The inquiry naturally suggests itself, Can such a system possibly remain stable?—must it not, at last, fall into inextricable confusion? Newton saw how the mutual attraction of all the bodies of the system would entail serious disturbance; but it was beyond the reach of even his powers of analysis to discover the compensation which insures safety. He, indeed, came to the conclusion, that it would be necessary for the hand of Omnipotence occasionally to interfere, in order to prevent the crash of worlds and the ruin of the system. The machine was conceived to be imperfect, and, therefore, to need readjustment. Some have held, that this view of the system forces upon us, more irresistibly, the conviction of a God than the admission of a self-adjustment; but, undoubtedly, the self-adjusting arrangement only enhances the wisdom of the Designing Intelligence. It exhibits one of the most wondrous adaptations of means to an end, and consequently forces upon us, more convincingly, the necessity of Divine contrivance. A somewhat parallel case is furnished by the steam-engine. Watt, by the contrivance of the governor, enabled the machine to regulate itself, and to dispense with the aid of the attendant in proportioning the supply of steam to the work to be done. The centrifugal balls of the governor, performing their work according to certain mechanical laws, only exalt our estimate of the mechanical genius displayed in the construction of the steam-engine.
