That of the most distant Comet 390, and the nearest of the Stars not less than 6875,[AV] Radius's of the Orbis Magnus.
° ′ ″
Radius, or Sign of 89 59 30 —— —— 10,0000000
Sine substract of 0 0 30 —— —— 6,1626961
—————
Hence the Distance 6875,5 —— —— 3,8373039
Now, if like Creations crowd the vast Depths of Infinity, and if each are adapted to receive Beings of different Natures, where must our Wonder and Ideas have end?
As it is evident in the Sign Taurus, in Perseus, and Orion, that we can plainly perceive Stars to the sixth and ninth Magnitude, the former with our naked Eye, the other by the Help of Telescopes, the visional ocular Creation cannot be less than 4,320,000,000,000 Miles in semi Diameter, and admitting a regular Distribution of those primordial Bodies amongst themselves, the Depth, or most remote Limits of the Vortex Magnus from Side to Side, cannot be less than 8 m, m, 640 thousand of Million of Miles, admitting it is no more than what we see; and lastly, supposing our System to be situated nearly in the Middle of the Vortex Magnus (which, from the visible Order of the Stars, we may justly conjecture, with the highest Probability of Truth) the nearest Distance of the Ens Primum, in the Realms of eternal Day, will rise to 30,000,000,000,000 Miles, but more probably to 100,000,000,000,000 Miles, making the Confines of Creation from Verge to Verge in the first Case, upwards of 68 Million of Millions of Miles, Diameter, and by the last above 200′. But, if we compute the Distance of the Stars after the Manner of Huygens, for his Distance of Syrius from the Sun, the Distance of the Region of Immortality without exceeding Probability may rise to near 1,000,000,000,000,000 Miles.
Now to pass by any progressive Motion from the outward Verge, or Borders of the Creation, thro' the starry Regions of Mortality, if I may call them so, as far as the Center of the Ens Primum, or Sedes Beatorum, according to Homer, or Milton's Manner of measuring Space, a Body falling, or a Being moving with a Velocity but of 1000 Feet per Minute, i. e. at the Rate of 20,000 Yards per Hour, or about 300 Miles per Day, would be at least 300,000,000 Years upon its Journey thither, if not 1,000, m, and perhaps much more, without offending Probability; but even three Million Centuries, or Ages, sure is enough to be employ'd, in passing from one Place to another; therefore, we may conclude, the Soul must have some other Vehicle than can be found in the Ideas of Matter to convey it so far, at least at once. Hence we may truly infer, that the Soul must be immaterial, and that in all Probability there may be States in the Universe so much more longer lived than ours, that, compared with the Age of Man, the Age of such Beings may be almost as an Eternity, or rather, as that of the human Species to that of a Sun-born Insect.
Again, if there are still Stars beyond all these of other Denomination, which we do not here perceive, how vastly must these Numbers be increased, to express, almost without Idea, the amazing Whole of this one visible Creation; but what has been already said, I judge will be sufficient to show the Immensity of Space, and help you to conceive the stupendious Nature of an endless Universe; every where the home Possession, Production, and instantaneous Care, of an infinite good Being, perfectly wise, and powerful, of whom we can have no Idea more, than a Being in dark Privation can have of Light, but through the Lustre of his own resplendent Attributes.
Thus, having attempted to enlarge your Ideas of the Creation in general, and in some measure having considered the Indefinity of Space, I shall in the next Place proceed to give you some Account of my Notions of Time.
As Distance is the Measure of Magnitude and of all Extent, and helps our Imagination to the Ideas of Space, so are progressive Moments the Measure of Velocity, and makes us sensible of Duration: And as Space may be extended through all Infinity, so Time may be continued as to Eternity. This Succession of temporal Ideas impressed, or excited in the Mind, as an Effect of Matter in Motion, producing a perpetual Change, both of Objects earthly and celestial, enables us not only to reflect upon past Vicissitudes of Nature, but from their regular Courses, known Order and Returns, predict Phænomena to come, and prove the periodical Effects of Nature's constant Laws so just and certain, that Time may be said with Truth, to co-exist with Motion.
Measure being a certain Quantity of Sensation interwove with our Ideas of Distance and Duration, proceeding from a Reflection of what is impressed upon the Mind by some external Object, I must again return to our Mother of Ideas the Earth, and from thence, as I did, of Distance, frame the original Images best suited to the Understanding, proper for our Judgment of Duration.