we know that there are wonderful variations of the human needle, both in spiritual and natural navigation. Thus the English reckon from Greenwich, and the French from Paris, and other nations from their own capitals! That is to say, every people, every church, every sect, considers itself to be in the exclusive (almost) possession of the secret of perfect religious truth; from which sole point, the EAST of true faith, and the WEST of infidelity are to be calculated.

But however discordant the opinions of different nations may be with respect to the exact point from which longitude east and west, is to be reckoned, yet they do not think that all other nations, who begin to reckon from different points, ought to be made to conform to their judgment, or be exterminated by fire and sword. This seems to be a point in which there is no resemblance by analogy. Nevertheless, it would not be the work of inanimate nature, if men were to burn each other on account of natural longitude, as Papists used formerly to burn Protestants, on account of religion, (and politics,) but the effect of human depravity.

It seems evident, physically speaking, that nothing but the true and perpetual equilibrium of the centripetal and centrifugal forces, (types of social and self-love,) as proved by a vertical axis,*

* "God hath made man UPRIGHT, but they have sought out many inventions." Ecclesiastes vii.

and an equator parallel to the orbit of the earth, coinciding also with the plane of the sun's equator; together with a circular orbit of the earth, round the sun's centre, could have originally indicated, or can indicate the perfection of natural truth, in the terraqueous globe; because these natural conditions have been proved to be strict mathematical types of the perfection of religious and moral truth, in the human soul.

But this universal equilibrium of perfect natural truth, cannot (I should suppose) be maintained in a spherical body, revolving rapidly like our earth on its axis;* for so soon as it begins to revolve, the equatorial parts must, I suppose, acquire a centrifugal tendency from natural principles of motion round a centre. From the same cause, the matter from other parts would have a tendency to accumulate at the equator, as is said to be the case in our globe, and the perfect spherical form of universal truth, and equality, and proportion, would be lost!

This consideration seems to afford a strong reason of analogy, to infer, that the present rapid, central, diurnal, revolution of our earth on its axis, being incompatible with the perfection of natural typical truth, is a symbol of a false or

* This supposition was made many years before the author read, or even saw, the "Principia" of Sir Isaac Newton, and was suggested by obvious principles of common sense and reason; or Bacon's Philosophia Prima.

vicious motion in the human heart. If this be admitted, it will tend further to indicate by analogy, that this diurnal motion, at least in its present rapid state, could not have existed previous to man's fall, but must have taken place subsequently to that fatal period; else it would not have presented a correct type of original upright human nature! When the equator or heart of man turned away from the heart or will of the SUN of righteousness and peace, he lost sight of those blissful objects, and other objects of false peace and vain righteousness, presented themselves to his view. But he soon found them to be delusive and bitter. Hence the mistake of Eve; "I have gotten a man from the LORD," or as some read it, "I have gotten THE man, the LORD." But St. John says, "He was of that wicked one, and slew his brother." Hence the restless revolution of the earth round its axis and centre, seems to typify in man, the vain and ceaseless research for the peace and happiness which he had lost. The world seems to say by this motion, "who will shew us any good?" (Psalms.) A vain enquiry, until the heart is turned again to the SUN of life and truth! as David replies to the question. "LORD lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.” When man fell from his original uprightness quences of of judgment, and rectitute of heart, with con- Man, in formity of both to the divine will, an amazing his in Type

Conse

the Fall of

himself &

the Earth.

change, or revolution, began to take place in his thoughts, as well as in the desires and vain objects of his selfish heart. He could no longer remain in that equable, tranquil, faithful, peaceful, contented state of mind and heart, in which he was at first created, His sin, his evil conscience, his fears of futurity, containing death, and his actual misery, excited discontent and impatience in his heart, and vain anxious curiosity in his distracted imagination, and his carnal reason; so that he could no longer exist without a continual restless revolution of anxious thoughts, mixed with goading impelling passions, in the centre of motion: and all these internals were reinforced by his external wants and necessities, produced by the external changes in the surrounding atmosphere, into which, as well as into the earth and waters, I suppose, that the azotic, or nitrogen, as well as carbonic principles of natural death, were then lawfully admitted, because they represented the spirit of the new prince and governor, God of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience," (see 2 Cor. iv.; and Eph. ii.) who held it by the free choice and election of the heart and mind of Eve, and by the base and weak acquiescence of her conscious understanding head; "for Adam was not deceived." 1 Tim. chap. ii. It appears, therefore, that the diurnal

"the

revolutions of the human world, at least, were necessary consequences of the fall; and hence, universal analogy demands a similar rotation in the natural world, from the same period.

Yet we must suppose, that when the said revolution, on, and in the centre, began, it was not, and could not be so rapid as it now is, when even external revolutions in nations and laws, (which require much longer time to be matured,) are become comparatively diurnal. The increase of the central whirl must necessarily have been gradual, in proportion to the increase of general knowledge, which produces new objects of desire and hope, and new instruments and means of attaining to them. Secondly, in proportion to the introduction of the arts and sciences into the world of business, pleasure, and vanity. The more of all these are crowded into each day, the more rapid must be the rotations of mind and heart: and as each generation exceeds its predecessor in a small degree, in vanity, in dissipation, and in wanderings of the heart and imagination, so the daily revolutions must become continually more and more rapid.

From the above views it would appear that the restless revolution of the human world, upon the centre of self-will, and the axis of carnal reason, proceeded necessarily from the fall of our first parents; and, secondly, that it induced