316 RELIGIOUS VIEWS. 



business of natural philosophy is," he says, 

 (Optics, Qu. 28.) " to argue from phenomena 

 without feigning hypotheses, and to deduce 

 causes from effects, till we come to the very first 

 cause, which certainly is not mechanical." 

 " Though every true step made in this philo- 

 sophy brings us not immediately to the know- 

 ledge of the first cause, yet it brings us nearer to 

 it, and is on that account highly to be valued." 

 The Scholium, or note, which concludes his great 

 work, the Principia, is a well known and most 

 striking evidence on this point, " This beautiful 

 system of sun, planets and comets, could have 

 its origin in no other way than by the purpose 

 and command of an intelligent and powerful 

 Being. He governs all things, not as the soul of 

 the world, but as the lord of the universe. He is 

 not only God, but Lord or Governor. We know 

 him only by his properties and attributes, by the 

 wise and admirable structure of things around 

 us, and by their final causes ; we admire him on 

 account of his perfections, we venerate and wor- 

 ship him on account of his government." 



Without making any further quotations, it must 

 be evident to the reader that the succession of 

 great philosophers through whom mankind have 

 been led to the knowledge of the greatest of 

 scientific truths, the law of universal gravitation, 

 did, for their parts, see the truths which they 

 disclosed to men in such a light that their re- 



