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ties also and powers of organized fubftances, of vegetable or of animated nature? Nay, further, we may afk, What kingdom is there of nature, what corner of space, in which there is any thing that can be examined by us, where we do not fall upon contrivance and design? The only reflection perhaps which arifes in our minds from this view of the world around us is, that the laws of nature every where prevail; that they are uniform, and univerfal. But what do we mean by the laws of nature, or by any law? Effects are produced by power, not by laws. A law cannot execute itself. A law refers us to an agent. Now an agency fo general, as that we cannot discover its abfence, or affign the place in which fome effect of its continued energy is not found, may, in popular language at leaft, and, perhaps, without much deviation from philofophical strictness, be called univerfal: and, with not quite the fame, but with no inconfiderable propriety, the perfon or Being, in whom that power refides, or from whom it is derived, may be taken to be omniprefent. He who upholds all things by his power, may be faid to be every where present.

This is called a virtual prefence. There is

alfo what metaphyficians denominate an effential ubiquity and which idea the language of fcripture feems to favour: but the former, I think, goes as far as natural theology carries us.

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Eternity," is a negative idea, clothed with a positive name. It fuppofes, in that to which it is applied, a prefent existence; and is the negation of a beginning, or an end of that exiftence. As applied to the Deity, it has not been contraverted by those who acknowledged a Deity at all. Moft affuredly, there never was a time in which nothing existed, because that condition must have continued. The univerfal blank must have remained; nothing could rife up out of it; nothing could ever have exifted fince; nothing could exift now. In flrictness, however, we have no concern with duration prior to that of the visible world. Upon this article therefore of theology, it is fufficient to know, that the contriver neceffarily existed before the contrivance.

"Self-existence," is another negative idea, viz, the negation of a preceding caufe, as of a progenitor, a maker, an author, a creator.

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Neceffary existence" means demonftrable existence.

"Spirituality" expreffes an idea, made up

of

of a negative part, and of a positive part. The negative part, confifts in the exclufion of fome of the known properties of matter, especially of folidity, of the vis inertiæ, and of gravitation. The positive part, comprises perception, thought, will, power, action, by which laft term is meant, the origination of motion; the quality, perhaps, in which refides the effential fuperiority of spirit over matter, "which cannot move, unless it be moved; and cannot but move, when impelled by another*." I apprehend that there can be no difficulty in applying to the Deity both parts of this idea.

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Bishop Wilkins's Principles of Nat. Rel. p. 106.

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CHAPTER XXV.

THE UNITY OF THE DEITY.

OF F the "unity of the Deity" the proof is, the uniformity of plan obfervable in the universe. The universe itself is a fyftem; each part either depending upon other parts, or being connected with other parts by fome common law of motion, or by the prefence of fome common fubftance. One principle of gravitation caufes a ftone to drop towards the earth, and the moon to wheel round it. One law of attraction carries all the dif ferent planets about the fun. This philofophers demonftrate. There are alfo other points of agreement amongst them, which may be confidered as marks of the identity of their origin, and of their intelligent author. In all are found the conveniency and stability derived from gravitation. They all experience viciffitudes of days and nights, and changes of feason. They all, at leaft Jupiter, Mars, and Venus, have the fame advantages from their

atmospheres

atmospheres as we have. In all the planets the axes of rotation are permanent. Nothing is more probable, than that the fame attracting influence, acting according to the fame rule, reaches to the fixed ftars: but, if this be only probable, another thing is certain, viz. that the fame element of light does. The light from a fixed ftar affes our eyes in the fame manner, is refracted and reflected according to the fame laws, as the light of a candle. The velocity of the light of the fixed ftars, is alfo the fame as the velocity of the light of the fun, reflected from the fatellites of Jupiter. The heat of the fun, in kind, differs nothing from the heat of a coal fire.

In our own globe the cafe is clearer. New countries are continually difcovered, but the old laws of nature are always found in them: new plants perhaps or animals, but always in company with plants and animals, which we already know; and always poffeffing many of the fame general properties. We never get amongst fuch original, or totally different, modes of existence, as to indicate, that we are come into the province of a different Creator, or under the direction of a different will. In truth, the fame order of things attends us, wherever

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