20O ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book II. 



And here, ag.iln, we may obferve, of what hnportance, both to re- 

 ligion and philofophy, the diRindion.is, betwixt the operations of our 

 mind in conjun-flion with body, and its operations feparated from bo- 

 dy — that is, hQtvnxt fen/at ions and ideas ; for, without that dirtindtion, 

 it appears to me, that philofophy furnidies no latis.fying evidence of 

 the feparate exigence of the hu:nan foul, any more than of die ani- 

 mal or vegetable life. But, on the contrary, according to Ariftotle's 

 rule, whatever energizes , or operates only with body, cannot exili with- 

 out body ; for he did not conceive that energy and exijience could be 

 feparated. I therefore fay, that Mr Locke, by confounding ideas and 

 fcnfations, has laid the foundation, though, 1 believe, without intend- 

 ing it, of all the Atheiftical philofophy fmce his time : And, accord- 

 ingly, as I have obferved, all thofe philofophers maintain that there is 

 no fuch difiindion. 



There are other arguments, however, ufed by Philoponus, and other 

 philolophers, both antient and n\odern, in fupport of the feparate ex- 

 iftence of the foul, v\hich I would not chufe to give up, fuch as, that the 

 foul does not grow old with the body, but is often in greateft vigour when 

 the body is moft decayed ; and, that the foul fometimes coniiimes and 

 deftroysthe body, which could not happen if it were, by its nature, fub- 

 ftantially and ncceffarily united with the body. 1 hefe, and fuch like 

 arguments, have, no doubt, their weight ; but, 1 confels I do not think 



there 



found that Ariflotle compofed his celtftial bodies of a fifth element, he imagined 

 thiit he made the human foul, and the Divinity itfelf, of the fame fluff; whereas, 

 there is nothing more certain, than that A riflutle maintained the exiflence of immate- 

 rial fuhflance ; and afTcrted the human mjnd to be of that kind. And, as. to 

 the Divinity, the conclufion, both of his phyfics and metaphytics, is, th.it there is 

 a Being, immaterial, eternal, unchangeable, the author of all motion, yet im- 

 moveable itfelf But, as to Cictro, belicvng, ;is he did, that the foul was corporcaJ, 

 it was no wonder that h; could not conceive how it fliould have the power of feeing 

 and contcmp ating itfe't, which is the faculty that, of all others, difUnguiflies the 

 human foul the moft from any thmg mateiiaL 



