-Chap. VII. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. - ^^,'; 



ttcular good, that is, good applicable to particular fubjeds. But, I 

 think, it would be a great imperfe(ftion, not only of our language, 

 tbut of our thoughts, if we had no general idea of good, which would 

 apply to any fubjed: that was truly good, nor had any word to ex- 

 prefs that idea. 



The difference betM'^ixt the Beantiful and the Good, may be, I 

 think, taken from Ariftotle's divifion of Caufes, into the material, the 

 efficient, the formal, and the final ; for, it is by defining and divid- 

 ing, ^at Arii^otle has formed his fyftem of philofophy, and made 

 it fo much moie Inftrudive, and confequently better than that of 

 Plato. The Beautiful, I think, belongs to the formal caufe of every 

 thing; for it is by the union of parts, and by their connexion with 

 one another, that every thing is formed and is more or lefs beautiful. 

 But the Good belongs to the final caufe, being that for the fake of 

 .which every thing is formed, both by God and Nature, and by man. 

 Now, this Good is nothing elfe but that which makes the thing pro- 

 per to anfwer the end for which it is intended, whether that end be 

 utility or pleafure. And as, in the works of God, every thing is 

 conneded with every thing, the. thing wnich is thus made proper 

 for the ufe for which it is intended, is alfo made ufeful for other 

 purpofes: And in this fenfe it is good in itfelf, and may be faid to be 

 univer I ally goody and part of the univerfe, the greacefl and moil 

 beautiful of all fyftems. And in this v/ay. the Beautiful is diilinguifh- 

 ed.both from the Good and from the Ufeful*, 



The Greeks joined together both the Good and the Beautiful in 

 one word, and called it xaAOx-vya^:^ ; upon which w^e have a chap- 

 ter in Ariftotle, viz. the 9th chapter of the 2d book of the ALvrna 



Vol. V. S Moralia, 



+ See what I have further faid of the Good and Ulcfiil, In vol. 2. of this work, p. 

 no. where I have Ihown, that the good h the principal idea, the ufeftd denoting cnl-/ 

 what is iubfervient to the good. 



