Chap. XI. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 201 



tirely that progrefTion of things from the Firft Caufe, and that fiib- 

 ordinatlon of lower things to higher, witho-t which we cannot con- 

 ceive order or regularity in any lyftem. It is, I think, the more 

 furprifing, tl.at he Ihould deny exiftence of thofe ideas, or minds, 

 by themfelves, when he acknowledges that there are fo many minds 

 in the univerfe, animating not only animals and vegetables, but bo- 

 dies that are commonly thought to be inanimate, fuch as ilones and 

 minerals, and direding their motions ; fo that a llonc does not tail 

 to the ground otherwife than by the adiion of the mind that is in it. 

 And this muft be the cafe, unlefs we are to fuppofe that body moves 

 itfelf by a vis infita^ as Sir Ifaac Newton maintains; and not only is 

 that idea, or mind, in every body, the principle of motion in that body, 

 but it gives it its form, and makes it what it is. Now, it appears to 

 me very extraordinary, that thofe minds ihould exift only in matter 

 and not by themfelves. Our intelledtual mind, Ariftotle acknow- 

 ledges, has a feparate exiftence; and it never is in fo great perfedtion, 

 he fays, as when it exifts in that way. Now, why fhould not even 

 inferior minds have alio a feparate exiftence? Every mind, however 

 inferior to our intelledtual mind, is of a nature fuperior to matter : 

 And, if fo, it muft appear very extraordinary, if it has not, as well as 

 matter, an exiftence by itfelf. This would be to degrade mind 

 even below matter, and to fuppofe a thing, of which there is no 

 other example in the univerfe; I mean a thing which has no ex- 

 iftence by itfelf, but only in conjunction with other things. — liuc to 

 return to Plato's dodtrine of ideas. 



It is not only necefTarily connedled with the dodlrine of the Tri- 

 nity, but, I think, it is alio connedled with his uodinxie ot :\\ oar 

 knowledge being nothing more than rcmini/cencc. Tnat the Can. tun 

 doctrine of the Fall of man, as well as that of the rrinity, was incua- 

 tained by Fla'-o, though not by Ariftotle, is evident from lus writ- 

 ings*. And upon that hypothefis, 1 think it is necclDry, tha wiiat 



Vol. V. C c knowlcu^^e 



* See p. 385. and 2oc. of this vol. 



