DELUGE. 
693 
contained in its bowels, without the neceflity of any re¬ 
markable abyfs or huge collection of water, fuch as molt 
of our theories fuppofe to exift in the center. It is cer¬ 
tain, that as far as the earth has been dug, it hath been 
found not dry, but moift; nor have we the lead reafon to 
imagine, that it is not at lead equally mold all the way 
down to the center. How moil! it really is cannot be known, 
nor the quantity of water requifite to impart to it the 
degree of moidure it has ; but we are fure it mud be im- 
menfe. The earth is computed to be near 8000 miles in 
diameter. The ocean is of an unfathomable depth ; but 
there is no reafon for fuppofing it more than a few miles. 
To make all reafonable allowance, however, we (hall 
fuppofe the whole folid matter in the globe to be only 
equal to a cube of jooo miles ; and even on this fuppo- 
lition we fhall find, that all the waters of the deluge 
would not be half fufficient to moiden it. The above- 
mentioned parallelopiped of water would, indeed, con¬ 
tain 798,050,368 cubic miles of the fluid ; but the cube of 
earth containing no lefs than 125,000,000,000 of cubic 
miles, it is evident that the quantity adigned for the de¬ 
luge would fcarcely be known to moiden it. It could 
have, indeed, no more effeCt this way, than a fingle pound 
of water could have upon 150 times its bulk of dry earth. 
We are perfuaded, therefore, that any perfon who will 
try by experiment how much water a given quantity of 
earth contains, and from that experiment will make cal¬ 
culations with regard to the whole quantity of water 
contained in the bowels of the earth, mud be abundantly 
fatisfied, that, though all the water of the~deluge had 
been thence derived, the diminution of the general ftore 
would, comparatively fpeaking, have been next to no¬ 
thing. 
2. It was not from the bowels of the earth only that 
the waters were difeharged, but alfo from the air; for 
we are a flu red by Mofes that it rained forty days and 
forty nights. This fource of the diluvian waters hath 
been confidered as of fmall confequence by almoft every 
one who hath treated on the fubjecl. The general opi¬ 
nion concerning this matter we (hall tranfcribe from the 
Univerfal Hidory, vol. i. where it is very fully exprefled. 
9, ‘ According to the obfervations made of the quantity of 
water that falls in rain, the rains could not afford one 
ocean, nor half an ocean, and would be a very incon- 
liderable part of what was neceflary for a deluge. If it 
rained forty days and forty nights throughout tire whole 
earth at once, it might be fufficient to lay all the lower 
grounds under water, but it would fignify very little as 
to the overflowing of the mountains ; fo that it has been 
laid, that if the deluge had been made by rains only, 
there would have needed not forty days, but forty years, 
to have brought it to pafs. And if we fuppofe the 
whole atmofphere condenfed into water, it would not 
all have been fufficient for this effeCt ; for it is certain 
that it could not have rifen above thirty-two feet, the 
height to which water can be raifed by the prelfure of 
the atmofphere : for the weight of the whole air, when 
condenfed into water, can be no more than equal to its 
weight in its natural ftate, and mu ft become no lefs than 
800 times denfer; for that is the difference between the 
weight of the heavieft air and that of water.” 
On this fubjeCt we muft ebferve, that there is a very 
tained in it. But daily obfervation fliews, that the prcf- 
fure of the atmofphere hath not the lead connection with 
the quantity of water it contains. Nay, if there is any 
connection, the air feems to be lighted: when it contains 
mod water. In the courfe of a long fummer’s drought, 
for inftance, the mercury in the barometer will ftand at 
thirty inches, or little more. If it does fo at the begin¬ 
ning of the drought, it ought to afcend continually dur¬ 
ing the time the dry weather continues; becaufe the air 
is all the while abforbing water in great quantity from 
the furface of the earth and fea. This, however, is 
known to be contrary to faCt. At fuch times the mer¬ 
cury does not afcend, but remains ftationary ; and what 
is dill more extraordinary, when the drought is about to 
have an end, the air, while it yet contains the whole 
quantity of water it ablorbed, and hath not difeharged 
one fingle drop, becomes fuddenly lighter, and the mer¬ 
cury will, perhaps, fink an inch before any rain falls. 
