Translation © George MacDonald Ross, 1999

Leibniz to Princess Caroline, November 1715

[2] . . . Natural religion itself seems to be in an extreme state of decay [in England]. Many make souls material, and others make God himself material.

Mr. Locke and his followers at least wonder whether souls might not be material, and mortal by nature.

Mr. Newton says that space is the organ which God uses to sense things with. [n.1] But if he needs some means to sense things with, then they do not depend entirely on him, and they are not produced by him.

Mr. Newton and his followers also have a very odd opinion about [4] God’s creation. According to them, God needs to wind up his watch from time to time, in order to prevent it from stopping. [n.2] He didn’t have enough vision to make it a perpetual motion machine. This divine machine is so imperfect (according to them) that he is forced to give it a regular service by a miraculous intervention; and even to mend it, as a clockmaker mends his products. But the more a clockmaker has to retouch and correct his work, the worse a craftsman be is. In my opinion, the quantity of force and energy in the world remains constant, and only passes from one piece of matter to another, in accordance with the laws of nature, and with the beautiful pre-established order. And I hold that, when God performs miracles, this is not to fulfil the requirements of Nature, but those of Grace. To think otherwise would be to have a very mean conception of the wisdom and power of God. . .