted by them, 
 as if in the Hebrew it were, Who is Eloah, befide 
 Jehovah? whereas in that Place it is, Who is El 
 befides Jehovah ? that is, Who is God, or the true 
 God, befides Jehovah? not, Who is accurft befides 
 Jehovah ? Now they themfelves will not main- 
 tain, that El fignifies execrated, but only figni- 
 fies God. In the fecond Part of the fame Verfe 
 it is added, Who is ftrong, or who is Zor y a 
 Rock, befides Elhim? not Eloah. This mews 
 how much their Boafts of the Hebrew are to be 
 trufted. See Walton'* Hebrew Text in that 
 Place. 
 
 This
 
 234 Dffir tations on tie DifT. VI. 
 
 This alfo (hews by the Bye, that when God is 
 called Elab, and Eloab, as well as El, Elohim, 
 EJion, &c. they are rather different Dialects of 
 the Hebrew introduced about the Time of the 
 Captivity, at lead after Samuel's Time -, as we find 
 //, Eli, in one of the Evangelifts, and Eloi, 
 Eloi, in the other ; they are in a different Dialect, 
 as St. Hierom obferves on thofe Words ; and 
 writes Eli, Eli, in both thefe Evangelifts. I own 
 the fame Word for, Who is God, in Samuel, is 
 wrote Eloah in thePfalms: But the Pfalms were 
 collected together long after Samuer* Time, as is 
 evident by the Pfalms themfelves ; that inftead of 
 El, by a broader Dialect, they might pronounce 
 it Elh, Elah, or Eloah; as Eloi, inftead of //', 
 our God. 
 
 But as thefe Gentlemen make a ftrange Pother 
 about Elah, and Eloab y the firft a Curfe and Ex- 
 ecration, the fecond accurft or execrated -, mean- 
 ing the Curfe that Chrift underwent for Man ; 'tis 
 to be feared they have very wrong Notions about 
 that too. The Apoftle fays, Chrift was made a 
 Curfe, &c. and 'tis faid, Cur fed is he that hangs 
 upon the 'Tree. But how was he made a Curfe 
 for us ? Not in his Divinity -, for that's impoffible, 
 but in his Humanity. But was his Humanity, or 
 rather Chrift as Man, really, and de faffo, accurft and 
 execrated ? Not by God, I am lure : He was the 
 chofen one of God, in whom the Plenitude of the 
 Divinity inhabited : nor was he accurft in him- 
 felf ; for he was the Perfon in whom all Nations 
 were to be blefled : but only in the Opinion of 
 Men, and wicked Men too -, fince the Apoftle 
 fays, No one, in the Sprit of God, will fay Ana- 
 thema Jefu , or will call him accurft. But he 
 was to be made the Scorn and Out-caft of the 
 People* /. e. the Jews ; becaufe his chofen hereto- 
 fore.
 
 DifT. VI. MOSAICAL Creation. 235 
 
 fore, but now unbelieving People, faw hinvfuffer 
 on an ignominious Crois, like a common Male- 
 factor, might falfely and blindly judge him to 
 be, and he was accurft in that Senie ; yet that 
 very Death was not a Curfe, but reputed fo by 
 them , and by that ignominious Death, he bore 
 the Curfe that was againfl us from the Beginning; 
 fince by dying an opprobrious but innocent Death 
 on the Crois, he freed us from eternal Death, 
 incurred by the Sin of Adam. Then what can we 
 judge of thofe, who not only call Chri^ as Man, 
 execrated and accurfed, but maintain in Terms,that 
 the Divinity was fo too ? Can any Derivation of 
 the Hebrew juftify fuch- Doctrine ? Is it not better 
 be ignorant of the Hebrew, than underftand it in 
 fuch a Senfe ? 
 
 If they urge further, that as Chrift became a 
 Curfe for us, fo he emptied himfdf of his Glory, 
 and took upon him the Form of a Servant -, 'tis 
 eafily anfwered, by any one, who underftands the 
 firft Rudiments of Chriftianity, that 'tis impof- 
 fible, as God, he fhould really empty himfelf of 
 his Divinity, when he took the Humanity upon 
 him : For then, as the fame Apoftle fays, He 
 was equal to God in bis Divine Nature ; but he who 
 was Lord of all, took the Nature and Form of a Ser- 
 vant \ was reputed among the Wickedfez. that in that 
 Form and Nature he might faff er for #*, and blot out 
 the Hand- writing that was againft us : And why 
 fo ? Becaufe it was impoflible, he fhould undergo 
 thefe Sufferings in his Divinity. 
 
 As to thofe Places of the Scripture, where God 
 is faid to fwear, and take an Oath to his People, 
 that they fhould not diftruft his Promifes ; what 
 is all that to their Purpofe ? It is not to be doubt- 
 ed, but that God affured his chofen People, made 
 & Covenant with them, or, if you pleafe, accord- 
 ins
 
 236 Dt/ertfltiom on the DiiT. VI. 
 
 ing to our Way of conceiving, confirmed to them 
 by an Qath, that he would be their God and 
 Protestor for ever, if they would love him and 
 keep his Commandments -, would fend the Mefiiah 
 to be their Redeemer, &c. Nay, by the Mouth 
 of his Prophets he foretold to them in what Man- 
 ner he would be their Redeemer, 'viz. by hanging 
 upon a Crofs, and take upon him the Penalties 
 due for Sin. Suppofe it be allowed, that God, 
 according to our Way of conceiving, took an 
 Oath, and confirmed thofe Promifes by it, be- 
 caufe an Oath is the ftrongeft Aflurance we can 
 have, how does this prove that the Trinity laid- 
 tliemfelves under a conditional Execration ? or 
 one of them mould be execrated in his Divinity ? 
 So, not to enter into the Difpute, in what Senfe 
 God may be faid to fwear at all, it is evident 
 that God cannot be faid in himfelf to fwear, or 
 take an Oath, as Men do, any more than he can 
 be faid to repent, to be in Wrath, to be taffuf 
 dolor ecordis intrinfecus, touched with Grief of Heart 
 inwardly ; as is faid of him in the Scripture , with 
 a great many other Affections, as are attributed 
 to God, according to our (canty Apprehenfions. 
 The Holy Writers muft fpeak to Men accord- 
 ing to the Capacity of Men, to aflure them from 
 the Part of God, that they fhould be redeemed, 
 &c. But waving fuch Inquiries, if it were ad- 
 mitted that he condefcended to take an Oath, in 
 the Chriitian Senfe, it is impofliblc he mould take 
 an Oath to fuffer in his Divinity. I will defy 
 them to mew any Text, that God could fwear 
 in fuch a Senfe; yet this is their Doctrine in 
 Terms, as was feen in their Quotations. If they 
 had only afferted, that one of the Divine Perfons 
 hung on a Tree in his Humanity, no one would 
 have concerned themfclvcs about their Doctrine, 
 
 unlefs
 
 Diff. VL MOSAICAL Creation. 2 
 
 unlefs Deifts and Free-thinkers ; but this, it feems, 
 would not ferve their Turns , they mutt magnify 
 the Goodnefs of God in what is renugnant to 
 his Divine Nature : They muft Ihew fuch Zeal 
 for the holy Trinity in a Manner that is abfolute- 
 ly impoffible, and eftablifh a Trinity the Chriftian 
 Faith is a Stranger to. 'Tis for this fuch a no- 
 vel Syftem is blameable. 
 
 Before we defcend to the other Proofs againft 
 this Syftem, it will not be improper, as we go, 
 to lay down an Abftract of the Chriftian Doc- 
 trine, with refpect to the bleffed Trinity, the Fall 
 f Man, and our Redemption from Sin and Death, 
 to make us Partakers of the Inheritance of Chriftj 
 for which no Tongue can fufEciently praifc 
 him. 
 
 The Chriftian Religion teaches us, that there is 
 one only God, infinite in all Perfections, of eternal 
 Exiftence, all-powerful, omnifcient, incapable of 
 Change, incapable of all fuffering, or dying, and even 
 of all Affections, which include the leaft 1m perfecti- 
 on, being all-perfect in himfelf, without Limitation, 
 Alteration, and all Affections incident to created 
 Beings. That this God in his Effence and Nature 
 is of fuch Perfection, that his Effence can fubfift 
 in three diftinct Perfons , diftinct in their Perfo- 
 nalities, though of one and the fame Effence and 
 Nature. By confequence, though each Perfon, 
 as a Perfon, is not the other , the Perfon of the 
 Father is not the Perfon of the Son ; the Son is 
 not the Holy Ghoft ; the Holy Ghoft is neither 
 the Father nor the Son, as Perfons ; yet each is 
 God, becaufe each fubfifts in one and the fame 
 Nature of God ; and whatever has the Nature of 
 God, muft be God ; yet where there can be but 
 one Divine Nature and Effence, there can be but 
 one God. As each Divine Perfon therefore is 
 
 God,
 
 238 Differ tations on the DiiT. VI. 
 
 God, by confequence each Divine Perfon can no 
 more fuffer and die in his Divinity, than the 
 Godhead can fuffer and die; 'twere Blafphemy, 
 as well as inconfiftent with Reafon to affirm it. 
 But then, one of thefe Divine Perfons took up- 
 on him the Nature, and by confequence, could 
 fuffer and die in the Nature of Man, though nei- 
 ther the Divine Perfon, nor Divine Nature could 
 fuffer. But on the other Hand, as there is but 
 one Perfon in Cbrift^ and that a Divine Perfon ; 
 and as all Actions belong to the Perfon terminat- 
 ing and containing that Human Nature, by Con- 
 fequence the fecond Perfon of the blefied Trinity 
 may be faid to fuffer, as Man, and in his Hu- 
 man Nature, but never in his Divine Nature, or 
 Perfon. 
 
 Thefe Myfteries, both of the Trinity, the In- 
 carnation, and Death of our Saviour, though in- 
 comprehenfible, as to the manner low they can 
 be performed, have the ftrongeft Reafons and the 
 moft invincible Arguments for the Truth of 
 them, as all the Reafon of Man can well defire : 
 that is, the whole Body of the Arguments for 
 the Truth of the Chriftian Religion, the Tefti mo- 
 nies of Chrift himfelf, the Revelation of all the 
 Scriptures, the fulfilling of innumerable Prophe- 
 cies, the infinite Miracles performed by him to* 
 confirm this Doctrine, the indelible Monuments 
 and Hiftories recording his divine Actions and 
 Miracles -, all which put together, make the Chri- 
 ftian Faith and Religion the moft rational Reli- 
 gion in the World. Neither is there any Contra- 
 dt&ion in thefe Myfteries, though ineomprehen- 
 fible in themfelves, fince the Eflence of God in 
 itfelf is infinitely above all the Reafon of Man. 
 The Chriftian Religion does not teach us that one 
 God can be three Gods, or that ane Perfon can 
 
 be
 
 DiiT. VI. Mos A i CAL Creation. 239 
 
 be three, and three one -, or that God incapable of 
 fuffering, could fuffer for us in himfelf : thefe are 
 all Inconfiftencies in the Chriftian Faith, as wellas 
 in Reafon : it only teaches us, that the divine Na- 
 ture is of fuch Perfection, that it can fubfift in 
 three Perfonalities : That one of thefe divine Per- 
 fons did unite human Nature in his own Perfon, 
 and did fuffer in that Nature, though not in his 
 Divinity. This, though incomprehenfible, is not 
 contradictory to Reafon : Confiderations quite dif- 
 ferent in themfelves, as is evident to any one ca- 
 pable of reafoning. 
 
 As to the Creation, Fall, and Redemption of 
 Man, incomprehenfible in themfelves alfo, the 
 Chriftian Religion teaches, that the fupreme God 
 fubfifting in Three Perfons, Father, Son, and 
 Holy Ghoft, from all Eternity, in whom, and to 
 whom, all Duration, and every Moment of Du- 
 ration, . is prefent, to fhew forth his almighty 
 Power and Goodnefs, created Heaven and Earth, 
 and all that is contained in them. Among thefe 
 glorious Productions, intelligent Beings, and Man 
 were created, endowed with free Will, and Liberty 
 of Choice, which could not be deftroyed, as to the 
 Nature of it, without deftroying the Nature and 
 Efience of Man. Why then, as all the Natures 
 and Actions of his Creatures, every Moment of 
 their Duration, and all Duration, muft be abfolutely 
 prefent to God, he muft fee that Man would abufe 
 his free Will, fall from his Favour and be eternally 
 loft, unlefs fome Remedy was provided for the Re- 
 paration of his Fault. This Remedy he provided, 
 by his only Son taking upon him the Nature of . 
 Man and fuffering in that Nature to make Repa- 
 ration for that Fault, and redeem him from the 
 Penalty due to his eternal Juftice for it. In trie 
 
 infinite
 
 240 Differ tations on the DifT. VI. 
 
 infinite Now'of his Duration, and in the Omnipre- 
 fence of all . Moments before him, this adorable 
 Redemption is appointed. In this Senfe Chrift is 
 faid to be the Lamb (lain from the Beginning of 
 the World : yet nothing of this could be known 
 to Man till he exifted, or then, unlefs it were re- 
 vealed to him. But after his Creation and Exift- 
 ence, to convince him of the dreadful Effects of 
 his Fault, not only natural Death, but Deaths and 
 Miferies in all Shapes flowed in upon the World, 
 till the Fulnefs of Time was come to put this Re- 
 demption in Execution, fufficient to convince every 
 rational Creature, that there muft have been fome 
 great Fault ab Origine, for which thofe Miferies 
 were inflicted. This the wifeft of the antient Hea- 
 thens judged to be the Caufe of the infinite Mife- 
 ries the World groaned under from the Beginning, 
 which they thought could not be inflicted by ajuft 
 and merciful Being, unlefs in Punimment of fome 
 Fault. Neverthelefs, to comfort him in Faith and 
 Hope, God revealed to him his Redemption, by 
 Promifes of a Redeemer to come from the Seed of 
 the Woman ; repeated thefe Promifes from Time 
 to Time ; to Abraham, to Mofes^ to his Prophets, 
 and by them to all, who would not fhut their Eyes 
 againft them. Now in thefe juft and natural Con- 
 fiderations of the Chriftian Religion, where is the 
 Neceflity that God mould be execrated and accurlt 
 in his Divinity to perform this Redemption ? He 
 could unite the Nature of Man to his divine Per- 
 fon ; there appears no Impoffibiiity in it, any more 
 than he could create him out of nothing ; but he 
 could not die in his Divinity, any more than he 
 
 could deftroy himfelf. But To return to the 
 
 other Proofs againft this unaccountable Syftem, and 
 
 their manner of defending it. 
 
 , To
 
 DiiT. VI. MOSAICAL Creation. 241 
 
 3^/y, To compare this Doctrine of theirs, and 
 their Interpretations of the Hebrew Texts in Que- 
 ftion, with the antient Verfions of the fame Texts 
 in other Languages, if none of thofe antient Ver- 
 fions,' none of the different Readings, explain the 
 Text in their Senfe, or give the lead Hint of it, 
 it muft be a great and natural Prejudice againft 
 it. Now, neither the Samaritan, nor the Syriac, 
 nor the Cbaldaic Para>hrafe, nor the Arabic, nor 
 the Greek Septuagint, nor Pagninus's Tranflation 
 of the Hebrew, Word for Word, nor the Targum 
 of Onkelos and Jonathan, which our learned Pri- 
 deaux commends fo much, nor our own EngUJh 
 Tranflation, nor the Latin Vulgat ; 'tis certain 
 none of thefe Verfions or Tranflations take the 
 leaft Notice, or give us the leaft Hint of this 
 Doctrine. 'Tis not necefiary to underftartd all 
 thefe antient Languages j they are all tranflated 
 by the learned Walton in his Polyglot, where any- 
 one may compare his Tranflations of them with 
 the Doctrine of thefe Gentlemen. Now is it not 
 ft range, that, if the Hebrew Word Elohim Ihould 
 exprefly fignify Perfons laying themfelves under 
 an Execration ; and Eloab fhould fignify, the 
 Perfon actually execrated ; and yet none of the 
 antient Verfions or Tranflations, made exprefledly 
 for the Faithful of different Tongues, fhould take 
 any notice of it, but ftill turn and tranflate thofe 
 Words God , as, God created Heaven and Earth : 
 Who is God, befides Jebovab? Who is ftrong, 
 be fides God ? &c. 
 
 4tbly, As none of the antient Verfions give us 
 the leaft Hint for underftanding the Name of God 
 in their Senfe, fo none of the learned Interpreters, 
 antient or modern, of which I have feen a great 
 many, ever explain the Word Elobim in their 
 Senfe. I Ihali have Occafion by and by to name 
 
 K the
 
 Diflertatiom on the Difl*. VI. 
 
 the Interpreters and Commentators, which I 
 have examined exprefly for that End. Among; 
 the Antients indeed, not many underftood 
 Hebrew ; at leaft, whofe Writings are extant, 
 except Origen, and St. Hierom : though Eph- 
 rem Syrus, Tatian the djfyrtan, and St. Epipha- 
 nius, might very well underftand the Syriac- 
 Hebrew , as doubtlefs the primitive Fathers, and 
 Chriftians of Jerufalem y Syria, and thofe eaftern 
 Parts, who did not fpeak Greek, underftood the 
 Hebrew Scriptures, as St- Matthew is generally 
 fuppofed to have wrote his Gofpel in Hebrew for 
 thofe Chriftians, by whofe Tradition the true Senfe 
 of the Hebrew might be delivered down to the 
 fubfequent Fathers of the Church, without being 
 neceflitated to rely intirely on the apoftate Jews y 
 as Mr. Be always calls them, or the unchriftian 
 Jews, for the true Senfe of the Hebrew, which 
 primitive Chriftians of the Jewijh Nation could 
 tell whether the Infidel Jews perverted the Scrip- 
 tures, and malicioufly gave the Chriftians a wrong 
 Senfe of them. I mention this by the bye, againft 
 Mr. B gy who- afierts, that all the Antients were 
 intirely ignorant of the Hebrew -, or, if they were 
 not, they were only taught by the apoftate Jew*, 
 to impofe upon them ; as St. Hiercm owns him- 
 felf to have been taught by them. But can we 
 imagine the primitive Chriftians among the Jews- 
 had no Scriptures, or did not anderftand them as 
 well as the Infidel Jews. How then could the 
 Infidel Jews impofe upon all of them ? or could 
 the true Senfe of the Hebrew Scriptures be intirely 
 loft, till Mr. Hutcbinfon and hisDifciples retrieved 
 it ? To mark put to the Reader what Commen- 
 tators have been, or may be confulted, if he 
 thinks proper, befide Origen, Epipbanius, and St. 
 who among the antient Fathers under- 
 
 ftood
 
 Diff. VI. Mos AIC A L Creation.' 243 
 
 flood Hebrew , particularly St. Hierom, who was 
 the moft learned in the Hebrew of all of them, 
 neither in his Commentaries on Genejts^ nor in his 
 Epiftles, nor any of his Prologues before the Books 
 he tranflated, does he give the lead Hint, that the 
 Word Eloblm ever meant Perfons laying themfelves 
 under a conditional Execration, though he often 
 gives Reafons why he tranflates other Words in a 
 different Senfe from other Tranflations. They all 
 render Elohim^ Gcd> when it ftands for the true 
 God. Pagninus tranflates the Hebrew as literally 
 as is pofiible for the Idioms of one Language to be 
 rendered into another : His Tranflation is adopted 
 by Walton in his Polyglot, and is allowed by 
 thefe Gentlemen to come the nigheft to the Hebrew^ 
 yet he always renders Elohim by Deus, when meant 
 of the true God. Almoft all Commentators take 
 notice, that Elohim is in the plural Number, but 
 none take the leaft notice, that it means Perfons 
 laying themfelves under a conditional Execration, 
 &c. 3 Tis wonderful none of the Verfions and 
 Tranflations fhould ever touch upon fuch an extra- 
 ordinary Senfe of the Word ; but more wonderful 
 ilill, that any one mould dream of fuch an unac- 
 countable Tranflation, till the Hutchinfonians found 
 it out to eftablifh their new Syftem of the Trinity. 
 
 The modern Commentators whom I have con- 
 fuked about it, are, i. The learned Bccbart^ 
 who mentions the Word Elohim frequently in his 
 Phakg and Chanaan^ otherwife intituled, Geogra- 
 phia Sacra : one may fee by that learned Work, 
 that the Hebrew was nigh as well known to him, 
 as Latin or Greek : He fays, Elohim is in the plu- 
 ral Number, but always renders it by Dens, God, 
 when meant of the true God , and derives it from 
 /, not from Elab^ a Curfe, or to curie and exe- 
 crace. Which Elah is much more naturally de- 
 
 R 2 rived
 
 244 Differ tat ions on the DilT. VI. 
 
 rived from El, God ; not El from Elah. The 
 natural Reafcn why Elah, to fwear or execrate, 
 fhould be derived from El t i?> that to fwear is to 
 call God to witnefs to what is affirmed, and by 
 confequer.ee may be derived from /, God, not 
 vice verfa. 2. The learned Grotius in his Com- 
 mentaries on Gene/is ; ff alibi pa/Jim. 3. Calvin* 
 whom all allow to have been a learned Man, in 
 his Commentaries on the firft Chapter of Gene/is. 
 4. Monfieur Jurieu, in his Hiilory of the Dogms 
 and Worjhip of the Antients ; wherein he treats of 
 mod of the Gods mentioned in the Old Teftamenr,, 
 and frequently has occafion to mention the Word 
 Elobim, but never gives the lead Hint of thefe 
 Gentlemen's Senfe. Thefe are all great Names in 
 the Commonwealth of antient Literature. Neither 
 do the Commentaries of Junius and 'Tremel/ius on 
 the fame Chapter of Gene/is^ dedicated to King 
 James I. mention fuch a Senfe of the Word Elo- 
 him ; nor fome very learned Commentaries in 
 Englifh^ which I have by mein.F0//0, with the Title 
 Page torn off, but feem to have been wrote by fe- 
 veral learned Perfons deputed for that Purpofe, ex- 
 plaining the firft Chapter Verfe by Verfe, but ne- 
 ver in fuch a Senfe. As for the Roman Catholick 
 Commentators, none that ever I could meet with, 
 though I confulted the chief of them, none ever 
 touch upon that Senfe of the Word Elohim, except 
 Cornelius a Lapide^ who only lays, that it may be 
 derived from Elab to fwear : But how ? Not in 
 their Sehfe -, but, as obliging all his Creatures to 
 pay him his due Worfhip ; which is quite a diffe- 
 rent Senfe from that ef the Hutcbinfonians. His 
 Words are, *' The Word Elohim, may be derived 
 " from Elab, to bind his Creatures to obey him." 
 Com. in Gen. c. i. v. i That is, to bind the 
 Creatures to God j whereas thefe Gentlemen fay, 
 
 that
 
 Di/T. VI. MOSAICAL Creation. 245 
 
 that God lays himfelf under a conditional Execra- 
 tion to his Creatures. The firft may be fafely laid 
 in a Chriftian Senfe, but the fecond cannor, as thefe 
 Gentlemen explain it. N. B. What confirms the 
 Prejudices againft their Explications, is, that all 
 thefe learned Commentators, both antient and mo- 
 dern, conftantly write the Word Efobim, not /a- 
 him -, which mews, that they never dreamt of de- 
 riving it as thefe Gentlemen do. 
 
 Thefe are all great Prejudices, againft the Hut- 
 chlnfonian Derivation of the Word, and Doctrine 
 built upon it. 'Tis wonderful, that all the learned 
 Expofitors of Scripture mould be fo univerially in 
 the wrong, or fo very blind, as not to fee, under- 
 ftand, or ever write the Word, as thefe Gentlemen 
 do ; and that too, by adding Vowel Points, which 
 they reject with fo much Scorn in other Cafes , noc 
 only contrary to the general Punctuation of that 
 Word, which* is always pointed with an o , all 
 other Expofitors writing it Elobim-, not Elahim ; 
 but contrary to the original Hebrew Text itfelf, 
 which, without the Vowel Points, is neither Elo- 
 him> nor Elabim , but Elbim, as derived from, 
 and being the plural Number of El ; perhaps the 
 /&, or -//, is put to diftinguifh it from Elim Palms, 
 or for Reafons unknown to us in fuch a dead 
 Language, notwithftanding fome Rules given by 
 Grammarians. Now, if thefe Gentlemen reject 
 the Punctuations, why do they add one to the 
 Text ? if they admit them, why do they point it 
 contrary to all others, unlefs to ferve a -Turn ? 
 Now we are fpeaking, of the Vowel Points, it will 
 not be improper to mention fome Obfervations 
 concerning them, 
 
 R 3 SEC-
 
 246 Di/ertathw on tie Diff. VI. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Of the Vowel Points, or Punftuatiom of the 
 Hebrew. 
 
 5/"TTMS certain, the Hebrew has fome Vowels 
 of its own, without the additional Punctu- 
 ations, as Aleph, which may anfwer to our a or e, 
 or fometimes o. He t which may anfwer to our 
 e with a foft Afpiration ; Jod, anfwering to / or j -, 
 Vau anfwering to our v or u, and fometimes o ; 
 Ain, of a various Sound, which Grammarians find 
 great Difficulty in determining ; 'tis pronounced 
 Ibmetimes like an a, fometimes like ag, al, or 
 gna, &c. The Vowels have different Tones or 
 Sounds in different Words, as the Vowels in moft 
 other Languages ; in Englijh, for Example, the 
 Vowel a, in fome Words, has a ftrong open Sound, 
 as in Ball, fait, call, &c. and fometimes a foft 
 Sound, as in Page, Gage, Stage, and the like : 
 o alfo has a different Sound in our Language, as 
 in tofs, crofs, chofe, thofe, &c. 'Tis much the 
 fame in other Languages ; though 'tis highly pro- 
 bable, as to the true Pronunciation of the Hebrew ^ 
 that it is really loft. We find in Ezra, that the 
 Jews having been fo many Years in Captivity, and 
 mingled with the Babylonians, at their Return did 
 not underftand the Hebrew Language, but Ezra 
 was forced to explain the Law to them in the 
 Babylonifh. Our learned Walton, in the Prologo- 
 mena to his Polyglot, owns, that we are ignorant 
 as to the true Pronunciation of the Word rVUT Je- 
 bovah ; the Jews would not pronounce it, out of 
 Refpect for that facred Name, called the Tetra- 
 grcmmaton, on account of its being wrote with 
 thofe/<w Letters ; which though they are without 
 
 any
 
 Dili VI. Mo ASIC AL Creation. 247 
 
 any Punctuations in the original Hebrew, and ge- 
 nerally wrote fo now, yet in Effect, all the Letters 
 are Hebrew Vowels, i-iz. he, van, he, jcd \ what 
 myftical Meaning they may have, we cannot tell : 
 if you ftrip the Word of all the Vowel Points, it 
 feems to be Jhvh, Jehveh^ Jehvah, or Jbvab. 
 Hence fome pronounced it Ja, or Izo, fome 
 jfovah, from whence fome think Jove was de- 
 rived, &c. 
 
 'Tis certain al-fo, there are feveral Hebrew Words 
 without any Vowels at all, original or additional \ 
 fbme with feveral Confonants in the fame Word, 
 and perhaps but one Vowel in the whole Word. 
 A great many Examples may be brought of both 
 Kinds ; one can't read a Chapter in Hebrew with- 
 out finding fome fuch Words ; of the firft is 13-7, 
 dabar. or daber -, in Hebrew it is wrote dbr^ without 
 a Vowel at all , fo of feveral other Words. Of 
 the fecond kind is fcTQ, bra, without a Vowel be- 
 tween the b and r ; though it is read bar a, created. 
 It was to teach us how to pronounce fo many Con- 
 fonants, that the Vowel Points were invented ; 
 that is, certain Marks to ferve inftead of Vowel?, 
 as - inftead of a, * inftead of e, &c. But writing 
 with fo many Confonants was not peculiar to the 
 Hebrew Language, fince other antient Languages, 
 iq their primitive Ufe, huddled feveral Confonants 
 in their Words without Vowels betweea them, as 
 gnojko, wna, mnemon, in Greek \ gnarus, gnatus, 
 Cmius, in Latin. The old Welch, Saxon, and 
 Dutch Languages, in fome meafure preferve the 
 fame way of writing ftill ; nay, our modern 
 Englijh is not intirely free from it j which different 
 Nations, not being able to pronounce, infert 
 Vowels, according to their Idioms. Thu. c , the 
 French cannot pronouce Stomach, but fay Efto- 
 znach ; Efpace, inftead of Space ; and the Sfa- 
 R 4 niards,
 
 248 Di/ertations on the DifT. VI. 
 
 mards, in the fame manner, fay Eftevan, inftead 
 of Stevan, &c. 
 
 Befide facilitating, and foftening the Pronuncia- 
 tion of fo many Confonants huddled together in the 
 antient Hebrew, there was another Reafon, why 
 the Vowel Points were invented, 'viz. That there 
 being a great many Words in Hebrew, wrote with 
 the fame Confonants, but of different Significations, 
 if they are differently pronounced, as indeed it is in 
 mod Languages. Hence different Vowel Points, 
 or different Marks Handing for Vowels, were pla- 
 ced under the fame Confonants to exprefs their diffe- 
 rent Significations. This one Word n^N Elab 
 fignifies feveral different Things, as God, a Curfe, 
 to curfe, an Oak, a Staff, or to fmell III. See the 
 Hebrew Dictionaries, particularly Caftellus's Dicti- 
 onary. Thus St. Hierom fays, this Word, or thefe 
 three Confonants dbr if it be differently pro- 
 nounced, fignifies different Things, as we mail fee 
 in the next Remark, and it was to diftinguifti the 
 different Significations that the Punctuations were 
 invented. Neverthelefs it is highly probable, that 
 the Vowel Points were not in fact wrote under the 
 Confonants, according to the modern Pointing of 
 the Maforet Jews, who, as Dean Prideaux fays, 
 were monftrous Triflers ; neither were they known 
 in, Origen's, Hiercm's, or Efipbanius's Time, who 
 never mentions any thing of them -, neither can any 
 one tell, what fuperftitious Ufe thofe Jews made of 
 fo many Punctuations ; or fo many different E's, 
 different O's, &c. 
 
 But on the other Hand, it is certain againft the 
 Hutcbinftnians^ that there were traditionary Vowel 
 Points, or traditionary Rules, to pronounce and 
 diftinguilh the Hebrew Words, which had no 
 Vowels in them. 'Tis fact, feveral Words are 
 made up of nothing bat Confonants : 'Tis fact alfo, 
 
 that
 
 DiiT. VI. MOSAICAL Creation. 249 
 
 that the very fame Confonants fignified different 
 Things, as they were differently pronounced ; I fay, 
 it is certain, that there were traditionary Rules, for 
 underftanding fuch Hebrew Confonants, as they 
 were pronounced by the Sound of the principal 
 Vowels, #, , 0, &V. from the Time the Hebrew 
 ceafed to be a living Language, long before the 
 Maforets ; for this we have not only the Authority 
 of our learned Dean Prideaux^ but his Reafons too, 
 which are fufficient to convince any impartial Pcrfon 
 of the Truth of it. In his Connexion^ p. 2. 1. 5. 
 * c About the Time of Ezra, fays he, or a little after, 
 " the Ufe of fuch Vowels mud have been introdu- 
 *' ced in the Hebrew Language : Whether they 
 <c were the fame Vowel Points, that we have now, 
 V or other fuch like Signs to ferve for the fame Ufe, 
 <c is not material ..... Thofe Vowel Points have 
 " been added to the Text, with the beft Care of 
 " thofe, who bed underftood the Text." Now, 
 whether the Hutcbinfonians underfland the Text 
 better, than all thofe who went before them, let 
 others judge. Again, our learned Walton not only 
 allows the Tradition of fuch Vowels, or fuch a 
 traditionary Way of pronouncing the Hebrew, but 
 quotes St. Hierom, p. 22. about the Word Til, or 
 thefe three Confonants dbr, which if pronoun- 
 ced Dabar fignifies a Word : if Deber, Death, or 
 Peftis ; if Daber, Speech \prologom. 26. Ibid. p. 37. 
 ** Per puntta 'vocalia^ bic non intelligo Mafore- 
 " t bar urn punfta vocalia^ qiia poft mult a fecula 
 *' invent a funt : fed vocales ipfas, feu ip far urn 
 " fonos et pronunciationem, qua apudHebrzeos fem- 
 *' per in ufu erant" By confequence there were 
 traditionary Vowels, or Sounds belonging to the 
 Hebrew Words, which fixed the Signification of 
 them j whether the Mafsret Punctuations were 
 
 Trifles,
 
 250 Dijfertations on the DifT. VI. 
 
 Trifles, or not. However thofe Triflers had fuch 
 a Refpect for the original Text, that they would not 
 inlert thofe Points between the Conlbnants, or in 
 the Words, but wrote them under the Words. Now, 
 to apply this to the Word Elobim^ it was always 
 pointed with an 0, not Elabim with an a ; till theie 
 Gentlemen were pleafed to alter the Pointing of it, 
 contrary to all Authority, as well as Antiquity, to 
 introduce their Derivation of it from Elab. Befides, 
 the Manner that the antient Fathers wrote ^Hebrew 
 Words before the Maforet Points were invented, 
 convince us, that there were fome traditionary 
 Vowels, or Sounds, fixed to the Hebrew Words 
 when wrote only with Confonants, or where there 
 were no original Hebrew Vowels between fome Con- 
 fonants : Both Origen, and St. Hierom have left 
 us Jnftances of Hebrew Words wrote in Greek and 
 Latin Characters ; by which we may fee the Way 
 of pronouncing it in their Time -, in the Remains of 
 Origen's Hexapl<e, publifhed by the learned Huetius 
 Bifhop of Auvrancbes^ Origen writes the beginning 
 of Genejts in Greek Characters thus, @eoe<rt$- Qotea, 
 &c. jufl as it is now pointed ; and St. Hierom in 
 feveral Places, as in his Epiflles to Damafus, in his 
 Queftions in Gen. at alibi paffim. He writes whole 
 Sentences of Hebrew in Latin Characters, very nigh, 
 as they are now pointed in the Hebrew Text of 
 Walton^ which I hope they will allow to he as cor- 
 rect as any Hebrew Edition yet feen. We need only 
 compare thofe Places with the Hebrew Text, to be 
 convinced of it, but particularly the Word Elobim^ 
 which though St. Hierom writes without an //, yet 
 he never writes it Efabim. Now as it is evident 
 thefe Fathers could not learn that way of writing 
 and pronouncing it, of the Mafcrtts, which appear- 
 ed after their Time, it is fumcient to convince any 
 
 impartial
 
 DifT. VI. Mos A ICAL Creation. 2^1 
 
 impartial Perfon, that there were fome traditionary 
 Rules to fix the Signification of fuch Words -, as it 
 is alfo evident that none of them underftand it in the 
 Senfe of thefe Gentlemen. The Reafon and Na- 
 ture of the thing convinces us of the Neceflity of 
 fuch Rules ; for as the Hebrew was a dead Language 
 before Ezra's Time, and but one Codex of that 
 Language extant in the World, which thefe Gentle- 
 men even contend for ; as there are feveral Words 
 in that dead Language, exprefs'd by Confonants 
 only without Vowels, and thofe Confonants (land- 
 ing for different Significations -, how was it poflible 
 for any one to read, learn, or underftand the dif- 
 ferent Significations of fuch Words, unlefs there had 
 been fome traditionary Rules for it ? 
 
 I am not ignorant, that thefe modeft Gentlemen 
 deny all Authority in the Matter ; I heard one of 
 them own and declare, that all the Fathers, all the 
 antient Commentators, nay moft of the Hebrew 
 Dictionaries and Grammars were againft them ; 
 that St. Hlerom particularly, was on!y taught by 
 apoftate Jews, and knew very little of the Matter. 
 Now if one mould afk them how they came to under- 
 ftand the Hebrew, better than all the learned Men 
 that went before , or even underftand it at all, with- 
 out fuch Helps ? Why, they fay, by reading the 
 Text, and comparing the Senfe of one Place with 
 another. But were all the antient Fathers and Com- 
 mentators ib negligent, that they either did not 
 read the Text, and compare it carefully, or were 
 not capable of underftanding it. Flow did we come 
 to underftand any Hebrew at all, before Mr. 
 Hutckinfon gave us fuch great Lights ? who taught 
 thofe who went before Mr. Hut chin fon was born . p 
 how did Pagninus acquire fuch Knowledge in the 
 Hebrew as to gives us a Tranflation of the Old 
 
 Teftamene
 
 252 Differ tations on the Dift VI. 
 
 Teftament almoft Word for Word, as nigh as the 
 Idioms of different Languages will permit ; a Tran- 
 flation, which they themfelves acknowledge to be 
 the beft of any yet ? But what is infinitely above all 
 the Authority of the Hutchinfonians, .Pagninus's 
 Tranflation is adopted by our learned Walton^ who 
 put it in the firft Column of his Polyglot. He fays 
 of it, " Omnium maxime ad text urn Hebraeum ac- 
 " cedit" vide. Prologom. He alfo fays of the 
 Syriac Verfion ; " Ex Hebraso fonte fafta eft, non 
 " multopoft Apoftolorum temporal By which we fee 
 alfo, that there were Chriftians after the Apoftles 
 Time, who underftood the Hebrew Fountains. 
 Further, before Mr. Hutcbinfon's Time, the great 
 Bocbart underftood the Hebrew to fuch an Accu- 
 racy, that one may fee by that ineftimable Work of 
 his Pbaleg and Cbanaan, that the Hebrew^ and 
 even the different Dialects of it, was as well known 
 to him, as other People underftand Latin^ or 
 Greek. Nay, how did their great Oracle Marius 
 Cata/fio, an Italian Fryar, compofe his Hebrew 
 Concordance without the Help of Mr. Hutcbinfon ? 
 Now of all the learned Men who went before thefe 
 Gentlemen, not one explain the Word Elobim in 
 their Senfe, except,as they fay, Marius Calaj/to t which 
 is a very fcarce Book , I never met with it but once ; 
 and then had but juft Time to look on the Words 
 in Queftion ; and did not obferve any thing like 
 their Derivation t>f them. But one may fafely affirm 
 that even Calaffio never underftood them in their 
 Senfe : Why fo ? becaufe CalaJJio was a Roman- 
 Catholick Divine, and was better inftructed in the 
 Chriftian Theology than to aflert, that one of the 
 divine EfTence hung on the Tree in his Divinty ; and 
 if he had aflerted it, he would have deferved harder 
 Names, than I am willing to give him. 
 
 But
 
 Did. VI. MOSAICAL Creation-.' 253 
 
 But fmce thefe Gentlemen. depreciate fo much the 
 Learning and Knowledge of the Hebrew in all who 
 went before them ; particularly of St. Hierom^ be- 
 caufe they know he is againfl them, it will not be 
 improper, to conlider the Authority of that great 
 Doctor of the Church, in this Particular ; not to in- 
 fill on the Encomiums, which were given him by 
 the other Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and 
 which may be feen at length, at the Beginning of 
 the Editions of his Works ; we will only fpecify, 
 what two of the greateil Men of our own Nation 
 fay of him, I mean Dean Prideaux, and the learn- 
 ed Walien ; where by the bye will appear, what 
 Judgment we ought to make even of (Faltcrfs Au- 
 thority, thefe Gentlemen feern to fet fo light by. 
 Dean Prideaux makes the Learning of St. Hierom 
 in the Hebrew^ one of the Heads of his Index, and 
 fays thus of him. " Thefe three, fays he, (Qrigen 
 " Efiphanius and Jerom) were moft Jkilled in the 
 " Jewijh Learning ; for the fir ft, though Jerom 
 * c underflood Hebrew welt, yet it was late ere he 
 " ftudied the Cbaldaic" This is a full and prc- 
 cife Character from fuch a learned and great Judge 
 as Dean Prideaux. Connex. vol. 2. 1. 8. Walton's 
 is more large, and defcends to more Particulars. 
 " Cum Hieronymo, fays he, confentiunt omnes in 
 < antiquis ccdicibus verjatt. Pr&l. p. 41. All who 
 ** are verfed in the antient Codexes, agree with St. 
 <c Hierom" And again, ibid. p. 67. " Hieronymum 
 , ce quidem dotibut nature et artis optime inftruttum 
 <c adfuiffe ad hoc opus [Tranflation of the Hebrew] 
 <c nemo negabit ; cum improbo labors trium lingua- 
 cc r;/^n/peritirrimus. No one will deny, that 
 " Hierom was perfectly fit for this Work [the Tran- 
 *' flation of the Hebrew} both by the Gifts of Na- 
 * c ture and Art, having with vaft Labour made 
 
 " himielf
 
 Differ tatlom on the Diff. VI. 
 
 " himfelf Mafter of three Languages, /. e. Latin^ 
 " Greek and Hebrew" Now that we may judge 
 what Weight Mr. Walton's Opinion ought to carry- 
 along with it in thefe Matters -, let us confider what 
 he lays, in his Preface to the great Work of his - 
 Polyglot : After he had number'd up all the Au- 
 thors, Interpreters, and Commentators he had con- 
 fulted in compofing thatvaft Work, whofe Names 
 "may be there feen at length, and who by the bye,' 
 never underftood the Hebrew in their Senfe ; after 
 he had fought all the Helps that were poffible, he 
 adds ; " Edit tones itaque bibliorum celebriores^ 
 " antiquas et recentiores pervolvi ; verjiones veteres 
 " variant}}* linguarwn infpexi ; exemplaria op- 
 ec tima cum M. S. S. contuli. Wherefore, fays 
 * 6 he, I examined the more celebrated Editions of 
 " the Bible, both antient and modern ; I look'd 
 " into the antient Verfions of different Tongues ; 
 " I collected the moil accurate Examplaries, with 
 *' the Manufcripts, &V." W'ill any Man of com- 
 mon Senfe ballance with himfelf whofe Authority is 
 to be followed in underftanding the Hebrew Text, 
 thefe, or the Hutchinfonians ? But as Walton, with- 
 out offending againftModefty, might reckon up his 
 own Labours for the Reader's AfTurance, and ought 
 to be believed in what he advances ; fo if thefe Gen- 
 tlemen will but allow St. Hierom the fame Liberty, 
 in the fame View, we might acknowledge thac 
 great Doftor to have been learned in the Hebrew. 
 This learned Father mentioning his own Labours ir\ 
 that refpeft, fays thus in his Preface to the Expli- 
 cation of Hebrew Names. " Libre s Hebraicaiutu 
 " qucjticnum nunc in manibus habeo , cpus noi'itrn, 
 * c et tarn Graecis, quam Latinis ufque ad id locorum 
 ct inmidittim : non quod ftudium tr.eum infolexter 
 " extol'am ; fed quod fudoris confcius ad leftioms 
 " ezntm f: ovccem nefcieyies. I have now in 
 
 " Har.cl,
 
 DiiT. VI. MOSAICAL Creation. 
 
 " Hand, fays he, the Books of Hebrew Queftions, 
 " a new Work, and hitherto unknown both to 
 " Greeks and Latins ; not that I infolently extoll 
 *' my own Learnirig, but being confcious of the 
 " Pains it cofts, I may excite thofe who are un- 
 " acquainted, to read them." I wifh thefe Gen- 
 tlemen would ferioufly perufe the Labours of this 
 great Doctor of the Church ; they might fee not 
 only by his Tranflations of the Hebrew Teftament, 
 but in a great many of his learned Epiflles, by his 
 judicious Criticifms of the Hebrew Words, by the 
 immenfe Pains he took , the great Expence he was 
 at, to qualify himfelf for fuch a Work, fpending 
 great Part of his Life in Paleftme, exprefly to con- 
 verfe with fuch Perfons, Chriftians, or Jews, who 
 could give him any Light and Helps for the Know- 
 ledge of the He&retv Language. How thoroughly 
 he was verfed in it, may be feen by his Epiflles, 
 ad Damafum 9 ad Evagrmm, ad Paulam -, his 
 Traditioms in Gen. &c. &c. &c. Yet this great 
 Doctor never gives the leaft Hints of thefe Gentle- 
 men's Derivation of the Words in Queflion ; nor 
 ever writes Efahim> as derived from Etab, but al- 
 ways Eloim y and fince, as they acknowledge the 
 modern Vowel Points were not invented till .after 
 his Time, yet all pronounced it with an <?, and not 
 ari a ; 'tis a convincing Argument, that thefe Gen- 
 tlemen are in the wrong, and that there were fome 
 traditionary Rules for Writing the Hebrew Words, 
 in the earlieft Times -, and argues great Raflinefs, 
 pr Self-fufficiency, to pretend to overturn them. 
 
 The chief Objection they bring againft St. Hie- 
 rom's Skill in the Hebrew, except their modeft 
 Clamours, that neither he, nor the antient Chrifti- 
 ans, had any competent Knowledge in it, is, that 
 St. Hierom had all his Knowledge from the apof- 
 tate Jew*) as they conilantly call them -, and 
 
 who,
 
 256 Di/ertatiom on the DilT. VI, 
 
 who, fay they, impofed upon St. Hierom and the, 
 Chriftians, by giving them faife Explications of 
 the Scriptures, and concealing from them the true 
 Senfe of the Hebrew Words, till Mr. Hutchinfon 
 was pleafed to retrieve them, and gives us fuch 
 Lights as the moft extravagant of us could not 
 have expected. 
 
 Before I give a direct Anfwer to this Objection, 
 there is a fhrewd Difficulty naturally arifes from 
 fuch Evafions, viz. What became of the Chriftian 
 Church, from the primitive Times down to Mr. 
 Hutchinfon^ if they were impofed upon, as to the 
 Hebrew Scriptures , and the Greek Septuagint, as 
 they fay, is the worft of all? 'Tis injurious to the 
 Church of Chrift ; 'tis injurious to the Holy Bible ; 
 but particularly, 'tis injurious to the Proteftant 
 Churches, who make the Scriptures the only Rule 
 of Faith, to affirm, that the Chriftians for fo many 
 hundred Years, either had no genuine original 
 Text, or did not underftand it -, particularly, fince 
 they make fuch Outcries againil the Greek Septua- 
 gint ? But, 
 
 To anfwer more directly to their Clamours of 
 the Ignorance of the Fathers, and other Chriftians, 
 with refpect to the true Senfe of the Hebrew Scrip- 
 tures, it is not only a mere gratis diflum, but di- 
 rectly falfe, that St. Hierom received all his Know- 
 ledge of the Hebrew from the Jews-, though if he 
 had, it appears by his Tranflation that he was not 
 impofed upon by them ; neither did he follow 
 them in feveral material Points, as may be feen by 
 his Writings. But it is beyond Difpute, that there 
 were feveral, nay, great Numbers of fincere 
 Chriftians among the converted Jews -, the Apoftles 
 were Jews ; and feveral Jews, learned in the Law 
 and the Prophets, were converted to the Chrift'um 
 Faiih, and who underftood the original Scriptures. 
 
 The
 
 DliT. VL MOSAIC AL Creation. 257 
 
 The greated Part of Pale/line and Syria did not 
 understand Greek ; as a great many of the dfitic 
 Jews did not underftand HebfeW t but made ufe of 
 the Septuagint : But the Character our learned 
 Walton gavejuft above of the Syriac Verfion com- 
 ing fo nigh the original Hebrew, puts it out of 
 doubt, that fome others befides the unbelieving 
 Jews understood d\& Hebrew Text. How could 
 they make a Verfion if they did not ? Might not 
 Origen, Epiphamus, St. Hierom, and others, un- 
 derftand the Text without being impofed upon by 
 the Jews ? This laft, indeed, improved his Know- 
 ledge, by confulting fame bf the moft learned 
 among them, as he affirms, was at great Ex- 
 pences in procuring all Manner of Helps, for the 
 thorough underftanding of it, befide the immenfe 
 Labour and Pains he took about it. Now, if the 
 Hutchinfonians, by their great Pains in reading, 
 (examining, and comparing the Text, could be- 
 come fo learned in it, as they would have us be- 
 lieve, furely this great Doftor, who travelled 
 into Paleftine, and fettled there, as nigher the 
 Fountain-head, might underftand it as well as the 
 Hutchinfonians. He was fo far from being im- 
 pofed upon by the unbelieving Jews, that he dif- 
 covered feveral of their ficYttious GlofTes, and Ex- 
 plications, and patted very jnft Criticifms both up- 
 on them, and the Language itfelf. But it is a 
 Shame to dwell on fuch a Parallel. 
 
 Why thefe Gentlemen are fo particularly fevere 
 iipon the Jews, is not eafy to guefs ; they can 
 fcarce bear the very Name of them ; calling them 
 wicked Wretches, Apoftates, and almoft Devils. 
 I have been informed that one of them, perhaps 
 Hutchinfon himfelf, at a certain Time, was both 
 nonplufs'd and ridiculed by them for his pretended 
 Knowledge in the Hebrew. Be that as it will, 
 S' Why
 
 25 8 Differ tatiom on tie DifT. 
 
 Why Apoftates ? Apoftates, as generally under- 
 ftood, are thole, who once profeiTed Chriftianity^ 
 and forfook it again : the Jews were the true 
 Church of God till our Saviour's Time ; and after 
 his Time the unconverted Jews never profefied 
 the Chriftian Faith, by confequence never apofta- 
 tized from it. But, fay they, the Jews don't be- 
 lieve their own Prophecies, and endeavour to put 
 a wrong Senfe upon them ; if they will call all 
 thofe Apoftates, who put a wrong Senfe on the 
 Word of God, let it be fo : But did the uncon- 
 verted Jews really pervert the Hebrew Text ? I 
 hope no one pretending to Chriftianity will advance 
 fuch an impious Paradox. Is not the Hebrew 
 Text ftill the pure Word of God ? Could any 
 Book in the World be more religioufly preferved, 
 even by the unbelieving Jews ? As to the Text 
 itfelf, let them put what Glofles they pleafe in 
 their' Commentaries, they never alter'd the Textj 
 except, if you pleafe, Aquila, being fcrupulous, 
 even to Superftition, about it ; nay, fo far, as to 
 number the Lines, Words, and even Letters, left 
 any thing mould be changed in the Text. Don't 
 the Chriftians fee the Falfhood of their Glofles and 
 Explications, and confute them by their own Text ? 
 One would think, that if they altered any thing* 
 it mould be the Prophecies and Teftimonies for 
 Chrift being the Mejfiah : Yet thofe (land in their 
 full Force, bating fome little Difference in the 
 reading. If the Jews don't believe, that Elohim 
 flgnifies the three divine Perfons laying themfelves 
 under a conditional Execration, &V. (bine ill<e 
 lachrym*) or, that one of the Eflence hung on 
 a Tree in his Divinity, they are fo far from being 
 Apoftates on that Account, that no Man in his 
 Senfes can believe it. 
 
 Another
 
 DifT. VI. Mos A i CAL Creation." 259 
 
 Another great Crime of the Jews, as far as I 
 can learn of them, is, that they always pronounce 
 Jehovah by Adoni^ or Adonai -, for Reafons left 
 known to Satan, as Mr. D. Gittins fays of them ; 
 becaufe they will not acknowledge, that Jehovah 
 hung upon the Tree, in his Divinity. But what 
 Chriftian can acknowledge it ? I am fure if that 
 be their Reafon, they are not to be blamed for it, 
 fmce no one in the Spirit of God can fay, Ana- 
 thema Jefu. But, in all Appearance, the true 
 Reafon why the Jews would never pronounce Je- 
 hovah) was an over-fcrupulous, and indeed a fu- 
 perflitious Refpect for that facred Name. This 
 was the Tetragrammaton, the Name of four Let- 
 ters, which they deemed ineffable j and on that 
 Account, when it occurred in reading, infteadofit 
 they faid Adoni^ or Adonai , that is, inftead of fay- 
 ing Jehovah did this, or thus fays Jehovah ; they 
 always faid, Thus fays the Lord ; or, Thus fays 
 our Lord. But I prefume, to call Jehovah Lord, 
 is no ways injurious to him j for he is really fu- 
 preme Lord of Heaven and Earth : But, whether 
 it be more injurious to him to call him Lord, or to 
 maintain he could hang upon die Tree in his Di- 
 vinityi let others judge ? 
 
 By what has been proved hitherto, it appears, 
 that all authoritative, collateral, and external Ar- 
 guments, are againft thefe Gentlemen. But fuch 
 a palpable Error in Theology, viz. That Chrift 
 could be execrated in his Divinity, muft have fome 
 Error in its Caufe , either in the Judgment of the 
 Maintainers of ir, from wrong Notions of Theo- 
 logy, and the Nature of the Godhead j or from 
 being biaffed by Prejudices for a Party-Syftem ; or 
 from being deluded by the Preemptions, and pre- 
 tended Learning of the Broacher of fuch mocking 
 S 2 Opinions^
 
 260 DiJJertatlons on the DiC VI r 
 
 Opinions, who vaunting his Knowledge in the 
 Hebrew , wrefted all the Texts he could, to efta- 
 blifli a new Syftem. This laft is the moft cha- 
 ritable ConftrucYion, that can be put upon thefe 
 Gentlemens joining in fuch a Caufe. However 
 that be, 'tis evident, their Syftem of the Trinity 
 is falfe, and what Chriftianity never taught ; and 
 by a further Confequence, 'tis no lefs evident, that 
 it can never be derived from the Hebrew Text, or 
 any right Derivation of Hebrew Words ; fo that 
 whatever be the Derivation of the Words Elohim y 
 Elah^ or Eloah, they never can be meant by the 
 facred Text, to fignify, that one of the divine Per- 
 fons was execrated in his Divinity, which they 
 maintain in Terms, as was feen by the Quota- 
 tions at the Beginning of this DifTertation. Where- 
 fore, 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 LET us coriiider more particularly the Deriva- 
 tion of the Words themfelves, where I mull 
 make bold to repeat fome of the foregoing Re- 
 marks for Perfpicuity Sake, in fo dry a Subject, as 
 the Derivation of Words. 'Tis evident, i. That 
 the Hutchinfonian Derivation is falfe j by confe- 
 cjuence it is infinitely more natural to judge that 
 the Name of God Elohim, Eloab, and the like, 
 is originally derived from the *?K El, or Al^ which 
 all the Learned know is the common Name 
 for God , and by Hebrew Dictionaries, fignifies, 
 per Excellence, the Powerful- one , and as by the 
 Hebrew Idioms, they often ufe the Plural inftead 
 of the Singular, particularly where fomething very 
 grand, or of very great Extent is implied : As Airs, 
 for Air ; Faces of the Deep ; Faces of the whole 
 
 Earth ;
 
 DifT. VI. MOSAICAL Creation. 261 
 
 Earth; Waters .for Water, Seas for Sea, &?r. So 
 Elbim, or Elohim, is frequently ufed for God. 
 2. It was obferved, and will be feen more parti- 
 cularly prefently, that the Vowel Points wete 
 added, either to fix the Senfe, or to mew the dif- 
 ferent Significations, or for different Dialects, or, 
 in fine, for a fmoother Pronunciation. However, 
 Elohim was never pointed yet, as I could find, 
 with an a, by any Writer antient or modern, 
 who have been quoted before. 3. I prefume none 
 will deny, that the plural Number of /, with- 
 out the Vowel Points, is Elim, or Elbim ; the he 
 or b being inferted to diftinguifli it from other 
 Words ; as Elim Palms, or Palm-branches ; or for 
 Reafons belt known to the original Writers. Nor 
 do I believe that any one can deny, that if you 
 infert the Vowel Point 0, and make it Elohim ; I 
 fay, I believe no one will deny, but that Elohim is 
 ftill the plural Number of EL For 4. It is much 
 more natural to believe, that Elah to fwear is de- 
 rived from E/, than that theName ofGod fhouldbe 
 derived from Swearing^ particularly in the Senfe of 
 the Hutcbinfonians ; that is, from invoking an Exe- 
 cration on himfelf. 5. By writing it with an a 
 inftead of 0, they falfify the Orthography of the 
 Word , which is neither in the Hebrew Text, in 
 any Edition yet feen, or in any other Commenta- 
 tors, antient or modern ; and contradict them- 
 felves by adding a Vowel Point, which they reject 
 with fo much Scorn in other Cafes. 6. Thefe 
 Gentlemen, I believe, will grant readily, that nei- 
 ther the <?, nor the a, is efTential to the Word Elo- 
 him ; though they pretend, that the van is efien- 
 tial in Eloab -, that by fuch a forced Derivation 
 they might perfuade us, that it muft fignify exe- 
 crated, in a Participle padive, from Elab to fwear. 
 This is their grand Proof, and though fufficiently 
 S 3 COIV-
 
 262 Differ t attorn on the Difl*. VI. 
 
 confuted already, fhall be fo in a more particular 
 Manner prefently. Moreover, 'tis impoffible, 
 that Eloah when it ftands for God, as it does in 
 fome Places, fhould ever be underftood by the 
 facred Writers, for an execrated One, or an exe- 
 crated God in his Divinity ; and I am fure Eloah 
 does not exprefs the Humanity in any Senfe ; by 
 confequence, though it mould be wrote in the 
 Text nftK Ekah> at length, with the vau in the 
 third Order, it can never fignify the accurft, or 
 execrated God. Caftellus's great Heptiglot Dictio- 
 nary, bound up with Walton's Polyglot, and dedi- 
 cated to King Charles II. in the Word m^K fays, 
 Dicitur plene bis , / / is faid at length Eloah, twice 
 in Daniel, and Habakuck. Now fince it is im- 
 poflible the Word mould have the Senfe thefe 
 Gentlemen give it ; fuppofe, we could not tell, 
 why God in the Hebrew is fometimes called /, 
 fometimes Elohim y fometimes Elah, or Alah (as 
 the Turks from the Arabians call God Alia, or 
 Allah to this Day) and fometimes Eloah -, one 
 would rather impute it to the Difficulty of know- 
 ing the Derivation of Words in a Language dead 
 fome thoufand Years ago -, of which there is but 
 one Book in the World, which thefe Gentlemen 
 acknowledge ; or to impute it chiefly to different 
 Dialeffs of the fame Language, as is evident there 
 \vcre ; than to give it fuch a mocking Senfe, to fa- 
 vour a new Syftem. But as this is their chief Foun- 
 dation, I hope the Reader will have Patience to ex- 
 amine it a little further. 
 
