THE EARTH. 19 



solution he takes to have happened at the time of the flood. He sup 

 poses, that at that time a body of water, which was then in the centre 

 of the earth, uniting with that which was found on the surface, so far 

 separated the terrene parts as to mix all together in one fluid mass ; 

 the contents of which afterwards sinking according to their respective 

 gravities, produced the present appearances of the earth. Being 

 aware, however, of an objection, that fossil substances are not found 

 dissolved, he exempts them from this universal dissolution, and, for 

 that purpose, endeavours to show that the parts of animals have a 

 stronger cohesion than those of minerals ; and that, while even the 

 hardest rocks may be dissolved, bones and shells may still continuw 

 entire. 



So much for Woodward ; but of all the systems which were pub- 

 lished respecting the earth's formation, that of Whiston was most ap- 

 plauded, and most opposed. Nor need we wonder: for being sup- 

 ported with all the parade of deep calculation, it awed the ignorant, and 

 produced the approbation of such as would be thought otherwise ; as 

 it implied a knowledge of abstruse learning, to be even thought capa- 

 ble of comprehending what the writer aimed at. In fact, it is not easy 

 to divest this theory of its mathematical garb ; but those who have 

 had leisure, have found the result of our philosopher's reasoning to be 

 thus : He supposes the earth to have been originally a comet ; and he 

 considers the history of the creation, as given us in scripture, to have 

 its commencement just when it was, by the hand of the Creator, to be 

 more regularly placed as a planet in our solar system. Before that 

 time he supposes it to have been a globe without beauty or proportion ; 

 a world in disorder; subject to all the vicissitudes which comets endure ; 

 some of which have been found, at different times, a thousand times 

 hotter than melted iron ; at others, a thousand times colder than ice. 

 These alternations of heat and cold, continually melting and freezing 

 the surface of the earth, he supposes to have produced, to a certain 

 depth, a chaos entirely resembling that described by the poets, stir 

 rounding the solid contents of the earth, which still continued unchanged 

 in the midst, making a great burning globe of more than two thousand 

 leagues in diameter. This surrounding chaos, however, was far from 

 being solid : he resembles it to a dense though fluid atmosphere, com- 

 posed of substances mingled, agitated, and shocked against each other ; 

 and in this disorder he describes the earth to have been just at the 

 eve of creation. 



But upon its orbit being then changed, when it was more regularly 

 wheeled round the sun, every thing took its proper place ; every part 

 of the surrounding fluid then fell into a situation, in proportion as U 

 was light or heavy. 



The middle, or central part, which always remained unchangeJ, 

 still continued so, retaining a part of that heat which it received 

 n its primeval approaches towards the sun : which heat, he cal- 

 culates, may continue for about six thousand years. Next to this 

 fell the heavier parts of the chaotic atmosphere, which serve to 

 sustain the lighter : but as in descending they coord not entirely 

 be separated from many watery parts, with which they were in- 

 timately mixed, they drew down a part of these also with them ; 



