that Religion, of which he lived in the be

quod caufas gravitatis aliarumque attractionum non per hypothefes explicet? quafi criminis loco effet, certis effe contentum, incerta vero dimittere. Newtoni Opera Edit. Horfeley, vol. iv. pag. 492, 493, 494.

The cause of Newton is here pleaded with all the candour and ability becoming the very learned and ingenious Editor of his works. Of Caufes, in the great chain of nature, there are many kinds fubordinate to each other: and, allowing that Sir Ifaac never intended to affign the phyfical Caufe of his Forces; as he made thefe Forces the bafis of his Aftronomy, the question seems to be, whether he confidered them as exiftent in the heavens and founded on experiment and phænomena ? or whether he only supposed them, for the purpose of applying his geometrical calculations? If he thought them really exiftent, he affigned them as the phyfical causes of the celeftial motions. And that he did fo is, I think, clear both from himself and from his Editors. Mr. Cotes fays in his Preface Constat Planetas in orbitibus fuis retineri per Vim aliquam in ipfos, perpetuo agentem, conftat Vim illam dirigi femper verfus ' orbitarum centra &c.-Ideone Gravitatis occulta causa dicetur, eoque nomine rejicictur a philofophia, quod 'caufa ipfius Gravitatis occulta eft et nondum inventa.• Etenim Caufæ continuo nexu procedere folent a compo<fitis ad fimpliciora.-Caufæ fimpliffimæ nulla dari poteft • mechanica explicatio.'

Sir Ifaac Newton was, certainly, much perplexed about his Forces. They were indifpenfible to his Aftronomy either as real or supposed; and if he had rested the whole fimply upon the Analogy between Projectile and Celestial Motion, according to the few plain words in his fifth Definition Eadem ratione qua Projectile vi gravitatis in ' orbem

lief and practice, and in which he repofed his dying hope.'

'orbem flecti poffet, et totam terram circumire, poffet et 'Luna, fi modo gravis fit, vel alia quacunque vi,' without faying any more, he would have faved himself and followers much difficulty and trouble, and have fixed his Aftronomy upon a foundation sufficiently ftrong, against which no fair objection could have been brought.

• Upon this part of the Newtonian Philofophy fome Materialists have hinged, or endeavoured to hinge, their abfurd and prepofterous fyftem: and it is a misfortune ever to be lamented, in this dark and imperfect ftate of things, that the Errors of great and good men, however innocent or even laudable in themselves, (and this is one of the worft plagues of Error,) lead weaker and lefs virtuous minds into a labyrinth befet with fatal mischief.

Two living authors, with a view of fubverting this foundation of Materialism and all the absurdity and impiety which it generates, have opposed this infirm part of the Philosophy of Newton with arguments, which on both fides are, I think, full and incontrovertible: but, after fubverting the Forces of Attraction and Repulsion, in affigning what each fuppofes to be the true Caufe of celestial motion, they draw two ways diametrically oppofite to each other; which may probably be an omen that the true and proper Cause is not to be known.

The Author of Ancient Metaphyfics affigns a metaphysical, Mr. Jones' Philofophy a phyfical, caufe: and, equally zealous for the interefts of religion, they are both the avowed enemies of Atheism. The former attempts to revive and to fupport the ancient doctrine of Mind or the Deity himself, as the First Cause, animating and moving every part of his material creation by an immediate influence, and 'perpetu

ally

BUT whilft, from this mixture and connection of Physic and Mathematics, philofo

ally operating upon it by inceffant impulfes.' The latter attributes all motion to the action of Matter upon Matter, *mantaining the agency of Second Caufes, under the direction of God the moral Governour of the world, and the Primary Caufe of all things.'

They perfectly agree in allowing God, or the Univerfal Mind, to be the First and Univerfal Caufe of all things; fo that, upon either fuppofition, the cause of Theifm is safe: but the one reprefents him, in the exercise of his providential government according to fixed and general laws of his own enacting, as operating through every part of the natural material fyftem mediately and by the inftrumentality of his creatures; that is naturally: whilft the other exhibits him as acting upon all particular material subjects, in different ways, immediately and by the direct operation of his divine power, according to general laws; which, if not miraculously, must be Jupernaturally. Which of the two hypothefes redounds more to the honour of God and the interefts of his Religion, as their fupporters appear to be actuated by the pureft and moft benevolent motives, is a question I do not undertake particularly to decide.

