352 RELIGIOUS VIEWS. 



great Bacon, the philosophy of final causes as 

 barren ; but I have elsewhere acknowledged 

 that it was very difficult for the most cautious 

 man (I'homme le plus reserve) never to have 

 recourse to them in his explanations."* 



3. It may be worth our while to consider for a 

 moment the opinion here referred to by Cabanis, 

 of the propriety of excluding the consideration 

 of final causes from our natural philosophy. 

 The great authority of Bacon is usually adduced 

 on this subject. " The handling of final causes," 

 says he, " mixed with the rest in physical en- 

 quiries, hath intercepted the severe and diligent 

 enquiry of all real and physical causes, and given 

 men the occasion to stay upon these satisfactory 

 and specious causes, to the great arrest and pre- 

 judice of farther discovery. "f 



A moment's attention will show how well this 

 representation agrees with that which we have 

 urged, and how far it is from dissuading the 

 reference to final causes in reasonings like those 

 on which we are employed. Final causes are 

 to be excluded from physical enquiry ; that is, we 

 are not to assume that we know the objects of 

 the Creator's design, and put this assumed pur- 

 pose in the place of a physical cause. We are 

 not to think it a sufficient account of the clouds 

 that they are for watering the earth, (to take 



* Rapports du Physique et du Moral de I'Homme, i. 299. 

 f De Augment. Sc. ii. 105. 



