146 DISSERTATION SECOND. [parti, 



principles of philosophick inquiry, and of the nature of the 

 mind itself. It appeared that science was destined to be 

 continually progressive ; provided it was taken for an invio- 

 lable maxirn, that all opinion must be ultimately amenable to 

 experience and observation. 



It was no slight addition to all these advantages, that, in 

 consequence of the discussions from which Galileo had un- 

 happily been so great a sufferer, the line was at length 

 definitely drawn, which was to separate the provinces of faith 

 and philosophy from one another. It became a principle, 

 recognised on all hands, that revelation, not being intended 

 to inform men of those things which the unassisted powers 

 of their own understanding would in time be able to discover, 

 had, in speaking of such matters, employed the language 

 and adopted the opinions of the times ; and thus the magick 

 circle by which the priest had endeavoured to circumscribe 

 the inquiries of the philosopher entirely disappeared. — 

 The reformation in religion which was taking place about 

 the same time, and giving such energy to the human mind, 

 contributed to render this emancipation more complete, and 

 to reduce the exorbitant pretensions of the Romish church. 

 The prohibition against believing in the true system of the 

 world either ceased altogether, or was reduced to an empty 

 form, by which the affectation of infallibility still preserves 

 the memory of its errours.' 



1 The learned fathers who have, with so much ability, com- 

 mented on the Principia of Newton, have prefixed to the third 

 book this remarkable declaration : — " Newtonus in hoc tertio 

 libro telluris motae hypothesin assiimit. Auctoris propositiones 

 aliter explicari non poteraut, nisi < adem facta hypothesi. Hinc 

 alieuam coacti sumus gerere personam. Cctcrum latis a sumtnis 

 Pontijicibus contra telluris motum Decretis nos obsequi profttcmur." 

 There is an archness in the last sentence, that looks as if the 

 authors wanted to convey meanings that would differ according 

 f.o the orthodoxy of the readers. 



