8o ESSAYS AND OBSERVATIONS 



inftances of the fame kind, are always 

 prefent to our view. 



Philosophers, who affert the inadli- 

 vity of matter, ought therefore to be able 

 to give fome good reafon, why they re- 

 fufe to allow it the free poflTeffion of fuch 

 powers in its own right ; and why it is 

 only to be regarded as a paflive inftru- 

 ment, under the direction, and fubje(5l to 

 the dominion, of fome fuperior Being. 

 But, in order to afcertain the true notion 

 of the inertia of body, the proper method 

 is to begin with the fimpleft cafe j and to 

 confider body as a lifelefs inanimated 

 mafs, without weight, attradlion, repul- 

 fion, or any tendency to begin motion, 

 till adled upon by fome foreign external 

 cau(e. And furely it would be fomewhat 

 furprifing, if body, even in thefe circum- 

 fiances, fliould be found to difcover any 

 adlivity. 



It hath been imagined, however, by fome 

 people, " That, if body were utterly in- 

 " active, the fmallefl force would be fuffi- 

 " cient to move a great body and a little 

 ** body> with ecual velocity : And that 



" the 



