68 ANTI EN T METAPHYSICS. Book L 



all our knowledge in this life muft begin, to the univerfals contained in 

 the Categories, by wliich, as I have faid, we make an arrangement and 

 diRribution of all the things in the univerfe, muft appear very wonderful 

 to the philolbpher, who confidcrs of what infinite variety thofe things 

 are, and how mixed and feemingly confufed they arc prefented to 

 the fenfes. But the human intelligence does not ftop even here ; 

 for it goes beyond the Categories, and not only perceives an infinite 

 number of things contained in them, but alfo that which contains the 

 Categories; fo that it perceives not only the one m many different 

 objeds, of number infinite, but it difcovers the one in all ; that is, it 

 difcovers God, who virtually contains in himfelf all things of this 

 univerfe : For, as our facred books tell us, all things are in God^ and 

 God in all things. And thus, by a ladder, fuch as Jacob faw in his 

 dream, reaching from heaven to earth, at the top of which was the 

 Lord*, we afcend, from what is loweft in nature, that is, objedls of 

 fenfe, to what is higheft. But to explain this more particularly, be- 

 longs to Theology, which is not our fubjed at prefent. 



I will only add farther, upon the fubjedt of ideas, that every idea 

 Ave form is a fyftem j for even the particular idea of the individual 

 thing is a fyftem, as we perceive in it what is principal and what 

 is fubotdinate. The fpecies is a larger fyftem, in which we take in 

 many things, and perceive what they have in common, and how 

 ihey are conneded together. And thus we proceed, from lefTer to 

 greater fyftems, till we comprehend, as far as we are able, the fyf- 

 tem which compreliends all other fyftems, 1 mean the fyftem of the 

 univerfe, and its Great Author. Thus it appears, that a good logic, 

 which explains accurately the nature of Ideas, does lead us, by the 

 moft natural progrefs, up to Theology, in which all fcience ends : 

 So that it is of the utmoft importance to philofophy, that we ftiould 

 learn a logic which teaches us to diHinguiili betwixt ideas and fenfa- 



tions, 

 * Genefisj chap, xxvill. v. 13. 



