512 DISSERTATION ON 



only upon body by touch, whether in the way of propelling or at- 

 tradlng, we are taught, even by the philolophy of Epicurus, that no- 

 thing but body can touch or be touched. 



* Tangere enim, et tangi, nifi corpus nulla poteft: res *.' 



Negatively, therefore, we can fay, with great certainty, that 

 Mind does not move body, either by propelling it, or attracting 

 it, or touching it in any way. And, if we would know any 

 thing more poiitive about it, I think it may be fitly compared to the 

 power of gravitation, as it is very well defcribed by Or Clarke, in his 

 DiTcourfes upon the Evidences of Natural and Revealed Religion, in 

 the following words : * That moft univerfal principle of gravitation, 



* itfelf the fpring of almoH: all the great and regular inanimate mo- 

 ' tions in the world, anfwering (as 1 hinted in my former difcourfe) 

 ' not at all to the furface of bodies, 'by which alone they can ad: one 



* upon another), but intirely to their folid contents, cannot poffibly be 



* the refult of any motion originally imprefTed on matter, but mufl, 

 ' of neceflity, be caufed by fomething which penetrates the very folid 



* fubdance of all bodies, and continually puts forth in them a force or 



* power intirely different trom that by which matter ads on matter ; 



* which is, by the way, an evident demonftration, not only of the 



* worltl'b being made originally by a Supreme Intelligent Caufe, but, 



* moreover, that it depends every moment on fome luperior being for 



* the prefervation of its fran e ; and, that all the great motions in it 

 ' are caufed by fome immaterial power not having originally im- 



* preffed a certain quantity of motion upon matter, but perpetually 



* and adually exerting itfelf every moment, in every part of the 



* world ; which preferving and governing poiver^ whether it be im- 

 ' mediately the power and adion of the fame Supreme Caufe that ere- 



* ated the world, or of fome fubordinate inltruments appointed by him 



* to dired and prefide refpedivcly over certain parts thereof, does, el- 



* ther way, give us a very noble idea of Providence.' This account 



of 



* Lucret. lib. i. v. 305. 



