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Show Our Ideas of Subftances. B.ook II. power of Matter. But be that as it will, I think, we have as ll)any, and as clear Idtas belonging to !Spirit, as we have belongmg to Body, the Subfiance of each being eq~ally unkno':"n to us; and the Idea of Tht?king in Spirit, as clear as ol Extenfion 1~ Body ; and the commumcatton of Monon by Tho.ught, which we attribute to Spmt, ~s as evident, as that by impulfe wluch we afcnbe to Body. Confiant Expenence makes u1 fenfible of both of thefe, though our narrow Underflandings can ·Comprehend neither. For when the Mind would look beyond thefe original Ideas we have from Senfation, or RefleCtion; and penetrate into their Cauf;s, and manner of production, we lind full, it difcovers nothing but its own fhort·fightednefs. ~- 19. To conclude·, Senfatiod convinces us, that there are folid extended Subfiances; and Reflection,that there are thinking ones : Experience alTures us of the Exiflence of fuch Beings; and that the one hath a power to move Body by impulfe, tho' other by thought ; this we cannot doubt of. Experience, I fay, every moment furni!hes us with the clear Ideas, both of the. one, and the other. But beyond thefe Ideas, as received from their proper Sources, our Faculties will not reach. If we would enquire farther into their Nature, Caufes , and Manner, we perceive not the NatureofExtenfion, clearer than. we do ofThinking. Jfwewou!d explain them any farther, one is as eafie as the other : and there is no more difficulty , to conceive how a Subfiance we know not , fhould by thought fet Body into motion, than how a Subflance we know not lhould by impulfe fet Body into motion. So that we are no more able t~ difcover, wherein the Jd<as belonging to Body coolin, than thofe belonging to Spiri~. From whenc~ it feems probable to me, that the lim pie Ideas, we recetve from Senfat1on and ReflectiOn , are the Boundaries of our Thoughts; beyond which, the Mind, whatever efforts it would make is not able to advance one jdt : nor can it make any difcoveries when i; would prie into the Nature, and hidden Caufes of thofe Ideas. ' ~ . 30. So that, in fhort, the Idea we have of Spirit, compared ••ith the Idea we have of Body, fiands thus: The fubfiance of Spirit is unknown to us; andf? is the fubfiance of Body, equally unknown to us : Two primary Qyalmes, or Propert1es of Body, ,;..,fohd coherent parts and impulfe, we have difiinct clear Ideas of: So likewife we know and' have diftin~ clear Ideas of two primary Qyalities, or Properties of Spirit, "it. Tlunkmg, and a power Action; i.e. a power of beginning, or fio.rping feveral Thoughts, or Mortons. We have alfo the Ideas of feveral ~ali· ties inherent in Bodies, and have the clear difiinct Ideas of them: which ~alities, are but the various modifications of the Extenfion of cohering folid Parts, and their motion. We have likewife the Ideas of the feveral modes ofThi.nking, ,;,. Believing, Doubting, Intending, Fearing, Hopmg ; ·all whtc~ •. are but the fe_veral modes of Thinking. We have alfo the Ideas _of Wdhng, and Movmg the Body confequent to it, and with the Body It felftoo; for, as has been lhewed, Spirit is capable of Mo-tion. ' ~: 1 ': Laflly, if this Notion of Spirit, may have, perhaps, fome diffi· culues mIt, nor eafie to be explained, we hav€ thereby no more reafon to deny, or doubt the exiflence of Spirits, than we have to deny, or doubt the extflence of Body : becaufe the notion of Body is cum bred witl1 fome dtf!iculues very hard, and, perhaps, impollible to be explained, or underflood by ns. For I would fain have inflanced any thing in our no· tton of Spmt m?re perplex<;d, or nearer a Contradiction, than the very nouon of Body mclndes m It ; the diviftbility in infinit11m of any finite Extenfion, Chap. XXIII. Our Id~a.t of St{6jlances, !'xtenfion, involving. us, whether we grant or deny it, in cQn(llquences. Impollible to be explicated, or made confiflent ; Confequenres that carry greater dtfficulty,. and more apparent abfurd.