be as clear. St. Peter, 2 Epift. C. iii. Ver. 3, 4, 5, 6, foretold that fome would willingly be ignorant that this Diffolution was perform'd by the Word of God. And they wanted to know what Menftruum diffolv'd Stone, &c. Mofes has told them plain enough, that God fuperfeded what they call Nature, and in what Manner the Earth was diffolv'd to very small, if not, the fmalleft Parts. Withdrawing or altering the Operation of his Spirit had been enough; a little Motion or Force after that would diffolve the Form, or Adhesion of thofe fmall Parts of the Earth: And indeed the Force in the Water above was very fmall; for the Cohesion of all the folid Parts of what was by Generation, Production, or Growth, was not diffolv'd; many Trees, Plants, Bones, Shells, &c. remain preferv'd to this Day; fo far from being diffolved, that the common Accidents, which rot or diffolve fuch things, were that Year fufpended; fo that the moft tender Tube or Fibre of the most tender Leaf near the Surface, was not broke, or hurt.

Ver. 24. And the Waters prevail'd upon the Earth an hundred and fifty Days.

What is meant by prevail'd mention'd three times has not been explain'd. Would not one fay Fire had prevail'd upon a House, when it had diffolv'd the Parts, and scatter'd them into Smoak and Ashes? "Nor is it, fays Capellus, just to think that the Hebrew Books are corrupted, fince that Number agrees, with the 150 Days, which the Deluge kept the Earth diffolv'd [Labefactavit.] And the Chaldee Edition teftifies the fame (q)". The Water and the Earth make one Globe: But then the Water had got Poffeffion of a great Part of the Sphere of the Air, then I mean when it got fifteen Cubits above the higheft Mountains, as appears below it did: and so it's faid in the third Chapter of the fecond of St. Peter, that the Heavens and the Earth were then from Water [de aqua] 7. e. the Water had invaded the whole Earth, and a great Part of Heaven, i. e.

(9) Jacob. Capell. Hift. facra & exot. p. 27. Sixtus Bibl. Sanctel. 5. p. 562.

of

of the Air (r)". His Defcription of the Situation of things is true: but he wrongs St. Peter, who fays, And the Earth that confifted out of the Water and in the Water, fo that the World, which then was, perished, being overflow'd by Water. And St. Peter will also be understood, if it appear there was Earth in the Water, and Earth out of the Water, and that both perished by Water. GEN. viii. 1.

And God made a Wind to pafs over the Earth, and the Waters were affwaged.

"y" Vatablus, he brought in, Pagninus, Pifcator, Ainsworth, he caufed to pafs along, Tirinus, Menochius, Lyra, the Spirit, . e. a ftrong, drying, burning, Wind (s). Let it not feem ftrange to any one, that he fays, the Water was affwaged by the Wind, fince the Spirit, or Wind, had from the Beginning been moving [Ferebatur] upon the Water (t)".

(r) Alphonfi Toftati Tom. 1. p. 75. Gen. c. vii. Quest. 10.

(s) Synopfis Crit. Tom. 1. p. 100. Gen. viii. 1.
(t) Procopii Gazæi Sophiftæ Comment. in Gen.

§. 100.

1

This could not be in Form of Wind upon the Earth; the Waters were upon its Faces to a vaft Height, and Wind blowing upon the Surface of the Waters, could not make them affwage; but would, in Proportion to the Degree it had moved with, move and enrage them. No, this is plain, God took off the Sufpenfion, withdrew his Hand; and fet the Spirit to work again, as it begun at the first Formation, into its old Course, and it stopp'd the Water from extending its Sphere, went on Step by Step, as Part is related, and we fee the reft. It operated above and below, form'd the Earth into a Shell, made new Inlets for the Water, and Outlets for the Air, carried down the Waters, brought up the Airs, form'd the Surface, dried it, &c. To this Job alludes, Ch. xxxiv. Ver. 14, 15. If he fet his Heart upon Man, if he gather unto himself his Spirit and his Breath, all Flefh fhall perish together, and Man fhall turn again unto Duft. And David, Pfalm civ. 29. 30. Thou hideft thy Face, they are troubled: thou takes away their Breath, they die and return to the Duft. Thou fendeft forth thy Spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the Face of the Earth. The Separation of the Parts of the Earth out of the Water was fully defcrib'd at

the

the first Formation; the Agent, the Manner, the Situations of things, &c. there was no Occafion to defcribe it here; that was well understood among the Jews, as appears by Expreffions out of the Author of Liber Phaleg, cited at p. 34. and afterwards out of Bart. Bibl. Rabini, at p. 104. and by that out of Philo Judæus at p. 104. and it is fully defcribed, that all Exuvia were lodged in it: that needed neither Revelation, nor needs any Difcovery; they faw, and we fee it. What was naturally implied, and taken for granted at the Descent of the Waters, after the first Formation, is fully exprefs'd here. This Expreffion has feveral Significations included in one; as the Spirit, or the Expanfion, the Action of the Spirit had at the Beginning, by Confequences, by its paffing thro' the Waters, or Water, and Earth, it feparated the Earth, and formed a Shell; by its paffing thro' the Earth, or Shell, it form'd Fiffures and Cracks through the Shell, and made way for the Parts below to afcend. Or God made, or led, or brought, or drew the Airs, which went down in Cataracts into that Place or Congregation of Waters, here called Ruafh, Spirit, up out of the Abyfs to above, or over the Earth at laft, in Form of Win';

GA