beings that are confidered as at reft, and, finding that fpirits, as well as bodies, cannot operate but where they are, and that fpirits do operate at feveral times in feveral places, I cannot but attribute change of place to all finite fpirits; (for of the infinite fpirit I speak not here). For my foul, being a real being as well as my body, is certainly as capable of changing diftance with any other body or being, as body itself; and fo is capable of motion. And if a mathematician can confider a certain diftance, or a change of that diftance between two points, one may certainly conceive a diftance, and a change of distance between two fpirits; and fo conceive their motion, their approach, or removal one from another. $ 20. EVERY one finds in himfelf, that his foul can think, will, and operate on his body in the place where that is, but cannot operate on a body, or in a place an hundred miles diitant from it. Nobody can imagine that his foul can think, or move a body at Oxford, whilft he is at London; and cannot but know, that being united to his body, it conftantly changes place all the whole journey between Oxford and London, as the coach or horfe does that carries him, and, I think, may be faid to be truly all that while in motion; or, if that will not be allowed to afford us a clear idea enough of its motion, its being feparated from the body in death, I think, will: For to confider it as going out of the body, or leaving it, and yet to have no idea of its motion, feems to me impoffible. $ 21. IF it be faid by any one, that it cannot change place, because it hath none; for fpirits are not in locs, but ubi ; I fuppofe that way of talking will not now be of much weight to many, in an age that is not much difposed to admire, or fuffer themselves to be deceived by fuch unintelligible ways of fpeaking. But if any one thinks there is any fenfe in that diftinction, and that it is applicable to our present purpose, I defire him to put it into intelligible English; and then from thence draw a reason to fhow, that immaterial fpirits are not capable of mo tion. Indeed motion cannot be attributed to God, not because he is an immaterial, but because he is an infinite Spirit. § 22. Idea of Soul and Body compared. LET us compare then our complex idea of an immaterial fpirit with our complex idea of body, and fee whether there be any more obfcurity in one than in the other, and in which moft. Our idea of body, as I think, is an extended folid fubftance, capable of communicating motion by impulfe: And our idea of foul, as an im material fpirit, is of a substance that thinks, and has a power of exciting motion in body, by willing or thought. Thefe, I think, are our complex ideas of foul and body, as contra-diftinguished; and now let us examine which has moft obfcurity in it, and difficultly to be apprehended. I know, that people, whofe thoughts are immerfed in matter, and have fo fubjected their minds to their fenfes, that they feldom reflect on any thing beyond them, are apt to fay, they cannot comprehend a thinking thing; which perhaps is true: But I affirm, when they confider it well, they can no more comprehend an extended thing. § 23. Cchefion of folid Parts in Body, as hard to be conceived as Thinking in a Soul. If any one fay, he knows not what it is thinks in him; he means, he knows not what the fubftance is of that thinking thing: No more, fay I, knows he what the fubftance is of that folid thing. Farther, if he fays he knows not how he thinks, I anfwer, Neither knows he how he is extended; how the folid parts of body are united, or cohere together, to make extension. For though the preffure of particles of air may account for the cohesion of feveral parts of matter, that are groffer than the particles of air, and have pores lefs than the corpufcles of air; yet the weight or preffure of the air will not explain, nor can be a cause of the coherence of the particles of air themfelves. And, if the preflure of the ether, or any fubtiler matter than the air, may unite, and hold fast together the parts of a particle of air, as well as other bodies, yet it cannot make bonds for itself, and hold together the parts that make up every the leaft corpufcle of that materia fubtilis. So that that hypothefis, how ingeniously foever explained, by fhowing that the parts of fenfible bodies are held together by the preffure of other external infenfible bodies, reaches not the parts of the ether itfelf: And by how much the more evident it proves, that the parts of other bodies are held together by the external preffure of the ether, and can have no other conceivable cause of their cohesion and union, by fo much the more it leaves us in the dark concerning the cohefion of the parts of the corpufcles of the ether itfelf; which we can neither conceive without parts, they being bodies, and divifible; nor yet how their parts cohere, they wanting that cause of cohefion which is given of the cohefion of all other bodies. 