136 On the Formation of the Universe. 



of heat and light would afterwards be useless. The heat by 

 a general diffusion might maintain the system in a mild tem- 

 perature for an immense length of time after its internal heat 

 was almost exhausted ; and the hght by its being very slight- 

 ly latent on account of its abundance, might enable an acute 

 organ to observe surrounding objects by the smallest motion 

 of the atmosphere, after the system was enveloped in dark- 

 ness ; in the same manner as we now see the dashing of the 

 waves, or the motion of meteoric rocks in the sky. In a 

 metaphysical point of view, there is no reason why the sys- 

 tem might not have been formed by the immediate agency 

 of an intelligent spirit, as well as by the agency of light and 

 heat ; but there are phenomena actually existing which are 

 perfectly consistent with its formation by light and heat, but 

 which on the supposition that it was formed by the immedi- 

 ate agency of an intelligent spirit, are utterly inexplicable. 

 The relative diurnal motion of the various bodies in the sys- 

 tem, present not the most distant indications of design ; and 

 yet they are about such as they must be, on the supposition 

 that the system was produced by condensation from an aeri- 

 al state. These motions in case of such a formation, would 

 be proportionally increased by magnitude of orbit, and 

 quantity of matter, and diminished by the mass, number and 

 distance of the satellites. Saturn's diurnal motion is not 

 quite so rapid as that of Jupiter ; its orbit is much larger, 

 but its mass is less, and its ring and satellites are heavier and 

 extend to a greater distance than those of Jupiter. Mars is 

 less than the earth, but its orbit is greater, and it has no 

 moon : its diurnal motion is a little slower than that of the 

 earth. Venus is about equal in size to the earth, and it has 

 no moon, but its orbit is less than that of the earth : their 

 diurnal motions are about equal. The orbit of Mercury and 

 its quantity of matter are much less than those of Venus ; 

 and so is its diurnal motion. The moon to acquire its pre- 

 sent velocity, must have fallen to its present distance from 

 its primary, through a space about equal to ^i^ of the diam- 

 eter of the orbit of its primary ; the highest satellite of Jupi- 

 ter through ^i;5 ; and the highest of Saturn through ^5^!^. It 

 may be remarked with regard to all the satellites, that if they 

 acquired no motion at all by the collection of their parts, they 

 would notwithstanding have a diurnal revolution exactly co- 

 inciding with their revolution round their primaries : and if 



