198 
of d^GMtating that law. It is true that by taking for 
nSvpf ^ e ? ers La; y s ’ the lavv of the inverse square might be 
V , • at b - v revcrsm g the process of reasoning by which the 
JS-epienan Laws were demonstrated. But it would be reasoning i n 
a vicious cirde to call this a demonstration of the law of gravity 
uitil^l^t la y. and th s e universality of gravitating force are 
on tbf W r hlC u n ° prwn reason can be given, at least 
the principles of physical astronomy, although the reality of 
Wtfnfth demonstrated by the great number and 
their frnfVpn ff pla ? atl ° ns of phenomena which the hypothesis of 
their tiuth enables the physical astronomer to give. 
tnnmt trust that I shall beheld excused for bringing before the 
embers of the Institute the foregoing statements, although the 
for the ir claim to be accepted can only be under- 
tood by means of an acquaintance with the applications of mathe- 
matical reasoning which but few can be supposed to possess The 
parfaculars was required for making intelligible 
us. ill:, IC " e " eral conclusion, of which essential 
use will be made in the subsequent reasoning : 
Ncwl 4 I ltS m physical astronomy that have been obtained by 
^ /T ^ asra “» e ’ La P lace » and all other theoretical astronomers 
are deductions by mathematical reasoning from Galileo's theorem 
tlZlt m0tl0n ’ and f r m the h *P°th?sis of a universal gravi- 
tating foice varying according to the law of the inverse square 
arise US C ° + nclu f on f° be acce P ted > there will evidently 
conditions Ar,V S 1S , the qualit ? of the fondamentiJ 
conditions Are they ultimate facts, or do they admit of bein- 
demonstrated on the basis of ulterior facts ? The answers which 
these questions have received have given rise to two opposite and 
'“I* systems of philosophy, respecting which /shall here 
■ y, in anticipation of the sequel of this discussion, that one of 
them is in accordance with, and the other directly opposed to, what 
consider to be properly designated as “ the metaphysics of Scrip- 
ture. It is, consequently of prime importance, as regards the 
purpose of this essay, to place these two philosophies in° contract 
W.th each other, and by all legitimate means to decide between 
their claims to acceptance. With this object in view I adduce the 
following considerations. ’ a(Wuce tllc 
8. When the laws of gravitation had been ascertained bv the 
I! CWt0 / S P ™\ ci P™> much speculation arose 
as to the quality of this agent. As it was proved that one body 
was capable of attracting another without any discernible inter- 
vening substance, it began to be thought that gravity mi-lit be ,n 
occult quality, inherent in substances, anf^nSS motion 
according to certain laws, but by means respecting which our 
