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Show _2_7_2-:--:-:-:---h_x_-te_n_t ....:of_E_u_man~_e_l_r_nm_li_le:.;,:dg~e:_:_. _::_Book IV, And if we knew thefe primary ~ali ties of Bodies w . 1 I -----.. hope, we might be able to know a great deal mo~e ~~·l~e~ ove reafon to them one upon another: But our Minds not beih abl ~eratwns of connexwn betWIXt th<:fe primary qualities of Bodies ~nd ~ t~ difC~\·er any are produced 10 us by them, we can never be able ;o efl!~f thnfattons th'l undo~bted Rules, of the Confequence or Co·exiflen ' certa Ill and ~htiCs, though we could difcover the lize li ce o~ any fecundary lible Parts, which immediately produce the~. w;~: Fc:'ton of thofein' what figure, lize, or motion of parts produce a yellow :Ioirom knowmg Tnfle, or a flmp Sound, that we can b no mean our, a fwect li~e, figure, or motion of any Particles ca.!pollibl sodonce,ve how any of ·~Y Colour, Tafle, or Sound whatfoever thefe pr uce 10 ~s the u,, nexwn betwixt the one and the other ' IS no conceivable con. §. 14· In vain therefore lhall ~e endeavou . Ideas, (the only true way of certain and . r to difcover by our other Ideas are to be found conflantly . _undverfa~ Knowledge,) \I'IJal pi ex Ide~ of any Subilance; Iince we ned~~~kn Wit that of our corn· of the mmute Parts on which their ~ r . dowdthe real Con!bturion know them, could 'we difcover an n Uflaltles o epend ; nor, did rre and any of the fecundary Qyalities~ :fe tY connexion between them we can certainly know their necellltry co-l~~ia! ncc~!fary to be done,befor~ Idea of any Species of Subflances be 1 . nc_e. o that let our complex the fimple Ideas contained in it, ce tw_ 1ft~~ Will, we can hardly, from exiflence of any other Qyaiity wiJatf~e"n y etermme the nece!I"l!y CO· Enquiries, reaches very little farther th~~r. o;r Knowledge in all thefc few of the primary ~alities have a neceoff:r xpenence. Indeed, fome connexwn one with another as F"g ~dependence, and vifible rece'v ·m g or communicating M' otion' buyrc . mne ceIf.<m nfliy fupp " f<e s Ex tcnu' on, tho~gh thefe, and perhaps fome others ~f ~~ c, uppo!es SoJidity. But fomefew of them that ha""' :cu .r Ideas hove; yet there are b I . . ) v~ a VlptJJ,~ Conn(XIOH . h can y ntuitlon or Demonflration d"f< h one IVIt another, that we of the ~ali ties arc to be found ~ni~.;dver ~ e co-exiilence of very few only to the ailiflence of our Senfes t m ubflanccs; and we are !eli they contain. For all the ~art-' 0 hmake known to us what Qyalitics without this dependence a d 1d1es t at ar~ co-exiflent in any S<JbieCi an th n evi em connexwn f I . ·.J ' ' . o er, we cannot know certain! t . o t leJr Iaeas one with nence, by our Scnfes, informs us _Y To co-exifl any £1rther, than Expe· lour, and upon trial find th W . · hus though we fee the yellow Ganefs, that arc united in a e pie':.t1? ~f~leablenefs, Fufibility, and FixedIdeas has any evident dependenc o o ; yet becaufe no one of thefe We canl)ot certainly !mow that e, ~r necellltry connexion with the other h-il! be there alfo, how highly p~ob;~l anl. four. of thefc are, the lift!; 1i\11efl Probability, amounts not to e ~ver It may be: Becaufe the can be no true Knowledge F 1 Certamty; Without which, there known, than it is perceived : dr. t 1" co-ex,flence can l!e no farther particular Subjects, by the obf:r~ /t ca~not be perceived, but either in n"'.i_ellltry connexion of the Ideasatl~~r:nfel our Senfes, or in general, by the "i· I 5'· As to rncompatibilitll CJr re II ves. that any Subject can have or" I ep gnancy to co-exif/enu we may know cular at once, v.g. each particeualca r1 fEoxrtte of prima. ry n'< .!..! a I"1 t·1 e' s,but one parti·' on, excludes all other of each kind nfio~,F•gure?number ofParts,Moti· Ideas peculiar to each Senfe . fo • ?he hke alfo IS certain of all fenfible j0Y Subject, excludes all otile~~f ~1"t(.'er of each kind is prefent in lave two Smells, or two Colours, at~h ort; ":g. no one Subject