I must however obferve, fo great the perverfeness and obliquity of the human mind, that both, however oppofite, have, at different periods, been twisted to the support of Atheism. The immediate operation of the Univerfal Mind animating and actuating all matter with every kind of life and motion, was, by the Chaldaic and fome old philofophers, converted into the doctrine of Materializm ; in the entertainment of which they taught whole nations

to

phers are deriving a train of fublime and fplendid truths, by which the heavens are

to worship the element of Fire, as the fubtleft and sublimeft part of the Soul of the world: And, under a fimilar perfuafion, a Roman Philofopher of great moral reputation has the following question Quid eft aliud Natura, quam "Deus, et divina ratio toti Mundo et partibus ejus infita?" [Seneca de Benef. lib. iv.] On the other hand, fome more modern Materialifts have founded their doctrines on the agency of Second Causes, on Matter acting upon Matter, by virtue, as they suppose, of its organization or other inherent power, making the material world into an automaton moving itself independently of any other cause. And, either the reason of men or the reafon of things is fo totally changed, that, to defeat this impious and modern doctrine, the other and ancient is revived as the only antidote, making God himfelf the fole agent, by whofe immediate power, exclufive of the operations and inftrumentality of all material agents, the meaneft effects are every hour produced. By thefe arms, we are taught, we can only obtain a complete triumph over Atheism. But, whether this triumph will be well founded in the event, may, I think, be left to be decided by the judgment of Lord Bacon fupported by the verdict of Plato. Eos, qui autumant nimiam fcientiam 'inclinare mentem in atheismum, ignorantiamque fecunda'rum caufarum pietati erga primam obftetricari, libenter compellarem Jobi quæftione: An oporteat mentiri pro Deo, et ejus gratia dolum loqui conveniat, ut ipfi gratificemur? Liquet enim, Deum nihil operari ordinario in natura, nifi per fecundas caufas, cujus diverfum credi fi vellent, im'poftura mera effet, quafi in gratiam Dei, et nihil aliud 'quam authori veritatis immundam mendacii hoftiam im'molare. Quin potius certiffimum eft, atque experientia

compro

enlightened from pole to pole, they should never, in the pride of science, lose fight of

comprobatum, leves guftus in philofophia movere fortaffe <ad atheismum, fed pleniores hauftus ad religionem redu'cere. Namque in limine philofophiæ, cum fecundæ caufæ, tanquam fenfibus proximæ, ingerant fe menti humanæ, menfque ipfa in illis hæreat atque commoretur, oblivio primæ caufæ obrepere poffit. Sin quis ulterius pergat, ⚫ caufarumque dependentiam feriem et concatenationem, ⚫ atque opera providentiæ intueatur, tunc fecundum poeta⚫rum mythologiam facile credet, fummum naturalis catenæ • annulum pedi folii Jovis affigi.' De Augm. Sc. lib. i. Ταυτ ̓ ἦν παντ ̓ ἐσιν τῶν συναιτιῶν, οἷς ὁ Θεὸς τὴν τε ἀρις τάξιν κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἀποτελεῖ. Plato.

४४

τω

2

Between these two rocks of Atheifm is the middle way, in which found Theifm is always to be found, which was pointed to both by Plato and Bacon, and in which Newton, however mistaken in his Forces, fecurely trod, in the exercife of philofophy and religion.

6

In this middle way the very learned Author of Ancient Metaphyfics might reft fecure of his Theifm; and, for the improvement of found learning, he may safely join the ingenious Mr. Jones in the following fublime and truly philofophical idea, that With him who is taught that the true God is diftant from, and above the world of matter, though virtually prefent in it by a providential inspection ⚫ and superintendence, the Mechanism of the natural world ⚫ will only serve to enlarge his ideas, by fetting before him the visible evidence of that divine Wisdom, which, with fo exquifite a contrivance and such a fimplicity of design, hath adopted phyfical Caufes to the production of their • refpective effects.' Jones's Philofophy, p. 8.

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