THE
THEORY
OF THE
EARTH
Book I
Concerning the Deluge, and the Dissolution of the Earth.
CHAPTER I
THE INTRODUCTION
An Account of the whole Work; of the Extent and general
Order of it.
S
INCE I was first inclin'd to the Contemplation of Nature,
and took pleasure to trace out the Causes of Effects, and the dependance
of one thing upon another in the visible
Creation, I had always, methought, a particular curiosity to look back into
the first Sources and ORIGINAL of Things; and to view in my mind, so far
as I was able, the Beginning and Progress of a RISING WORLD.
And after some Essays of this Nature, and, as I thought, not unsuccessful,
I carried on my enquiries further, to try whether this Rising World,
when form'd and finisht, would continue always the same; in the same form,
structure, and consistency; or what changes it would successively undergo,
by the continued action of the same Causes that first produc'd it; And,
lastly, what would be its final Period and Consummation. This whole Series
and compass of things taken together, I call'd a COURSE OF NATURE, or
a SYSTEM OF NATURAL PROVIDENCE; and thought there was nothing belonging
to the External World more fit or more worthy our study and meditation,
nor any thing that would conduce more to discover the ways of Divine Providence,
and to show us the grounds of all true knowledge concerning Nature. And
therefore to clear up the several parts of this Theory, I was willing
to lay aside a great many other Speculations, and all those dry subtleties
with which the Schools, and the Books of Philosophers, are usually fill'd.
But when we speak of a Rising World, and the Contemplation of
it, we do not mean this of the Great Universe; for who can describe the
Original of that? But we speak of the Sublunary World, This Earth
and its dependencies, which rose out of a Chaos about six thousand years
ago; And seeing it hath fain to our lot to act upon this Stage, to have
our present home and residence here, it seems most reasonable, and the
place design'd by Providence, where we should first imploy our thoughts
to understand the works of God and Nature. We have accordingly therefore
design'd in this Work to give an account of the Original of the Earth,
and of all the great and general changes that it hath already undergone,
or is hence forwards to undergo, till the Consummation of all things.
For if
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