Chap. XI. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 481 



yet the form IS hut one t containing virtually d\\ the fsvcral impref- 

 fions, and, at the fame time, a^iially contained in each of the impref- 

 fions. 



From this theory of mine thus illuftrated, there arife feveral impor- 

 tant obfervations. And, in the Jir/} place, we may now fee clearly, 

 what was maintained in a preceding chapter *, that generals are the 

 CdiUkoi' particulars : For, that the generals in the Divine mind are the 

 caufe of the particulars in the material world, no man, who is not an 

 athieft, will deny. And, as we participate fo far of the Divine nature, 

 as to have ideas or intelligible forms in our minds, not felf-originated 

 indeed, like thofe of divinity, but derived from the forms of the vi- 

 fible world, thofe forms, where we are able to produce them into ad, 

 are undoubtedly the caufe of the thing fo produced. And, lajlly^ the 

 more general forms of natural things may be faid to produce the more 

 particular, and to be the caufe of them, according to the definition I 

 have given of caufe, being that without which they could not exifl. 

 Thus, the genus, or more general idea of ani7ualy is the caufe of the 

 particular fpecies man, fince, without anifual, ?nan could not exift, 

 whereas animal could exift without man ; and, if it be afked ivbat 

 caufe? the anfwer is, the formal caufe ; for, it is another power which 

 reallfes tho^t forms, and makes them to exift really and materially^ 

 and that power is the efficient caufe ; and, if we add the matter upon 

 which thtit forms are impreflcd, and the end for which that is done, 

 then have we all the four caufes of Ariftotle, the material, thtjormaly 

 the effuient, and the fnal. And thus it appears, in what (e\\{e every 

 general idea is the caufe of every particular Idea under it, and every 

 general propofition the caufe of every particular propofitlon derived 

 from it ; and how It comes, that, when from particulars we afcend to 

 generals, which, by the infirmity of our natures, we are obliged to do, 

 we difcover the caufes of things ; and that, when we reafon down- 

 wards from generals to particulars, that way of rcafoning is the moft 



P p P excellent, 



• Chap. 9 cf this Book. 