 'Why, fay they, mould God be called nV? with 
 the vau in the third Order, which muft be a Parti- 
 ciple paffive , and being derived from Elah y muft 
 fignify the execrated One : as the Text they quote 
 with fo much Pomp, Who is Eloah betides Jeho- 
 vah ? That is, fay they, Who is the execrated
 
 DiiT. VI. MOSAICAL Creation. 263 
 
 one befides Jehovah ? Anfwer, 'Tis falfe that El t 
 Elobim, or Eloab , when it ftands for God, is de- 
 rived from Elah ; 'tis falfe, that Eloab, when it 
 is taken for God, is a Participle paffive, but rather 
 a different DialeR. 5 Tis certain in Daniel and 
 Hababuck, where it is found at kngth, being during 
 the Captivity, the Hebrew Language was fome- 
 thing altered ; that inftead of calling God Elab* 
 or Alab, or rather Elh, or Alh, they called him 
 Eloah ; though, let them pronounce it how they 
 pleafe, it can never fignify the execrated God. I 
 own the vau in the third Place is fometimes a Sign 
 pf the Participle paffive ; fo that Eloab, from Elah 
 to fwear, or execrate, may fignify a Perfon exe- 
 crated ; but never when taken for God. All thofe 
 Names for God, are derived from El or Al. See 
 Bochart quoted above. 
 
 But would it not furprize one to find that thefe 
 Gentlemen, pretending to be fo learned in the He- 
 brew, mould quote that celebrated Text wrong ; 
 by tranflating it, Who is Eloab befides Jehovah ? 
 "Whereas in the original Pfalm, where that Sen- 
 tence is firft found, it is, Who is El befides Jeho- 
 vah ? That is plainly, Who is God, befides Jeho- 
 vah? If it be wrote in another Place, Who is 
 Eloab befides Jehovah ? 'tis a Confirmation,, 
 that it is only 3 different Dialect. Thus one of" 
 the Evangelifts fays, Eli, Eli, Lamafabacthani ; 
 and the other fays Eloi, Eloi, meaning the fame 
 thing, only in a different Dialect, as St.Hierom fays 
 exprefly it is, and writes in both the Evangelifts, 
 only Eli, Eli, as it is in the original Pfalm, to be 
 quoted prefently. The PalTage both in St. Mat- 
 thew and St. Mark, is taken out of tire 2ift Pfalm, 
 where it is Eli, Eli, not Eloi. So that, if in the 
 more modern Hebrew, that is, if in the Hebrew 
 which was fpoke a long Time after King David^ 
 S 4 fuppoic
 
 2 64 Differ tati.ons on the Diff. VI. 
 
 fnppofe God is called Ekab and Eloi, My God, 
 it will do the Hut chin font ans but little Service*, 
 fince St. Hierom, and other learned Commentators, 
 look upon it as a different Dialect. St; Hierom 
 both in St. Matthew and St. Mark, which fee, 
 renders it Eli, Eli, not Efai, Eloi j by confequence 
 that learned Father never thought it a Participle 
 paifive. The learned Maldonatus in Math^um, 
 p. 646. fays, that Eli, and Eloi, are the fame 
 Words, only pronounced after a different Dialect ; 
 and jutlly prefers Eli before Eloi, for feveral Rea- 
 fons ; Firft, becaufe St. Mark furely would not 
 change the original Text of Pfalm 21 ft, where it 
 is only Eli ; but wrote it as the Jews then pro- 
 nounced it, by the Syriac Dialect, which they then 
 ipoke. Secondly, Becaufe the Standers-by thought 
 that our Saviour had called upon Elias ; which 
 makes it almoft evident, that our Saviour cried 
 Eli, Eli, though St. Mark wrote it Eloi, as the 
 Jews then pronounced it. 
 
 Their Reafons why Eloah muft be a Participle 
 paffive, becaufe the vau is in the third Place of the 
 Word, are not very cogent in themfelves, and im- 
 popible in their Senfe when fpoke oif God. I fay 
 they are not very cogent in themfelves. The Word 
 mrp for Example, in the original Hebrew without 
 Punctuations, contains but thefe four Letters Jhvh; 
 which we commonly pronounce Jehovah -, not be- 
 ing able to pronounce thofe Letters without fome 
 Sound. Now in mrP Jhvh, and HttX Ehb y 
 the vau is in the third Place ;n both ; yet I hope 
 they do not pretend, that Jehovah is a Participle 
 paffive. There are only four Letters in the He- 
 brew in both of them; though they can't be pro- 
 nounced without the Addition of fome Vowels j by 
 Confequence the vau in the third Order of a Word 
 in Hebrew is not always a Sign. I don*t queftion, 
 
 but
 
 Diff. VI. MOSAICAL Creation. 265 
 
 but feveral other Examples might be brought, if 
 it were worth while : But becaufe thefe Gentlemen 
 not only defpife all other Commentators, but alfo 
 Dictionaries, and even grammatical Rules for the 
 Hebrew^ which have been given hitherto, making 
 precarious Rules of their own, in order to follovy 
 them in fome*of their Minuties, in refpect to this 
 Head : Therefore, 
 
 VI. That the Letter van, though it mould be 
 found in Hebrew Words, either as an 0, or an a y 
 is not eflential.' The learned Monfieur Simon (hail 
 be Judge : in his critical Hiftory of the Old Tefta- 
 ment, C. 8. he Ihews plain enough, to any one 
 who will perufe that Work, that he had acquired 
 a very great Knowledge in the Hebrew. In his 
 Rules for Evt, that is, for the Hebrew Vowels, 
 ahph) jod, and vau 9 he fays they are often chang- 
 ed, added, or left out. After having given Ex- 
 amples for the two firfl, he adds about the vau^ 
 thus : " Les Regies, que nous venons d' etablir 
 " a T egard de 1' aleph et le jod, fe trouvent .de 
 * e plus veritables a T egard de la lettre v au ; qui 
 *' etant une de plus Anciennes voyelles de la 
 *' langue Hebriaque, les Interpretes de T Ecriture 
 <c different fouvent entre eux : parceque ils igno- 
 41 rent quand cette Lettre vau eft effentid; ou 
 '* quand elle n* eft fimplement que ajoutee. The 
 " Rules, fays he, which we havejuft now eftablifh- 
 " ed, with refped to the aleph and theyW, areftill 
 * c more true with relpeft to the Letter van -, which 
 <c being one of the moft antient Vowels of the He- 
 tc brew Tongue, the Interpreters of the Scripture 
 " differ in their Sentiments about it; becaufe they 
 " do not know when this Letter is eflential, or 
 " when it is merely additional. "He quotes alfo feve- 
 ral Examples out of St. Hierom, Tbeodotion, &c. of 
 the Change of theSenfe of the Hebrew Words, by 
 
 changing
 
 266 Differ fattens en the DifT. VI. 
 
 changing the van, &c. Simon, ib. A Confirmation 
 of this is, that it is Fact in this very Word Eloab, 
 the vau is left out oftener than it is added. Caf- 
 tellus obferves, that it is wrote but twice at length 
 in the old Scripture -, whether 'tis fo or nor, I pre- 
 fume it is not very material to examine ; it be- 
 ing but a different Dialecl, or way of pronouncing 
 it ; as might be exemplified in moil Languages. 
 It might be fometimes wrote in Hebrew Elb n"?H, 
 inftead of El, which fome might pronounce Elleh^ 
 or Allah, and iome more broad, as the Syrians, 
 Eloab. But I am afraid the Reader will think \ 
 have dwelt too long on fuch Minuties. 
 
 VII. and Laftly, There - is one more Argument 
 againft this novel Explication of the Word Elohim, 
 which ought to have great Weight with Perfons 
 who ferioufly confider it, viz. The Application 
 the Scripture itfelf makes of this facred Name, to 
 other Beings befides the true God. The old Tef- 
 tament applies the lame Word to Angels. For 
 Example, rfhou haft kffened him, fometbing lefs, 
 than Angels, Pf. viii. v. 6. The Word there for 
 Angels is Elohim : in confpsftu Angelorum, 'tis Elo- 
 bim. Nay Mofeshimfetf is called Elohim; Iconftitut- 
 edtbee God of Pharaoh, Exod. vii. v. 2. the Word 
 is Elohim. Even Men are called Elohim \ God flood 
 in the Synagogue of Gods. I havefaid, Te are Gods; 
 Elohim. But what is flill more, even falfe Gods ? 
 nay Devils, are called Elohim, 'Thoujhalt not have 
 other God*) or ftrange Gods before me ; Elohim. 
 Gen. xxxv. Exod. xx. v. 3. The Gods of the 
 Gentiles are called Devils, in the Pfalms, and in 
 Deut. xxxii. v. 7. where Gods, whether they are 
 ftiled falfe Gods, or Devils. The Word Gods is 
 often expreffed by Elohim \ the very firft Name 
 that is given to the true God, in the firft Chapter, 
 of Gene/is. Now can any Man perfuade himfelf^ 
 
 that
 
 DifT. VI. MOSAICAL Creation. 267 
 
 that the Gods of the Gentiles^ falfe Gods, and even 
 Devils, when they are called Elohim y implied Per- 
 fons laying themfelves under a conditional Exe- 
 cration to redeem Man ? From all which it is as 
 good as a Demonftration, that neither Mofes, nor 
 any of the facred Writers after him, nor the idola- 
 trous Hebrew .y, when they facrificed to falfe Gods ; 
 nor the Worfhippers of the Airs, &c. ever dream- 
 ed that Elohim fignified the Divine Powers laying 
 themfelves under fuch an Execration ; by confe- 
 quence their Senfe of the Word Elobim is one of 
 the moft wild, extravagant Notions, as was ever 
 feriouQy advanced by Men. 
 
 To conclude then with a fhort Recapitulation 
 of the whole. Such a Syftem is againft rhe funda- 
 mental Principles of Chriftianity, in making one of 
 the Divine Perfons fuffer in his Divinity ; incompa- 
 tible with the Nature of the Deity ; gives us mock- 
 ing Notions of the blefled Trinity -, is not to be 
 found in any of the antient Verfions of the Bible ; 
 unknown to all the antient Fatheus, and Interpreters 
 of the Scriptures , contradictory to the traditionary 
 Rules <f writing the Hebrew^ acknowledged by 
 the moft learned Men in the Hebrew, both of our 
 own and other Nations ; and contrary to the moft 
 natural as well as authoritative Derivation of the 
 Words themfelves. Since therefore, thefe Gentle- 
 men have made fuch an ill Choice in their new 
 Syftem of Theology, let us fee whether they fuc- 
 ceed better in their new Syftem of Philofophy. 
 
 SEVENTH
 
 268 Dijfert attorn on the DifT, VII. 
 
 SEVENTH 
 
 DISSERTATION. 
 
 Of the Errors of the Hu T CHIN SON IANS in 
 Philofophy : Where pre'vioujly of their 
 wrong and forced Explications of the He- 
 brew Words Shamaim, Ruah, Rakiah, 
 Tohu, Bohu, Chafek, &c. 
 
 WE have feen in the foregoing Difiertations, 
 what a horrid Syftem of Theology the 
 Hutcbinfonians endeavour to eftablifh from the 
 Hebrew Words Eloblm^ Eloab, Elah, &c. Now 
 we come to one of the mod fingular Syftems of 
 Philofophy the World ever heard of; which they pre- 
 tend to eftablim from their peculiar Explication of 
 the Hebrew Words juft mentioned above. 
 
 I was juft come fo far, when a new Tract of 
 one of thefe Gentlemen was put into my Hands, 
 intituled, Mofis Principia, &c. in which, after 
 his MafterHutchinfon, he endeavours to erect a new 
 philofophical Syftem of the World, as taught ex- 
 prefly by Mofes , chiefly from the learned Hebrew 
 Derivation of the fore-mentioned Hebrew Words ; 
 as if the Derivation of a few Hebrew Words were 
 Efficient to prove that Mofes taught a Syftem of 
 Philofophy, or gave a Sanction to fuch a Syftem. 
 In this he follows their Patriarch Hutchinfon -, and 
 
 what
 
 Diff. VII. MOSAICAL Creation. 269 
 
 what is more aftonifhing, he quotes Mr. Hutcbin- 
 fon's Authority to back his AfTertions, as if that 
 were decifive ; or as if fuch an extravagant Au- 
 thor can have any Weight with thofe who have 
 Patience to read him over ; though he flips over 
 in filence a great many of his Patriarch's Extra- 
 vagancies, exactly quoted in the foregoing DifTer- 
 tations, whofe unaccountable Opinions, inftead of 
 being a Proof, are fufficient to make one fick of 
 
 fuch a Syftem. Mr. B had publifhed fome 
 
 time before a new Syftem of Phyfics, intituled, 
 Experimental Philofophy -, quoted in the former 
 Differtations. This laft Treatife is intituled, the 
 Philofophical Principles of Mofes\ which Title 
 alone is fufficient to ftir up any one's Curiofity to 
 hear of a Syftem of Philofophy taught by fo 
 great an Author as Jtfofes. The very Thought of 
 it was unknown to the World before : But it wilt 
 be much more furprifing, when we find, that this 
 grand Syftem is eftablifhed on the arbitrary Deri- 
 vation of a few Hebrew Words. 
 
 There are two chief Points to be confidered in 
 this Controverfy, over and above what has been 
 proved againft the Hutchinfonians in general, in 
 the former DifTertations. i/?, Whether thefe 
 Words in the firft Chapter of Genefis directly 
 prove this new Syftem ? 2<//y, Whether, abftraft- 
 ing from Mofes and the Scriptures, fuch a Syftem 
 be true in itfelf ? Thefe two Points are[quite diffe- 
 rent from one another ; becaufe fuch a Syftem might 
 pofllbly be true, yet never taught by Mc-fes ; becaufe 
 tho'Mofts never taught Mathematics, nor the Rules 
 of Arithmetic, nor Geography, nor Navigation, 
 &c. yet a great many of thefe Rules may be true. 
 On the other hand, if this new Syftem fhould be 
 falfe, we may afiert at once, that it was never 
 taught by Mofes. What Mofes taught be fure is 
 
 true 5
 
 270 Dtjftrt&ti&u on the DiiT. VIL 
 
 true ; and feveral Heads may be true which he 
 never taughc : But, as no phiiofbphical Syflem 
 has been eftablilhed hitherto, but what has been 
 controverted by very great Philofophers, on diffe- 
 rent fides-, and the Scripture tells us, that God 
 delivered the World to the Difputes of Men -, that 
 none could ever yet find out the l^orks of God from 
 the Beginning to the End. This Truth is confirm- 
 ed with refpect to all the Syftems of Philofophy 
 invented hitherto : What one builds up, another 
 deflroys. Our great Sir Ifaac Newton's Syflem 
 is going down apace ; particularly that Part of it* 
 viz. of immechanical, immaterial Power in Matter, 
 to make Bodies defcend, without any impelling 
 Caufe i to make all Bodies ATTRACT each other, 
 without any Contact, or Connexion ; when all other 
 Experiments we can make, mew, that mere Matter 
 is intirely iners t and indifferent to be moved by any 
 Determination, according to the impelling Caufe ; 
 or if it be impelled downwards, no one could ever 
 tell yet, what that impelling Caufe is , nor can we 
 fee how Bodies can attract each other without fome 
 Contaft and Connexion with each other ; with 
 feveral Confiderations, as will be feen afterwards, 
 when we come to the Defects of all the philofo- 
 phical Syftems invented hitherto ; that we ought 
 to be vaftly cautious and tender, not to father our 
 precarious Notions on the Scripture. The Hutchin- 
 fonians muft be extremely happy to have found 
 out a philofophical Syftem of the World taught 
 by Mofes, which muft certainly be true if taught 
 by him. 5 Tis Pity that the World has been igno- 
 rant of it till now ; as it is wonderful that none 
 of the Antients, or indeed any Syftem-Builders, an- 
 tient or modern, ever ftumbled upon it ; yet fo 
 certain, and almoft palpable, as thefe Gentlemen 
 boaft, that the Children of Ifracl, though bred in 
 
 Bon-
 
 DilT. VII. Mos A ICAL Creation. 271 
 
 Bondage, and Egyptian Slavery, knew the true 
 Syftem of the World better than all the Philofo- 
 phers at prefent ; yet to lie dormant for fo many 
 thoufand 1 ears, and peep up again at the Birth of 
 Mr.Hittcbinfonj that all other Syftems muft fall down 
 before it j and as Mr. B fays, at the Begin- 
 ning of his late Treatife of Mofis Principia^ that 
 the Great Dagon t meaning Sir Ifaac Newton, lies 
 proftrate and maimed before the Ark of Know- 
 ledge delivered by Mofes. But theie magifterial 
 Gentlemen ought particularly to obferve the two 
 following Confiderations. i/?, That it ought to 
 be very evident, that Mofes really taught fuch a 
 Syftem. zdly^ That there ought to be no real 
 Flaws in it. Both which Confiderations fhall have 
 their due Weight. 
 
 I mail not repeat here the juft and natural Ex- 
 plication of each Verfe in the firft Chapter of Ge- 
 ne/is. The Reader may turn to thofe Explica- 
 tions, as he thinks proper, and compare the Senfe 
 of the moft difficult Places, with the Senfe Mr. 
 
 B puts upon them, as will be feen prefently j 
 
 nor {hall I repeat the Arguments brought in gene- 
 ral againft that abfurd Notion, that Jkf0/f.r's Bufi- 
 nefs was to teach Philofophy. No, his End v/as 
 much more noble, viz. To teach the World the 
 true Belief of the fupreme God, and the adorable 
 Author of its Being. This DifTertation is to fol- 
 low Mr. B 's Explications of the fame Chap- 
 ter, chiefly from the Hebrew Words mentioned in 
 the Title of this DiiTertationj which he thinks in- 
 fer fuch a Syftem. They are not quite fo extra- 
 vagant as thofe of Elohim^ Etab, Eloah, &c. 
 though they make a very weak Proof for fuch un- 
 accountable inferences he draws from them. 'Tis 
 a dry Subject, 1 own, to be poring for Hebrew 
 
 Roots :
 
 272 Dt/ftrtations on the DifT. VII. 
 
 Roots : But their novel Explications, and furpri- 
 fins; Boafts of their Difcoveries, make it in fome 
 
 D * 
 
 fort neceflary. 
 
 The very Title of Pbilofofbical Principles of 
 Mofes is certainly novel, and without Temerity 
 may be pronounced to be unknown to all the Inter- 
 preters of the Scriptures, as well as to all the chief 
 Philofophers antient or modern, at leaft as to their 
 way of explaining it. The Sum of thefe philofo- 
 phical Principles, according to their Founder Mr. 
 Hutchinfon, and his ftrenuous Propagator Mr. 
 
 B , are firft, that God created all the World 
 
 in Atoms : that when God is faid to create Heaven 
 and Earth, Mofes meant, fay they, the Atoms of 
 Heaven and Earth. There is nothing of Impiety 
 in this, unlefs it be impofing a mere gratis diftum 
 upon the Scriptures. Some of them pretend td 
 prove it from the Hebrew Particle Etb or Ath ; as 
 when it is faid, God created Heaven and Earth, in 
 the Hebrew Text it is, Ath Shamaim, and Ath 
 Eretz. This has been touched upon before, and 
 will be afterwards : neither will all the Hutcbinfe- 
 nians allow, that Atoms is derived from that Hebrew 
 Particle Ath. They fay further, that by the Hea- 
 vens is meant the whole Body of Air, or the whole 
 Fluid above us, in its total and immenfe Extent. 
 This might pafs, if in, or by the Heavens, they 
 meant the celeftial Bodies, But thofe, fay they, 
 were produced by the omnipotent Air : the Man- 
 ner how will be leen prefently. We have feen from 
 Mr. Hutchinfon, that Shemim, or Heavens, in He- 
 brew fignify Names , as derived, according to him, 
 From the Hebrew Word Shew, a Name. Mr. 
 
 B in fome rneafure forfakes his Mafter here, 
 
 and fays that Shemim fignifies P utter s^ or Placers \ 
 as if the univerfal Agent, the Air, placed or dif- 
 pofed all the celeftial Bodies as they are now ranged. 
 
 The
 
 DiiT. VII. MOSAICAL Creation, 273 
 
 The Manner how he explains this wonderful Ope- 
 ration, will alfo be feen in his own Words, with 
 the manifeft Mifapplication of that Hebrew Word. 
 That this Air had Power given it to produce all 
 the Species out of thole newly-produced Atoms. 
 This, fay they, is proved by the Hebrew Words 
 Ruah, the Spirit, and Merachefeth, born upon tbs 
 Waters. Inftead of faying with the Text, The 
 Spirit of God was carried or born upon the Wa- 
 ters, they explain it, The Spirit was the Inflru- 
 ment of Incubation upon the Waters. By thefe 
 Words, fay they, Mofes teaches us, that the Air 
 was conftituted by God the univerfal Inftrument^ 
 or Agent, to produce all the reft , that the Air 
 exerted this Power, when it was faid, Fiat Lux, 
 Let there be Light '> that this Light was produced 
 by the Air's grinding itfelf (for one cannot fee what 
 elfe could grind it) into finer Atoms for Light^ 
 one of its Names. By Fire, as far as I am able 
 to comprehend, where I own I am at a plunge, 
 and I fear they are fo too ; but by Fire, they 
 mean the fame Air tranfmogrified, by fotne Caufe 
 or other, what they don't tell us, into certain Spikes, 
 or fharp-pointed Needles, capable of breaking or 
 tearing to pieces the grofler Parts of the Air, to 
 make Light of it. By Spirit , they mean this 
 Light, or this finer Air congealed again, and, as 
 they term it, ftorkened into Lumps and Clots to 
 be ground over again, and then ftorkened again 
 into Clots, and fo on, as long as the World Ihould 
 laft ; that this Air formed the Expanfton to divide 
 the Light from the Darknefs, formed the Sun, 
 Stars, &c. that Darknefs, according to Mr. B r, 
 was not an Abfence of Light, hut a real Subftance, 
 that is, the fame Air ftorken'd, or ftagnating 
 Air on the one fide of the Globe, while Light is 
 the Air ground into pieces cm the other fide, which 
 
 T Mr.
 
 274 Differ tations on the DifT. VII. 
 
 Mr. B is pleafed to call a Cap of Light (his 
 own Words) on one half of the Globe. He might 
 alfo call the flagnating Air a Cap of Darknefs on 
 the other half, or, if you pleafs, a white Cap and 
 a black Cap ; that thefe two Caps of ftagnating 
 Air, and ground Air, ballancing each other like a 
 Pair of Scales, caufed the Vicifiltudes of Light 
 and Darknefs on the Face of the Earth j the Cap 
 of Darknefs being heavier, fay they, than the 
 Cap of Light, prefies the Globe more than Light 
 does ; but then, according to them, the lumpifh 
 Air rufhing in perpetually towards the Light, or 
 rather againil the Spikes that grind it, caufes a per- 
 petual Motion in the Globe. By this means indeed 
 he may make the Globe of the Earth titter up and 
 down like a pair of Scales, by the Light and Dark- 
 nefs ballancing each other. But the Difficulty is, 
 in cafe this arbitrary Syftem had any Appearance 
 of Reality in it, how to give the Earth its annual 
 Motion according to the Vicifiitude of the Seafons, 
 
 This is Part of the Syftem of Philofophy ex- 
 prefly taught by Mofes^ fay they, and by which 
 the poor wandering Children of Ifrael in the Wil- 
 dernefs underftood the Syftem of the Heavens, 
 better than our greateft Philofophers now. To 
 eftablim this Syftem, the Hebrew Words in the 
 Title of this Differtation are fo learnedly quoted, 
 and explained in a Senfe never heard of before. Jf 
 I don't take their Syftem right, I really afk their 
 Pardon, and willingly own, that it is difficult not to 
 miftake it, or to give any tolerable Senfe of it in 
 that abftrufe manner they themfelves explain it. 
 However, for my Juftification, it mall be laid 
 down in their own Words, that the Reader may 
 judge whether I mifreprefent it or not. 
 
 Mr,
 
 DifT. VII. Mos A ic A L Creation." 275 
 
 M. B in his Pbilof optical Principles p. 1,2. 
 " That Darknefs, fays he, is the Heavens, is plain. 
 *' . . . . That the Spirit is dark, is alfo plain. 
 " . . . . That Ruah, or the Spirit, by Mera- 
 " cbefetbi feparate the earthy Parts from the Wa- 
 " ters, and indeed form all the Species." He 
 goes on p. 24. " Light in fad is the fame Sub- 
 " ftance with Darknefs and Spirit." And p. 30. 
 " If Spirit and Light can form the Globe between 
 " them, in will go forward of courfe." How 
 forward ? h may fall into the Sun perhaps ; but 
 not go round it, according to its annual Courfe, 
 without fome other Canfe : or if we fuppofe the 
 Globe to move like a Pair of Scale?, by the dark 
 Side outweighing the illuminated Parts, caufed by 
 the Light and Spirit changing Places, it may pop 
 up and down indeed, and the Parts of the Earth 
 play at bo-peep with the Sun , but we can't fb 
 eafily fee how this Cap of Light and Darknefs can 
 make the Earth perform its annual Courfe round 
 the Sun : But more of this when we come to 
 examine it philofophically. We only confider at 
 prefent, whether the firft Chapter of Gene/is, or 
 thofe few Hebrew Words, expreQy teach this 
 Syftem. But his Notions of the Sun are {till more 
 incomprehenfible. The Air now having formed 
 the Sun; how, they don't tell us; unlefs the 
 Ruab by Merachefeih being made the Inftrument 
 of Incubation ; let us fee what fort of Thing it is : 
 Not Fire, Light , and Spirit ; to introduce which 
 they pretend that Shamaim^ the Heaven?, is de- 
 rived from Sbemim^ Names ; but the Sun now is 
 none of thefe : What is it then ? Why a Candls- 
 Jlick in the Heavens ; and the Stars are Sconces to, 
 hold out Light. The Reader may perhaps think 
 I am ludicrous ; but they are his own Words, 
 p. 54. the Chandelier in the Heavens, and his 
 T 2 Sconces,
 
 276 Di/ertations on the DiiT. VII. 
 
 Sconces, which he proves, as he thinks, from the 
 Hebrew ; and calls the Sun fb feveral times, feri- 
 oufly. Now a Chandelier is only the French Name 
 for a Candleftick, and the proper one ; tho* the 
 Englifo make ufe of it to fignify a great Candle- 
 ftick with feveral Branches. But in p. 69. he has 
 thefe remarkable Words : " The Orb of the Sun, 
 fays he, *' is a Body of paffive, inactive Matter^ 
 * furrounded by Fire." Now one would think, 
 that the Sun were the moft aftive of all material 
 Bodies : But according to the Hebrew, it muft be 
 a mere paffive inactive Body. 'Tis by this Rule, 
 /. e. by the Etymology of the Hebrew, thefe Gen- 
 tlemen maintain from their Mafter Hutchinfon, that 
 the Hebrew Word Shemes^ or Shemoz, fo often 
 ufed as the common Name for the Sun in the old 
 Scripture, and by all Interpreters tranflated for the 
 Sun, in the common Acceptation of the Word, 
 as, The Sun rifes, The Sun fets, The Sun is up, 
 The Sun mines, The Sun in the Heavens, &c. as 
 may be feen in a hundred Places in the Scripture, 
 and is in effect the common Word for the Sun, 
 when it fpeaks according to the general Acceptation 
 of it in fuch Cafes : But thefe Gentlemen maintain, 
 that Shemoz in thofe Cafes never means the real Sun, 
 but only the Light of it : And why fo ? Becaufe, 
 fay they, the Sun is a paflive inactive Body, hold- 
 ing forth his Light to us ; is a Chandelier, Mr. 
 B -'s own Term , and the Stars and Planets are 
 Sconces, or Ears of this Chandelier, holding forth 
 fo many Lights. Now, fay they, Chandeliers and 
 Sconces have no Light of themfelves, but are 
 really dark, paflive, inactive Bodies : Hence, fay 
 they, there are other Names for the Sun in the 
 Hebrew^ as we fhall fee prefently, which denote 
 his being an Inftrument, or Chandelier, holding 
 forth Light. As for this laft, 'tis fact, there are 
 
 other
 
 DiiT. VII. MOSAIC AL Creation. 
 
 other Names for the Sun in the Hebrew, befi !es 
 Shemoz, as there are in Englijh -, and I bel:eve in 
 all Languages : we may call him the Ruler of the 
 Day ; the Illumination of the World , the Lump 
 of the Heavens ; and the like : But Sbemoz is 
 the common Name, when we fpeak naturally in 
 hundreds of Places in the Hebrew Teftament, as 
 much as the Sun is the Name in Englijh, for the 
 great Luminary that mines upon us. 
 
 Well then : This dark, paffive, inactive Chan- 
 delier, furrounded with Fire, and holding forth his 
 Light to us, with all the Abfurdities attending it, 
 let them call it the Sun if they pleafe ; but this 
 Fire muil be fed by fome Fuel or other, to fupporc 
 and continue it in the grand Chandelier. For this 
 alfo they have an Expedient at hand : The Food 
 and Fuel to keep up this Fire is the clotted Air, 
 which, according to them, receding from the Chan- 
 delier, condenfes into Clots again, and becomes 
 Spirit, to make ufe of their Technical Term, and 
 is perpetually rujbing into the fiery Spikes to be 
 turned into Fire and Light again , then rujhes out 
 again to be turned " into Spirit ; and fo, not only 
 continues and maintains this unextinguifhed Fire, 
 but alfo preferves the annual and diurnal Motion of 
 the Earth ; nay, is the Instrument and univerfal 
 Agent of God for the Production and Prefer- 
 vation of aJl Beings ; and this, as taught by 
 Mofes. 
 
 1 am afraid the Reader is almoft fick of fuch 
 unaccountable Jargon : Perhaps it may be more 
 diverting to take the learned Gentleman's Explica- 
 tion of the firft Chapter of Genefis Verfe by Verfe, 
 as they have ventured to do ; both to convince the 
 World that I don't impofe upon them, or mi 
 reprefent their Tenets ; as well as to give a further 
 Proof of their wrong Explications of the Hebrew 
 T 3 Words:
 
 278 Di/ertations on the Dill VII. 
 
 Words : Thofe Explications likewife may ferve as 
 Objections againft the real Mofaical Syftem. 
 
 Mr. B then in his Philofophical Principles of 
 Mofes i p. 8. In the Beginning God created the 
 Heavens and the Earth : He had laid down in his 
 Experimental Philofcphy afferted, circa initium^ 
 that Mofes declares to us, by that Verfe, that God 
 created the Atoms of the Heavens, and the Atoms 
 of the Earth : But in this Treatife he fays, that by 
 the Heavens is meant the Air in its full Extent. I 
 mentioned before that Mr. Dan. Gittins, another 
 Difciple of Mr. Hutchinfon, in his Anfwer to Mr. 
 A. Bedford, endeavoured to prove, that the firft 
 Creation was in Atoms, by the Hebrew Particle 
 Ath) becaufc it is faid in the Hebrew, Ath Shemaim? 
 and Ath Erets : to add fomething I laid before about 
 Atb, The Particle Ath there, at the mod is fuppofed 
 by Interpreters to fignify the Article The with an 
 Emphafis ; as if Mofes mould fay, God created the, 
 very, Heavens, and the, very, Earth ; or, that even 
 the Heavens and Earth were created by God. The 
 learned Interpreters are fomething dubious, what is 
 the Ufe of that Particle : Some fay that it fignifies 
 ipjjffimam ret fubftantiam \ the very Subftance of 
 a Thing, emphatically : Some, the Article The : 
 Some, that it is put generally after Verbs which 
 govern an Accufative Cafe , though it is alfo con- 
 ftrued with other Cafes. However, on the whole, 
 it is ufed in the Scripture before Words, where it 
 can't, in any proper Senle, fignify Atoms. When 
 3Lve faid, I have obtained 'a Man Ath Jehovah , 
 fhe could not mean, the Atoms of Jehovah. The 
 Scripture fays in feveral Places, The Lord fpake all 
 thefe Words^ in the Hebrew it is Ath all thefe 
 Words -, where Atb can't fignify the Atoms of all 
 thefe Words. By which it appears, that we are 
 very much in the dark as to ail the Elegancy of 
 
 the
 
 DifT. VII. MOSAICAL Creation.' 279 
 
 the Hebrew ; as we are about feveral Letters w] ich 
 are prefixed, and added to Words in Hebrew. n 
 this very Verfe, and frequently in others, the Let- 
 ter he, or b, is prefixed to the Words Heavens and 
 Earth , it is Atk Hajhamim, and A th Heretz ; 
 whereas the Word for Heavens is Shemim, and the 
 Word for Earth is Eretz. 
 
 As for the philofophical Difficulties about the 
 Creation of the World in Atoms, they fhall be 
 examined afterwards. But I appeal to any one of 
 common Senfe, whether it is natural to imagine, 
 that Mofes meant to declare by that Verfe in ge- 
 neral, that God firft created the World in Atoms ; 
 whereas he declared that God created Heaven 
 and Earth, to teach the W T orld, that God was the 
 fupreme Caufe of all \ but particularly with refpeft 
 to the Hutchinfonians, who would make us believe, 
 that God having created the Atoms of all Things, 
 conftituted the Air his univerfal Agent, to produce 
 all Things elfe. Can any one imagine this to be 
 the natural Senfe of Mofes' 's Text ? 
 
 But Mr. B 's Explication of the Word Hea- 
 vens deferves a more particular Obfervation. We 
 have feen, that he had advanced in p. 8. that 
 Heavens fignify the Air in all its Extent, /. e. the 
 Atoms of the Air. But he fays, p. 9. that Hea- 
 vens there, was not the Name of what God created 
 at the firft Creation : The Word Shemim, or Hea- 
 vens, fays he, meant Darknefs ; though after- 
 wards it fignified Dijpofers, or Putters. We had 
 feen alfo, that his Mafter Hutchinfon explained 
 Sbemim, by Names ; that is, Fire, Light, and 
 Spirit. To all which, befide the Abfurdities of it, 
 it may be anfwered, that they manifeftly wreft and 
 confound Shamaim t or Samaim, Heavens, with She- 
 mim, the plural Number of Shem^ a Name. With- 
 out the Vowel Points they are wrote the fame way, 
 
 T 4 but
 
 280 Di/ertatlons on the Diif. VII. 
 
 but quite different when they are pointed ; un- 
 doubtedly for Diftinction-fake. But put the Cafe 
 they -Avtre fynonymous Words, they may have a 
 very different Signification , as in all Languages. 
 For Example, in Engtijh : To blow with one's 
 Breath t and to blow or bloflbm as Flowers and 
 Trees do, are wrote the fame way, though of dif- 
 ferent Significations : So to make a Bow, in a 
 Compliment, or Ceremony -, and to fhoot with a 
 Bow ; Bow is wrote the fame way in both Cafes : 
 So in a great many others. But all the learned 
 Interpreters not only make Heavens and Names 
 different Things, as undoubtedly they are, but 
 write the Words differently, to fliew the Di- 
 itinction ; fome write it Shamaim, or Shamim^ with 
 an b ; and fome Samaim^ Samim, without an h ; 
 from the different Pronunciation of the Hebrew S : 
 As in Sbiboktb, Siboletb ; as to the Word, Ca- 
 Jlellus in his great Heptiglot Dictionary, fays, it 
 fignifies Altitudines, Heights : The great Bochart 
 in his Cbanaan, 1. 2. p. 783. gives it much the 
 /ame Signification, and proves it from Sanconia- 
 tbon : Belfajncn, or Balfamen^ fays he, is Coeli 
 DominuSy Lord of the Heavens, or the mofl high 
 Lord : Zopbofamen^ Cceli Contemplator> the Con- 
 templator of the Heavens: He adds alfo, ibid. 
 ipeaking of Satnos, he fays the Phoenicians ^ whofe 
 Language was much the fame with the Hebrew 
 and Canaanitijh Language, called it Samos becaufe 
 of its high Situation. But becaufe the Hebrew 
 Words for Heaven* and ior a Name, are wrote 
 the fame way without the Punctuations, though 
 quite different with thofe punctuations, they wreft 
 them to ferve a Turn. Nay, his new Invention of 
 making them fignify Putters or Difpofers, is to 
 bring in his new Syftem of the Air being the uni- 
 vcrfal Agent j contrary to the Acceptation of alt 
 
 other
 
 Diff. VII. MOSAICAL Creation. 28 r 
 
 other Interpreters, and Tranflations ; and all the 
 traditionary Rules for writing the Hebrew, before 
 the Maforetical Punctuations were in Being , nay, 
 contrary to the natural Senfe of the Scripture. 
 Now to fhew the palpable Abfurdity of fuch Ex- 
 plication, let us exprefs the Mofaical Text in their 
 b'enfe and Terms. In the Beginning God creat- 
 ed the Names, and the Earth : or, In the Begin- 
 ning the three Execrators created the Putters and 
 Difpofers, and the Earth: or, In the Beginning 
 God created the Airs, which are Darfoiefs, and the 
 Earth, &c. What a Heap of unaccountable Jar- 
 gon is here ? Can any Man of common Senfe 
 believe that Mofes wrote thus to make the Children 
 of Ifrael greater Philofophers, than all modern 
 Imaginers, as Mr. Hutchinfon calls the Newtoni- 
 ans. But we mail have fomething elfe to fay 
 about Darknefs, when we come to the Word 
 Chefek. 
 
 Mr. J? , p. 9. And the Earth was without 
 
 Form and void, in Hebrew, Toku "je Bohu. Thefe 
 Gentlemen are not contented with the natural and 
 obvious Senfe of thefe Words, elegantly exprefling 
 the defolate State of the Earth, at its firft Creation, 
 without all Ornaments or other Productions as yet : 
 
 But by Tohu, fays Mr. B , ib. we muft under- 
 
 ftand, that, all was in loofe Atoms -, and by Bohu 
 we muft underftand, that it was created hollow in 
 the Center, which central Cavity was then full of 
 Air. If the Earth was created in loofe Atoms, 
 how was it created hollow in the Center, or how 
 could that empty Cavity be full of Air ? 
 
 But it is certain, that Tohu and Bohu, are there 
 
 taken promifcuoufly ; and is only a more empha- 
 
 tick Way of exprefling the defolate and chaodck 
 
 State of the Earth at its firft Creation ; fuch fyno- 
 
 nmous and emphatick Expreflions are ufed in all 
 
 Languages.
 
 282 'Differ tatlons on tie Diff. VII. 
 
 Languages. The Hebrew Dictionaries fay, thefe 
 Words have much the fame Signification ; and are 
 properly a Phrafe to exprefs Delegation : They are 
 ufed in the fame Senfe in Jer. iv. 23. to exprefs the 
 defolate State, the Prophet threatens the Land 
 fhould be reduced to ; not hollow in the Center. 
 And to fiiew that they are in a great manner fyno- 
 nymo.us, and taken promifcuoufly, Pagninus, whofe 
 literal Trandation of the Hebrew Walton adopts, 
 
 and which Mr. B acknowledges to come 
 
 nigheft the Hebrew of any other , I fay Pagninus 
 tranflates Tohu tor hollow, in Job xxvi. 7. as well 
 
 as Bobu. Mr. B 's Quotation from Ifaiab 
 
 xxxiv. n. He flwMftretch out upon it the Line of 
 Confujion, and Atones of Bohu, manifeftly wrefts 
 the Senfe to ferve his Syftem. I wonder what are 
 Stones of Hollownejs^ or of the Hollow ; what 
 Senfe can any one make of fuch an Expreffion ? 
 But it is evident the Prophet means, that the Land 
 for their Sins fhall be reduced to a Heap of Rub- 
 bifh, and Defolation ; which any one may fee by 
 perufmg that Chapter. 
 
 And Darknefs was on the Face of the Deep. Mr. 
 
 B takes a great deal of Pains to prove that 
 
 Darknefs here means Subftance : " Darknefs, fays 
 " he, muft be applied to the Heavens, fince there 
 ** is nothing elfe it can (land for : and very de- 
 " fcriptivc it is, of the Air, when the Spirit does 
 * c not move, nor Light mine.'* ib. p. n. Then 
 he gives us a learned Derivation of the Hebrew 
 VfordCbefek, or Cbafak, Darknefs: " If Dark- 
 4< nefs were not a Subftance, fays he, one would 
 " fay the Deep was dark, not that Darknefs was 
 ** on the Face of the Deep." Anfwer. Darknefs 
 may ftand for Abfence of Light ; and does (land 
 fo there, not for a real Subftance : it might alfo 
 be applied to the Heavens, and Earth too, in as 
 
 much
 
 Diff. VII. MOSAICAL Creation. 283 
 
 much as all things were under an Abfence of 
 Light, before any Light was produced ; that one 
 would wonder, what Spirit could move him to 
 advance fuch a Notion. One would think where- 
 ever there is an Abfence of Light, one might 
 fafely fay, there is Darknefs, without making 
 Darknefs a real Subftance. Thus fome Philofo- 
 phers have imagined, that mere Reft in Bodies, 
 was fomething real and pofitive , and indeed with 
 more Appearance, at leaft, of Reafon, than that 
 Darknefs mould be a real Subftance. Darknefs 
 indeed in this Place, was not a Privation of Light, 
 as the Philofophers in the Schools underftand Pri- 
 vation ; i e. when a Thing is deprived of what it 
 had before, fince Light as yet had not exifted at 
 all ; there was no Privation of it in that Senfe : 
 But there was a Want of Light, or an Abfence of 
 Light ; and in that Senfe, it might be faid to be 
 abfent ; and I am fure where all manner of Light is 
 wanting, there is Darknefs ; which deierves no 
 more to be faid of it, or indeed fo much. 
 
 As for the Derivation of the Hebrew Word 
 Chefeky or Chafack, the learned Leigh in his Cri- 
 tica Sacra,, on that Word, fays it is, ob/curatus^Jine 
 famine fuit> i.e. obfcured, or without Light, which 
 the Earth and Deep certainly were at that Time. 
 He fays alfb, ib. that Chafack, is to hold back. 
 Now, when Light is kept back, or not yet pro- 
 duced, there will be Darknefs or a want of Light. 
 But what a Stretch muft we put upon our Ideas, 
 to imagine, that Darknefs ftands for Heaven, Air, 
 Spirit; nay, in Subftance for Light itfelf; fince, 
 according to thefe Gentlemen, Light is only Air 
 ground fmaller, and Darknefs the fame Air clotted 
 again. I muftjuft add one Confideration, which 
 is, that thefe Gentlemen not only make the Air, 
 but even the- Spirit to be Darknefs, when it is in 
 
 a tor-
 
 284 Dffirtations on the Dili. VII. 
 
 a torpid, motionlefs, ftagnate Condition ; contra- 
 ry to the generally received Idea of the Word Spi- 
 rit. By Spirit, and the fpirituous Part of Beings, 
 moft Men hitherto underftand the moft refined, 
 lively, and affive Parts of Beings ; but in this Phi- 
 lofophy, you muft underftand by Spirit, the Air 
 in the moft torpid, unactive Condition. For, fays 
 
 Mr. b , " That the Spirit was Part of the 
 
 *' Darknefs, is alfo plain ; becaufe there was no 
 " other Matter, or created Subftance on the Face 
 " of the Chaos." But who told him, that Darknefs 
 muft necefTarily be fome Subftance or other ? Sup- 
 toofe there was no manner of Noife in an empty 
 Houfe, we may fafely fay there is a deacl Silence 
 in that Houfe ; muft we fay there is the Subftance 
 of Silence in that. Houfe ? Or fhall we call the bare 
 Walls Silence. It fo, we might fay with a certain 
 Poet, 
 
 A horrid Silence did invade my Ears. 
 
 In another Place he fays, Spirit is called Dark- 
 nefs, from its gentle Motion : But here it is called 
 Darknefs, becaufe there is no other Subftance, nor 
 indeed any Motion at all in the Creation hitherto j 
 for Motion began at the next Verfe. This looks 
 very like a Contradiction : But thofe, who can 
 maintain, that the Sun itfelf is a pafiive, inactive 
 Body, may fay what they pleafe, provided they 
 don't father it upon Mofes. 
 
 And the Spirit of God moved on the Face of the 
 Waters. This is the main Hinge of their Syftem- 
 By this Verfe, fay they, the Spirit or the Air had 
 an impelling Power beftowed upon it , which Mr. 
 
 B , in his Experimental Pkilofopby after ted^ 
 
 as quoted before, calls a Power to move itfelf, and 
 fhe whole Machine : Nay, as they ajl hold, was 
 
 ths
 
 DiiT. VII. MOSAICAL Creation. 285 
 
 the grand Agent that produced all things. See the 
 Quotations out of Mr. Hutebinfon and Mr. B . 
 Now this Power to move itfelf, lay they, was given 
 to the Air, by vertue of thefe Hebrew Words, Ruab 
 meracbefeth al Phini. 1"be Spirit moved, &c. 
 But one would wonder, who, befides themfelves, 
 can fee fuch prodigious Power given to the Air by 
 thefe Words, The obvious and natural Senfe of 
 them feems to be only defcriptive of the Po~ 
 fition of the Elements, at the firft Chaos ; the 
 Earth being covered with Waters -, or the Waters 
 lying upon the Earth, and the Air lying upon the 
 Waters. If thefe Gentlemen can fee fuch prodi- 
 gious Power given to the Air by thefe Words, I 
 am fure no Body elfe can : But on the contrary, no 
 fuch Power as they afcribe to it was given to the 
 Air, according to Mofes at leaft. Nor could the 
 Air, beyond the greateft Miracle, produce all 
 the other Species in a few Days, contrary to the 
 common Courfe of Nature , fuppofmg it could 
 be admitted, as it cannot, that the Air does pro- 
 duce them at their natural Seafons and Periods. 
 But Mofc s himfelf exprefly, as well as mod juftly, 
 fays at the End of the Creation, that God produced 
 all thofe Species, not the Air, as indeed none 
 but God could do it ; by which all their fine Ex- 
 plications, all their Learning in the Hebrew, and 
 iuch Pains to eftablifti this Syftem, is a greac 
 deal of Labour loft. 
 
 However, as this is their Foundation of the 
 whole, I muft beg the Reader's Patience to con- 
 fider it a little further, The Hutcbinfonians will 
 own, that till this Part of the Chapter, no Motion 
 was implied by the Mofaical Account ; no Moti- 
 on till the Fiat Lux. There was no Light yet ; no 
 Sun, no Fire, no Spikes to grind the Air, &c. 
 then could the Air, which muft be Spirit
 
 286 DiJJertatlom on the DifT. VII. 
 
 yet, as they underftand Spirit, /. e. clotted Air, 
 when as yet there was no Mill formed to grind 
 it, become' -Light, unlefs the Air by moving itfelf 
 on the Waters could grind itfelf; could make it- 
 felf, Fire, Light, and Spirit, as Mr. B fays in 
 
 his Experimental Philofoph)\ that the Air had 
 Power given it, to move itfelf? It want nothing 
 elfe but to have been able to give itfelf Exiftence, 
 to make a God of it. One has really Need. 
 of a great deal of Illumination to underftand this 
 at all ; much more to comprehend it was taught 
 by Mofes ; fo I leave this Part of it to better 
 Lights. 
 
 But his Quotation out of Job xxxviii, 37, 38. 
 ought not to pafs without a particular Note, 
 fmce it is a manifeft Mifreprefentation of the 
 Text, confounding what is fpoke of the Earth in 
 one Verfe, with what is meant of the Heavens 
 in the foregoing Verfe ; as is obvious to any one 
 who will but perufe the Antecedents and Confe- 
 quents of it. His Quotation runs thus : p. 17. 
 & " Who numbered (and fo fettled) the Mthers^ 
 " and the Defluxions of the Air ? Who caufed 
 " them to fall down, for melting the Duft into 
 " Concretes, fo that they adhere in Grains?" 
 Now thefe two Verfes in Job, which he blends to- 
 gether, as if they belonged to one Thing, viz. 
 the Formation of the Heavens, belong evident- 
 ly to two different Subjects -, the one concern- 
 ing the Heavens, and the other concerning the 
 Formation of the Earth. The Duft adhering in 
 Grains ; which the Holy Scripture fpeaks of 
 Verfe 38, belongs to the Earth ; not the Hea- 
 vens. To read the whole Chapter, is fufficient 
 to confound fuch Philofophers, as pretend to tell 
 us how the Creation was performed -, from the 
 Beginning to -the End of that Chapter God rec- 
 kons
 
 Dill VII. MOSAIC AL Creation. 287 
 
 kons up the Wonders of the Creation, with the 
 ftupendous Caufes and Effects, from the higheft 
 Heavens, down to the Formation of the Earth ; 
 interrogating Job^ How the Heavens were form- 
 ed ? Who laid the Foundations of the Earth ? 
 As if God mould fay, Who but I could perform 
 all thefe Wonders ? Several Verfes in that Chap- 
 ter begin, Who did this? and is to be under- 
 ftood in moft Verfes ; as in the Verfes juft pre- 
 ceding the two in Queftion ; which Mr. B 
 
 blends together, to make us believe, that the Air 
 there was melted into their Light, and then con- 
 creted into Grains or Spirit.The two Verfes in que- 
 ftion run thus: v. ^7. Who Jhall declare ^ or number 
 up the Account of the Heavens -, and the Harmony 
 of them, who /hall lay ajleep ? ver. 38. When 
 the Duft was founded in Earth, and the Glebes (or 
 Clots of it) were compared together. Is it not as 
 clear as the Sun, that this Verfe fpeaks of the 
 Earch, as the foregoing does of the Heavens ? 
 The remaining Part of that Chapter defcends 
 to more Particulars belonging to the Earth, as 
 the Antecedent does of the Heavens ; by enu- 
 merating the Wonders of the Creation in both. 
 Who would truft Quotations, when fuch a Change 
 of Senfe is palmed upon us ? They are fo chari- 
 tably learned as to give us the Hebrew Word for 
 Duft in that Place. I won't fay it is to throw 
 Duft in our Eyes, that we mould not fee the ma- 
 nifeft Tranfition from one Subject to another : 
 But who told them that the Duft, and Glebes of 
 the Earth, were Atoms and Grains of Air, i. e. 
 Light and Spirit ? As fome of thefe Gentlemen 
 were pleafed to tell us, that in the Word Mera- 
 chefeth, the mem and tail in that Word are Ser- 
 viles -, and that it is not a Verb, but a Subftan- 
 tive j though St. Hierom exprefly mentions Mera- 
 
 chefetb
 
 288 Diflertattons on the Diff. VIL 
 
 chefeth as a Verb, and fays, it fignifies brooded 
 upon, as a Hen broods upon her Eggs. From 
 whence fome learned Commentators imagine, that 
 the antient Heathens received the Notion, that 
 the World originally fprung from an Egg. 
 
 AndGod faid^ Let there be Light \ &c. p.. 22. And 
 God divided the Light frym the Darknefs. Let 
 there be a Firmament. Let there be Lights or Lu- 
 minaries^ &c. p. 25. All Mr. B 's Explications 
 of thefe Places tend to eftablifh their grand Sy- 
 ftem of Fire, Light, and Spirit. In this laft Trea- 
 
 tife Mr. B does not fpeak out fo much as he 
 
 did before, or as his Mafter Hutchinfon does, but 
 builds on the fame Foundation. It was in this 
 View he applied, as mentioned jufl before, the 
 concreting of Duft into Earth, not to the Earth, 
 but to the Heavens, exprefly againft the Text, 
 that he might turn Light into Spirit. He adds, 
 u The Matter thefe Grains are formed of, is call- 
 |C ed Duft, or Atoms of Air ; the Agent that 
 *' forms them is mentioned,*^. the Defluxions of 
 " the Air." Now he applies this to the Forma- 
 tion of Light. Let there be Light. " A majeftic 
 " Phrafe ! God fpoke to fomething ; Light ex- 
 " ifted in Subftance before, tho' not in Form ; 
 * 4 it was in Being, tho' not as Light : What was 
 " then here, to make Light of? Nothing has been 
 " mentioned but the Chaos, Waters, Darknefs 
 " and Spirit : Darknefs was Air in a State of In- 
 " activity , ft agnate Air : Spirit, Air in a State 
 ** of Motion, impelling Air; Light is Air ftill, 
 cc in a fomething different Condition from Spirit, 
 " in fmaller Grains, or Atoms." Again p. 24. 
 " That Light, in faft, is the fame Subftance, 
 " confifting of the fame Species of Atoms, with 
 " Darknefs and Spirit ; and that the Antients 
 " thought fo, is fhewn at large by Mr, Hutchin- 
 
 "
 
 Dili VJI. MOSAICAL Creation. 289 
 
 *' y2w, Prin.p. n." Mr. 5" again, p. 26, 
 
 ib. " What God isfuid to do here (Y. e to divide 
 ** the Ligiit from the Darknefs) is the fame as 
 " the preceding Act, Let Light Is ; it is the 
 " fame Action, which is now performed, by the 
 " Light in the Firmament of Heaven, which 
 " God fet there to divide the Light from the 
 
 **-J 
 
 " Darknefs. This the Sun does continually, melts 
 " down the Grains of Darknefs^ and divides it into 
 <; Light: that raifes the Expanfatt) by the 
 *' Strength of which, Light, at the Extremities 
 * 4 of Heaven is amafied, heaped, congealed into 
 *' Darknefs. Qui legit, intdligat" 
 
 I think it was obferved before, that to repeat 
 fuch Pofitions was fufficient to refute them ; at 
 leaft, as not taught by Mofes. I fhall not trouble 
 myfelf to enquire,, whether the Anticnts taught 
 fuch Stuff, as Mr. Butchinfon pretends to father 
 upon them ; any more than innumerable other 
 Abfurdities of the Antients concerning the Origin 
 of the World in every Author that treats ot them, 
 both antient and modern. See Grotius de ver. 
 Eel Chrif. Bccharfs Phaleg. Clem Alex. L. Strom. 
 Eufeb. Pr<ep. Evan, cum multis aliis. However, 
 it was feen in the Appendix to the fir ft DifTerta- 
 tion, that the moft celebrated among the Antients 
 taught that God was neither the Air, nor the ^Ether, 
 nor any other inanimate, unintelligent Being-, but 
 fuperior to all thefe ; nav, fuppoicd, that God, 
 or their immortal Gods, heard their Prayers and 
 Petitions, which I am fure the mere material Air, 
 and mere material Elements cannot. 
 
