ESSAY X. 455 every eye must receive many rays of light reflected from every plate, in order to perceive its shape and colour ; now if there were . but one ray of light came from each plate, here would be ten thousand rays falling on every single eye, which would make twenty thousand times ten thousand, that is two hundredmillions of rays crossing each other in direct lines, in order to make every plate visible to every man. Put if we suppose that each plate reflected one hundred rays, which is no unreasonable sup- position, this would rise to twenty thousand millions. What an amazing thing is the distinct vision of the shape and colour of each plate by every eye, notwithstanding these confused cros- sings of rays? What an astonishing composition is the eye in all the coats and all the humours of it, to convey those ten thou- sand white images, or those millioos of rays so distinct to the retina, and to impress or pint them all there ? And what fur- ther amazement attends us, if we follow the image on the retina, conveying itself by the optic nerves into the common sensory without confusion ? Can a rational being survey this scene, and say there is no God ? Can a mind think on this stupend- ous bodily organ, the eye, and not adore the wisdom that con- trived it SECT. II:Doth the World grow bigger or less? LET us suppose, according to modern philosophy, that the universe is of vastly larger extent and compass, than ever our ancestors imagined, and that each of the innumerable multitude of stars is a sun to some system of planetary worlds, which are continually rolling round it : Yet I now take it for granted, that the number of these stars is not actually infinite ; for the number of the star-beams would then be almost infinitely greater than infinite; besides other absurdities, which I think would follow from the supposed infinity of the universe. We will determine therefore at present, without further debate, that it must have some limit : Now this limit must be either some hard and capaci- ous body including the whole world, as in a box or a hollow sphere, restraining the particles of light from a further progress, or else it must be the actual agency of the power of God, confin- ing the utmost star-beams in their flight, and saying, hitherto shall ye go, and nofarther. The reason I give for it is this, (viz.) If a star-beam, or the light of one of the uttermost stars continues its motion in a direct line from the star to the present limit of the universe, and be not powerfully stopped and confined thereby seine solid body, or the almighty will of God, it will move onward infinitely in the void space in a direct line, according to the first law of motion, viz.) That a body moving will ever move in a direct line, on- ward, unless some other being divert or restrain it. Titus the universe would be for ever enlarging its bounds, as the lightpro- e
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