•ty, than any thing can fol· low from the. Notwn of an tmtmtenal knowmg fubllance. ~- 3•· \Vhtch we arc not at all to wonder at, Iince we having but fome few fuperlic13lldeas of thing•, difcovercd to us only by tl1e Senfes from Without, or by the Mmd, rclleClmg on what it experiments in it fc)f Wttlu.n, have no Knowledge beyond that, m~ch lcfs of the inrernal Con· fittuuon, and._rruc Nature of things, being ddlitijte ofFacu)tics to attain It. And there! ore experimeming and difcoverin~ in our felvc. !{now ledge, and the yower of voluntary Mouon, as certnmly as we experiment, or dtfcover In tlungs WI\! lOUt us, the cohelion and feparation of folid Parts, whtch ts the Extenlion and Motion of Bodies ; '"' have as mu~b /lepfo11 to h f atlijed JVtlb our Notron of Spmt, as wttb our Notion of Boily ; a11d tbe Exi}le.ce of ;he one, aJ well as the otiJer. For it being no more a contmdicbon, that 1 hmlung fhould ext!l, feparate, and independent from Solidity; than It IS a contra!ltction, that Solidity lho~ld exift feparate, and independent trom Tlunlung? they bemg both but lim pie JdeaJ, independent .one from another;and havmg as clear and dilhnCl: lcleas in us ofThinking, us of Sohd1ty,I know not, why we 111ay not os ~veil allow a thinking thing Without Sohdtty, r.eJmm~:enal,to extf\;as ~ fohd tlungwtthoqc Thmking, r. ' : "'fatter, to ex1fl ;. efpecially Iince It IS no harder to conceive, how' Thmkmglhould extfl Without Matter, than how Matter fl1ould think. For whcnf?ever we would proceed beyond thcfe limple Ideas, we have from Senfatton and ReOectton, and dive farther into the Nature of Things, we fall prefcntly mto Da~lmefs an~ Obfcurity, Perplexcdnefs and Dilliculties; «nd ca~ dtfcover notbmg farther, but our own lllindnefs and Ignorance. B~t~lu~h ever of thcfe complex Ideas be clearefl, that of Body, or Spirit, thiS IS evident, that the fimple Ideas that make them up, are no or her than what we have received from Senlation or Reflection; and fo is it of .all our other Ideas of Subflances, even of God himfelf. ~- H· For if we e1mmine the Idea we have of the incomprehenliblc fupreme Being, we 01alllind, that we come by it the {am• way ; nod that the tomplex /deds we have both of God, and feparare Spirits, are made up pfthe fimple Ideas, we receive from Ref/eiliow; v.g. havi~g from what l>·e experuneot 10 our fclves, got the ! dear of Exiflence and Duration· <lf Knowledge, and Power ; of Pleafure, and Happioefs ; and of feveral o: fher ~alitios and Powers, which it is better to have, dun to be without ~hen we would fr:Jme an ld<a the molt fuital>le we can to the fupremc B.,: 1ng, we enlarge every one of thefc with our Idea of Infinity ; and fo puttmg tbem together, make our complex Idea of Gcd. For tll!lt the Mind has fuch a power of enlarging fome of its IdeM, receivt'<l from Senfation and Rene.:tion,has been already !hewed. 6. 34• !f I find, th~t I know fome few things; and fome of them, or aU, per!'" I"• impcrfeEHy, I can frame an Idea of knowing twicu as many ; )wluch I can double again, as often as l can add to number, and thus .enarge my Mea of J{oow.ledge , by extending its Compreheolion to all dungs ~xifiing,or pollible:• The fame alfo I can do of knowing them more perld}ly ; i.e. all their ~alities, Powers, Caufcs, Coufequenccs, and J\clattons, &c. till all be perfectly kno\1· n, tha• is in them, or can any way rc:ate to thcm,aod thus frame the !d<a of infinite or bouudlef.i Knowledg~ : The fame may alfr> be done of Power, till we come to that we call mfin1te; and alfo of the Duration of Exifience, wid1our beginning or end; ··and fo frame the Jd:a of an eternal Being : The Degrees or Extent, wberc- U • in |