[js1138]

It is in every case more conformable with what we know of the government of this earth, that the Creator should have imposed only general laws. ...

This appears to be a variation of Occam's razor.

It is also the first of Newton's rules for conducting research.

[PatrickHenry]

Darwin said: "It is in every case more conformable with what we know of the government of this earth, that the Creator should have imposed only general laws."

This appears to be a variation of Occam's razor. It is also the first of Newton's rules for conducting research.

I take it to mean only this: "We always observe regularities in nature, i.e., the operation of general laws, and not chaos." (Note: those are my words, not Darwin's or Newton's.)