j4 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book L 



C H A P. VII. 



Of the fyjiem of Genufes and Speciefes iti the Utiiverfe, and its ufeful- 

 ncfs tn Language y in Logic ^ and in the perfection of Human Know- 

 ledge. — By it we fjoiv hois) all things proceed from the highef of 

 the Categories^ Subftance, — which contains them all Virtually, 

 ivhile they contain it Actually. — This doQrine^ applied to the Su- 

 preme Beingy explains a pajfage in Genefis. — Of the advantages 

 of the fludy of Logic, which carries us up to Theology. — General 

 Ideas the foundation of all Science. — Procefs of them from the Su- 

 preme Being : — Defe£l in the fyfem of Nature if they did not exiji. 

 — This doElrine of Ideas Plato brought from Egypt — as well as thai 

 of the Trinity. — Explanation o/' Virtual and A.€im\ Exifcncc. 



BEFORE 1 conclude this book I think it will not be improper to 

 add to it a fhort chapter upon a Aibjed: which I have often 

 mentioned in the courfe of this work, the divifion of things in the 

 fyftem of the univerfe into genufes and fpecies. It is a divifion of 

 fuch importance, that there could be no order or regularity in the 

 fyftem without it. And it is of fuch ufe to us in this lower world, 

 that we could comprehend nothing without it, nor exprefs any 

 thing by words: So that we could have no ufe of language; for it 

 wxjuld be impoffible to give a name to every individual thing. We 

 mull, therefore, name things by their fpeciefcs or their genus. And 

 even the moft barbarous and imperfect languages give names to 

 things which denote their fpecies; for there is no nation that has. 

 any ufe of Ipeech which does not denote every thing by the fpecies 



tc 



