THE Wisdom of God IN THE WORKS OF THE CREATION. I PART II. Proceed now to felect fome particular Pieces of the Creation, and to confider them more diftinctly. They fhall be only Two: I. The whole Body of the Earth. II. The Body of Man. First, The Body of the Earth, and therein I fhall take Notice of, 1. Its Figure. 2. Its Motion. 3. The Conftitution of its Parts. By By Earth I here understand not the Dry Land, or the Earth contradiftinguished to Water, or the Earth confidered as an Element: But the whole Terraqueous Globe, compofed of Earth and Water. 1. For the Figure, I could easily demonstrate it to be Spherical. That the Water, which by Reason of its fluidity fhould, one would think, compose it self to a Level, yet doth not fo, but hath a Gibbofe Superficies, may to the Eye be demonstrated upon the Sea. For when two Ships failing contrary ways lose the fight one of another: Firft the Keel and Hull difappear, afterwards the Sails, and if when upon Deck you have perfectly loft fight of all, you get up to the Top of the Main-maft, you may defcry it again. Now what fhould take away the fight of thefe Ships from each other, but the gibbofity of the interjacent Water? The roundness of the Earth from North to South is demonftrated from the appearance of Northern Stars above the Horizon, and loss of the Southern to them that travel Northward; and on the contrary, the lofs of the Northern, and appearance of the Southern to them that travel Southward. For were the Earth a Plain, we should see exactly the fame Stars where-ever we were placed on that Plain. The roundness from Eaft to Weft is demonstrated from Eclipfes of either of the great Luminaries. For why the fame Eclipfe, fuppofe of the Sun, which is feen to them that live more Eafterly, when the Sun is elevated fix Degrees above the Horizon, fhould fhould be seen to them that live one degree more Wefterly, when the Sun is but five degrees above the Horizon, and fo lower and lower proportionably to them that live more and more Westerly, 'till at last it appear not at all, no Account can be given, but the globofity of the Earth. For were the Earth a perfect Plain, the Sun would appear Eclipsed to all that live upon that Plain, if not exactly in the fame Elevation, yet pretty near it; but to be fure it would never appear to fome, the Sun being elevated high above the Horizon; and not at all to others. It being clear then, that the Figure of the Earth is Spherical, let us confider the Conveniencies of this Figure. 1. No Figure is fo capacious as this, and confequently, whofe Parts are fo well compacted and united, and lie fo near one to another for mutual Strength. Now the Earth, which is the Bafis of all Animals, and as fome think of the whole Creation, ought to be firm, and stable, and folid, and as much as is poffible fecured from all Ruins and Concuffions. 2. This Figure is moft confonant and agreeable to the natural Nutus, or Tendency of all heavy Bodies. Now the Earth being fuch a one, and all its Parts having an equal propenfion, or connivency to the Center, they must needs be in greatest Rest, and most Immoveable when they are all equidiftant from it. Whereas, were it an Angular Body, all the Angles would would be vaft and fteep Mountains, bearing a confiderable Proportion to the whole bulk, and therefore those Parts being extremely more remote from the Center, than thofe about the Middle of the Plains, would confequently prefs very strongly thitherward; and unless the Earth were made of Adamant or Marble, in Time the other Parts would give way, 'till all were levelled. 3. Were the Earth an Angular Body, and not round, all the whole Earth would be nothing else but vaft Mountains, and so incommodious for Animals to live upon; for the middle Point of every Side would be nearer the Center than any other, and confequently from that Point, which way foever one travelled would be up Hill, the Tendency of all heavy Bodies being perpendicularly to the Center. Befides, how much this would obftruct Commerce is easily seen: For not only the declivity of all Places would render them very difficult to be travelled over, but likewife the Midft of every Side being lowest and nearest the Center, if there were any Rain, or any Rivers, muft needs be filled with a Lake of Water, there being no Way to discharge it, and poffibly the Water would rise fo high, as to overflow the whole Latus. But, furely, there would be much more danger of the Inundation of whole Countries than now there is, all the Waters falling upon the Earth, by reafon of its declivity every Way, eafily defcending down to the the common Receptacle the Sea. And thefe Lakes of Water being far diftant one from another, there could be no Commerce between far remote Countries, but by Land. 4. A Spherical Figure is moft commodious for dinetial Motion or Revolution upon its own Axis; for in that, neither can the Medium at all refift the motion of the Body, because it fstands not in its way, no part coming into any fpace but what the precedent left, neither doth one part of the Superfices move fafter than another: Whereas were it Angular, the parts about the Angles would find ftrong refiftance from the Air, and those parts also about the Angles would move much faster than those about the middle of the Plains, being remoter from the Center than they. It remains therefore that this Figure is the most commodious for Motion. Here I cannot but take notice of the folly and stupidity of the Epicureans, who fanfied the Earth to be flat and contiguous to the Heavens on all fides, and that it defcended a great way with long Roots; and that the Sun was new made every Morning, and not much bigger than it seems to the Eye, and of a flat Figure, and many other fuch grofs Absurdities Children among us would be afhamed of. as Secondly, I come now to fpeak of the Motion of the Earth. That the Earth (fpeaking according to Philofophical Accuratenefs) doth |