extends from the Earth, or more properly now from the Sun, to its Extremities beyond the fixed Stars, which then contain'd in it the Atoms, which conftitute the Orbs of the Sun, Planets, Moons, and Stars, 'tis likely difpers'd thofe for each in Spheres at proper Distances, as thofe of the Earth and Water were; and fince the Earth, and thofe celeftial Bodies were form'd, fill'd all between the Bodies, and all the Pores of all Bodies and Fluids included in it.

By the Power of God, the Matter of the Heavens and the Earth was created and exifts; and by what I can gather from Scripture and Obfervations, in an immenfe, tho' determinate Number of Units, and that each of them exifts after a Manner we call Solidity, whereby each Unit is poffefs'd of its Part of Quantity or Space defcribed by its Figure, and limited by its Dimenfion or Extent, and thereby is impervious and inflexible; has no other Qualities, Virtues, nor Powers, nor Inclinations, neither external nor internal, appurtenant, infus'd, or annex'd to it, nor iffuing out of it, but is wholly paffive, and liable to external Accidents, such as refting upon one another, being moved by one another, and being refifted by one. another, and being rubb'd against one ano

no

ther

ther in paffing by one another, adhering to one another, and being diffolved or divided from one another, and changing Places with one another.

Those Units adhering in certain large Maffes, in certain Forms, are call'd Solids, by certain Names, as the Earth, the Moon, &c. and the Parts of the Earth, as Stone, Gold, Silver, &c. thofe which do not adhere, or but feldom, fave only in very finall Maffes or Grains, are call'd Fluids, and are of feveral diftinct Species, as Water, Air, &c. and Units difpers'd in them, which when collected form Vegetables. and Animals; every Mafs when form'd, and every Mafs now, has a certain Number of those Units or Parts in it, and the feveral Parts of each Species of Fluids have the reft; each Species hath its determinate Number, and there is the fame Number in all now, as was created.

Tho' the Genus of Atoms constitutes the Heavens a Fluid, or fo that they are kept fluid, the Word does not exprefs their being a Fluid, but implies it; as they are paffive, the Place, the Subftance; and as they are active, the Name, the Agent of the Heavens, or Fire, or of the Heavens in the Action of Fire. M. D with a Point on the left Hand,

H 3

שום

fignifies, Position,

שום

and to fet, to fet to, to difpofe, to conftitute. Hiphil the fame, to set, to fet to, repofe, impofe, difpofe, place, Hophal, to be fet, &c. fomething fet or placed, or hidden, or fet by, a Treafure. on a Pofition, Society, Communication, ibid. Chald. and Syr. &c. fo Dow the Places, the Placers, the Shifters, the Difpofers. The Heavens were at first the Scene, the Place of Atoms for Things, and for them to act upon thofe Atoms to form those Things; foon after they were, and are now the Theatre for the Sun, and the Shemofh, the other Celestial Bodies, and their Stars; the Earth, all Creatures, (Fish excepted) and all for Man; and as Agents, the Formers, the Difpofers, the Placers, the Shifters of all; the Producers, Augmenters, &c. of fome. The Miftake of their Derivation, introduced the Distinction by Pointing, and the wow another Name for this Matter, which will be confider'd in Course, is fingular; a compound Word of D and the Heaven receding, iffuing outward from the Sun: They tranflate this the Sun, the Name of a Star, but we have loft the Signification of the Word Star, as well that as all the reft; for Star is neither the Orb, nor the Matter acting in it, or upon it, but a Flux of the Atoms of

the

the Heavens from the Orb in ftreight Lines, till it be reflected or reverted; and by this Motion becomes an Agent, and is by God appointed a Ruler, a Governor, a Difpofer of the Inftrument of Motion, and of the Things moved, of which in their Course; and in the Chaldee, and other Languages, is us'd for a cheif Servant, a Minister, fo for Miniftring. In the Arabian Tongue D has all the fame Significations of the Flux of Light iffuing from the Sun, of Minifter, &c. and M. fays by a Metaphor, Chald. to ftand, to inhabit, to cohabit, to lye with, to have an Affair with, to make use of. But it needs no Metaphor. In my Effay to a natual Hiftory of the Bible, I have fhewed, that the Tower of Babel was for an Altar to the Heavens; and tho' I have taken the Word by as it ftands for Name in the Tranflation, by the Parity of Ufage, which will hereafter appear between the Thing reprefented, and Representative, it may be an Image of the Heavens; and I have fhew'd, that Religion was the Caufe of the Difperfion. You have heard of the Wickedness of the Natives of Canaan, and feveral Hints about it, that is, about their falfe Religion, I muft fhew you their Gods, and the Articles of their Creed, each in its Place; because they not only explain most of the ExpreffiH 4

ons,

ons, which feem difficult in the Bible, but alfo the Philofophy of that People, and of thofe Times. They had a Temple to the Heavens, mentioned Numb. xxxiii. 49. Jof. xii. 3. npwn na. Jof. xiii. 20. nisin n'a. Thefe Words are terminated as the Natives exprefs'd them, and not terminated as the Hebrew, but like other of their Words, as fof. xix. 8. and

.בית הישמת

which בעלות .24 .and fol. xv בעלת 44

the Hebrews write phya, or as the fame Word when us'd for Names, Gen. ii. 20. now. The Rabbies have left us generally every Interpretation, but the chief or true one, nn Beth-Jefimoth, or Bethfimuth, the Houfe of Defolations, from Beth, and Shemim, or the House of Repofitaries from Beth and Shem, or the Houfe of Names from Beth and Shem. Whether the Servants of God gave the Epithet of Do the Name, without any Addition, to express the Excellency of the material Machine of the Heavens, which was to be Supreme, and govern all other created Matter; or the Heathens gave it that Epithet when they had taken it for a God 'tis plain upon that Abuse, God not only reclaims, or claims all the other Attributes of Power in the Heavens given by him, and abus'd by them to himself, as his, but

alfo