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Show q.6 Ideas of Subjlances. Book II. C H A P. XXlll. Of our (omplex Ideas of Subftances. ;. r. THe Mind being, as T have declared, ~urnilhed with a gre:tt num. ber of the fimple !dear, conveyed m by the Sexfes, as they are found in exterior things, or by R<jldl ion on ltS own Operations, tal«s noticealfo that a certain number of thefc fimple Idea; go conftantly togc· ther ; ,~hich being prefumed to belong to one thing, and, Words being fuited to common apprehenfions, and made ufc of for qm.ck dlfpatch, are called fo united in one fubjeCl:, by one name; wluch by madvertency we are apt afterword to talk of and confider as one fingle J.f,,r, wh:ch m· deed is a complication of many !dear together: Becaufe , as I ha\'e faid, not imagining how thefe fimple Ideas can fubfift by themfeh·es, we accuftom our fclves, to fuppofe (orne Su6{1ratum, wherein they do fubfi(\, and from which they do refult, which therefore we call Su/;flance. §. ~. So that if any one will examine himfelf concerning his Notion of p•re Suhffance in general, he will find he has no other Nea of it at all, but only a Suppofitioo·ofhe knows not what fupport of fuch ~ali ties, which are capable of producing fimple !dear in us ; which ~alities are commonly called J\ccidents: And if any one fl10uld be asked, what is the fubject wherein Colour or Weight inheres, he would have nothing to fay, but the folid extended parts: And if he were'demanded, what is it, that tbat Solidity and Extenfion inhere in, he would not be in a much better ca!e, than the lndi•• before mentioned; who faying ~hat the World was (upported by a great Elephant, was asked, what the Elephant refted on ; to which his anfwer was, A great Tortoife : But being again prelfed to know what gave fupport to the broad-back'd Tortoife, replied, fomething, he knew not what. And thushere,as in all other cafes, where we ufe Words without having clear and diftinCl: Ideas, we tall< like Children; who be· mg queftioned, what fuch a thing is, which they know not; readily give this fatisfafrory anfwcr, That is fomething; which in truth fignifies no more when fo ufed, either by Children or Men, but that they knew not what; and that the thing they pretend to know, and talk of , is what they have no difrintl: Idea of at all, and fo arc pcrfctl:ly ignorant of it and in the dark. The Idea then we have, to wbicl1 we give the gene· rat name Subftance, being nothing, but the fuppofed, but unknown (up· port of thofe ~ali ties we find exi(\ing, which we imnginc cannot fubfitr, }inr re juhfla.te, without fomething to fupport them, we call that Sui?" portSuhfiantia; which according to the true import of ~;_he Word is, in plain Englifb,j/anding under, or upbolding. 9. l· An obfcure and relative Idfa of SuMaace in general being thus made, we come to have the !dear of particular fortr of Subj/anar, by colleC.bng fuch Combinations of fimple Ideas, as are by Experience and Obfervatwn of Mens Senfes taken notice of to exift together, and are therefore fuppofc-d to flow from the particular internal Conftitution, or. unknown Effcnceol that Subfiance. Thus we come to have the Jde.uol a Man, Hotfc, Gold, Water, &c. of which 3ubftanccs, whether any one uas any other clear !dea,farther than of certain fimple !tie as coexifting to· gether, !_appeal to every one's own Experience. 'Tis the ordinary ~·· hnes, obfcrvable in Iron, vr a Diamond, put together, that mal;e the truo com· Chap. XXIII. Our !dear· of Su!Jffances. complex Idea of thofe Subftances, which a Smith, or a Jeweller,common· Jy knows better th•n a Philofopher; who, whatever (ubftantial forms he may talk ,f, has no other Idea of thofe Subftances, than what is framed by a collctl:ion of thofe fimple !tlear are to be found in them ; only we muft take notice, that our complex Ideas of Subftances, beflde.~ all thefe fimple IdfM they are made up of, have always theconfufed Jd,a of famething to which they belong, and in which they fubflft: and therefore when we (peak of any fort of Subftance, we fay it is a thing having fuch or fuch Q!!alities, as Body is a thing that is extended, figured , ~nd capable of Motion; a Spirit a thing capable of thinking : and fo Hardnefs, friability, and Power to dra~ Iron, we fay, are ~alities. to be found in a Load !lone. Thefe and , the hke falh1ons of fpeakmg mtlmate, that the Subftancc is fuppofed always fomething bef1des the Extenfion, Figure, Solidity, Motion, Thinking, or otherob!ervableldeas, though we know not what it is. 9.4. Hence when we talk or think of any particular fort of corporeal Sul>ftances, as Horfe, Stone, &c. though the Idea, We have of either of them, be but the Complication, or O>lleCl:ion,of rhofe feveral fimple Ideas of fenlible ~alitte;, which we ufc to find united in the thing called Horfe, or Stone, yet becaufe we cannot conceive, how they fl10uld fub(,ft ~lone, nor one in another, we fuppofe them to ex1ftm, and fupported by lPme common fuhjetl:_; which Support we denote by the name Su/;jlanu, though it be certain, we have no clear, or diJlinCI: Idea of that thing, we fuppofe a Support. · ~- ; . The fame happens concerning the Operotions of the Mind, viz. Thinking, Reafoning, Fearing, &c. which we concluding not to fubfift of ihemfelves, nor~pprehendinghow they ca11 belong to Body, or be pro· duced by it, we are apt. to thmk thefe the, Atl:1ons of fame othe_r Sub· fiance, which we call Spmt; whereby yet It ~~ evident, . that haxmg no other !dea or Notion, of Matter, but fometlung wherem thofe many feofible-.Qgalities, which affetl: our Senfes_, do fubfift; by fup~tin15 a Subftance,wherein VlinNing,Knoluing,Douhtmg,and a power of Movmg~&c. do fubfift We have as clear a Notion of the Nature,or Su6ffance of Spu11, (IJ••e hav; of Body; the one being fuppofcd,to be (without knowing what it is) the S•bflratum to thofe fimple !dear we have from Wlthout; and the other )uppofed (with a like ignorance.Jf what it is) to be the Suhf!ra· l•m to thofe Operations, which we exl'<;nment m .our (elves ~1tlun. Tls plain then, that the Idea of corporeal Subftance m Ma~ter lS ~s remote {rom our Conceptions, and Apprehenfion~, as that of. Spll'Itual Subftance, Qr Spirit: and therefore from our not havmg a~y not1on of the Subftance of Spirit, we can no more conclude lts non-Ex1ft~nce, than we can, for the f., me reafon, deny the Exiftenceof Body,: It bemg as rau~nal to affirm, there is no Body becaufe we cannot know 1ts Effencc, as tiS called, or have no Idea of ~he Subftance of Matter ; as to fay, there is no Spirit, becmfe we know not its Effence, or have no Idea of a Spiritual Sub-llance. , • ~. 6. Whate\'er therefore be the fecret and abftract: Nature of Subfta~ce ingeneral,all the Ideas we bave of particular dijlinil Suhj/ancer,are nothmg but feveral Combinations of limple !dear, coexl11ftmg 10 fucl1, tho~gh un· known Caufe of rboir Union as makes the whole fubfi!1 of It felf. T1s by (uch o;mbinatioos of fimple I dear, and nothing elfe, that we reprefe~~ particular Subftances to our (elves; fuch are tbe !dear we have of thell'' feveral forts in our Minds; and fuch only do we by tlleitfpeclfick Na~cs, fignifie to others v. g. Ma• ; Horfe, Sun, Water, Iron, .upon heanng · ' ' T wlucn |
