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upon every thing which refifted it, and moft upon the Parts of Solids, which produced a Separation and a Divifion of the Solids between the Waters, and of each Species for their refpective Ufes. And the Meaning of the fixth Verse must be ; Let the Motion which is in the Airs, and has produced Light, go a Step farther, make the Parts of the Fluid of the Air Liquidum, a thin Fluid, expanding and diffusing ; and let it act in the Pores, or prefs in, or act among or between the Parts of the Mixture called Waters, and comprefs itself and other things, and thereby make a Separation, and of the Parts feparated a Divifion between the one and the other Waters. But how is this confiftent with the next Verfe? wherein 'tis faid, God made the Firmament and divided. How did he make it, and divide? He only faid, let it be; Mofes does not fay there, he acted. But he created the Airs; he infufed Motion, that Motion produced Light, that Light an Expansion, and that Motion by the thing expanded divided, and fo he made and divided. But Mofes goes farther in the Remainder of the Verfe, and defcribes the Situation of the Divifion, and of each Part of the Waters fo divided: Not as the Waters were with Refpect to what VOL. I.

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Was

was between them, for that was but just formed, and had no Name but a Divifion, and was foon after to be defcribed in another Situation, with respect to several things; but by things which were then where they were created, had been defcribed before, and he could not have defcribed the next Action without this; and the feventh Verfe will ftand thus And God by means of the Motion aforefaid made the Fluid of Airs thin, expanding, and compreffing, which made a Divifion between the Waters which were feparated from each Side of, and divided by the Sphere of Earth; fo that one Part of the Waters was under the Expansion, or Airs expanding, and the other Part above the Expanfion, or Airs expanding. -The next Queftion is, where were the Airs or things expanded? truly one Part in an Orb inclofed, or the Abyss below the Waters, and the other Part in a Sphere above the Waters. This Expanfion was to reach, and did reach from above and from below; from each Part of the Airs to a Distance, in Proportion to its refpective Force into the Sphere of the Mixture, which was called Waters, and was to make, and did make a Divifion: How, and with what? truly by compreffing and

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separating the Parts of that which was to be Dry-Land, and forming them into many contiguous Spheres, or what we may call one Sphere between two Spheres of Water; and confequently the Waters were in two Spheres, and one above, and the other below the Sphere of Stone: and vice verfa, the Sphere of Water, which was above that of Stone, was next under the Expanfion in the open Air, or that which was alternately Light and Darkness and the Sphere of Water, which was under the Sphere of Stone, was in a Sphere next above the Expansion of the Orb of Airs, or Darkness inclosed in, or the Abyss. If there had been an Abyss of Airs below, and had not been an Expansion from below, as well as from above, the Earth had gone to the Center, and had left no Room there for the Waters to retire to. But as 2 Efdr. xvi. 58. With his Word hath be hang'd the Earth upon the Waters. And fo we are deliver'd from the Danger of Waters falling from above the Heavens : And the Heathens may take back their Idols of Projection, Attraction, Gravity, Elafticity, &c. And we fee a Word for an Agent or Action may have many fucceffive Significations, because one Action may have many Confequences; as the Airs

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Airs without Motion are call'd Darkness in one Degree of Motion call'd Spirit; in a farther call'd Light; in another call'd Expanfion: as Expanfion caus'd Compreffion, that caused Separation, that caufed the Solidity of the Earth and the Clearnefs of the Water; it also made the Earth crack, and form Fiffures, fill'd fome of them with Metals, and through others forc'd down the Waters, and with them form'd the Surface of the Earth, &c. And these new Conditions, new Powers, and new Names do not take away the old Conditions, Powers, or Names; there is Darkness ftill with little Action; 'tis a Spirit ftill, and moves; 'tis Light ftill, and fhines; 'tis Expanfion ftill, and compreffes, &c.

And it was fo :

"And it was done fo, and it was made firm, folid, durable. Job xxvi. 10. He bas fet circumferential Bounds [limitem per circuitum] on the Surface [Faces] of the Waters (k)": " Or, God feparated the Waters without the Wind, and afterwards

(k) Critici Sacri Tom. 1. p. 11.

dried them away by the Wind ()". "The Earth, its groffer Parts being compreffed together, and at length feparated from the Waters, and clear'd of them (m)”. And this will make other Defcriptions, even some as they are tranflated, intelligible; as Pf. civ. 3. And placeth his Lofts in the Waters. Amos ix. 6. For in the Heavens [firft in the Expanfion, and after between the two Spheres of the Airs] he buildeth his Stories. Job xxvi. 7. And stretcheth out the North* over the empty Place [or Abyss full of Airs] and hangeth the Earth upon nothing. And all the reft, if the Tranflation came up to the Hebrew.

And God called the Firmament
Heaven:

That you may not mistake, and think this Expanfion, this Agent, which di

Arius Monta

(1) Alphonfi Toftati Tom. 1. p. 8. Gen. i. (m) Critici Sacri Tom, 8. p. 534. nus Lib. Phaleg.

* Perhaps, The Covering, viz. the Shell of the Earth.

The Earth hangs upon, or fwims in, or is moved by 2, which is tranflated Nothing; but is the Mixture of Light and Spirit which furrounds the Earth, from a Term for the Spirit, and whence D Day.

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