tiation; fince these transmutations are not greater contradictions to fenfe, than to believe a wafer, by confecration, to be con-vertible into flesh and blood. And, indeed, in what are the above metamorphofes less absurd, save that they have the fanction of Sir Ifaac Newton, than the Roficrucian doctrine of tranfmuting bafe metals into gold? For if these changes are very conformable to the course of nature, which feems delighted with tranfmutations, why fhould he be fo averfe to this? why should the alchymist despair of finding the philofopher's stone? or where is the abfurdity in attempting it? And, notwithstanding the great name which authorises and makes them current, fuch propofitions as thefe, though propofed but by way of que-ries, confidering they were the author's last gueffes, when near eighty years old, betray an uncertainty, an unacquaintedness with nature and her operations, ill becoming a naturalift.

INDEED our philofophers, while they profess phyfics, fly to metaphyfical caufes:

for

for this furely must be the diftinction between them. To fhew how one fort of matter is moved or acted upon by another here, and fo backward or upward, till it be out of reach; attributing no other properties to any atom of inanimate matter, other than folidity and extenfion, bounded by furface, which defcribes its dimenfion and figure; and no other powers than to act or move paffively; that is, in fhort, to explain things mechanically, is the business of phyfics, or natural philofophy. To fuppofe properties inherent in matter, fuch as gravity, attraction, and by them to folve the appearances of nature, without fhewing, or pretending to shew how matter came endued with fuch powers, or how fuch powers act, is to talk metaphyfically, to attribute actions, &c. to fupernatural agents: for fince these powers are occult, and the cause of them confeffedly unknown, they cannot prove whether they are natural or fupernatural; so can never be the subject of natural philosophy. Mr Cotes, in his preface to the fecond edition of the Principia, feems to be great pain for gravity being reckoned an

in

occult

occult caufe, and labours to prejudice his readers in its favour. He reasons thus: "Those only are occult causes whose existence is occult, fictitious, and unproved; "not those which by obfervations are clearly demonftrated to exift. Gravity there

"fore will not be an occult caufe of the ce"lestial motions, fince it is fhewn from

phenomena, that this virtue really exists." What is fhewn to exift? the phenomena fhew gravity to be the effect of fome cause. First prove the cause, and then draw your conclufions. "At this rate" (cries out the above gentleman) "you will fap the very "foundation of all philofophy;" (their philosophy will indeed be in danger). "Cau"ses are wont to go on in a continued feries "from compounded ones to those more

fimple. When you arrive at the most

fimple caufe, you can go no further: of "this therefore no mechanical folution can « be given; if there could, this would not "be the most fimple or uncompounded "cause." This is begging the question. Gravity is not yet proved to be a cause, much less the most fimple cause; it appears

only

only to be an effect of fome other cause ; which, if known, would not prove that no mechanical folution could be given of it.

*

Be

Gravity and attraction suppose one body "to act upon another at a distance, or " where it is not; but nothing can be an agent where it is not at all. Matter can "act only by contact, impelling contiguous "bodies when it is put into motion by fomething elfe, (viz. other matter), or refifting those which strike against it when "it is at reft." So gravity, in their sense, must either be God, or the immediate and continued act of God upon matter. fides, if the fun gravitate upon the earth, and the earth upon the fun, the sun must lofe as much of the gravitating power as it imparts to the earth, and the earth as much as it imparts to the fun; unless fome acting or vivifying principle refide in the fun and earth to renew the attractive or gravitating power continually. And this power must be either material or immaterial: if material, then gravity is the effect of matter acting upon matter; if immaterial, it must, at laft, be refolved into the immediate

opera

c

tion of God; fo no principles of natural philofophy. An occult quality is defined by the ancients to be "fuch of which no rational folution in their way, or accor

ding to their principles, could be given.” Now, as neither Sir Ifaac Newton, or his followers, pretend to give any rational folution of gravity in their way, or according to their principles, gravity comes directly within the definition of an occult caufe.

WHAT have all our boafted discoveries. amounted to? Things go on as they have done ever since the formation. One fays, God, by his immediate power, does all this: another, that active principles in matter perform the bufinefs; owns he knows not the cause, but says the actions are done. What greater knowledge of natural philosophy have our modern reafoners fhewn than the Heathens? The latest of them had, feveral cant words, without any meaning, which, as it was to be fuppofed, contained their extent of knowledge. the word with them for the ruling powers in this system;-gravity is the word with

G

Nature was

us.