' (b) .תבלול

Mud; for there was as yet, a Confufion of the Elements, which he himself calls "Before the Parts of the World were difentangled; all was Water, or the Elements being in Confufion, the Waters concealed every thing.(i)" "Thales and Ariftotle made Water the first Principle of Things, becaufe any thing may eafily be made out of it.(k)" I think all the Tranflators and Expofitors have confounded this Mixture, which he had called Earth, and then defcribed to be fluid and hollow; which I fuppofe to be a hollow Sphere with that Hollow or Void, or Abyfs within it; and have Thifted the Contents of the Abyfs, or Darknefs, as a negative Quality, to the Surface of the Sphere, which he calls Waters; and fome of the Quotations under this Head have pafs'd for Reasons with their Authors, that the Foulness of the Waters made their Surface dark; which I fuppofe it was, if it was clear Water, or would have been, if it had been clear. Mofes has defcrib'd what was within the Sphere, and in what Condition

(b) Critici Sacri Tom. 1. p. 8. Gen. 1. 2.

(i) Crit. Sacri. Tom. 8, p. 5. 37. Arius Montanus Lib. Phaleg.

(4) Alphonfi Toftati Edit. Venet. 1615. Tom. 1.

P. 7.

it was; and what was without the Sphere, and in what Condition that was, and does but occafionally name the Waters, in defcribing the Situation and Condition of each Part of the Airs, by that which divided them, and is then only fpeaking of the Airs, and continues to do fo to the End of the fifth, or Middle of the fixth Verfe: And they have given us no other Reason why the Word for Heavens, or Airs, and that for Waters, are each in the plural Number, but that the Hebrew Tongue had no Singular for thefe Words. Could the Creator of all things, who enabled Adam to speak, and infpir'd Mofes to write, want Words? No doubt but Adam nam'd Things properly, and his Names were a Standard to their Language; and Mofes exprefs'd them properly, and his Writings became a Standard to the Hebrew Writings.

Ver. 3. And God aid, let there be Light: and there was Light:

We are to obferve, that he did not say, let the Heavens and the Earth be created, nor let the Spirit move; but through the History of the Alterations or Formations of all the principal Parts of Matter, 'till

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he comes to the Formation of Man, there is a twofold Defcription of each; one phyfical, and the other divine: The one, how, and by what Means, the Alteration or Formation was perform'd or made and the other, in a feeming Contradiction, that God did, or made it; which he fubjoins to each as a neceffary Caution, that God made the Means, and produced the Effects, that Men fhould not attribute the Action to the phyfical Agent; such as the Spirit, the Light, the Firmament, the Sun, Moon, &c. and therefore reverence or worship one or more of them, as the Heathens did at that Day, the Jews fometimes after; and as the Atheists would perfuade us to do.

And God faid

This is a Method of communicating the Will of God to us.

Let there be Light;

These are the first Words which Mofes represents to have been spoke by God, and will not stand as we use them now when there are many Agents, and many natural Caufes and Accidents. This feems not to be a Command here, but a Permiffion; as much as to fay, let Light be, if it will,

ΟΙ

or if it can, or if it chance, or if any A

gent can produce it. What, did he who created the Heavens leave them, and not form them fo as to make them Light? Did he leave that to Chance, or was there fome other Agent? "For every Command which requires any thing to be performed, must neceffarily be directed to fome Being capable of receiving it; but as yet there were no Beings (a)". This is exprest in the fame Mannér, as the Maker of a Clock, when his Machine, was put together with Springs or Weights fet a-going, intended, or would fay, now let it point, or let it ftrike. But to discover what this Speech means; where was this Light to be? 'tis afterwards defcrib'd to be upon the Surface of the Waters; and what was it form'd of? That which was there, that which is juft before it called the Spirit of God, the Airs in Motion, which presently after are alternately changed, and as the Motion was acting in one Part, was called Light, and as it was interrupted in another Part, was call'd Darkneís. And fince there was Motion or Action in the Airs, and confequently a fecond Caufe, it must mean, let the Motion, which I by my Power have

(a) Joh. Hottengerus Oper. Diei primi, p. 49.

produc'd, and by Difpofition of Matter continu'd among the Airs, and ftiled my Spirit, arife to that Degree, or put them into that Condition I call Light, "Let there be Light,] The other Inftrument made use of to polish the Earth, in itself rude and unformed, and the very Darkness, and the yet turbid Water, was the Light, the Imbellisher of Things and which gives them their Forms. But Light which was created the firft Day rude and imperfect, began on the fourth Day to be brought to its Perfection and Clearnefs (b). This Manner of fpeaking to inanimate material Agents, of which this is the principal, and the reft but fecondary, runs thro' all the infpir'd Writings; as well where God is reprefented fpeaking, as where the infpired Penman is reprefented fpeaking; as Pfal. cxlviii. 4, 5, 7. Ibid. Ixix. 34.

And there was Light:

The Means produc'd the intended Ef fect, made part of the Darkness Light.

Ver. 4. And God faw the Light, that it was good;

(b) Martin Borrhai. in Lib. de Orig. Mundi, p. 5.

The