 Mr. B -told us before, that the Sun was a 
 
 mere pajjlve inactive Body { " The Sun, fays he, 
 " is a round Mafs of bounded paflive Matter, 
 " &V. J&/47." Now it melts down the Grains of 
 Darknefs, and divides them into Light : Why 
 U furcly,
 
 290 DtJJcr tat ions on the Dill. VII. 
 
 furely, to melt down Grains of Darknefs, and di- 
 vide them into Light, mull imply an active 
 Body, if any Body in Nature can be active. Be- 
 fides thofe pretty Mutations, and Metamorphofes 
 of Light into Darknefs, Darknefs into Light, 
 &V. yet he fays, ttot Mofes fpeaks of thefe 
 ftrictly like a Pbilofopher. '* I confider Mcfes, fays 
 " he, as writing itriclly, and philosophically^ as 
 " they call it - T and if this is a natural Confe- 
 " quence of his Words, let thofe that can, mew, 
 " he did not fay fo , or that he did not know 
 " what he faid ; or that the Motion- of the Earth 
 " cannot be performed by Light and Spirit. " 
 But by thefe Gentlemens good leave, if the Mo- 
 tion of the Earth could be performed by the Mu- 
 tations of Light and Spirit ; or, to ufe their own 
 Phrafe, by the Cap of Light fhifting from Place 
 to Place, it is not of Confeqitence, that Mofes taught 
 it. But, whether Mofes fpoke like a Philofopher, or 
 not,. I am fure thofe do not, who maintain that 
 the Sun is an inaflive fafjive Body, and yet can. 
 melt Darknefs into Light, the moft active mate- 
 rial Being we know of in the Univerfe. Let 
 them mew, if they can, where Mofes fays fo ; or 
 advances any of thefe unheard-of, unintelligible 
 Principles; unlefs by fuch an unwarrantable wreil- 
 ing of his Words, as rather difcredit that Divine 
 Writer, and bring him into Contempt, than make 
 a Philofopher of him. 
 
 Mr. B >'s Notion of that Luminary the 
 
 Sun, is much of a Piece with the reft. I believe 
 the beft Way to fatisfy the Reader that Mofes ne- 
 ver defigned to teach fuch Whims, is to put 
 their own Explications as they lie; they are as 
 fmgular as any we have met with hitherto. But 
 we muft have Recourfe to the Hebrew again. 
 " The Word, fays Mr. ^-, /, 41. mXQ 
 
 " Marti,
 
 DifllVII. Mos A ic AL Creation. 291 
 
 " Martk, which is not plural, but fingular. The 
 " Root is IX Ar, the fame Word as is ufed for 
 * e Light. The tbau and mem, as in Merachefetb 
 " before, are Serviles ("mighty Difcoveries] and 
 tc according to the Rules before laid down, the 
 " Word does not fignify Lights, or Light, but 
 " fomething that was for the Ufe of Light ; 
 .** fomething to fupport, make, or hold it : A 
 <c Chandelier (Anglice a Candleftick.)" All this 
 is as intelligible, as learned. Though Ar is ufed 
 for Light, it does not fignify Light; but in its 
 Compound Martb, it is a Candleftick to hold 
 Light , but when it is wrote Maortb, it is an In- 
 ftrument to fend forth Light ; or a Candleftick 
 with a Candle in it. His own proper Words are, 
 ib. " Maortb is a Chandelier giving Liofht ; 
 
 ^5 v_J CJ * 
 
 " Martb is only a Chandelier, the Frame only ; 
 " Maorth is more, the Chandelier performing 
 " what it was made for, or fending out Light. 
 " The vau in the fecond Order, according to 
 " the Rules of Grammar, implying Action. 
 " God not only faid, Let there be Martb a 
 c< Candle-, but, Let there be Macrth^ let it burn, 
 <c let it be lighted." Juft before Martb was on- 
 ly a Chandelier, now it is a Candle. Here one 
 would be apt to think, that Martb is their Mill 
 to grind the Air into Light : But the Sun is an 
 inactive Body, and by confequence cannot grind ; 
 if it could it muft be active. But no more of 
 this. 
 
 Now we mail fee, that the Sun is the Fuel for 
 the Fire to act upon. " The Orb of the Sun, fays he, 
 " ib. is the Fuel for the Fire to act in. . . The Fire 
 *' acts all around it ; the Spirit flows in on every 
 " Side of it ; its Parts are framed on Purpofe for 
 <l this Ufe i the PrefTure is equal on all Sides, 
 U 2 ** which
 
 292 Differ fattens on the Biff. VII. 
 
 41 which will for ever prevent its burning out, 
 l< becaufe its Parts cannot be carried off, as in 
 " our common Fire : for Fire does not deftroy 
 " the Atoms, only diffolve the Atoms in Fuel." 
 Here's the Svftem of the Sun eftablifhed in a 
 Trice. I \vifh they would be fo good as to 
 bring us a Reafon for fo many gratis dittums \ or 
 how the Orb of the Sun can be Fuel for the Fire 
 that furrounds it. What caufcs the Preffure, that 
 hinder the Rays of Fire from diflipating and flying 
 off? I thought the Air, or Spirit, or Darknefs, 
 had been Fuel for this celeftial Fire. I thought 
 alfo the Orb of the Sun had been a Chandelier 
 holding forth Light : now it :s Fuel for the Fire. 
 
 ~j ^j * 
 
 If the Orb of the Sun is Fuel, furely it muft be 
 confumed at laft : But if the Candle and Candle- 
 flick fhould be burnt out, what would become of 
 us ? But one would wonder what this Orb of 
 the Sun is made of r Not of the clotted Air ; for 
 that is not clotted and turned into Spirit till it 
 arrives at the utmofl Extent from the Sun's Fire, 
 and fomething, I know not what, drives it back 
 with a Vengeance, to become Fire or Light again, 
 and this for ever. All this fine Syftem is impli- 
 ed in rightly underftanding the Hebrew Words ; 
 and thofe fo clear, fay they, that the Children of 
 Jfrael underftood this Syftem better than all our 
 modern Philofophers. Full as well, I really be- 
 lieve. The only Shadow of a Proof for all this ; 
 not from Philofophy ; for I am fure all the Phi- 
 lofophy in the World cannot make out fuch a Sy- 
 ftem : But, I fay, the only Shadow of a Proof 
 for thefe Whims, is, becaufe the Sun is called in 
 Scripture, fometimes Sbemoz, fometimes Cberes, 
 fometimcs Martb, fometimes Maorth, as if the 
 ?un might not have different Names in Hebrew', 
 as in other Languages, according to its different 
 
 Effects ;
 
 Diff. VII. MOSA i CAL Creation. 293 
 
 Effects : But, as was obferved before, when the 
 Sun is named according to the general Ufe of 
 Men ; as when we fay, the Sun is up, the Sun is 
 down, the Sun fhines, &c. 'tis generally Sbemoz, 
 or ShemeS) as may be verified in the Hebrew^ i 
 believe in a hundred Places. 
 
 Let there be a Firmament, and divide the Wa~ 
 ters % &c. Both Mr. Hutchinfon and Mr. B 
 make a mighty Pother about the Ufe of the Fir- 
 mament: 'Tis allowed, that by Rakia, (the Word 
 for it in Hebrew) or Expanfton^ is meant the Air. 
 As for their Ufe of it, in the Production of Fire, 
 Light, Spirit, or the Sun, either taken as a Candle or a 
 Chandelier, the Prepofterouinefs of fuch a Thought 
 has appeared fufficiently already : The Ufe Mofes 
 makes of Rakia^ or the Firmament, is to divide 
 the Waters from the Waters ; fo that, according 
 to MofeSy fome Waters are above the Firmament, 
 and fome beneath it. Mr. B can't imagine, 
 how the immenfe Quantity of Waters, actually 
 fufpended by the Air in the Clouds (that the Clouds 
 are born up by the Air, and contain a vaft Quantity 
 of Water in them, no one in his Senfes can doubt) 
 I fay Mr. B can't imagine how the Waters in the 
 Clouds can be above the Firmament ; becaufe, fays 
 he, the Waters fufpended in the Clouds are in the 
 Air, or Firmament, not above it : as if the Clouds 
 can't be in the Air, and above the Air, in different 
 Refpects. 'Tis Fact, that the Waters in the 
 Clouds are fupported by the Air, or by the Body of 
 Air under them i by confequence, they are afovg 
 the Body of Air fupporting them : on which ac- 
 count it may properly be called a Firmament, as 
 both the Greek, and Latin Vulgat term it ; though 
 jt may be called Expanjion at the fame time. Wa- 
 ters bearing a Ship, may be properly a Support 
 
 U and
 
 294 Differ tatiom on the Diff. VII . 
 
 and Firmament, and yet be in a great Expanfion : 
 The Waters may be alfo faid to be in the Firma- 
 ment, in as much as the Air is both above and 
 below them. This any one may underftand with- 
 out Hebrew. St:e the foregoing Differtation on 
 that Verfe, where 'tis fhewn that not only vafl 
 Quantities of Waters are fupported and fuftained in 
 the Clouds by the Air, and by confequence above 
 great part of the Air fupporting them ; but alfo 
 in fuch Quantities, as were fufHcient, before they 
 were feparated and divided from the reft of them 
 lying upon the Earth, to cover it intirely : But 
 were they to fall down at once, and be united 
 again with the Seas, as they were at the Deluge, 
 they would be fufficient to overflow and drown 
 the Earth again, as they did at that dreadful Ca- 
 taftrophe. 
 
 But let us take Mr. B 's Explication in his 
 own Words': Let there be a Firmament^ and di- 
 vide the Waters, &c. " The Waters, fays he, 
 ' on the Face of the Earth, are thofe which are 
 " under the Firmament ; and the Waters in the 
 *' Earth, and round and above its Center^ are thofe 
 " which are above the Air or Firmament, \viz. 
 " Air in the central Hollow.] The Firmament 
 " acted in the Chaos ^ and made the Divifion in 
 *' the fluid Mixture, by feparating the Earth from 
 " the Water, as before defcribed : The Confe- 
 " qucncc is, that both the Waters here faid to be 
 " below the Firmament, as well as thofe here faid 
 " to be above, were on and in the Earth ; which 
 *' let the Reader obferve," and underftand if can : 
 And indeed who can help obferving, that he makes 
 the Waters above the Firmament to be under 
 thofe which are under the Firmament ; according 
 to his exprefs Words : Becaufe, fays he, " both 
 
 " the
 
 DifT. VII. MOSAICAL Creation. 295 
 " the Waters here faid to be below the Firma- 
 <4 ment, as were thofe here faid to be above, were 
 " on and in the Earth." Bur how does he folve 
 this Riddle ? viz. That the Waters round the 
 Center of the Earth are above the Firmament -, 
 and yet the Waters lying on the Face of the Earth, 
 and by Confequence above thofe round the Center, 
 are under the Firmament ? Why, by Virtue of the 
 Hebrew Word Bobu> i. e. fays he, hollow and 
 empty, yet full of Air : Though the whole Chaos, 
 according to him, was a fluid Mixture, the Center 
 was hollow and empty, but full of Air ; therefore 
 the Waters above that Air, and Air being the Fir- 
 mament, were above the Firmament ; then in a 
 Trice, the .omnipotent Air breaks through the 
 whole Body of the Earth, and the Waters lying 
 upon it, and lets down part of the Waters lying 
 upon it, into its Place, i. e, the central Hollow. 
 This it is to understand Hebrew better than other 
 People. 
 
 Now we lhall fee what Powers he and his Mailer 
 Htitchinfon give the Air, to perform all thefe 
 Wonders : He fays, p. 37. " That the Air has a 
 *' Dominion over the Earth ; and that all V-egeta- 
 " tion and animal Life do depend upon it, is fo 
 *< plain as not to be denied, (as a Condition, fine 
 " qua non t not as the primary efficient Principle, 
 *' let it pas.] Sbemim^ fays he, or Heavens is 
 " derived Irom a Word that figrafies to place, 
 *' pur, order, or difpofe, [he means Air all the 
 ** while] it is in the plural Number and twafculine 
 '* Gender ; plural, becaufe of the trinity of 
 " Agents in it, [his Mafter Huttbinjon calls it 
 f ' the Trinity of the Gentiles, and an Emblem of 
 " the divine Trinity] in the rcafculine Gender, by 
 " way of Eminence or Dignity i thefe Agents 
 U 4 * being
 
 296 Di/ertailom on tie Dill VJI. 
 
 " being Viceroys, and under God performing all 
 tl the Operations of Nature : We have fome Spe- 
 " cimen of their Power, in turning the Chaos, 
 ' and forming it into Earth. 'Tis true, this De- 
 " rivation ot the Word is new, and peculiar to 
 '* Mr. Plutchinfon^ [aye, o'my Confcience!] but 
 " fince the Heavens really do ride over the Courfe 
 " of Nature, the Word, by regular Derivation, 
 " may figniry the Ufe the Heavens were made 
 " for." He goes on, p. 40. Let the Waters, &c. 
 " Thefe Words' contain an Account of a Tran- 
 " faction, not a Jot inferior to that laft mentioned. 
 44 The laft tells us how, and by what Agents, the 
 " Shell of the Earth was formed, and in what Si- 
 ** tuation Things were then : Thefe inform us, by 
 ** what Means the Earth became inhabitable -, how 
 '* it got rid of that vaft Flood of Waters, which 
 * 4 covered its whole Surface : The Shell was fo- 
 44 lid, (viz. after the Air had formed it out of 
 " Atoms) and Cracks, and Apertures, or Open- 
 * 4 ings in it, and fo the Waters had a Place to re- 
 * tire into , the Waters "under the Heavens were 
 *' to move and go to thofe above the Air, within 
 ** the Shell of the Earth, that vaft Cavity or 
 ** Abyfc, which held the Air when the Earth was 
 *' hollow. The Firmament formed the Shell of 
 " the Earth, and made a Diviiion between the 
 k * Waters and the fame Firmament, broke up the 
 *' Shell and made Cracks in it. p. 44, 7'he per- 
 *' forming thcfe great Wonder?, the forming the 
 *' Shell of the Earth, breaking up that Shell, and 
 " carrying the Waters down, were the Works of 
 ** the Expanjion during one Day - y Effects fo lur- 
 ^' prizing, and fo itupendous, that it is almoft 
 '* incredible [quite incredible] that fuch mighty 
 ** Works (liould be done within the Space of four
 
 DiiT. VII. MOSAICAL Creation. 297 
 
 " and twenty Hours : But the Strength of the 
 " Expanfion is beyond all Imagination great, 
 *' and was now in the immediate Hand of its 
 * Creator j and what could not fuch a Servant, 
 " directed by fuch a Mafter ? " 
 
 He clofes this wonderful Treatife with their Ex- 
 plication of Light, which has been partly confuted 
 already, and fhali be confidered philofophically in 
 the next Dilfertation, abstracting from the Autho- 
 rity of Mofes : but the notorious Abufe in this lafl 
 Treatife of the Hebrew Word Sbetnos (fo they 
 write it) ought not to be pafled by : In Hebrew^ 
 without the Vowel Points or Punctuations, it is 
 DQtD : They fay it does not fignify the Sun at all, 
 but the Light of the Sun : So, fay they, when 
 Jojhua bid the Sun ftand Hill, he did not fpeak to 
 the Sun, nor to the Earth, as is evident; when 
 Solomon fays, The Sun rifcs, the Sun lets, &c. 
 they magifterially declare, that the Sun is not 
 meant at all. This is the great Myftery, which 
 Mr. ffutcbinfon fays, as quoted before, only one 
 of his Difciples underftood the Meaning of : Nor 
 that one neither, I am afraid. Thus the Author 
 of this lail Treatife, tranflates the Words of Ecclef. 
 ii. 4. as he fays, literally ; inftead of faying, the 
 Sun riles, the Sun fets ; th 10 Shemojh fprings />, 
 the Shemojh goes off : yet this very Word Sbemojh 
 js tranflated Sun, as meaning the Sun literally, 
 not only by Pagninus t whofe Tranflation Walton 
 adopts as the nigheft to the Hebrew, but in all 
 the other Veriions and Tranflations, as have yet 
 appeared ; 'tis taken for the common Name of the 
 Sun by all of them -, *tis ufed in places without 
 number in the old Teftament, in that Senfe -, 'tis 
 diftinguilhed by Mofes from Light, when he faid, 
 Let there be Light \ the Word for Light there is
 
 298 Di/ertatlons on tie Dili. VII. 
 
 y&r, not Shemojh , and when the Scriptures men- 
 tion the Sun, they do not call it Aor^ but Shemojh ; 
 but in the Hebrew^ forfooth, it muft not mean 
 the Sun, but Light, Rays of Light, Flames of 
 Light, and yet the very Hebrew Words for Light 
 and Sun, are two as different Words as any in 
 the Hebrew. Befides, 'tis ridiculous to imagine 
 that Jojhua mould fay, Thou Light Hand ftil!, 
 when he bid the Sun ftand ; meaning only the Light, 
 or the Cap of Light , as they explain it, not to go 
 off. If the Cap of Light remained, either the Sun 
 fending forth Light muft ftand, or the Earth illu- 
 minated muft ftand, which makes the Difficulty 
 not a Bit lefs. Hence it follows, firft, That to 
 afTert that Shemojh fignifies Light, not the Sun, is 
 a mere gratis dzftum; and that too againftall other 
 Interpreters of the Scripture-,, full as eafily denied as 
 aflerted. 2^/y, Though ShemoJJo fliould be de- 
 rived originally from Shining or Enlightening, 
 what Good will that do them, to folve that dif- 
 ficult Paflage of Jojhua ? Though one would rather 
 imagine, that Shemojh mould more naturally fignity 
 the Shiner^ or Enlightener^ than mere Light -, a 
 Name by which the Sun may not improperly be 
 called. 'Tis certain, Jojhua did not fpeak to the 
 Earth ; nor does Solomon fay that the Earth riles, 
 and the Earth fets : Nay, if Sbemojh mould fig- 
 nify Light in fome Senfe, if Light ftopt, the Cauic 
 of that Light muft flop. 'Tis true, if the Earth 
 ftopt its Motion, and the Sun remained in the 
 fame Place, the fame Part* would be illuminated 
 till the Battle was over ; but as the World then be- 
 lieved the Sun to move, and not the Earth, as our 
 common Senfes inform us, the Scripture {peaks 
 according to the common Ufe of Things, not 
 philofophically. la fine, this way of explaining 
 
 the
 
 DMT. VII. MOSAIC AL Creation. 299 
 
 the Scripture, may come to explain it away at 
 laft -, and all this to eftablilh a new Syftem ; for 
 fear we mould think that Mofes did not teach Phi- 
 lofophy ; and fuch a Philofophy, as I believe neither 
 Mofes nor Solomon could fcarce underftand. So we 
 will leave their Scripture Proofs for fuch a Syftem, 
 and examine it in the next DhTertation merely as a 
 philofophical Syftem. 
 
 N. B. I hope the Reader will excufe the necef- 
 fary Obfcurities in this and the following Differta- 
 tion. The whole Syftem of the Hutchinfonians is 
 fo abftrufe and intricate, that it is very difficult 
 to give a clear Idea of it -, but withal advanced by 
 them fo magifterially, as the real Syftem of the 
 Univerfe, and this as taught by Mofes, that all 
 who have a due Reverence for the facred Text, 
 ought to guard againft fuch Errors. 
 
 EIGHTH
 
 300 Di/ertatiom on the Dili. VIII. 
 
 EIGHTH 
 
 DISSERTATION. 
 
 *The Hutchinfonian Syftcm confidered Philofophi- 
 cally ; with the Difficulties again/I it from 
 Natural Philofophy. 
 
 THESE Gentlemen are not at all blameable 
 for fearching into the true and phyfical Syftem 
 of Nature, or enquiring into the primary Caufes of 
 Things j but to frame an arbitrary Syftem, and 
 father it upon Mofes, is what they arc blameable 
 for -, againft whom this concifive Argument may be 
 formed : A Syftem inconfiftent with Nature, could 
 never be taught by Mofes : This Syftem is incon- 
 fiftent with Nature, therefore never taught by Mofes. 
 In this Cafe, inftead of the Authority of Mofes giv- 
 ing a Sanction to it, 'tis prejudical to it, if falfe, by 
 their own Principles ; fince they admit hisAuthority 
 to be Divine, as it certainly is, and was proved to 
 be Ib in the preliminary Differtations 
 
 One would think theAbfurdity of fuch a Syftem 
 has appeared fufficiently already, by their unaccount- 
 able Explications of the Hebrew^ by which they 
 would ufher it in -, which abfurd Explications muft 
 mew the Abfurdity of their Syftem at the fame 
 Time. But as they magifterially maintain, that 
 theirs is the only true Syftem of Nature, not by 
 way of Hypothefis, but abfolutely fo, rejecting all 
 other Syftems, particularly the Newtonian ; for 
 which there may be very good Grounds, as will be 
 
 feen
 
 D'uT. VIII. MOSAICAL Creation. 301 
 
 feen afterwards j though not nigh To abfurd as theirs : 
 'Tis highly proper to fearch into the very Vitals of 
 thefe new-fangled Opinions, or rather whimfical 
 Notions ; not only never thought of before by 
 other Philofophers, as they cxprefly boaft, but re- 
 ally inconfiftent with Reafon in themfelves ; which 
 will appear by taking it limb by limb, in the fol- 
 lowing Confiderations. 
 
 The World, fay they, was created in loofe Atoms: 
 There is no Impoffibility, or Impiety in this, be- 
 caufe they acknowledge them to have been created 
 by God at firft , but feems to be diredly againft 
 Matter of Fad in itfelf, and abfurd in their Princi- 
 ples, againft Fad , becaufe all natural Reafons feem 
 to mark out to us, that the Earth was created real 
 Earth ; the Waters real Waters ; the Air and Hea- 
 vens really fuch : Nor no Authority, Divine or 
 Human, teach us the contrary. What Neceflity was 
 there that God mould firft create the World in 
 Atoms, then out of thofe Atoms create the cbaotick 
 Earth, Waters, Heavens, &c. without, as yet, 
 any other Productions, or Ornaments -, by -which 
 we muft allow two Chaos's inftead of one? But 
 when this Syftem eftablimes the Atoms of the Air 
 to have produced the Sun and Moon, Trees, Plants, 
 Flowers, Fruits, nay, living Animals of all kinds, 
 and this in the Space of one Day, contrary to the 
 common Courfe of Nature, it is diredly impoflible 
 and abfurd, at the firft View ; befides other Ab- 
 furdities, as will appear prefently. Again, 
 
 Thefe Gentlemen maintain, that the Atoms of the 
 Air were the fineft and fmalleft of all other Atoms : 
 The Atoms, fay they, of all other Species were 
 created at the fame Time, but different from each 
 other: as different Atoms for Gold, different Atoms 
 for Stones, &c. but the Atoms of the Air were 
 
 fineft
 
 32 Diflertations <m the DifT. VIII. 
 
 fined of all to be able to work them up, I pre- 
 fume, and form all other Species : Now every Word 
 of this is a mere gratis diftum, without any Proof ; 
 yet by thefe, fay they, the whole and real Sydem 
 of Nature is eftablifhed. But when, according to 
 them, thefe fined of all other Atoms, i-iz. the 
 Atoms of the Air, formed the Light, Fire, &c. 
 or, as they exprefs it, ground itfelr into Light, it 
 mud form itfelf into finer Atoms than the fined of 
 all others j for Light undoubtedly is the mod fine 
 and fubtile Fluid we know in Nature ; at lead is 
 more fine and fubtile than any Air, remaining Air. 
 Now this grinding itfelf, befides the Abfurdity of 
 it, is alfo a mere gratis diffum, unworthy a Philo- 
 fopher to affume for the Edablimment of the whole 
 Sydem of Nature. But they have a Salvo for chis : 
 Air, Light, Fire, are nothing but Air , one and 
 the fame Subdance ; [all gratis ftillj only under 
 different Denominations : Hence they call the Hea- 
 vens, /'. e. Air, Names, or the Names. But to 
 confider it a little further : Befides that they make 
 Air and Light the fame Subdance, and the lame 
 Species, contrary to what all Philofophers have im- 
 rnagined hitherto ; and as it fhould leem, contrary 
 to the Eft.iblifhment of Nature ; for Light feems 
 to be as different from /.ir, where the Air is fined, 
 in the upper Regions of the Planets, through which 
 Light paiTes, as any two Species of fluid Bodies can 
 well be ; even as differenr, as Air and Water : 
 Light has different Properties, different Effects, 
 different Objects of its Operations from Air ; and 
 formed by God for different Ends and Ufes : Light 
 is the Indrument for Seeing ; Air for Sound and 
 Hearing -, and as Light chiefly belongs to the Ele- 
 ment or Fire, it feems to belong to as different an 
 Element from Air, as Air conftitutcs a different
 
 DifT. VIII. Mos A i CAL Creation. 303 
 
 Element from Water. But let that pafs, with all 
 the Confufion of our Ideas it carries along with it. 
 Air, in their Syftem, at the firft Creation of the Chaos, 
 for that's what we are treating of, was in a State of 
 Stagnation, was Darknefs, was, as they mod pre- 
 poileioufly term it, Spirit -, that is, as taking it 
 from their unaccountable way of thinking, clotted 
 Air j and muft remain fo till God was pleafed to 
 give it Power to move itfelf , viz. to grind itfelf into 
 Light and Fire : But firft it muft make a Mill to 
 grind by. This Mill confifts of Spikes, to cut the 
 clotted Air, and make Light of it. If one Ihould 
 afk them what this Mill and Spikes are formed of, 
 what Subftance, what Materials i I fear it muft be 
 Air ftill. Then it muft form itfelf into a Chandelier 
 to hold forth the Light, when the fiery Spikes have 
 cut the clotted Air, or Spirit, and made Light of it : 
 then it muft form the Sun, apaffive, inactive Body, fay 
 they, to feed this celeftial Fire : all this is Air ftill. 
 Well then, when this omnipotent Air has got Power 
 to move itfelf, to turn itfelf into a Mill, into 
 Spikes, to grind itfelf into Light, into a paj/ive 
 Body called the Sun, to fend this Fire into a Chan- 
 delier to hold forth Light , then it fends forth Light 
 with a Vengeance, which ftrikes againft the Globe 
 of the Earth, and the reft of the Planets ; and gives 
 them their different Motions, by which our Syftem 
 is explained in a Trice. Nay, they pretend to ac- 
 count for the Continuance of the progrejfii-e Motion 
 of the Earth and Planets, which none of our Philo- 
 fophers, even the great Sir Ifaac Newton, durft 
 undertake to do mechanically, as theledo; as thus : 
 The f try Mill, or ihe Chandelier, drives out the 
 Light on all Sides, which ftrikes againft the Planets, 
 and not only illuminates them, but fets them a 
 going : W^hen this Light has gone off, as far as it 
 
 can,
 
 304 Differ tat tons on the t)ifl~. VIII. 
 
 can, how far they don't tell us, it clots again, and 
 turns into Spirit, by the Preflure of Ibmething, 
 they don't fay , then it returns back to the Mill in 
 the Center, but what forces it back they don't tell us ; 
 for they don't admit our modern innate Gravity : 
 Then, it is ground again into Light, and fo on. 
 'Tis a Sort of Maxim with them, viz. it goes out 
 Light, and comes in Spirit , and thus continues the 
 progreflive Motion of the Earth and Planets. If 
 you afk a Reafon, or Proof, for all this ; you have 
 nothing, as appears hitherto, except their Explicati- 
 ons of the Hebrew Words alledged, and confuted 
 in the laft DhTertation. But they mud give me 
 leave to afk once more, Could any thing in Nature 
 give a greater handle to our modern Infidels, to ri- 
 dicule the firft Chapter of Gemfis^ than fuch a Syf- 
 tem ? Suppofe any one could imagine, that Mofes 
 ever dreamt of it. But to examine into the Reafons 
 of this fine Syftem -, when the Atoms of the Air 
 are clotted together, they are Spirit and Darkvejs -, 
 [their own Terms] ; when they are ground to fuch a 
 Finenefs, they become Light , when they are be- 
 fomet hinged, [here I am at a Lofs] they become 
 Fire. Now befides this unaccountable Jargon, if 
 the Atoms cf Air are the fineft of all other Atoms, 
 they mult be, at firft, created in that Finenefs \ how 
 then could they be ground fmaller,to become Light ? 
 particularly fince they maintain, that the Atoms of 
 one Species, can never b~ changed into the Atoms 
 of another : why then in al! appearance their Atoms 
 mutt be, as indeed they allow, indivifible fimple 
 Entities : How then can the Atoms of the Air be 
 ground Smaller than when they were firft created ? 
 Again, if -they were created in that Finenefs, they 
 could not be Darknefs , becaufe to become Dark 
 ncfs, they mult be clotted together, according to 
 
 thclc
 
 Dili. VIII. Mos A ic A L Creation. 305 
 
 thefe Gentlemen -, yet Darknefs was on the Fac- r 
 the Deep, before there was any Motion, either to 
 clo; them, or grind them , if the Atoms of the Air 
 were created in their fined State., they rnuft be Light : 
 But there was no Light, at the firfl Creation ot the 
 Chaos, as they acknowledge ; neither were they ' 
 clottc-d together, fince there was no Motion to clot 
 them. If they were created in Clots at firft, it muft 
 fuppofe two Actions in God, one to create them in ' 
 Ciots, another to turn thofe Clots into the fineft of 
 all other Atoms. I wifh thefe Gentlemen could 
 help us out of this Labyrinth. There are ibme other 
 Difficulties of lefs Moment, about their Notion of 
 thefe Atoms ; they ^fay, that clotted Atoms are : 
 heavier than ground Atoms, or Light : let it be 
 fo, in itfelf ; but it can't be well accounted for in 
 their Syftem' ; becaufe they reject with the utmod 
 Contempt all innate Gravity, or the Newtonian 
 Power of Gravitation : Hence one of them fays, 
 the great Dagon, meaning Sir Ifaac Newton y lies 
 prodrate before the Ark : That is, his Sydem falls 
 to nothing, before their Powers of the Air. What 
 is it then, that makes the clotted Air heavier than 
 the finer -, if neither of them have any innate Gra- 
 vity, or Power of Gravitation ? Perhaps they will 
 fay, fome external Prcfftire, or external Impulie, 
 driving the clotted Air back, to the Sun to be ground 
 into Light ; but what is there to hinder it in the 
 vad Expanjion from going off to all Didances r or 
 what other Body drives it back ? does Fire, Light, 
 and Spirit explain this ? The other Difficulty is, 
 that they maintain that the Atoms of one Species, 
 of Gold for example, can never be changed into the 
 Atoms of another : 'Tis true, this Notion is not pecu- 
 liar to them, viz, that the primary Condituents of 
 Beings can never be changed j yet Matter in its own 
 X Nature
 
 306 Di/ertatlom on the Diff. VIII. 
 
 Nature does not feem to be fo very unchangeable : 
 different Configuradon,and Difpofition of Parts,feem 
 fufficient to conftitute different Species of material 
 Beings , Gold by proper Agents may be changed 
 into Glafs, Earth and Water into Corn, &c. ^the 
 Effects and Properties of which are as different as 
 moft other different Species can well be ; as indeed 
 there feems to be no mere material Subftance in Na- 
 ture but what may be changed into other Subftances ; 
 though fome with much more Difficulty, than 
 others ; yet it argues more the Defect of the Agent, 
 than any Impofiibility in the Thing. However that 
 be, thefe laft don't come up to the abfolute Inconfift- 
 ency and Abfurdity of die foregoing Syftem. 
 
 As to the Syftem of Atoms in general, particu- 
 larly the impious Epicurean Syftem ; the Hutcbin- 
 fonian Syftem is not directly chargeable v/ith fuch 
 Impiety, as acknowledging their Atoms to have 
 been created by God, and to have received all their 
 Power from him ; though they can fcarcely get 
 quite clear of it in fome Points, as will be feen in 
 the Sequel. The Epicurean Syftem of Atoms has 
 been confuted by as many as have wrote againft it i 
 fo I fhaJl confine myfelf to the vaft Power of their 
 univerfal Agent the Air, or the wonderful Opera- 
 tions of the Atoms of the Air ; of which one of the 
 moft ftrenuous of Mr. Hutcbinfon's Difciples fays 
 thus, after his Mafter. Effay on Genefis, p. 4, 
 " God points out, fays he, the Element of Air, 
 *' and the Powers in it : the Unity of their Sub- 
 *' fiance, and 'Trinity of Agents. [Mr. Hutchinfon 
 *' had intitled one of his Treatifes on this Subject, 
 " TheTrinity of the Gentiles.} Their great and ex- 
 *' tentive Power, un-vearied and conftant Activity, 
 cc difpenfing to us all, the Benefits of Life ; and 
 " their cbfolute Sway in the material World. But 
 
 44 till
 
 DifT. VIII. MOSAICAL Creation. 307 
 
 " till Man has a compleat Knowledge of this 
 " powerful ruling Subftance ^ and fees the Trinity 
 " in Unity, which is there j the Comparifon will 
 
 " be of no Service to him Jf inftead of 
 
 " ruling Agents, Fire, Light and Spirit, he hath 
 " taken it in his Head to annihilate their Subftance, 
 * &V." Is not this very nigh making a God of the 
 Air, and applying the Attributes of the facred Tri- 
 nity to the Creature ? One would think he were 
 fpeaking of the God of Nature in fuch magnificent 
 Terms, and not of mere Matter : As the Free-think- 
 ers made their Compliments to Mr. W n for 
 
 exploding the Belief of future Rewards and Punifh- 
 ments from the Mofaical Law ; (b I am fure may 
 the Epicureans make their Compliments to thefe 
 Gentlemen, for attributing fuch Omnipotence to 
 mere Atoms. I wifh in earneft their Founder were 
 not in his Heart a mere Materia lift, and believed, like, 
 the prefent Chinefe, that the Heavens was the God 
 of Nature ; or at leaft the only God he was will- 
 ing to acknowledge. 
 
 Not to infift here on the blafphemous Compari- 
 fon between the material Air and the facred and 
 undivided Trinity, let us examine a little nigher 
 thefe immenfe Powers ; which, by their Expref- 
 lions, one would think it were almoft BUfphemy 
 to annihilate. If they only advanced that the Air, 
 or the immenfe material Fluid, were a n^cefarf 
 Ingredient, or Concurrent, in the Productions of 
 material Compofitions ; or, if they only maintained, 
 that God might make ufe of the fame Fluid when 
 he produced the Ornaments and Fruits of the 
 Earth, and the other material Species, after the 
 Creation of 'he Chaos ; there is nothing new in 
 this. Undoubtedly the vaft Fluid pf the whole 
 ethcrial Subftance is one of the moft potent Agents 
 
 X 2 ^ in
 
 308 Dt/ertalions on the Dill. VIII. 
 
 in Nature, and by its PrelTure and Activity, may 
 be the material efficient Caufe of fome of the moft 
 wonderful Prmiorrena we fee round about us : 
 'Tis certain, its Force and Effects are prodigious; 
 very likely 'tis the immediate Caufe of continued 
 Motio^ the Defcent of Bodies towards the Cen- 
 ter, the Solidify and Adhefion of fome Bodies, and 
 .a great many other Effects : 'Tis like wife a Con- 
 dition, fine qua ncn, as the Schools exprefs it, for 
 our material Life and Being. But this is neither 
 new, nor unheard of before, as they magisterially 
 boaft , nor what thefe Gentlemen would be ar. 
 We fee they maintain, that when God had created 
 the Chaos^ he left the reft to the Air, as his Vice- 
 gerent, as his univerfal Agent, to produce all 
 Things elfe mechanically ; nay, as Mr. Hutchinfon 
 foys, as an Emblem, and in its three Powers, the 
 Reprefentatives of his Trinity. In order to this 
 they eitablifh, or rather fuppofe, thefe two Points, 
 firft, that God gave the material Air Power to 
 move itfelf \ then, having Power to move itfelf, it 
 produced all the other Species ; and does fo conti- 
 nually, as to every Individual -, gives us Life, Food, 
 and Prefervation, with the other wonderful Effects 
 mentioned in their own Words quoted before, and 
 juft above. The Ridiculoufnefs of its grinding it- 
 felf into Fire, Light, and Spirit, fcff. has been 
 manifeftly (hewn already. Now, thefe two other 
 Points may eafily be proved to be abfolutely, 
 though, perhaps, not quite fo ridiculoufly abfurd, 
 as the other. As, 
 
 Firft, That mere Matter, as Air certainly is, 
 fhould have Power given it to move itfelf, is be- 
 yond the Stretch of our Ideas ; yet one of Mr. 
 Hutchinfon's Diiciples afferts this in his Experimen- 
 tal Pbilcfopby differ ted, quoted before , as indeed 
 it was incumbent upon them to afiert it, fmcc God, 
 
 according
 
 . VIII. MOASICAL Creation. 309 
 
 according to them, after the Creation of the Chaos 
 ail in loofe Atoms, left the Productions of ail 
 Things elfe to this grand Agent. That mere Ma:- 
 ter, I fay, fhould have Power to ittovf' itfelf, is 
 beyond all the ftretch of our Ideas -, it may be moved, 
 indeed, may move, or impel other Bodies, when 
 moved prior itfelf, by fome other Caufe, by "us 
 Rejiftibility, if the Term may be allowed, or by its 
 Bulk and Sjlidity ; it may, perhaps, be created in 
 Motion, or be moved in the Inftant of its Crea- 
 tion , but to have Power to move itfl-if, is deftroj- 
 ing our Idea of mere Matter : *Tis tranfubftanti- 
 ating it into another Being ; as God could create it 
 out of nothing, he could change it into another 
 Species ; but then it would ceafe to be Mat- 
 ter : but I hope Air in any Shape is Matter Hill. 
 Again, if Matter could have Power to move 
 itfelf, it may really be deemed omnipotent in 
 fome Senfe j what could it not do ? It might pro- 
 duce infinite material Worlds, as they fay it pro- 
 duced all the Species, Fifh, Fowl, living Animals 
 of all kinds, Trees, Plants, Fruits, &c. in a few 
 Hours Time ; fo if God would but create new 
 Atoms, for it to work upon, this omnipotent 
 Agent might produce new Worlds, as riev fay 
 it produced this -, fo that God might take his 
 Reft, as long as this World mould lalt ; as he did 
 on the feventh Day, when he had compleated all his 
 Works. But the Misfortune of this Syftem is, that' 
 Mofes fays, it wasGod,- that compleated, and perftdt- 
 ed all his Works, not the Air. 'Tis pity, as it has 
 Power given it to move itfelf, it could not give itfelf 
 Exiftence: Then it might create new Atoms, Iccfe: 
 Atoms of all things, as well as put them together , and 
 might be a God in earned, as well as ike -God of the' 
 Gentiles. If it had Power given it to move itfeif/ 
 what could refift it in any of its Operations, unlefs 
 X 3 tue
 
 3 i o Di/ertatiom on the Diff. VIII. 
 
 the God that gave it this Power ? If any other 
 Caufe ihould endeavour to refift it and ftopt it in its 
 Operations, it has ftill Power to move itfelf, and 
 would proceed in Spight of all Oppofition. Neither 
 do thefe Gentlemen tell us, what Limits are fet to 
 this Power -, they certainly acknowledged it to be 
 ib great, that, fay they, all the Gentiles took it to 
 be the real God of the Univerfe ; and by thofe 
 pompous magnificent Epithets they give it, as wa* 
 jcen before, by their own Words, they make it 
 very little lefs. There is Room to demonftrate in- 
 finite other Abfurdities, from this Power given to 
 mere Matter to move itfelf : But let this fuffice for 
 the prelent. 
 
 However, admitting it had Power given it to 
 move itfelf, that will not enable it to produce thofe 
 wonderful Effects they attribute to this Air : All 
 the Productions of Nature, not only of Animals, , 
 Infects, &V. but of Trees, Fruits, Plants, and 
 indeed every thing elfe in the Univerfe, argues 
 Knowledge and Intelligence in the productive 
 Caufe ; where every thing is fo perfectly adapted 
 to its refpective Ends and Ufes, that all the Art, 
 Wit, and Invention of all the Philofophers in the 
 World can't come up to it. Why then this Air, 
 thefe mere material Atoms, muft have Reafon, 
 Knowledge, and Intelligence, to perform all thefe 
 Wonders, befides Power to move itfelf. Have 
 not an infinite Number of learned Men demon- 
 ftrated againft the Epicureans, that even admitting 
 an innate Motion and Jumble in their Atoms, that 
 blind, fortuitous Jumble could never produce that 
 admirable Harmony, that inimitable Art, that con- 
 ftant and uniform Series of Caufes and Effects, fb 
 evidently confpicuous in the Conftruction of the 
 Univerfe, without an all-wife, rational, intelli- 
 gent Caufe, to range them in that Beauty and 
 
 Order,
 
 DilT. VIIJ. MosAiCALCreatioa. 311 
 
 Order, which fhews itfelf to the meaneft Confi- 
 derer. So that if Air, or Airs> as Mr. Hutcbin- 
 fon is pleafed to term it, mould have Power given 
 it to move itfeJf ; unlefs it had Rcafon and Know- 
 ledge given it at the fame Time, it could never be 
 the univerfal Agent, and Producer of all thofe 
 wonderful Effects thefe Gentlemen attribute^ to it : 
 See the Quotations in their own Words. Any of 
 thefe Confiderauons, and indeed the bare dating it, 
 to any confiderate Reader, is fufficient to confute 
 it , and I am fure no more is needful to be faid 
 about it. 
 
 Bur, may they fay here, that it is God who is 
 the grand Director of all : The Air is his grand 
 Inftrument in this great Work : AnJ, fays one of 
 them, What can't iuch a Servant do in the Hands 
 of fuch a Matter ? 
 
 fafiver. What grand Difcovery is in all this ? 
 If they only mean by all this grand Apparatus, 
 thefe pompous Expreffions of the immenfe Powers 
 of the Air,thatGod having created theChaos, applied 
 the Air as a Concurrent in the Production of the diffe- 
 rent Ornaments and Effects of Nature, there is no- 
 thing at all new in this, as was obferved before : But 
 pray, did not God apply the other Elements as 
 well as Air ? Did not Earth, and Water, concur 
 in the Production of all Things, as well as Air f 
 if they fay, nothing can live, breathe, move, or 
 be, without Air ; are not there other material 
 Caufes neceffary for this, as well as Air ? If they 
 mean only this, they mean nothing but what all 
 the World knows. Nay, fuppofe we allow that 
 the etherial Fluid is the principal Concurrent, 
 among mere material Ingredients, in the Effects 
 of Nature-, though I believe it might eafily be 
 fhewn, that other material Particles, or Atoms, if 
 they pleafe, equally concur in the Productions of 
 X 4 ~ Nature i
 
 3 1 2 Di/ertationion tM ' DiiT. VIII. 
 
 Nature; yet fuppofe it were admitted, that the 
 aerial Fluid "had the chief Share, what is a!l that 
 to the Pufpofe ? what is that to their almoft 
 making a God .of the Air ? or that they fhould 
 pretend from thence, that 'God having created all 
 in loofe Atoms, left the Atoms of Air to manage 
 all the reft , gave it Power to perform mechani- 
 cally all the other Productions, as his Vicegerent ', 
 and unwerfd Agent, which they maintain in 
 Terms ? But if God muft perpetually inrerfere 
 with his directive Power and Influence in the Pro- 
 duction and Prefervation of all Nature, as he cer- 
 tainly muft, why then this fine new Syftcrn, fo 
 much vaunted as unknown before, was either in- 
 vented under the Appearance of advancing a 
 Syftem in Oppofition to the Wrcotonidit, or to 
 fhew their vaft Learning in the Hebrew ; and dif- 
 covers nothing in this Point, but what every. Phi- 
 Jofopher knew before. I am fure the Scripture no 
 where tells us that Air is God's Vicegerent. Per- 
 haps other Beings are as necefiary to preferve the 
 Air, as the Air is for them. But be that as it will, 
 it can never be the univerfal Agent in their Senfe ; 
 fo pompoufly difplayed in their own Words, that I 
 leave it to every impartial Reader whecher I have 
 mifreprefented, or mifunderftood their Syftem. 
 
 The Hutchinfonians advance by way of Argu- 
 ment, that our whole Syftem being a mere, but 
 glorious Piece of Mechanifm^ when once the ma- 
 terial Atoms were formed, why might not God 
 conftitute the Air for his univerfal Agent, and by 
 giving it Power to move itfelf^ the fame Air might , , 
 put all the Atoms of the other Species in their pro- 
 per Form and State, and fo continue the whole 
 Machine, as long; as he had a mind it fhould laft. 
 
 * +J 
 
 If Men can make Machines, which mail continue 
 to go for fuch a Time, though the Artificer 
 
 mould
 
 DifT. VIII. MOSAICAL Creation. 313 
 
 fhould not meddle with them , furely this great Ma- 
 chine of the Univerfe might be conftituted by the 
 grand Artificer in fuch a manner, as to continue 
 as long as he pleafes, without requiring any further 
 Aflirtance for its Prt-fervation. 
 
 dvfwer. i. That God can do more than thefe 
 Gentlemen are aware of ; yet all this is a mere Fal- 
 lacy. The Queftion is not, whether God could 
 make a Machine to perform all the material Ope- 
 rations \ve fee in the Univerfe ? I fay, material 
 Operations -, for 'tis certain the" free JlRions of 
 Men, not to mention the fpontanecus Aftions of 
 Brutes, may caufe a great many Alterations in the 
 World, which mere, ilupid, material Atoms of 
 Air could rot rectify. But let that pafs. The 
 Queflion is, Whether God has actually conftituted 
 the Air as his univerfal Agent, Vicegerent, and 
 Ruler, to form and govern this Machine, with all 
 the Inconfiftencies and Abfurdities of their Syftem, 
 mentioned and confuted fufficiently before? Let 
 the World be managed as a Piece of Mechanifm, 
 if they pleafe, in a proper Senfe, by giving fecond 
 Caufes fuch certain and fixed Influences as might 
 continue it as long as God thought proper ; I fpealc 
 in their Hypothecs ; but that would not prove in 
 the leaft, that the Air performed all this : But 
 when, to perform this, in their Senfe, the Air muft 
 have Power given it to move itfelf \ to grind itfelf - 
 into Fire and Light, and then to turn itfelf into v 
 Air or Spirit again ; to form itfelf into a Mill with 
 Spikes to grind itfelf thus ; to form a Sun to be a 
 mere pajfive, unactive Body, a mere Chandelier to 
 hold forth Light, &c. &c. &c. This is fuch an 
 abfurd Piece of Philofophy, as never entered into 
 the Heads of Men before. 
 
 2. Admitting that the World is a glorious Piece 
 of Mechanifm, and that the Air, not with- Power 
 
 to
 
 3 1 4 Differ tat ions on the Diff. VI 1 1. 
 
 to move itfelf, for that's Nonfenfe, but put in Mo- 
 tion by God, might be made ufe of as a partial In- 
 (Irument, both to form and preferve the Move- 
 ments of this Mechanifm, as it certainly may ; yet 
 that does not make it the univerfal Mover and Go- 
 vernor of it under God , other Caufes may, and 
 certainly do contribute to its Productions, and the 
 Continuance of them, as well as Air. One would 
 think the Sun t with his almoft univerfal Influence, 
 contributes more than the Air ; in fo much that the 
 antient Heathens often adored it as the God of the 
 Univerfe ; not indeed as a mere material Element, 
 but either as animated itfelf, or rather as the Habi- 
 tation and Refidence of the God of the Univerfe : 
 They thought it could hear, fee, and help them ; 
 they addreffed their Prayers to it , they deiired par- 
 ticular Benefits from it, &c. They could not be 
 ib ftupid as to think a mere material Fire, or mere 
 material Atoms, could hear, and fee, and help 
 them. The fame may be faid of the other Ele- 
 ments, as was proved in former Diffcrtations. 
 Oh ! but, fay they, the Sun is Air ; Fire is Air ; 
 Light is Air in fome Shape or other ; the Air feeds 
 the Fire, is turned into Fire, and Fire is turned 
 into Air again, and fo in a perpetual Round for 
 ever : this confirms our Syftem. Fine Words thefe ! 
 not only mere arbitrary and precarious, but abfo- 
 jutely abfurd and inconfiftent, as has been proved 
 ex abundanti. However, if they have no other 
 way of coming off, but by making the Sun, and 
 even Fire and Air to be the fame Subftance ; lee 
 them enjoy their own arbitrary Ideas : but I believe 
 few People will give into fuch Philofophy. I am 
 fore no two Beings in Nature leem to be more 
 different than Air and Sun, Air and Fire, or have 
 Properties more fpecifically different : They may 
 as well fay Water and Earth are Air in fome Shape 
 
 or
 
 DilT.VIIL MOSAICAL Creation. 315 
 
 or other. As for Air being turned into Fire, or 
 that it feeds Fire, it will be examined on another 
 Occafion : If it turns into Fire, it ceafes to be Air ; 
 fo I will fay no more of it at prefent. 
 
 3. To anfwer this Piece of Mechanifm a little 
 further : For the Air to become the Vicegerent of 
 God, not only in producing the reft of the Species 
 at the Beginning, but in forming and continuing 
 the perpetual Productions of Nature, the continued 
 Series of Caules and Effects throughout the Uni- 
 verfe ; one would think it mould not only have 
 Motion given it, which it may have without moving 
 itfelf, but alfo Reafon, Knowledge, and Intelli- 
 gence : for every Effect of Nature fpeaks Know- 
 ledge, one might fay infinite Knowledge, in its 
 Production. If they fay the infinite Knowledge 
 of God directs it all along, as it did at the Begin- 
 ning, this is faying nothing to the Purpofe in their 
 Syftem : To be fure God may, and does direct 
 even material Caufes in their Productions ; either 
 perpetually contributing his divine Influence in all 
 their Effects, as is moft natural, and indeed real 
 Fact i or at leaft giving them fuch efficacious and 
 perfevering Influences at the Beginning, as may 
 direct and preferve them as long as the World mail 
 laft. But it does not follow from thence, that the 
 Air muft do all this ; nor will thofe pompous Epi- 
 thets they give to it, viz. of being his univerfal 
 Agent, his Vicegerent, and, as Mr. Hutchinfen 
 fays, under its three Denominations of Fire, Light, 
 and Spirit, becoming his Reprefentatives in the 
 whole Syftem of Nature. Neither will their Com- 
 parifon of a Clock going after the Artificer has left 
 it, do them any good ; for no Part or Parts of a 
 Clock can put themfelves together to perform its 
 Motions, unlefs its Parts had Power given to 
 
 mov?
 
 3 1 6 Dijfertatlons on the DifT. VIII. 
 
 move themfehes ; nor, if any Accident fhould put 
 it out of Order, could thofe Parts rectify that Dif- 
 order, without the Help of the Artificer. Now 
 if the free Aftions of -Men, which the material 
 Air can never forefee or prevent, or indeed any 
 other Accident, fhould difrange any particular 
 Caufes and Effects of Nature, how could mere 
 ftupid Atoms of Air rectify the Diforder ? In fine, 
 as the Formation of Animals, Plants. &c. with 
 all their Seeds, Organizations, Ufes, and Effects, 
 argue an intelligent Caufe in the Difpofidon and 
 Production of them, as well as infinite Power to 
 create the Subftance of them, or the Atoms of 
 them ; fo that unlefs they really believe the Air to 
 be the God of the Univerfe, endowed with Reafon 
 and Knowledge, as well as Power, as Mr. Hutchin- 
 fon expreffes it, to expand and comprefs^ it could 
 never be the univerfal Agent in the Formation of 
 the World -, nor can it continue and preferve the 
 Species in all their Ends and Operations, without 
 the Concurrence of the fame Influence, Knowledge, 
 and Power, that put them together. If they don't 
 admit this, their Syftem is impious as well as ab- 
 furd : if they admit it, they fay little more than 
 every Philofopher knew before. Laftly, To main- 
 tain, that the Air alone is capable of continuing 
 and preferving the whole Effeds and Productions 
 of Nature after the firft Creation of Atoms, is 
 falling foul upon Providence ; which Confideration 
 not belonging directly to this Difpute, I mail pur- 
 fue no further. 
 
 Corollary of the whole. This Syftem of the 
 Hutchinfonians containing fo many direct Errors 
 againft Theology and Phiiofophy demonftrate, that 
 their Derivation of the Hebrew Words is intirely 
 wrong -, whatever may be the right original Deri- 
 vation
 
 Diff. VIII. MOS.A i CAL Creation. 317 
 
 vation of them, theirs is directly wrong without 
 all Contradiction ; fince any Derivation of the di- 
 vine Hebrew Text of Mcfes, can never authorife 
 Errors directly againft true Theology and Philolb- 
 phy. It has been fhewn as clear as the Sun, that 
 the Hutchinfonian Syftem contains manifeft Errors 
 againft both, which they eftablifli on the Senfe and 
 Derivation of the Hebrew , the firft being certain, 
 this laft muft be fo of courfe. Though one fhould 
 not know the original Meaning and Derivation 
 of thofe Words, we are fure they can never con- 
 tain fuch a Ssnfe as they put upon them ; which is 
 the chief Scope I have had in view in thefe DifTer- 
 tations. I have followed the Senfe of all other In- 
 terpreters, and even Verfions of the Hebrew \ if 
 thofe fhould not be right, they contain no Errors 
 either againft Theology or Philofophy, as their 
 Syftem does evidently againft both. 
 
 NINTH 
 
 rniw ,- -
 
 3 1 8 Di/ertatiom on the Did DC. 
 
 NINTH 
 
 3t! . ' Sid * 4 
 
 DISSERTATION. 
 
 Of the Defeffs of our modern Syjlems, not ex- 
 
 cepting the Newtonian, as maintained by 
 
 Jorne y who pretend to be Followers of the 
 
 great Sir Ifaac Newton. 
 'jTn 10 
 
 . 
 
 TH E Defeats of the Hutchinfonian Syftem 
 have been feen fufficiently in the foregoing 
 Ditfertations ; if fuch a Heap of abfurd Notions 
 can be deemed a Syftem. As it feems to have 
 been invented by the Author to confront the New- 
 tonian Syftem^ neverthelefs it falls fhort of this laft 
 by many Degrees ; though the Newtonian Syftem 
 has vaft Defects, as will be feen prefently : But to 
 take the chiefeft of our more modern Syftems in 
 due Order, we may fafely fay, that all the Builders 
 of new Syftems of the World have been unhappy 
 hitherto , that though they were in Vogue for a 
 while, mighty Flaws have been found in them : 
 ib true it is, that God has delivered the World to 
 the Difputes of Men, that they could never find 
 OUt yet the primary Caufes of Things. Firft then, 
 
 The Ptolemaic Syftem is now as good as for- 
 faken, and even rejected with Scorn by our modern 
 Philofophers : Taking it as it lies, it is certainly 
 a wooden Contrivance ; with its Multiplicity of 
 Spheres one within another j its Excentricks ant 
 
 Epicycles,
 
 Diff. IX. MOSAICAL Creation. 319 
 
 Epicycles, &<:. but above al), its making the Planets 
 Venus and Mercury to take in the Earth in their 
 Orbits ; which certainly they do not, but only go 
 round the Sun. However, this Syftem, with all 
 its wooden Machines, explained the reft of the 
 Phenomena tolerably well, fo as to produce very 
 great Aftronomers, and laid the Foundation for 
 more exadt Difcoveries. As for the Objections 
 againft it, of the unconceivable Velocity of the 
 Motions of the celeftial Bodies round the Earth, &c. 
 it will be anfwered afterwards. That is not fb un- 
 conceivable as People may imagine, confidering 
 the immenfe Diameter of the Sun, and its turning 
 round its own Center, which fome of our modern 
 great Men allow : Suppofing then by its turning 
 round its own Center, it is not confined like a fop, 
 or a Wheel in a Socket ; fuppofing, I fay, the Sun 
 by revolving round its own Center, mould make 
 ioay, or have a progreflive Motion, as the Earth 
 is prefumed to have, what an immenfe Progrefs 
 muft it make by one Revolution ? If the Bulk of 
 the Earth in Proportion to its Diameter by revol- 
 ving round its Center, carries us on with a Velo- 
 city at the Rate of a thoufand Miles an Hour, tak- 
 ing it in a round Number, what an immenfe Way or 
 Progrefiion muft the Sun make, merely by turning 
 round its Center ? Suppofe it is not confined and 
 fixed to a Spot, as the Earth is not in our new 
 Syftem, when it revolves round its Center , the 
 Diameter of the Sun's Bulk being fo immenfely 
 greater than the Bulk of the Earth, it muft make an 
 almoft inconceivable Progreffion by one Revolution^ 
 Then what muft we think of Jupiter and Saturn? - 
 Befides it might be demonftrated if needful, that 
 the fwifteft conceivable Velocity, may be as eafily 
 performed as a flower : Nor can any given Velo- 
 city be affigned, but a greater rrwy be as eafily per- 
 formed
 
 320 Dtffertatiom en the Dill*. IX. 
 
 formed at the fame time : Neither can our Mo- 
 derns fatisfy all the Difficulties againft the Earth's 
 Motion, which all our Senfes attell to us ; and in- 
 deed all the Experiments we can make, item to 
 fhew us that the Sun moves, not the Earth. But 
 this is a Difpute I don't enter into yet. 'Tis cer- 
 tain the Ptolemaic Syftem is vaitly defective as it 
 ftands, and is intirely rejected as fuch by our Mo- 
 derns. 
 
