AND THEORY OF THE HEAVENS. 143 



the privilege of being called the centre ; and it really 

 becomes this through the formation of the central mass 

 by the strongest attraction prevailing in it. To this point 

 all the rest of the elementary matter engaged in particular 

 formations is attracted; and, thereby, so far as the evolu- 

 tion of nature may extend it makes in the infinite sphere 

 of the creation the whole universe into only one single 

 system. 



But it is important, and, if approved, is deserving of 

 the greatest attention, that in consequence of the order 

 of nature in this our system, the creation, or rather the 

 development of nature, first begins at this centre and, 

 constantly advancing, it gradually becomes extended into 

 all the remoter regions, in order to fill up infinite space 

 in the progress of eternity with worlds and systems. Let 

 us dwell upon this idea for a moment with the silent 

 satisfaction it brings. I find nothing which can raise the 

 spirit of man to a nobler wonder, by opening to him a 

 prospect into the infinite domain of omnipotence, than 

 that part of my theory which concerns the successive 

 realization of the creation. If it is admitted that the 

 matter, which is the stuff for the formation of all the 

 world, was not uniform in the whole infinite space to 

 which God is present, but was spread out according to a 

 certain law, perhaps proportioned to the density of the 

 particles, and according to which the dispersion of the 

 primitive matter increased from a certain point, as the 

 place of densest accumulation, with the distance from this 

 centre : then at the primary stirring of nature, formation 

 will have begun nearest this centre; and in advancing 

 succession of time the more distant regions of space will 

 have gradually formed worlds and systems with a syste- 



