46o ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. BookV. 



higher Idea of the beauty and perfe(flion of his greateft and mofl 

 confpicuous works, and, confequently, of his wifdom and power, 

 than the Mechanical Syftem can do, even fuppofing it admits, as 

 not only Sir Ifaac Newton, but even Des Cartes did, that God is 

 ultimately the Author of all the Motion in the Univerfe : For, I 

 think, I have fhown, that Sir Ifaac, with all his fkill in Geometry 

 and Mechanics, has made in his Principia a Machine of the Heavens 

 defeftive in this capital point, that the Moving Power fooner or later 

 mull fail, fo that the Machine v/ill not be eternal ; which Ariftotle 

 fays, all the works of God are in one way or another. Befides this, 

 it is a fad indifputable, that there are feeming Irregularities in the 

 Motions of the Planets, which appear at leaft to difturb one another, 

 and to be all difturbed by the Comets. Now, I hope, I have fhewn 

 that it is impoffible to account for this by Gravitation., as it is common- 

 ly underftood, that is, the Action of Body upon Body at a diftance; 

 and if fo, it muft be admitted that there is an Irregularity in the Ma- 

 chine, which cannot be accounted for upon any mechanical principles. 

 But upon the Suppofition that Mind is the Moving Power of the 

 Planet, the efficient Caufe of all its Motions, however irregular they 

 may feem, is obvious ; and if we believe this Moving Mind to be 

 under the diredion of Supreme Intelligence, we are fure that all its 

 Motions of every kind are for fom.e good Purpofe. — Further, I think, 

 we know with great certainty, that the Univerfe, being the work of 

 this Supreme Intelligence, is a Syftem, and a moft perfed Syfteni 

 worthy of its great Author ; but if the Planets, by coming nearer to 

 one another, did not affed one another's Motions; or If the Comets, 

 by traverfmg them, did not affe£t all their Motions, there would be 

 a defed in the Syftem, becaufe there would not be that Sympathy in 

 Nature, or that Connedion of one thing with another which a Syftem 

 requires. I will only add, that as thefe Irregularities of the Planetary 

 Motion cannot be accounted for upon the Mechanical Syftem, other- 

 wife than by an Hypothefis which Sir Ifaac has declared to be in- 

 7 conceivable, 