 . The Tycbomc Syftem is alfo difapproved by them, 
 chiefly becaufe it eftabliflies the Sun's Motion, 
 not the Earth's -, though it takes oft" the 
 greateft Difficulty againft the Ptolemaic Syftem, 
 viz. about the Orbit"? of Venus and Mercury.. 
 Thefe Planets, in the Tycbonic Syftem, are car- 
 ried round the Sun, as the Moon, in our modern 
 Syftem, is carried round the Earth. As far as that 
 part, it feems full as difficult to explain, how the 
 Earth can carry the Moon along with it ; the 
 Moon going round the Earth, and along with it, 
 at the lame Time. A s the Satellites of Jupiter re- 
 volve round Jupiter^ and with him round the Sun; 
 why then might not Venus and Mercury be car- 
 ried round the Sun in like manner ? That great 
 Inconfiftence of the Ptolemaic is remedied by the 
 Tychonic Syftem, and reconciles that part of Phi- 
 lofophy with the Scripture, which in exprds Words 
 and Terms tells us, that the Sun moves and the 
 Earth (lands ftill ; though, perhaps, fpeaking ac- 
 cording to the Report of our Senfes, and the com- 
 mon Acceptation and Belief of the Generality of 
 Men, not philofophically. However, as our Mo- 
 derns rejecl: this Syftem alfo as defective, let it be 
 allowed with them to be fo. 
 
 The Cartefian Syftem is alfo rejected by our Mo- 
 derns, as to one part of ir, viz. his precarious For- 
 mation of the World, the Rife and Dsftruftion of 
 
 his
 
 Mo'sAIcAL Cneatioh. 321 
 
 his Vortices, his threefold Divifion of Matter, /. e. 
 triangular, globular, and filbtile. He might as 
 well have eftablifhed three hundred Millions of dif- 
 ferent Species of Atoms, to form the different 
 Compositions of Nature-, .betides his .precarious 
 Formation of that threefold Divifion : Though as 
 to the Motion of the Earth; and not of the Sun, 
 bur Moderns concur with him in that part. But 
 none of them give any rational Account of the 
 Continuation of the -progreffive 'Motion of the Pla- 
 tiets, not only the moft difficult hut, as it were, 
 the Life and Soul of all. The Planets, perhaps, 
 may be kept in their Curves, by the Force of 
 Gravity, whatever may be the Caufe of that Gra- 
 vity -, but; what keeps up their Progreflion, againft 
 the Refiftance of the medial Fluid ? As it is certain 
 the Earth paflfes through the Medium of the Air; 
 very capable of great Refiftanct ; and very likely 
 the other Planets pafs through fome Mediiim j yet^ 
 I fay, this great Phenomenon, the very Hinge on 
 which the Prefervation of our Syftem depends, is 
 either not accounted for at all} or very imperfectly; 
 by the Newtonians, as will be feen prefently. The 
 Hutchinfonian way of accounting for it by grinding 
 the Air into Fire, Light, and Spirit, has been 
 fhewn already to be the moft highly abfurd of any 
 Syftem invented hitherto. 
 
 N. B. I diftinguifh the Newtonians From Sir 
 Ifaac Newton : He only took mutual Attraction; 
 as well as the Motion of the Earth, as an Hypo- 
 thefis ; whereas his modern Difciples, pretending 
 to follow himj take them both as certain Fa&;. 
 which their great Mafter did not. 
 
 Come we now td the Newtonian Syftem ; where- 
 in WL> fhall find very great Defeffs i not in the 
 aftronomical Part of that incomparable great Man; 
 allovvini him his Suppofitions j in which* I believe^ 
 
 y y
 
 322 Differ tat ions on the Dilf. IX. 
 
 he has fucceeded beyond all who went before him : 
 Though even there, confidering the immenfe, fup- 
 pofed, Diftance of the Planets ; the incredible Ve- 
 locities of their Revolutions ; the many Anomala 
 and irregular Variations in their Periods < the vaft 
 Difference which the moft minute Miftake, Mif- 
 meafure, 'and Mifcount muft make, or amount to, 
 in the Calculation -, confidering their immenfe, and 
 I may fay, unmeafurable Bulks and Diftances -, 
 what prodigious Difficulties have the greateft Aftro- 
 nomers encountred, to mark out the precife and 
 invariable Moment of Time, in which the Sun or 
 Earth ends and begins the annual Revolution ; 
 the Proceffion of the Equinoxes, and various other 
 Difficulties in fettling the true Motions, Bulks, Di- 
 ftances, &c. of the celeftial Bodies , where the 
 leaft Miftake muft amount to an inexpreffible Diffe- 
 rence, even in the aftronomical part j all thefe Dif- 
 ficulties being, I fay, confidered, there may be 
 very great Defects. But to pafs over thefe, as 
 common to all Syftems, let us take the phyfical 
 Part of the Newtonian Svftem, on which the aftro- 
 nomical Part is built : I fay, built * and grounded 
 upon , for all aftronomical and mathematical Ope^ 
 rations muft be founded upoa Nature : ubi definit 
 Pbyficus incipit Mathematicus. If the true, natu- 
 ral, and phyfical Part be wrong, the fineft Opera- 
 tions upon it will be mere Hypothefes, and not 
 the true Conftitution of the Univerfe. Now, 
 there are vaft Defects in the Newtonian Syftem, as 
 to the phyfical Part. As, 
 
 i . About Gravity , to take i: in the moft obvious 
 and fpecious, or indeed the moft eafy Part, to de- 
 fend and fupport it , that great Man very juftly fup- 
 pofes, that there is fuch a Thing as Gravity of fome 
 fort or other, in the World , viz. that Bodies do 
 defcend in all parts of the Earth cowards the Cen- 
 ter j
 
 Diff. IX. Mos A ic A L Creation." 323 
 
 ter ; whatever be the Caufc of that Defcent. This 
 mud be allowed in general by all : But then his 
 Followers eftablifh this Gravity to be an innnre 
 Power and Property inherent in all Bodies, by which 
 they tend of themfelves towards the Center : Some 
 of them, as Mr. Whifton^ call it an immaterial 
 immechanical Power > given to all Bodies, and in 
 fome Senfe effential to them. Now, this has vaft, 
 real, and natural Difficulties againft it, even as an 
 Hypothefis : /*. e. that it is an Hyppthefis no way 
 founded in Nature ; which muft be a very weak 
 one to build the whole Syftem upon. The Rea- 
 fons againft fuch an immschanical Power, or a real 
 innate Gravity in Bodies, are, firft, It feems to be 
 a Truth, as certain as any in Phyftcs, that mere 
 Matter^ as all Bodies are, neither in its EfTence, 
 Nature, or even in Idea, as mere Matter, has any 
 Power to move itfelf, cither upwards or down- 
 wards, towards the Center or from it, or any 
 Tendency to Motion one way or t'other ; but is 
 in itfelf, and in Idea, inertive, indifferent to be. 
 moved and impelled any way : How then can it 
 move downwards any more than upwards, or crols 
 ways to right or left, unlefs it be impelled andL 
 moved by fome other Caufe ? as to which Cauie 
 we are intirely left in the Dark by this Syftem, buq 
 an inconceivable, immechanical Power eftabiifhed 
 inftead of it, which deftroys the very Idea of mere 
 Matter^ by giving it a Power to move downwards 
 of itfelf; yet this is one of the main Springs of the 
 Syftem. In (hort* an innate, immechanical Power 
 in Matter to move itfelf any way, is almoft mak- 
 ing a God of it-, fo that whenever it is moved, 
 even towards the Center, it muft be pufhed on by 
 fome external impelling Caufe, and is in fome State 
 of Violence : What that Caufe is, makes the Dif- 
 ficulty. Again, as moft Philofophcrs now grant, 
 
 Y 2 thar
 
 324 Di/ertations on the DiiT. IX, 
 
 that there is no iuch Thing in Nature as abfolute 
 Levity, but only relative to the Quantity of Mat- 
 ter or Subftance Bodies contain in them, accord- 
 ing to their outward Bulk, which conftitutes what 
 they call fpecific Gravity : Thenj by a Parity of 
 Reafon, there is no fuch Thing as abfolute innate 
 Gravity ; but Bodies are impelled downwards by 
 fome other Caufe, in Proportion to the Subftance 
 contained in them for the impelling Caufe to work 
 upon. In Faff, we fee that the lighted Bodies, 
 as fine Hemp or 7W>, may be condenfed into Balls 
 or Cables, fo as to fink in Water, otherwife fpe- 
 ciHcally heavier than Hemp or Tow j and 1 don't 
 queftion but Feathers, by a proper Agent, might 
 be condenfed and beat together, fo as to fink in 
 Water, merely by being made capable of receiving 
 an Impulfe from the preffing or impelling Caufe, 
 whatever it is^ that caufes that Preffure, or im- 
 pels it downwards. Be that as it will, an innate, 
 im mechanical Power in Matter, feems to be abfo- 
 lutely impoffible, arid by Confequence highly im- 
 proper to build the whole Syftem of the World 
 upon. 
 
 But as this is the moft plaufible part of the phy- 
 fical Syftem of the modern Newtonians^ fince it 
 is Fact all Bodies in our lower Sphere do defcend 
 towards the Center in all parts of the Earth ; yet 
 this moft plaufible part is liable to vaft Difficulties, 
 as the foregoing Argument proves fufficiently : for 
 if fuch an immechanical Power in Matter be a mere 
 Chimera, and yet is one of the fundamental Hinges 
 of this Syftem, it muft be defective in one of the 
 Fundamentals of it. To add therefore to what has 
 been faid already, viz. That fuch an immechanical 
 Power is beyond the Stretch of our Iddis ; that 
 Matter has no Tendency of itfeJf to Motion any 
 way, upwards or downwards, but only as impelled 
 
 by
 
 DiiT. IX. MOSAICAL OreatJQii. 
 
 by fomething elfc ; that it is as abfurd as the occult 
 Qualities of the Peripatetics ; that it can oe re- 
 duced to no Clafs of Beings in the World ; that it 
 can be neither a Subftance nor an Accident ; if a 
 Subftance, the fame Difficulties occur as about Mat- 
 ter ; if an Accident, it muft be a rare Accident 
 indeed that can regulate the Syftem of the Uni- 
 yprfe. 'Tis. in vain to advance, that God could 
 create Matter with fuch a Difpofition, or make it 
 a Law of Nature ; that is faying nothing ; neither 
 is it the part of a Philotbpher to have Recourfe to 
 God in mechanical Caufes , neither is it philofophi- 
 cal to fajs that no other Caufe can be alligned for 
 it but fuch an immechanical Power : if that were 
 true, 'tis not of Confequence that Bodies defcend 
 by fuch an immechanical Power , there may be 
 other hidden Caufes of fuch a Defcent. Matter is 
 allowed to be a mere inactive iners Being of itfelf ; 
 if fo, all Motion muft be a fort of Violence upon 
 it ; that is, it is never moved but as impelled. 
 Neither do the Newtonians, pretend to affign any 
 Caufe that impels it, which of itfelf is a great De- 
 fect in that Syftem. Befides, in fome Cafes, Bo- 
 dies afcend as naturally, as they defcend in others : 
 Spirits, Oil, Feathers, &c. in a ftiH open Air, 
 will defcend like other Bodies j mix them wit hi 
 Bodies of more Subftance in the fame Superficies, 
 they will afcend as naturally as they defcend ed be- 
 fore, without any vifiblc Caufe of their Afcent, any 
 more than of their Defcent ; and this in all Times 
 and Parts of the Earth, cxteris paribus, viz. they 
 afcend or defcend as impelled by other Bodies, 
 joftling them out of their former Situation. Thus 
 Exhalations and Vapours afcend fometimes, as to 
 all that appears, and defcend at others, and this by . 
 the common Courfe of Nature ; that is, as they are 
 and jpftled by other Bodies ; which (hews
 
 326 Di/ertations on the Did IX. 
 
 that they are intirely indifferent of themfelves to be 
 moved and impelled any way, and, as we fee, 
 even upwards as well 45 downwards. But you 
 will fay, a Stone, for Example, Obftacles being 
 removed, will fall downwards immediately. 'Tis 
 granted , fo will Water, Obftacles being removed, 
 afcend in Vapours upwards, as fure and naturally as 
 the Stone falls downwards ; yen Water, according 
 to them, is heavy : They afcer.d then, or defcend, 
 only as impelled by fome other Caufe. It you 
 a(k what that Caufe can be ? that is another Que- 
 ftion : To be fure it mud be fome diftinct Caufe, 
 not an immecbanical Power lodged in Matter, which 
 can be reduced to no Clafs of Beings in Nature. I 
 will only fay, as yet, that it is certain the whole 
 atmofpherical and ethereal Fluid is in fuch a pro- 
 digious Squeeze and Preffure, that upon any Ine- 
 quality caufed in ic by violent ^nifion of other 
 Bodies, or by taking off or fufpending that Squeeze 
 and Prcffure, prodigious Motions of Bodies will 
 enfue any ivay. Our late curious and learned Mr. 
 Boyle> has proved by repeated Experiments, that 
 the aerial Fluid, in the open Fields, where one 
 would think it mould be intirely at Liberty, never- 
 thelefs is in fuch a Squeeze and Preffure, that, if 
 that Squeeze and Preffure were taken off, it would 
 expand itfclf tD a thoufand times the Spaee it is now 
 fqueezed into: What keeps it in that Squeeze, 
 may be inquired into afterwards. But it is no lefs 
 certain, that by making any Inequality in that 
 Squeeze, the Bodies fo pent up and preffed will be 
 impelled that way. If you afk then why the 
 Stone, Obftacles being removed, immediately falls 
 downwards? 'Tis anfy/ered, for the prefect, that 
 there is manifestly lefs Refiftance directly down- 
 wards than any other way, both on account that 
 the perpendicular Line directly downwards is fnorter 
 
 than
 
 DiiT. IX. MOSAICAL Creation. 327 
 
 than any other way, and the Columns of the pref- 
 fing Fluid every other way are ftronger than the 
 refilling Column directly between the Stone and the 
 Ground ; by confequence it muft be impelled that 
 way ; having regard to the different Quantities of 
 Subftance contain'd in Bodies of equal Surfaces. 
 Thus the parts of Water being divided and rarified 
 by Hear, fo as to contain lefs Subftance than the 
 parts of Air, are impelled upwards, and the Air 
 in that Squeeze js impelled to take their Place , as 
 in all Trillions and PrefTures, the ftronger and more 
 fubftantial Bodies, c^eteris partibus, will drive out 
 the weaker, /'. e. the lefs fubftantial and lefs refifti- 
 ble Bodies, and by their Inertia will keep their 
 Places till driven out by ftronger Bodies, and this 
 not only downwards, bur ? c<eteris paribus, in any 
 Direction. Thefe Reafons are only propofed here 
 as conjectural, tho' they muft be allowed to have 
 great Appearance of Truth. 
 
 But be that however as it will, there is a juft 
 Diftinction to be applied in the Example of the 
 Stone, or any other Bodies, Obftacles being "re- 
 moved, falling directly downwards inftead of any 
 other way. The Stone falls down by being im- 
 pelled by fome external Caufe , 'tis allow'd : it 
 falls down by an immechanical Power lodged in all 
 Bodies, it is denied directly. Such a Power is, a 
 mere Chimera ; can be neither Subftance nor Ac- 
 cident ; can be reduced to no Clafs of Beings in 
 Nature ; is beyond the Stretch of our Ideas. Mere 
 Bodies have no Tendency to Motion one way more 
 than another ; they are a mere iners, inactive Sub- 
 ftance, capable of Refiftance, and maintaining their 
 Places equal to their Dimenfions, till they are im- 
 pelled by fome external Force or Preflure , other- 
 wile they are indifferent to be moved any way : all 
 Motion is a Violence upon them, by fome external 
 
 Y 4 Caufe j
 
 328 Di/ertations on the- Drff. IX-. 
 
 Caufe 5 which Caufe may be either an intelligent; 
 Caufe, or a material one, as we mall fee afterwards ; 
 but ft;!l external, not an ipternal, immechanical 
 Ppwer, lodged in all Matter. 
 
 But thefe Gentlemen may reply, that, whether 
 Bodies defcend downwards by an internal or ex- 
 ternal Power, it is nothing to them, they defcend 
 ftill, which anfwers their Ends to ajl Intents, and 
 Purpofes. Aqfwer. That is denied direclly -, it 
 cannot anfwer the Ends of that Syftem. ifr, Be- 
 caufe that Syftem is built upon an innate imme- 
 chanical Pp\yer Ipdged in all Matter: That be- 
 ing a Chimera, it muft be a DeffEl to eftablifh it 
 on fuch a Tower, no where exiftent in Nature j 
 which is all that is infifted on in this Branch of 
 It. 2^7v, Great Part pf their Calculations, Ope- 
 rations, various Motions and Efleils of the Pla- 
 nets with refpeft to one another, ?re. founded on 
 their mutual Gravitation to one another ; nay, on 
 their mutual Attraftion^ which is ftill more chi- 
 merical, as we mail fee p'refently. %dly t If there 
 is no fuch 'Thing in Nature as fuch a Gravitation, j 
 as by the foregoing Reafpns is very natural to be- 
 lieve, the Planets eta not, cannot gravitate to one 
 another , wilefo they can fhew fome external 
 Caufe which impels and drives them towards one 
 another: This they never pretend to fhew, as I 
 believe no fuch can eyer be affigned ; D.y'confe- 
 quence that muft be a vaft Defeat in this Syftem, 
 when they aflign a Caufe for the mutual Motions 
 of the whole planetary World, which is nowhere' 
 in Nature 5 and never pretend to fhew any other 
 real external Caufe for' it. 4/J/y, 5 Tis granted, 
 Bodies may be impelled towards the Center pf 
 the Earth, within the Earth's Spher^ of the am- 
 bient Fluid : So t ferbaps, of the Moon, and the 
 btherPlanets : But that ambient Fluid furround-
 
 Diff. IX. MOSAICAL Creation. 329 
 
 ing the Earth on all fides, rather keeps it in 
 fteady in the Center, or nigh the Center of the 
 Sphere of that ambient Fluid, than impel* it to- 
 wards the Sun, or towards the other Planets. 
 Neither can the Caufe, which impels other Bodies 
 towards the Earth, within the Sphere of its am- 
 bient Fluid, ever 'impel the Earth towards the 
 Sun, or other Planets : but on the contrary keeps 
 it within its Orbit, if it has any j or at leaft can 
 never make it gravitate towards the Sun or other 
 Planets : But fome other Caufe muft be afligne4 
 for its Gravitation towards the Sun, if it has any, 
 not by an im mechanical Power ; for that is given 
 up, by the Reply above, and no other Caufe can 
 be afligned. N. B, I never found that any one 
 ever pretended to determine how high the ambi- 
 ent or ethereal Fluid extends itfelf - y very proba- 
 bly it embraces the whole planetary Syftem at 
 lead, wherein the Planets may have their pecu- 
 liar Orbits j but that can never make them gra- 
 k Vitate towards the Sun : Becaufe the Force, what- 
 ever it is, that impels downwards towards the 
 Earth, impels them' on all Sides quite round the 
 Globe of the Earth ; by confequence can never 
 impel them towards the Sun. " So of the Moon 
 and other Planets, Then by a further Confe- 
 quence, neither the Earth gravitates towards the- 
 Moon, nor the Moon towards the Earth ; nor 
 can any Caufe be afligned why they fhould 
 have fuch a Gravitation towards one another ; 
 though Bodies within their Sphere fhould -be im- 
 pelled towards them. Why then all the Opera- 
 tions built upon fuch a Gravitation muft be chi- 
 merical -, or, at leafl, whatever Force thefe latter 
 Confiderations may have, or not have, with Per- 
 forms not tied to the Authority of one peculiar 
 Syftem, fuch a Ca^ife, viz. of mutual Gravita-? 
 
 tipn
 
 330 DiJJertations on the DifT. IX. 
 
 tion by an immechanical Power, or Quality, not be- 
 ing exiftent in Nature , and no other Caufe being as 
 yet affignable, it muft argue a great Defect in that 
 Syftem. What led the Newtonians into the No- 
 tion that the Planets gravitate to one another, is, 
 that all Bodies in our Sphere, do defcend towards 
 the Earth : But it is certain that Caufe cannot 
 affect the Planets, to make them gravitate to- 
 wards one another j but the contrary : and an in^ 
 nate Power is a Chimera. 
 
 Hence, j/2, As a Corollary to this Article, it 
 is as good as a phyfical Demonftration, that none 
 of the Planets gravitate towards the Sun, or to 
 one another, much lefs do all Bodies gravitate to 
 all Bodies ; nor can the Sun be the Center, nor 
 nigh the Center of their Gravitation. All Bodies 
 that gravitate, in their Supposition, in the Earth's 
 Atmofphere, if they fhould gravitate in their 
 Senfe, do gravitate towards the Center of the 
 Earth. So of the Moon and the reft of the Pla- 
 nets. Now the Center of the Earth, and the 
 Center of the reft of the Planets, is quite diffe- 
 rent from the Center of the Sun , that the Caufe 
 which makes Bodies in the Earth's Atmofphere 
 gravitate towards the Earth, and tending towards 
 the Center of the Earth, would make the Earth 
 tend, or gravitate towards a Center, wide, im- 
 menfely wide, of the Center of the Sun i and to 
 affign two different Caufes of Gravitation, one 
 for Bodies in the Earth's Atmofphere, and the 
 other for the Earth towards the Sun, is a mere 
 Chimera -, as it is to affign an inherent immecha- 
 nical Quality of Gravitation to regulate the Syf- 
 tem of the World. 
 
 Hence, 2<#y, The Planets cannot be kept in 
 their Curves by a Gravitation which is not exift- 
 ent in Nature, but muft be kept in their Curves
 
 DifT. IX, MOSA ic A L Creation. -331 
 
 by the fameCaufe that continues their Progrefiion, 
 whatever that be , or elfe mud have had a cir- 
 cular Motion given them in the Beginning, which 
 contains no Impofiibility in it, and continued by 
 the lame Power that fet them in that circular Mo- 
 tion. We know a Top may have a circular 
 Motion given it, which will continue till it dies. 
 Though you mould throw it in a ftraight Line, 
 it will preferve its circular Motion round its Cen- 
 terj and even move in a circular Orbit befides. 
 But let that be how it will, the Planets cannot 
 be kept in their Curves by a mere Accident, 
 no where exifting in Nature, and not very con- 
 fiftent with the Nature of Bodies, which are in- 
 different to Motion any way, as all Motion is <a 
 Violence to their inactive Nature. But there are 
 greater Difficulties than thefe againft this Syftem. 
 As, 
 
 2. Mutual Attra5llon^ or an im mechanical 
 Power inherent in Matter ; by which all Bodies 
 attract all other Bodies, &c. This is the Oppro- 
 brium of the Newtonian Syliern, yet is one of the 
 chief phyfical Foundations of it, by which they 
 explain fome Irregularities in the Motion of the 
 Planets, the Tides, and feveral other Phenome- 
 na of Nature. This is giving an Activity to mere 
 Matter with a Witnefs ; when they eftablifh a 
 Power in Matter, not only to move downwards 
 towards the Center, but even a Power to attract 
 and draw other Bodies to it collaterally, and in- 
 deed in any other Determination ; and that too 
 without any Manner of Contaff, Connexion, or 
 Tye, to draw them together-, or even any Effluvia 
 or inviftble Corpufcula to impel, and pufh them 
 towards one another ; nay, to attract each other 
 at a] moft immenfe Distances ; as when they lay, 
 ithe Moon and Sun attract the Earth and Seas : 
 
 Is
 
 $32 Djfrtatioxs on tit DilT. IX. 
 
 Is not this* not only giving Action to Matter, 
 but cyen 3n Action in dijlans, without any Body- 
 to intermediate ? ( Is not railing the Tides an 
 Action ? ) which is now looked upon to be 
 impofiible by ahnoft all Philofophers in the 
 World ; and is certainly one of the moft unphU 
 lofophical Chimeras, as ever was invented. J Tis 
 true one Magnet attracts another, and feveral Bo- 
 dies attract each other : But it is probable that this 
 is done by fome fecret material Ffflnvi& or Corpuf- 
 cula, pufhing them together : That it is not per- 
 formed by the Newtonian im mechanical Power of 
 Attraction in the Magnet , is evident j for if you, 
 put two Magnets almoft together, even, within 
 their Sphere of Activity, with their Poles the. 
 wrong Way, inftead of attracting, they will re- 
 pel each other , which feems to determine the 
 Cafe, that it is done by fome fecret Effluvia fur-! 
 rounding them, as might be proved by other Ex- 
 periments, though there may be fome Difficulties 
 hard en,ough to explain them thoroughly. Now, 
 if they fay the Moon, for Example, attracts the! 
 Earth by fome fuch Effluvia, if they could con- 
 vince us of it, 'twould be another thing : But 
 then that alters the Cafe , that would be proper- 
 ly impelling, not Attraction , whereas the New- 
 tonian Attraction is an im mechanical Power inhe- 
 rent in all Matter- 
 
 Again, fuch a Power in Matter is inconceiv- 
 able, and beyond the Reach of our Ideas ; that is, 
 a Power of Attraction without all Contaft, Con- 
 nexion, or Tye, to bring them towards one ano- 
 ther i as when they fay, the Moon attracts the 
 Earth, and the Earth the Moon, where I am fure 
 there is no Contact, nor Chain to faften them to-, 
 gether , nor, in their Syftem, any Bodies to 
 pufh them towards one another. 'Tis alfo againft 
 
 all
 
 3t. MOSAICAL Creation. 3.33 
 
 all Experiments we can make, or fee in Nature, 
 where Bodies never draw one another, but by 
 Tome Conta<5t, Connexion, or at leaft Effluvias 
 to drive them together. A Horfe will ne- 
 ver draw a Cart, let him be clofe to it, unlefs 
 he is faftenM to it fome way or other. An im- 
 material, immechanical Power of Attractidn, in 
 a material mechanical Syftem, as ours is, feenis 
 to be againft the natural Conftitution of it ; where 
 every thing is performed by Mecbanifm : But fo 
 wonderful, and yet fo juft in its Caufes and Ef- 
 fects, that none but a Caufe of infinite Knowledge 
 could produce it, or keep it in Order. To aflerc 
 then, that one of the Foundations of this Mecha- 
 nifm betides God, is an immechartical Power of 
 Attraction, and that too inherent in mere Mat- 
 ter, is very nigh a Contradiction ; is unphilofo- 
 phical, and beyond all the occult Qualities of the 
 -Peripatetics. 
 
 JV. B. All the Reafons which deftroy imiafa 
 'Gravity, are ftill more ftrong againft fuch 
 innate Power of mutual Attraction) without 
 any Contact and Connexion. 
 The very Proof they bring for this mutual At- 
 traction is a mere Sophifm. They prove it thus, 
 For Example: Re-affion, fay they, is equal to 
 Action ; when I prefs the Table with my Thumb, 
 the Thumb is equally prefled by the Table. 
 When a Horfe draws a Cart, the Cart refills and 
 draws againft the Herfe ; and if the Cart be fupe- 
 rior to the Horfe in Weight and Bqlk, on a De- 
 clivity, it will draw back the Horfe, inftead of the 
 Horfe drawing the Cart. Admitting this, what 
 is the Confequertce ? Why, fay they, the Moon 
 {gravitates towards the Earth : But Re-action be- 
 ing equal to Action, the Earth mutt gravitate to- 
 wards
 
 \ ? *" * * *t ****%_ *Vr 
 
 334 Dijfertatiom 072 the Dill IX. 
 
 wards the Moon ; or, as they fometimes . explain 
 it, the Earth attracts the Moon : But Re-action 
 being equal to Action, therefore the Moon mud 
 attract the Earth. Very philofophical Conic- 
 quences theie ! The Fallacy is in this j there is a 
 real phyfical Contaft and Connexion between the 
 Thumb and the Table, and the Cart and theHorfe, 
 by means of the Traces, or fome Ligament that 
 ties them together : But neither Contatt^ nor 
 Chain, nor Traces, are between the Earth and the 
 Moon, to tie them together. How then, in the 
 Name of Wonder, can they attraft one another ? 
 But to mew the Fallacy of that Sophifm ftill fur- 
 ther : A Ship, for Example, is acting with full 
 fail towards the Shore : But Re-action is equal to 
 Action ; therefore the Shore is going towards the 
 Ship. If the Ship fliould run againft the Shore, 
 then indeed there would be Action and Reaction, 
 becaufe there is a real Contact ; but though the 
 Ship mould be driving towards the Shore, the 
 Shore never re-acts againft the Ship, till the Ship 
 runs againft it , which the Moon has never done 
 yet towards the Earth, as we know of. When 
 they feem to take it for granted, that the Moon gra- 
 vitates towards theEarth,the Earth and Moon to- 
 wards the Sun, &c. that is not abfolutcly certain 
 at the beft ; but is rather a mere Piece of Guefs- 
 work : And if the Reafons in the foregoing Pa- 
 ragraph about Gravitation, be true, 'tis directly 
 falfe. 'Tis certain, Bodies do defcend towards 
 the Earth, within fuch a Sphere j and very pro- 
 bably would defcend. towards the Moon, within 
 the Moon's Sphere, by fome Caufe or other ; 
 what that Caufe is, we are ftill in the Dark : But 
 whether the Moon gravitates towards the Earth.* 
 or the Earth towards the Sun* we cannot tell fo 
 
 cer-
 
 Diff. IX. MOSAICAL Creation. 335 
 
 certainly. Perhaps they are kept in by the Fluid 
 equally furrounding them on all fides ; that they 
 exert no Action towards one another : But let 
 that be as it may, they can never gravitate by 
 an innate immcchanical Bower -, much lefs can 
 they attract one another at *a Diftance, without 
 any Contact, Connexion, or Corpufcula pufhing 
 them together. Such a Power is one of the 
 greateft Chimeras in Nature ; by confequence the 
 Newtonian Syftem is vaftly deficient on that 
 Head. 
 
 But they may infift, as before, that they don't 
 trouble themfelves what the Nature of Gravity and 
 Attraction is, or the Caufe of it ; provided the 
 Operations of our Syftem are performed as if there 
 were fuch a Power of Gravitation and mutual At- 
 traction. Anfwer. This Reply, tho* feemingly 
 the fame Objection as before, is not fo, but be- 
 longs both to Gravitation and Attraction 5 chiefly 
 this laft, and is very far from being fatisfactory : 
 Becaufe, firft, It leaves us in the Dark about the 
 Caufe of Gravity, one of the moft momentous 
 Enquiries in Nature, idly, The Newtonians lay 
 down as certain, that the Planets are kept in their 
 Curves by this innate Power of Gravity. Now, if 
 there be no fuch Thing in Nature, we muft feek a 
 new Caufe why the Planets are kept in their Curves : 
 *Tis to explain an obfcure Thing by an unknown 
 obfcure Caufe, and very likely an impoflible one ; 
 as is an innate Power in mere Matter to move 
 downwards, when it is inactive, indifferent of its 
 own Nature to be moved or impelled any way. 
 How do they know, but the Planet.? might have a 
 circular Motion given -them immediately upon their 
 Creation ? why may not a circular Motion be as 
 natural as a itraight one ? Buc there is fomething 
 
 flili
 
 336 Differ fattens on the Difc I3E. 
 
 ftill more abfurd in their mutual Attraction : they 
 pretend to account for a great many Phenomena 
 by fuch an Attraction, as is abfolutely impoffible. 
 If fuch an Attraction be a mere Chimera,- as with- 
 out all Difpute it is, for the foregoing Reafons, aft 
 that part of their Syftem, and the Phenomena' de- 
 pending upon it, muft be wrong. The Reader 
 will obferve* that thefe Difficulties don't concern 
 the aftronomical part, but the phyfical, which ft 
 the Foundation of the other, and even laid down 
 by themfelves as fome of the chief Principles of 
 Nature. Thefe being wrong-, their Syftem mull 
 be deficient in that part. On the whole then, mu- 
 tual Attraction, without any Contact or Connexion 
 of Bodies, is ten times more inconceivable than Gra- 
 vitation. But there are fome other great Defects in 
 the Newtonian Syftem, as defended by thofe who' 
 pretend to be his Difciples : For Example, 
 
 3. Their great Silence, or at leaft a very poor 
 and weak Explication of the Continuation of the 
 progreffive Motion of the Planets -, viz. what can 
 be the Caufe of it, or what it is that continues their 
 perpetual ProgrefTion, without any Retardation, as 
 we can perceive, for fo many thoufand Years, and 
 likely to do fo as long as the World (hall laft, ar- 
 gues a great Defecl in this Syftem. This is the 
 chief and nobleft Operation of all Nature^ and 
 moft worthy of the Enquiry of Philofophers, par- 
 ticularly of thofe who eftablifh a new Syftem aS 
 the only true one, and the very real Syftem of the 
 Univerfe. The Planets^ fay they, are kept irt 
 their Curves, from running off in ftraight Lines, 
 by the Power of Gravity. Of this Power 
 there has been fufficiently faid already : But there 
 muft be a Power to continue them in any Motioti 
 at all : Is this an innate immcchanical Power tooi 
 
 inherent
 
 DifT IX. MOSAICAL Creation. 337 
 
 inherent in all Bodies ? The one may be almoft as 
 cafily advanced as the other. Now, this Con- 
 tinuation of the progrefEve Motion of the Planet% 
 according to the Newtonians, is founded not only 
 on a precarious Suppofitian, as well as the other, 
 but even upon a falfe one. According ro then., 
 the Planets are continued in their progreflive Mo- 
 tion, becaufe they either move in a Vacuum, or in 
 a Medium, incapable cf Refiftance. Both thefe Sup- 
 pofitions are falfe : The Earth, one of the Planets 
 according to them, undoubtedly does not move in 
 a Vacuum, nor a Medium incapable of all Re- 
 fiftance. The Earth, inftead of being in a Va- 
 cuum, is furrounded on all Sides with a ftrong and 
 jmmenfe Fluid, through its whole anmal and diur- 
 nal Courfe : which Fluid, as the learned Mr Beyle 
 has proved by repeated Experiments, is in a pro- 
 digious Squeeze and Prefilire, even in the open 
 Fields : Why then, the Earth can't be laid to 
 move in a Vacuum -, by confequence, its Motion is 
 not continued on -that Account. Nor is this Me- 
 dium, irj whick the Earth moves, incapable -of Re- 
 fiilance, when that Medium evidently refills every 
 Thing that is forced through it, as Arrows, Bul- 
 lets, &c. Befidfs, a Medium incapable of Rc- 
 fiftance, is almoft a Contradiction in Terms ; fince 
 all Mediums or Fluids, let them be ever io fine, 
 confifts x)f minute Particles of Matter. Now, the 
 cioft minute Particle of Matier, if Matter, or 
 Body, (and what can it be elfe ?) muft have its vis 
 inertia, as Sir Ifacc Newton calls it ; if touch'd, and 
 fhoved.out of its Situation, muft refift according to 
 its interior Bulk : By confequence, to advance that 
 the Planets continue in their periodical Courfes, and 
 that too with an incredible Velocity, for fuch im- 
 menfe Bulks, from the beginning of the World to 
 this time, oly becaufe they either move in Va- 
 
 Z cuum.,
 
 338 Differ tations on tfa Dill. IX. 
 
 cuum, or in a Medium incapable of Refiftance , 
 the one is directly falfe with refpect to the Earth, 
 which inconteftably does not move in a Vacuum ; 
 "and very likely with refpect to the other Planets : 
 The other part of the Disjunctive, viz. or in a 
 Medium incapable of Refiftance, is very nigh a 
 Contradiction in Terms , which in Reality is worfe 
 than acknowledging they know nothing at all of 
 it. And yet that progrejjive Motion of the Pla- 
 nets, or their continuing in Motion from the begin- 
 ning of the World, with that prodigious incon- 
 ceivable Force and Velocity againft the perpetual 
 Refiftance of die Medium, as in our Earth ; not- 
 \vithftandingtheir immenfe Bulk and Weight, which 
 according to them, pulls them down into Curves 
 or Circles : I fay, this progrefiive Motion of the 
 Planets in thefe Circumftances, is not only the 
 chief Operation of the whole Syftem, but the very 
 Life and Soul of the Univerfe, if we confider them 
 mechanically. Whereas, if we enquire of them, 
 what can be the Caufe of this ; what incredible, 
 inconceivable Power, muft continue to drive them 
 on in their periodical Courfes ? all they fay to it is, 
 that they either move in a Vacuum, or in a Me- 
 dium incapable of Refinance ; which, as was ob- 
 ferved, is rather worfe than faying nothing. Here 
 then are two enormous Defects of this Syftem ; 
 the one, that the Planets are kept in their im- 
 menfe Curves by an immechanical Power of Gra- 
 vitation and mutual Attratfion ; one of the greateft 
 Riddles in Nature, yet the diftinguifhing Cha- 
 racteriftick of the Syftem , being called, The Sy- 
 ftcw cf Attrnfti en : The other, That the progrtf- 
 five Motion of the fame Planets is continued^ by 
 their moving in a Vacuum, or in a Medium in- 
 Capable of Refiftance : Each of them void of all 
 
 manner
 
 DKT. IX. Mos A ic A L Creation. 339 
 
 manner of Foundation, as is manifeft in the Earth's 
 Morion through our Air. 
 
 4. There are fome other Defects in this Syftem, 
 which, though not quite fo glaring, ought to have 
 fome Weight with Perfons of Penetration. For 
 Example : If by attrib iting Motion to the Earth 
 inftead of the Sun, they could keep the Sun quier, 
 if I may fay fo, and in che Center of the Syftem, 
 as the other Philofophers fuppofe the Earth to be ; 
 though it is not the Center of the Orbits of Femty 
 and Mercury^ neither is the Sun the Center of the 
 particular Orbit of the Moon round the Earth; in 
 fuch a Cafe, our new Syftem would appear more 
 natural than it is at prefent : but neither of thefe 
 two Points are yet fixed by the Moderns ; that is, 
 they have not yet. fixed the Sun to be the Center of 
 the whole Syftem ; nor that he is at Reft without 
 all Motion: fince Sir Ifa&c Newton himlelf feems 
 to own, that the Son is not exactly in the Center 
 of the whole Syftem, when he fays in his Princi- 
 $ia, that the Sun is nigh .the Center of our Syftem. 
 I have not his Prindpia by me at prefent, but I 
 will (land to the Senfe : and fome of his Followers 
 own directly, that the Center of the Sun is not the 
 Center of the Syftem, Now what an immenfe 
 Diftance muft that be, if by our Calculations we 
 can perceive a Diftance from the true Center? 
 When the Patrons of the Earth being in the Cen- 
 ter of the World, though not of the Planets, en- 
 deavour to prove it, bccaufe we fee one half, or 
 nigh one half of the Heavens all around us, they 
 are anfwered by our Moderns, that the whole Bulk 
 of the Earth, nay the whole magnus orbis of it, is 
 but a mere Point with refpect to the Heavens, 
 which makes us think that we are in the Center ; 
 why then, if we can perceive a Difference between 
 the Center of the Sun and the true Center of the 
 Z 2 Syftem ,
 
 DiJJertations on tie Diff. IX. 
 Syftem, what a vaft Diftance mud the Sun be from 
 it ? What a vaft Variation mud that make in the 
 true Calculations ? Perhaps likewife our Calcula- 
 tions are wrong in the immenfe Diftances and Bulk 
 of thofe lame Planets. I believe it might be de- 
 monftrated^ that the Moon might enlighten one 
 Hemifphere of the Earth, if fhe were not fo high 
 above us by iome thoufands of Miles as flic is laid 
 to be. However, any one may comprehend, that 
 the leaft Miftake in our Calculations, in the im- 
 menfe inconceivable Diftances of fome of the Pla- 
 nets, muft amount to an immenfe Enormity ; as 
 well as how vaftly difficult it muft be to make any 
 juft Calculations, or avoid Miftakes of vaft Con- 
 fequence to the whole : fo that if we can't mark 
 where the Center is, or rather if we can fee that 
 the Sun is not in that Center, we ought to iufpend 
 our Judgments, and feek a little further. As to the 
 other Part, viz. cf the Sun's having fome Motion 
 of his own, even in our Syftem, feveral Moderns 
 allow it : as for Example, a Motion round its own 
 Center , nay, they have calculated in how many- 
 Days he performs this Motion. Now in that Sup- 
 pofition, how many thoufand Miles a Hour muft 
 any part of his outward Crb perform, confidering 
 the immenfe Diameter as is allowed him by our 
 Philofbphers ? Again, when the Sun revolves round 
 his own Center, is he tyed and faftcned to the fame 
 place like a Top ? or does his whole Bulk make 
 way, or make a Progreflion : If he is tyed to one 
 place, what is it that keeps him there, any more 
 than the Earth, which is preffed on all fides by an 
 immenfe refifting Fluid ; yet it makes a Progref- 
 fion at the Rate of a thoufand Miles an Hour. 
 If the Sun, like the Earth, makes a ProgrefPon 
 by revolving round its Center, what an immenfe 
 
 Space
 
 DuT. IX. MOSA i CAL Creation. 341 
 
 Space ma ft he perform in one Day ? On the whole 
 then, it feems mod natural to allow either the 
 Earth or the Sun to be at red, and not the whole 
 Machine to be in a perpetual Dance. The Sun, 
 by their own X^onceffions, is not at reft ; but en 
 the contrary, muft move with an unconceivable 
 Velocity, even in their Syftem , which muft argue 
 fomething wrong in the building of it. 
 
 5. Our Moderns glory in this new Syftem, as 
 if it were a peculiar Honour to our Age and Na- 
 tion to have been the Inx r entor of in. I am the 
 fartheft Man in the World from envying any Ho- 
 nour to our own Nation : but it is certain, we were 
 not the Inventors, but of the very worft patt of 
 it ; that is, the accounting for it by mutual Gra- 
 vitation and Attraction. That is our own Inven- 
 tion, as it is fometimes called the Syftem of At- 
 trattion^ which inftead of being an Honour to it, 
 is a mod unphilofophical Contrivance, very little 
 better than the different Spheres and the Primum 
 Mobile of the Amients, by which neverthelefs they 
 made mift to account for the different Motions of 
 the celeftial Orbs tolerably well. However, the 
 aftronomical part was brought to very great Im- 
 provements long before this Syftem of Attraction 
 was thought on j witnefs the Correction of the 
 Kalendar'm 1582, where very great Aftronomers 
 were concerned. The famous Tycbo Brahe was a 
 very great Man that way, with a great many others 
 before him. But I own, and to the Honour of our 
 Nation be it fpoken, our incomparable Sir Ifacc 
 Newton feems to have excelled them all in the 
 aftronomical part ; which neverthelefs can't be at- 
 tributed to any modern Invention. Nor can the 
 Earth's Motion round the Sun, inftead of the 
 Sun's round the Earth, be deemed our Invention : 
 Z 2 fume
 
 342 Dtffertatrojis on the Diff. 
 
 fome of the Antients thought of it from a very 
 early Antiquity , but the celebrated Copernicus 
 adopted it in a peculiar manner, that it is gene- 
 rally called the Copernican Syftem i but not of our 
 own Invention,, except that part, as was obferved, 
 of mutual Attraction and Gravitation ; which is 
 fo far from being an Honour to us, that notwith- 
 ftanding fo- many ran away with it at its firfb Ap- 
 pearance, on account of the fuppofed Author of 
 it, fcveral learned Men look upon k now as a very 
 ground lefs Notion, as it really is. N. 5, The 
 Author of it took it as a mere Hypothecs , and 
 did not deny, but Gravity might be caufed by 
 Ibme external Impellent* 
 
 Thefe are fome of the Defects of the Newtoniatt 
 Syftem , feveral of them, very great, and even 
 paJpable : as that of an immechanical Power in 
 mere Bodies, of mutually attracting each other ac 
 all Diftances, without any phyfical Contact.,, or Con- 
 nexion in Nature : that of the Planets being pulled 
 down into Curves,, either circular, or elliptical, by 
 an innate Power of Gravity, of which we can 
 have no Idea in mere inactive Matter ; befides its 
 explaining one obfcure Effect, by another more 
 ebfcure : that of either not accounting at all for 
 the principal and moft wonderful Effect of the 
 whole Univerfe, viz. the Continuation of the pro- 
 gre/fi'ue Motion of the fame Planets ; or account- 
 ing for ic by a palpable Inconfiftence, of either 
 moving in a Vacuum? or Medium without any Re- 
 fiftance. Not to mention their fuppofing the 
 Earth's Motion fo certain, that there could be no 
 Difficulty in it ; infomuch that fome of them ima- 
 gine it gives a handle to Free-thinkers to ridicule 
 the Scriptures, as teaching a Falmood by fuppofing 
 the Sun to move, as our common Senfes tell us it 
 
 does.
 
 DifT. IX. MOSAICAL Creation. 343 
 
 does. Whereas, fmce we Ice Ib many evident De- 
 feels in ail eftablifhed Syftems hitherto, and parti- 
 cularly in this our darling Syftem, it muft be extreme- 
 Jy rafh to blame the Scriptures for not entering into 
 any Syftem, but fpeaking according to the Report of 
 our Senfes, the common Acceptation of Men, and 
 even a$ they themfelves fpeak, when they fay, The 
 Sun is up, the Sun is down, the Sun is gone towards 
 the Weft, is now juft come over our Heads, &V. it 
 would be very pretty to fay, The Earth is rifen, 
 the Earth is down, the Earth is gone fo far Eaft- 
 ward, and the like : whereas one would think it 
 were much more rational not to carp at Heaven, 
 till we knew better whatpafies upon Earth. 
 
 There is another Syftem, or rather Conjecture 
 about the original Conftitution of our Syftem, 
 which I never few in Print, but was informed of 
 it by a very learned Man. It is ingenious enough, 
 and goes further, as to the Motion of the Planets, 
 both progrefiive and circular, than any has done, 
 as I have met with , particularly the progreflive 
 Motion, the moft difficult of all : though there 
 are fome infuperable Difficulties in it, as will be 
 feen in their proper place : and chiefly regards fe- 
 condary Caufes, not the firft productive Caufe. 
 He juftly fuppofes, the firft original Motion of the 
 Planets could not proceed from themlelves ; fo that 
 when the Matter and firft Bulk of the Planets were 
 firft created, as they could not create themfelves, 
 they could not move of themfelves any way, being 
 incapable of themfelves, and of their own Nature, 
 to move either upwards or downwards, right or 
 left, in ftraight Lines or in Curves, and intirely in- 
 different to be impelled any way : as they could 
 not move themfelves, yet fmce they are a6hially in 
 Motion, they muft either be created in Motion* or 
 
 Z 4 fee
 
 344 Differtationt en the DilT. IX. 
 
 fet a moving by GocL There feems to be no 
 more Difficulty for God to create them in Motion, 
 or giving them Motion at the fame Inftant, than 
 to create them at Reft. Perhaps the nrft Motion 
 given to them by God was circular ; or, if all Mo- 
 tion affects a ftraight Line, may be kept in Curves 
 by the Refinance and Preffure of the Fluid fur- 
 rounding them : for, though innate Gravity and 
 Attraction be a mere Chimera, yet all Fluids, and 
 every Particle of Fluids, being real Bodies, muft 
 have its Refinance -, and being preffed upon by 
 die Planets once fet in Motion, muft refill and 
 prefs back again upon the Planet, on account of 
 their mutual Contact ; that every Body furrounded 
 by a Fluid, is in a State of Preffure - r and that 
 whenever that Body fet in Motion preffes upon 
 , the Fluid, the Fluid preffes upon it and refifts its 
 Motion-, by confequence the whole is in aSta:c 
 of Preffure, or Squeeze, throughout the whole 
 planetary Syftcm , as indeed numberlefs Expert 
 ments convince us of it. Hence the firft fupreme 
 Caufe having created the whole material Syflem 
 in fuch a Squeeze and Preffure, and the fame 
 Caufe giving the firft progreffive Motion, whether 
 circular* or aiming at ftraight Lines, fmce of itfelf 
 it could have no Motion at all, as is evident, the 
 Refiftance and Preffure of the vaft Fluid furround- 
 ing the Body moved, might keep it in a Curve, 
 cither circular or elliptic ; the former feems rnoft 
 natural j as fome of our Philofophers begin to fur- 
 mife, that the Planets are moved in Circles rather 
 than Ellipfes. Be that as it will, the keeping the 
 Planets in Curves feems to be accounted for pretty 
 welt by the Refiftance, Squeeze, and Preffure of 
 the ambient Fluid ; which by the Bulk and Soli- 
 dity of ench material Particle, muft be in a State 
 
 of
 
 DhT. IX. MOSAICAL Creation, 345 
 
 of Refiftance when prefled upon -, beficle fome 
 other additional Caufe of fuch a Squeeze and 
 PreiTure, as will be iecn prefently ; as it is facl: the 
 Fluid round our Earth is in a very great Squeeze'., 
 and Prefiure. The great Difficulty dill is, what 
 it is that continues and keeps thefe great Bodies, 
 our Earth for Example, in this progreffive Motion, 
 overcoming this Refiftance, and perfifting ftill in 
 Motion, if not in a ftraight Line, at lead in a 
 Curve ? The moft unexceptionable Reafon is, that 
 it mud be moved and continued by the immediate 
 Power of the firft Caufe giving them their firft pro- 
 grefilve Motion , or elfe by fome intelligent Agents 
 deputed for that purpofe, and the continual Prefer- 
 vation of the World. I believe it might be eafily 
 proved, that fpiritual Agents can give Motion to 
 Bodies, though Bodies can't give it to themfelves. 
 God, the moft fpiritual Being in Nature, certainly 
 can : and in all probability, Angels and the Souls 
 of Men can fet Bodies in Motion. Hence the 
 great Philofopher Ariflotle^ one of the greatest 
 Speculators of Nature in the World, is. faid to 
 have held, (for I have him not by me) that the 
 progrefiive Motion of the Planets is caufed and 
 continued by Intelligences : And the learned Mon- 
 fieur Bay If thinks, that fuch Motions can't be per- 
 formed without them. His Words are : " As 
 *' for the Opinion of thofe, who admit of moving 
 " Intelligences as Affiftant Forms, I don't fee 
 * c how one can be without them : And I fancy 
 " the Copernicans will fall into it, fooner or 
 ** later, in relation to their Planets" Bayle* 
 Critical Dictionary ^ in -the Article of Riccius, 
 (Paul) 
 
 But the learned Gentleman whofe Conjectures I 
 am now giving, imagines, that the Plantts may 
 
 be
 
 346 Di/er tat ions on the DifT. IX. 
 
 be continued in Motion by mere Mechanifin, after 
 the firft Creation -, and their firft progreflive Force 
 given them by the fupreme Mover. His Conjecture is, 
 that the Sun is thcfecondary immediate Caufe under 
 God, of the Motion of the Planets, while the fame 
 Planets are kept in their Courfes by the Refiftance 
 and Squeeze ot the ambient Fluids. He fuppofes 
 the Sun as an itnmenfe Fire^ or a Congregate of the 
 rnoft fubtle and penetrating Flame, confifting of 
 the fineft Particles of all Matter. The Nature of 
 all Fire feems to confift, in a perpetual, inteftine, 
 vortical, and turbulent Motion of its Parts within 
 themfelves ; either driving out all other Matter from 
 its Vortex* when it can't convert it into its own 
 Subftance ; or by breaking them to Pieces converts 
 them into a like Finenefs and Motion with itfelf, 
 makes them become Fire; if any other Materials 
 rufh in upon it, which it can't convert into its own 
 Nature, it repels it, drives it out of its Vortex, if 
 the Body of Fire be vaftly great ; if not of force to 
 maintain its Vortex, [he does not mean a Cartefean 
 Vortex] but is over-powered by the rufhing in of 
 heterogeneous Bodies, which deftroyand diffipate 
 that inteftine, turbulent, and vortical Motion, it 
 ceafes to be Fire, and is extinguimed. Thus an im- 
 menfe Quantity of Gun-powder, as it is compound- 
 ed of Materials fitly prepared for fuch a Motion, 
 being fet on Fire, expels the ambient Fluid, and 
 every thing elfe in its Way, by its fudden and im- 
 petuous Force : But the ambient Fluid by its Re- 
 iiftance returns upon it, and difiipar.es it with fuch 
 a Collifion, as creates that enormous Sound and 
 Shock attending fuch a Collilion. Thus, even the 
 .Flame of a Candle, as long as it keeps out the am- 
 bient Fluid, and maintains its Vortex and inteftine 
 Motion, continues Flame, and even drives Bodies 
 
 from
 
 DifT. IX. MOSAICAL Creation. 34.7 
 
 from it -, but if the ambient Fluid breaks in upon it 
 two violently, though it refifts a moderate Force, 
 and repels it with a fenfible Noife, yet, a two vio- 
 lent rufhing in of the Air diflipates the vortical Mo- 
 tion, and puts it out, as much as Water would do. 
 
 'Tis certain in fact, that all Fire creates an un- 
 equal Prejjure in the ambient Fluid, while the fame 
 Fluid is prefling in upon it, to reftore an Equilibri- 
 um : This we fee by Draughts of Air made by 
 kindling Fire - t as in Smoke Jacks, as they are cal- 
 Jed. Tis not fo much the Smoke, that turns the 
 Fans, as the Air rufhing in to fill up the rarified 
 Space, or the Inequality caufed by the Fire : Since if 
 there be no perceptible Smoke, but the cleared Fire, 
 the Fans will turn by the rufhing in of the Air up 
 the Chimney, to reftore an Equilibrium : Not fo 
 much to feed the Fire, as fome vainly imagine, or 
 to turn into Fire by way of Pabulum for it, though 
 perhaps fome fulphureous Particles contained in 
 the Air may help to feed it : But the rufhing in of 
 the Air is chiefly to fill up the Inequality caufed by 
 the Fire : Hence we fee that light Bodies, as Pa- 
 per, Feathers, &c. rufh in at the fame Time ; not 
 fo much into the Fire, as up the Draught caufed 
 by that Fire ; though perhaps they may be finged, 
 as they go. 
 
 Now to apply this as a probable Conjecture : The 
 Sun, fays he, is an immenfe Body of the mod fub- 
 tle Fire, placed in the Center of the Syflem ; 
 created originally by the fupreme Caufe, in that 
 prodigious inteftine and vortical Motion of its Parts ; 
 driving out the ambient Fluid, and keeping it in fo 
 much greater Prefiure, as it would have to be ex- 
 panded in the vaft Space equal to the Sun's Diame- 
 ter ; and at the fame Time darting his Rays, which 
 are real Bodies, and real Particles of Matter, as 
 
 may
 
 Di/ert at tons on the DifT. IX. 
 
 may be proved by manifeft Reafons and Experi- 
 ments : This immenfe Fire, I fay, darting its Rays 
 with a mod incredible Velocity, and ftriking againft 
 the folid Bodies of the Planets, hanging in the Fluid, 
 and fo equally ported, that a fmall Force might 
 turn them round their own Center, and that too ac- 
 cording to the firft Direction of the Stroke given 
 by thofe luminous, but real material Particles -, 
 which darting Rays, or Strokes, continuing as long 
 as the Sun or folar Fire continues, will give to the 
 Planets a perpetual Motion round their own Cen- 
 ter. Now, if the Planet.% by revolving round 
 their Center, make Way, or any Progreflion, as 
 our Earth does, according to our modern Philofo- 
 phers, in the fame Orbit they fay it now moves, 
 there will be a conftant progreffive Motion : The 
 PrefTure of the Medium keeps them from going out 
 of their Curves , and the folar Fire, by the Force 
 of the Strokes of his Rays, not only puts and 
 keeps them in Motion, but alfo vindicating and 
 maintaining its own Sphere, by the interline and 
 vortical Motion in which it was created, i. e. in 
 the Nature of an immenfe Fire, keeps the fame 
 Planets in their conftant Situation. Thus, accord- 
 ing to their Syftem, both the progrefiive and cir- 
 cular Motion of the Planets may be accounted 
 for mechanically, and the Sun, though firft necef- 
 farily depending on the fupreme Caufe, may bd 
 efteemed the fecondary Caufe of the Motions of the 
 Planets, and the very Life and Soul cf the whole 
 material Syftem. 
 
