this Cafe, I fear not to Invite all our Scepticks and Unbelievers, to ufe their greatest Nicety, their entire Skill, their fhrewdeft Abilities, and their utmoft Sagacity in this Enquiry; being well affur'd from my own Obfervations in this Matter, That the proper Refult of fuch an exact Historical Enquiry will be as plainly and evidently on the Side of Reveal'd, as I have demonftrated in this Treatife, that Philofophy and Mathematicks are on the Side of both Natural and Reveal'd Religion. And now having Premis'd this, I come to my main Design; to fhew what is properly the Religion of a genuine and confidering Aftronomer; or what are properly the Aftronomical Principles of Natural and Reveal'd Religion.

Mr.

Mr. Milton's HYMN

TO THE

CREATOR.

THefe are thy glorious works, Parent of good,
Almighty, thine this univerfal Frame,

Thus wondrous fair; thy felf how wondrous then!
Unfpeakable, who fit'ft above thefe Heavens
To us invifible, or dimly feen

In these thy loweft Works; yet thefe declare
Thy Goodness beyond Thought, and Power Divine:
Speak ye who beft can tell, ye Sons of Light,
Angels, for ye behold him, and with Songs
And choral Symphonies, Day without Night,
Circle his Throne rejoycing: ye in Heav'n,
On Earth joyn all ye Creatures to extoll
Him firft, Him laft, Him midft, and without End.
Faireft of Stars, laft in the train of Night,
If better thou belong not to the Dawn,

Sure Pledge of Day, that crown'ft the fimiling Morn
With thy bright Circlet, praise him in thy Sphere
While Day arises, that fweet Hour of Prime.
Thou Sun, of this great World both Eye and Soul,
Acknowledge him thy Greater, found his Praise
In thy eternal Course, both when thou climb'ft,
And when high Noon haft gain'd,and when thou fall'ft.
Moon, that now meet'ft the orient Sun, now fly'ft,
With the fixt Stars, fixt in their Orb that flies,

And

xxxj

And ye Five other wandring Fires that move
In myftic Dance, not without Song, refound
His Praife, who out of Darkness call'd up Light.
Air, and ye Elements, the eldest Birth
Of Nature's Womb, that in quaternion run
Perpetual Circle, multiform; and mix
And nourish all Things, let your ceaseless Change
Vary to our great Maker ftill new Praise.
Ye Mifts and Exhalations that now rife
From Hill or steaming Lake, dufky or grey,
Till the Sun paint your fleecy Skirts with Gold,
In Honour to the World's great Author rife:
Whether to deck with Clouds the uncolour'd Sky,
Or wet the thirsty Earth with falling Showers,
Rifing or falling ftill advance his Praife.

His Praise ye Winds that from four Quarters blow,
Breath foft or loud; and wave your tops, ye Pines,
With every Plant, in fign of Worship wave.
Fountains, and ye, that warble, as ye flow,
Melodious murmurs, warbling tune his Praise.
Joyn Voices all ye living Souls, ye Birds,
That finging up to Heaven's high Gate afcend,
Bear on your Wings and in your Notes his Praife;
Ye that in Waters glide, and ye that walk
The Earth, and ftately tread, or lowly creep;
Witness if I be filent, Morn or Even,
To Hill, or Valley, Fountain, or fresh Shade
Made Vocal by my Song, and taught his Praise.
Hail univerfal Lord! be bounteous ftill
To give us only good; and if the Night
Have gathered ought of evil or conceal'd,
Disperse it, as now Light difpels the Dark.

Paradife Loft, Lib. V.

Aftrono

Aftronomical PRINCIPLES

OF

RELIGION,

NATURAL, and REVEAL'D.

PARTI.

LEMMATA:

Or, The known Laws of Matter and Motion, preparatory to the enfuing Treatife.

(Taken out of the AUTHOR's Mathematical Philofophy, where they are all demonftrated.)

1.

E

VERY Body perfeveres in its own prefent State, whether it be that of Reft, or uniform direct Motion; unless it be compelled by fome Force imprefs'd, to change that State. (2.) All

B

(2.) All Motion is of it felf Rectilinear.

(3.) All revolving Bodies endeavour to recede from the Center of their Motion; and by how much the Motion is the fwifter, this Endeavour is the greater.

(4.) The Mutation of Motion is proportional to the moving Force imprefs'd; and is according to the Direction of that Line along which that Force is imprefs'd.

(5.) Re-action is always contrary and equal to Action. That is, the Actions of Two Bodies acting upon each other, whether they be Impulfes or Attractions, are always in oppofite Directions, and are alfo equal.

(6.) If of two equal Bodies, void of Elafticity, one of them which is in Motion meets the other at reft, upon the meeting they will both proceed forwards together, to the fame part, with half the Velocity of the Body which was moved.

(7.) If two equal Bodies, void of Elasticity, do directly meet each other with the fame Velocity, they upon the Collifion will both of them rest.

(8.) If two unequal Bodies, deftitute of Elafticity, meet one another with fuch Velocities, that by how much the greater exceeds the other in Magnitude, by fo much it is exceeded by the leffer in Swiftnefs, fo that the Velocities are reciprocal to the Bodies; they will both reft after that meeting.

(9.) If a moving Body ftrike another at reft, (but both void of Elafticity) how unequal foever they be in Bulk and Quantity of Matter, they will both move after the fhock with the fame Velocity towards the fame Parts, as in the