Newton's explanation was based on idea of Inertial Movement and Gravity. All bodies moved as if every particle attracted every other particle with a force proportional to the product of the two masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. He still could not explain Gravity. The Three Laws of Motion 1. A body moves in a straight line unless impeded.
Every action has equal and opposite reaction.
Every body attracts every other body with a force proportional to the distance between. Note that motion is normal, and does not need explaining. Also force can be conveyed without physical touching. It is still not clear if Newton was correct here. Inertia drives out the angels and lets us get the view of the Universe a a large piece of clockwork.