12 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book I. 



There is an account given us by an Englifli clergyman, of the 

 name of Dcrham, of tlic Syftcm of the Heavens, and of the motions 

 of the Celeftial Bodies ; all which he afcribes to God, and repre- 

 fents them to be, as they truly are, mod evident proofs both of the 

 exiftence of Deity, and of his wifdom and goodnefs. But he appears 

 to have fuppofed, that thefe motions were the immediate produc- 

 tion of divinity, and that God bimfelf moved the feveral Heavenly 

 Bodies. This he could not have fuppofed, if he had underftood 

 the way in which mind moves body, not by external impulfe, as 

 body moves body, but internally by incorporating itfelf with bo- 

 dy. Now, I think it would be impious to fuppofe, that the deity 

 mixed fo much with matter as to incorporate himfelf with body. 

 We muft, therefore, conclude, that the deity performs the motions 

 in the heavens, in the fame manner that he moves bodies here on 

 earth, that is, as I have faid, by minds, which proceed from the 

 third perfon of the trinity, and giVe life and motion to every thing 

 in the univerfe. The minds, that only move the bodies here on earth, 

 are, as I have obferved, of the lowed order. But as the Celeftial 

 Bodies are of an order of beings much fuperior to the bodies here 

 on earth, and perform motions much more wonderful, we muft fup- 

 pofe that the minds animating them are much fuperior to the minds 

 animating the bodies here on earth. And, I think, we ought to be- 

 lieve that they not only have a motive power, fuch as thofe minds 

 of the loweft kind, which move bodies here on earth, but only move 

 them, hnang neither fenfation nor intelligence, but that they are in- 

 telledlual minds, which not only move thefe Celeftial Bodies, but 

 govern their motions. And fo far I agree with the Antients, who 

 made the minds animating the Celeftial Bodies, fuperior n.inds, wor- 

 thy of inhabiting funh bodies. But I do not make Gods of them, 

 as they made them, but only minifters to the great God, and minift jrs 

 of a fuperior rank : And indeed, without fuch fuperior minds animat- 

 ing- thefe Bodies, I cannot conceive how their various motions Jfhould 



be 



