as not material to the Carte/an* Quadrupeds
are looked upon as a 'ttioft compleat Piece of Clock-Work, or M-
tomabj moved only as the- Objedk makes an Impreffion oirithe Organ,
but fince thefe Creatures arfe^lftairfly endued withThought,
arid Memory, which can never be explain’d by Rules of Me-
chanifm , that Hypothefis is but ill grounded ft Nay; they are
fo far from explaining thefe two faculties by their 'Problems in Me-
chanicks,that they are at a full flop,even by thofe^Rules. To unfold
tome the more eafy inftance :of voluntary, motion , Steno,
Charleton^ BoreUus^ and Crone; have made Ingenious Conjectures
on this Point, yet are defective when they come fo examine the
main bufinefs on thofe Notions ; 1 Epicurus, Lucretius^ and Mr.
Lock, refine, and explain, the Knowledge of Brutes} by linages,
and Ideas, and thefe they itiake either Simple or Complex; and
thofe imprinted upon the Organ by the Object, and theri^iv4 fc'is
through a long experience of thofe Ideas, they are able to think;and
diftinguifli^and in that,as they would’have it,erinfifts theirl[n®w£
ledge: Now 1. wou’d only enquire, of thefe Learned Gentlemen;
a folurion of on.e Queftiqnj whether or no thefe Ideas imprinted
on the Organ, by the Qhje$, be /Material or Immaterial; if they
allow them Material, it is impofilbfe but by fuch a weight of
matter, through the whole Series; of a Creatures Life , imprinted
on the Organ, the Organ muft unavoidably be tooop-
preft even to diftinguiffi at a ll: It is plain the Eye,for afmall Sea-
fon^nay view^tfieSun, but by a pieflfureof its Particles upon it,
itfoon becomes dim, and undefcerning ; But to this they may
reply, that an Impreffion on the Organ is made equally as ihat
of the Effigies of a Signet on Wax; But this will appear as liable
to abfurdities as the former, for from the fame object on the fame
Organ, ftill new Impreffions muft1 fucceed, hence the Organ in a
common trad of time , muft neceflarily be worn out and de-
ftroy’d, and confequently not be abje to diftinguifh any thing;
for doubtlefs if the Ob)e& eou’d at any time ftamp any Impreffion
or Idea, it muft Cateris paribus ftill do fo, and then the corife-
quence is unavoidable : But if they allege thefe Ideas" or
Images are Immaterial, then a Soul or Spiritual being follows- evidently
viden^iinrêh^fYC^^ .to $&mte thé, Body, and
be capable of feme degrees of^nowlédge ;hthis allow’d , e there
is no oiccafion for théfeMag^^ or, Ideas, for why fhouH Nature
produce any /thiqgj èa yain ;nBéingp jpthout a neeeffity ane
never i multiply’d And now after all thé 'Bkze thatiEdaborafe
Piece :df fiumaSh Underftahdmg has profcured in thè Wofcld,
from. w.hat is obferved, it;is eafy to learn, 4 hatit amounts to rib
anore ithan trifling in Bhilbfopbiy, and refining on the Godhead;;
and perhaps to too many unwarily caught^, ^ s beensofpemid'
®us xsonfequènoe;: I have infilled èèriauft'
üiis Bookr, fisteiv-’d , if rightly
wei^M^siscnb more than what, Mr. Mohiishas before alin’d ;
iiia ll therefore Examine hisJjypc^hefisr that ibeing StheBafis df
the former ;Mr. iBWVNption •was ,;oBhctt. ail Benigs 'were mate-
rial , iatid that betwixt Matter and. Nothing there wok no (R&in-
Btion; Which notion, no doub tg a v e ;hjrit to that’ great Man
befereimfnrion’d to form his Iflefe; hoWfar -Mr. IfoM’s Hypothefis
m corififterit' with reafo^rffra.the fallowing Reafbn'I fuh-
ttiit to4 he Judgment of theMforld : In the firft place ldt him tell
ISe how Matter cari think; if hë be there at a lofs, nfeis Ndtion
'üriavëidabiy-falls; but to day It can ,' tis only to 'affejt Afettèr
ateng^ri^h'Matter<and then I.would know what it is that
jridgethof that adtidnThougSt/wlfen it abftra<fts from all material
QbjeSts; This cannot be .ftappofed to be a beiri^ fcorififting
of Matter, for then it could not judge of the Action for thé Rear
fens before Ülqg&d'WtIt is true inJMatbetnatical Argumentations
we have dint Ideas of any Beings, but what confequently we
muft fuppofe to be Material, fix* our apprehenfions of them ate
under feme determinate iFigrire ; and fo Confequently Material,
becaufe' that is a Quality, *tëz.; Exftérifiod;' ihfeperable frbm MaL
ter: Put fince to form adequate Conceptions óf immaterial Beings,
furpafles both our lnteflecfHand Orgaris, it does not therefore
Follow that there are not ariy Such Beings, no more than
fince r M^ematidanicanriotby the Rules of Arifbtrietick de*
monftrafe why otte Gf'ain fhorild become five hundred, which
tiptWithftanding is obviWsand fknliliaf enough. It is ftrange