Chap. XIIL ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 213 



ferent from body, and has, by its nature, an exiftence fcparate from 

 body, though, in tliis our compofitioi, it be joined with body, I 

 think is demonftrated by this plain argument: That whatever acts, 

 exifts ; and what ads by itfelf, mud exift by itfelf. Now, tha our 

 intelledtual mind ads by itfelf, we know by the moft certain or all 

 knowledge, 1 mean confcioufnefs; for in that way we know, that 

 our intelledual mind, fo far from ading in conjunction with the 

 body, or with any thing belonging to body, fuch as fenfation, is im- 

 peded in its operations by body; fo that it is clearly a fubitance quite 

 diftind from body. And this is a truth of great importance in the 

 philofophy of man, as it fhows evidently that our intelledual mind, 

 or foul, does not perifh with our body, when that is diflblved and 

 returns to earth from vrhence it came, but continues flill to exiit, 

 and to ad as it did before it was fepaiated from the body. 



That it is a fubftance diftind alfo from the other two minds, which 

 are joined w^ith it in our compofition, is evident likewife from the 

 operations of thofe two minds, compared with the operations of our 

 intelledual mind : For as we know nothing of the efTence of any 

 thing in this our ftate of exiftence, we muft judge of the nature of it 

 by its qualities, and particularly by its energies and operations. Now, 

 the operation of the intelledual mind is thinking and reafoning : 

 The operation of the animal mind is moving the body, and per- 

 ceiving the impreffion made by external objeds upon its organs of 

 fenfe : The operation of the vegetable life is the fame in our bodies 

 that it is in the vegetable ; that is, it makes our bodies grow, and i: 

 nourifhes them. Now, both thefe operations are fo different from 

 the operation of the intelledual mind, which, as 1 have faid, is think- 

 ing and reafo?nng^ that it is impoffible they can belong to the fame 

 fubftance. 



The next thing to be confidered is, Whether the animal or vege- 



taule 



