94 



THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 



Having, in the preceding sketches, consider 

 ably exceeded the limits originally prescribed 

 for this department of my subject, I am reluc 

 tantly compelled to despatch the remaining sci 

 ences with a few brief notices. 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 



The object of Natural Philosophy is, to ob 

 serve and describe the phenomena of the mate 

 rial universe, with a view to discover their 

 causes, and the laws by which the Almighty di 

 rects the movements of all bodies in heaven and 

 on earth. It embraces an investigation of the 

 laws of gravitation, by which the planets are di 

 rected in their motions the laws by which wa 

 ter, air, light, and heat are regulated, and the 

 effects they produce in the various states in which 

 they operate the nature of colours, sounds, elec 

 tricity, galvanism, and magnetism, and the laws 

 of their operation the causes which operate in 

 the production of thunder, lightning, luminous 

 and fiery meteors, hail, rain, snow, dew, and 

 other atmospherical phenomena. In short, it 

 embraces all the objects of Natural History for 

 merly alluded to, with a view to ascertain the 

 causes of their varied appearances, and the 

 principles that operate in the changes to which 

 they are subject ; or, in other words, the laws by 

 which the diversified phenomena of universal na 

 ture are produced and regulated. One subordi 

 nate u?e of the knowledge derived from this 

 science, is, to enable us to construct all those me 

 chanical engines which facilitate human labour, 

 and increase the comforts of mankind, and all 

 those instruments which tend to enlarge our views 

 of the operations of nature. A still higher and 

 nobler use to which philosophy is subservient, 

 is, to demonstrate the wisdom and intelligence 

 of the Great First Cause of all things, and to 

 enlarge our conceptions of the admirable con 

 trivance and design which appear in the different 

 departments of universal nature. In this view, it 

 may be considered as forming a branch of Natural 

 Theology, or, in other words, a branch of the reli 

 gion of ange s, and of all other holy intelligences. 



This department of Natural Science has ge 

 nerally been divided into the following branches : 



I. Mechanics. This branch, considered in 

 its most extensive range, includes an investiga 

 tion of the general properties of matter ; such as 

 solidity, extension, divisibility, motion, attrac 

 tion, and repulsion the laws of gravitation, and 

 of central forces, as they appear to operate in 

 the motions of the celestial bodies, and on the 

 surface of our globe, in the phenomena of falling 

 bodies, the motions of projectiles, the vibration 

 of pendulums, &c. the theory of machines, the 

 principles on which their energy depends ; the 

 properties of the mechanical powers the lever, 

 the viheel and axle, die pulley, the inclined plane, 

 the wedge, and the screw and the effects result 

 ing from their various combinations. From the 



investigations of philosophers on these subjects, 

 we learn the laws by which the great bodies of 

 the universe are directed in their motions ; the 

 Jaws which bind together the different portions of 

 matter on the surface of the earth, and which 

 regulate the motions of animal, vegetable, and 

 inanimate nature ; and the principles on which 

 cranes, mills, wheel-carriages, pile-engines, 

 threshing-machines, and other engines, are con 

 structed ; by means of which, man has been 

 enabled to accomplish operations far beyond the 

 limits of his own physical powers. 



Without a knowledge of the laws of motion, 

 and assistance from the combined effects of the 

 mechanical powers, man would be a very limited 

 being, his enjoyments would be few, and his ac 

 tive energies confined within a very narrow 

 range. In a savage state, ignorant of manufac 

 tures, agriculture, architecture, navigation, and 

 the other arts which depend upon mechanical 

 combinations, he is exposed, without shelter, to 

 the inclemencies of the season ; he is unable to 

 transport himself beyond seas and oceans, to 

 visit other climes and other tribes of his fellow 

 men ; he exists in the desert, comfortless and 

 unimproved ; the fertile soil, over which he 

 roams, is covered with thorns, and briers, and 

 thickets, for the haunt of beasts of prey ; his en 

 joyments are little superior to those of the lion, 

 the hyjena, and the elephant, while he is much 

 their inferior in point of agility and physical 

 strength. But when philosophy l.as once de 

 monstrated the principles of mechanics, and in 

 troduced the practice of the useful arts, &quot; the 

 wilderness and the solitary place are made glad, 

 and the desert rejoices and blossoms as the rose.&quot; 

 Cities are founded, and gradually rise to opu 

 lence and splendour ; palaces and temples are 

 erected ; the damp cavern and the rush-built 

 hut are exchanged for the \\arm and comfortable 

 apartments of a substantial mansion ; ships are 

 built, and navigated across the ocean ; the trea 

 sures of one country are conveyed to another, 

 an intercourse is carried on between the most 

 distant tribes of mankind ; commerce flourishes, 

 and machinery of all kinds is erected, for facili 

 tating human labour, and promoting the enjoy 

 ments of man. And when the principles and 

 the practice of &quot;pure and undefiled religion&quot; 

 accompany these physical and mechanical ope 

 rations, love and affection diffuse their benign 

 influence ; the prospect brightens as years roll 

 on, and man advances with pleasure and im 

 provement to the scene of his high destination. 



II. Hydrostatics treats of thejrressure and equi 

 librium of fluids. From the experiments which 

 have been made in this branch of philosophy, 

 the following important principles, among man) 

 others have been deduced : 



(1 . ) That the surface of all waters which haw 

 a communication, v;hilst they are at rent, will be 

 perfectly level. This principle will oe more 



