1797°] 
felves, it would be too trifling and con- 
temptible to notice; but when it de- 
prives the reft of the fociety of their 
rights, and prevents free difcuffion upon 
all interefiing topics, 1t becomes a feri- 
ous injury. Dr. PrresTLey, in his pa-. 
thetic ‘Appeal to the Public,” concerning 
the ricts at Birmingham, has given feve- 
ral curious inftances of facerdotal inter- 
ference and party fpirit. Many fimilar 
inftances might be collected from other 
places, where book-clubs are founded ; 
and the evil is increajing. If then any 
of your readers, of liberal fentiments, 
and above the influence of party fpirit, 
would furnifh you with a plan, calcu- 
lated to promote the general wifhes and 
views of fubfcribers to book-focieties, it 
would be a great advantage towards form- 
ing new ones, clear from the defects com- 
plained of. In hopes of exciting the at- 
tention of your readers, I am, your’s, 
MERCATOR. 
ee 
To the Edtior of the Monthly Magazine. 
STIR, 
Bee author of the Enquirer, in your 
Magazine for laft month, afferts, 
that the opinion that the producing 
caufe of the univerfe is both one and 
many, is paradoxical, apparently con- 
founds all our numerical ideas, and is, 
after all, impoffible to be underftood. 
If he confiders this hypothefis as im- 
plying that deity contains in himfelf a 
multitude of principles equal to him- 
felf, in dignity and power, his affertion 
is undoubtedly right; bur, if he means 
to pafs this cenfure on the doctrine, that 
paradigmatic, or,exemplary and produc- 
ing caufes of things, {ubfit concentred 
and rooted in one firft producing caufe, 
but with due fubordination to their com- 
prehending principle, he oppofes one 
of the mott fublime conceptions of the 
human mind, endeavours to fubvert the 
heaven-built fabric of inrellectual phi- 
lofophy, and, in mythological language, 
wars on the Olympian gods. 
To fuch, indeed, as have not regularly 
ftudied the fcientific writings of Plato, 
it will, doubtlefs, in the firft place, feem 
abfurd to introduce a multitude of 
‘principles in order to the production of 
the univerfe. To thefe, one principle 
appears fufficient for the purpofe ; and 
the hypothefis of a muititude fubffting 
in conjunétion and co-operating with 
him, is confidered as ufelefs, and as 
tending to diminifh the power, and fully 
the dignity of the Parent of Things in 
the mext place, they will deem it im- 
Anfwer to the Enquirer. 
265 
a 
poffible to conceive howa multitude of 
principles can have a diftinét energy of 
their own, at the fame time that they are 
comprehended in, and energize together 
with, a higher caufe. 
The firtt of thefe obje€tions may be 
eafily removed, by confidering that the 
moft perfeét mode of production is the 
chential, or, in other words, when a 
being produces by its very nature or 
effence. Inftances of this efixtial mode 
of produétion are feen in fire and tnow, 
the former efentially imparting heat, and 
the latter cold. This mode is more 
perfeét than that which is attended with 
deliberation, becaufe more extended. 
Thus all fuch beings as produce de/iber~ 
atively, as is the cafe with rational fouls 
like our’s, are at the fame time conneét- 
ed with the effeutial operation ; fuch as is 
the energy ef nature in generation, nu- 
trition, andincreafe. 
nature is prefent with beings to whom 
the power of deliberation 1s unknown, 
And hence the efenhal is more extended 
than the deliberative energy. The effen- 
tial energy, therefore, muf& be the’ pre- 
rogative of the higheft producing caufe, 
becaufe more powerftl than the deliber- 
ative: for, fuperiority of power is always 
the charaéteriftic of a fuperior caufe. 
Hence, fince the Artificer of the Uni- 
verfe, in producing all things, operated 
effentially, if he is an intellectual nature, 
and if he fabricated the world without 
the conjunétion of fubordinate caufes, 
the world would have been profoundly 
intellectual in all its parts. For, in 
effential produétions, the effect is always 
of the fame kind, /econdarily, which the 
caufe is according to a primary mode of 
fubfiftence. The exiftence of body, 
therefore, in the univerfe, neceflarily 
proves the exiftence of leffer producing 
caufes, co-operating with the ove intel- 
leétual Father of all in the produétion of 
things. And it is likewife evident that 
this is not through any defeét or imbe- 
cility in the Great Artificer, but, on the 
contrary, through tranfcendency of ge- 
nerating power. 
The fecond objeétion, refpecting the 
diftiné energy of fubordinate caufes, of 
principles, may be removed, by dili 
gently atcending to the different powers 
of the human foul. For, in ae pow- 
ers, as images, we fhall confpicuoufly 
fee, how a multitude of divine natures 
may poffefs a diftinct energy of theirown, 
at the fame time that they are compre- 
hended in, and energize together with, 
afuperior cilence. It we furvey then 
the 
But the energy of: 