The moll furprifing phenomenon, however, is yet to come. 
After the atmofphere has been difeharged, for a number 
of days fucceflively, a quantity of matter 800 times hea¬ 
vier than itfelf, inftead of being lightened by the dif- 
charge, it becomes heavier, nay, fpecifically heavier, 
than it was before. For thefe reafons they think the 
quantity of water contained in the whole atmofphere 
ought to be confidered as indefinite, efpecially fince, by 
whatever agent it is fufpended, that agent muft counter¬ 
act the force of gravity, otherwife the w'ater would im¬ 
mediately defeend ; and, while the force of gravity in any. 
fubftance is counteracted, that fubltunce cannot gravitate 
at all. 
3. The above confiderations render it probable at leafb 
that there is in nature a quantity of water fufficient to 
deluge the world, provided it was applied to the purpofe. 
We muft next conlider whether there is any natural agent 
powerful enough to effe&uate this purpofe. We ffiall 
take the phrafes ufed by Mofes in their 1110ft obvious 
fenfe. The breaking up of thefountains of the deep, we may 
reafonably fuppofe to have been the opening of all paf- 
fages, whether fmall or great, through which the fubter- 
raneous waters poflibly could difeharge themfelves on 
the furface of the earth. The opening of the windows of 
heaven we may alfo fuppofe to be the pouring out the 
water contained in the atmofphere, through thefe invi- 
lible paflages by which it enters in fuch a manner as to¬ 
tally to elude every one of our fenfes, as when water is 
abforbed by the air in evaporation. As both thefe are 
laid to have been opened at the fame time, it feems from 
thence probable, that one natural agent was employed 
to do both. Now it is certain, that the induftry of mo¬ 
dern enquirers hath difeovered an agent unknown to the 
former ages. This agent is eleClricity. It is certain, 
that, by means of it, immenfe quantities of water can be 
raifed to a great height in the air. This is proved by 
the phenomena of water-fpouts. Mr. Forfter relates, 
that he happened to fee one break very near him, and 
obferved a flaffi of lightning proceed from it at the 
moment of its breaking. The conclufion from this is 
obvious. When the ele&ric matter w r as difeharged from 
the water, it could no longer be fupported by the atme- 
fphere, but immediately fell down. Though water-fpouts 
do not often appear in this country, yet every one muft 
general miftake with regard to the air, fimilar to the have made an obfervation fomewhat fimilar to Mr. Forf- 
above-mentioned one regarding the earth. Becaufe the 
earth below our feet appears to our fenfes firm and com¬ 
pact, therefore the vaft quantity of water, contained even 
in the mod folid parts of it, and which will readily ap¬ 
pear on proper experiment, is overlooked, and treated 
as a non-entity. In like manner, becaufe the air does 
not always deluge with exceffive rains, it is alfo imagined 
that it contains but very little water. Becaufe the pref- 
fure of the air is able to raife only thirty-two feet of wa¬ 
ter on the furface of the earth, it is therefore fupp'ofed 
we may know to what depth the atmofphere could de¬ 
luge the earth if it was to let fall the whole water com 
¥ol. V. No. 306, 
ter’s. In a violent ftorm of thunder and rain, after every 
flafli of lightning or difeharge of eleClricity from the 
clouds, the rain pours down with increafed violence ; 
thus filewing, that the cloud, having parted with fo 
much of its eleClricity, cannot longer be fupported in 
the form of vapour, but muft defeend in rain. It is not 
indeed yet difeovered that eleClricity is the caufe of the 
fufpenfion of water in the atmofphere ; but it is certain 
that evaporation is promoted by electrifying the fluid to 
be evaporated. It may therefore be admitted, as a pefi. 
bility, that the eleCtric fluid contained in the air is tiie 
agent by which it is enabled to fufpend the water which 
8. O 
PUSS 
