ON THE CKEATION AND GOD. 13 



tive mass before its main body had finally condensed 

 into the sun. But how severed ? is still the question, 

 and that which raises the old difficulty. The fall together 

 of the parts of a scattered nebulous cloud we understand, 

 and admit as a possible explanation of the sun and 

 planets ; but, precisely for that reason, the fall asunder 

 of the primitive nebulous mass is difficult to understand, 

 and cannot be allowed as an explanation of the separate 

 masses required to compose the earth and planets, with 

 their numerous moons. It cannot be allowed, at least, 

 until some natural force is pointed out sufficiently power- 

 ful to produce the separation in opposition to the strong 

 force of gravity drawing the mass ever closer together 

 by hypothesis. No matter how loosely associated the 

 constituents of the original nebulous cloud, in order to 

 break off parts from ifc (since no original repulsive force 

 is postulated) it must be shown that some such force, 

 centrifugal or other, would be generated within the mass. 

 Nor would this be sufficient. It must be further shown 

 how such a force disintegrated the nebula so skilfully, 

 and gave the transported parts at the moment of projec- 

 tion such precise velocities and in such directions, that, 

 avoiding the other contingencies of the case of passing 

 off finally into infinite space or describing paths returning 

 on the mass they have been ever since moving in nearly 

 circular orbits around it. 



It must be shown, in short, that all- was provided for 

 by law, and that nothing was left to chance, especially 

 at the supreme moment when our earth was cast off. 

 Until this has been shown more satisfactorily than has 

 yet been done, though we may entertain ourselves with 

 the speculation that the earth and planets were formerly 

 nebulous islands, floating in space, we shall yet hesitate 

 to believe in their alleged former connection with the 



