13? ESSAYS AND OBSERVATIONS 



ter is endued with an obfcure fenfe and 

 perception, and wants only the organs and 

 memory of animals. And it hath never 

 yet been alledged, that all matter is eflen- 

 tially endued with a clear and diflindl- 

 lenfation or confcioufnefs. If it fliould, 

 we need be at no lofs for an anfwer. For, 

 were that the cafe, why have we no per- 

 ception of this a(5livity that is fuppofed to 

 be exerted by our own bodies in falling to 

 the ground ? 



Dr Clark, Wollaflon, and others, have 

 fo fully proved that matter is incapable of 

 any degree of thinking, that it is impofli- 

 ble to confute their arguments, but by 

 fcornfully denying the force of all meta- 

 phyfical demcnil rations whatever. If 

 matter thinks, then either thinking is ef" 

 fential to all matter, or it arifes from the 

 modification, magnitude, figure, or mo- 

 tion of certain parcels of matter. But 

 what can be m.ore ridiculous than to i- 

 magine, that matter is as efTentially con- 

 fcious, as it is extended ! Will it not fol- 

 low from that fuppofition, that every 

 piece of matter, being made up of end- 



lefsly 



