I fee that matter, in a general fenfe, follows the laws of motion; but then thefe laws belong only to a communicated modification, for they also may be communicated, which is contrary to all notions of an effential or primary property. I feel as intuitively as I do any other axiom, that matter is effentially impenetrable, extended, figured, divifible, and that the atoms thereof may be hard, that every particle at reft perfeveres therein till fomething puts it in motion. But I perceive alfo, with the fame degree of evidence, that the idea of motion may be feparated from that of matter, as eafily as that of any other evident modification. If I must then allow that motion is effential to matter, in order to have the nature of man and the universe explained to me, I would rather choofe to be ignorant. And I exhort you to avoid fuch inftructors; knowledge you cannot obtain from them. Let Dinarzade, in the Arabian Tales, amuse herfelf with fictions: but do you seek for truth.

Let us proceed, and by confidering one of the known laws of the motions which prevail in the univerfe, we shall perceive what further fuppofitions are neceffary to the propofition we are combating. The law to be confidered is that of gravity, by which NEWTON has fpread fo much light over the phyfical fyftem of the univerfe. Now among philofophers there are thofe to be found, who confider gravity as an effential property of matter. We will endeavour to difcover what can be meant by fuch a ftrange affertion.

Gravity is that general phenomenon, or that law, in the operations of nature, whereby bodies approach each other; and which acts as far as obfervations have hitherto determined, in the direct ratio of the maffes, but inversely as the fquares of the diftances. By it matter is grouped into maffes of different kinds; by it, and a fimple rectilinear motion,

motion, which is perpetuated, the celeftial orbs revolve in their orbits. This is the law that fome would have us confider as an effential property of

matter.

But who can conceive that a body can act where it is not; act without any thing intermediate? To fuppofe that two diftant bodies should, without the affiftance of any intermediate fubftance, produce motion in each other, is to inveft matter with a power of beginning motion itself; a pofition falfe and dangerous, and which has been turned to the purposes of atheism, by a modern philofopher of France. What two particles of matter are at 100,000 leagues, or at the 100,000,000th part of an inch from each other, without any material communication between them; and yet, on account of the one the other is moved!! Again, without any thing happening to one of the particles, let the other be placed at half the distance at which it was before, and they will move towards each other four times quicker! What magic power determines them? What! only because the distance is leffened, which is a mere non-entity, when there is no intermediate agent, the tendency increases, and that accurately in a certain ratio! Let us fhut our books of fpeculative philofophy, if they all hold this language; for it is worfe than unintelligible.

It is not eafy to comprehend how thofe philofophers, who reject a Spiritual principle, an immaterial foul in man, " because they cannot conceive that a reciprocal action can take place between two fubftances which are not of the fame nature," can, nevertheless, digeft, and allow a reciprocal action between the particles of the moon and those of the earth, without any thing intermediate, but the magical power of the words, GRAVITY is an Jential property of matter.

If each particle of matter was even poffeffed of intelligence, and could determine itself by motives, ftill it would be neceffary to inform them of the furrounding bodies, to acquaint them with their mafs, their relative pofitions and distances; in a word, of every thing that caufes a particle to move towards a certain point, with a certain velocity. Who are the aides de camp that give this information? For fuch there muft neceffarily be.

Till there has been a ferious and found anfwer given to this question, confider gravity, and in general whatever elfe is included under the notions of attraction and repulfion, only as appearances or phenomena.

It was thus they were confidered by that great man who has inftructed us. NEWTON never confidered gravity or it's laws but as facts. He afferts clearly, that he only used the words attraction and repulfion, to exprefs effects of caufes more remote, which general effects explained particular fubordinate effects. And he declared at the fame time, that he conceived thefe general effects might be produced by impulfion, and tried to explain them as well as the particular attractions and repulfions, perceived in certain phenomena, by means of an univerfal elaftic fluid, that he called ether, afcending always to a caufe foreign to matter, for a first fource of motion.

Remember, that though it may be difficult to find a mechanical caufe of gravity, which fhall be altogether fatisfactory, it is not difficult, as you have feen, to fhew the abfolute neceffity for fuch a caufe.

So long as you keep within the limits of phyfics, you must account for the motions of nature, by referring them to mechanical caufes; and where this cannot be done, you must confider them only

as

as appearances, till you fhall have fome further light by experience. Be not amufed with names and qualities, which contradict the known laws of mechanifm, and are ufed to fuperfede the agency of the elements.

OF ATTRACTION AND REPULSION.

The univerfe appears to be one great machine, fitted and difpofed to perform all the operations which are carried on throughout the whole. No one part of it fhould be confidered as acting, without being acted upon; and no individual can be confidered as an agent, without being a patient. It is unphilofophical to fay, matter in general, or any portion, has effential or feparate properties, by which one part acts upon another. It is the effential property of no one wheel in a machine to move it's fellow, though, in confequence of it's being placed in the ftation it is fitted for, it acts upon it's fellow, because it is acted upon.

It is exactly the fame with the whole fyftem of nature. You cannot take up any parcel of matter, and say thereof, This has effential, feparate properties, which empower it to be a natural agent. A philofopher fhould confider it as a concrete, with a certain difpofition of it's parts, liable to be acted upon by the more fubtil parts of the machine. And it may as juftly be afferted, that it is the effential property of animal fubftances to live, as that it is the effential property of the loadstone to attract.

The visible system of this world, created, difpofed, and fet in motion by the POWER OF GOD, acts as a machine does, a connection and communication being preferved between all the diftant parts. And you will find a mechanical agency takes place, to produce all the phenomena that

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furround

furround you, and is concerned in the formation, growth, and fupport of animals and vegetables : the more you confider and obferve the whole fyftem of nature, the more clearly you will perceive, that impulse is the only known material cause of

motion.

There are appearances, which have been haftily confidered as fources of motion, without any adequate caufe; these are generally known by the names of attraction and repulfion, and are diftinguifhed into feveral kinds; that of bodies falling to the earth, is called the attraction of gravity, or fimply gravity; that of the fmall parts of bodies to each other, is called the attraction of cohesion, and fo of other fpecies.

Here I muft again caution you not to let words fupply the place of real agents, or caufes where no caufes have been difcovered. Names may be used, as expreffive of appearances, or to diftinguish one appearance from another, but no further; thus the motion of fmall bodies approaching each other, as that of iron to the magnet, or that of bodies falling to the earth, may with propriety be diftinguished from each other, by peculiar names, as magnetic attraction, attraction of gravity, &c. &c. But if you use these words for another purpose, and fay, attraction is the cause of cohesion, the ufe is perverted, and becomes very exceptionable; they are then no longer the names of things perceived, of facts, but they become names of imaginary and unknown things.

Thus, when it is faid, that the parts of bodies cohere by attraction, what idea have you of the thing fignified by the word attraction? If you say, bodies defcend to the earth by their gravity, what idea have you of this gravity? If you fay, they gravitate by attraction, what do you mean by the word attraction different from the fact?

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