The reasoning of Lactantius, on this subject, is more worthy of a philosopher, than that employed by Descartes, in supporting his chimerical notion of vortices; or than that which led Kepler to adopt his scheme, equally unsupported by any rational principles, of a vectorial power produced by emanations of the sun, as primary agents of motion in the solar system. Because these schemes of Descartes and Kepler make it necessary to recur to some ulterior, as well as more adequate and comprehensible cause of motion, in the planets, than either vortices or emanations from the sun: whereas Lactantius resorted, at once, to an intelligent First Cause, capable of producing the effect; without conjuring up inefficient agents, as first movers; which left them still under the necessity of going back to a CREATOR of their respective causes (but second causes, at best,) of the planetary motions; consequently, the First Cause; and, also, of admitting the existence of Intelligence, as an essential attribute in the nature of that Being. An edition of the works of Lactantius (who was a native of Fermo in Italy,) was printed at Leipsick, in 1715. ----- Adverting to such as considered “fire, or wind, or the swift air, or the circle of the stars, or the violent water, or the lights of heaven, to be gods which govern the world,”[30] he applies the words of Solomon:—“With whose beauty, if they, being delighted, took them to be gods; let them know how much better the Lord of them is: for the first Author of beauty has created them—For, by the greatness and beauty of the creatures, proportionably the Maker of them is seen.”[31] ----- Footnote 30: Wisdom of Solomon, ch. 13. v. 2. Footnote 31: Ibid. ch. 13. v. 3 and 5. ----- “David found also, in the stars,” continues Lalande, “means of elevating his contemplation of the Deity:”—“The heavens declare the glory of God;”[32] “I will view thy heavens, the works of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established:” and we see that Mr. Derham has called by the name of “_Astro-Theology_,” a work, in which is presented, in all their force, the singularity and grandeur of the discoveries that have been made in astronomy; as being so many proofs of the existence of a God. (See what Aristotle thought on this subject, in the eighth book of his _Physics_.) ----- Footnote 32: Psalm 19. v. 1. ----- Such were the reflections of Mr. Lalande, on a subject with which he was intimately acquainted.