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This being premised, for our more clear and diftinct proceeding in our curfory View of the Creation, I fhall rank the Parts of this material and visible World under several Heads. Bodies are either inanimate or animate. Inanimate Bodies are either cœleftial or terreftrial. Caleftial, as the Sun, Moon and Stars: Terreftrial, are either fimple, as the four Elements, Fire, Wa ater, Earth, and Air; or mixt, either imperfectly, as the Meteors, or more perfectly, as Stones, Metals, Minerals, and the like. Animate Bodies are either fuch as are endued with a l'egetative Soul, as Plants; or a Senfitive Soul, as the Bodies of Animals, Birds, Beafts, Fishes, and Infects; or a Rational Soul, as the Body of Man and the Vehicles of Angels, if any fuch there be.

I make use of this Divifion to comply with the common and receiv'd Opinion, and for eafier Comprehenfion and Memory; tho' I do not think it agreeable to Philofophick Verity and Accuracy, but do rather incline to the Atomick Hypothefis. For thefe Bodies we call Elements are not the only Ingredients of mix'd Bodies; neither are they abfolutely fimple themselves, as they do exift in the World, the Sea-water, containing a copious Salt manifeft to Sense; and both Sea and Frefh-water fufficing to nourish many Species of Fish, and confequently containing the various parts of which their Bodies are compounded. And I believe there are many Species of Bodies which the Perepateticks call mix'd, which are as fimple as the Elements themfelves, as Metals, Salts, and fome forts of

Stones.

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Stones. I fhould therefore with Dr. Grew and others rather attribute the various Species of inanimate Bodies to the divers Figures of the minute Particles of which they are made up: And the Reason why there is a fet and conftant number of them in the World, none deftroy'd nor any new ones produc'd, I take to be, because the fum of the Figures of thofe minute Bodies into which Matter was at firft divided, is determinate and fix'd. 2. Because thofe minute parts are indivifible, not abfolutely, but by any natural force; fo that there neither is nor can be more or fewer of them: For were they divifible into fmall and diverfly-figur'd parts by Fire or any other natural Agent, the Species of Nature must be confounded, fome might be loft and deftroy'd, but new ones would certainly be produc'd; unless we could fuppofe these new. diminutive Particles fhould again affemble and marthal themfelves into corpufcles of fuch Figures as they compounded before; which I fee no poffibility for them to do, without some Ords and unxavñs to direct them; Not that I think thefe inanimate Bodies to confift wholly of one fort of Atoms, but that their Bulk confifts mainly or chiefly of one fort. But whereas it may be objected, that Metals (which of all others feem to be moft fimple) may be transmuted one into another, and fo the Species doth not depend upon the being compounded of Atoms of one Figure; I anfwer, I am not fully fatisfied of the Matter of Fact: But if any fuch Tranfmutation be, poffibly all Metals may be of one

Species,

Species, and the diverfity may proceed from the admixture of different Bodies with the Principles of the Metal. If it be ask'd, why may not Atoms of different Species concur to the compofition of Bodies? And fo, tho' there be but a few forts of original Principles, may there not be produced infinite Species of compound Bodies, as by the various Difpofitions and Combinations of Twenty-four Letters innumerable Words may be made up? I anfwer, Becaufe the Heterogeneous Atoms or Principles are not naturally apt to cohere and stick together when they are mingled in the fame Liquor, as the Homogeneous readily do.

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I do not believe that the Species of Principles or indivisible Particles are exceeding numerous; but poffibly the immediate component Particles of the Bodies of Plants and Animals may be themselves ompounded.

Of the Heavenly Bodies.

Before I come to treat of the Heavenly Bodies in particular, I fhall premife in general, that the whole Univerfe is divided into two forts of Bodies, the one very thin and fluid, the other more denfe, folid and confiftent. The thin and fluid is the Ether, comprehending the Air or Atmosphere encompaffing the particular Stars and Planets. Now, for the stability and perpetuity of the whole Univerfe, the Divine Wisdom and Providence hath given to the folid and stable parts a two-fold Power, one

of

of Gravity, and the other of Circular Motion. By the firft they are preferv'd from Diffolution and Diffipation, which the fecond would otherwife infer. For it being by the Consent of Philofophers an innate Property of every Body mov'd circularly about any Center to recede or endeavour to recede from that Center of its motion, and the more ftrongly the fwifter it is mov'd, the Stars and Planets being whirl'd about with great velocity, would fuddenly, did nothing inhibit it, at leaft in a fhort time, be fhatter'd in pieces, and fcatter'd every way thro' the Ether. But now their Gravity unites and binds them up faft, hindring the difperfion of their Parts, I will not difpute what Gravity is; only I will add, that for ought I have heard or read, the Mechanical Philofophers have not as yet given a fear and fatisfactory account of it.

The fecond thing is a Circular Motion upon their own Axes, and in fome of them alfo, it's probable, about other Points, if we admit the Hypothefis of every fix'd Star's being a Sun or Sun-like Body, and having a Choire of Planets, in like manner moving about him. These Revolutions, we have reafon to believe, are as exactly equal and uniform as the Earth's are: which could not be were there any place for Chance, and did not a Providence continually over-fee and fecure them from all alteration or imminution, which either internal Changes in their own parts, or external Accidents and Occurrences would at one time or other neceffarily

induce.

induce. Without this circular Motion of the Earth, here could be no living: One HemiSphere would be condemn'd to perpetual cold and darkness, the other continually roasted and parch'd by the Sun-beams. And it is reafonable to think, that this circular Motion is as neceffary to moft other Planetary Bodies, as it is to the Earth. As for the fix'd Stars, if they be Sun-like Bodies, it is probable alfo each of them moves circularly upon its own Axes as the Sun doth. But what neceffity there is of fuch a Motion, for want of understanding the Nature of those Bodies, I muft confefs my self not yet to comprehend; tho' that it is very great I doubt not, both for themselves, and for the Bodies about them.

First, For the Celeftial or Heavenly Bodies, the Equability and Conftancy of their Motions, the certainty of their Periods and Revolutions, the conveniency of their Order and Situations, argue them to be ordain'd and govern'd by Wisdom and Understanding; yea, so much Wisdom as Man cannot eafily fathom or comprehend: For we fee by how much the Hypothefis of Aftronomers are more fimple and conformable to Reason, by fo much do they give a better account of the Heavenly Motions. It is reported of Alphonfus King of Arragon, I know not whether truly, that when he faw and confider'd the many Eccentricks, Epicycles, Epioycles upon Epicycles, Librations, and contrariety of Motions, which were requifite in the old Hypothefts to give an account of the Celef

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