j 8 



THE 



EMPIRE 



" humble contemplation of his perfections ; for His Glory mines in the fplendour of 

 " holy and impenetrable retirement, to which only the foul hath accefs *." 



The universe includes every thing that exifts under God, and which can come 

 under our obfervation by the agency of our fenfes. Thefe are the ftars, the elements, 

 and the world, whirling round with never ceafing and unerring velocity. " We per- 

 " ceive that the fteady motions of thefe bodies muft depend on the power of eternal 

 " laws, and that the order of their apparently wandering courfe cannot proceed at 

 " random ; neither have the other orbs been collected with fuch infinite contrivance 

 " that the vaft mafs of our world might remain immoveable, on purpofe only to view 

 " the heavens revolve around f." 



The ftars are the mo ft remote lucid bodies of the creation which revolve in a perpetual 

 motion : They either fhine by their own proper light, as the Sun, and the other more 

 remote fixed ftars ; or they are planets deriving light from other ftars. Of thefe latter 

 bodies, the primary planets, belonging to the Solar Syftem, are Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, 

 the Earth, Venus, and Mercury J. Some of thefe primary planets have fecondaries, 

 or fatellites, which follow the motions of the primary round which they revolve ; as 

 the Moon round the Earth, and feveral others of a fimilar kind. " Neither can fo vafl: 

 " a machine fubfift without a preferver, nor can the regular courfe of the ftars be 

 * c produced by the impetus of a fortuitous caufe j for whatever is fet in motion by the 

 " effect of chance will frequently have its progrefs difturbed, and muft fpeedily be 

 u jumbled together JJ." 



The elements are the moft fimple natural fubftances ; of them the atmofpheres of the 

 planets are compofed ; and by them, in all probability, the fpaces between the ftars are 

 filled. 



FIRE, is luminous, 



refilient, 



warm, 



evolant, 



vivifying. 



AIR, 



tranfparent, 



elaftic, 



dry, 



encircling, 



generating. 



WATER, 



diaphanous, 



fluid, 



moift, 



gliding, 



conceiving. 



EARTH, 



opake, 



fixed, 



cold, 



quiefcent, 



barren. 



" Thus the whole order of this world is formed from confufion §." 



The 



* Seneca, vii. jr. 

 Herfchel.— T. 



f Ibid, % To thefe add the Georgium Sidus, difcovered by 



Seneca. § Heimontius. 



