dilate and occupy more space, and, confequently, the waters must rife, proportionably, above their ufual level. Indeed, had not the world been fo conftructed, that its waters fhould be thrown upon the earth by the fame cause with that of its undergoing such an universal shock, and change of its form, it must have inftantly been deluged with fire; for, otherwise, it cannot be conceived of, that fo great and universal a concuffion should take place, as the earth at fome period has manifeftly undergone, and it not, thereby, be kindled into a melting flame.

But, though the natural caufe of the flood be left out of view, ftill the event answers perfectly to the divine theory; for the world, at firft, being conftructed of water, and by water, the prevailing power of the elect eftablishment, by diffolving that frame of the world, muft, of courfe, bring the flood of waters upon the earth. The flood came, and, as the natural power, whatever it be, continued to weaken, lo it continued to rain, and the waters prevailed and increafed upon the earth, which was for forty days and forty nights. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man. All in whofe noftrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land died. And every living fubftance was defroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were de ftroyed from the earth: and Noah only re

mained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

The pouring out of the waters from the fkies, and the breaking up of the fountains of the great deep, by reafon of the proftration of the ftrength of nature, (which state of weakpefs and diforder, though it came to its height in forty days, continued an hundred and fifty days,) fo broke up and demolished the frame of the globe, that nothing remained but the ruins of a world.—It is faid, the world that then was perished. Of this truth, the face of the whole earth bears to us the most ample testimony.

Section 10. The Waters affwaged. But God remembered Noah, and every liv ing thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters affwaged. This wind was a new impulfe given to the expanding power, or rather the recovery of its natural motion by the obstruction being removed.

Our theory, as to the first world, leads us to conceive of one wind paffing over the earth, ever in the direction in which the fpheres roll; and of its being in every refpect uniform, and without any obftruction. It is true, in this cafe, there would be no clouds with rain; for it is evident, that clouds of rain are formed by obftructed winds. But fome have been led to fuppofe, from the

fcripture account, that this was the circumftance of that world. Mofes, after his account of the creation, noticing expressly how the earth was watered, mentions a mift from the earth; and alfo a river that went out of Eden, to water the garden, and that from thence it was parted, and branched out into various countries; but makes no mention of there being clouds or rain; or rather, as some suppofe, he defigned to exprefs the contrary, by laying, The Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth. Gen. ii. v. [See Dr. Burnet's Theory of the World.]

Befides, muft it not be concluded, as the rainbow is a token that the flood fhould not be repeated, that it had not before been feen? The figns and tokens that God has fet to his covenants, are all natural, and in themselves expreffive. But were there before the flood clouds of rain, as there now are, the rainbow had surely then appeared; and if fo, how can it now be confidered as a natural token, that the waters of the flood fhall not return to deftroy the earth.

This, however, is very different from the present state of things. Ancient aftronomers fuppofed that two winds were ever held over the earth, acting upon each other in an equilibrium, or alternately prevailing-these were confidered diftinctly, one as being the main power, and the other, as the governmental or balance power. Is not a fentiment like this expreffed by Agur, Prov. xxx. 4. Who hath gathered the wind in his fifts? By the fol lowing expreffion, it may be obferved, that

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the fubject which here fixed the mind of A gur, was that of the expanding power; of the opperation and effect of which, his expreffion is the most natural and beautiful, Who hoth bound the waters in a garment?

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We are now to contemplate, more difinetly, the great mystery of God in the Archangel-Exhibition, or that of a world fubfifling by the agency of two powers acting against each other. In doing this, we may be affifted by the infpired account given of the manner in which the waters of the flood returned from off the earth, viz, Going and returning, or ebbing and flowing. We have feen the power of the elect-establishment fo prevailing, as to render the natural power incapable of binding the waters; and fo, confequently, the deftruction of the world. And though, at the end of an hundred and fifty days, the oppofing power was fo far withdrawn, as to give the natural power motion; ftill, by the motion of the waters going and returning, we perceive fuch an exercise of this power, as, by governing and controling the natural principle, to become itself a conflituent principle of the new world.

Here, then, we have explained the going and returning of the winds, the ebbing and flowing of the feas, and the waxing and waneing of all the affairs of this world. Tide characterizes all prefent things-it has, with great propriety, become another name for time, as expreffive of the changeful course of the prefent world. Alfo, we have here explained, that view of the divine government

over this world, which is conftantly exhibited, both in providence and in the fcriptures; and which has prefented to many fearching minds, fo great a difficulty, and fo often has defeated the calculations of the wife and prudent, viz. That events are feen to take place indirectly, and, as it were, by the overruling and controling of what might be confidered their natural course.

Why is the eaft wind the blaft of nature? Doubtlefs, the word blaft, originally, meant this wind. Why is the agency of the eaft wind, fo often known in providence, and fo frequently referred to in the fcriptures, in the great and folemn work of judgment, where by Zion is redeemed? What inftruction is afforded to us, by its being recorded of the dividing of the Red Sea, that the Lord caused the fea to go back, by a strong east wind? Why, we afk, is the east wind here spoken of as the agent of God, in thus counteracting nature; and as explaining the operation of divine power in this myracle? And why, in the addrefs in the fong of Mofes to the angel of the Lord, is this wind particularized as his wind? Thou didst blow with thy wind.Why went there forth a wind from the Lord to bring the quails into the camp of Ifrael? which alfo, Pfal. Ixxviii. 26, is called an eaft wind. And why, alfo, to accomplish this event, are we informed of a wind coming back in another direction? Why are the judgments of God, of every kind, ufually afcribed to the influence of the east wind? Note the following paffages; -Pharaoh