39 Z Sir ISAAC N E W T O NTs 'Book IV.

their present objects, will easily be persuaded that man wasdesigned for higher views than of this life. These the author ofnature may have in reserve to be opened up to us, at properperiods of time, and after due preparation. Surely it is in hispower to grant us a far greater improvement of the faculties wealready possess, or even to endow us with new faculties, ofwhich, at this time, we have no idea, for penetrating fartherinto the scheme of nature, and approaching nearer to himself,the first and supreme cause. We know not how far it wasproper or necessary that we should not be let into know-ledge at once, but should advance gradually, that, by com-paring new objects, or new discoveries, with what was knownto us before, our improvements might be more complete andregular ; or how far it may be necessary or advantageous, thatintelligent beings should pass through a kind of infancy ofknowledge. For new knowledge does not consist so much inour having access to a new object, as in comparing it with o-thers already known, observing its relations to them, or dis-cerning what it has in common with them, and wherein theirdisparity consists. Thus our knowledge is vastly greater thanthe sum of what all its objects separately could afford ; andwhen a new object comes within our reach, the addition toour knowledge is the greater, the more we already know ; sothat it increases not as the new objects increase, but in a muchiiigher proportion. * * *

finis .