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Mr Hume has defended the doclrine of neceffity on a ground 

 different from either of thofe which have been mentioned: He 

 is of opinion " that men begin at the wrong end of this queflion 



- when they enter upon it by examining the faculties of the 

 « foul" and propofes to determine it by an obfervation of the 

 general conduct of mankind. " It i." he fays, " univerfally 



- acknowledged that there is a great uniformity among the 

 " adions of men in all nations and ages, and that human na- 

 " ture remains ftiU the fame in its principles and operations. 

 " The fame motives always produce the fame adions ; the fame 

 " events follow from the lame caufe.." Hence he contends that 

 there is the fame conflant conjunalon in the voluntary ad.ons of 

 men and in the operations of mind as in the material world, 

 and we are therefore required to acknowledge the fame neceffity 

 in the one as in the other. In anfwer to this it muft be ob- 

 ferved, that the cafe oppofed by Mr. Hume to that of ftr.d 

 neceffity is a total difregard to motives, but this is a cafe for 

 which the advocates of liberty do not contend. They allow that 

 motives do very generally influence the condud of mankind, and 

 only maintain that the mind has a power of refifting and re- 

 ].€img them: They do therefore acknowledge that there ts a great 

 uniformity among the aBions of men-, and Mr. Hume himfelf 

 admits that " it is poffible to find fome adions, which feem to 

 - have no regular connedion with any known motives, and are 

 '^ exceptions to all the meafures of condud which have ever 

 u been eftabliffied for the government of men." For thefe 

 anomalous cafes Mr. Hume does indeed endeavour to account, 

 by fayin., that as in the material world a philofopher concludes 

 that " afceming uncertainty in fome inftances proceeds from the 



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