THE THEORY OF THE EARTH. BOOK I

    luge in general, and of the destruction of a World by it; but this may be only an Idea, they'l say; we desire it may be prov'd from some collateral arguments, taken either from Sacred History, or from observation, that this hath really been exemplified upon the Earth, and that Noah's Flood came to pass this way. And seeing we have design'd this first Book chiefly for the Explication of Noah's Deluge, I am willing to add here a Chapter or two extraordinary upon this occasion; to shew, that what we have deliver'd is more than an Idea, and that it was in this very way that Noah's Deluge came to pass. But they who have not this doubt, and have a mind to see the issue of the Theory, may skip this long Chapter, and proceed to the following.

To satisfie then the doubtful in this particular, let us lay down in the first place that conclusion which they seem to admit, viz. That this is a possible and consistent Explication of an Universal Deluge; and let's see how far this would go, if well consider'd, towards the proof of what they desire, or towards the demonstration of Noah's Deluge in particular. It is granted on both hands, that there hath been an Universal Deluge upon the Earth, which was Noah's Deluge; and it is also granted, that we have given a possible and consistent Idea of an Universal Deluge; Now we have prov'd Chap. II. and III. that all other ways assign'd for the Explication of Noah's Flood are false or impossible; therefore it came to pass in that possible way which we have propos'd. And if we have truly prov'd, in the foremention'd Chapters, the impossibility of it in all other ways, this argumentation is undeniable. Besides, we may argue thus, As it is granted that there hath been an Universal Deluge upon the Earth; so I suppose it will be granted that there hath been but one: Now the dissolution of the Earth, whensoever it happen'd, would make one universal Deluge, and therefore the only one, and the same with Noah's. That such a Dissolution as we have describ [gap in text] d, would make an universal Deluge, I think, cannot be question'd; and that there hath been such a dissolution, besides what we have already al