NATURAL THEOLOGY. 205 



A. We have here new occasion to acknowledge 

 the Creator's wisdom in preserving the harmony of 

 the system by one of the most wonderful laws which 

 he has impressed upon matter. It is this. While 

 the earth and all planets are continually exerting an 

 amazing force of attraction upon one another, like so 

 many loadstones, yet the mathematician can demon- 

 strate they shall never rush together, nor materially 

 disturb their respective revolutions, provided a few 

 conditions exist. One condition necessary is, that 

 the attraction be weaker the farther they are apart ; 

 and not only so, — but exactly four times weaker, 

 when the distance is doubled. Upon this condition 

 and a few others, but this is the principal, he is able 

 to demonstrate, without observing the heavens, with- 

 out seeing how the fact in reality is, there, — that no 

 danger exists from the mutual attraction of the heav- 

 enly bodies ; draw upon one another as long and as 

 powerfully as they are able ; change their relative 

 positions as they can ; now retreating, now advan- 

 cing ; here the matter must end ; they can never 

 touch, they can never permanently disturb each oth- 

 er's separate and orderly revolutions. Now, wonderful 

 as it must seem, all these conditions exist in the solar 

 system ; and among others the main and most impor- 

 tant one, to wit, the force of planetary attraction is 

 exactly four times weaker at twice the distance. 



Why not three times, or five times, or in any other 

 proportion ? Of the infinite number of possible pro- 

 portions, had it been any other than the one actually 



