whole Cartefian fyftem muft of neceffity fall to the ground; and that world, whofe origina tion he pretended to have deduced from Me-, chanical principles, must be a wild chimera of his own imagination.

I cannot pafs without reflecting upon another great error in the Cartesian Philofophy, which he committed purely for want of due obfervations. And that is, his reason why at the Moon's oppofition, or conjunction with the Sun, the Tides fhould be greater than at her quadratures. To explain this, he makes the Moon move round the earth, in an Ellipfis, in whofe centre the earth is placed, fo that by this means, the Moon will have two Apogeons, and two Perigeons, and he says that the Moon is in one of her Perigeons always at the time of her oppofition, or conjunction, and by this means fhe preffes then more strongly upon the Sea, than fhe does at her quadratures, at which time according to him fhe is always in one of her Apogeons, and therefore her preffure must be weaker. All this is fo notoriously falfe, that there is no Almanackmaker but can demonftrate the contrary, and if he had but in the leaft confidered the Theory of the Moon, he might eafily have seen that the Moon is as often in her Apogeons at new and full Moon, as the is in her Perigeons at that time, tho' it feldom happens at the lunations that he is exactly in either.

By

By this it may fufficiently enough appear, that the most ingenious thoughts in the Cartefian Philofophy, are falfe, and difagreeable to nature, which I have fhew'd not only because the Philofophers of that fect have pretended to fo very great things, as to give a true account of all the Phænomena's in nature, whilft they understand fo very little, that they have not given us a right explication of any one thing; but also because Mr. Des Cartes, the author of that Sect, was the first who introduced the fancy of making a World, and deducing the origination of the Universe from Mechanical principles. Which notion has been fo ftifly maintained by his admirers, that by it they have given the ignorant Atheists (for fo are most of that perfwafion) fome plaufible pretences for their incredulity without any real ground.

But of all Philofophers, thofe have done Religion the least service, who have not only afferted, that the world was made by the laws of Mechanifm, without the extraordinary concurrence of the Divine power, but also that all the great changes which have happened to it, fuch as the Deluge, and other great effects delivered to us as miracles by the facred writers, were the neceffary confe quences of natural causes, which they pretend to account for. These contrivers of Deluges, have furnished the Atheist with an Argument, which upon their fuppofition is not fo eafily

an

anfwer'd as their Theories are made. Which is this.

The World they will fay, was never either made or created by God in time, but did exift from all eternity, without any change, or alteration, but fuch as happened from pure Mechanical principles, and causes, and the true reason, why there remain no records; or traditions of facts done in the time beyond four or five thousand years, is because there has happened a Deluge, the memory of which is ftill preferved, and this Deluge being the neceffary confequence of natural caufes, did fweep away all mankind, and with them the memorials of all former ages, only a couple of ignorant country people fome way or other, faved themselves from the universal Catastrophe, and from their offfpring the earth was again replenished, and arts and fciences invented, which our forefathers before that deluge understood more perfectly than we do now.

This they will tell you is their hypothefis, and they will not be beaten eafily from it, fince it may be defended as well, as any other Philofophical Theory which pretends to give an account of the origination of the World, and is as precarious as their own fyftem of principles which they pretend is very poffible, fince feveral Philofophers have fhew'd various ways, how there might have happened fo univerfal a deluge, from MechaC

nical

nical principles, and the neceffary laws of motion.

Thus we see how these flood-makers have given the Atheists an Argument to uphold their caufe, which I think can only be truely anfwer'd by proving an univerfal Deluge from Mechanical caufes altogether impoffible. And therefore I defign to fhew that the most ingenious Theories fram'd upon that account, come far fhort of the design of the Framers, and that the great and wonderful effects, which they endeavour to explain, could never have rifen from the causes they affign.

This I intend to do by fhewing that their Theories are neither confonant to the established laws of motion, nor to the acknowledged principles of natural Philofophy, of that Philofophy I mean, which is founded. upon obfervations and calculations, both which are undoubtedly the most certain principles, that a Philofopher can build upon. It is in vain to think that a fyftem of Natural Philofophy can be framed without the affistance of both, for without obfervations we can never know the appearances and force of nature, and without Geometry and Arithmetick we can never discover, whether the causes we affign are proportional to the effects we pretend to explain. This the various systems of the Philofophers do evidently fhew, which are by far more diftant from the truth,

than

than they are from one another. And I hope it will appear yet plainer by the following examination of Dr. Burnet's Theory of the Earth. Which tho' it has been published many years, and has been animadverted upon by feveral, yet it has not been fo fully refuted as it might have been, nor has any one fhew'd the greatest mistakes in it. Nay, Mr. Erafmus Warren, who has wrote the greatest Volum againft it, in my opinion has spoken the leaft fense about it.

He begins his difcourfe with a faying of an old Heathen, that Philofophy is the greateft gift that ever God beftowed on man. Which I will not deny, fince he has been at fo much pains to make a Panegyrick on the ufefulnefs of it. But it is plain to any who will be at the pains to read his Book, that God has thought fit to beftow but very little of that great gift upon him. And that the world may not think that this is faid out of ill nature and without grounds, I will give them a taft of his Philofophy, Geometry, or Geography, (call it which you pleafe.) He defigns to calculate how much colder the Poles would be if the earth were of an Oval figure, than if it were perfectly Spherical. To do which he fuppofes that a Circle formed into a moderate Oval, will have its Poles at least a fortieth part farther diftant from the equator, than if it were perfectly fpherical. "Now according to this to this proportion, "allowing

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