ries can have only these two ways of accounting for it. Either by the Common Motion of Matter, proceeding from external Impulse and Conflict (without attraction) by which every Body moves uniformly in a direct line according to the determination of the impelling force. For, they may fay, the Atoms of the Chaos being variously moved according to this catholic Law, muft needs knock and interfere; by which means fome that have convenient figures for mutual coherence might chance to ftick together, and others might join to those, and fo by degrees fuch huge Maffes might be formed, as afterwards became Suns and Planets or there might arife fome vertiginous Motions or Whirlpools in the Matter of the Chaos; whereby the Atoms might be thruft and crowded to the middle of thofe Whirlpools, and there conftipate one another into great folid Globes, fuch as now appear in the World. Or fecondly by mutual Gravitation or Attraction. For they may affert, that Matter hath inherently and effentially fuch an intrinfeck energy, whereby it inceffantly tends to unite it felf to all other Matter: fo that feveral Particles placed in a Void space at any distance whatsoever would without any external impulse spontaneously convene and unite together. And thus the Atoms of the Chaos, C 2

though

though never fo widely diffufed, might by this innate property of Attraction foon affemble themselves into great fphærical Maffes, and conftitute Systems like the prefent Heaven and Earth. This is all that can be proposed by Atheists, as an efficient cause of a World. For as to the Epicurean Theory, of Atoms defcending down an infinite fpace by an inherent principle of Gravitation, which tends not toward other Matter, but toward a Vacuum or Nothing; *Lucret, and verging from the Perpendicular no body Nec regi- knows why nor when nor where; 'tis fuch miferacerta,nec ble abfurd stuff, so repugnant to it self, and fo

one loci

tempore

certo.

*

contrary to the known Phænomena of Nature (yet it contented fupine unthinking Atheists for a thousand years together) that we will not now honour it with a special refutation. But what it hath common with the other Explications, we will fully confute together with Them in these three Propofitions.

(1.) That by Common Motion (without attraction) the diffever'd Particles of the Chaos could never make the World; could never convene into fuch great compact Maffes, as the Planets now are; nor either acquire or continue fuch Motions, as the Planets now have.

(2.) That fuch a mutual Gravitation or fpontaneous Attraction can neither be inherent and effential to Matter; nor ever fupervene to it,

unless

unless impress'd and infused into it by a Di

vine Power.

(3.) That though we should allow fuch Attraction to be natural and effential to all Matter; yet the Atoms of a Chaos could never fo convene by it, as to form the prefent System: or if they could form it, it could neither acquire fuch Motions, nor continue permanent in this ftate, without the Power and Providence of a Divine Being,

I. And first, that by Common Motion the Matter of Chaos could never convene into fuch Maffes, as the Planets now are. Any man, that confiders the fpacious void Intervals of the Chaos, how immenfe they are in proportion to the bulk of the Atoms, will hardly induce himself to believe, that Particles fo widely diffeminated could ever throng and crowd one another into a close and compact texture. He will rather conclude, that thofe few that fhould happen to clash, might rebound after the collifion; or if they cohered, yet by the next conflict with other Atoms might be feparated again, and fo on in an eternal viciffitude of Faft and Loofe, without ever confociating into the huge condenfe Bodies of Plafome of whofe Particles upon this fuppofition must have travell'd many millions of Leagues through the gloomy regions of Cha

nets;

OS,

os, to place themselves where they now are. But then how rarely would there be any clashing at all? how very rarely in comparison to the number of Atoms? The whole multitude of them, generally fpeaking, might freely move and rove for ever with very little occurring or interfering. Let us conceive two of the nearest Particles according to our former Calculation; or rather let us try the fame proportions in another Example, that will come easier to the Imagination. Let us fuppofe two Ships, fitted with durable Timber and Rigging, but without Pilot or Mariners, to be placed in the vast Atlantick or the Pacifique Ocean, as far afunder as may be. How many thousand years might expire,before thofe folitary Veffels fhould happen to ftrike one against the other? But let us imagin the Space yet more ample, even the whole face of the Earth to be covered with Sea, and the two Ships to be placed in the oppofite Poles: might not they now move long enough without any danger of clafhing? And yet I find, that the two nearest Atoms in our evenly diffufed Chaos have ten thousand times lefs proportion to the two Void circular Planes around them, than our two Ships would have to the whole Surface of the Deluge. Let us affume then another Deluge ten thousand times larger than Noah's. Is it not now utterly incredible,

credible, that our two Veffels, placed there Antipodes to each other, fhould ever happen to concur? And yet let me add, that the Ships would move in one and the fame Surface; and confequently must needs encounter, when they either advance towards one another in direct lines, or meet in the interfection of cross ones; but the Atoms may not only fly fide-ways, but over likewife and under each other: which makes it many million times more improbable, that they should interfere than the Ships, even in the last and unlikelieft inftance. But they may fay, Though the Odds indeed be unfpeakable that the Atoms do not convene in any set number of Trials, yet in an infinite Succession of them may not fuch a Combination poffibly happen? But let them confider, that the im probability of Cafual Hits is never diminished by repetition of Trials; they are as unlikely to fall out at the Thousandth as at the First. So that in a matter of mere Chance, when there is fo many Millions odds against any affign- Serm. V. able Experiment; 'tis in vain to expect it should P. 32. ever fucceed, even in endless Duration.

But though we should concede it to be fimply poffible, that the Matter of Chaos might convene into great Maffes, like Planets: yet it's abfolutely impoffible, that thofe Maffes fhould acquire fuch revolutions about the Sun. Let