"sciences from the root and stock of universal knowledge1." "I see, sometimes (says he), the profoundest sort of wits, in handling some par"ticular argument, will now and then draw a "bucket of water out of this well for their present use; but, the SPRING-HEAD thereof seemeth to me "not to have been visited."

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Whereas, Newton's contemplation extended and expanded itself to embrace all matter, indiscriminately and collectively. Without suffering his view to be arrested, or distracted, by its particular discriminations; he applied himself to the consideration of matter in its totality, in order to find the ultimate law which is common to the universal system. In this survey, his mind searched for the MODE of its first formation, and for an adequate cause of its existence; and, sensible that the cause could not exist in the effect, and recognising the skill and wisdom by which the whole was formed and ordered, he concluded; that the first formation of all matter, and, therefore, the first formation of all the several parts or subordinate systems of matter, was the work of an Intelligent Agent; "set in order in the beginning, with "respect to size, figure, proportions, and properties,

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by the counsels of His own Intelligence." He saw all the separate systems of matter converge and unite in one common centre of wisdom and power, from which no one could bear to be sepa

1 Interp. of Nature, vol. i.

p. 380.

2 Ibid. p. 53.

rated more than another, and from which alone emanated the reason for the perfect existence of each; and he ascribed to that common centre of causation, in one and the same proposition, both the existence and perfection of the vast planetary system of matter-of which our mineral earth is a member- and the existence and perfection of every minutest system of matter attached to this member of the planetary system. "Such

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a wonderful uniformity in the planetary system (said he), must be the effect of choice; and so "must the uniformity in the bodies of animals; these, and their instincts, can be the effect "of nothing else than the wisdom and skill of a powerful ever-living agent'." Thus, Newton accounted at once, and by the same principle, for all first formations whatever, whilst the mineral geology can only propose a principle for the first formations of mineral matter; a principle, utterly inapplicable to any other system of terrestrial matter, and therefore proving the extent of its analysis. And thus, his philosophy easily accomplished, what the mineral geology claims as its province, but which it has never yet even attempted to accomplish; viz. " to connect with their

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causes, the phenomena presented in our globe by the THREE kingdoms of terrestrial matter."

2 "La Géologie est principalement distincte de l'Histoire Naturelle, "en ce que celle-ci se borne à la description et classification des

But, Newton prevented the equivocation (shall I say? or the prevarication) which attends the geognostic phrase, "mode of primitive or first form"ation;" by employing the simple, distinct, and unequivocal word, creation. In doing which, his exalted reason conformed to the plain dictates of common sense. For, common sense, duly instructed and rightly exercised, plainly perceives, that all first formations must be creations; otherwise, there would be formations before first formations. For, creations are unquestionably formations; and, if they are not first formations, they must be prior to first formations; which would be a contradiction in terms. The existence, arrangement, sizes, figures, and properties of all these, Newton ascribed to the immediate act of God Himself; and he adjudged it to be "unphilosophical," to ascribe them to any mediate or secondary cause, such as “laws of nature "operating in a Chaos." De Luc abstained, with a very curious reservation, from employing the word creation, in physical inquiries: "I shall not say created, (said he) “because in physics I ought not "to employ expressions which are not understood "between men1." Not understood! By whom?

“phénomènes que présente notre globe dans les TROIS règnes; au lieu que "la première doit lier ces phénomènes avec leur causes.' .”—DE LUC, Lett. Géol. p. 3. We should rather have expected, that such a writer would have said, 66 avec leur Cause."

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"Je ne dirai pas qu'elles ont été créées ainsi, parcequ'en physique je

ne dois pas employer des expressions sur lesquelles on ne s'entend pas." —(Lett. sur l'Hist. de la Terre, tom. ii. p. 211.) An anonymous correspondent of the Journal of Science, &c. (No. xxx. p. 348.), has been

By those who do not choose to understand it; by those, who, like Falstaff, are "troubled with the "disease of not listening, the malady of not marking." Such were, his contemporary atheists and materialists of the middle of the last century. But, was he therefore to compliment those perverters equally of morals and of physics, by excluding from physical science all mention of creation? Was he aware, that in excluding the word, he at the same time excluded the idea associated with the word; and, together with the idea, the principle involved in the idea? the exclusion of which, is the very

excited, by his affectionate attachment to the memory of this great departed naturalist, to endeavour to counteract the citation of this passage; by alleging, that the words sur lesquelles on ne s'entend pas," should

rather have been translated

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on the sense of which people are not agreed."

I am willing to accept this vindicator's translation, by which De Luc is made to say; "I will not say created, because, in physics, I ought not to ❝employ expressions on the sense of which people are not agreed." I do not perceive, what is gained by this change. For, what is the expression, on the sense of which people are not agreed? It is, the simple expression -" created;" and it is through consideration for some disagreeing party, that he is not to employ, and therefore, that he is to exclude, that expression from his physical inquiries into the first formation of mineral substances. The vindicator asks: "Can De Luc be suspected of having wished to "exclude the idea of creation?" This question is superfluously asked; because, the point under immediate consideration is not an idea, but, an expression; and because, he well knows, that De Luc could not be suspected of having entertained such a wish. But, on the other hand, no one can deny, that, in point of fact, he here consents to exclude the expression; and consequently, he must exclude the idea associated with the expression, in treating of physical causes and effects with his infidel contemporaries; and it is this reprehensible concession to the pseudo-philosophy of his day, (which Newton sublimely scorned to concede to that of his own age,) on which I here animadvert.

parent-cause of all materialism and of all atheism? -Newton was well aware of this; and, therefore, although assuredly he knew the laws of physical inquiry at the least as well as the best mineral geognost, he did not exclude the word, but entertained it; and proclaimed it, as sufficiently intelligible to every unsophisticated understanding, and as the sine quâ non of truth in treating of material first formations. His logic found, that God is the first physical principle in physics, as he is the first moral principle in morals; and, that there is no arguing truly in either branch of philosophy, without the application of that first, common, and universal principle." De DEO ex phænomenis disserere ad philosophiam Naturalem pertinet1.—It pertains to Natural philosophy," said he, "to reason from phenomena to GOD."

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Had the mineral geology, therefore, carried its analysis as far back as Newton, it would have concluded to that first physical principle for all first physical formations; and, if it had done so, its ge

Schol. General. Princip. Math. lib. iii. "Newton," observed Mr. Professor Buckland, in his Inaugural Lecture printed in 1820, was per"haps the first who carried his eye over this extensive and almost "unbounded prospect.-As any investigation of Natural Philosophy "which shall not terminate in the Great First Cause will be justly "deemed unsatisfactory, I feel no apology to be necessary for opening "these Lectures with an illustration of the religious application of Geological Science. Hæc,' says the immortal Newton, Hac de DEO; de quo utique ex phænomenis disserere ad Philosophiam Naturalem pertinet.” ”Vindic. Geol. p. 11. It seems to be a blessing almost peculiar to this country, which gave birth to a Bacon and a Newton, that no apology to science is deemed necessary for a religious application of Geology.

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