 This Conjecture is ingenious enough, and feems 
 to give fome glimmering of what has never been 
 yet rightly accounted for. But there are very great 
 Difficulties againft it : As firft , All the Difficulties 
 againft the Earth's Motion at all, both from the 
 
 Scripture,
 
 Diff. IX. MOSAICAL Creation. ^49 
 
 Scripture, our common Senfes, Reafon and Expe- 
 riments, as there are fome very great ones, as will 
 be feen afterwards, are equally againft this Syftem. 
 idly* 'Tis hard to conceive, how the Rays of the 
 Sun ftriking againft the vaft Bulk of the Planets, 
 the Earth for Example, can have Force fufficient to 
 turn it round its own Axis, although it fhould be 
 equally poifed in a Fluid. ^dly t Though the Rays 
 of the Sun fhould have Force enough to turn the 
 Earth and the reft of the Planets round their Axes ; 
 yet if the fame Rays mould not caufe a Progreffion 
 at the fame Time, they would not anfwer the End 
 of this Hypothefis : Now though it be allowed that 
 a fmall matter might turn the Planets round their 
 Axes in the Poife, they are fuppofed to be in, yet, 
 as the Earth at leaft, if not the reft of rhe Planets, is 
 fo equally and ftrongly prefled on all Sides by the am- 
 bient Fluid, that the Sun's Rays don't feem to 
 have F'orce fufficient to caufe fuch a prodigious Pro- 
 greffion, it muft make in twenty-four Hours. 
 4//!?/y, A Body of ever fo great a Bulk may revolve 
 round its own Center, and not make Way, or 
 Progreffion ; provided it be equally prelTed on all 
 Sides. 5/^/y, Though the F'orce of the Sun's Rays 
 fhould be fufficient to caufe the Earth both to turn 
 round its Center, and make fuch a Progreffion, as 
 to finifh its annual Courfe round the Sun, in 365 
 Days, &c. it is ftill harder to conceive how the 
 fame Rays,either direft or reflecting from the Earth^ 
 can turn the Moon with all her different Motions 
 round the Earth and the Sun. 6thly, Ic feems to 
 follow from this tiypothefis, that when the Moon 
 is eclipfed by the Earth, intercepting the Sun's 
 Rays from her, (he muft (land ftill, till the Sun's 
 Rays fhall ilrike on her again , and when the Moon 
 eclipfes the Sun, and keeps great Part of the Sun's 
 
 Rays
 
 35 Differtations on the DifF. IX. 
 
 Rays from the Earth, the Earth's Motion muft be 
 retarded in that Cafe, and fo of others ; which would 
 introduce a great Confufion in our Accounts of the 
 planetary Syftem. Thefe Inconveniences alone feeni 
 to deftroy this Hypothefis. However, the Gentle- 
 man anfwered, that the Eclipfes, inftead of de- 
 ftroying his Hypothefis, rather confirm it ; and 
 perhaps may account for thofe vaft Irregularities in 
 the Motions of the Planets, which have given Phi- 
 lofophcrs fo much trouble ; as when they feem to 
 us to be fometimesj(?j/;0rtr)', without any Pro- 
 greGion in their periodical Courfes, and fometimes 
 even retrograde , &c. He thinks that thefe Eclipfes, 
 by intercepting the Rays and Force of the Sun, the 
 prime Mover under God, may be the real Occalion 
 of thofe Irregularities. But as I have not Time to 
 
 C-J 
 
 confider thefe Points fo minutely, they muft be left 
 as Hints to future Difcoveries. 
 
 But there are fome other very obvious Difficul- 
 ties againft this Hypothefis, *. e. the Nature of 
 the Solar Fire, what it is ? what is it that feeds 
 it, and keeps it up ? fince all other Fires we 
 know of, require a Pabulum to fupport them. 
 I grant, that allowing the Sun to be an immenfe 
 Fire in the Center of the Syftem, vindicating to 
 itfelf that vaft Space equal to its Diameter, and 
 darting forth its Rays all around, and by confe- 
 quence mull ftrike againft the Bulk of the Planets, 
 hanging in an equal Poife in the Fluid. Nay 
 further, by vindicating its Place and driving out 
 all other Bodies from its Sphere, muft keep the 
 ambient Fluid in a great Preffure, as the fix'd 
 Stars, if they are Suns, muft do the fame -, and 
 the immenfe Bulk of the Planets, with their im- 
 petuous Motion, muft contribute to keep our 
 Fluid in a prodigious Squeeze. That Situation is 
 the moft proper for the Purpofe ; fince, accord- 
 ing to that homely Comparison, 'tis more natu- 
 ral
 
 DiiT. IX. MOSAIC AL Creation. 351 
 
 ral that the Meat fhould turn round towards the 
 Fire, than the Fire turn round 'the Meat. But 
 ftill the Difficulty is, what can maintain and feed 
 this immenfe Fire, that it fhould not be fpent 
 out at laft, by communicating its Heat and In- 
 fluence to the reft of Nature ? To fuppofe, that 
 it is fed by Exhalations from the Tame Planets, is 
 to fay nothing ; for thefe Exhalations muft in 
 Time be exhaufted, and the Planets themfelves 
 muft be exhaufted and turned into Fire, as the 
 Aliment of all other Fires is. Now, if either 
 the Force of the Sun's Fire fhould be diminifhed, 
 or the Bulk of the Planets leffened, they would 
 either be drove into larger Curves, in cafe their 
 Bulk and Refiftance were lefTened, or if the Sun's 
 Force were diminifhed, the Refiftance of the 
 Medium would prefs them into letter Curves ; 
 or, perhaps, drive them into the Sun at laft. To 
 all this he gives an Anfwer, which though a 
 weak one, feems to be the only one as can be 
 given ; and even that is precarious, viz. That 
 the Solar Fire is the pure Elemental Fire that re- 
 quires no Aliment to keep it up like other Fires ; 
 but by its prodigious inteftine and vortical Mo- 
 tion, given originally by God, or indeed produced 
 in that State by God, it vindicates its own immenfe 
 Space, according to its Diameter, and drives off all 
 heterogeneous Bodies, as may break in upon it, and 
 put it out , as all other Fires are extinguifhed chief- 
 ly by other heterogenous Bodies breaking in upon 
 them, and by deftroying thatinteftine vortical Mo- 
 tion of its Parts, caufe it to ceafeto be Fire. Thus 
 a Torch, or the Flame of a Candle, as long as 
 it can keeps up its Confidence, continues Flame, 
 and drives out the Air, till the Flame is fepa- 
 rated; much more the immenfe Bulk of the Sun. 
 That the folar Rays are real Fire, is evident, 
 fmce being collected in a burning Qlafs or Specu- 
 lum,
 
 352 Dffirtatiom on the DliT. IX. 
 
 lum, that is, being united in one, and all other 
 heterogeneous Particles feparated from them, 
 they become a moft fierce Fire, and fet every 
 thing almoft on fire they meet with. Though 
 all thofe, as was obferved, are ingenious Thoughts, 
 yet they are far r enough from being fatisfactory, 
 taking all the Difficulties againft this Hypothecs 
 together ; and the laft Solution, viz. That the folar 
 Fire is the pure elemental Fire, (landing in need 
 of no Aliment, or Pabulum to keep it up, 
 though it may carry more Probability along with 
 it, than fome of our modern Hypothefes, yet, 
 in the main, is a little precarious. 
 
 On the Whole, by the almoft infuperable Dif- 
 ficulties and Defects in all our modern Syftems, 
 it manifeftly appears, what a vain Thing it is for 
 our modern Sceptics to reject the Scripture Ac- 
 counts, becaufe they do not feem to fquare with 
 our Notions of the World and Nature. Since our 
 moft laboured Syftems have fuch Flaws in them, 
 that our weak Reafon can never reconcile them -, 
 and, indeed, is as good as loft in endlefs Diffi- 
 culties and Contradictions, when we come to the 
 primary Ccnftituents of all merely material Com- 
 pofitions : Can we wonder then, that our weak 
 Reafon cannot comprehend the divine Myftcries 
 of Faith, and Things that belong immediately to 
 God, fo effentially fuperior to our fcanty Com- 
 prehenfions ? What we are to feek is, that God 
 has revealed them to us. 
 
 N. B. Though the Sun fhould be the primary 
 Mover of the Grand Mecbanifm^ under God i as 
 not only the Movements cf the Heavens, but the 
 conftant Production of all fublunary Species are 
 undoubtedly regulated by infinite Knowledge and 
 Wifdom ; fo 'tis impoflible to conceive how they 
 can continue to be produced, but by the fame 
 
 divine
 
 Diff. IX. MOSAICAL Creation. 353 
 
 divine Governor, either eftablifhing a conftant 
 Law and Courfe of Nature from the Beginning j 
 or rather, perpetuating his omnipotent Influence 
 over them, fince the blind Impetus of mere ftupid 
 Matter may run into great Exorbitancies. 
 
 Pbyjical Ccnjeftures concerning the FIGURE of 
 the EARTH. 
 
 This Article is only defigned to fhew, that 
 fome Moderns rafhly run away with the Notion, 
 that the diurnal Motion of the Earth makes it 
 bulge out under the Line higher than in other 
 Parts. The Reafons herein fhew, that this muft 
 be wrong with refpefl to the whole terraqueous 
 Globe. 
 
 According to public Accounts, feveral emi- 
 nent Mathematicians have been fent out to 
 difcover the Figure of the Earth , fome North, 
 fome South, fome under the Equator, and 
 between the Tropics, whofe Reports declare 
 to us, as they fay, that the Earth is more elevat- 
 ed at the Equator, and between the Tropics, 
 than towards the Poles; or, in other Words, that 
 the Diameter of the Equator is considerably 
 longer than the Axis of the Earth. 
 
 Now there are very ftrong phyfical Argu- 
 ments againft this , {hewing, that the Earth, j ene- 
 rally fpeaking, muft be more depreffed to.vards 
 the Equator, than towards the Poles , which I 
 propofe to the Confideration of the Learned, be- 
 ing ready and willing to acquiefce to better Judg- 
 ments. If thefe Arguments are conclufive, there 
 muft be fjme Miftake in the Meafurements an4 
 Calculations of thefe learned Difcoverers -, to 
 avoid which is very difficult ; fince the Girth or 
 Circle of the Earth, containing fo many thou- 
 
 A a fand
 
 354 Differ tatlom on the DifT. IX. 
 
 fand Miles in its whole Extent, fuch a Circle muft 
 recede from a ftraight Line, almoft infenfibly ; as 
 indeed all Circles do by almoft infinite Proportions ; 
 that: by all our external Senfes, a Segment of the 
 Equator, or of any great Circle of the Earth of fe- 
 veral Miles Extent, will appear to us almoft as a 
 ftraight Line ; though Part of a real Circle all the 
 while. This muft make it vaftly difficult to de- 
 termine the Point in Queftion by Geographical 
 Meafurements. I mean ftill with refpec"t to the 
 whole terraqueous Globe : Though fome particular 
 Parts of it may be more elevated towards the Equa- 
 tor ; but that is nothing to the whole : So fome 
 Parts may and muft be elevated towards the Poles, 
 where they recede from the Sea. 
 
 'Tis not to be doubted, but that there are great 
 Irregularities in the Surface of the Earth, and fome 
 Parts of the Earth may rife, or be more elevated 
 under the Equator, than towards the Poles ; and 
 vice verfa ; but fhefe are all partial, or local, and 
 but a Trifle to the whole. 'Tis alfo certain that the 
 Earth is fhelving or deprefled towards all Arms, or 
 Branches of the Sea, whether they run towards the 
 Poles, or between the Tropics j and the Earth 
 muft rife in fome Proportion, as we recede from 
 thofe Arms of the Ocean : that if an Arm or Branch 
 of the Sea extends itfelf nigh the Poles of the World , 
 the Parts of the Earth from that Arm of the Earth 
 ftretching towards the Poles, muft go rifing to- 
 wards the Equator : Bat thefe, as was faid, are 
 only Partial, and a Trifle with rcfpect to the 
 whole. 
 
 Though it mould be certain that fome Parts of 
 the Earch at the Equator, and nigh either of the 
 Tropics, mould be higher in fome Place?, as I 
 believe fome Parts of the Earth really are ; yet there 
 
 is
 
 Diff. IX. MOASICAL Creation. 35$ 
 
 is a vaftly greater Extent of the Earth towards the 
 quator and between the Tropics, which runs 
 Jhehing and deprejj'ed towards thole Circles, as will 
 be feen prefently ; which abundantly counter-ballan- 
 ces any Rifing or Elevation of fome particular Parts 
 of the Earch about the Equator ; and by Confe- 
 quence fiich Rifmgs muft be efteemed as mere par- 
 tial and local Irregularities of the Earth's Surface. 
 Notwithstanding which it will appear, that the ter- 
 raqueous G'obe, on the whole, is more deprefled to- 
 wards the Equator and between the Tropics, than 
 as we recede from them ; and by Confequence, that 
 the Girth and Circle of the whole terraqueous 
 Globe there, has a fhorter Diameter, than the 
 Axis of the fame terraqueous Giobe, taken in the 
 whole, for the following Reafons. 
 
 i. 'Tis well known to Geographe-rs and ikil- 
 ful Navigators, that the main Ocean lies about the 
 Middle of the Earth, moftly under the Line, 
 or between the Tropics : Though we are to 
 wind about fome great Promontories, in the Voyages, 
 yet we can fail round the terraqueous Globe, and. 
 come to the fame Place whence we fet out : The 
 chief Part of which Voyage, will be between the 
 Tropics ; or not far wide of them either Way, 
 till we turn into fome Arms of this main Ocean, 
 which lead to particular Countries. Hence the 
 main Ocean is like a Girdle, round the M.ddle of 
 the Earth , bating fome great Promontories ; as 
 the Cape of Good Hope, one Way ; the Parts Q 
 Magellan and Chili j the North-weft Part of Califor- 
 nia ; and perhaps the North Eaftern Parts of Sibe- 
 ria and T art cry ; that if there were a Cut through 
 the Ifthmus of Darien, into the South-Sea, and an- 
 other through the Cape of GocdHope^ we might fail 
 round tht, Terraqueous Globe, keeping Hill between, 
 A a 2 or
 
 356 Di/ertatiemon the DifT. IX. 
 
 cr not far off the Tropics. However, as it is, 
 the greateft Part by far of this watry Girdle is un- 
 c ] er the Line, and between the Tropics. There is 
 therefore an immenje Channel, or Bed of immenfe 
 Depth for this watry Girdle round the Middle of 
 the Earth ; or at leaft the greateft Part of it : and 
 the Surface of thofe immenfe Waters muft be lower 
 than the Lands furrounding them. Now thefe Wa- 
 ters lying chiefly round the middle of the Earth, 
 under .the Line* and between the Tropics ; by 
 Confeqnence the watry Parts at leaft of the terra- 
 queous Globe muft be more deprefied towards the 
 Equator, than the Land towards the Poles -, and 
 by a further Confequence, the Parts of the Land 
 round this wain Ocean, though higher than the 
 Ocean, undoubtedly do lie Jhelving and floping, 
 on the whole, towards this immenfe Channel, or 
 hollow Bed of the Ocean : This being, as was (hewn, 
 chiefly under the Line and between the Tropics ; 
 it is very natural to believe, that the Earth is melv- 
 ing, or deprefled towards the Equator. 
 
 2. This is ftill confirmed by the greateft Part 
 of the Rivers of the Earth running either directly, 
 or indirectly, into this immenfe Channel > and it is 
 no lefs certain, that Rivers, though fbme of their 
 Courfes are of vaft Extent, yet never run up-hill, 
 or at leaft higher than their Sources, unlefs by 
 Force ; by Confequence they ftill run down-hill 
 towards this Channel from their Sources ; and if 
 we were to follow them from their Spring Heads 
 till they difembogue into the Ocean, we muft go 
 downwards or (helving along with them, towards 
 this great Channel, lying chiefly about the Equator, 
 or between the Tropics. Why then the Earth is 
 (helving, or deprefTed, for numbers of Miles to- 
 wards this Channel ; and as this Channel cuts the 
 
 Earth
 
 Diff, IX. MOSAICAL Creation. 357 
 
 Earth in the Middle, and runs almoft round that 
 Middle, though with great Irregularities-, on Ac- 
 count of the irregular Promontories of the Earth, 
 xvhile the Rivers run down into it quite round the 
 .Globe, the Earth mtift be fhelving towards this 
 Channel lying chiefly under the Line and between 
 the Tropics, quite round the Globe alfo, viz. as 
 far as this watry Girdle farrounds it , which mak- 
 ing by far the greateft Part of the Girth of the ter- 
 raqueous Globe, and that too between the Tropics, 
 the Diameter of this Girth muft be fliorter than the 
 Axis pf the terraqueous Globe. 'Tis true the 
 Brandies of this immenfe Channel extend themielves 
 towards both the Poles, and the Land is (helving 
 towards thofe Branches on all Sides, as Rivers run 
 into them \ yet the f$ain $ed of thefe \Yaters 
 is under the Line and between the Tropics, while 
 the Rivers run into this main Bed on all Sides ; 
 and indeed is. tfye Center of them ? as we {hall fee 
 by and by. 
 
 That the greateft Part of th'e Rivers round the 
 Globe run into this vaft Bed, and that too between 
 the Tropics, as a great many do under the Line, 
 may be feen by the beft Maps, both in the Eaftprn 
 and Weftern Parts of the World j as alfo by the 
 Enumeration of thofe Rivers, ift. In the Eafttru 
 Parts the great River Euphrates, with its immenfe 
 Courfc, taking in the figris^ a vail River alfo, 
 and Numbers of other great Rivers falling info 
 both of them, defcending from the North, and 
 pouring into the Perfian Gulph very nigh our Tro- 
 pic. 2dly, The Indus 9 Hydafpes* with the vaft 
 River of Ganges^ the Rivers from the Great Mo- 
 gut's Country, chiefly within the Tropie , tlie 
 Rivers of Slant) Ton^um^ Cochin -Chin,- &c. al- 
 moft under the Line, overflowing like the Nile.: 
 A a 3 Hvea
 
 3 5 8 Di/ertatiom on the. DifT. IX. 
 
 Even the immenfe Rivers of China bend very nigh 
 the Tropic into the Eaftern Ocean. ^dty, In Afri- 
 ca, the River of Sennigall, which moft take for 
 the prodigious River of Niger, runs down from 
 the Heart of Africa, and falfs into the Ocean with- 
 in the Tropics, as do all the reft of the Rivers of 
 that Part of Africa,, till we come to the South- 
 ern Tropic ; then making the Promontory of 
 the Cape of Good Hope, we return within the 
 Tropics again, till we come to the Eaftern Iflands, 
 where all rhe Rivers and Streams in that im- 
 menfe Tract, fall into the Ocean between the Tro- 
 pics, or under 'the Line. ^.thly, The greateft 
 Rivers of America, as the River of Amazons, and 
 all the Rivers of Brafil, except the River of Plata^ 
 and even that bends towards the great Ocean of 
 Brajil, which is within the Tropics : The great 
 River of MtJJifflppi, and all the Rivers that run in- 
 to it, pour down from the North-can: of New Mexi- 
 co towards that great Channel, as do moft of the 
 Rivers. of the Gulphs of Mexico and Florida, which 
 all tend towards the fame Tropic. That as was 
 obferved before, if we could but cut through the 
 Promontory of the Cape of Good Hope, and the 
 Ifthmus "of Darien, we might fail quite round the 
 terraqueous Globe, keeping in that 'immenfe Chan- 
 nel, ftill between or not far off the Tropics ; which 
 makes it evident, that all the Lands round that im- 
 menfe Tradt muft be fhelving and finking down- 
 wards to that vaft Girdle of Waters furrounding 
 the terraqueous Globe. 
 
 3. 'Tis allowed now by all, that the Tides are 
 caufed b'y the Prefiure, or at leaft by fome Opera- 
 tions of the Moon on the vaft Bed of Waters lying 
 between the Tropics. By whatfoever Ways and 
 Means the Moon afts upon the Ocean, 'tis certain 
 
 the
 
 Dili*. IX. MOSAIC At Creation. 359 
 
 the Tides are iorced up from that great Bed of Wa- 
 ters againft the Streams of Rivers, and even drive 
 the Rivers back from their natural Courfe for a 
 Time ; when that Force, whatever k be, is over, 
 after a little Stand, the Rivers recover their Courfe 
 again ; and the Tides run back of themfelves, with- 
 out any external Force, but the Refiftance of the 
 Rivers and Shores, to compel them back again, as 
 was required to bring them In : When that Force is 
 paft, they naturally fall back again, becaufe they 
 are running downwards towards chat great Channel, 
 and Bed of Waters where they center ^ and need 
 no further Force to drive them back, as they did to 
 bring them on. 'Tis undoubted, I fay, that when 
 the Tides come in, they are forced up by fome ex- 
 ternal Caufe, and run, if the ExprefTion may be 
 allowed, up-hill, becaufe they run a confiderable 
 Way up the Rivers, and drive them back ; where- 
 as all Rivers run downwards , but when that Force 
 is removed, they run back of their own accord down 
 into the main Ocean again ; where they would lie, 
 if fome external Caufe did not drive them up to- 
 wards the Rivers and Shores. Again* if you ob- 
 ject that the Tides run back by Rebound, or by 
 fome Spring of Eiafticity, or by their own Weight, 
 &c. it is allowed ; that may be Part of the Caufe, 
 and keep them in play for fome Rebounds : But 
 it is certain, that thejbelving of the Land, Rivers, 
 and Channel, is another great Caufe of their run- 
 ning back,and of the Reflux. As it is certain they run 
 downwards with the Currents of the Rivers, till the 
 fame Force brings them on again ; 'tis alfo certain, 
 if there were nor fuch Force originally, to pufh and 
 drive the Waters out of the main Ocean up again(t 
 the Streams and Beds of the Rivers, which are cer- 
 tainly fhelving downwards, there they would lye 
 A a 4 - * n
 
 360 Differ tafions on the DifT. IX. 
 
 in their vaft Bed, without Flux or Reflux, at lean: 
 after the Rebounds of the firft Impuife were over ; 
 unlefs that Force were repeated again continually, 
 to drive them out of their natural Bed, to run up 
 againft the Streams of the Rivers. But at their 
 Return, the Rifmg of the Earth, as they recede 
 from that great Channel, drives them back into the 
 main Ocean. 
 
 This is alfo confirmed by Courfe of the Moon $ 
 whether me caufes the Rifing of the Tides by Pref- 
 fure, or Attraction , without the joint Action of 
 the Sun, or with it ; that does not belong to 
 this Difficulty , though fuch an Attraction has been 
 fhewn to be a mere Chimera. I fuppofe the Sun 
 and Moon muft fuck up the Waters, and fo let 
 them drop down again, to make them run up to 
 the Shores. But, I fay, whether the Tides are 
 raifed originally by DepreiTion, or Elevation by the 
 joint Action of the Sun and Moon, or' by the Moon 
 alone, (for it is certain they accompany the Moon 
 in a wonderful manner) 'tis much a cafe in this 
 Place ; fince that Action of the Moon or Sun upon 
 the Waters, is within the Tropics : Nor is the 
 Moon or Sun directly over the Waters, but within 
 the faid Tropics -, by confequence, there is the firil 
 Impuife that drives them up to the Shores, while 
 the Rifing and Refinance of the fame Shores fends 
 them back in the Reflux of their own Accord, with- 
 out any other Impuife or Force to drive them back, 
 as was required to bring them on ; fince they run 
 down-hill, like the Rivers, into that vaft Bed be- 
 tween the Tropics, where they all center ; and 
 remain there, after Tome Rebounds, unlefs fome 
 external Force drove them out again. 
 
 Hence it is certain, that there is an immenfe 
 Channel, and Fall of a prodigious Depth and 
 Breadth between the Tropics, almoft round the 
 
 Earth,
 
 Diff.IX. Mos A ic AL Creation. 36* 
 
 Earth, bating the Promontories, as mentioned be- 
 fore : And as thofe Tropic?, by a round Compu- 
 tation, are at leaft between forty and fifty Degrees 
 diftant from one another, this Channel and Fall 
 muft be of that Breadth at leaft, yet are lower than 
 the Land ; as it is no lefs certain, that the Land 
 rnuft be Ihelving and finking down towards this 
 Channel, from the Courfe of the vaft Rivers run- 
 ning into it, almoft round the Earth : The Dia- 
 meter then of this Valley going round the Earth as 
 a Girdle, muft be fhorter than the Axis of the 
 terraqueous Globe. There is no need of account* 
 ing for irregular and particular local Tides, or the 
 Courfes of fome Rivers, occafioned by particular 
 Situations, or any local Elevation of fome Parts of 
 the Earth. Thofe are Trifles to the whole ; but 
 it is indubitable, that there is fuch an immenfe 
 Channel and Fall, almoft round the Earth, to- 
 wards the middle of it. 'Tis true, there are great 
 Irregularities in this Channel, both as to the Extent 
 and Depth of it ; with different Elevations in it, 
 fo as perhaps to contain vaft Mountains and Dales 
 in its Bofom ; but in the whole, it is vaftly more 
 deprefled than the whole of the Lands receding 
 from it. If fo, the Figure of the Earth muft be a 
 vaft Sphere, or, if you pleafe, an oblong Spheroid, 
 with a wide (helving Fall in the middle of it ; and 
 indeed of an immenfe Profundity, and even Extent 
 and Breadth in fome Parts ; of which there can 
 be no rational Difpute. 
 
 Hence alfo fome of our Moderns muft have been 
 premature in their Judgments, not only with refpect 
 to the Figure of the Earth, but particularly when 
 they advance, that the Elevation of the Globe at 
 the Equator is caufed by the diurnal Rotation of 
 the Earth round its Center, with greater Rapidity 
 of the Parts between the Tropics, than towards 
 
 the
 
 362 Di/er tat tons on the Diff. IX, 
 
 the Poles. In all Appearance, 'tis a wrong Sup- 
 pofition -, fince 'tis Fact, that great Channel is 
 chiefly between the Tropics, and the adjacent Parts 
 of the Earth are fhelving towards it, and all around 
 it, as is evident by the running of the Rivers into 
 it, &e. Let them alfo confider, whether fuch a 
 Figure of the Earth, and fuch a vaft Fall towards 
 that Channel in the middle of the Earth, can be 
 proper for fuch a rapid Motion round its Center. 
 J don't deny, but part of the Lands between the 
 Tropics, where they recede from the Ocean any 
 way, muft be more elevated as they recede from 
 any Seas, as in the parts of Africa upwards from 
 the Cape of good Hope, part of Rrafil, the JJthmns 
 of Darien, &c. And indeed, if the Ocean runs 
 croft-ways, 'thro* the Poles, the Land muft rife 
 ftill fromwards thofe Arms of the Ocean ; and in 
 thofe Point?, the Meafurements of thefe Gentlemen 
 fent out tor that Purpofe, may be right : But what 
 is that to the Extent of the Ocean between the 
 Tropics ? and the fhelving of the Earth towards 
 that immenfe Channel, almoft round the Earth in 
 the middle of it, and even crofs-ways tov/ards the 
 Poles, where the Land is ftill fhelving towards thofe 
 immenfe Channels : That in Fact the known Situa- 
 tion of thofe Parts, inftead of being an Argument 
 of the Earth's diurnal Rotation round its Axis, is 
 a natural Indication that it is very unfit for fuch a 
 Rotation, So far are our modern Difcoveries from 
 invalidating any Scriptural Accounts of the Earth. 
 N. B. What is faid above, is ftill with refpect to 
 the whole terraqueous Globe ; in refpect of which, 
 any local and partial Elevations are Trifles. With- 
 out fuch a Declivity and Shelving towards the Seas, 
 there would be no Rivers, as is proved afterwards. 
 But though the returning of the Tides into that 
 great Bed of the main Ocean, where, after fome 
 
 Re-
 
 pill*. IX. MOSAICAL Creation, 363 
 
 Rebounds, they would remain, unlefs fbme exter- 
 nal Force impelled them out again, feems to de- 
 termine the Point, viz. that the main Ocean is 
 lower in the whole, than the Bulk of the Earth ; 
 yet it is another Queftion, Whether the Tides are 
 primarily caufed by Elevation or Deprejjion ? i. e, 
 Whether they are drawn up firll by fome invifible 
 Caufe, and then fvuanking down again, are drove 
 up to the Shores ; or whether they are firft prefTed 
 down by the Moon patting over them, and by that 
 PrefTure caufing the Flux ? One of thefe two ways 
 is all that has been brought hitherto for that great 
 Phenomenon. To imagine that the Moon, or, if 
 you pleafe, the Sun jointly with her, attract the Seas 
 upwards out of their natural Beds, or, more pro- 
 perly, fuck them up, (for what can it be elfe ? ) is 
 fuch an Affion in diftans, without any Contact, Con- 
 nexion, or Chain, to tye them together, or fuch a 
 Power in mere Matter, as is beyond the Stretch of 
 our Ideas to conceive. The Moon might hang 
 over the Waters for ever, anjd never draw them up 
 towards her ; but wherever her vaft Bulk pafies 
 over them, me muft keep the Medium between 
 her Bulk and thofe Waters in a greater Squeeze 
 than it was, when me is away , which Squeeze muit 
 prefs the Waters more than they were before, and 
 of confeqtience drive them towards the Extremities. 
 However that be, fuch an attracting Power, or 
 even Tendency to fuch an Action, as there muft 
 be a real Attion in diftans, if the Waters were 
 really attracted by her, as we can never conceive in 
 mere inert ftupid Matter. Thus, a Grain of Sand 
 might lie within an Inch of the greateft Mountain in 
 the World, and never be attracted by it, unlefs 
 fome Forpe, or fome Effluvia drove it to the 
 Mountain. In like manner, if the Moon were to 
 Jiang over the Waters, her mere Bulk would never 
 
 attract
 
 364 Dijfertations on the DlfT. IX. 
 
 attract the Waters towards her. Hence thofe Phi- 
 lofophers muft be in the wrong, who imagine that 
 the Seas are higher than the Land, as caufed by 
 fuch an Attraction of the Moon, or the Sun, or 
 all the Planets together ; fince it is evident, fuch 
 an attractive Power cannot be in mere Matter, 
 while it remains mere Matter. They might better 
 advance with the Vulgar, that the Sea is higher 
 than the Land, becaufe looking from the Shore, 
 they fee it rife ftill higher and higher, till it meets 
 the Horizon, or feems to join up to the Skies : 
 But does it really reach up to the Skies? or, 
 is it only caufed by the Refraction of the Rays of 
 Light? As to Attraction, People may be led in- 
 to fuch a Notion, becaufe they fee fome Bodies do 
 attract one another, as the Magnet, Amber, and 
 the like : But may not here be fecret Efluvias be- 
 tween and round fuch Bodies, which may either 
 pufh. them together, or, by driving out the am- 
 bknt Fluid, the prodigious Squeeze of that 
 Fluid may drive them together. Be that as it 
 may, the Sea is neither attracted by the Planets, 
 in their Senfe, nor is it raifcd higher than the Land 
 by fuch an Attraction : nor indeed does it feem to 
 be higher than the Land on any account, fince not 
 only Rivers run down into it, but even its own 
 Waters in the Tides run down into it, as into its 
 natural Bed and Channel, when once the external 
 Force is taken off. 
 
 TENTH
 
 DhT. X. MOSAICAL Creation. 36^ 
 
 TENTH 
 
 DISSERTATION. 
 
 Phyfical Reafons againft the Motion 
 of the Earth. 
 
 Theft are chiefly to Jhew, that the Scriptures 
 are not to* be blamed, for fuppojlng the Sun's 
 Motion, not the Earth's. 
 
 i. OOME modem Enemies of the Holy Scrip- 
 l^ tures raife Objections againft them, be- 
 caufe they feem to eftablim, or at leaft, fuppofe 
 the Motion of the Sun, and not that of the 
 Earth. 'Tis impofllble, fay they, that what is 
 contrary to the Laws of the Univerfe, mould be 
 the Object of Revelation. But is it fo abfolutely 
 certain, that the Earth is daily and hourly danc- 
 ing through an immenfe, refilling Fluid, as our 
 Atmofphere is, at the Rate of a thoufand Miles 
 an Hour, at leaft? without affigning any Caufe 
 to drive it on, at that prodigious Rate, or con- 
 tinue and preferve its Motion, in fpite of the Re- 
 fiftance of the Atmofphere, which is certainly a 
 grofs refifting Medium, at leaft thofe Parts of it 
 encompafling the Earth are vifibly fo. Yet our 
 Moderns take it for granted, and run away with 
 the Notion Hand over Head, that it is the Earth 
 that moves round the Sun all the while, and look 
 
 upon
 
 366 Donations on tie Dill- X; 
 
 upoo all as ignorant in Philofophy, who imagine! 
 the contrary. But, I fay, is it abfolutely cer- 
 tain, that the Earth is dancing round the Sun 
 yearly and hourly ? And we ourfelves are whirl- 
 ing Head over Heels, as we fhall fee prefently, 
 at the Rate of a thoufand Miles an Hoar, at 
 leaft ? Can there be no rational Doubt of this ? 
 Are there no Flaws in this modern Syftem ? As 
 'tis confefled there are very great ones in the an- 
 tient Syftem ; yet the Followers of the antienc 
 Syftem accounted for moft of the celeftial Phe- 
 nomena tolerably well ; in fome Points better 
 than the Moderns, in others not fo wel 1 , and in- 
 deed bungiingly enough; But, were all the 
 learned Aftronomers, till Copernicus'* Time, fuch 
 Dotards as not to fee, that the Earth moved in- 
 ftead of the Sun, when they made fuch learned 
 Calculations of the Motions of the heavenly Bo- 
 dies, and adjufted their principal Appearances to 
 fuch a Degree as have laid the Foundation for 
 the Improvements we have made fince. Some of 
 our modern Difcoveries muft be owned to be 
 great Improvements : But that of the Earth's an- 
 nual and diurnal Motion is neither of Englijh 
 Growth, nor a modern Difcovery, if it may be 
 called a Difcovery, rather than a philofophical 
 Paradox ; being known to, and rejected by the 
 greateft Aftronomers of the foregoing Ages ; 
 which muft be a very natural Indication, that the 
 modern Syftem is not fo extrinfically certain as 
 our Moderns would make us believe : But 
 
 2. Let us reckon up the great Names of thofe 
 Philofophers, who muft have rejected the Syftem 
 of the Earth's Motion, when they embraced the 
 Solar : fuch as the famous Ptolemy^ Author of 
 the Ptolomaic Syftem ; a clumfy one inc'eed, but 
 accounted for the Motions of the heavenly Bodies, 
 
 except
 
 t)iff. X. MOSAICAL Creation. 367 
 
 except Venus and Mercury^ to fuch an Exaftnefs, 
 as could fcarce be expected from his wooden Con- 
 trivances of fo many different Spheres, Epicycles, 
 Excentrics, &c. not to mention Melon, Hyparcbus^ 
 and others long before him. Then* the learned 
 School of Alexandria^ from whence the World 
 chiefly derived their aftronomical Calculations. 
 After them, to come nearer thefe Parts of Eu- 
 rope , King Alphonfus the Wife, who is fuppofed 
 to have made the Alponjine Tables, was certainly 
 a great Aftronomer, and well apprifed of the 
 moft difficult and intricate Points of the celeftial 
 Syftem, of whom that blafphemous Speech is re- 
 corded, viz. That if he had been by at the fram- 
 ing of the Syftem, he could have made it better. 
 There were other great Men in that Science, 
 about, and after his Time; Johannes Regiomon- 
 tanus, our Johannes a Sacro Bofco, Friar Bacon* 
 the learned Chriftopher Clavius y who* was chiefly 
 infr.ru mental in correcting the Kalendar : but 
 above all, the celebrated Tycho Brahe, a noble 
 Dane of the Blood Royal, and of the Reformed 
 Religion ; he was certainly one of the greateft 
 Aftronomers in the World ; was furnifhed wifh 
 the beft Inftruments for Obfervation ; he fpent his 
 whole Time in that Study, he built an Obferva- 
 tory exprefly for it, and called it Uranofarg, or, 
 a Caftle to view the Heavens ; he invented the 
 tfychonic Syftem, called fo from his Name, which 
 remedies the greateft Difficulties in the Ptolomaic 
 Syftem, viz. by eftablifhing the Motions of Ve- 
 nus and Mercury round the Sun indeed ; but not 
 taking in the Earth, in their Orbits ; as the Sa- 
 tellites of Jupiter move round that Planet; and 
 with him round the Earth and the Sun. Now, 
 as it is certain thefe Philofophers could not be ig- 
 norant of the Alternative, whether the Sun, or 
 
 the
 
 368 Dijer fat tons on the Dili. X. 
 
 the Earth moved, fo they embraced the firft, and 
 -rejected the laft. How then can the Earth's Mo- 
 tion be fo certain, as fbme of our Moderns would 
 make us believe, when fuch great Philofophers 
 both knew of that Syftem, viz. of the Earth's 
 Motion, which was thought of long before Coper- 
 nicus's Time, and rejected it. 
 
 But, left thefe Gentlemen mould object, that 
 the above mentioned Philofophers were led away 
 by the reigning Opinions of thofe Times, with- 
 out confidering the true Syftem. By the Bye, 
 may not the fame be objected to the Moderns, 
 who run away with new Opinions, becaufe of fome 
 leading Men amongft them ? To obviate this, 
 Jet us confider, whether fome of our late greateft 
 Philofophers were not dubious of the Earth's Mo- 
 tion, and only looked upon it as a more plain 
 and fimple Hypothefis, than the intricate and 
 complexed Ptolomaic Syftem , but far enough 
 from being the true Syftem of Nature, as thofe 
 Moderns, who pretend to be their Difciples, do. 
 On which account I mail mew, that the greateft 
 Names among our Moderns, would not affert, 
 in Fact, either the Earth's Motion, or the Sun's -, 
 but look upon it as one of the Enigmas of Na- 
 ture, perhaps never to be certainly determin- 
 ed by Men. This is the Opinion of the cele- 
 brated NewentyC) Author of the Religious Pbilofo- 
 pber, one of the moft learned and compleat Works 
 of its Kind that ever was wrote. One fees by it, that 
 he was not only a great Naturalift, but a thorough 
 Philofopher, in every Branch of that Science ; a 
 great Aftronomer, Mathematician, and Geometri- 
 cian, underftood Hydroftatics, Hydraulics, Optics, 
 fcfr. and that too in a mafterly Manner, as his 
 Works manifeft to all. They have been tranflat- 
 ed into different Languages, and publifhed from 
 
 the
 
 DifT. X. Mos A ic A L Creation. 369 
 
 the Original by John Chamberlain, Efq-, Fellow 
 of the Royal Society. This great Philofopher in 
 his XXIXth Contemplation of unknown Things, 
 makes this the Title of his Vth Section. *~Tis un- 
 known, Whether the Earth or the Sun moves. The 
 Title of his Vlth Section is, Such Ignorance proceeds 
 from the Difagreemcnt of great Aftronomers. The 
 Title of the Vllth Section is, Becaufe great Aflro- 
 nomers do themfehes own, that they are uncertain 
 about this Matter, i. e. the Sun's Motion, where 
 he quotes even Sir Ifaac Newton as dubious of 
 the Matter, the famous Hugens, Monfieur La 
 Hire, Dr. Gregory's Aftronomy, P. Herigonus 
 Curfus Mathemat. Varignon and others, and even 
 Copernicus himfelf. The Title of his Vlllth Sec- 
 tion is, Becaufe the PARALAX/^W the annual Mo- 
 tion is uncertain. And finally, in his IXth Sec- 
 tion, the Title is, Nothing can be inferred from the 
 Exprejfions of the greatefy Aftronomers about the 
 Earth's Motion. N.ewentyt. Rel. Philofoph. Vol. III. 
 in fine. I mould have mentioned what the fame 
 great Author fays in his Xlth Section, *viz. that 
 the Simplicity of an Hypothefis is not always an 
 Argument for its Truth ; meaning, that though 
 the Earth's Motion is a more fimple Hypothefis, 
 yet that does not make it a true one -, whereas 
 .our Moderns run away With it, as if th-Karth's 
 Motion was certain Fact ; contrary to their great 
 and modeft Matter* Sir Ifaac Newton, who only 
 fpeaks of it as an Hypothefis, allowed both by 
 him, and the greateft Men of the laft'Age, to be 
 dubious, and undeterminable, by all our Know- 
 ledge hitherto ; and not only that, but our Free- 
 thinking Dablers in Science make an Objection of 
 it againft the holy Scriptures, as if they were, 
 blameable for not afierting a Syftem acknow- 
 ledged to be undeterminable by our greateft Phi- 
 lofophers. Bwt to confider feme prhcr Reafons 
 B b befidcs
 
 370 DiJJertatiom on the Diff. X. 
 
 befides Authorities, why the Hypothefis of the 
 Earth s Motion ought to be look'd upon as pre- 
 carious, not to fay unnatural, as to all phyfical 
 Reafons ; which our Moderns feem to neglect too 
 much, and run into endlefs Calculations about 
 the Motions of the Planets, too far out of our 
 Reach to come to any Certainty as to the real Syf- 
 tem of Nature. To begin then with the moft ob- 
 vious firft. N. B. Moft of the following Argu- 
 ments are only brought as probable Conjectures 
 againft the Earth's Motion ; and the* fome of 
 them are common, yet they have never been, 
 thoroughly anfwered, viz. 
 
 3. The Teftimony of our Senfes againft the 
 Motion of the Earth ; which, though perhaps 
 not demonftrative, are fufficient to convince any 
 Man, that the Copernican Syftem, judged by him- 
 felf, as we have feen from Newentyt, to be only 
 an Hypothefis, is not fo very evident as our Mo- 
 derns would have us believe. We have the Tefti- 
 monies of all our Senfes, at lead our Eyes and 
 Feeling* that/the Sun moves, and not the Earth. 
 We fee him rife in the Eaft, and mounting higher 
 every Hour, We fee the fame Sun fet in the 
 Weft, tho' we ourfelves ftand ftock ftill. Now 
 we fee him on one fide of us ; by and by we find 
 he is moved to the other fide. If we keep look- 
 ing towards the Eaft, in the Morning he burns our 
 Faces ; in the Evening our Backs, unlefs we turn, 
 ourfelves. Nay* in the longeftDays we find, he al- 
 moft moves quite round us , yet 'tis we r forfooth, 
 thatt move all the while, though we ftand ftock ftill. 
 Nay, tho' in their precarious Suppofition we 
 mould be whirling headlong from Weft to Eaft, 
 yet we don't perceive that we move round upon 
 our Heels, to make the Sun appear to go quite 
 round us, as he aimoft does in the longeft Days. 
 Again, we fet up Marks y we ercft Dials and 
 
 Gnomons
 
 Diff. X. MOSAICAL Creation^ 371 
 
 Gnomons in all Pofitions, to (hew and mealure 
 his Motions ; yet we muft fuppofe that the D.als 
 and Gnomons move all the while, not the Sun i 
 yet thefe remain motionlefs, not only by all our 
 Senfes, but by all the Experiments we can make ; 
 and this in all Parts of the World at all Times. 
 I know they fneer at this Argument from our 
 Senfes, and fay with the Poet, < Terr<zque urbefque 
 recedunt : The Earth and Towns move as we fail 
 by them. But they may as well fay, when we 
 fee a Stone fall to the Earth from the Top of 
 a Houfe* that the Earth moves towards the Stone, 
 not the Stone towards the Earth. 'Tis true our 
 Senfes tell us, that it is the Stone that moves : 
 Why, do not the fame Senfes tell us, that the 
 Sun rifes and moves from Eaft to Weft ; as 
 much as they tell us, that the Stone moves, or 
 an Arrow towards the Butt ? If our Senfes may 
 be deceived in one Cafe, why not in the other ? I 
 am fure the Sun appears to all our Senfes to move 
 round the Dial, not the Dial round the Sun, as 
 much as the Stone feems to fall towards the 
 Earth. If every Man that is born in this World 
 fees the Sun move round him, yet is deceived, he 
 may as well be deceived in all the Motions he 
 fees round about him ; that when he is walking 
 towards a Mountain, he does not know but the 
 Mountain is coming towards him. I know they 
 will fay, thefe are vulgar Prejudices ; that the 
 Sun would appear to our Senfes to move, if the 
 Earth moved in fact, and the Sun were at reft ; 
 or, if we were in the Moon, or one of the Pla- 
 nets, we mould fee our Miftake, and tha$ it is 
 the Earth moves, not the Sun, &c. As to this 
 laft, I mail fay nothing of it, till we get up to 
 thofe Planets. But it feems certain, that if the 
 Earth moves, and not the Sun, all our Senfes are 
 deceived from the Beginning of the World to this 
 B b 2 Day 5
 
 372 Di/ertations on the Diff. X. 
 
 Day -, and that againft all the Experiments we 
 can make by our Inftruments of Obfervation ; 
 and nothing but fpeculative Conjectures and Dif- 
 ficulties to undeceive us ; which the greateft Phi- 
 lofophers acknowledge to be abfolulely uncertain. 
 Nay, fome of them are fo far out of our Reach, 
 and at fuch immenfe Diftances, that the leaft 
 Flaw in the Calculations or Meafurements will 
 lead us into immenfe Errors. Let them fay 
 what they will of the Fallacy of our Senfes, and 
 bring Examples where they may be undeceived 
 by Reafon , it bears hard upon the Goodnefs and 
 Providence of God to deceive all our Senfes, 
 when they tell us, by all the Obfervations we can 
 make, that the Sun moves round the Dial -, yet 
 it is the Earth, and the Dial along with it, that 
 moves round, or towards the Sun. Not to mention 
 as yet fome very intricate Difficulties, about our 
 whirling Head over Heels, at leaft under the Line, 
 every four and twenty Hours, to come to the 
 fame Zenith again ; nor how loofe, globular Bo- 
 dies, lying on the Surface of the Earth can re- 
 main fteady in fuch a rapid Motion, even fup- 
 pofing that the Medium moves along with it ; 
 moving round our own Center at the fame time, as 
 all Bodies muft, when they are moved round ano- 
 ther Body. There is another Confideration feems 
 to confirm the Teftimony of our Senfes, as that 
 the Sun moves as well as the other Planets. The 
 Sun rifes and fets to us in the fame Manner as 
 the reft of the Planets. Now it is certain, the 
 reft of the Planets are in Motion, I mean a perio- 
 dical one at leaft, and the Sun, by all our actual 
 Obfervations, appears to move in the fame man- 
 ner. *Tis natural to believe, in fact, that he moves 
 round us, as well as the reft of the Planets j elfe 
 the moft conftant Relation of our Senfes, from our 
 Cradle to the Grave, muft deceive us, without any 
 deinonftrative Reafon to the contrary, as the great- 
 eft
 
 DhT. X, MOSAICAL Creation. 373 
 
 eft Philofophers could ever yet find out ; nay with- 
 out any Proof but mere Conjectures and Hypo- 
 thefes, as can fcarce be reconciled to the Laws of 
 Nature, as will be feen afterwards. I own this is 
 a common Argument i but perhaps not thoroughly 
 confidered : Let it then pals for a probable Con- 
 jedture. 
 
 4. Though the Earth is not the Center of our 
 folarSyftem, as is confefs'd ; fmce Venus and' Mer- 
 cury revolve round the Sun, not the Earth : which 
 is the chief Argument of the Moderns for the 
 Earth's Motion. But the Tycbonic Syftem takes 
 off that Difficulty, by eftablifhing thofe Planets as 
 Satellites of the Sun, moving round the Earth with 
 the Sun ; as the Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn 
 accompany their Principals, and the Moon the 
 Earth : In like mariner, why may not the Sun 
 with Mercury and Venus revolve round the Earth ? 
 The Difficulty about the Velocity of the Sun's 
 Motion being eafily anfwered j it being demon- 
 flrable, that the fwifteft Motion may as eafily be 
 performed as another lefs fwift. But I fay though 
 the Earth is allowed not to be in the Center of our 
 particular folar Syftem, it does not follow in the 
 leaft, but that it may be in the Center of the whole 
 Syftem of the Heavens, as they appear to us , 
 which, if it were fo, would render our new No- 
 tions in a great meafure precarious and arbitrary. 
 Now there are very probable Reafons to induce us 
 to believe, that the Earth is actually in the Center 
 of the whole Syftem ; though not of our folar 
 Syftem. Nay the Sun itfelf is not exactly in the 
 Center of our planetary Syftem i as our incompa- 
 rable Sir Ifaaf Newton aHows. Now if at that 
 vaft Diftance our imperfect Obfervations can dif- 
 cover, that the Sun is wide of the Center of our 
 planetary Syftem t if it be but by part of its own 
 Bulk, the Diftance from that Center muft be very 
 B b 3 great
 
 374 Diflertatiom on the Dill. X. 
 
 great in itfelf, to be difcovered by us. Why then, 
 fmce the Sun, according to the Moderns, is not 
 the Center, and there muft be a Centei of the 
 whole, why may net the Earth be the Center of 
 the whole, (fince the Sui is not) as our Senfes, if 
 we look round the whole Univerfe, feem to inform 
 us ? A Confirmation of this is, that we can difco- 
 ver here on Earth, wherever we are, one half of 
 the immenfe Concave of the Heavens above us, 
 and half of the Signs or Arches of the Zodiac, 
 bating the Difference between the apparent Hori- 
 zon and the real one. By confequence the Earth 
 is the Center of that Concave, as it is confefs'd that 
 the Sun is not. The Anfwer of cur Moderns to 
 this is very jejune, if not abfolutely precarious : 
 They fay for Example, that the Reafon why we 
 fee half the Heavens is, that the Earth is but a 
 Point, with refpeet to that immenfe Concave, and 
 the fixt Stars. How do they know that ? have 
 they meafured, or can they meafure the Diftance 
 of the fixt Stars from the Earth, or the Extent of 
 that Concave ? Nay, they can't tell us exactly 
 how far it is to the Sun, and the Planets, or even 
 to the Moon. 'Tis certain the Heavens and Stars 
 are a vaft Diftance from us , but how far we know 
 not, with all our Meafurements : how then can we 
 determine their Velocities ? Nor can we tell how 
 far they are diftant from one another. 'Tis very 
 poflible neverthelcfs, that they may not be fo far 
 off" us as we imagine ; and might illuminate the 
 Globe of the Earth at a nigher Diftance, and lefs 
 Bulk, than we fuppofe them to be. But ftill it is 
 vaftly great -, yet the leaft Error in our Calculations 
 and Meafurements, may make an enormous 
 Miftake in our Conclufions. That Anfwer then, 
 that the Earth, or, as they are pleafed to fay, the 
 immenfe magnus orbis, being but a Point with re- 
 fpc& to ths Heavens, is without any folid Foun- 
 dation,
 
 DhT. X. MOSAIC AL Creation. 
 
 dation. It is not fuch a Point, but it keeps ofF 
 the Sight of one half of the Heavens from us : It 
 is not fuch a Point, as to hinder us from rinding, 
 that we are nigher the Sun and Planets, or they 
 nigher us, at one Time more than another, and 
 even that the Sun is not exaft in the Center of our 
 Syftem. What a vaft Difference muft that be in 
 itfelf, if we can perceive it from this Point ? It is 
 not fuch a Point, but we can fee new Stnrs arife in 
 the Heavens, and go off again ; and the fame Star 
 fometimes bigger, fometimes lefs , and fometimes 
 even to be in a different Situation. Here again 
 we muft renounce our Senfes, which inform us, 
 that we fee one half, or nigh one half of the Hea- 
 vens every Day, only to maintain a new Syftem, 
 that the Earth moves, and not the Sun j whereas 
 v/e have no other natural Means to know, whether 
 there are any Bodies at all round about us, or whe- 
 ther any Bodies move at all but by the Relation of 
 pur Senfes. This is alfb a common Argument 5 
 but muft have fome Weight with confiderate Per- 
 fons ; particularly when no Proofs are brought fcr 
 the Earth's Motion : But it is rather fuppofed than 
 proved by our Moderns, N. B. Thole who live ex- 
 actly under the Line, have the Poles of the Uni- 
 vetfe in the Horizon, /. e. the Extremities of the 
 Axis of the Earth point towards the polar Parts of 
 the Heavens, or the univerfal Concave above us ; is 
 not this a natural Indication that the Center of the 
 Earth, is the Center of the Univerfe ? 
 
 5. Another very natural Argument againft the 
 Motion of the Earth, that is, the prodigious Rapi- 
 dity of the external Parts of the Earth under the 
 Equator turning round its own Axis in twenty-four 
 Hours, befides its proceeding OH to finifh the mag- 
 xifs orbis in 3 Year's Time : our Moderns fwallow 
 the infinite Difficulties which muft occur in fuch 
 B b 4 Motions,
 
 376 Dijfcr tat ions on tlse DiiT. X. 
 
 Motions, with all the Eafe imaginable. In this rapid 
 Motion of the Earth, Men and Animals on the 
 Surface cf it mud be whirling about headlong at 
 the Rate of a thoufa-id Miles an Hour at leaft ; 
 that is, fwifter than Ball out of a Cannon j and 
 that too Head over Heels, with refpect to thofs 
 who live under the Line. I fay, Head over Heels, 
 or Heels over Head : for it is certain by that Time 
 we are whirled half way about, our Feet will be 
 oppofite to the Place from whence we fet out ; that 
 our Head and Feet change their Zenith and Nadir 
 every Moment of our Journey; that when we 
 come to the middle of our Flight, through the 
 immenfe Fluid, our Feet will point to what was 
 our Zenith at fitting out, till we are whirled round 
 our Center in the Space of twenty-four Hours, 
 fuppofing by a round Reckoning the Diameter of 
 the Earth to be 8oco Miles. And as in that Sup- 
 pofition we are marching on obliquely round the 
 Sun for the annual Motion, we muft be turning 
 alfo (ideways round own Center ; fince whatever 
 Body goes, or is carried round any central Body, 
 muft turn round its own Center at the End of the 
 Revolution. As a Man can't walk, or be carried 
 round a Table, but he muft be carried round his 
 own Center. I wifh thefe Gentlemen would con- 
 fider well thefe complex and intricate Whirlings. 
 Their Anfwer to this Difficulty is alfo a very weak 
 one, viz. That we are born and bred in this Hur- 
 ricane, and by confequence don't perceive it. But 
 thofe who are born and bred under or nigh the 
 Pole, are neither born nor ufed to fuch a mon- 
 ftrous Whirl, as thofe who are born under the 
 Line : why fo r becaufe thofe born under the Pole, 
 fuppofing the Earth revolves round its Center in 
 twenty-four Hours, will only make a Circle of thr 
 Diameter cf their own Body in that Time ; where- 
 as
 
 Diff. X. MOSAIC AL Creation. '377 
 
 as a Man directly under the Line, muft whirl 
 round a Circle of 8000 Miles Diameter, which 
 will be at the Rate of a thoufand Miles an Hour. 
 Now fuppofe Men born and bred under the Line, 
 and inured to this monftrous Whirl, fhould be 
 tranfported under the Pole, et 'vice verfa, fuch a 
 Change, I may fay, of their very Nature, muft 
 be almoft fatal' to them -, particularly thofe born 
 under the Poles, when being tranflated to the 
 Parts under the Line, where they muft be whirling 
 Head over Heels at the Rate of a thoufand Miles 
 an Hour, 'tis natural to believe that they muft 
 perceive a prodigious Shock in fuch a Change ; 
 yet in fact this may happen, and very likely has 
 happened before now, yet they found no fuch ex- 
 traordinary Alteration. I don't queftion but there 
 are Ibme Hollanders, who have been both within 
 the polar Circle, or even nigher to the Pole, and 
 then under the Line, at different Times. Now if 
 the Earth fhould have fuch a prodigious Motion, 
 the external parts of the Globe, and the Men upon 
 it, whirling round at that Rate when under the 
 Line, and in fuch a different manner when nigh 
 the Poles, what a prodigious Change muft it make 
 in their Conftitutions ? Yet we don't find that thofe 
 Voyagers ever take notice of fuch Effects ; but 
 chiefly, the Difference of Night and Day, Heat 
 and Cold, fcfc, 
 
 JV. B. The prodigious Rotation of the external 
 parts jof the Globe under the Line, and the Men 
 upon it, at the Rate of a thoufand Miles an Hour, 
 is the leaft Computation of that Velocity, as can 
 well be allowed. Don Hieronimo Fijoo, a famous 
 Spanijb Philofopher, in a late Treatife intitled 
 Chartas eruditas, computes from the Obfervations 
 of the Gentlemen of the Royal Academy at Paris, 
 that the leaft Diftance of the Earth from the Sun 
 
 is
 
 378 Di/ertatiom on tie Dili. X; 
 
 is thirty Millions of Leagues : this muft be only a 
 Semidiameter of that Circle : By confequence, the 
 Diameter of the Earth's Orbit round the Sun, mult. 
 be fixty Millions of Leagues, befides the vaft Dia - 
 meter of the Sun ; all which, according to our 
 Moderns, the Earth runs in a Year. Let them 
 then compute what a prodigious fwift Progrefiion, 
 befides its diurnal Rotation round its own Axis, the 
 Earth muft make to finirti a Circle in a Year's 
 Time, of at lead nine fcore Millions of Leagues, 
 befides the Sun's Diameter ; flying through a re- 
 fifting Fluid, without any known Caufe to drive it 
 on at that Rate. Thole whofe Heads and Sto- 
 machs can bear fuch Whirlings, may blame tK* 
 Scripture for not teaching fuch a Syftem, but Men 
 of common Senfe will not. 
 