can e fame time. To this, perhaps, will Chap. Ill. Extent of Humane Knowledge. will be faid, Has not an Opall, or the infufion of Lignum Ntpbfitic t:vo Colours at the fame time? To which, I anfwer, that thefe Bodies,";;; Eyes d1fferently placed, may at the fame lime afford different Colours . But I take Liberty alfo to fay, that to Eyes differently placed 'tis differen~ parts of the Object, that rcfle8: the Particles of Light: And ;herefore 'tis not the fame _part of the Object, and fo not the very fame SubjeCt, w'hich at the fame tune appears both yellow and azure. For 'tis as impotlible, that the very fame Parucle of any Body, lhould at the fame time differentJ Jy modifie, or reflect the rays of Light, as that it lhould have two different Figures and Textures at the fame time. . §. 16. But asto the _Po•vus of Su/;flanmto change thefcnfible ~ali· ties of other Bodies, wh1ch make a great part of our Enquiries about thenn and is no inconfiJerable branch of our Knowledge; I doubt, as to thefe: whether our Knowltdgf reaches much farther than our Experience; orwhe' ther we can come to the difcovery of moil of thefe Powers and be certain that they are in any_ Subject by the Connexion with a~y of thofe Jd.as, wh1ch to us make ItS Effi:ncc. Becaufe the Active and Pallive Powers of Bodies, and their ways of operating, confifling in a Texture and Motion of Parts, wluch we cannot by any means come to difcover : 'Tis but in very few Cafes, we can be able to perceive their dependence on, or repugnanc7 to any pf thofe Ideas, whi7h make our complex one of that fort ofThmgs. I have here mflanced 10 the corpufcularian Hy· pothefis, as that which is thought to go farthefi in an intelligible Explication of the Qyalities of Bodies; and I fear the weaknefs of humane On. derflanding is fcarce able to fubflitute another, which will afford us a fuller and clearer difccvery of the necellltry Connexion, and Co·exiflence of the Powers,whicharc to be obfervedunited infeveralforts of them. Thi~ at leafl is certain, that which ever Hypothefis be cleirefl and truefr, (for of that it is not my bufinefs to determine,) our Knowledge co~ceromg corporeal Subfiances, will be very httle adyanced by any of them, till we are made fee what Qualities and Powers of ·Bodies have a nece!fary Con· nexion or Repugnancy one with another; which in the prefent ~tate of Philofophy ,I think, we know but to a very fmall degree ; And, I doubt,whe~ ther with thofeFaculties we have, we lhallever be able toc;arry our gene· ral Knowledge (I fay not particular Experience) in this part much f.mher • §. 17. If we are at this lofs in refped: of the Powers, and Operations of Bodies, I think it is eafie to conclude, we are much more in the dar/: i• reftrence to Spirits, whereof we naturally have no Jd.as, b11t what we draw from that of our own ; by reflecting on the Operations of our own. Souls within us, as far as they can come within our Obfervation. But how inconfiderable a rank the Spirits that inhabit our Bodies hold amongfi thofe various,and pollibly innumerable,kinds of nobler Beings ; and how f.tr lhort they come of the Endowments and Perfections ot Cherubims, and Seraphims, and infinite forts of Spirits above us, we have in another Place made fome Rcfleaion upon. §. r8. As to the third fort of our l{nowledge, viz. the Agreement or Difo· grtemt»t of any of ••r Ideas in any other Relation: This, as it is the/art,efl Field of our Kno•viedge, fo it is hard to determine how far it may extend: Bccau(e the Advances that are to be made in this part of Knowledl;e, de· pending on our Sagacity, in finding intermediate Idtqs; that may !hew the Relations and Habitudes of Ideas, whofo Co-exiflence is not confide· red, 'tis an hard Matter to tell, when weare at an end offuchDifcoverici; and when Reafon has ·au the helps it is capable of,for the finding of Proofs, and examining the Agreement or Difagreement of remote ltltas. They Nn thar |