in the preceding Difcourfe; we shall now fhew in the third place,

3. That, though we should allow the Atheifts, that Matter and Motion may have been from everlasting; yet if (as they now suppose) there were once no Sun nor Starrs nor Earth nor Planets; but the Particles, that now constitute them, were diffufed in the mundane Space in manner of a Chaos without any concretion and coalition; those dispersed Particles could never of themselves by any kind of Natural motion, whether call'd Fortuitous or Mechanical, have conven'd into this present or any other like Frame of Heaven and Earth.

I. And first as to that ordinary Cant of illiterate and puny Atheists, the fortuitous or cafual concourfe of Atoms, that compendious and eafy Difpatch of the most important and difficult affair, the Formation of a World; (befides that in our next undertaking it will be refuted all along) I fhall now briefly dispatch it, from Serm. V. what hath been formerly faid concerning the p. 6, 7. true notions of Fortune and Chance. Whereby it is evident, that in the Atheistical Hypothefis of the World's production, Fortuitous and Mechanical must be the self-fame thing. Because Fortune is no real entity nor physical effence, but a mere relative fignification, de

noting only this; That fuch a thing faid to fall out by Fortune, was really effected by material and neceffary Caufes; but the Perfon, with regard to whom it is called Fortuitous, was ignorant of thofe Caufes or their tendencies, and did not defign nor forefee fuch an effect. This is the only allowable and genuine notion of the word Fortune. But thus to affirm, that the World was made fortuitously, is as much as to fay, That before the World was made, there was fome Intelligent Agent or Spectator; who defigning to do fomething else, or expecting that fomething elfe would be done with the Materials of the World, there were fome occult and unknown motions and tendencies in Matter, which mechanically formed the World befide his defign or expectation. Now the Atheists, we may prefume, will be loth to affert a fortuitous Formation in this proper fenfe and meaning; whereby they will make Understanding to be older than Heaven and Earth. Or if they fhould fo affert it; yet, unless they will affirm that the Intelligent Agent did dispose and direct the inanimate Matter, (which is what we would bring them to) they muft ftill leave their Atoms to their mechanical Affections; not able to make one step toward the pro

duction

duction of a World beyond the necessary Laws of Motion. It is plain then, that Fortune, as to the matter before us, is but a fynonymous word with Nature and Neceffity. It remains that we examin the adequate meanSerm. V. ing of Chance; which properly fignifies, That p. 12, 13. all events called Cafual, among inanimate Bodies, are mechanically and naturally produced according to the determinate figures and textures and motions of thofe Bodies; with this negation only, That thofe inanimate Bodies are not conscious of their own operations, nor contrive and caft about how to bring fuch events to pafs. So that thus to fay, that the World was made cafually by the concourfe of Atoms, is no more than to affirm, that the Atoms composed the World mechanically and fatally; only they were not fenfible of it, nor ftudied and confider'd about fo noble an undertaking. For if Atoms formed the World according to the effential properties of Bulk, Figure and Motion, they formed it mechanically; and if they formed it mechanically without perception and design, they formed it cafually. So that this negation of Consciousness being all that the notion of Chance can add to that of Mechanifm; We, that do not difpute this matter with the Athe

ifts, nor believe that Atoms ever acted by Counsel and Thought, may have leave to confider the feveral names of Fortune and Chance and Nature and Mechanifm, as one and the fame Hypothefis. Wherefore once for all to overthrow all poffible Explications which Atheifts have or may affign for the formation of the World, we will undertake to evince this following Propofition:

II. That the Atoms or Particles which now conftitute Heaven and Earth, being once feparate and diffused in the Mundane Space, like the fuppofed Chaos, could never without a God by their Mechanical affections have convened into this prefent Frame of Things or any other like it.

Which that we may perform with the greater clearness and conviction; it will be neceffary, in a difcourfe about the Formation of the World, to give you a brief account of fome of the most principal and fyftematical Phænomena, that occurr in the World now that it is formed.

(1.) The most confiderable Phanomenon belonging to Terreftrial Bodies is the general. action of Gravitation, whereby All known Bodies in the vicinity of the Earth do tend and prefs toward its Center; not only fuch as are

fenfibly

fenfibly and evidently Heavy, but even those that are comparatively the Lighteit, and even in their proper place, and natural Elements, (as they usually speak) as Air gravitates even in Air and Water in Water. This hath been: demonstrated and experimentally proved beyond contradiction, by feveral ingenious Perfons of the prefent Age, but by none so perPhyfi fpicuoufly and copioufly and accurately, com.Exp. by the Honourable Founder of this Lecture Hydro- in his incomparable Treatifes of the Air and doxes Hydrostaticks.

Mr.Boyle's

of Air.

ftat.Para

ras

(2.) Now this is the conftant Property of Gravitation; That the weight of all Bodies around the Earth is ever proportional to the Quantity of their Matter: As for instance, a Pound weight (examin'd Hydroftatically) of all kinds of Bodies, though of the most different forms and textures, doth always contain an equal quantity of folid Mass or corporeal Subftance. This is the ancient Doctrine Lucret. of the Epicurean Phyfiology, then and fince very probably indeed, but yet precariously afferted: But it is lately demonftrated and put

lib. I.

Philof.

beyond controversy by that very excellent Newton and divine Theorift Mr. Ifaac Newton, to whose Natur. most admirable fagacity and industry we shall Math. lib frequently be obliged in this and the follow3. prop.6. ing Difcourfe.

I