Chap. XIX. A N T I E N T M F T A P R Y S I C 3. 



I have elfewhere oblervrd ti an n^^folute contraciir-i'.-n ; for ii io ■d6 

 if he hnd f.iid, that tiic fciioe rhing was. efleDt'ally adtive, and elTenti- 

 aliy paflive, capaMe ot btgiuning motion, and iiot capauL* ot begin- 

 ning motion ; or, in other words, that tiie lame thing ir.ight be, and 

 not be Whereas, Sir llaac, h )lding fall by t tat fu; dament.ii jj; inciple 

 of !'is phiiolophy, that mutter is, by its nature ai-d clTcnce, aliOji^eiher 

 paifive, lo as to be incapable, either of heginnitig motion, or ftoppnig 

 it when begun, lays it down, in this paiTage ot his <.)ptics, that the ac- 

 tive p inciple, which he fuppofes to be in all particles of n.a'ter, is no 

 modification of matter, but fomething akog.ther diftind from it. 



Upon the whole, there can only, I think, be three opinions upon this 

 very important fubjed, concerning the origin and continuation of mo- 

 tion ; one or other of which muft neceffarily be the truth. The htll is, 

 that the ponvtr of motion is elfential to matter ; or, in other words, 

 that it moves itfeif. The feciud is, that, though it have not in iilelr a 

 principle of motion, yet it may have Inch a principle im})rc{red upon 

 it, and, in that way, may be not only put in motion, but contnuie in 

 motion ; fo that the bufinels of the univerfe may be earned on by tiiis 

 firft original impreffion, without more. Or, hdlly, that all the mo- 

 tions of the univerTe are not only begun, but are continually carried 

 on,, by the conftant agency of mind^ or an immaterial power. 



As to the flrfl of thefe opinions, which muft be the opinion of all 

 the n.aterialillb, who arc not, like i picurus and his followers, {o ienle- 

 leis, as not to give i( m^e account of the bcgnnmg and contmuation of 

 mcjtion, I thuik 1 have demonfiritcd, that nothiiig can move itlelf, 

 and that the moving" principle, and the body moved, muft neceftarily 

 be diftind. On the other hand, tlie materiahlls n.uft maintain, not 

 only that body moTcs itielf, but that it can Hop its own motion, and 



reft 



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