 Note further, if thcfe learned Philofophers are 
 miftaken in the Computation of thefe immenfe 
 Diftances, though certainly very great, how uncer- 
 tain muft that render all our Meafurements of fuch 
 Diftances, Bulks of the Planets, &c ? 'Tis to be 
 feared fome of them affect too much of the mar- 
 vellous in fuch Accoimts. However we fee by the 
 whole, that their Anfwer, of the Earth, and the 
 whole magnus crbis, being but a Point with refpec! 
 to the Heavens, is an arbitrary Suppofition. 
 
 To add fomething to this laft Oblervation, which 
 fhould have come in in the fourth Proof, viz. of 
 the Ear tli's being in the Center of the whole, is 
 it not a ftrong Prefumption, or at leaft a very pro- 
 bable Coniedure, that the Earth is the Center of 
 the whole, though not of our planetary Syftem ; 
 fince moft allow that the Center of the whole muft 
 be at reft ? Now it muft be owned, that all befides 
 the Eartb are in Motion round about us ; the Sun 
 itfelf is allowed by moft to revolve round its own 
 Center, and the Period for it affign'd j the reft 
 
 of
 
 DiiT. X. MOSAIC AL Creation.' 379 
 
 of the Planets revolve round the Sun, as is confefs'd -, 
 ibme taking in the Earth in their Orbits -, and the 
 others may move with the Sun, as his Satellites, 
 round the Earth. No one denies the TychonicSyftem 
 as an Hypothefis. Nay ibme Moderns think the 
 fixt Stars may move round their own Center ; if fo, 
 what in the Name of Wonder can hinder them, or 
 the' Sun, from making Way, or Frogreffion, as ac- 
 cording to the Moderns the Earth does, and muft 
 do . p what is it that tyes the Sun, or fixt Stars, in 
 one Place like a Top from making way, and yet 
 does not tyc the Earth ? Why then if all the celeftial 
 Bodies around us are in Motion ; 'tis not only na- 
 tural to believe that the Earth is fixt, as all our Sen- 
 fes inform us, but alfo, fmce the Center of the 
 whole is to be at Reft, in all probability the Earth 
 is that Center. 
 
 6. Great part of the modern Syftem of the Earth's 
 Motion, at leaft by our Philofophers, is built on the 
 mutual Attraction of th.2 celeftial Bodies : But fuch an 
 Attraction has been (hewn to have no Foundation in 
 Nature , nay, was only taken by our great Sir Ifaac 
 Newton as an Hypothefis ; he never afTerted it, as an 
 innate Power in Matter j and owned it to be dubious 
 whether the Gravitation of Bodies was not caufed 
 by fome extefnal impelling Agent ; as it is certain 
 we can have no Idea of mere Matter having any 
 Power to move itfelf any way. Whereas our Mo- 
 derns, contrary to the modeft Intention of their 
 great Patron, run away with it, as if it were a cer- 
 tain Property of all Matter. Befides, our acmof- 
 pherial Fluid prefling the Earth on all Parts, and in 
 all Appearance keeping it fteady in the Center, 
 gravitates towards the Earth, and not towards th6 
 Sun : Nay, in thofe parts between the Earth and 
 he $un ? they gravitate directly fromwards the Sun ; 
 
 as
 
 380 Differ tations en the Diff. X. 
 
 as all Bodies falling directly towards the Earth, en 
 that Side, fall directly fromwards the Sun, not to- 
 wards it ; whatever be the Caufe of that Gravitation, 
 . an external one, to be lure, not an innate Power in 
 Matter. Now as the Earth's Morion, according to 
 the Moderns, is in a great Meafure regulated by fucli 
 Gravitation ; that having no Foundation in Nature, 
 
 but as a mere Hypothefi?, attended with infuper- 
 able Difficulties ; the Hypothefis of the Earth's 
 Motion mud be Ib too. How can the Earth then, 
 and Bodies about it, be faid to gravitate towards the 
 Sun, not only by a Power that is not in Nature, but 
 is pufhed from the Sun, by the Bodies, and gravi- 
 tating Fluid between the Sun and it ? Are there dif- 
 ferent Caufes of Gravitation in that Cafe ? Can the 
 Sun attract the Earth towards it, and not attract thofe 
 Bodies, which lie between the Earth and the Sun, 
 and fall with great Velocity towards the Earth, and 
 not towards the Sun ? 
 
 7. The Figure of the Earth, as is proved in a 
 former Diflertation, is the mod improper for an an- 
 
 nual, or diurnal Motion, of any other ; or at leaft 
 is very improper for fuch a Motion. "Tis certain 
 Fact, the terreftrial Globe is furrowed with im- 
 menfe Grooves and Channels to a vaft Depth, in 
 order to receive, contain, and keep in the Waters 
 of the Ocean , which Ocean extends itfelf almoft 
 round the Globe, under the Line, and between the 
 Tropics, the Middle of the Earth fhelving and 
 finking towards it, for the Rivers to run into it, 
 and the Tides to fall back again, which they do of 
 their own accord, though they are drove up again ft 
 the Shores and Rivers by fome external Caufe ; and 
 which immenfe Channel under the Line and be- 
 tween the Tropics, may be called the chief Bed of 
 the vaft Ocean. Though at the fame Time it ex- 
 tends.
 
 DhT. X. Mos A ic A L Creation. 381 
 
 tends itfclf in vaft Channels crofs-ways towards 
 each Pole, by different Wndings, befides various 
 Arms and Branches of it ; that the Rivers from all 
 Parts may run down into it, and not ftagnate upon 
 the Earth , but the main Bed of it is like a watry 
 Girdle round the Globe , allowing fome Windings 
 for different Promontories. If it were not for fuch 
 Shelvings and Sinking of the Earth, towards this vaft 
 Channel, and the different Branches of the Ocean, we 
 Ihould have no Rivers; they would all ftagnate upon 
 the Earth ; which may be leen by the following Ex- 
 ample; when a whole Fleet is intirely becalmed, they 
 can move no way, unlefs hawled or towed ; though 
 each Ship is on the Summit of the watry Globe, in its 
 proper Bed. So, if there were no Shelving of Earth 
 towards the Ocean, and its Branches, whofe chief 
 Bed is between the Tropics, each Part of the Sur- 
 face of the Earth being upon the Globe, the Waters 
 on the Surface, inftead of running every Way, would 
 run no Way, being equally met from every Part 
 of the Globe. To obviate this, the WilHom of 
 God has made the Surface of the Earth to defcend 
 {helving towards the Line and Tropics, that is, 
 wherever the Ocean lies between them, which is al- 
 moft round the Globe, and extended the Arms of 
 the Sea round, and acrofs with different Branches, 
 that by fuch Shelvings towards the Sea, Rivers 
 might have a Way down to it, from whence Va- 
 pours are exhaled and drawn up, to fall again, and 
 fupply the Fountains for thofe Rivers. The Earth 
 then is certainly fhelving and finking towards the 
 main Ocean, whofe Bed is chiefly between the 
 Tropics. By Confequence the Diameter of it there 
 muft be fhorter than the Axis of it ; with vaft 
 Grooves and Chaanels crofs-ways towards the 
 Poles , all which muft render the Earth's Surface 
 prodigious unequal and gibbous, and of fuch a Fi- 
 gure,
 
 382 Dljertatlom on the Diff. X. 
 
 gure, as makes it highly improper to be flying 
 through the Air, as this new Syftem would have us 
 believe ; befides the immenfe Height and rugged 
 Inequality of its Mountains. I don't deny, but 
 where there is Land under the Line, and between 
 the Tropics, as in Africa from the Cape of Good 
 Hope upwards, in Brafil, in the Ifthmus of Dai-Jen, 
 theLand may rife and muft rife fromwards theOcean ; 
 on which Account, the late Meafurements taken 
 by Perfons fent on purpofe may be right, notwith- 
 ftanding the Difficulties in adjufting their Meafures 
 on fuch a vaft Globe. But it is certain, that the 
 main Ocean lying chiefly between the Tropics, and 
 extending itfelf almoft round the Earth, the Land 
 muft tend (helving down towards that Channel 
 for a vaft Extent ; and by a further Confequence, 
 fuch a Figure of the Earth is very improper to be 
 whirling through an immenfe Fluid at fuch a Rate 
 as this new Syftem muft make it, fuppofing we could 
 affign a Caufe, that continues to drive it about at 
 that Rate, which no one ever has yet. 
 
 8. There is another phyfical Argument againft 
 the diurnal Motion of the Earth, communicated to- 
 me by a learned Friend, which our Moderns, be- 
 ing wrapt up in the Contemplations of the Planets, 
 don't feem to attend to ; whereas the phyfical Syf- 
 tem of the Earth, and the natural Situation of it, 
 ought to be known firft. His Proof againft the 
 diurnal Motion of the Earth, is as follows. There 
 are Tracts of Land, and Countries round the Globe, 
 exactly in the fame Latitude with England ; in fome 
 Parts of Tartary for Example, or Siberia, where 
 the Weather is fo different, as to Heat and Cold, 
 and the Winters fo fevere, that we could fcarce live 
 there, till our Natures were accuftomed to it : 
 and this conftantly, bating fome accidental Chan-
 
 DifT. X. MOSAICAL Creation. 383 
 
 ges, from the Beginning of the World ; and in ail 
 likelihood, will be fo till the End of it. Now, if 
 the Earth is whirled round its Axis in twenty-four 
 Hours, all thefeTra6b of Land in the fame Latitude, 
 change Places with each other every diurnalRotation : 
 that England will be in the fame Situation with refpect 
 to all the Heavens, as thefe Parts of Tartary, and all 
 other Parts in the fame Latitude-, and thofe Parts of 
 *artary will be in the fame Pofition with England as 
 it is now, and this once in twenty-four Hours, fuppo- 
 fing the diurnalRotation : Yet England does not par- 
 take of the Severity of Tartary, nor tfartary of the 
 Mildnefs of England, though they are in the fame 
 Situation once every Day : Though Tartary may 
 be froze up, and England in a mild Thaw, yet they 
 change Situations with one another every Day in 
 thatSuppofition; ftill Canary is frozen, and England 
 in a Thaw. One might afk them, does England 
 carry its own Weather along with it, when it comes to 
 the fumePofition v&Tartary, and vice verfa ? ThisAr- 
 gument ought to have great Weight with thofe who 
 fhall confider it feriouflv. To maintain that the 
 Atmofphere of England ftill keeps about it and 
 moves along with it, is a mere Subterfuge, and as 
 good as impoiTible in fuch a monftrous Whirl it 
 niuft be in by the diurnal Rotation ; Nay, to main- 
 tain that the whole Atmofphere is whirled round 
 with the Earth, is a mere gratis di-ftum> if noc im- 
 poffible, at lead unmixt and undifturbed. Neither 
 can they prove for certain, whether the Atmofphere 
 moves from Weft to Eaft with the Earth, or the 
 contrary. But if it mould, it is wonderful, exceed- 
 ing wonderful, that the Atmofphere being fuch a 
 moveable flippery Fluid, mould envelope England 
 with fuch a warm and mild Cloak, when it is in 
 the fame Pofition with fome Parts of Tartary ; and 
 
 this
 
 384 Differtations on the DifT. X. 
 
 this lad with fuch a levere one, when it is in the 
 fame Place as England is, as it muft be once every 
 Day, if the Earth is whirled round its Axis. 
 
 But there are very ftrong Reafons to believe that 
 the Atmofphere, particularly the lowed Parts of it, 
 which influence the Weather, and which being 
 nigheft the Earth, are more likely to be whirled 
 about with it -, I fay, there are very ftrong Reafons 
 to believe, that the Atmofphere is not turned round 
 in that Manner. What can we fay to thofe Winds 
 which blow all the Year round in fome Parts, and 
 that between the Tropics, as the celebrated Johan- 
 nes Clericus of Holland maintains in the fecond Part 
 of his Pbyjics^ treating of the Trade Winds ? Or 
 what can we think of thofe very Trade Winds fo 
 well known to fkilful Navigators, blowing half aYear 
 one Way, and half a Year as good as contrary to the 
 "Way they blew before j and this from the Begin- 
 ning of the World ? Does not this almoft demon- 
 ftrate in Fact, that the Atmofphere, as far as it 
 influences the Weather, which mould be mod influ- 
 enced by the Earth's Motion, if it had any, does 
 not move round with the Earth from Weft to Eaft ; 
 particularly, where there is a perpetual Eaft, or 
 South Eaft Wind , but moves all manner of Ways, 
 as it is influenced by different Caufes , and is a cor- 
 roborating Argument that that the Earth does not 
 move at all, in any conftant annual, or diurnal 
 
 Rotation ? This is certain, and deferves to be 
 
 particularly obferved, viz. That if the Earth carries 
 the Atmofphere along with it ; thofe Parts of it 
 which lie upon the Earth's Surface,, mould move 
 along with it : But this is directly falie, fince the 
 Trade Winds blow contrary to the Earth's Motion,, 
 if it had any ; yet thofe Parts of the Atmofphere 
 lying nigheft the Earth, muft be moft influenced 
 
 by
 
 Dlfl". X. MOSAICAL Creation, 385 
 
 by its Motion ; as the Region of the Winds and 
 Weather is in the lower Atmofphere nigheft the 
 Earth, which feems to determine ihe Cafe. 
 
 9. The prodigious Difficulty, not to fay Impoffibi- 
 lity of the Paralellifm of the Earth's Axis to itfelf, 
 renders the Syftem of the Motion of the Earth ex- 
 tremely difficult alfo ', yet the Earth in that Syfleni 
 muft obferve fuch a Paralellifrn of its Axis, notwith- 
 flanding the tottering Condition it muft be in, flying 
 with fuch a rapid Velocity, through the Middle of 
 a wild immenfe Fluid. I fay, this Paralellifm muft 
 be preferved, both in their Syftem, and in real Faff. 
 The Fad is certain, that the fuppofed Axis of the 
 Earth, or rather the polar Parts of it, are always 
 obverted towards, or very near pointing to the Poles 
 of the Univerfe. Greenland for example will ftill 
 be Greenland: The Northern Parts of the Earth 
 will ftill be Northern. 'Tis'Fact then that the polar 
 Parts of the Earth are always pointing towards the 
 Poles of the Univerfe. Our Moderns not only 
 grant this, but magnify the Wonderment of it ; 
 and at the fame Time flurring over the Difficulty ; 
 yet this Difficulty is extremely great, and almoft 
 impo(Tible to account for, in the new Hypothefis 
 of the Earth's Motion, and not the Sun's , for when 
 according to them the Earth is moving from the 
 Northern Signs to the Southern, the Axis of the 
 Earth, or the polar Parts of it, muft move ba'ck- 
 wards at the fame Time towards the Pcles of the 
 Univerfe, to prefervc this Paralellifm j whether ob- 
 lique or directly* is much a Cafe. Thoogh ex Hy- 
 potbeji, it is flying at a vaft rate from the North- 
 ern Signs towards the Southern, in the Way they 
 are pleafed to make it, yet it is, and muft be ftill 
 turning back wards, towards the Poles of the Univerfe, 
 to prefer ve the Paralellifm ; or muft be puihed back 
 
 C c a
 
 386 UTJertatioTU on tie Did. X. 
 
 at the fame Time, as it is moving forwards ; which 
 is as good as having two contrary Motions at the fame 
 Time. I don't enquire what Caufe pufhes the Earth 
 on, at that impetuous Rate ; and continues its pro- 
 digious Motion round the Magnus Orbis through 
 a grofs, refifting Medium, as it is certain the Earth. 
 moves in : But I would afk, what invifible Hand, 
 or Caufe, keeps the polar Parts ftill obverted to- 
 wards the fame Pole, or how this can be done with- 
 out two contrary Motions in the fame Body at the 
 fame Time. 'Tis in vain to have recourfe to our 
 artificial Orreries, or Planeteriums, or any other 
 artificial Inftruments, to explain thefe Motions , for 
 firft thefe Orreries are upon Bates fupported by the 
 common Earth. idty y The artificial Planets are 
 confined to artificial Spherulas, and particular Epi- 
 cycles as well as held up and faflened upon Spikes 
 which fupport and turn them, as the Operator plea- 
 fes. But in the Earth's Dance round the Magnus 
 Orbis, it is an immenfe Fluid, where the progref- 
 five Caufe, whatever it is, drives it on at that pro- 
 digious Rate ; while ex Hypothejt, it is turning 
 round its own Axis in tv/enty-four Hours : But 
 what is as unconceivable, its polar Parts muft bcpufh- 
 ed back by fome invifible Caufe to obferve a Para- 
 lellifm, and ftill point towards the Poles of the U- 
 niyerfe ; while the progrefilve Caufe pufhes it along 
 the Ecliptic. 'Tis in vain alfo to have recourfe 
 taa mixt Motion, or a mixt Force, as when two 
 Weights pulling different Ways, make BodieB de- 
 fcribe mixt Lines ; for what Weights can pull the 
 Earth backward and forward, when it is dancing 
 feparately through an immenfe Fluid ? 'Tis in vain 
 like wife to object^ that if the Sun moves it muft have 
 fuch contrary Motions ; that does not follow in 
 the fame Manner > becaufe there is no Neceflity, 
 
 thai:
 
 DiflX. Mos A ICAL Creation. 387 
 
 that any Parts of the Sun's Globe fhould obferve a 
 Paralellifm ; fince every Side of a Globe of Fire 
 might both warm and illuminate the Earth : Where- 
 as it is certain that the polar Parts of the Earth, 
 the Northern Parts for example, muft point, and 
 do point ftiil towards the Northern Pole ; by which 
 we fee that the Motion of the Earth can't be main- 
 tained even as an Hypothefis, as to fome Phsno- 1 
 mena ; without fome, as wooden Contrivances^ as in 
 the Ptolemaic Syftem ; tho* as to fome others ic 
 anfwers Appearances pretty well. 
 
 Their chief Objections are, firftj the Clumfinefe 
 and Improbabilities of the Ptolomaic Syftem. Anjw. 
 I don't pretend to maintain that Syftem, or any 
 other, but only to mew the Defects of rhis new 
 Syftem, particularly, that of the Earth's Motion ; 
 which fome of the foregoing Reafons almoft 
 evince, that it can't be maintained as an Hypo- 
 thefis with any Foundation in Nature ; and taken 
 altogether, make it highly probable, that the 
 Earth does not move, either by an annual or dn 
 tirnal Rotation. I am fure they can have no De- 
 monftration for it : How mould they^ when the 
 greateft Philofophers of Antiquity rejected it ; and 
 the greateft of the Moderns leave it undetermin- 
 ed, and feem to think it will remain dubious to 
 the End of the World, whether the Sun, or the 
 Earth moves ? However, 
 
 They object, 2^/y, The prodigious Rapidity of 
 the celeflial Bodies, or the whole Sphere of Heaven 
 itfelf, in cafe the Earth is at reft ; the very fixt 
 Stars rile and fet like the Sun, and muft move 
 round us in that cafe ; but fuch a prodigious ra- 
 pid Motion is inconceivable, by confequence 'tis 
 the Motion of the Earth that gives the apparent 
 Motion of the tc Stars, Sun, Off.. 
 
 C c 2 Anfwer.
 
 388 Di/ertatiomon the DiiT. X. 
 
 Anfaer. This is the moil plaufible of all their 
 Arguments, fmce if we only fuppofe the Earth to 
 turn round its own Center in tv/enty-four Hours, 
 all the celeftial Bodies will feem to rife and fet as 
 they do now : Whereas, if we fuppofe that thofe 
 celeftial Bodies do really rife and fet to us, and go 
 round the Earth in fuch immenfe Circles, v/hat 
 an unconceivable Rapidity muft they have : But 
 the whole Force of it confifts in this, as if it were 
 impoffible, that fuch rapid Velocities could be per- 
 formed in Nature ; yet fuch Velocities are neither 
 impoffible nor inconceivable. And to cut off fhort 
 all the Difficulties of the inconceivable Rapidity of 
 the celeftial Bodies, 'tis as demonftrable as any 
 Proportion in Euclid, that the moft rapid Motion 
 is as equally poffible as a (lower Motion. But par- 
 ticularly in fpherical Bodies, an immenfe Globe may 
 move round its Axis, when fet in Motion, as eafily 
 as a lefler Globe. Suppofe each of them move 
 round their Axis in an Hour, the external parts on 
 the Surface of the great Globe, will move infinitely 
 fwifter than the external parts of the lefler Globe ; 
 and if they make Way or Progreffion, will defcribe 
 a vaftly greater Space in the fame Time, in Pro- 
 portion to their Diameters. If the Diameter be en- 
 larged, both the "Velocity and the Progreffion will 
 be greater ; that the Swiftnefs of the Motion is no 
 manner of Argument againft the iPoffibility of it. 
 The fame Cauie alfo, whatever it be, which in all 
 Appearance muft be the fame Power that fet them 
 firft in Motion, whether the immediate Power of 
 God, or by the Miniftry of his Angels, may move 
 the greater Bodies as well as the lefs, and increafe 
 their Velocities in Proportion to the Space they are 
 to run over ; on which account there is no need to 
 fay any more to fuch Objections. Let them con- 
 fider the Motions of Saturn and Jupiter > by Con- 
 
 fequence
 
 Di/ X. MOSAICAL Creation. 389 
 
 fequence the Velocity of the celeftial Bodies can be 
 no Demonflration againft fuch a Motion. 
 
 They object, %dly> That the Syftem of the 
 Earth's Motion accounts much better for the dif- 
 ferent Motions of the Planets, when they appear 
 ft at io nary or retrograde, &?. Slnfwer. 'Tisallow'd 
 in foTie Refpects ; but .they are accounted for in 
 the Syftem of the Sun's Motion, tho' perhaps in a 
 more pcrpiex'd manner. Such different, apparent 
 Motions of the Planets, were difcovered before the 
 new Syftem took place. Perhaps neither Hypo- 
 thefis has hit on the right Caufe of fuch Appea- 
 rances. 'Tis difficult to conceive how they ihould 
 do it, where fo many Planets move one above ano- 
 ther, with different Velocities, and mufl caufe dif- 
 ferent Appearances, and even Inequalities in their 
 Motions, and yet, at the fame time, their Motions 
 may be uniform in themfelves. But, I am fure, 
 to account for them by their mutual Attraction, 
 at fuch Diftances, without any Connexion with one 
 another, which makes part of our new Syftem, is 
 a mere Chimera. Such an Action of mere Mat- 
 ter, upon mere Matter, and that too an Aftio in 
 diftans, as the Schools term it, is beyond the 
 Stretch of our Ideas. So far is fuch an Hypothefis 
 from being natural. 
 
 Laftly^ They think that if they could find a 
 Parallax in the fixt Stars, as they are in Hopes, 
 and are frequently trying for it, fuch a Parallax 
 would determine the Motion of the Earth. *T5s 
 anfwer'd with a Diftinction, viz. If they fuppofe, 
 or beg the Queftion, that the fixt Stars never move 
 at all, yet by a Parallax we could find a Difference 
 in their Situation, it would be an Argument that 
 the Earth moved, when we fuppofe that the fixt 
 Stars part't, But when we are feeking which of 
 Cc 3 th?
 
 390 Di flirtations on the Biff. X. 
 
 the two moves, the Earth or the Firmament, fuch 
 a Parallax, if it could be found, would only mew 
 us that one of them moved, not which of them 
 moved. What then is the Confequence, if we 
 could find a Parallax, or a different Appearance in 
 any of the fixt Stars ? That the Earth moved ? Not 
 jn the Icaft ; but that either the Star moved, or we ; 
 unlefs you beg the Queilion, and fuppofe that the 
 Star can't move. 
 
 But it is not quite improbable, that the fixt Stars 
 do move, and not the Earth. 'Tis confefs'd by 
 fome of our Moderns, that new Stars have ap- 
 pear'd in the Firmament, which were never feen 
 before ; that a known Star has intirely difappeared ; 
 that the fame Star has appeared to be lefs fome times 
 than at others, though the Sky has been equally 
 ferene : Nay, fome will grant, that the fixt Stars 
 revolve round their own Centers, as the Sun is al- 
 lowed to do. I warrant you they are tied to a Point 
 like a Top. But don't all the foregoing Points 
 together make it highly probable, that the fixt Stars 
 have their periodical Motions alfo ? And fmce we 
 can't imagine, that the whole Univerfe is in an 
 eternal Dance, 'tis much more natural to believe 
 that the Earth remains fteady, and lhall not be 
 moved till the End of the World. 
 
 Note, That ' the prodigious Difficulty of the 
 Earth preferving its Paralellifm, as it muft, and 
 the different Motions it muft have to anfwer all the 
 Phenomena, not being fixt on any Bafis, nor 
 turned round by Spikes and Machinations of Orre- 
 ries, Planet 'er turns, &c. but flying in a wild Fluid, 
 is a ftrong Argument againft its Motion on the 
 one hand ; as on the other, the Appearance of 
 new Stars in the Firmament, the D if appearance 
 of other known Stars 5 their appearing larger at 
 
 fome
 
 Di/T. X. MOSAIC AL Crcaaop; 
 fome Times than at others, though the Sky is ecjually 
 ferene ; their turning round their own Axis, like the 
 Planets, as fome great Philofophers allow, is alfo a 
 ftrong Argument, that either they or the Firma- 
 ment moves ; and all the Arguments taken toge- 
 ther, mew, that it is not a rafh AiTertion to main- 
 tain that the Earth does not move. Though I re- 
 peat it once more, that the foregoing Reafons are 
 only propofed as very probable Conjectures ; and 
 if they do but induce fome of our more learned 
 Philofophers to fet the Earth's Motion in a better 
 Light than they have done hitherto, it will anfwer 
 one of the Intents in propofing them ; at leaft, 
 they juftify the Scriptures for not afierting its Mo- 
 jtion, fmce common Senfe can fcarce believe it, as 
 .$ is againft the Teljtimony of all our Senfes. 
 
 ELEVENTH
 
 392 Dtffertafions on the DhT. XI. 
 
 ELEVENTH 
 
 DISSERTATION. 
 
 That the Earth was not totally diffbhed at the 
 general Deluge. 
 
 TH E late learned Dr. Woodward^ in his 
 natural Hiftory of the Earth, has eflablimed 
 the Truth of the general Deluge, commonly called 
 Noah's Flood, beyond any rational Contradiction. 
 *Tis a curious and valuable Work, one of the beft 
 that was ever wrote upon that Subject ; and deferves 
 ro be ferioufly peiufed by any one who has the leaft 
 Difficulty about that Signal Punijhwent for Sin ; as 
 fome of r.he very Heathens acknowledged it to be, 
 as well as believed the Truth of it, by the univer- 
 fal Tradition of all Nations. See Luctan's Account 
 de Ded Syria, Ovid's Met. Cum multif aliis^ 
 pajjim. 
 
 But waving this laft, Dr. Woodward proves al- 
 OToft inconteftably, from a moft curious Collection 
 of Sea Shells of different kinds, either collected by 
 himfetf, or procured from others, with the greateft 
 thduilry ; I fay, he proves almoft inconteftably, 
 the following Points, i/?, That thofe Shells were 
 the real #m7> of Sea Fifh, left and lodged in the 
 Strata and Clefts of the Earth, by fome vaft Inun- 
 dation. 2^/y, By comparing them with other Shells 
 faken out of the Sea, of different Species, he "
 
 DifT.XL MOSAI GAL Creation. 393 
 
 they anfwered, almoft in every refpect, either as to 
 their fpecific Weight, Colour, Smell, Tafte, 
 chymical Extractions, Anatomical Formation, and 
 even medicinal Ules, and the like ; which is fo far 
 certain in Fact, that any one who has feen them, 
 may be convinced that they are no Lufus Naturae, 
 no fortuitous Aggregation, but were as real Fifli, 
 as thefe taken immediately out of the Sea. 3*//y,That 
 as thefe Exuviae are found in all Countries and Cli- 
 mates, of which he affures us, that he had authen- 
 tic Teftimonies from Perfons of undoubted Vera- 
 city who had found them, and may ftill be fount! 
 in different Parts of the habitable Earth -, which is 
 alfo certain in fact, as to moft of the Countries of 
 Europe, and very likely in other Parts, and this 
 from innumerable Hiftories and Accounts of the 
 Learned and Curious -, nay, may be feen in the 
 Mufieums and Collections of curious Perfcns, and 
 fcepofitories of moft Univerfities. 'Tis almoft an 
 ocular Delnonftration, that the Inundation that 
 brought them, and left them in all Parts of the 
 World, muft have been fpread over all Parts of the 
 World ; that is, muft have been univerfal, as 
 the Remains of it are univerfal. Notwithftanding, 
 fome Difficulties in the Explication of Particulars, as 
 in all other Effects of Nature; which in a great Mea- 
 fure the Doctor folves very well in the fecond Part 
 of hisHiftory ; at leaft none can invalidate the Facts, 
 or be put in Ballance with them, as might eafily be 
 made appear, if that were the Point in View ; and 
 will be confirmed by other Reafons prefently. 
 
 As to the univerfal Deluge, I mall only Ihew tl;e 
 Truth of it, fo far as may contribute to clear the 
 Point in Queftion, viz. whether it was totally dif- 
 folved at that univerfal Deluge. The Truth of fuch 
 a Deluge is eftabliihed fufficiently, not only by the 
 Number and Variety of Sea Shells found in all 
 
 Countries ;
 
 294 Differtations on the D iff. XI. 
 
 Countries ; but, befides the Remains of other Ac- 
 counts, as well as the Scriptural, and the univerfal 
 and conftant Traditions of moil Nations of the 
 Earth ; we need only obferve the mountainous 
 Trafis in all Countries, wherever we pafs, to con- 
 firm it, nay, to be abiblutely convinced of it ; who- 
 ever has been on the Hills in Wales^ T>erbyjhire, t 
 and other Parts of the Kingdom, much more on 
 the Al-ps^ Pyrenees^ &c. particularly, on the Edge* 
 and Skirts of them, may eafily fee that the dreadful 
 and vaft Breaks, Gullets, Dales, &c. were caufed 
 by the running off of fome prodigious Force of Wa- 
 ters falling away from them ; and even tearing the 
 Rocks to Pieces, and throwing them into fuch Cba~ 
 otic Heaps, from their Iblid Beds. Now, as it is 
 juft fo in all the mountainous Parts of the whole 
 Earth, where the fame immenfc Ruins and Breaks 
 appear, 'tis a Demonftration of Fact, that the In- 
 undation was not in one particular Country, but 
 univerfal. 
 
 If Mr. Woodward had ftopt here, there could 
 have been few Objections of any Moment againft his 
 Syflem ; but the ftrange Inference he draws from 
 Facts fo well eftablifhed, is, that the whole Bulk of 
 the Earth, from Surface to Center, was intirely dif- 
 folved -, Rocks, JVIetals, Minerals and all were 
 diffolved and turned into a Mim-mam by thofe 
 Waters. This laft Part, fome if not all the Hutcb- 
 infonians have embraced ; not out of any Refpect 
 for Mr. Woodward^ to whom they give no great 
 Character ; as the Genius of Mr. Hutcbinfon feems 
 to have been an Enemy to all Inventions but his own, 
 which appears fufficiently by his Writings : How- 
 ever, whether from a Love of Paradoxes, or to 
 make the Reparation of the Earth after the Deluge 
 all of a Piece with their Notions of the firft Crea- 
 tion*
 
 DifT. XI, MOSAICAL Creation. $95 
 
 tion, the Hutchinfonians hold, as well as Mr. IVood- 
 ward, that the wholeBulk of the Earth was diffolvcd 
 at the Deluge, into an univerfal Hodge-podge, by 
 the omnipotent Power of the Air breaking it all to 
 Mammocks, letting out the central Water, and 
 taking its Place , as it broke out, according to them, 
 at the firft Formation ; letting the Waters into their 
 central Hollow, while the Air mounted up to con- 
 ftitute their Firmament. That part of their Syftem 
 has been fufficiently confuted already : Bur, that the 
 total Difiblution of the Earth at the Deluge is a great 
 Error, will appear from the following Reafons. 
 
 i. The Scripture fays nothing at all, nor gives 
 us the lead Hint of fuch an internal Difiblution of 
 theEarth ; on the contrary, it feems toinfinuate, that 
 the more folid Bulk of the Earth remained ftill ; 
 for it fays, that the Waters vehemently overflowed, 
 and filled all Things on the Superficies, or Face of 
 theEarth, Gen. vii. ver. 18. and the Waters re- 
 turned going and coming, ibid, ch.viii. ver. 3. and 
 the Ark refted the feventh Month, the twenty- 
 feventh Day of the Month, upon the Mountains of 
 Armenia^ ibid. ver. 4. There were Mountains then 
 in being, the feventh Month, though the Waters 
 might be ftill over the greateft Part of them. But 
 the Waters went, and dccreafed even till the tenth 
 Month : for the tenth Month, the firft Day of the 
 Month, the Tops of the Mountains appeared, ibid. 
 ver. 5. Does not all this manifeftly mark out to us 
 that the main Bulk of the Earth was ftill remain- 
 ing ? though undoubtedly prodigioufly rent and 
 torn by the Vehemence of the Waters pouring 
 down from the higheft Mountains ; diflblving in- 
 deed the loofe Earth and Strata from the Rocks, 
 and more folid Mountains, as we fee by the im- 
 menfe Breaks and Ruptures in all the Mountains in 
 jhe World. 2. There
 
 396 Differ tat ions on tie DifT. XI. 
 
 2. There was no manner of Necefilty for fuch a 
 DifTblution ; the Waters might overflow the high- 
 eft Mountains, and the universal Face of the Earth ; 
 make all thofe Breaks and Alterations we fee in it, 
 and deftroy all the outward Productions of it ac- 
 cording to the Mofaic Account, without difTolving 
 k from Surface to Center into a Mifh-mafh. Why 
 therefore fhall we adU- to this Account, and increafe 
 the Difficulty inftead of leflening it ? and that too, 
 by a Scheme inconfiftent with the Mofaical Account, 
 and in itfelf, as we fhall fee prefently. The im- 
 menfe Quantity of Rains falling fo long together 
 from 'the Clouds in all Parts of the Earth, which 
 the Scripture expreffes by that emphatical Metaphor, 
 the very Cataracts and Gates or Windows of the 
 Skies were opened to let down the Rains, or in 
 other Words, the whole Mais of the Clouds were 
 broke into Gaps, to pour down Rains , as there is 
 always an immenfe Quantity of Waters contained in 
 the Clouds, taking them altogether over the whole 
 Earth j thefe prodigious Quantities of Rains added 
 to the Seas, and fubterraneous flakes, might eafily 
 be conceived to make the Seas overflow, and the 
 fubterraneous Lakes, of which there are great Num- 
 bers in the Bowels of the Earth, by fuch an Additi- 
 on of Waters muft have broke up the Surface of the 
 Earth in many Places, without difiblvingthe whole 
 Bulk of it into a Hodge-podge ; fuppofmg we could 
 imagine that mere Water in any Quantity, could 
 diflblve the harden: Rocks and Minerals ; whicji 
 muft be the Cafe in fuch a Diffolution. But there 
 are Confederations ftill ftronger than thefe : As 
 
 3. Such a Hodge-podge is inconfiftent with the 
 Mofaical Account of the Duration of the Deluge ; 
 when, if the whole Earth were fo difiblved, it is 
 naturally impoffible to conceive how the Earth could
 
 DifT. XI. MOSAICAL Creation. 397 
 
 comeagainto its dueConfiftencein fo fhort a Time, 
 asfoon as the Waters were withdrawn ; foas to leave 
 vaft and foiid Mountains, which muft be almoft 
 immediately formed again out of that Mifti-mafh ; 
 and to produce Fruits for the Inhabitants in a fhort 
 Time after the going off of the Waters , that taking 
 the Time for the falling of the Rains ; the Time for 
 diflblving the whole Bulk of the Earth from the 
 Surface to the Center ; and the Time for the Earth, 
 Rocks and Mountains to come to their due State 
 and Confiftence again, as they were when Noah 
 went out of the Ark, fuch a Difiblution can never 
 agree with the Mofaic Account, if it were pofiible in 
 itfelf; whereas, if the Earth was only covered with 
 Water, as both the Scripture, and fuch evident 
 Arguments prove it was, in a fhort Time after the 
 going off of the Waters, the higher Parts of the 
 Earth would foon be habitable again. 
 
 4. Such a Hodge-podge is inconfiftent with the 
 Nature of the Thing in itlelf, and the Agent em- 
 ployed to diffolve it ; nor can any fatisfactory Caufe 
 be affigned for fuch a DifTolution, I mean a natu- 
 ral Caufe, without having recourfe to Miracles. 
 For though the loofe Earth towards the Surface, and 
 .for a good way into it, might be diffolved into 
 Mud, and undoubtedly was fo ; as there muft allb 
 have been great Breaks and Cracks in the Earth, 
 by the terrible Shocks, Contorfions, and Concuffions 
 of it, which the burfting out of the fubterraneous 
 Lakes muft make, as well as at their going off, and 
 pouring down thofe immenfe Chafms, with the 
 Violence of rufhing backwards and forwards upon 
 the Earth. I fay we can eafily conceive that there 
 muft be a good Depth of Mud, both upon the Sur- 
 face of the Earth, and among the Chafms within 
 it ; but we can't conceive, how the hardeft Rocks, 
 Metals, &V. could either be diflblved, or come to 
 
 their
 
 Differ tatiom en the DiiT. XL 
 
 their Confidence again in fo fhort a Time. What 
 Menftruum could do this ? Waters alone will not 
 do it. I don't queftion but there are vaft Rocks 
 in the Sea ever fince the Deluge, and that too per- 
 petually attack'd, if the Expreflion may be allow'd, 
 by the Violence of the- Waves beating againft them ; 
 yet are Rocks ftill, and very likely will remain un- 
 diflblved till the general Conflagration. Iy~t Gold, 
 or Iron, or even Marble and hard Stones, lie at 
 the Bottom of the Sea ever fo long, we don't find 
 they will be diflblved into Pap by it. Undoubt- 
 edly there were folid Rocks and Metals in the 
 Earth before the Flood, as well as at prefent : If 
 Water will not diflblve them now, how could it 
 diflblve them then ? Befide, to effect this, the whole 
 Earth muft be rent to Whitters, thorough and 
 thorough, Center and all ; a mere precarious Sup- 
 pofition, and againft Matter of Fact, as will be feeit 
 prefently : And when that is done, we don't find 
 any Menftruum fufficient to diflblve the rocky part?. 
 1 am fure Waters alone will not diflblve them. If 
 they fay that Rocks and Minerals are all foft in the 
 Bowels of the Earth, and only harden'd by the 
 Air ; this is not only a precarious Supposition, but 
 contrary to Fact ; for all your Miners know, that 
 the lower they fink in the Earth, the Earth itfelf 
 is ftill harder, and the Rocks more bulky and folid ; 
 fo that the nigher they are to the Day [their Term] 
 the more diflblveable and friable they are. How- 
 .ever, if we only fuppofe that the Earth contained 
 fbme folid Rocks and Minerals in its Bowels before 
 the Deluge, as it does now, no unnatural Stippofi- 
 tion, the Waters alone would not diflblve them; 
 It is well known to every Miner and Digger of 
 Quarries, that there are Rocks and Minerals in the 
 Bowels of the Mountains, which Water will not 
 diflblve at all, much lefs in fo fhort a Time as 
 
 the
 
 DifT. XI. MOSAICAL Creation. 399 
 
 the Deluge continued -, fo that it is evident, we 
 muft have recourfe to other Menftruums to dif- 
 folve them. Mr. Woodward himfeJf grants, that 
 not only the Shells of Fifh, but Pieces of Wood 
 and Trees were preferved, both during the Flood, 
 and till this Day, in the Bowels of the Earth ; but 
 pretends that Stones, Rocks, and Minerals, were 
 all diffolved : Becaufe, fays he, befide the Juxta- 
 pofition of the confiftenc Parts, Shells, Bones, 
 Wood, Trees, &c. are platted and interwoven in 
 luch a manner, that they can't be diffolved fo eafily 
 as fome Bodies which appear much harder. 
 
 Anfwer. This, in fome meafure, depends on a 
 precarious Suppofition, viz. that the Confidence 
 of Stones, Rocks, Minerals, &c. is caufed merely 
 by a Juxta-pofition of Parts prefled and fqueezed 
 together by fomething, we can't tell what. 'Tis 
 not unlikely, but a Juxta-pofition, and Squeeze of 
 the mighty Fluid furronnding us, may contribute 
 fomething towards the Firmnefs of Bodies , yet it 
 is very far from being certain, that that alone wilf 
 do : On the contrary, Rocks and Minerals have 
 their peculiar Contexture of Parts, as well as Shells 
 and Wood ; the parts of Gold and other Minerals 
 a-re fo ftrongly interwoven, that Water alone will 
 not diflblve them. 
 
 Well, but fay they, fuppofe God mould fuf* 
 pend the Power of Gravitation ; or, according to 
 others, mould have fufpended the Action and 
 PrefTure of the ambient Fluid upon Bodies , in that 
 Cafe, the hardeft and more friable Bodies would 
 crumble to Pieces, and mixing with the Waters, 
 the whole terraqueous Globe would become a 
 Hodge-podge. 
 
 Anfwer. Both thefe Suppofitions are abfolute-^ 
 ly precarious, and both of them require Mi- 
 racles, without any manner of Necejlity but to 
 
 fcrve
 
 400 Dictations on the DifT. XI. 
 
 ferve an almoft precarious Syftem. The firft is 
 a mere Chimera, if it fuppofes Gravity to be an 
 innate, immechanical Property of the material 
 Conftitution ; and at the fame Time introduces 
 the fupernatural and extraordinary Power of God 
 to fufpend this Property, which would be a 
 direct Miracle. Befides, precarioufly fuppofing 
 that Rocks and Minerals are only afiimu laced 
 by Gravity, and Juxta-pofition, and would dif- 
 folve in Water, as foon as that Power is fuf- 
 pended. The fecond alfo would be a downright 
 Miracle, viz. If the Preffure and Refiftance were 
 to be fufpended by the omnipotent and extraor- 
 dinary Power of God ; precarioufly fuppofing at 
 the fame Time, that the bare Sufpenfion of that 
 Preffure would make Gold, for Example, crumble 
 into Duft. I do not deny, but when the diffe- 
 rent conftituent Parts of different Bodies are 
 formed by the prime Caufe, in their different 
 Sizes, Shapes, Figures, &c. the vaft Preffure and 
 Action of the Fluid, might knit and weave them 
 together in their prefent Confidence ; and that 
 too mechanically, and perhaps without any other 
 Agent. To be fure, the Power and Effects of 
 the immenfe Fluid furrounding us, are prodigious, 
 as might eafily be proved , but where the Parts of 
 Bodies are once compacted and interwoven to- 
 gether ; as Gold, for Example, it does not feem 
 probable in the leaft, that upon the Sufpenfion of 
 that Preffure Gold would crumble into Du-ft, or 
 into its primary Conftituent, Atoms. Befide 
 that fuch a Sufpenfion would be a direct Mi- 
 racle, and Miracles are not to be multiplied with- 
 out Neceffity. Nay, how many precarious Sup- 
 pofitions muft we have to make the whole Earth- 
 to be thus diffolved ! whereas, if God did but caufe 
 the immenfe Quantity of Rain fufpended in the 
 
 Fir-
 
 DnX XL MOSAICAL Creation. 401 
 
 Firmament, to fall down, as the Scripture lays 
 exprefly he did -, or if the Waters feparated by 
 the Firmament from the Seas at the Beginning, as 
 it is demonftrable they were fufficient, were to 
 be poured down again, not only the Seas would 
 again overflow and cover the Earth, by fuch an 
 immenfe Addition, and Increafe of Waters , but 
 alfo the Fountains of the Abyfs, i.e. the Quan- 
 tity of Waters in the vaft Refervatories and fub- 
 terraneous Lakes, whofe Exiftence no one can 
 rationally difpute : I fay thofe Refervatories would 
 be fo increafed by that- new Addition of Waters 
 from the Heavens, as to burft out through new 
 Meatus's, which frequently happens in great Inun- 
 dations* and tear the Shell of the Earth to pieces in 
 many Places, overthrowing and turning topfy- 
 turvy whole Rocks and Mountains (landing in 
 their Way, and yet not turn the whole Bulk of 
 the Earth into a Hodge-podge. 
 
 5. Such a DifTolution is actually, in Faff, in- 
 confiftent with the prefent State of the Earth ; 
 that is, the prefent State of the Earth mews us, in 
 Fact, that fuch a Diflblution was not made. It 
 is granted, that there were vaft Alterations ' and 
 Jumbles caufed in the Earth by that Inundation ; 
 the very Breaks of the Rocks, and Parts of the 
 Mountains overturned by its Force, demonftrate 
 that there were great Con vulfions in many Parts 
 of the Earth ; yet the prefent Situation of thofe 
 Fragments and Breaks convinces us, that they 
 were not all diflblved, but only altered in their 
 local Poiition. One need only go into great 
 Mines, and fubterraneous Cavities, or view the 
 immenfe Ruins down the Sides and Precipices of 
 Mountains, to be convinced that thofe Rocks 
 were not diflfolved, but only burft and torn by 
 the general Inundation ^ there they lie as they 
 D d were
 
 402 Differ t a tiom en ike Di XI. 
 
 were left, in the fame irregular Pofition , fome 
 in vaft Heaps Handing up an End j fome edge- 
 ways ; fome fhelving, in the moft confufed, ir- 
 regular Situation imaginable ; and this in different 
 Depths, but more in IQands, and towards the Skirts 
 of great Mountains, than towards the Middle and 
 Center of them; fome vaftly deep j fomenighcr the 
 Surface, as the Shock placed them : There they 
 lie, I fay, in folid Fruftrums> jumbled together, 
 jufb as they were caft up by the Violence which 
 firft tore them to Pieces ; and this in all Parts of 
 the World ; which alfo mews, that the Inunda- 
 tion was general ; and lying ftill in that irregu- 
 lar Situation, is an ocular Demonftration that 
 they were not then diflblved into a Mim-mafh. 
 On the other hand, the fame Miners know, and 
 the Fac~b proves it, that the deeper they go, 
 and more from the Extremities, towards the 
 Middle of Hills or Iflands, the more true the 
 Meafures are -, that is, the Rocks and Beds of 
 Mines lie more uniform and horizontal ; not 
 jumbled together in fuch a confufed Manner, 
 as where the Violence of the Waters burft out 
 of their Repofitories, or impetuoufly running 
 off threw them into thefe irregular Heaps 5 that 
 the farther you advance towards the Continent, if 
 the Exprelfion may be allowed, the more flat 
 and horizontal, or more undifturbed the Rocks 
 and Mines lie, from their original Situation. 
 From whence thefe two Points naturally follow : 
 jy?, That thofe irregular Heaps of Rocks were 
 broke off from the more folid Beds. 2<#v, 
 That the original Beds farther in, towards the 
 Continent of the Earth, were not difturbed in 
 their particular Situations, unlefs where the Foun- 
 tains of the AbyfS) or the fubterraneous Lakes 
 burft out j and both (hew, that all thofe Rocks, 
 
 or
 
 Diff. XL MOSA i CAL Creation. 403" 
 
 or the whole Mafs of the Earth, was not diffolved 
 from Surface to Center. Though there might be 4 
 a"nd undoubtedly were, vaft Cracks, and Riffs, to 
 an immenfe Depth, to let in the Waters of the 
 Deluge. Some of the Refervoirs of Waters in 
 the Cavities of the Mountains, were much deeper 
 and larger than others, as undoubtedly they are 
 now ; fuch as fupply great Rivers in different 
 Parts of the World ; which Refervoirs may be fo 
 increafed by prodigious Rains, as to burft out 
 by new Eruptions, fo as to overturn whole Rocks 
 in their Way j Effects not unknown to natural 
 Hiftorians. 
 
 Laftly, The chief Argument and Foundation of 
 Mr. Woodward and others, who embrace that 
 Part of his Syftem, is, that fome of the above 
 mentioned marine Shells are found in the midft 
 of the hardeft Rocks, and even at all Depths. 
 Nay, fome of them make a Mould in the Rock, 
 and leave the Print of their outfide Ribs, and the 
 Form of them in it. This mews that the Rock 
 muft have been foft and pappy, when the Shell 
 firft fell into it, fince it could not go through the 
 hard Rock, to lodge in its Center. And as fuch 
 are found in different Parts of the World, and at 
 different Depths in the Earth, the Doctor thinks, 
 as it is demonftrable that there was a general 
 Flood ; fo there muft have been a general DifTo- 
 lution of all the Rocks and Strata, to lodge fuch 
 Shells in them. 
 
 Anjwer. This Phenomenon is difficult enough 
 to account for, I own j but can nothing account 
 for it, without turning the whole Bulk of the 
 Earth from the Surface to the Center into a 
 Hafty-pudding ? contrary to all the Arguments 
 which demonftrate, that it was n6t fo diflblved. 
 Can this fingle Difficulty counterbalance all the 
 D d 2 fore-
 
 404 Diflertations on the Diff. XL 
 
 foregoing Arguments ? I fhall not folve it, as 
 fome do, that fuch Shells are a mere lufus nature, 
 or iporting of Nature, to mimic the various Pro- 
 ductions of the Earth. The Doftor has proved 
 fufficiently, that they are real Shells, with the 
 fame fpecific Qualities as real Shells actually 
 taken out of the Sea ; yet, fuppofe we could not 
 account for it ; muft it follow, that the whole 
 Earth was diflblved, becaufe we cannot explain, 
 this particular EfFeft ? All Philofophers know, 
 that the Moon is the chief Caufe of the Tides, 
 as they follow the Courfe of the Moon moft fur- 
 prizingly, they are convinced alfo, that the won- 
 derful Operations of the Loadftone evidently 
 mark out fome magnetic Effluvia furrounding 
 it ; yet there are fome Difficulties both in the 
 Tides, and the Magnet, that can fcarce be tole- 
 rably accounted for. However, this particular 
 Difficulty is not fo very great, that we muft have 
 Recourfe to fuch an unaccountable Syftem to ex- 
 plain it. Is is well known, that though the 
 Earth was formed originally real Earth, and re- 
 mained real Earth at the Deluge, with real Rocks, 
 Minerals, and other different Strata in it ; yet 
 there were then, and are dill, initial Seeds, Juices, 
 and Conftituents of Rocks and Minerals in the 
 Earth, and Waters impregnated with them, 
 which are not come to the Maturity of real 
 Rocks and Minerals, but only initial ones, and 
 might be formed, and are formed at all Times, 
 and become real Rocks, Stones, and Minerals. 
 We need only go into the different fubterraneous- 
 Caves of Mountains, where we fee the lapidific 
 Juice, if we may call it fo, dropping from the 
 Tops of them $ and though, in Appearance, it 
 is a clear Lympha, yet thofe Droppings form 
 other real Rocks of all Shapes as may be feen 
 
 in
 
 DifT. X I. Mos A i c A L Creation . 405 
 
 in the Peak in Derbyjhire and other Places. 'Tis 
 affirmed that fome Lakes turn Wood into real 
 Stone ; I have feen feveral Springs myfelf, which 
 will incruftate Sticks, Chips, and other Materials, 
 with a Cruft of real Stone. The different Petrifica- 
 tions in the Earth fhew the fame petrifying or 
 lapidific Particles abound in different Parts of 
 the Earth. I have feen a large Mufhroom with 
 a Worm upon it, petrified into a hard Stone, 
 which muft be done in a fhort Time. Suppofe 
 then, thofe Shells found in hard Rocks fell down 
 thofe immenfe Cracks and Chafms, at all Depths, 
 and meeting with thofe lapidific Juices and Ma- 
 terials, which forming into Rocks, inclofed the 
 Shells within them , where the Shell-Fifh muft 
 form the Mould of its Shape in foft Materials, 
 though hardened and petrified in Time into a fo- 
 lid Rock. In that Cafe, there would be no need 
 to turn the whole Bulk of the Earth into a Hafty- 
 pudding to account for this Difficulty, 
 
 As for fuch Shells being found at all Depths, 
 'tis prefumed they mean at all Depths difcover- 
 cd by Miners : But, what are thofe Depths to 
 the Center of the Earth ? We cannot tell, indeed ? 
 how deep feveral Cracks in the Earth might reach 
 at the Deluge , OP, how deep the Waters funk 
 through thofe Cracks ; or from how great a 
 Depth fome of the Fountains of the Abyfs, 
 and fubterraneous Lakes, being over- filled by 
 immenfe Rains foaking down in them, might 
 bur ft out , or, in fine, what dreadful Breaks and 
 Convulfions in the Earth fuch Burftings out, 
 and Inundation qf Waters muft make. 'Tis 
 certain they were very great and terrible, as the 
 yet remaining Footfteps convince us. 'Tis alfo 
 certain, vaft Fragments of the moft folid Rocks 
 were disjointed and over-turned, and remain fo 
 D d 3 to,
 
 406 Dijjertaticns m the Diff. XI, 
 
 to this Day. We find ftill, at a great Depth 
 under the Earth, vaft Gullets, and fubterraneous 
 Paffages under fome folid Rocks, filled with all 
 manner of Rubbifh, which fome Miners call 
 fmted Stuff ; that is, Stuff fent, or carried down 
 by fome fubterraneous Floods ; and this, I fay, 
 under folid Rocks and Strata to a great Depth -, 
 in all Appearance occafioned by different Con- 
 vulficns throwing fuch Rocks over them : Ano- 
 ther evident Argument for an univerfal Deluge. 
 Before which, as Men and Animals, &c. lived 
 then upon the Earth, as they do now ; fuch 
 Scuff, as well as Shells, might be carried down 
 among the Joints of the Rocks at all known 
 Depths ; and the Shells lighting among Mate- 
 rials not quite formed into Rocks and Minerals, 
 might be petrified, and contained in the midft 
 of them. For all which Reafons, one may ea- 
 fiiy be convinced, both that fuch Shells might 
 be left at the Deluge ; and that the whole Bujk 
 of the Earth, tho' vaftly mattered and torn by it, 
 was not difiblved into a Hodge-podge , while at 
 the fame time thofe immenfe Ruins, Breaks, an4 
 Shatters of all the great Mountains in the World, 
 both infide and outfide, with the vaft Gullies 
 where all the loofe Earth, and even more lopfe 
 Strata, were wafh'd away, and caft into Heaps t in 
 the moft irregular Jumble imaginable, by the go- 
 ing off, and pouring pff of fome prodigious 
 Inundation, and this in all Parts of the Univerfe, 
 as well as the remaining Sea-fhells in all Parts, 
 demonstrates an uniyerfai Deluge ; nor can all the 
 little fribbling Difficulties of Freethinkers eyey 
 invalidate jc. 
 
 JWELFTH
 
 Dili XII. MOSAICAI, Creation. 407 
 
 TWELFTH 
 
 Of the Building of the ^fower of Babel, and 
 the Confufion of Tongues, &c f 
 
 AMONG the different Paradoxes of Mr. 
 Hutchinfon and his Followers, that of the 
 End propofed to themfelves by the Sons tfNoah 
 in building the Tower of Babel, and the Confu- 
 fion and Separation attending it, is not the leaft. 
 Contrary to the univerfal Current of Interpreters, 
 and Commentators, as I could find, on the mofi 
 diligent Search ; and indeed contrary to the Tra- 
 dition and Belief of mod of the known Na- 
 tions in the World, they maintain and affert 
 with the greateft Affurance, that the Confufion of 
 Babel, Gen. xi. i. was not of Languages, or 
 or a Confufion of Tongues, but a Confufion of 
 ConfeJJlons, or Profeffions of religious Worfhip -, 
 that is to fay, God did not confound their Lan- 
 guages, but confounded them, and made them 
 quarrel, and feparate into different Tribes and 
 Nations about religious Worfhip, and Confcffion. 
 of the fupreme Deity , fome being for one Wor- 
 fhip, fome for another ; that is, fome were for 
 wormipping the true God ; fome for falfe Gods, 
 for Example, the Powers of the Air* &c. till 
 the Worfhippers of the Air prevailed againft the 
 Wormippers of the true God -, fo they built the 
 D d 4 Tower
 
 408 Dijfertatiom on the Biff. XIJ. 
 
 Tower of Bafat, not to make themfelyes a Name, 
 as the Scripture affirms in that Place -, but as a 
 Monument, Temple, or, if you pleafe, an im- 
 menfe Altar confecrated to the Air, or Heavens*, 
 which according to them are all one. 
 
