How, therefore, shall we satisfy ourselves concerning the
cause of that Being whom you suppose the Author of Nature, or,
according to your system of Anthropomorphism, the ideal world,
into which you trace the material? Have we not the same reason to
trace that ideal world into another ideal world, or new
intelligent principle? But if we stop, and go no further; why go
so far? why not stop at the material world? How can we satisfy
ourselves without going on in infinitum? And, after all, what
satisfaction is there in that infinite progression? Let us
remember the story of the Indian philosopher and his elephant. It
was never more applicable than to the present subject. If the
material world rests upon a similar ideal world, this ideal world
must rest upon some other; and so on, without end. It were
better, therefore, never to look beyond the present material
world. By supposing it to contain the principle of its order
within itself, we really assert it to be God; and the sooner we
arrive at that Divine Being, so much the better. When you go one
step beyond the mundane system, you only excite an inquisitive
humour which it is impossible ever to satisfy.
To say, that the different ideas which compose the reason of
the Supreme Being, fall into order of themselves, and by their
own nature, is really to talk without any precise meaning. If it
has a meaning, I would fain know, why it is not as good sense to
say, that the parts of the material world fall into order of
themselves and by their own nature.
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