fifty days without abating on the face of the Earth. We know that water driven with great violence upwards falls down again in a very fhort space of time; and can we Imagin that the water which was raised by the fall of the Cruft, could laft many days, or indeed many hours without defcending again to its ancient Channel? But the Scriptures affure us that the water in Noah's Flood continually encreased, and prevailed on the Earth for the fpace of one hundred and fifty days; it is plain therefore, that for this very reafon the Flood of Noah could never be produced by the fall of this outward Cruft of the Earth.

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The Conclufion.

HERE are two fort of Arguments that may be brought against the Theory, the one depends only on the principles of Reafon and Philofophy, and the other on the Authority of the writings of Mofes but these which might be gathered from Mofes would be of no force against the Theorift; * fince he denies the truth of his narrations, which he imagines to be invented by that excellent Law-giver to please and amufe the Jews: I have therefore in this Treatife only made ufe of Arguments which are drawn from Philofophy, which he can

* Archeologea Philofoph. p. 320. 321.

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not refufe to admit fince he appeals to them, for the Truth of his own Hypothefis.

Because the Theorift tells us, that all things were made according to the three Mathematical fciences of Arithmetick, Staticks and Geometry, and that to understand the manner of their compofition, we must proceed in the fearch of them by the fame Principles, and refolve them into these again; I thought therefore I might fairly examin his Theory by the rules of thofe three Mathematical Sciences; and I hope that I have fhown, that it is built on principles which are directly repugnant to each of them: But because Arguments drawn from the Mathematicks are not eafily understood by those that are unacquainted with that Science, I have endeavoured to choose only those Arguments which are plain and obvious and which depend only on Arithmetick and the common principles of Hydroftaticks; fo that except in one or two places, there is nothing in this Treatife but what may be easily understood by those who have a moderate knowledge in these Sciences.

The points I have examined according to thefe rules are, First, the Origination of the Earth from a Chaos, which as it is delivered down to us by Mofes, muft be undoubtedly owned by thofe who acknowledge the Divine Infpiration of that Writer; But as the Theorists method of forming the World is

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not agreeable to the Mofaick Hiftory; fo I think I have fhewed that it is repugnant alfo to the Laws of Nature and Gravitation, which by his method could never have produced any habitable World.

2dly, The form of the Antediluvian World, which the Theorift fays, was smooth, regular, and uniform, without mountains and without a Sea. This he afferts to be a neceffary confequence of its rife from a Chaos; but I have proved that it is not fo neceffary, that an Earth arifing from a Chaos, fhould be uniform and smooth as he fuppofes. I have alfo thewed the great ufe of Mountains, and how neceffary they are for our fubfiftance in the prefent Earth, and that they are fo far from being placed here without defign, as the Theorift imagins, that there is fcarce any thing in nature that fhews more of wisdom and contrivance than they do, being abfolutely neceflary for the furnishing and maintaining Rivers with fresh waters; which is a demonstration that they were in the primitive Earth as well as they are in ours.

3dly, The right pofition of the Earths Axis, which I have proved to be fo far from being excellent and fitted for a Paradifiacal World, that it would make the greatest part of the Earth not habitable. I have alfo enquired into the great advantages we reap from the prefent pofition of the Earths Axis, which is by far preferable to any other, efpecially

cially to the perpendicular pofition of the Axis of the Earth to the plane of the Ecliptick.

4thly, The method the Theorift has found out to form the Antediluvian Rivers when there was no Sea to furnish them with waters, or any Channel or Ocean to receive them. This I have proved to be impoffible on several accounts fince the heat of the Sun could never bring up fo much Vapour from the Abyfs, as would be neceffary to furnish all the Rivers of the Earth with water; and tho' we should grant that Vapours were drawn. from the Abyss in places near the Equinoctial as he supposes, yet it is impoffible that they fhould ever reach the Poles, there to form the Springs from which the Rivers were to run; Or if Vapours were once brought to the Poles by whatever caufe we can imagin, yet it is impoffible that they fhould ever run back from the Poles to the Equator; fince according to him the Earth was perfectly fmooth and uniform without any upper grounds from whence the water was to defcend to the lower places of the Earth.

5thly, The Figure of the Earth which the Theorift rightly affirms not to have been exactly Spherical, becaufe at the Commencement of the Diurnal rotation, it being Fluid all the parts of it would endeavour to recede from the Axis of their motion: but as he has gueffed that it did fettle into an Ob

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long Spheroidical or Oval Figure, on no other account, that I know of, but because he thinks fuch a one would beft anfwer his defign, fo I think I have clearly enough demonstrated, that the Earth has formed it felf into a quite contrary Figure, whofe Axis is fhorter than the Diameter of the Equator; and I have proved from Obfervations, that the Earth is really of fuch a Figure.

6thly, The caufes the Theorift has affigned for the breaking of the outward Cruft which he affirms to be done by the great heat of the Sun. But this I have clearly proved to be a caufe altogether infufficient for fuch an effect, fince the heat of the Sun could never reach fo far into fo thick a Cruft as to be great enough to raise water into Vapours. But laftly, granting the Cruft to have been broken, and to have fallen down into the Abyss, yet I have proved from the Theorists own Principles, that there could follow no Univerfal Deluge, there being not fo much water in the Abyfs as was fufficient to cover the face of the whole Earth.

Throughout the whole Examination, I have obferved the Theorists advice, and have confidered only the fubftance of the Theory without making any excurfions upon things that are accidental and collateral, which as he fays do not deftroy his Hypothefis. These are the main foundations on which his Theory is built, and fince I have proved