 Befide the Novelty of this unheard-of Opinion, 
 which Mr. Hytchinfon feems to affect in all his 
 "Writings, as every Reader may fee by them , par- 
 ticularly if he can fcrew in any Hebrew Words 
 for it, or give a different Derivation of the He- 
 brew from other People, in Oftentation of his 
 Learning in that Language ; in which he certain- 
 ly had a competent Knowledge, if the Oddity of 
 his Opinions had not made him wreft the Hebrew 
 to his own Senfe, in order to fupport his Para- 
 doxes ; vet his particular Drift in this Affertion 
 was to eftablifh the Dominion, or Godfhip, at leaft 
 the Heathen Godfhip, of the Air. He had main- 
 tained before, that the Scope and Intent of Mofes^ 
 in the Account of the Creation, was to teach the 
 "World the mighty Powers of the Air, in its 
 three Denominations, of Fire, Light, and Spirit ; 
 and that, as the only true Syftem of Philofophy. 
 How juftly fuch a Syftem ought to be exploded, 
 has been feen fufficiently in the foregoing Differ- 
 tations. To confirm this Syftem, and to make us 
 believe, that the Heathen World acknowledged 
 the Air as endowed with thefe mighty Powers to 
 be the fupreme God, though I hope of none but 
 Gentiles, he manifeflly perverts this Place of Ge- 
 nejis, as will be feen by and by ; as if Mofes de- 
 clared that the Confufion of Babel^ and the build- 
 ing the Tower, was about worfhipping the Air, 
 pot a Confufion of Tongues ; in which the Reader 
 will obferve two principal Points of the Hutchin- 
 fonian Syftem in this Place. The one, that the 
 Air was the fupreme God of the Gentiles, to 
 
 whom.
 
 . XII. MOSAIPAL Creation. 409 
 
 whom, and in whofe Honour this Tower was 
 built. The other, that the Confufion attending 
 it was about t the public Eftablifhment of this 
 Worfhip, not of Languages j which, fay they, 
 Mofu never dream'd of. 
 
 The firft Part has been fufficiently refuted al- 
 ready ; for, in effect, if the mere material Air 
 was not the only fupreme God of the Gentiles, as 
 they affert ; if Mofes never taught, that the Air 
 was the univerfal Agent, by whom God after 
 the Formation of the Chaos produced all the 
 pther Species, as they allb aflert : But on the 
 contrary, Mofes declares in Terms, that God pro- 
 duced them all, not the Air, of which he does 
 not fay a Word, unlefs in their extravagant Ex- 
 plication of Rutih Meracbefeth, the Air refted up- 
 on, or lay upon the Waters. If their prepofte- 
 rous Explications of the wonderful and almoft 
 omnipotent Operations of the Air be diredly 
 falfe in Philofophy, as well as Divinity ; if the 
 Generality of the Gentiles believed their greater 
 Gods to have been intelligent Beings, capable of 
 hearing their Prayers, and conferring voluntary 
 Benefits upon them, or inflicting Punifhments 
 upon them at their Pleafure, which the mere 
 material Air could never do ; all which have been 
 fufficiently proved; it is almoft ridiculous to 
 imagine, that Mofes intended to declare in this 
 Chapter, that the Difpute and Confufion was 
 about eftablifhing this Worfhip ; particularly, 
 when the very Heathens themfelves believed their 
 Gods to be Beings fuperior to the mere inani- 
 mate and material Air. Nay, Mofes declares ex- 
 prefly, that their Intent in building this Tower 
 was to make themfelves a Name ; or, to leave a 
 piighty Monument of their Fame, when they 
 
 were
 
 4 1 o Di/ertations on. the DilT. X II. 
 
 were informed, that they were to be, and their 
 Numbers convinced them, that they muft be fe- 
 parated into different Parts of the Earth. If, in 
 fine, fome of them, or their Pofterity, might be- 
 lieve the Air to be a God, or Nimrcd the mighty 
 Hunter and Tyrant might ere<5t an Altar after- 
 wards, on that Tower, either to the Air, or 
 fome other God, which at the moft is but a very 
 dubious, if not intirely precarious Suppofition, can 
 that be a Proof with any one but Mr. Hutchm- 
 fon y that the Tower was built for the Wormip 
 of the Air ? In this Suppofition then, admitting 
 that fome of the antient Heathens mi^ht adore 
 
 *~ ' 
 
 the Air, or rather fome Deity prefiding over the 
 Air ; though it muft be mere material Air to do 
 the Hutchinfonians any good , fmce they contend 
 that the Element of Air, cr the mere material 
 Air, that is, the Ruah or Spirit lying upon the 
 Waters, was their univerfal Agent for the Pro- 
 duftion of all the Species, as Mr. Hutchinfon 
 maintains : But, I fay, admitting even this Sup- 
 pofition, what is this to the Mofaical Account 
 in this Chapter ? Does Mofes tell us that they 
 built this Tower to honour and adore this aerial 
 God ? Not in the leaft ; but that they had a Mind 
 to. make themfelves a Name, or to raife fome 
 immortal Monument of their Memory before 
 they were feparated into different Tribes and 
 Nations, though they did not know yet what 
 was to be the Caufe of their Separation, viz. the 
 confounding their univerfal Language, which 
 obliged thtm to affociate with thofe who fpoke 
 the fame Language with themfelves , a much 
 more efficacious Caufe of their Separation, than 
 quarrelling and jangling about Religion. But 
 to examine the Text more clofely, which more
 
 DiiT. XII, MOSAICAL Creation! 411 
 
 immediately regards the Deftpuftion of this Part 
 of their Syftem. 
 
 And it came to pafs, as they journled from the 
 Eaft, that they found a Plain in the Land of Shi- 
 nar ; and they dwelt there - t and thty faid to one 
 another. Go to, let us make Brick, and burn them 
 thoroughly -, and they had Brick for Sfone, and Slime 
 had they for Mortar : And they faid, Go to, let us 
 build us a City and a 'Tower, whofe Top may reach 
 unto Heaven ; and let us MAKE us A NAME, left we 
 be fcattered upon the Face of the whole Earth. Gen. 
 xi. 2, 3, 4. Is there any thing in the obvious 
 and natural Senfe of the Text, which implies that 
 they built this City and Tower to adore the Air? 
 Let us build us a City and a Tower ; as much as 
 to fay, Let us build for ourfelves, not for the Air, 
 but for our Honour and Glory ; and let us make 
 us a Name, before, as the Vulgat tranflates it, we 
 are fcattered over the Face of the Earth. Here 
 the very End of building that Tower is expreff- 
 ed. Is there any thing new, or unheard-of, that 
 Men Ihould build a Monument for their Memo- 
 ry when they were to be feparated over different 
 Parts of the Earth? May not Numbers cf 
 Examples be brought for ere&ing fuch Mo- 
 numents ? Is it not an ufual Thing ? Does not 
 the Text moreover mark out exprefly, that was 
 their Intent , not to adore the Air ? Do not the 
 'Hutchinfonians themfelves acknowledge that they 
 profeflfed but one Religion, or, as they term it, one 
 Confeffion, /'. e. acknowledging the true God, 
 when they begun to build the Tower, and indeed 
 a confiderable Time after ? for they were ad- 
 vanced a great Way in that mighty Work, be- 
 fore God confounded their Tongues, as appears 
 by the Text ; which muft require no inconfider* 
 able Time ; yet they declared their Intent in 
 
 building
 
 412 Dijfertatiom on tie DilT. XII. 
 
 building the Tower before they fet about it; and 
 as they were then, as thofe Gentlemen do not de- 
 ny, of one Confefiion, both at the Beginning, and 
 during the Time of their advancing in the Pro- 
 grefs of fuch a great Work, acknowledging 
 then the true God, they could not well com- 
 mence it, and perfevere in it for an idolatrous 
 Intent. The Scripture fays exprefly, that they 
 were of one !.//>, both when they began the Work, 
 and when they had gone a great Way in it. Now 
 if we take the Words, one Lip, for one Speech, 
 as it will appear by and by it ought to be taken, 
 the Difpute is ended. If you fay it means of one 
 Confeffwn^ as thefe Gentlemen maintain, that Ccn- 
 feffion, even according to them, was of the true 
 God, not of the Godfhip of the Air, till their 
 Confeflion was confounded, a good while after 
 they had begun the Work, and advanced a great 
 Way in it. The Scripture does not tell how 
 long this was ; but natural Reafon convinces us, 
 that preparing the Materials, bringing them to- 
 gether, finking the Foundations, and advancing 
 fo far in fuch an immenfe Work, muft require a 
 great deal of Time, perhaps fome Years ; yet 
 they were of the fame Confeflion, according to 
 thefe Gentlemen, and the exprefs Words of the 
 Text, if it means Confeflion ; by coniequence, 
 till then, they never dream'd of adoring the Air, 
 or erecting it to the Air. 
 
 Further, if they were of one Confefiion till God 
 confounded it, they muft make God to be directly 
 the Author of Idolatry. They were all of one 
 Confefiion before ; the Scripture fays exprefly God 
 confounded it ; and as thefe Gentlemen maintain, 
 muft fet them a quarrelling about it in fuch a man- 
 ner, that they difperfed and feparated upon it all 
 nver the Earth, leaving the mighty Work un- 
 finifhed. Credat Jud<eus> non ego. It is no Im- 
 piety
 
 DiiT. XII. MOSAICAL Creation." 
 
 piety to believe that God confounded their Speech, 
 that they might difperfe and people the different 
 parts of the Earth, with other Views beft known 
 to his divine Wifdom ; as indeed Mofes is the firft 
 Author that gives us any Account how the World 
 came to be divided into fo many different Lan- 
 guages, as it will be proved in Fact they were : 
 I lay, there is no Impiety in this ; on the contrary, 
 it fupplies us with a juft Reafon, how and why 
 Languages came to be fo divided : But it is a moft 
 horrid Impiety to advance, that God exprefly 
 turn'd their Hearts from the true Confeffion of his 
 Worfhip to infpire them with fuch grofs Idolatry, 
 as to adore the material Air, and erect fuch an 
 immenie Altar to it. 
 
 The foregoing Reafons, and the immediate Con- 
 fequence, that God muft be the direct Author of 
 their Idolatry, in cafe one Lip and one Speech im- 
 plies that they were all of one ConfeJJlon^ or of one 
 Profeffion of religious Worfhip when God con- 
 founded this Worfhip, is only Argumento ad ho- 
 minem, i. e. if, in the Hutchinfonian Fiction, 
 that is the Meaning of their being of one Lip and 
 one Speech. 'Tis certain the Scripture in that 
 place afferts, in the moft confpicuous Terms, that 
 they were all of one and the fame fomething ; either 
 of one and the fame Speech, as being of one and 
 the fame Family ; or of one and the fame Confef- 
 fion, as their common Anceftor Noah, then living, 
 was a true Believer, and worfhipped the true God : 
 Though the Confequence of their being of the 
 fame Sentiments, as to religious Worfhip, is not 
 nigh fo clear, as their being of one and the fame 
 Speech ; as will be feen more particularly prefently. 
 'Tis alfo certain, that Men may live together, be 
 of the fame Family and Speech, and not of the 
 fame Confeffion : But the Scripture fays exprefly, 
 
 that
 
 414 Differ tatiom on the DilT. XII, 
 
 that they were all of the fame fomething ; if the 
 fame Lip means the fame Confeflion, the Scripture 
 muft aflert that they were all of one and the fame 
 Profefiion of Religion, viz. the true one : In that 
 Suppofition, God directly confounded this true 
 Confeffion, and made great part of them Wor- 
 fhippers of the Air. Now, befides the Impiety of 
 fuch a Suppofition, whereas there was none in con- 
 founding their Speech, 'tis full as hard to conceive, 
 and requires nigh as great a Miracle, to confound 
 their ConfeGion, and change all their Notions of 
 Religion in a Moment ; change them from the 
 Worfhip of the true God, to the Worfhip of dull y 
 ftupid Matter, as the mere Air is ; as it was to 
 change their Speech that they might not under- 
 fland one another. What then would the Hutchin- 
 fonians gain by fuch a Suppofition, unlefs to make 
 a God of the Air ? 
 
 But, in all Appearance, there is not the leaft 
 Mention of religious Wormip in the whole Text : 
 Nay, 'tis highly probable, they were not all of 
 one Confeffion before they began to build the 
 Tower. But one might afk thefe Gentlemen, did 
 none of them worfhip the Air before ? were they 
 all ignorant of the mighty Powers and Operations 
 of the Air, which, according to Mr. Hutchinfon y 
 produced all Things, except the firft Atoms ? 
 God*s univerfal Agent, which provided them with, 
 all Things ; the Reprefentative of his Trinity, ac- 
 cording to the fame Author ? were they all igno- 
 rant of the Creation till Mofes's Time, and the 
 mighty Powers, fay they, Mofes afcribed to it in 
 the firft Chapter of Genejis ? could the molt igno- 
 rant of Mofes's Followers know more of this uni- 
 verfal Agent than all the prefent Philofophers, as 
 Mr.~Hutcbinfon afiferts, and yet the Defendants of 
 Noah know nothing of it till they began to build 
 
 this-
 
 Did*. XII. MOSAICAL Creation^ 415 
 
 this Tower ? On the whole it .is to be feared, that 
 as there were wicked Men and Unbelievers before 
 the Flood, among the Defcendants or Cain, if net 
 all of them, fince they are exprefly diftinguifhed in 
 the Scripture from the Sons of God -, and though 
 the Scripture does not fpecify Idolatry among their 
 Crimes, as it does not feveral other Crimes, of 
 which they might be guilty, 'tis certain they did 
 not worfhip the true God -, and it is highly proba- 
 ble, Idolatry was amongft the reft of their Crimes. 
 In like manner, there might be Idolaters among 
 the Defcendants of Noah before the building of 
 Babel, as well as after. The three Sons of Noah 
 were grown Men before they entered the Ark, and 
 Ham was a very wicked Perfon, he was converfant, 
 very likely, with the wicked Defcendants of Cain, 
 when even the Defcendants of Setb had been cor- 
 rupted by them, before the Deluge came on 5 
 Ham might learn his Wickednefs from them, and 
 might juftly be reputed as the fecond Author of 
 Idolatry before that Building, as his Defcendants " 
 were immediately after. It is fcarce to be doubted 
 but Nimrod the Son of Chufs was an Idolater and 
 Propagator of Idolatry, and was the firft Barchufs 
 or Bacchus of the antient Heathens. The great St. 
 Auguflm^ in his City of God, wrote exprefly for 
 that End, proves, there were two Cities from 
 the beginning of the World, the one the Worfhip- 
 pers of the true God, the other Worfhippers of the 
 Devil, or at leaft of fome falfe Deity. Moft of the 
 Learned among the Antients think, that the Pla- 
 nets were worfhipped before the Flood. See the 
 late univerfal Hiftory of the Religion of the Car- 
 thaginians and Phoenicians, about Moloch and the 
 Number Seven ; not as mere material Planets, or 
 mere Matter, as they really are, but as having 
 fome Divinity refiding in them, which the Devils, or 
 
 the
 
 4 1 6 Differ fattens on the DifT. XII. 
 
 the fallen Angels, appearing to them, might make 
 them believe, were the Gods or Genii of fuch 
 Planets : As it is impoffible to deny, without ar- 
 raigning the Veracity of all antient Monuments, 
 that fuch Genii or Demons did appear to Men, 
 ordered fuch and fuch Rites to be obferved in their 
 Worfhip, inflicted Punifhments for the Neglect 
 of them, &c. I fay, 'tis arraigning all Antiquity, 
 to deny this univerfally. 'Tis undoubted alfo, that 
 the Heathens addrefled their Prayers to them, and 
 expected voluntary Blefiings from them ; fome to 
 the Sun, fome to the Moon and Planets, fome to 
 the Earth and the Elements, or rather to the Dei- 
 ties or Daemons prefiding over them. Be that as 
 it wiW, as to this Place, 'tis highly probable the 
 wicked Defendants of Cain might wor/hip fuch 
 Demons, believing them Deities ; and the wicked 
 Ham being converfant with them before the Flood, 
 might introduce fuch Worfhip among his Defcen- 
 dants immediately after. 
 
 Here the Hutchinfonians fhuffle a little ; perhaps 
 rinding it difficult to maintain, that there was no 
 falfe Worfhip among the Defcendants of Noah be- 
 fore that Divifion of Babel : And, on the other 
 hand, that it is equally difficult to explain, how 
 all their Sentiments could be changed in an Inftant 
 (if they were all of one Confeflion) into the Wor- 
 fhip of the Air from the Wormip of the true God -, 
 and that too by God himfelf : I fay, they feem to 
 boggle at thefe Difficulties, and would make us 
 believe, that though many of them worihipped 
 the Air in their Hearts, or perhaps among them- 
 felves, yet there was but one public Confejfion^ and 
 no fixed Place for the Wormip ot the Air, till 
 they erected the Tower, as an Altar for that Ufe. 
 Anfwer. Is not this really muffling with the facred 
 Text, and explaining it by one of the moft preca- 
 rious
 
 BifT. XH. MOSAIC AL Creation." 417 
 
 rious Suppofidons imaginable. May not we elude 
 the cleareft Texts of the Scripture at this Rare? 
 Does the Text here give us any room for fuch a 
 precarious Suppofition ? does it not declare exprefly, 
 that they were all of bite Lip, and one Speech ? 
 which if it means Confeflion, is dire&ly falfe by 
 this Suppofition. May not we as well maintain, 
 that they were all Heathens, and no Worihippers 
 of the true God ? fince there was no fixed Place 
 of Wor/hip for the true Believers, either before, 
 or then, or till a great while after ; for the antienc 
 Patriarchs wormipped and facrificed to God at dif- 
 ferent Places, as OccaQon required, as we fee in 
 the Account of Abraham^ Jacob^ &c. On the 
 whole then, if the Text htre means, that they were 
 all at that Time really of one Language and one 
 Speech, as will be feen, their new-fangled Syftem 
 is intirely deftroyed : But if taken in their Hypo- 
 thefis, we are involved in numberlefs Difficulties, 
 for mere precarious Suppofitions invented only to 
 ferve a particular Syftem. It is not worth while 
 to anfwer the Example of Pharaoh, whofe Heart 
 God is faid to harden, &fc. Why then, may they 
 fay, that God might make the major Part of thole 
 People turn Idolaters in a Moment (for that muft 
 be the Englijh of it) as well as confound their 
 Tongues. There is no need of enquiring, why 
 God might or might not permit a great many 
 Things, or one as well as the other, if we knew 
 all his Reafons for it : But it is quite a different 
 Thing to permit a wicked King to harden his own 
 Heart againft a People whom he hated and per- 
 fecuted, and to turn the Hearts of Men from his 
 own true Worfhip, and make them rank Idolaters, 
 Befides, it is no Impiety to change their Speech, 
 but a very great one to introduce Idolatry inftead 
 of his true \Vorftiip : Yet the Text tells us exprefl/ 
 
 E e that
 
 4i 8 'Di/erfatiom on the DifT. XII. 
 
 that God did this, if it means Confeflion. I pre- 
 fume fuch a Suppofition deferves no farther An- 
 fwer. But to proceed, 
 
 This is not the only part of the Text thefe Gen- 
 tlemen violently wreft: to ferve a favourite Syftem, 
 in order to prove, that the Tower of Babel was built 
 in Honour of the Air ; and this from the Hebrew 
 Word Bajhemaim, up to the Heavens ; which they 
 not only wreft, but even pervert from its true Signi- 
 fication, contrary to all the antient Verfions, Tran- 
 flations, and Interpreters of this Place. Thefe 
 Gentlemen afiert, that Bajhemaim- or Btjbemaim, 
 fignifies to Heaven, or to the Heavens ; that the 
 Senfe of the Text, according to them, is, Come let 
 us build a Tower, whofe Top to Heaven, or to the 
 Air ; the Words may reach not being in the He- 
 brew, fay they, as indeed it is put in different Cha- 
 racters in our Englijh Tranflation. But let us exa- 
 mine how all the antient Verfions exprefs this Word 
 Bejhamaim, as they are tranflated by our learned 
 Walton in his Polyglot. 
 
 In the Septuagint it is, whofe Top Jhall le up to 
 Heaven ; 'tis the fame in the Syriac, and Tar gum 
 Onkelos, as the fame learned Walton tranflates 
 them ; in the Samaritan, vbofe Top may be in 
 Heaven -, in the Arabic, wbofe Top may reach to 
 Heaven ; in the Latin Vulgat, whoje Top may reach 
 to Heaven -, the fame in our Englijh Tranflation ; 
 in Pagninus's Tranflation ad verbum, adapted by 
 Mr. Walton as a true verbal Tranflation from the 
 Hebrew, Bejhamaim is, in Ccelum, with an Accufa- 
 tive Cafe, which every Grammarian knows is into t 
 or up to Heaven ; the Heireiv Piepofition "2 or 
 Beth, fignifies into or up to, as the Prepofition in 
 does in Latin. Would any then but Mr. Hut- 
 chinfon prefer his own Senfe to all thefe antient 
 Verfions ? and fuch a Senfe too, as no Man ever 
 
 dreamc
 
 Dili". XII. MoS A ICAL Creation. 419 
 
 dreamt of before ; nay, liable to fuch Abfurditi * 
 and Difficulties j jis appear in the foregoing Argir 
 ments : Befides, they fltir over that part of th e 
 Text, where it is faid, Czmt let us build us a 
 Tower ; i. e. for us, as a Monument of our Me- 
 mory, before we are Scattered over the Earth : 
 Not, Let us build a Tower to the Air, or to Hea- 
 ven, but, us, or for our Farrie and Glory ; which 
 I am fure is no fuch an unnatural Explication, and 
 entirely conformable to the foregoing part of the 
 Text, Come let us make us a Name, &c. To for- 
 fake that Senfe and embrace fuch an unaccountable 
 Explication as Mr. Hutcbinfon does, is forcing the 
 Text with a Witnefs. 
 
 But they object, and almoft infult over the or- 
 thodox Opinion, and all the ancient Verfions of this 
 Place, Could any Man in their Senfes, fay they, 
 Imagine that they could build a Tower up to Hea- 
 ven ? it is almoft Madnefs to think of ir : hy Con- 
 Fequence, they built it to the Heavens -, ;. e. to 
 adore and worfhip the Heavens or the Ait -s, as 
 Mr. Hutchinfon frequently exprefles ir$ and even 
 triumphs in his happy Invention. 
 
 Anfwer. Why* is it fuch an uncommon Thing 
 to make ufe of an exaggerating or an hyperbolical 
 Expreflion* to fignify an immenfe Height ? efpe- 
 cially among the Orientals of fuch an ancient Date, 
 whofe Expreffions frequently intimated a vaft Ele- 
 vation of Thought ? We read of mantes Dei in 
 the Scripture, or Mountains of God, to fignify" 
 Vaft high Mountains : Milieus in Ccelo^ the Kite in 
 the Heavens^ towring on high : We fay, their 
 Shouts refound to the Skies ; to be tofled up to 
 the Skies, ^?r. and yet be in our Senfes all the 
 while. But fince thefe Gentlemen make fuch a 
 Pother about the Extravagance of the Thought, 
 could any thing be more ftopid, more nonfenfical, 
 E e i than
 
 420 Differ tat ions on tie Dili. XII. 
 
 than for rational Creatures to look upon the mere 
 material Air as the fupreme God, to adore it as 
 the fupreme God ? If they could be fo extravagant 
 in the one, why may not they be in the other. 
 'Tis pofllble in fuch a Freak, they Teemed to be 
 feized with, they might be fo foolilh as to think 
 they might reach Heaven ; fmce perhaps, they had 
 not fuch exalted Notions of Philofophy as we have 
 now, not withft&n ding the high Ideas Mr. Hutcbin- 
 fon would give us of them in that refpect, and 
 might imagine the Habitation of God was not fo 
 far out of their Reach. They appear to any fen- 
 fible Man to have had very grofs Ideas ; as the 
 Text, according to our Conceptions, makes God 
 deride them for it : Nay, the very Fables of the 
 antient Poets, of the Giants heaping Mountains 
 upon Mountains, to fcale Heaven and attack the 
 Gods, feemed to be derived from that extravagant 
 Building. Take it which way you will, Men 
 that could be fo ftupid as to adore the Air, might 
 have as grofs Imaginations in other Refpects, 
 and might foolifhly think, they might reach Hea- 
 ven , as is fabled of the Giants : But to make them 
 a Name was fufficient. 
 
 But they object further, that Herodotus in his 
 Hiftory mentions an Altar upon the Remains of that 
 Tower in his Time , by Confequence it was erect- 
 ed for a religious Worfhip. An fiver. He does fo v 
 but the Confequence is a very lame one, more 
 ruinous than that Tower was at that Time. The 
 Teftimony of Herodotus is rather againfl them than 
 for them. He mentions alfo the Statue of fome 
 Man, or King, that was to be feen in his Time, 
 as it is certain the Adrians adored fome of their 
 antient Kings : But is the Status of a Man, or a 
 King, the Air ? TKe Altar then which was feen 
 in Herodotus'* Time, was for that Statue, to fa- 
 
 crifice
 
 DifT. XII. MOSAICAL Creation. 421 
 
 crifice to an Idol, not to the Air. As Niwrod 
 and his Succeflbrs were Idolaters* they might turn 
 that unfinifhed Tower to the Worfhjp of their 
 Gods afterwards, though it was erected to another 
 Purpofe. ' Tis very pofiible alfo, that the Statue 
 which remained in the Time of Herodotus^ might 
 be the famous Statue which Nabuchadonofor erected 
 in the Field of Lura, mentioned in the Hiftory of 
 the Three Children thrown into the fiery Furnace, 
 and placed by him after on that mighty Tower. 
 Now, to fay a Word or two of the Confequence 
 thefe Gentlemen would draw from this Place of 
 Herodotus : There was an Altar, fays he, upon 
 the Remains of the Tower of Babel -, therefore 
 that Tower was erected originally to adore the Air. 
 What a Confequence is this ? The Tower might 
 be erected for other Ends, and yet the fucceeding 
 Idolaters might erect an Altar upon it to their ido- 
 lized Kings, as the Statue upon it plainly indicates; 
 whereas the Scripture exprefly tells us, it was erect- 
 ed originally to make themfelves a Name. 
 
 There is another Confideration, which may be 
 look'd upon as a ftrong negative Argument, that 
 the Air was not the grand Object of idolatrous 
 Wormip at that Building , nor that Mafes ever 
 defigned to defcribe k as fuch, in that Confufion, 
 which obliged them to feparate themfelves from 
 one another into different Tribes and Nations, viz, 
 that Mofes in all his Writings does not command 
 the Children of ffrael to beware of this grand Ob- 
 ject of Idolatry, which had thqs infatuated all the 
 World, and caufed fuch diftinct Effects among 
 them : Efpecially fmce, according to Mr. Hutcbin- 
 fon, this was the great God of the Gentiles ab 
 origins) infomuch as to erect that enormous 
 Tower in Honour of it ; the God chat produced 
 all the Species after the Creation of the Chaos , 
 E e 3 the
 
 422 Differ tdt'wns on the DifF. XII. 
 
 the God that gave them all Things, as he mag- 
 nifies the Operations of the Air in the moft pom- 
 pous Expreffions, &c. See Majis Principia. fTis 
 wonderful Mofes mould not caution them in a par- 
 ticular manner againft this enormous Idolatry , the 
 Scripture forbids them to make them Gods of 
 Gold, and Gods of Silver, or evep any Similitude 
 in Heaven or in Earth, to adore and worfhip them 
 as Gods , he forbids the Worfhip of Moloch^ and. 
 other Abominations of the Heathens ; Whereas, 
 according to Mr. Hutchinfon^ Mofes magnifies the 
 Powers and Operations of the Air to fuch a De- 
 gree, as might almoft induce the Children of Ifrael 
 to make a God of it in earneft. The Scripture 
 alfo fays, that all the Gods of the Gentiles are De- 
 vils ; and , Mofes fays, they immolated their Sons 
 and Daughters to Devils ; in which Denomination 
 
 **? - . 
 
 he could cot include the Air, nor the Elements, 
 nor the Planets ; for he knew that the Elements 
 and Planets were goo d, and the Creatures of God, 
 ferviccable to Mortals, &c. and to be lure would 
 not call them Devils. If you fay, the Word in 
 Helreiv there for Devils is the Jhaggy ones or hairy 
 ones j it is fo, and might mean the God Pan, as 
 was obferved before : a very early God among 
 the antient Heathens, as the Devil might appear to 
 them in that Shape to take care of their Flocks, 
 making up great part of the Riches of the firft 
 Off-fpring after the Flood : I fay it is wonderful 
 Mofes mould not take particular Care to caution 
 them againft worfhipping the Air, the grand and 
 very firil Objeft of the primary Propagators of all 
 Idolatry -, J mean the Descendants of Ham, Ca- 
 naan, and Cujh-, from whom, as it is allow'd by 
 all, Idolatry was derived. If they fay, that Mo- 
 fes fufficiently declares the Air not to be the true 
 Cod, by telling us in the firft Chapter of Cenefis^ 
 
 that
 
 Diff. XII. MOSAICAL Creation. 423 
 
 that the Heavens and Earth, Air, and Planets, 
 were originally produced by God. It is anfwer- 
 cd, he did fo in effect ; Sufficient for Perfons 
 who would make juft Ufe of their Reafon ; yet 
 that did neither hinder the Jews from adoring 
 the Air, according to them, or the Planets and all 
 the Hoft of Heaven ; nor Mofes from forbidding 
 expreQy other Idolatry by, Name, yet he paiTes 
 over the grand Object of all. 
 
 From hence, and all the foregoing Arguments 
 taken together, it is certain, that the Confufion 
 at the building of Babel, was not about different 
 Confeffions of religious Worfhip ; from whence 
 it follows as a manifeft Corollary, that the Con- 
 fufion was of Languages. The Difpute is about 
 one or the other, as thefe Gentlemen will allow. 
 The Confufion was not of the firft, as is proved ; 
 by confequence of the laft : And, by turning the 
 Tables, if that Coafufion was really of Lan^ 
 guages, it was not of Confeflions of religious 
 Worfhip. But, as that affords a Field of more 
 ample Difpute, it "fhall be inforced by feveral 
 further Confiderations ; on which account let the 
 following Propofition be the Bafis. 
 
 or Lan- 
 guages. 
 
 This appears by the Text of Mofes (foe that is 
 the]chief Difpute)in Terms fo expreis, that few, or 
 fcarce any Points can be made out of Scripture, 
 if that is called in queftion. The Text, according 
 to our Englijh Tranflation is : And the whole Earth 
 was of one Language and one Speech, Gen. xi. i. 
 And the Lord faid. Behold this People is one, and 
 have all one Language, ibid. ver. 6. Go lo+ 
 E e 4 to
 
 424 Di/ertations on the DiC XII. 
 
 let u < go down there, and confound their Language, 
 that l bey may not under/land one another's Speech. 
 So the Lord fcattered them abroad from thence 
 u-pon the Face of all the Earth , and they left off to 
 build the City : Therefore the Name is called Babel, 
 becaufe the Lord did tlere CONFOUND THE LAN- 
 GUAGE of ALL the EARTH, ibid. ver. 7, 8, o,. 
 I think there are few Texts in Scripture more 
 c ear than this, or expreffed with greater Empha- 
 fis ; and even repeated over and over again, to 
 mark out fuch an extraordinary and furprifing 
 Event. 
 
 Let us fee now the other Tranflations of this 
 Place, whether they enervate or alter the Sen fe cf 
 it. From the Latin Vulgat, allowed to be of 
 great Authority by the learned Commentators of 
 all Perfuafions, it is : But the Earth was of ONE 
 LIP, and of the SAME SPEECH, [Speeches in the, 
 Latin] and the Lord faid, Behold, one is the Peo- 
 ple, and one LIP to THEM ALL ; come, therefore, 
 let us go dcwn, and there confound their Tongue thai 
 tack of them MA.Y NOT hear the Voice of his Neigh- 
 lour : and therefore the Name of it [the Tower] 
 was called Babel, becaufe there the Lip of the whole 
 Earth was confounded. Gen. ibid. 
 
 From the Hebrew in the literal Tranflation of 
 Pagninus it is : And. ALL THE EARTH was of ONE 
 Lip, aad the SAME WORDS ; and the Lord faid, 
 Beheld, one People, and one Lip is to all of them. 
 Come, let us go down, and confound there their Lip, 
 that each of them may not hear the Lip of his Neigh- 
 bcur ; and for that Reafon it's Name was called Ba- 
 bel, becaufe there tbe Lord confounded the Lip of 
 all the Earth. 'Ibid. 
 
 From the Septuagint it is : And ALL THE 
 EARTH was ONE LIP, and ONE VOICE TO THEM 
 And the Lord faid, Behold ONE RACE, and 
 
 ONE
 
 DifT. XII. MOSAICAL Creatiop. 425 
 
 ONE LIP of all of them: Come, defcendiyg^ ht us 
 confound their TONGUE, that each of them? may not 
 HEAR the Voice of bis Neighbour. On this Account 
 the Name of it was called CONFUSION, becaufe 
 there the Lord (onfanded the LIPS of the voboU 
 Earth. Ibid. 
 
 There is no need of reciting other Verfions, 
 thefe being the principal ; only the Chaldaic Pa- 
 raphrafe has one particular Expreflion which is 
 natural enough , inftead of faying, Come, let us 
 go down, or defcend ; it is, Let us appear to 
 them, which makes it more unlikely, that the 
 Lord fhould confound their Worm p, and make 
 them worfhip the Air, when he appeared in Per- 
 fon before them ; whereas, before his appearing 
 the Text evidently fays, they were all of one Conr 
 feflion (if the Text means Confeflion) and that, 
 either of the true God, or falfe Gods, all of them; 
 which makes it evident that there was not one 
 Word of Confeflion in the whole Text. Now, 
 one might appeal to common Senfe, whether all 
 thefe Verfions and Tranflations, though differing 
 a little in Phrale, yet concurring in the fame 
 Senfe, dp not give us to underftand, that they 
 were alj of one Language and one Speech, as be- 
 ing not as yet divided into different Nations ; 
 which they were obliged to do according to their 
 different Languages : But it is furprifing, that 
 none of the antient Yerfions ihould mention 
 Confeflion. 
 
 Hence it is evident, that the Words they may 
 not hear one another's Tongue, or one another's 
 Voice, is rightly tranflated, by, they may not un- 
 derftand one another ; as God immediately con- 
 founded their Language ; whereas, |f it fignified 
 the mere Effect and Action of hearing, and not 
 of underflanding, it is a very forced Explication ; 
 
 for
 
 426 Di/crtations on the DilT. XITj 
 
 for certainly, if their Language was not con- 
 founded, they might hear each other's Voice, 
 and even Confeffion ; nay, if they did not under- 
 ftand, they might hear one another ; by confe- 
 quence, the Word there fignifies, they may not 
 underftand one another, otherwife the ExprefTion 
 would be falfe ; for they could hear one another 
 in either Senfe. Befides, it is a common Ex- 
 preflion ufed in all Languages to this Day, as 
 well as a frequent Phrafe in the Scripture ; and 
 in this Place, the whole Purport of the Text fig- 
 nifies to us, that they could not underftand one 
 another's Language, as a Metaphor, not uncom- 
 mon, nor unelegant. I fhould not have men- 
 tioned this fmall Difficulty, only fome People 
 make Objections of Trifles. 
 
 Here they come upon us with the Hebrew^ and 
 tell us, i/, that the Word there in Hebrew is 
 Sbepbab , which fignifies the material Lip, or 
 Part of the Mouth ; that if it means Tongue 
 or Language, it muft he taken, metaphorically. 
 What then ? fo it muft, if it fignifies Confeflion. 
 Is not the Tongue a material Part of the Head ; 
 and muft be taken metaphorically when it fignifies 
 Language or Speech ? 'Tis evident, both Lip 
 and Tongue may be ufed metaphorically ; and are 
 often taken promifcuoufly, in the Scripture, ei- 
 ther as Part of the Head, or, as fignifying 
 Speech, Confefiion, Declaration, &c. as we may 
 fay very properly, Could fuch Language fall 
 from your Lips ? Your Lips command diffe- 
 rent Languages, &c. 
 
 They object, 2^/y, and peremptorily maintain, 
 that Sbepbab, the Lip, is never taken in the 
 whole Bible for Language or Speech ; but ftill, 
 when it is taken metaphorically, and not for the 
 material Lip, it fignifies Confeflion ; as, Lips .of 
 
 I - JT *. , 
 
 Ext'J-
 
 Diff. XH. MosAiCAt Creation. 427 
 
 Exultation, Lips of Praife ; my Lips Jhatt praife 
 thee ; Lord 9 thpufyalt open my Lips, and my Mouth 
 Jhatt declare tlpy Praife -, and the like in numberlefs 
 'Places of the old Scripture. Anfwer. I grant it 
 is very often taken for Confefiion, Declaration, 
 &c. as in the Examples here a Hedged ; fo is the 
 Hebrew Word for Tongue, when it does not fig- 
 nify the material 'Tongue ; as my Tongue flail declare 
 thy Praife ; and frequently expreifes Confeflion, 
 as well as Lips : But where it is taken for diffe- 
 rent Tongues, I prefume it means different Lan- 
 guages ; as the Apoftles fpake in different 
 Tongues : Every one according to his Tongue. 1 hope 
 iri fuch Examples it fignifies different Languages, 
 otherwife we muft bid adieu as to the underftand- 
 ing any Language, and muft diftinguifh away 
 the cleareft Texts of the Scripture, if we can but 
 find, or think we have found, different Hebrew 
 Roots for the moft common Words. 
 
 There are feveral other Places in Scripture to 
 fhew that Lips and Tongue are taken promifcu- 
 oufly. IVe have fa id y with our TONGUE we will 
 -prevail, our LIPS are our owu, who is Lord over 
 us? Plal. xii. 4. 1 Blattering Lips, ibid, the fame 
 as flattering Tongue. The Lord jhall cut off all 
 flattering LIPS, and the Tongue that fpeaketh proud 
 Things^ ib. 2, 3. with feveral other Places-, 
 fuch as fraudulent Lips, fraudulent Tongue, &c. 
 fo that if Lips cannot be taken for Speech or Lan- 
 guage, becaufe it oftenj fignifies Confeflion ; we, 
 fee Tongue is often taken for Confeflion ^yet I hope 
 different Tongues may fignify different Lan- 
 guages. 
 
 But it is denied directly, that the Word Lip is 
 never taken for Speech or Language. 'Tis evi- 
 dently taken in that Senfe in the Texts alledged 
 in the Proof, Gen. xi. and the fubfequent Verfes 
 there quoted, according to all the Verfions and 
 
 Tranflations
 
 428 Dictations on the Diff. XIT, 
 
 Tranflations of that Chapter. Nay, the Scripture, 
 left it fhould be underftood otherwiie, exprefly 
 adds, of the fame Lip, and the fame Speech. 
 Come, letus confound their Lip, that they may not 
 bear or underftand one another. But this is not all ; 
 the fame Scripture fhews us, that by confounding 
 their Lips, it meant confounding their Tongues ; 
 and that Lip and Tongue meant the fame thing in 
 that Place ; it fays, fpeaking firft of the Sens of 
 Jzphet : By thefe were the JJles of the Gentiles di- 
 vided in their Lands -, every one after his TONGUE, 
 after their Families, in thdr Nations, Gen. x. 5. 
 Thefe are the Sons of Ham, after their Families , 
 after their TONGUES, in their Countries, and their 
 Nations, ibid. ver. 20. Thefe are the Sons of 
 Shem after their Families, after their TONGUES, in 
 their Lands, after their Nations, ibid. ver. 31. I 
 hope thefe Gentlemen will allow, that the Chil- 
 dren of Shem, Ham, and Japhet, were actually 
 divided into different Nations, Tribes, &c. But 
 the Scripture fays exprefly, that they were divid- 
 ed into different 'Tongues, as well as Nations and 
 Countries. But how, and wherefore, were they 
 thus divided ? but becaufe the Lord had con- 
 founded their Lip, that they could not underftand 
 one another, and fcattered them over the Face of 
 the whole Earth. 
 
 N. B. The Word in Hebrew Is Tongue, not 
 Lip, in thefe Divifions of the Children of Sbem 9 
 Ham, and Japhet, when the Scripture tells us di- 
 rectly that they were divided into different Na- 
 tions, and Tongues, which determines the Point 
 in View, viz. that when it fays they were all of 
 one Lip ; and indeed adds, and of the fame 
 Words, or Speech ; and that God confounded, 
 their Lip ; thefe other Texts as good as demon- 
 
 ftrate,
 
 DHT. XII. MOSAICAL Creation. 429 
 
 ftrate, that God confounded their Tongues or 
 Language, becaufe they mark out to us ex- 
 prefly, that they were divided by that Confufion 
 into affociated Nations and Tongues, according as 
 each Nation had their peculiar Language, and 
 could underftand one another. 'Tis intirely capti- 
 ous, and a mere Subterfuge, to object, that thefc 
 Divifions of the Children otNoab into Nations and 
 Tongues, is mentioned in the Chapter before that 
 of the Confufion of Tongues ; for what does that 
 fignify, provided they were actually confounded, 
 and divided into fuch different Tongues, as the 
 Scripture exprefly fays they were? Is notMofes 
 there defcribing this furprizing Divifion in thofe 
 Chapters ? and indeed in the molt circumftantial 
 Manner, as it was a moft furprizing Event. 'Tis 
 cuftomary, not only with Mofes and the Scrip- 
 tures, but with moft other Writers of extraordi- 
 nary Events, to mention the Fact firft, and then 
 give a more diftinct Defcription of it ; and this, 
 in all Ages, Countries and Languages. 'Tis even 
 the moft proper Way to record fuch Facts, that 
 they may fink deeper in the Minds of the Rea- 
 ders. Is not the very Hiftory of the Creation 
 recorded in that Manner ? Was not the firft Man 
 created within the fix Days , yet Mofes defers the 
 particular Defcription of his Creation, and the 
 Production of Eve, till the 2d Chapter , and fo of 
 other Matters. I am fure fuch a frivolous Ex- 
 ception deferves no more to be faid of it. 
 
 We fee then, that this Opinion of Mr. Eutcbin- 
 fon and his Followers, is againft the ftrongeft 
 Texts of the old Teftament, and confuted by 
 the whole defcriptive Teqour of that memorable 
 Event : But is it not particularly furprizing that 
 none of the antient Verfions of the old Teftament ; 
 
 none
 
 43 o Dijfertations oh the DilT. XII; 
 
 none of the Tranflations antienc or modern j none 
 of the antient Doctors and Fathers of the Church j 
 none of the Commentators and Interpreters of the 
 Scripture ; nor even any of the facred Writers of 
 the New Teftament, Ihould take the leaft notice 
 that That famous Text, and indeed one of the 
 moil memorable Paffaefes in the Old Teftament. 
 
 iJ ' 
 
 fhould defcribe to us, not the Divifion of Lan- 
 guages, but a Confufion of Confefliom about wor- 
 Ihipping the Air ? Such a notorious Blunder in un- 
 derftanding the facred Text, if the Exprefiion may 
 be allowed with Refpecl, which we owe to the 
 Word of God, is mod emphatically furprizing. 
 They modeftly aflert, that none of them under- 
 ilood the Hebrew till Mr. Hutchinfon gave us fuch 
 Lights, beyond all Expectation^ as never appeared 
 fince the Apoftles, as fome of his Followers affirm 
 in Terms. One might naturally wonder from 
 whence they had thofe Lights, that none before 
 them were fo happy as to meet with them ; if 
 from above, 'tis a long Time to leave all the reft of 
 the faithful Believers deftitute of them till Mr. 
 Hutchinfon appeared : if by Study and Labour* 
 and comparing dilligently the Hebrew Roots and 
 Words with one another, as they maintain -, did 
 none of the Authors of the antient Verfions, none 
 of the Tranflators and Interpreters take the like 
 Pains ? Did Mr. Hutchinfon^ proprio marte, invent 
 the Rules to underftand the Hebrew ; or did he re- 
 ceive them from thofe who went before him? As for 
 the antient Fathers,thefe Gentlemen modeftly declare, 
 they underftood nothing but what they learned 
 from the apoftate Jews who deceived them : Tho* 
 this has partly been confuted before, it is undoubted, 
 that fome of the antient Verfions were made for 
 and by the believing Jews, before they were
 
 Diff. XII. Mos A ic A L Creation. 431 
 
 Apoftates ; as the Septuagint for the AJiatics, and 
 fome of the 'Targums and Parapbrafes, according 
 to our learned Walton and others. 'Tis alfo cer- 
 tain, that the Jews of Palestine, fome time before 
 our Saviour's Time, did not fpeak Hebrew nor 
 Greek -, they were at that Time the true Chnrch of 
 God. It is very likely then, that they had fome 
 Verfion in their own Dialect ; perhaps that of the 
 antient Syriac Verfion, which Mr. Walton com- 
 mends fo much. The Samaritan Verfion, though 
 perhaps not fo antient as fome People think, was 
 in Being long before our Saviour's Time, yet fays 
 nothing of Confejfion and the Worjhip of the Air in 
 that Place ; the converted Jews of Paleftine in 
 the Beginning of Chriftianity, and of Syria, and 
 other Countries, who did not underftand Greek, 
 very likely had the Syriac Verfion, before the Jews, 
 according to thefe Gentlemen, had perverted the 
 Scriptures, though fome of the converted Jews in 
 the firft Ages of the Church certainly underftood 
 Hebrew, and might give Lights for understanding 
 the Scriptures, without the Help of the apoftate 
 Jews. The Latin Vulgat is partly of St. Hierom's 
 Tranflation -, but the Foundation of it was the an- 
 tient Italica, perhaps called fo, becaufe ufed by 
 the Latins in Italy, or the Latins belonging to 
 the Roman Empire ; it was very antient, /. e . of 
 the primitive Times , and though in bad Latin, 
 yet very much commended for its Taitbfulnefs by 
 the Fathers and others. Now all thefe were be- 
 fore the Verfions of Aquila, Symmacbus, and 'Tbeo- 
 dotion, the chief of th^ apcftate Jews, that per- 
 verted the Scriptures, if they were perverted, and 
 before the Maforetical 1"rajh was invented ; yet 
 none of thefe give us to underftand, that the Con- 
 /ufion of Babel was of ConfeJ/iens and worjhipping 
 
 the
 
 43 2 Differ latkiu on the Dill* XI I. 
 
 the Air \ but all, and the univerfal Current of Tra- 
 dition, left the Belief of the Confufion of Tongues 
 as it Hands in the Texts , by confequence, under- 
 Handing the Text in that Senfe, could not be from 
 tne ripoftate Jews , nor do I believe any of the 
 apoftate Jews ever dreamed of any fuch Senfe, or 
 any one eifs before Mr. Hutcbinfon. 
 ' Not. entirely to pafs over the Moderns, learned 
 in the Hebrew, with fuch Contempt as thefe Gentle- 
 men do, except thofe of their own Party -, 'tis cer- 
 tain feveral learned Men before Mr. Hutchinfon was 
 born, contributed very much to the Knowledge of 
 that Tongue ; an*d by their immenfe Labours elu- 
 cidated the Difficulties in a Language fo long-dead, 
 and fo. little known , befides thofe of our own Na- 
 tion, as Ainfworth, Leigh* Walton, and feveral 
 Profefibrs of the oriental Languages of Oxford and 
 Cambridge, with the Buxtorphs, the Cafellas, and 
 other Foreigners, the great Eochart, Arius Mon- 
 tanus, and Pagninus had fuch a Knowledge in 
 that Language, as to make a literal Tranflation of 
 the Hebrew Bible almoil Word for Word, as nigh 
 as common Conftruction would allow, and fome- 
 times more, to give the verbal Senfe of the He- 
 brew, as nigh as pofiible. Pagninus acquired fuch 
 a Knowledge in it, that, as was obferved before, 
 even Mr. Walt&n in his great Work of his Poly- 
 glot, adapts his Tranflation as the beft that could 
 well be made ; nay, fome of the Hutcbirifdniaris 
 Own his Tranflation not to be far off the right. 
 
 Then their great Author Mario Calafflo, whofs 
 Concordance of the Hebrew the learned Mr. Re- 
 main is now putting forth in a new and elaborate 
 Edition, was, as they mufl allow, very learned in 
 the Hebrew, before Mr. Hutchinfon^ Time, which 
 fce muft obtain, partly by his own Labours, part-
 
 DifT. XII. MOSAICAL Creation. 4^3 
 
 Jy by confulting the Labours and Rule^ of thole 
 that went before him ; that we muft acknow'cdge 
 the World was not fo ignorant in the Hebrew be- 
 fore Mr. Hutcbinfon, as thefe Gentlemen would 
 make us believe : But what is more particular, not 
 one of them acquaint us, that the Hebrew Texts 
 in view, do not indicate any Divifion of Lan- 
 guages, or in the leaft infinuate, that .the Confu- 
 fion there was about Confeffions of religious Wor- 
 fhip. They may fay that Shephab is oftentimes 
 taken for Confejfion, as it is in feveral Places of the 
 Scripture ; fo may other Words ; but in thofe 
 Texrs, it evidently denotes the Divifion of 
 Tongues 5 nor do they fay any thing to the con- 
 trary ; if they did, I am fure we mould hear of it 
 with great Elogiums of them. 
 
 As one Error dtews on another, and one Para- 
 dox is often maintained by another Paradox, it evi- 
 dently follows from the Syftem of Mr. Hutchivfon* 
 that the whole World was of one Language after 
 their Divifion, as well as before. This they were 
 well aware of, and boldly affert, that there was buc 
 otle Language in all the World down to Abrahams 
 Time, nay down to Mofes and "Jojhutf*. Not 
 .that I believe they are fully and interiorly perfuaded 
 of the Truth of this Paradox, but it is pretty diffi- 
 cult to prove diredly the contrary, for want of pre- 
 cife hiftorical Accounts and Monuments of fo remote 
 Antiquity ; there being no certain Remains of pro- 
 fane Hiftory of fo antient a Date. Neverthelefs, 
 they pretend to be fo pofitive, that all the World 
 fpoke one Language, at lead till Jejbua's Time, 
 that Mr. Hutchinfon^ after his wild, rambling way, 
 fpends great part of a Treatife to fliew us how 
 Languages might alter in procefs of Time, fo as 
 not to underftand one another, though they might 
 be originally of the fame Language, This mall 
 F f have
 
 434 Differ tat Ions on the Dill. XII. 
 
 have its due Confiderarion in its proper place. 
 Though this Syftcm, or rather this Subterfuge, is 
 intirely overthrown by what has been proved juft 
 before, viz. if there was a real Divifion and Con- 
 fufion of Languages at Babel t different Nations 
 fpoke different Languages immediately after, and 
 fo down, not only to Abraham's and Jojhua's 
 Time, but even to this Day : But it has been 
 proved, that there was a real Confufion and Di- 
 vifion of Languages at Babel \ and the Scripture 
 tells us exprefly, that they were divided and fcat- 
 tered over the Earth, according to their Families, 
 Nations, and Tongues, immediately after that 
 Building. By confequence one might be difpenfed 
 From following their Whims any further ; and re- 
 ject fuch an AfTertion, as a barefaced Evafion, and 
 the lafl Struggles of an expiring Caufe. But as 
 there may occur many curious Points of Antiquity 
 in the Examination of their Paradoxes, I fliall pur- 
 fue them a little further, and fift them, as far as 
 the want of profane Hiftories, and the Obicurity 
 of fuch a remote Antiquity, will give us leave. 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 ANY unprejudiced impartial Reader will fee, 
 that, if in fuch dark Times we can bring 
 any ftrong conjectural Proofs, that there were fome 
 different Languages not only before Jofljua's Time, 
 buc pretty nigh upon ic, the Point is gained. For 
 though the Scripture Proofs alledged before are fuf- 
 ficient for all who believe thofe divine Oracles, as 
 the Hut chin font am profefs they do ; collateral 
 Proofs, and well-grounded Conjectures compared 
 with the Origin of Narions, the Tradition of thofe 
 Nations, the moft known to us from the few Re- 
 mains
 
 DifT. XII. Mos A ic AL Creation, 
 
 mains of profane Hiftory, with feveral juft Hints 
 from the Monuments of Antiquity, will be a 
 ftrong Confirmation of the Scripture Proofs with 
 refpect to thofe, who may not have fo due a Ve- 
 neration for thofe facred Records. Though I pre- 
 fume all muft allow them to have as juft a Title of 
 being the mod antient hifterical Monuments, mere- 
 ly confidered as fuch, as any other antient Hifto- 
 ri'es in the World. Now there are very ftrong 
 Proofs of" this Nature, viz. that both the antient 
 Language of the Egyptians was different from ths 
 Hebrew Language , and. that the antient Phcenuian^ 
 or if you pleafe the 'Canaanitijb Language, was 
 different from the antient Greek : not to inlift upon 
 the Chine fe Language, the Latin, and feveral 
 other antient Languages, bordering upon^ or 
 coming very nigh Jo/huffs Time, or at leaft the 
 Time of the Judges ; which ought to go a great 
 way in this Article ; particularly when they are 
 joined with the exprefs Words of the Scripture 
 Texts produced before. I fay then, if any two 
 Languages were different before, or about Jo/hita's 
 Time, it is fufficient. 
 
 Firft then, of the Difference between the antient 
 Egyptian and the Hebrew and Canaaniti/h Lan- 
 guages, which two laft we fuppofe here to be much 
 the fame. If we can't expect any profane Monu- 
 ments of nigh fo antient a Dane, yet the Hiftojry 
 of Jofepb, in the Account of his being Ibid, and 
 living in Egypt, may juftly be efteemed as a moft 
 valuable Monument of antient Hiftory, taking k 
 Only as fuch. This Hiftory tells us, that Jcfepb 
 was fold by his Brethren to the IJhmadites, who 
 carried him into Egypt, where, according to the 
 Account of him in Pfaim Ixxxi. ver. 5. he heard 
 a Language that he underftood not, our Tranfla- 
 ibn : and that of Pagninus from the Hebrew ex- 
 F f 3
 
 436 Di/ertationsonthe Diff. XII. 
 
 prefifes it thus , This be ordained in Jofeph for a 
 Teftimony, when be went up thorough the Land of 
 Egypt, where I heard a Language that I under- 
 flood not. By confequence Jofeph, who was bred 
 up in the Hebrew and Canaanitifh Language, did 
 not underftand the Egyptian Language when he 
 "was fold, though he learn'd it afterwards : And by 
 a further Confequence, the Hebrew Language and 
 {he Egyptian were different Languages. 
 
 Asain : When Jofepb's Brethren went into 
 
 *_* / / j. 
 
 Egypt to buy Corn, the Hiftory fays exprefly, that 
 he ' fpoke to them by an Interpreter : And they 
 knew not that Jofeph underflood them, for he 
 fpake unto them by an Interpreter -, Gen. xlii. 23. 
 This is added to the foregoing Verfes in the fame 
 Chapter, becaufe the Brothers accufed one another, 
 and talked between themfelves, thinking that Jo- 
 feph did not underftand them. And they faid to 
 one another. We are verily guilty concerning cur 
 Brother, in that we faw the Anguijh of his Soul, 
 when he be fought us, and we would not hear ; 
 therefore is this Diftrefs come upon us. And Reu- 
 ben anfwered them, faying, Spake I not unto you, 
 faying, Do not fin againft the Child, and ye would 
 not hear? therefore behold alfo his Blood is re- 
 quired : And they knew not that Jofeph underload 
 them : for he fpake unto them by an Interpreter. 
 Ibid. 21, 22j 23. Can any Teftimony in Hifto- 
 ry be clearer than this ? that they fuppofed Jofepb 
 being an Egyptian fpoke a different Language from 
 their own, believing he did not underftand them ; 
 by confequence the Egyptian Language, and that 
 which Jacob's Sons fpoke, were different Lan- 
 guages at that Time. 'Tis almoft a Shame to 
 itay to confute what they anfvver to this Text, viz* 
 that Jojeph, like a great Statefmanj kept at a 
 Diftance, and ordered ibme of his People to fpeak 
 
 to
 
 . XII. MOSAIC AL Creation! 
 
 T-> / 
 
 to them. Is not this to banter the cleareft Texts, 
 and delude the Scripture itfelf ? bur, is it not evi- 
 dent that even this Anfwer lets us fee that the Sons 
 of Jacob thought thofe People did not underftand 
 them when they accufed one another at that Rate ? 
 does not what follows immediately after confute 
 this Anfwer, And he (Jofeph) turned himfelf from 
 them, and wept ? Ibid. 24. 
 
