10 A HISTORY OF 



Modern philosophy has taught us to believe, that when the great 

 Author of nature began the work of creation, he chose to operate by 

 second causes ; and that, suspending the constant exertion of his pow- 

 er, he endued, matter with, a. Quality, -by which the universal economy 

 of nature might b 'continued: tyftfipuj his immediate assistance. This 

 quality is called* attraction ; Vso'rt'of^ approximating influence, which 

 all bodies, .wh^titer '.tgr/eStKal or e'elestjal, are found to possess , and 

 which in all' increases' 'as the l quantity of matter in each increases. 

 The sun, by far the greatest body in our system, is, of consequence, 

 possessed of much the greatest share of this attracting power ; and 

 all the planets, of which our earth is one, are, of course, entirely subject 

 to its superior influence. Were this power, therefore, left uncontrolled 

 by the other, the sun must quickly have attracted all the bodies of our 

 celestial system to itself; but it is equally counteracted by another pow- 

 er of equal efficacy ; namely, a progressive force, which each planet 

 received when it was impelled forward by the divine Architect, upon 

 its first formation. The heavenly bodies of our system being thus 

 acted upon by two opposing powers ; namely, by that of attraction^ 

 which draws them towards the sun ; and that of impulsion, which drives 

 them straight forward into the great void of space ; they pursue a track 

 between these contrary directions ; and each, like a stone whirled 

 about in a sling, obeying two opposite forces, circulates round its great 

 centre of heat and motion. 



In this manner, therefore, is the harmony of our planetary system 

 preserved. The sun, in the midst, gives heat, and light, and circular 

 motion to the planets which surround it : Mercury, Venus, the Earth, 

 Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Herschel or the Georgium Sidus, perform 

 their constant circuits at different distances, each taking up a time to 

 complete its revolutions proportioned to the greatness of the circle 

 which it is to describe. The lesser planets also, which are attendants 

 upon some of the greater, are subject to the same laws ; they circu- 

 late with the same exactness ; and are, in the same manner, influ- 

 enced by their respective centres of motion. 



Besides those bodies which make a part of our peculiar system, and 

 which may be said to reside within its great circumference, there are 

 others that frequently come among us, from the most distant tracts 

 of space, and that seem like dangerous intruders upon the beautiful 

 simplicity of nature. These are comets, whose appearance wia 

 once so terrible to mankind ; and the theory of which is so little un- 

 derstood at present : all we know is, that their number is much greater 

 than that of the planets ; and that, like these, they roll in orbits, in 

 orae measure obedient to solar influence. Astronomers have en- 

 deavoured to calculate the returning periods of many of them ; but 

 experience has not, as yet, confirmed the veracity of their investiga- 

 tions. Indeed, who can tell, when those wanderers have made their 

 excursions into other worlds and distant systems, what obstacles may 

 be found to oppose their progress, to accelerate their motions, or 

 retard their return ? 



But what we have hitherto attempted to sketch, is but a small part 

 \if that great fabric in which the Deity has thought proper to manifesi 

 his wisdom and omnipotence. There are multitudes of other bod/e... 



