As Mofes had at Chap. vii. ver. 11. thewed the Means and the Manner of the Diffolution of the Earth, that the Shell was taken afunder by the breaking up of the Fountains of the great Deep, and opening the Windows, or Paffages of the Airs; he here, by oppofite Words, tells you, that the Shell was reformed; that there was neither Breach, nor Crack in it and this, as has been hinted, could not be done with broken Pieces; then there would have been Chafms between them, both for Waters and Airs to have paffed. This was formed of Atoms made clofe; and it was now, as it was at first, when the Waters were divided. Indeed, when all the Waters which rofe, were up, and all the Airs which defcended, were down, the Courses of the Waters up, and of the Airs down, were ftopped, though the Paffages were open: and when the Earth was diffolved, all was open; there was nothing to interrupt, though nothing paffed either Way: But now the folid Shell topped every thing in Form of Air or Water, while it was whole, or without Cracks, from paffing either way; not onthe Waters and the Airs, but Vapours 11 4

ly

for

for Rain. But this continued fo not long, as will appear by the next Verfe. There were Apertures made for the Airs to af cend, and for the Waters to defcend; and that which carried them down, keeps them there; for though the Shell, or Sphere of Earth apparently bounds the Waters; yet ?tis not that which keeps them within those Bounds ; which is fo often mentioned in Scripture, and in the laft Verfe of the laft Quotation, Pfal. civ. 9. Thou haft fet a Bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the Earth. The Sides of the Shell are no more but the Marks of the Boundary; the Paffages are now open, but there is a Power which keeps those Waters down.

Ver. 3. And the Waters returned from off the Earth continually.

"Flowing backwards and forwards, and here and there, being toffed by the Wind (x)." "Note, according to the Preacher, that all Waters and Torrents return through fecret Paffages to the Mo

(x) Synopfis Crit. Tom. 1. p. 100. Gen. viii. Bonfrerius.

3.

ther

ther-Abyfs (y)." This is nothing but going downward to the Place from whence they came, which was alfo returning; or, as we fay, going back again. But this fufficiently implies, that there was fomething done fince the Description in the laft Verfe. There the Paffages were ftopped, here they are opened; as he had attributed the Flood to the Course of the Waters and Airs being turned, here was a Neceffity to express in this Manner the returning of the Airs and Waters, each to their former Spheres or Places The Spouts of Waters and Falls of Airs were turned, or returned the contrary way; as, in the first Verse, the Airs were to rife, fo in this, the Waters went down; and now they were Springs, or Spouts, or Fountains of Airs, and Cataracts, or Falls of Waters.

Ver. 5. And the Waters decreased continually.

Going and decreafing (z). " Parts fucceffively going down, and thereby the Remainder fucceffively fettling, or becoming fhallower: No Account of any that went to or returned to above the (y) Hieron. Op. Tom. 3. p. 205. Queft. five Trad. Hebraicæ.

(z) Synopfis Crit. Tom. I. p. 101. Glaffius.

Hea

Heavens, or to the Clouds, or were metamorphofed into Air: for the Means to raise Rain, much lefs vaft Quantities of Water, were reftrained. The Waters in their going down acted in the fame Manner as they did at the firft Formation : They formed the Surface of the Earth (if one might ufe fuch an Expreffion without Offence) for their own Ufe; and in doing that, formed it for our Ufe; and swept all they tore out, all the reft, down to the prefent Surface, except fome fmall Scatterings of the laft, down with them into the Abyfs. You are to observe, that our Undertaker fets forth, that the whole End of the Flood, befides deftroying the People, &c. which he allows might have been done without it, was to impoverish the present Earth, by fettling and leaving lefs vegetable Mould on the Surface of this fecond Earth, than fettled and was left upon the Surface of the firft. Could any one but he have drawn fo many folid Conclufions from fuch loofe Premiffes? Was all the Plenty of the first World, and all the Suftenance of the Creatures on this Earth, to depend each upon a Stratum of loofe Mould upon the Surface of the Shell, or Strata of Stone, and under an Abyss of

Waters,

Waters, which were to hurry down as foon as they got Vent? Where was our Premier, Gravity, when the Waters went off the first time? If he did not act very gently upon thofe Waters, three Quarters of our Book is gone, and nothing that is ours is left; no, not even Fire and Smoak. Our Undertaker has prefumed very much upon the good Nature of his Readers, when he afferted that the Fragments, Nodules, and Mould, were the laft Sediment from Water, and by Confequence ftaid here, when the Waters went off the fecond time: But fuppofe him, when he was fet right, and lafhing the Defaulter in his explanatory Decree. "Sir, tho' I have been fhewed, and have Copies of vaft Numbers of Demonftrations, that the Water in going down tore off, and carried with it all above, and formed this prefent Surface, without any Difruption of the Shell; and that there neither was, nor is any Place where Vegetable Mould could ftay where it firft fettled; I will be understood of that Mould, which the Wa ters at their going off did not remove from where it firft fettled. You know no more of the Surface than I did. You take Rubble for Strata; I will, to make my Claim,

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