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what is Motion, under all Determinations, Collifions and Combinations, but change of Place? and, how can change of Place produce Thinking, under any variety of Contexture in the Particles of Matter? Free-will is impoffible to be accounted for by Matter and Motion, as Epicurus found, who was therefore forced to have recourse to his Declinationes Atomorum; for which he is fo juftly expofed by Tully. For neither can Matter determine its own Motion, nor can Motion determine it felf, but must be determined by fomething External; whereas all men find it in their power to determine themfelves by an Inward and voluntary Principle.

It is true, indeed, that the Soul, in its Operations, depends very much upon the Temperament of the Body: yet the Soul, even in this ftate, has Thoughts, which have no Relation to the Body, or any Material Thing; as Thoughts of God and Spirits, its

own

own Reflex Thoughts, or Conscioufnefs of its own Operations. And if it were now capable of no Thoughts, but fuch as have fome dependance upon the Body; yet this can never prove, that the Soul it felf is Material, or that Matter Thinks. A Man writes with his Pen, and cannot write without one; Is it therefore his Pen properly that writes,and not the Man? The Body is the Inftrument of the Soul, in its Operations here; and as the Inftrument is fit or unfit, fo muft its Operations be more or less perfe&.

But it is ftrange, that the chief part of us fhould be of fuch a Nature, that a we can form no Idea of it. We may

form an Idea of it, though but an imperfect one: And do we not know, that the Eye, the nobleft part of the Body, cannot fee it felf, but imperfedly, and by Reflexion? And let any Man try, whether he can form a better Idea of a Material Soul, than

of

of an Immaterial one.

But this Wri

ter, by Idea, feems to mean a Material Idea, or Imagination and we cannot, indeed, form a Material Idea of an Immaterial Spirit. Yet, after all which he, or any Man else, has faid, the Nature of the Soul is as clearly understood, as that of the Body and there is nothing encumbred with greater Difficulties than *Extenfion, if that be the Effence of Matter; and if that be not, it is as hard ftill to know what the Effence of Matter is. The time Inftance which he brings of Brutes, is eafily answered, Whether they can think, or not. If they cannot, the Objection falls of it felf: If they can, I fhould rather fuppofe, that their Souls may be annihilated, or may tranfmigrate and pass from one Brute to another, than that the Souls of Men must be Material, that the Souls of Brutes may be Material too.

Ano

Locke's

Under

§. 6.

the Bishop

P. 66.

Another Gentleman, of late, has

may,

() Mr. afferted, (u) That it is impoffible for Hamane us, by the Contemplation of our own Standing, Idea's, without Revelation, to discover 1.4.c.3. whether Omnipotency hath not given to Letter to fome Systems of Matter, fitly difpofed, of Worcest. a Power to Perceive or Think; and, That there is a Poffibility that God if he pleases, fuper-add to Matter a Faculty of Thinking: which is what he likewife calls a Modification of Thinking," or Power of Thinking. But it feems not intelligible, how God fhould fuper-add to Matter this Faculty, or Power, or Modification, of Thinking, unless he change the Nature of Matter, and make it to be quite another thing than it is, or join a Subftance of another Nature to it. But the Queftion is, Whether a Faculty of Thinking can be produced out of the Powers and various Modifications of Matter? And we can have no more conception, how any Modification of Matter can produce Thinking, than we can, how

any

any Modification of Sound fhould produce Seeing all Modifications of Matter are the fame, as to this Point; and Matter may as well be made no Matter by Modifying, as be made to Think by it. This is juft as if a Man fhould maintain, That though all Immaterial Subftances are not extended and divifible, yet fome of them may poffibly be, or Omnipotence may fuper-add to them a Faculty of Extenfion and Divifibility for Immaterial Subftances may become Divisible and Material by the fame Philofophy: by which we may conclude, that Matter may Think; which is the fame thing as to become Immaterial, and to furpass all the Powers and Capacities of But though I have, upon

Matter.

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this occafion, mention'd this Gentleman here; yet it would be a great Injury done him, to rank him with the

Authors of The Oracles of Reafon.

There is prefix'd to these Pieces, an Account of the Life and Death of that

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