24. Bur in truth, the pressure of any ambient fluid, how great foever, can be no intelligible cause of the cohefion of the folid parts of matter. For though fuch a preffure may hinder the avulfion of two polished fuperficies one from another, in a line perpendicular to them, as in the experiment of two polifhed marbles; yet it can never, in the leaft, hinder the feparation by a motion, in a line parallel to those surfaces; because the ambient fluid, having a full liberty to fucceed in each point of space, deferted by a lateral motion, refifts fuch a motion of bodies fo joined, no more than it would refift the motion of that body, were it on all fides environed by that fluid, and touched no other body: And therefore, if there were no other caufe of cohefion, all parts of bodies must be easily feparable by such a lateral fliding motion: For if the preffure of the ether be the adequate caufe of cohesion, wherever that caufe operates not, there can be no cohefion. And fince it cannot operate against fuch a lateral feparation (as has been. fhown), therefore, in every imaginary plain, interfecting any mass of matter, there could be no more cohesion, than of two polifhed furfaces, which will always, not withstanding any imaginable preffure of a fluid, eafily flide one from another. So that perhaps, how clear an idea foever we think we have of the extension of body, which is nothing but the cohesion of folid parts, he that fhall well confider it in his mind, may have reason to conclude, that it is as eafy for him to have a clear idea, how the foul thinks, as how body is extended. For fince body is no farther, nor otherwife extended, than by the union and cohesion of its folid parts, we fhall very ill comprehend the extenfion of body, without understanding wherein confifts the union and cohesion of its parts; which feems to me as incomprehenfible, as the manner of thinking, and how it is performed. $ 25. I ALLOW it is ufual for most people to wonder, how any one should find a difficulty in what they think they every day obferve. Do we not fee (will they be ready to fay) the parts of bodies ftick firmly together? Is there any thing more common? And what doubt can there be made of it? And the like I fay concerning thinking and voluntary motion. Do we not every moment experiment it in ourselves; and therefore can it be doubted? The matter of fact is clear, I confefs; but when we would a little nearer look into it, and confider how it is done, there I think we are at a lofs, both in the one and the other; and can as little understand how the parts of body cohere, as how we ourselves perceive, or move. I would have any one intelligibly explain to me, how the parts of gold, or brafs (that but now in fufion were as loose from one another, as the particles of water, or the fands of an hour-glafs), come in a few moments to be fo united, and adhere fo ftrongly one to another, that the utmoft force of mens arms cannot feparate them: A confidering man will, I fuppofe, be here at a lofs to fatisfy his own or another man's understanding. § 26. THE little bodies that compofe that fluid we call water, are fo extremely small, that I have never heard of any one, who, by a microfcope, (and yet I have heard of fome that have magnified to 10,000, nay, to much above particle of air, as well as other bodies, yet it cannot make bonds for itself, and hold together the parts that make up every the least corpufcle of that materia fubtilis. So that that hypothefis, how ingeniously foever explained, by fhowing that the parts of fenfible bodies are held together by the preffure of other external infenfible bodies, reaches not the parts of the ether itself: And by how much the more evident it proves, that the parts of other bodies are held together by the external preffure of the ether, and can have no other conceivable cause of their cohesion and union, by fo much the more it leaves us in the dark concerning the cohesion of the parts of the corpufcles of the ether itfelf; which we can neither conceive without parts, they being bodies, and divifible; nor yet how their parts cohere, they wanting that caufe of cohefion which is given of the cohesion of all other bodies. $24. BUT in truth, the preffure of any ambient fluid, how great foever, can be no intelligible cause of the cobefion of the folid parts of matter. For though fuch a preffure may hinder the avulfion of two polished superficies one from another, in a line perpendicular to them, as in the experiment of two polifhed marbles; yet it can never, in the leaft, hinder the feparation by a motion, in a line parallel to those surfaces; because the ambient fluid, having a full liberty to fucceed in each point of space, deferted by a lateral motion, refifts fuch a motion of bodies fo joined, no more than it would refift the motion of that body, were it on all fides environed by that fluid, and touched no other body: And therefore, if there were no other caufe of cohefion, all parts of bodies must be easily separable by fuch a lateral fliding motion: For if the preffure of the ether be the adequate caufe of cohefion, wherever that cause operates not, there can be no cohefion. operate against fuch a lateral fhown), therefore, in every im any mafs of matter, there co than of two polished surface fince it c 1 |