Chap. XXI. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 305 



tal neceffity to ceafe, and yet the intelledual mind continue to exift ; 

 for it is impofTible, as I faid, to conceive intellcsfl determining itfelf to 

 ad, while it continues to be intelled, otherwife than by the motive of 

 the greateft good. 



At the fame ti'ne, I would not be underftood to deny, that the hu- 

 man intelledl may be, and very often is, influenced in its determina- 

 tions, by fuperior minds; but it is in a way which prelerves both the 

 freedom and neceffity of the ijuill^ according to the explanation tliat I 

 have given of them; for thofe fuperior minds influence the human only 

 by luggeiting motives of adion to them, which otherwife would not 

 occur: And in this way the freedom of our wz// is preferved. And 

 I am perfuaded it often happens, that our wills are determined by mo- 

 tives that come from whence we do not know. And it is in this 

 way chiefly, according to my apprehenfion, that Providence direds 

 and governs the affairs of men *. But the queftion is not, from 



Q^q whence 



may not mind, very much fuperior to man, flop even the courfe of a planet ? On 

 this occafion, I will quote the words of Dr Clarke : * There is no fuch thing as what 



* men commonly call the courfe of nature^ or the power of nature. The courfe of na- 



* ture, truly and properly fpeakmg, is nothing elfe but the 'will of God producing 



* certain efFefts in a continued, regular, conftant, and uniform manner : "Which 



* courfe, or manner of acl:ing, being, in every movement, perfectly arbitrary, is as 



* eafy to be altered^ at any time, as to be preferved. And if (as feems moll probable) 



* this continual acting upon matter be performed by the fubferviency of created in- 



* telligences appointed to that purpofe by the Supreme Creator ; then it is as eafy for 



* any of them, and as n;uch within their natural power (by the permifTion of God) to 



* a/i'^^r the couife of Nature at any time, or in any refpc£t, as it is to prefcrve or 



* continut it* Evidences of Natural and Rcvcaletl Religion, page 300. 4th edition. 

 Here the reader will obfcrvc, that the Do£lor thinks it probable that the bufinefs of 



Nature is carried on by fuboidinate minds continually adling upon matter, which is 

 jufl: my fyftem. 



* It is therefore, I think, a very probable f^lion of the poets, when they tell us, 

 that fUch or fuch a counfel was fuggefted to their hero, by fomc God or fuperior 



power. 



