Chap. II. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 193 



What appears to me to put this matter out of all doubt, is the 

 dodlrine that I have maintained, and, I hope, have proved to the fa- 

 tisfadtion of the reader, That our Intelle£lual Mind is not a fuperi- 

 or facuhy of our Animal Nature, but a fubftance diftindt by itfelf. 

 If fo, it is neceflary that it muft always, while it exifted, have had 

 Ideas; for it is impoflible to conceive Intelligence without Ideas, 

 either latent and ina<Sive, or exerted and produced. 



It may be faid, that the capacity of forming Ideas is of itfelf fuf- 

 ficient to conflitute a Soul, or Intelledual Part. But there is no- 

 thing in Nature that confifts of Capacity merely ; for, though there 

 be many things that have Capacities, without having thofe things 

 a^lually of which they are capable, there is nothing exifls that hath 

 not fomething in Aduality and Energy ; for, if it wanted that, it 

 would be really nothing. 



If, therefore, vre could fuppofe that our Intelledtual Mind created 

 its own Ideas, we mufl fuppofe that it likewife created itfelf: Now, 

 this is a thing altogether inconceivable, even of the Supreme Intelli- 

 gence, which we do not fay created or produced itfelf, but that it 

 exifted neceflarily from all Eternity : And, if we could conceive 

 the Intelledual Nature producing itfelf, Why may not the Animal 

 nature ? — Why may not the Vegetable likewife produce itfelf ? 



It is, therefore, the Supreme Mind, from which all fubftances 

 material and immaterial, the vifible and the invifible world, are de- 

 rived, that is the Source of our Ideas, as well as of our Minds, in 

 which they exift. In his Mind there are undoubtedly Ideas, which, 

 it would be impious to fay, originated from Matter; an«' yet I doubt 

 thofe who fpeak of all Ideas as AhftraH Ideas^ muft believe either 

 that he has no Ideas, or that they are of that k'nd. This I ft Mr 

 Hobbes denies, and calls, very properly, fuch Ideas a 'lumult in the 

 Vol. IL B b Mind, 