 If we had any Remnants of the Egyptian Lan- 
 guage left, as I never read of any, except you ad- 
 JT mit the Infcription on fotne of the old Ruins of 
 Perfepolis to have been an Egyptian Writing, as 
 fome have conjectured , it is certain none ever 
 could tell what it meant, neither Characters, nor 
 Senfe j neither are thefe Characters mere Hierogly- 
 phics, as we generally take Hieroplyphics -, and 
 though it fliould not be Egyptian, it is an Indicar 
 tion that there were fome very old Languages jun- 
 known to other People. Be that as it will, though 
 we have no Remains of the old Egyptian Language 
 extant, (except fome Words, as will be feen after- 
 wards) the foregoing Hiftory of Jofeph is as good 
 as a Demonftration, that the People of Canaan, 
 from whence Jacob's Sons came, fpake then a dif- 
 .ferent Language from the Egyptians. The i i4th 
 Pfalm feems to confirm, that they fpoke a different 
 Language when the Israelites went out of Egypt 
 under Mofes : In exitu Ifrael de Egypto ; domus 
 Jacob de populo BARBARO, fays that Pfalm : Now 
 the Word barbarous is frequently taken in mofl 
 Languages, both antient and modern, for People 
 of a barbarous Language, or exotici Jermonis ; as 
 fome learned Men fay the Hebrew Word there may 
 be taken ; and in all Probability means their Deli- 
 verance from a People of a foreign Language, as 
 well as Cuftoms and Manners. I fay 'tis pity we 
 have not fome of the old Egyptian Language left, 
 F f 3 a?
 
 438 -Differtatiom on the DliT. XII. 
 
 to compare it with the Hebrew, as we have of the 
 old Arabic, Syriac, Chaldaic, &c. Neverthekfs 
 we have feveral of the old Egyptian Namtrt of 
 their Kings, Places, Months, &c. which are not 
 Hebrew \ nor can well be derived from the He- 
 breiv, without the mod (trained far-fetch'd Tranf- 
 muraiions and Etymologies imaginable. Plutarch 
 in the Life of Romulus mentions the Egyptian 
 Names of three Months, which are not Hebrew ; 
 Chf.dc for December j I'hoch, September -, and 
 Pbarmuti, April. ' Plut. in "jit a Romuli. ' The 
 new Name that Pharaoh impofed upon Jofeph, 
 does not feem an Hebrew Name ; what Neceffity 
 was there to impofe a new Name ? And Pharaoh 
 called Jofepb's Name Zaphnatb Paanedh -, and he 
 gave him to Wife Afehath, the Daughter of Poti- 
 pherah Pricft of On ; as it is in our Tranflation, 
 Gen. xli. 45. In Pagninus it is Saphnatb Paba- 
 neaeh ; in the Septuagint it is, P font horn Phaneeh ; 
 in the Vulgar it is tranflated, the Saviour of the 
 World. To be fure Pharaoh gave him an Egyp- 
 tian Name ; as it is evidently put there by way of 
 Piftinclion from the Hebrew. We know alfo that 
 in thofe antient Times Names given to Men were 
 fegnif.cative of fome Quality, Event, or the like, 
 4s appears' both by the Hebrew and Greek Names; 
 Now, we might defire thefe learned Gentlemen to 
 tell us, what thefe Egyptian Names here mention- 
 ed, and other Names of their Kings, &c. mean : 
 for if, according to them, the Egyptian and He- 
 brew Language were then the fame, furely they 
 might tell one as well as the other. The very 
 Name of Pharaoh has puzzled moft of the learn- 
 ed Interpreters. So far was the Egyptian Lan- 
 guage judged by all the Learned hitherto from 
 being the fame with the Hebrew.' The Chaldaic 
 Paraphrafe explains Zaphnctb Paaneab, Revealer 
 
 of
 
 DilT. XII. MOSAIC AL Creation^ 439 
 
 of Secrets ; may be fo ; but far all that, it does not 
 fcem to be a Hebrew Word, without a great deal 
 of ftraining ; perhaps that might be the Reafon, that 
 the Vulgat tranflates it, Saviour of (be World ; 
 becaufe Jofeph was a Type of our Saviour, who 
 revealed to us many Things of the Nature of God 
 unknown to us before. However, taking all thefe 
 Proofs and Confideraiions together, I believe it is 
 pretty clear, that the Egyptian and Canaamtijb 
 Language were different in Jofeph's Time. Add 
 to this what Jofephus fays, L. 2. con. App. that 
 Hycfos, cxHycfoes, was zn Egyptian Word, fignifying 
 King Shepherds -, which almoft determines the Matter. 
 Here they pretend to bring fomething like an 
 Objection, in order to induce us to believe, that 
 all the World fpoke the fame Language in Abra- 
 ham's Time. Abraham, fay they, was a Chal- 
 dean, and was commanded by God to go and live 
 in the Land of Canaan ; he travelled through Me- 
 fopotamia and Syria ; yet we don't find any Men- 
 tion of their fpeaking different Languages. He 
 fettled in Canaan, made Alliances with the Kings 
 and Princes round about, -where they feemed to 
 ynderitand one another, without any Interpreter. 
 He went into the Land of Egypt, was entertained 
 at the King's Court, made an Alliance with him j 
 at leaft they difcourfed together, and with his Ge- 
 neral, as if they had all been of the fame Speech, 
 without the leaft Hint of their being of different 
 Languages. By confequence, in Chaldea, in Me- 
 fopotamia, Syria, Canaan^ and Egypt, they fpoke 
 the fame Language : And as thofe Parts were firft 
 peopled after the Time when we fuppofe Languages 
 were divided, the Diverfity of Languages came in 
 by Degrees, occafioned by their Separation ; not 
 by the immediate Power of God at the Confufiop 
 pf Bdtl. 
 
 F f 4
 
 44 Di/crtatiom on the DiiT. XII. 
 
 Atifivfa. * The Reader will pleafe to obferve, 
 that the laft Inference of trie Diverfity of Lan- 
 guages being occafioned by Degrees? &c. is di- 
 rectly againfl th*e exprefs Texts of the Scripturp 
 al -edged in the Proofs ; by confcquence fuch con- 
 jectural and negative Arguments are deftroyed by 
 the pofitive Accounts of the moft antient, and I 
 rnay fay the mod authentic Hiftory in the World. 
 2^/jy, It is a very lame Confequence -, Perfons of 
 Kote, as Abraham wa.% travelled through diffe- 
 rent Countries, without mention of an Interpre- 
 ter ; therefore they all fpoke the fame Language 
 in thcfe different Countries. What an illogical 
 Confequence is this ? are not fuch things done every 
 Day ? and yet thofe Countries may have a different 
 Language ; particularly in the Countries mention- 
 ed in the Objection, for Reafons to be given pre- 
 fently. 3 *//>', Abraham was a Perfon not only of 
 very great Diftinction and Note, but perhaps the 
 moil learned : and as it is moft Tiighly probable, 
 that the Knowledge of all the polite Arts and 
 Sciences were chiefly cultivated in thefe neighbour- 
 ing Countries, and received their Origin from 
 thence, Abraham^ and even his Family, may very 
 well be fuppofrd to underftand at leaft the Lan- 
 guage of their Neighbours. 4//y, Abraham was 
 commanded by God to go and fettle in the Land 
 of Canaan^ which was to be given to him and his 
 Defendants ; 'tis therefore as good a Conjecture 
 as theirs, and much more probable, that Abraham 
 might take particular Care to learn the Language 
 of the Country he was going to fettle in, and in- 
 ftruct his chief Domeftics in it. $thly, 'Tis un- 
 doubted, by all the Remains' of Antiquity, and 
 the earlieft Tradition, that thofe Eaflern Parts 
 round , about Babel were firft peopled at the Dif- 
 perfion: Chaldea^ Mefofotqmia, Syria, and Pd- 
 
 lefine*
 
 DhT.XII. MOSAICAL Creation." 441 
 
 eftine, border upon one another, and had a great 
 Interchange of Commerce for thofe Times ; 'tis 
 then highly probable that they might hajve an In- 
 tercourfe of Language, fo as to underftand one 
 another : If fo, all thefe conjectural and nogative 
 Arguments fall at once. 
 
 But to trace this Point a little more diftinctly. 
 'Tis allowed that the antient Hebrew and Ca- 
 naan<ean^ and even the Phoenician Language, were 
 much the fame. Flow came this about ? Not by 
 fuppofing that there was but one Language in the 
 World then, directly contrary to the Scripture. 
 Befide that it is certain, that the Hebrew and the 
 Canaanxan Language remained dill the fame, when 
 other Languages were quite different from one 
 another ; and that the Sons of Jacob, Abrahaitfs 
 Great Grandchildren, fpoke the Canaanxan Lan- 
 guage ; why then it is natural^ to fuppofe, that 
 Abraham fettled the Canaan<ean Language in his 
 Family and Defcendants, living in the midft of the 
 Canaan#am, a very powerful Nation at that Time, 
 and neglected his native Language, which was the 
 Chaldean, not the Hebrew , as he forfook the 
 Abode of his Anceftors and Relations, exprefly by 
 the Command of God, and exchanged it for the 
 Canaan<ean , fince it was to be the Land which 
 God had given him and his Defcendants for their 
 Inheritance. 
 
 Abraham** Communication with the King of 
 Egypt has fome .Shadow of Difficulty ; which va- 
 nimes away when we come to confider it a little 
 nearer : Some of the foregoing R.eafons will an- 
 fwer in jthat Cafe, bsfides others to be feen pre- 
 fently. x The Canaanaans being a rich trafficking 
 people, as well as the Egyptians, undoubtedly had 
 a commercial Communication with one another 
 
 very
 
 442 Di/ertatiow on the DiiT. XII. 
 
 very early. We find prefently after, that the I/b- 
 tiwelites, the Grandchildren of Abraham, were 
 Merchant?, and fold Jofeph there ; which in all 
 Appearance had begun before by the Canaanxans 
 bordering upon that part of Arabia and Egypt. 
 3 Tis highly probable, all the Defendants of Abra- 
 ham a.nd Lot, as the Ijhmaelites, the Midianites, 
 the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the Edomites 
 Defcendanis of Ijaac, all fpoke the Canaan<ean 
 Language, and learnt the Commerce of the rich 
 Country of Egypt from the Canaan ^eans. By con- 
 fequence there were People in both Countries, who 
 underlload one another's Language >, and yet the 
 Language of thofe Countries might be different. 
 Moreover Egypt, in the earlieft Account of Time, 
 Pied with the Chaldeans in the Knowledge of the 
 
 O 
 
 moft fublime Arts and Sciences. See the Bifhop 
 of Meaux's Account of them, Part 3. of his 
 Univeria! Hiftory ; Clemens Alexan. Bochart in his 
 Pbaleg, &c. The Egyptian Tbaut, or Thaotb, 
 was of vail Antiquity, though we cannot tell well 
 when to fix him. Triptoletnus, the Inventor of 
 Agriculture, came out of Egypt ; and Bacchus.^ 
 ihe Inventor of Wine, if he was not Noah or 
 Jearnt of him, came out of Egypt, or that Part 
 of Lybia bordering upon it. They were come to 
 great Perfection in Arts and Sciences in Mofes's 
 Time , he was inftrucled in all the Knowledge of 
 tl?e Egyptians. Pharaoh's Magicians fliew, they 
 had brought them to great Perfection, as muft re- 
 quire fome Ages to arrive at. 'Tis not then un- 
 likely that Abraham, perhaps the greateft Philofo- 
 pher in the World in his Time, might learn the 
 Egyptian Language, either to enquire after their 
 Science, or to communicate his own to fo flourifh- 
 
 ing and curious a Nation. 
 
 But
 
 DifT. XII. MOSAICAL Creation;; 443 
 
 But there is another Reafon, though perhaps not 
 fo well known, which may fatisfy us, that Abra- 
 ham and the then King of Egypt might under (land 
 one another, and the Egyptian and Canaan<ean Lan- 
 guages might be quite different, as certainly they 
 were: What if the King of Egypt at that Time 
 was a Canantfan ? The celebrated Bocbart, the 
 greateft Searcher into the Antiquity of Nations as 
 ever was, tells us, that the Canan<eans had over- 
 run and conquered Egypt fome Time before Abra- 
 ham's Time, though they were expelled fome 
 Time after. Bocbart Phakg. L. iv. c. 3. He fays 
 this Revolution in Egypt was before Abraham^ 
 Time ; and to (hew that it was no Fiction, he fays, 
 that feveral of the Egyptians left their Country ; 
 and adds, that it is certain, the Cajluci and Cap- 
 thortfi (People of Cokbos) went out of Egypt be- 
 fore Abraham* s^T'imc. Herodotus in Euterpe fays, 
 the People of Colchos were originally Egyptians. 
 JofephiiS) L. ii. contra -Appion^ fays, that thefe 
 Bstc-Aeis TTo/tcsi/ef, King Shepherds, or Kings of 
 Bettys, were about this Time a Name of Difgrace 
 and Contempt given them by the Egyptians. 
 They continued for fome Kings Reigns, but were 
 driven out afterwards. Hence Jofepb bid his Fa- 
 ther and Brethren afk the Land of Gojhen to in- 
 habit in, becaufe, fays he, all Shepherds are an 
 Abomination to the Egyptians : By which it ap- 
 pears, that they had not been driven out fo long, 
 but that their Memory was frefh among them. 
 Now if this Piece of antient Hiftory be true, as 
 fuch great Men believe, 'tis na Wonder if Abra- 
 ham and the King of Egypt underftood one an- 
 other, when both of them fpoke the Canaan&an 
 language. 
 
 Here a curious Queftion naturally offers itfelf, 
 
 viz. Since all allow the Hebrew and Canan<ed& 
 
 * ' Lsn-
 
 444 Differt attorn on the DiiT. XII. 
 
 Language to have been one and-the fame, whether 
 that was the Language fpoke by Noah, and by 
 confequcnce the pririmive Language of the World? 
 Anfwer. According to the foregoing Suppofition, 
 that the Hebrew, that is, the Language of the 
 Children of Ifrael, and the Canaanxan were the 
 lame, 'tis very probable, that it was not the pri- 
 mitive Language, but one of the Languages of the 
 Confufion of Babel ; and that the primitive* Lan- 
 guage was either loft, or continued with Noab, 
 and thofe who adhered to him, wherever he went 
 to inhabit after the Flood. The Reafons for it are 
 thefe : J Tis very probable that Noab, and thofe 
 who adhered to him, (fince 'tis likely he did not 
 remain alone) did not join in that mad Defign in 
 building the Tower of Babel, fo highly difpleafing 
 to God. The Scripture fays, They j ournied front- 
 wards the Eaft ; which feems to indicate a confi- 
 derable Space of Country or Countries, where, in 
 all Likelihood, Ncah remained. The Defcendant^ 
 of Canaan, from whom the Canaan<tans came, were 
 the mod wicked of all others, and mod unwor- 
 thy of the Bleffing of preferving the primitive 
 Language. What fome alledge, that they pre- 
 ferved that Language for the Sake of the Children 
 of Ifrael, by whom they were to be rooted out of 
 their Country for their extreme Wickednefs, is very 
 jejune : On the other hand, 'tis certain that Abra- 
 barns Parents were Idolater?, and fpoke the Cbal- 
 daic Language ; and the Defendants of Noah\ 
 other Children fpoke different Languages after the 
 Confufion of Tongues. Why then the wicked 
 Defcendants of Canaan alone, or the Branches of 
 them, muft preferve the primitive Language ; 
 which is very unlikely. Befides, 'tis more proba- 
 ble, that all who were at Babel were confounded 
 into different Tongues, and none of them retained 
 
 their
 
 Di#. XII. MOSAIC A i/ Creation. 445 
 
 their primitive Tongue, one more than the other ; 
 if they did, it fhould feem to be the Defcendants 
 of Shem down to Heler^ Thare, and Abraham -, but 
 they fpoke the Chaldaic, and no one fuppofes the 
 Cbaldaic to have been the primitive Tongue. Oti 
 the other hand, the Scripture tells us directly, that 
 Noah lived three hundred and fifty Years after the 
 Flood ; a long Time ! fufficient to people a great 
 Nation. To be fure if he had no Children after- 
 wards, he had a numerous Family and People re- 
 mained with him, who did not join in that mad 
 Defign, and might increafe prodigioufly in three 
 hundred and fifty Years : Neither is it unlikely, 
 but that he might have had other Children, who 
 are not mentioned, any more than the Place of his 
 Abode ; yet he muft live in fome Country. Mo- 
 fes's chief Intent feems to be confined to the Jewifl} 
 Race, or the Defcendants of Abraham ; or for 
 other Reafons beft known to God and himfelf, but 
 unknown to us. However, if Noah formed a fe- 
 parate Nation, wherever it was, there the primi- 
 tive Language muft remain , or he muft have been 
 incorporated with fome of the Defcendants of Shem, 
 Ham^ and Japhet, and his Language confounded 
 with the reft ; which is hard to believe. Though 
 it is certain, none but thofe three Sons came out 
 of the Ark with him ; and fome of their Defcen- 
 dants muft remain with him, when the reft fepa- 
 rated from him and went Weftward, till that wic- 
 ked and mad Work took them in the Head, 
 which caufed their more immediate Difperfion. 
 Whether Noah did not retire towards China, 1 
 mail give my Conjectures when I come to fpeak of 
 the Chinefe Language. 
 
 Before I leave this Branch of the Controverfy, I 
 (hall juft fay a Word or two by the bye : Whether 
 the Land of Pakjiins, polftfTed by Cavacn, did 
 
 not
 
 446 Dijfirtatiohs on the DifT. 
 
 noc in Juftice belong to Sbem and his Defcendant.^ 
 but forcibly ufurped from them by Canaan ; as 
 Nimrod ufurped Babel : For Force and Tyranny 
 began very early among the wicked Defcendants of 
 Ham. But this being little more than a pofTible 
 Conjecture, I leave it to better Judges. Only fome 
 learned Men have been of Opinion, that Melchize- 
 deck* King of Salem* was Shent ; and Monfieur 
 Jurieu, in his Hiftoire dcs Dogmes* maintains, that 
 Melchizedeck was Ham. The firft is much more 
 probable of the two. Perhaps that Part of Afid 
 was alotted to Sbem by his Father Noah> who un- 
 doubtedly was Lord of the Earth, and unjuftiy 
 detained from his Defcendants by thofe of Ham * 
 for it is certain, the Defcendants of Ham by Ca- 
 naan were fettled very early in Paleftine* and were 
 a very powerful People in Jo/hucf*. Time, having 
 walled TownSj Chariots of War, &c. Perhaps 
 Nimrod the mighty Hunter difpofiHTed AJhur of 
 Nineveh, as he had ufurped Babel \ the Lot of his 
 Father Chufs being towards Arabia* fome part of 
 Egypt* a d that part of Ethiopia on the other- 
 Side of the Red Sea. Bochart in his Phakg fays, 
 that Bare bus, or Bacchus, the Son of Chujh, who 
 was the fame with Nimrod, was Lord of part of 
 Arabia and Ethiopia ; but forcibly feized on Ba- 
 bel^ and perhaps Affyria ; tho* this lafl is not fo 
 certain* The Authors of the late tJniverfal Hi- 
 Jlory have made it pretty clear, that that part of 
 Afia was divided among feverak petty Kings in 
 Abraham's Time ; and the mighty Empire of the 
 Affyrian Kings owes its Being to the fabulous Ac- 
 counts of CtejiaS. 'Tis true, in Procefs of Time 
 there were powerful Kings of Nineveh* till they 
 were deftroy'd by NeLuchadonofor and his Proge- 
 nitors, in the Struggles between the Kings of Ni- 
 and Babylon* recorded in the Old Teftament, 
 
 and
 
 DifT. XII. MOSAICAL Creation. 447 
 
 and confirmed by the Teftimoni s of Herodotus 
 and Juftin, concerning Sennacherib. See the Bi- 
 fhop of Meaux's Univerfal Hillory of the Affyrian 
 and Babylonian Kingdoms : *Till this laft got the 
 better, and eftablifhed the mighty Empire of B$- 
 bylon, deftroy'd by Cyrus the Great, the Founder 
 of the Per/tan Empire. 
 
 However, to return to the Hutchinfonians, I 
 believe 'tis pretty clear with refpect to their Ob- 
 jections, that Abraham might underftand the Lan- 
 guage of the neighbouring Countries, through 
 which he travelled, and that of Egypt, where he 
 fojourned j and yet the Hebrew, or Canaanitijb 
 Language, might be different from the Egyptian^ 
 as the cleareft Teftimonies of the Scripture fay they 
 were. Now let us fee, whether the Hebrew, Ca- 
 naan^ean, or Phoenician, which all allow to have 
 been only different Dialects of the fame Language 
 at the molt, were not different from the antienc 
 Language of the Greeks ; for, if we can prove any 
 two different Languages in thole early Times, the 
 Point is gained. The Thing, though ablblutely 
 true in itfelf, is difficult enough to prove , not for 
 ny Doubt of it, but for want of hiftorical Monu- 
 ments of thofe antient Times. The Scripture* as 
 to this Part, gives us very little Light : Thofe ve- 
 nerable Records relate Tranfactions almoft before 
 Greece knew what Hiftory was ; at leaft few xf 
 them are come down to us, that we muft be 
 contented to pick up what we can in fuch remote 
 ReceiTes. 
 
 Firjt, We have an antient Infiripticn in the 
 Canaanxan or Pkeenician Language, which the 
 great Bocbart proves to have been the fame with 
 the Canaanxan, and even wirh the Hebrew, at lead 
 only differing in Dialed : This Infcription is pro- 
 duced by the fame Bocbart in the Preface to his
 
 44-5 Di/ertatlons on the Difl*. XI T. 
 
 Canaan^ and recorded by Procopius de Bella Van- 
 dalico, in the Emperor Juftiniari's Time, under 
 whom he lived ; to this Effect : 
 
 We are thofe who fled from the Face of 
 Jofhua the Robber^ the Son of Nave. 
 Procopius fays there, that it was in the Phoenician 
 Language, and tranQated into Greek 3 by conle- 
 quence not the fame Language with the Greek. 
 The fame Infcription is mentioned by the great 
 Eufebius in Chronic o^ long before Jitftimans Time. 
 'Tis recorded to have been fet up by thofe very 
 People who fled from Jojhita out of Canaan + in 
 their own Language, and tranflated into Greek to 
 be underftood. 'Tis no Wonder they fhould fly 
 into different parts of the World, when they found 
 they were to be deftroy'd, Root and Branch, by 
 Jojhua, afiifted by the Hand of God in fo vifible 
 a manner ; fome fled to Africa, fome to Egypt ^ 
 but the greateft part of them to Tyre and Sidcn ; 
 which being in time over- flocked, fent out fuch 
 numerous Colonies of them all over the World, as 
 the fame Bocbart proves beyond Difpute from va- 
 rious Monuments, Names of Places, Remains of 
 their Language, &c. which have no Connexion* 
 with the antient Greek extant in the oldeft Frag- 
 ments of the Greek Language. 
 
 In Confirmation of this, the fame Eufebius^ 
 quoted in a foregoing Diflertation, fays exprefly, 
 (and I don't queftion but he had good Authority 
 for it, being fo great a Critic in Antiquity) that 
 fome of the Canaan a ans fled into Africa and built 
 Tripoly in Africa, to diftinguifh it from the other 
 'Tripoly. Probably they fled to old 'Tyre or Sidoii 
 firft, and from thence into Africa. Moft of the 
 Learned are of Opinion, that Dido was not the 
 tirft of the Phoenicians who cam- ir.to Africa and 
 founded Carthage^ or rather the B\rfa y the Citadel 
 
 of
 
 DiiT. XII. MOSA i CAL Creation. 4.4.9 
 
 of it. Very likely fhe had heard of the Eftahlifh- 
 ment of forrie of her Countrymen there Jong before i 
 yet Dido was before the Foundation of Rome -, C.T- 
 thage look'd on herfelf as the Daughter of Tyre^ 
 and fent her Acknowledgments of it from Time to 
 Time. Vide the Hiftory of the Carthaginians in 
 the late tJniverfal Hiftory from the ear ti eft Times. 
 All which confirms the Antiquity of that famous 
 Infer iption, and being in the antient Pb&niciaA 
 Language, fo different from all the antient Frag- 
 ments of the Greek Language, is as good as a De- 
 monftration that the Canaanaan or Phcenicean Lan- 
 guage was different from the Greek in Jojhua'b 
 Time. 
 
 2. Sanccniathon* or the Fragments of that an- 
 tient Author going under his Name, believed to be 
 genuine by the fame great Judges, Ettfebius among 
 the Antients, and Bochart of the Moderns, and 
 feveral others. Sanconiathoil is fuppofed, by the 
 Generality of the Learned, to have lived about the 
 Time of Gideon, one of the Judges of Ifracl ; he 
 wrote in the Phoenician Language (being of that 
 Country) a very blind Account of the Origin of 
 the Woil.l, and the Heathen Gods : He feemed 
 to have had fome dark Notions of the Mofaical 
 Account of the Creation. The chief Heads of his 
 Account are at the End ofBtcbarft Canaan, which 
 makes the fecond Part of his Geografhia facra. 
 The Fragments < Sanconiathon are very confufcd, 
 either on Account of their great Antiquity, or 
 from the Difficulty of understanding the Phoenician 
 Language. They Were collected and tranflated 
 into Greek by Pbih Biblitis, a Native of Biblos, 
 a Town in Phoenicia* or bordering upon it. Pbilo 
 lived about the middle of the Pagan Emperors. 
 Some over- nice Criticks would infinuate, that Pbih 
 Biblius invented that Account himfclf, which is 
 G g very
 
 450 Dtffertations on the Dill. XII. 
 
 very unlikely, fmce Philo was a learned Man ; 
 and the Romans had a great many other learned 
 Greeks among them at that Time ; that Philo 
 would never have publifhed fuch a lame, and even 
 foolifh Account in fome Places of it, but took it as 
 he found it : Befidcs, that thofe great Judges, Eu- 
 febius and Bcchart^ who looked upon it as ge- 
 nuine r could not be fo eafily deceived. Eochart 
 brings a great many Reafons to prove it to be ge- 
 nuine, ib. As the Darknefs of the Account itfelf, 
 and its agreeing with fome of the moft antient Ac- 
 counts of the Origin of the World, and their an- 
 tient Gods, feems to mew its Antiquity. Now 
 the Greek Language about Phila's Time, and the 
 Greek in the antient Times, containing no conli- 
 derable Difference, as will be feen preiently, San- 
 coniatbon's Pbcenician Account was unintelligible to 
 the Greeks till it was rendered into that Language -, 
 by confequence they were different Languages. 
 
 3. Cecrops the firft King of Ai 'hens , according 
 to Eufebius's Chronicon, and St. Hierom's Pre- 
 face to it, lived about Mofes's Time. Now it 
 cannot be well doubted but the Athenians then 
 fpoke the antient Greek ; they came out of Ionia 
 in Afia ; the Ionian* are allowed by all to be the 
 Defendants of Javan, and to be fure fpoke the 
 Language of Javan , neither do we find any Ac- 
 counts, or indeed Hints, that the firft Athenians 
 Ipake a different Language from the Athenians in 
 Jfrcratts** Time, only it might be more refined ; 
 whence it follows, not only that there was little 
 Difference between the antient Greek, and that in 
 Pbik's Time, but alfo that the immediate De- 
 fcendants of Javan, or the firft lonians, fpoke 
 Greek, which brings us very nigh the Difperfion ; 
 and by confequence, that the Greek and the Phec- 
 nician were quite different, from the earlieft Times. 
 
 Does
 
 DifT. XIL MOSAIC AL Creation. 
 Does it not naturally follow alfo, that nothing can 
 fb well account for that antient Difference than 
 the Account of Mofes t of the Confufion of 
 Tongues ? Not to mention the antient Sycionians, 
 Argivcs, Lacedemonians or Spartans^ who feem 
 to have had only different Dialects from the Ionian. 
 Greeks, and quite different from the Hebrew^ or 
 Canaan itic. 
 
 4. Mofchus, a Sidottian, lived before the fro* 
 jan War, as Strabo informs us -, he wrote the Hif- 
 tory of the Phoenicians ^ in that Language \ it was 
 tranflated into Greek by Cb<etUs, very antient alfo^ 
 mentioned by St. Hierom and Eufebius, Pref. Chron 
 Eufeb. See alfo the Preface of the late Univerfal 
 Hiftory. The fame Hiftory mentions out of Hero- 
 dotus , that the 'Tartars beyond the Borifthenes 
 Ipake in his Time feven different Languages. Hif- 
 tory of the Tartar s> p. 1 6,in 8 vo. Manetbo mention *d 
 byJofepbuscon.SJp. tranflated the Egyptian Hiftory 
 into Greek. Zoroafter was certainly very antient ; 
 and Plato calls him the moft antient of all the Per- 
 Jian Sages ; he wrote in the antient Perftan Lan- 
 guage, which was undoubtedly different from the 
 Greek. Ib. in the Preface. What mail we fay of 
 the Celtic Language, the old Etrufcan Language 
 and Injcriptions, mentioned in the fame Hiftory \ 
 the old Wdjb and Irijh i and particularly the old Sj>a- 
 nijhy when Spain by all Hands is agreed to have 
 been peopled in the earlieft Times. Can we think 
 the Languages of thefe were the fame with the 
 Greek ? any one would be ridiculed who mould ad* 
 vance it. Why then, there were different Lan* 
 guages from the earlieft Times. 1 do not infift up- 
 on the Syrian Ambaffadors to King Ezekiab, who 
 were defired to fpeak in the Syrian Language, not 
 in the Jewtjb Language, becaufe thefe Gentlemen 
 will fay, that Languages might be altered by that 
 G e 2 Time -,
 
 45* Dictations on the Diff. XII. 
 
 Time ; nor of infinite other Proofs of the Diver - 
 fity of Languages over the World, for the fame 
 Reafon ; though one would wonder, how Men 
 could have fuch a Diverfity of Speech ; and that 
 too as high as antient Monuments can be 
 found, where Men understand one another, no 
 more than the chattering of Birds. But to let that 
 pafs ; fince Mr. Hutchinfon was the greateft Lover 
 of Paradoxes, not to fay the mod improbable Sy- 
 ftems ot any Audior that ever I read. How- 
 ever, 
 
 5. We are not quite deftitute of fome antient 
 Authors, who fpeak directly of the Divifion of 
 Languages , that it may be looked upon as an 
 univerfal Tradition of all Nations in the World, 
 though not: thoroughly informed of the Caufe of it, 
 For Example, Abydanus apud Eufeb. de Prxparat. 
 Ev. L. 9. Ch. 4. ''They relate, that the firil Men 
 " being born of the Earth, and proud of their 
 c Strength and Magnitude, endeavoured to build 
 " a Tower quite up to the Sun ; . . . . and that 
 " being till then of one Language, were divided 
 *' into many Tongues, .... and that the Place had 
 " the Name of Babylon, becaiife of the Confufwn 
 ' a/Tongues, which the Hebrews call Babel" 
 Eufebius, ib. quotes one of the antient Sybil's 
 Words thus : " Of that Tower, and the Confufion 
 " of Tongues, the Sybil makes mention, faying : 
 " Ail Men being of ong Speech* they refolved to 
 " build a Tower to get up to Heaven, which the 
 <; Gods deftroying by Winds, and confounding ibs 
 " Tongues of Men in a wonderful Variety, was the 
 " Caufe that That City was called Babylon" L He~ 
 Ji<sus alfo (a very antient Author) mentions the 
 Field of Sennaar thus : " The Priefts who efcap- 
 " ed (the Flood) offered Sacrifice to Jove in &;; 
 ^ naar of Babylon ; and the Tongues of Men being 
 
 ," CGX-
 
 DhT. XII. Mos A ic AL Creation. 453 
 
 " confounded, they began to inhabit different Parts 
 " of the Earth." This Work of Eufebius de 
 Prxparat. Evcing. is allowed by all to be one of 
 the moft valuable Pieces of Antiquity, where with 
 immenfe Pains, he has collected, and preferred for 
 us, the moft precious Remains of all the antient 
 Writers from the earlieft Times as eotild be found. 
 From which it follows, ift, That this karned 
 Judge of Antiquity was perfuaded himfelf of the 
 Confufion of Tongues : idly, That thefe Tefti- 
 monies confirm the Scripture Account of the fame 
 v Confufion : And 3^/y, That they believed it them- 
 felves as the moft antient and univerfal Tradition. 
 Now we arc fpeaking of univerfal Tradition, and 
 Belief of all Nations about the Divifion of Tongues, 
 a Belief the moft incontefted of any, till the Hut- 
 chinfoniam called it in queftion ; it is very well 
 worth obferving, that the very Americans in the 
 Weft- Indies had a Notion of it, as Gimelli men- 
 tions in his Travels. The Accounts of Gimelli and 
 Navarefte are efteemed the beft of any of the lail 
 Century. Gimelli fays, that the Americans had a 
 Tradition among them, that the Language of the 
 furviving Families after the Flood was fplit into 
 fuch a Variety of Languages, that they could not 
 underftand one another, and were neceflitated to 
 tranfmigrate into different Regions. See the learn- 
 ed and curious Preface to the late Univerfal Hifto^ 
 ry from the earlieft Times. 
 
 Mr. Hittchinfon, in order to infinuate that the 
 Confufion of Babel was not of Languages, but 
 about the Worfhip of his aerial God, takes a vaft 
 deal of Pain?, after his confufed Manner, to prove 
 that Languages might be fo divided by length of 
 Time, and other Means, that People of the fame 
 Language originally , might not in procefs 
 of Time underftand ope another j as may be 
 G g 3 in-
 
 454 Dtffertatiom on the Difl". XII. 
 
 inftanced in the prefent Englijh and old Saxon, as 
 well a^ ^x the different Branches of the old Teutonic , 
 originally the fame ; as indeed we may fay of all 
 other Languages, where they have a Mixture, and 
 Commerce wich Neighbours of different Lan- 
 guages : But what is all that to the Purpofs ? 
 *Tis arguing from SuppOi r itions and Pojfibilities, 
 againft Matter of Fact. We have the cleared 
 Teftimonies of Scripture and Antiquity to prove 
 that the Fact was fo , that Languages were actually 
 fo divided ; that the Defendants of one Man, of 
 one Family, of one and the fame Language, and 
 no other in the whole World, as thefe Gentlemen 
 grant willingly, after fome time underftood one 
 another no more than the chattering of Birds, as it 
 is Fatfl the different Nations in the World did not, 
 from the earlieft Times. Did every Nation invent 
 its own Language, de no-vo ? They all learned one 
 Language from their Parents ; there was no other 
 Language in the whole World to alter and cor- 
 iupr.it; they could not hear any other: How 
 then could the Language of Men be fo changed, 
 that they underftood ne another, no more than 
 they could underttand the chattering of Jack-daws, 
 unlefs we have Recourfe to a Miracle , whenever 
 it was changed into another Language : But 
 where there is a Mixture of different Languages, 
 pr different neighbouring Nations fpeak. different 
 Tongues, any Language may be fo altered, that 
 they may not underitand the original Language of 
 their Forefathers. Farther, when different Fami- 
 lies fprung from one Perfon, or different Branches 
 of the fame Family or Nation feparate from one 
 another, and fettip in a new Country, if they have 
 no Mixture of other Languages or People among 
 them, they generally preferve their own Language ^ 
 as is exemplified every Day. We fee the Englijh
 
 DiflT. XII. Mos ATC A L Creation. 455 
 
 Plantations in America fpcak Englijh, and will do 
 fo to the End of the World, if they have no Mix- 
 ture with other People. 'Tis true, the Invention 
 of new Arts and Inftruments, may add new Names 
 in their refpeftive Trades and Operations, but their 
 {landing Language will be Englijh ftill. How 
 long have the IPel/by for Example, preferved their 
 Language ; or the Irijh, with feveral other diffe- 
 rent People, in different Corners of the World, 
 preferved their native Speech among themfelves, 
 when they keep together ? but where there is an 
 Intermixture of different Nations, their Speech will 
 fbon be corrupted. However, in our Cafe, there 
 is no room for fuch a Suppofition ; fince, accord- 
 ing to thefe Gentlemen, for a long Time after the 
 Building of Babel^ they could hear no other Lan- 
 guage in the whole World but their own. Befide 
 the Teftimonies of the Scripture, and the Autho- 
 rities alledged in the Proofs, with the univerfal 
 Tradition of all Nations for the Truth of the Fact, 
 viz. that the Tongues of Men were thus con- 
 founded ; with the almoft Impoffibility that it 
 Ihould be otherwife, confidering that prodigious 
 Diverfity of Languages found in the World from 
 the earlieft Times, and that too among Perfons 
 of the fame Species, and all defcending from one 
 Family. 
 
 Mr. Hutchinfon in his New Account of the Cen~ 
 fufion of Tongues, has a great deal of uninfelligible 
 Stuff, about the Invention of Hieroglyphic -j, the 
 changing them into Characters of W T riting, &c. 
 ftill tending to infinuate, that there was but one 
 Language till the Invention of different Characters : 
 Now, whether Characters for recording paft Fads, 
 Arts and Sciences, and other Things, were invented, 
 or in being before, or long after the Confufion of 
 Tongues, is not much to the Purpofe j Languages 
 G g 4 might
 
 Dffirtafions on tie Diff. XII. 
 
 might be divided before the Invention of Cha- 
 racters ; or Characters might be in Ufe before the 
 Confufion of Tongues. But hir, Affertion, than 
 there were no Characters before the Time of Mofes, 
 is bold, not to lay temerarious, like his other Af- 
 fertions ; though in that he is nor altogether fin- 
 gular : Some others, both before him and fince, 
 are of that Opinion ; except, if you pleafe, as to 
 Hieroglyphics, very probable in Ufe with the 
 Egyptians before Mofes's Time. 'Tis a!fo pro- 
 bable, that the Egyptians had other Characters be- 
 fides Hieroglyphics : Thefe were chiefly for reli- 
 gious Matters, and were rather Symbolical than 
 Characters ; rafter for Marks of Sciences, than fop 
 jecording them at Length : They were extremely 
 myfterious, both in their Religion and Sciences, 
 and very early learned in both. If they were fa 
 ingenious in their Hieroglyphics, it was an eafy 
 Step to invent fome fort of Characters which might 
 take up lefs room, and capable of delivering down 
 their Knowledge to one another ; as to what they 
 were, we are in the Dark, but 'tis probable they 
 had fome very early ; as it is, that Mofes might 
 iearn the Ufe of them from them or if any Cha- 
 racters of Writing had been preferved from Abra- 
 ham^ who, as Eufebius fays, taught the Egyptians 
 Aftronomy and Philofophy, and confequently might 
 be preferved till Mofes's Time, and he might learn 
 the Hebrew Characters, or fome Characters from 
 his Hebrew Anceftors. Be all this as it will, 'tis 
 probable there were Characters, or fome fort of 
 .Letters, before the Time of Mofes. Jofephus tells 
 us, that the Defendants of Seth engraved Cha- 
 racters upon Pillars before the Deluge ; but whe- 
 ther that were fo or nor, 'tis not unlikely that the 
 Chaldeans had fome way of writing i n or before 
 time, or at leait that Abraham had, 
 
 perhaps
 
 EXiff. XII. MOSAICAL Creation. 457 
 
 perhaps from Noah, and To upwards, either from 
 Adam or Setb, directed by God , or the antient 
 Patriarchs, whole Lives were fo long ; or the fallen 
 Angels, /. e. Daemons, might teach, them to the 
 Sons of Men i as the antient Tradition from Enoch 
 believed they taught Men feveral Arts and Sciences, 
 and made themfelves adored as Gods for it. How- 
 ever it is not improbable, that there were Let- 
 ters for writing before the Time of Mofes. Mo- 
 fes could read the Ten Commandments written 
 by the Finger of God ; the Elders and Hebrews 
 under his Command, could do fo too ; they were 
 ordered to be written over their Doors, &JV. Job 
 was a Descendant of Efau, and is thought by 
 mod to have been very nigh the Time of Mofes, 
 yet he fpeaks of writing, and even engraving his 
 Difeourfes in the hardeft Materials. ; does not that 
 infmuate more common Ways of writing ? 'Tis 
 allow'd by moil, that Cadmus brought the Phoeni- 
 cian Letters into Greece : Bochart in his Canaan 
 proves, that Cadmus wai a Canaantean in Jcjhua's 
 Time. Is it likely, that the Canaanteans could learn 
 their Letters from Jojhua and the Hebrews, who 
 entered their Land in the moft cruel manner, pur- 
 fued them with the utmoll Devaftation, and by 
 whom they were to be defiroy'd, Root and Branch? 
 Could they have Time to learn Letters and Writ- 
 ing in that dreadful Confternation, if they could 
 have a Defire to do it, from fuch implacable 
 and mortal Enemies : By confequence Cadmus, who 
 was fo happy as to fly from them, and fettled in 
 Greece, teaching the Greeks the U(e of them, 
 jcould never learn them from the Hebrews \ and by 
 a further Confequence, the Canaanteans had the Ufe 
 .cf Letters before Mofes and Jo/bua attacked them. 
 Though that Cadmus learnt them from the He- 
 brews, is all that is like an Argument in that pare 
 
 f
 
 45 3 Differ tatiom on the Diff. XII. 
 
 of Mr. Hutchin fen's Treatife , and what Proba- 
 bility that has, and indeed all the reft of his Para- 
 doxes, let the Reader judge. 
 
 I have poftponed hitherto the Confideration of the 
 Chinefe Language, To vaflly different from all other 
 Languages, that I have been informed by Perfons 
 who have heard them talk, that it founds more like 
 the Pipping of young Turkies, than a human 
 Speech. I fay, I have deferred fpeaking of that 
 Language yet, becaufe their great Antiquity is con- 
 tefted by fome Perfons ; particularly by the Authors 
 of the late Univerfal Hiftory, in their Account of 
 China. 'Tis certain, if the Antiquity of that Na- 
 tion is fo very remote ,and early, as feveral learned 
 MifTionaries make them, it is as good as decifive 
 for the diversity of Tongues from the eariiefl Times ; 
 for as that Language has no Connexion with any 
 other known Language in the World, [I fhall con- 
 fider thofe few Words, the Authors of that Hiftory 
 lay, are like the Hebrew afterwards] but as it has 
 no manner of Connexion, I fay,, with any other 
 known Language in the World, and is really more 
 like the Chattering of Birds, than a Language ; and 
 If it be of fuch Antiquity, 'tis as good as a Demon- 
 flration that there were different Languages in the 
 World from the remoteft Antiquity. But, does not 
 that vaft Difference from all other Languages prove 
 its Antiquity ? Does it not indicate that they were 
 feparated from the reft of the World, as all Ac- 
 counts of them fay they were, and themfelves alfo, 
 beyond the reach of our Hiftories ? 'Tis wonderful 
 that neither the few remaining Words and Names 
 of the old Egyptian^ the Perfian, Chaldaic, the 
 Arabic^ the Indian^ the Tartarian Languages, has 
 any Connexion with it ; as they have not, by all 
 Accounts of them, 'tis almoft impcfiible they fhould 
 
 invent
 
 Diff. XII. MOSAICAL Creation. 459 
 
 invent fuch a Language of themfelves : They re- 
 tained ic then from the earlieft Separation , if it has 
 any Connexion with the antient Hebrew, fuppofed by 
 fome to have been the firft Language, that indicates 
 its vaft Antiquity. Befides, there might be fome 
 few fimilar Words preferved here and there, among 
 the different Languages, at the Divjfion of Tongues ; 
 there can be no great difficulty in that. Nor does the 
 Similitude of fome few Chinefe Words with the 
 Hebrew^ evince that they were defcended from 
 them : but if it mould, it evinces alfo, that they 
 were of very great Antiquity. I don't embrace all 
 the Accounts of thofe MiJJionaries, any more than 
 thofe learned Authors ; but where they are fupport- 
 ed with collateral Reafons. Some of thofe learned 
 Miffionaries were very capable of judging, whether 
 the molt accurate Accounts of the Chinefe carried any 
 probability along with them, if they would but 
 fpeak the Truth , neither can we fee any great Rea- 
 fon why they mould affedl the Marvellous, to mag- 
 nify their Antiquity fo very much. If the Chinefe 
 had not fuch accurate Aftronomical Accounts of the 
 Planets, Revolutions, and Eclipfes, as our modern 
 Philofophers ; 'tis acknowledged by all (hat they 
 were learned with refpedt to other Nations , that 
 they had Arts and Sciences in much greater Per- 
 fection refpeftively ; though they lived intirely fe- 
 parate from them : Their Polity and Government 
 was wonderful by all Accounts, and m.uft require a 
 vaft Time to be brought to that Perfection : Their 
 Neighbours the Antient Seres were not fo remote 
 from them, but they might be the Out-liers of the 
 antient Sin*, of both of whom the Antients fpeak 
 fo honourably, as thefe Gentlemen acknowledge : 
 Nor was it fuch an impollible Migration by Land 
 frpm the place E)aftwards, where Noah and his 
 
 from
 
 460 Diflertations on the DifT. XII. 
 
 Family remained, when the reft of them journeyed 
 from the Eaft, till they came to the Plains of Shi- 
 naar, and bulk the Tower. How far they came 
 Weft ward, we are not told , nor bow far Noah 
 might retire fbill towards the Eaft from them. As 
 it appears that the Builders of Babel were a refractory 
 Race, Noah might fend them out from his re- 
 maining Family, a great way Weft ward ; while 
 he retired as far Eaft ward as he could, to bo out of 
 the Reach of fucli a refractory Race. Befidcs, the 
 Scripture indicates that they had a Notion that they 
 were to be divided over the Earth ; our Englijh 
 Tranflation fays, left we be feparated ; but the 
 Latin Vulgat has it, before we be feparated ; as their 
 Building the Tower for a Monument of their Name 
 feems to indicate that to be the Senfe. I am furc 
 thefe learned Authors fhew that they migrated 
 very early Weftwa r d, as far as the Wefterly 
 Bounds of China may be Eaftward from Shi- 
 naar itfeif; whence thefe Gentlemen carry the 
 fir ft Inhabitants of Italy <, Etruria, Spain, and 
 the Gauli/h Celtics, fo early from that Separa- 
 tion. They fuppofe, not without fome Proba- 
 bility, that the firft Inhabitants of Italy, whether 
 the Ombrii or the Etrufcans, or the Celtics, 
 came very early from the Eaftern Parts, not long 
 after the Days of Peleg : Let them confider what a 
 vaft Way it is from the Plains of Shinaar, or from 
 any Part of yJffyria, as far as Italy, Gaul, or Spain -, 
 lor ail thole Countries were peopled earlier than she 
 reach of our Hiftories -, and yet they can't fee how 
 Noah and his People, for he could not be alone, or 
 his earlieft Defcendants, could go fo far Eaftward 
 as China, at Icaft the Wefter'n Parts of it, as Part 
 cf the Mogul's Country, which borders upon it ; 
 aad if there may be fome Deferts that way now, 
 
 they
 
 Diff. XII. MOSAICAL Creation. 461 
 
 they might not be then : betides they might extend 
 Eaftward by Degrees till they fettled in China, and 
 Jhut themfetves out from all other Inhabitants ; 35 
 they had an Averfion for Strangers, and lived among- 
 themfelves by the moft juft Laws and Morals of 
 any other People in the World, except the Hebrews, 
 who were reformed immediately by God. 
 
 On the whole, we don't know where, or in what 
 Part of the Earth Noah builded his Ark ; only he 
 made it of the Wood of Gopher, which Bochart 
 fays is Cedar -, or fome great Trees proper for 
 building fuch a large Veflel ; undoubtedly in a 
 Place where there was abundance of that Wood. It 
 is poflible it might be Eaftward ; 'tis alfo poflible, 
 he might retire from the moft wicked Part of the 
 Sons of Cain, left they mould hinder him ; though 
 Numbers of the then Generation faw him a building 
 it. He preached to them, and fore-warned them 
 of the Judgment that was comingjjpon them ; as 
 God had given them a long Warning, before the 
 Flood came upon them, that they might have Time 
 to repent ; yet they laughed at God and him, a3 
 Free-thinkers do now. Never thelefs we don't know 
 what part of the Earth he was in j nor do we know 
 for certain, where the Ark refted ; the Scripture fays 
 on the Mountains of Ararat, which Bocbart in his 
 Phakg fays, fignifies any Ridge of high Moun- 
 tains -, though it is commonly fuppofed to be the 
 Mountains of Armenia almoft directly North from 
 Shinaar , yet they journied thither from the Eaft. 
 'Tis highly probable then, that the Ark refted on 
 fome Ridge of Mountains, which might run quite 
 South-eaft of Armenia towards the Noi them Borders 
 of the Empire of the Mogul ; As the Maps gene- 
 rally place great Mountains that Way, not far off 
 China ; where in all appearance WoaJ? remained, 
 
 when
 
 461 .Differ fattens on tie DiiT. XIL 
 
 when the refractory Race of his Defendants journey- 
 ed from the Eaft : how long they were journeying 
 we can't tell, but went Weft ward towards the 
 Plains of Sbinaar. 
 
 Now taking all thefe Confideraiions together ; 
 and what was mentioned before, viz. that it is not 
 likely that Noah went with them about that mad 
 Work -, that he lived three hundred and fifty Years 
 after the Deluge, a long Time, and fufficient to 
 people a vaft Extent of Country ; that if he had 
 no other Children during that Time, which the 
 Scripture neither afferts nor denies ; as it does not 
 mention whether he went with them, or flaid be- 
 hind, which is moft probable , if he {laid behind, 
 feveral of his pious Defendants muft flay with 
 him ; who, if he had no more Children of his 
 own, might people thofe Parts of the World, 
 while his own Sons peopled it Weftward ; the An- 
 tiquity of the Cbinefe -, their wonderful Govern- 
 ment -, their Polity, their Morals, their Arts and 
 Sciences ; their unheard-of Language, different 
 from all other Languages in the World , neither 
 can we well derive them from any of the other an- 
 tient People ; their neighbouring Tartars, from 
 whom they always took fuch Care to feparate, fo 
 different from them in their Language, in their 
 Manners, in their Polity and Form of Govern- 
 ment, were undoubtedly of another Race ; why 
 then 'tis likewife probable that they [the Chinefe] 
 were the Defendants of thofe who ftaid with Noah 
 to the Eaftward of the World, if he did flay be- 
 hind , nor can they be otherwife derived from any 
 other Nation whatfoever. I am fure it is much 
 more probable that they mould be the Defendants 
 of fome that went Eaftward from the firft Dif- 
 perfion, than that they fhould be no antienter than 
 
 the
 
 Diff. XII. MOSAICAL Creation. 46; 
 
 the late Univerfal Hiftory makes them. And if 
 any ftaid behind in the Eaft, when the reft went 
 about that mad Work of building Babel; 'tis hi li- 
 ly probable that Noah was along with them , where, 
 he had fettled his Habitation, planted his Vineyards, 
 and without doubt inftrufted his Companions both 
 in Piety and Morals, as we'll as Arts of Govern- 
 ment, &c. in which undoubtedly the ' Cbinefe ex- 
 celled all other Heathen Nations from the earlieft 
 Times. We may add to this, befide the Strange- 
 nefs of their Language, their different Way of 
 Writing from all other Nations ; every Letter or 
 Character (lands for a Word ; which favours of the 
 antient hieroglyphic Way ; or at leaft of the firft 
 Way of exprefling our Thoughts by certain Marks 
 or Letters. Their Tradition of the Deluge, though 
 moft Nations had fome Tradition of that fatal Ca- 
 taftrophe j but the Tradition of one of their moft 
 antient Emperors draining their Lands from fome 
 mighty Flood, with the Juftice and Piety of their 
 firft Kings, ought to have its Force ; particularly 
 when we confider them as the moft divided and fe- 
 parated from the Commerce of others, of any 
 People in the World. However that be, their 
 Language is certainly vaftly antient ; and is a forcible 
 Inftance that there were different Languages in the 
 World from the earlieft Times ; in direct Oppofi- 
 tion to Mr. Hutchinfcn's Opinion. So I leave 
 him. 
 
 Some People raife a Queftion here, how many 
 original Languages there might be at the Divifion 
 of Tongues ? It is impofiible at this time of day 
 to anfwer the Queftion. It is certain there was a 
 Divifion of Tongues ; but into how many Divi- 
 fions they were fplit, we are quite in the dark. 
 Some think their Number wss according to the 
 
 Number
 
 464 Bjffertatfau on the Difl". XII. 
 
 Number of the Children .of Jccsb, or Ifrael \ 
 but whether according to the Number of the Se- 
 venty odd who went up with him into Egypt, or 
 according to the Number of, his proper Sons the 
 Twelve Patriarchs, they don't agree. It fhould 
 feem that Twelve were fufRcient, which might 
 have been divided very foon into fevera! mixt Dia- 
 lects, as they bordered upon one another. .They 
 allb reckon them up different Ways, how they came 
 to be altered, &c. if Noah preserved the original 
 Language, and not the wicked Canaan<eans, and 
 really went Eaflward to inhabir, his Language 
 muft have the firft place, and in all Appearance 
 may be the Chinefe ; however, we will venture to 
 reckon the Chinefe for one ; the Hebrew, or Ca- 
 naan<can \ the old Arabian ; the Affyrian ; the 
 Egyptian \ the Greek, or Ionian -, the Scythian, or 
 Tartarian ; the old Celtic ; the Teutonic, undoubt- 
 edly different from the old Gaulijh Celtic, or 
 Welfh i the Sclavonic, or Sarmatian ; the Indian, 
 or perhaps the Malaian ; and, if you pleafe, the 
 Latin. The Language of the Weft-Indians ^ in 
 all Probability, came from the Phoenicians on the 
 one fide, and the Scythians or Tartars on the 
 other, by whom they might be peopled : The 
 Reafon is, that the Phoenicians being Mafters of^ 
 the Sea-ports of Africa fo early, the bed Sailors, 
 and the boldeft and mod enterprising People in the 
 World, very likely knew the Iflands of Cape 
 Verd, nay the Canaries and other Iflands that Way, 
 which might bring them a great way on towards 
 America : On the other fide, the Northern, of 
 North-eaftern Tartarians and Siberians, might 
 find a Way to crofs fome Streight or other to the 
 oppofite Parts, or Iflands of that Continent. There 
 is not the leafl Impofllbility, or even Improbability, ir> 
 
 either
 
 DifT. XII. MOSAICAL Creation. 465 
 
 either of thefe Suppoficions. 'Tis natural to think, 
 that fome very cruel Caufe muft force the Inhabi- 
 tants of the Earth to fly into, and inhabit the 
 difmal Countries of Greenland, Lapland, the 
 Northern Tartary and Siberia ; and if they 
 could be forced for Life to retire into fuch difmaJ 
 frozen Countries, they might venture over fome 
 frozen Parts of the Sea into the oppcfite Continent. 
 The late Accounts of the Proximity of the furthett 
 Parts of Siberia to that Part of America, renders 
 it feafible enough. We know alfo that the CVr- 
 naaneans, or Phoenicians, having a Notion that they 
 were to be extirpated by the Hebrews, did actually 
 fly into the remoteft Parts of the World on that 
 fide , and being the rnoft antient and expert Sea- 
 men of thofe Times, and fuch an enterprizing 
 People, might difcover and people the other fide 
 of America. This anfwers alfo another difficult 
 Queftion, which modern Unbelievers make ; How, 
 for Example, wild Beafts, hurtful to Man, Ihould be 
 carried over, &c ? The Arifwer is obvious enough 
 to Men of Thought, viz. that Bears, Wolves, 
 Foxes, and other Creatures, which can live in and 
 even frequent cold Countries, will roam a vaft 
 Way in bitler frozen Seafons , and as thofe Seas 
 are fo frozen, they might venture over fome frozen 
 PaiTage or other, better than Men. But it is ex- 
 tremely obfervable, that we never read in all the 
 Defcriptions of America, as ever I met with, of 
 any Elephants, Lions, Tigers, Leopards, &V. in 
 all thofe Parts : They generally frequent hot 
 Countries ; and to be fure the Phoenicians would 
 not carry them over; and they never go into 
 frozen Countries, as Bears and Wolves will -, 
 which may be the Reafon, that there might be of 
 {thefe laft in America, and none of the ethers. 
 H h The
 
 466 Dtffertatiens, &c. DifT. XII. 
 
 The Want of fome Animals in America^ as Ele- 
 phants, Lions, &c. which could not go through 
 the cold frozen Countries, nor could be carried 
 thither, is a Confirmation of the Deluge, viz. 
 that they fpread themfelves about thofe Countries, 
 where they came out of the Ark, and where they 
 could live, with relpeft to the Countries proper for 
 them. However that be, can any Man of com- 
 mon Senfe imagine, that fuch Objections as thefe 
 can invalidate the Belief of the univerfal Deluge, 
 or be put in Balance with the Reafons which as 
 good as demonftrate the Truth of that univerfal 
 Judgment. In fine, both the Objections of Free- 
 thinkers, and the Hutcbinfonian Confufion of Ba- 
 bel, are as ruinous as that Building ; may fuch 
 Whims be buried, like that Tower, in eternal 
 Rubbifh. 
 
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