INTRODUCTION. 



WH A T I propofe, in this Work, is to revive antientTheifm, 

 particularly the theifm of Placo and Ariftotle, which, like the 

 greateft part of antient philofophy, is almoft intirely loft in this age. 

 The confequence of this is, that our modern philofophers, even fuch 

 of them as are theifts, make their fyftem of Nature much too mecha- 

 nical ; for they phyftologife without Mind ; and, though they allow 

 that Mind was neceffary at firft to produce this univerfe, and fet it a- 

 going, they think it may go on without Mind, by the powers of Mat- 

 ter and Mechanifm merely : Whereas the antients thought, that the 

 operations of Nature could no more go on without the conftant and 

 unremitting agency of Mind, than an univerfe could have been at firft 

 produced without Mind. 



Modern theifm may be divided into two kinds ; the firft is that of 

 Dcs Cartes, the French philofopher. He admits the exiftencc of an in- 

 corporeal Deity akogether feparated from Matter, whom he makes the 

 author of the univerfe, and all things in it, and beftows on him all 

 thofe perfedions of Goodnefs, Wifdom, and Intelligence, which are 

 commonly afcribed to him. This is his theology : But his phyfiology 

 is abfolute materialifm ; for, rejeQing all final caufes, and fo exclu- 

 ding Intelligence and defign from the fyftem of the univerfe, he de- 

 rives every thing from Matter once fet in motion by the Deity, by 

 which he accounts not only for the formation and motion of the ce- 

 ieftial bodies, but the organization and fuccelfive generation of animals 



a and 



