_Plato_’s Argument against the Dissolution of the World, from the Goodness and Wisdom of God, would not be altogether unreasonable, tho’ apply’d to this Earth, if it was so to be dissolv’d, as never to be restor’d again. But we expect _New Heavens_ and a _New Earth_, upon the Dissolution of these; better in all Respects, more commodious, and more beautiful. And the several Perfections of the Divine Nature, Wisdom, Power, Goodness, Justice, Sanctity, cannot be so well display’d and exemplify’d in any one single State of Nature, as in a Succession of States, fitted to receive one another according to the Dispositions of the moral World, and the Order of Divine Providence. Wherefore, _Plato_’s Argument from the Divine Attributes, all Things consider’d, doth rather prove a Succession of Worlds, than that one single World should remain the same throughout all Ages, without Change or Variation. Next to the _Platonists_, the _Stoicks_ were most considerable in Matters relating to Morality and Providence: And their Opinion, in this Case, is well known; they being look’d upon by the Moderns, as the principal Authors of the Doctrine of the _Conflagration_. Nor is it less known that the School of _Democritus_ and _Epicurus_, made all their Worlds subject to Dissolution; and by a new Concourse of Atoms restor’d them again. Lastly, The _Ionick_ philosophers, who had _Thales_ for their Master, and were the first Naturalists amongst the _Greeks_, taught the same Doctrine. We have, indeed, but an imperfect Account left us of this Sect, and ’tis great Pity; for as it was one of the most antient, so it seems to have been one of the most considerable amongst the _Greeks_ for Natural Philosophy. In those Remains which _Diogenes Laertius_ hath preserv’d, of _Anaxagoras_, _Anaximenes_, _Archelaus_, &c. all great Men in their Time; we find that they treated much of the Origin of the World, and had many extraordinary Notions about it, which come lame and defective to us. The Doctrine of their Founder, _Thales_, which made all Things to consist of Water, seems to have a great Resemblance to the Doctrine of _Moses_ and St. _Peter_ about the Constitution of the first Heavens and Earth, _Gen. i._ _2 Pet. ii. 5._ But there is little in _Laertius_, what their Opinion was about the Dissolution of the World; other Authors inform us more of that. _Stobæus_, _Ecl. Phys. l. 1. c. 24_, joins them with _Leucippus_ and the _Epicureans_: _Simplicius_ with _Heraclitus_, and the _Stoicks_, in this Doctrine about the Corruptibility of the World. So that all the Schools of the _Greek_ Philosophers, as we noted before, were unanimous in this Point, excepting the _Peripateticks_; whose Master, _Aristotle_, had neither Modesty enough to follow the Doctrine of his Predecessors, nor Wit enough to invent any Thing better.