They were taught by him to think and to reason. They stood on ground which his wisdom and diligence had gained. As long as the human faculties continue to be objects of study, this illustrious man must be considered one of the greatest fathers of knowledge, and his writings as forming a distinguished æra in the history of science.

But though no builders in the temple of science may have arisen to the same rank with those MASTER WORKMEN, whose names have been mentioned; yet many distinguished men, within the period of which we are speaking, have contributed their labours to enlarge, to simplify, to strengthen, and to adorn the edifice, with honourable success. Of these, time would fail us to recount even the principal names. The most general and superficial views only of their laudable achievements can be given.

CHAPTER I.

MECHANICAL PHILOSOPHY.

UNDER this general head is included the whole of that extensive branch of science, "which explains the sensible motions of the bodies of the universe, with the view to discover their causes, to account for subordinate phenomena, and to improve art.' In this department of science, the progress of the last century has been astonishingly great. New fields of inquiry have been opened; splendid discoveries have been made; and facts, apparently discordant, have been connected and systematized, to an extent which does signal honour

to human capacity; and which far surpasses what the most sanguine projectors of former times had reason to anticipate. And the paths to yet further improvements in this science are so clearly marked out, that nothing seems requisite but honest industry, patience, and persevering attention, to enable future adventurers to penetrate into regions of knowledge, at present far removed from the sight of man.

Though the Newtonian Philosophy is, perhaps, one of the noblest products of human genius ever given to the world; yet that great interpreter of nature was by no means free from mistake, which besets, and characterizes all human labours.-The errors in this system, which probably, all things considered, were as few as ever mingled themselves with so extensive and important a fabric, were, some of them, corrected by his successors; who, while they could distinguish spots in this luminary of science, yet were not backward to pay due homage to his general and splendid excellence.But, though he had many philosophical adversaries, who called in question his right to the honour of certain discoveries, and who opposed particular doctrines, there were few who ventured to declare war against the leading principles of his system. This however was done by some, respectable both for their learning and talents.

Among these, perhaps none are more worthy of notice than the celebrated JOHN HUTCHINSON, of Great-Britain, and his followers, who occupy a considerable space in the scientific history of the eighteenth century. Mr. HUTCHINSON, dissatisfied with the prevalence of Newton's opinions, and, perhaps, feeling some envy at his extended fame, undertook to disprove the doctrines displayed in his Principia, as opposed to revelation, and, of consequence, false. To effect this, he

published, in 1724, the first part of a large and learned work, which he called Moses's Principia, in which he ridiculed the doctrine of gravitation as impious and absurd; and in 1727, the second part, in which he delivered what he supposed to be the true principles of scripture philosophy. This singular philosopher taught, that the sacred writings are intended to instruct us in all physical as well as moral and spiritual truth; that the Hebrew text of the Bible is not only, in every respect, entire, as it came from God; but also that every word of it is pregnant with philosophical, as well as theological meaning. Hence his hypothesis is chiefly founded on arbitrary and fanciful interpretations of Hebrew words, from the hidden meaning of which he and his followers supposed themselves to have drawn the richest stores of various kinds of knowledge.

66

According to HUTCHINSON, "all things are con"tained in the substance of God, and his substance "extends to infinite space. Heaven and earth, space and matter, are created things, and con"sist of solid atoms; those of earth adhering in "bodies or dense fluids-those of the heaven in orbs, darkness, fire, light and clouds. The uni

66

verse is full of these solid atoms: in other words, "creation is a plenum. The matter of the heavens "is fluid; it is also finite, and has circumferential "limits or extremities, though it extends through "all created space, from the sun, its centre, be"yond the remotest fixed stars. This matter of "the heavens consists of spirit, or air, light and fire, as three of its principal modifications. The

16

sun is the fire-place which sets all this matter in motion, melting, expanding, and throwing it "off to the most distant confines of creation, where "it is cooled, consolidated, and pressed back "again, to be melted anew, and sent forth a se

“cond time; and so on.

The solid atoms are of

different sizes and figures; so that, when one "portion of them congeals, or forms into grains,

there are pores among them large enough to "permit atoms of a smaller size to pass freely "through. The condition of the matter of the "heavens, under the action of fire at the sun, was "chamah; the streams of light from the sun, moon " and stars, were ashteroth; and the grains of air δε returning from the circumference of the heavens "to the sun, was baalim. Concrete matter, how66 ever, is often so constituted as not to be perme"able very easily, but to resist. The several sorts "of atoms composing the fluid matter which occupies immeasurable space, are the moving powers by which God acts upon and regulates "the machinery of the universe. The more compact or unyielding modifications of it constitute "the great orbs, or machines, to be urged along

by their impulse. The latter are the chariots, "and the former the drivers. When, therefore, "light, impelled by the sun, strikes the side of "such a body as the earth we inhabit, it excites "heat in that part, and the spirit, or air, being

rarefied, or made to recede thereby, motion is cc communicated to the whole orb. The motion "thus begun, is promoted and continued by the vast and incessant pressure of the dark, cold "and dense matter on the opposite side. And "thus the globe being started by the lessening of pressure on one side, and the augmentation of it on the other, its diurnal and annual revolutions "were soon impressed upon it by a little variation "of the forces. The like reasoning he applied to "the moon, and to all the other planets and their "satellites. By the operation of light, thus sent "out from the sun, and acting upon the other fluid "matter of the heavens, and upon the celestial

66

orbs, they become enlightened, warmed or inflamed: spirit, or air, pushed in with irresisti"ble compression; and motion, rotation and progression were accounted for, without having recourse to such miserable terms as projection, gravitation, or attraction."

σε

These wild and fanciful opinions attracted much attention in Great-Britain, and were embraced by some learned and respectable men; especially by those who entertained the groundless fear that NEWTON'S System of philosophy was hostile to revelation. Among these the celebrated PARKHURST, Bishop' HORNE, and the Rev. Mr. JONES, of Nayland, were, perhaps, the most able and distinguished.--But notwithstanding the weight of a few names, which appeared on the side of this hypothesis, before the close of the eighteenth century, it had lost a large portion of its advocates; and both the admiration and the knowledge of HUTCHINSON's voluminous writings had nearly disappeared.

Another opponent of the Newtonian system was GODFRED WILLIAM LEIBNITZ, a philosopher of Leipsic, in Germany, whose celebrated theory demands our notice. He taught that the whole universe is made up of monads, that is, simple substances without parts or figure, each of which is, by

e After examining, with considerable care, HUTCHINSON's Works, in 12 vols. 8vo. printed in 1748, I did not dare to undertake the arduous task of exhibiting the opinions scattered through his erudite but obscure pages, in a short compass, and in my own language. I have therefore taken the above abstract from the Medical Repository, vol. iv. p. 281, 282. Those who wish to obtain a farther knowledge of the peculiar notions of this singular man, without the trouble of wading through his dull and tedious volumes, will find a tolerably distinct and comprehensive account of them, in the State of the Republic of Letters, &c. vol. v. for the year 1730 -And in a work entitled, Thoughts concerning Religion, &c. printed at Edinburgh, 1743. It is curious to observe, that while the Hutchinsonians so liberally censure the followers of NEWTON for giving too much activity to matter, they fall into the same error (as they call it) in an equal degree. But, in truth, if NEWTON's idea of attractive power be examined, it will be found only another mode of expression for a continual Divine agency, exerted according to a certain law.

D

1