Chap. VII. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 57 



have given from the dodrine of genufcs, fpeciefes, and individuals ; 

 for the ipecies does not contain all that is in the genus, nor the in- 

 dividual all that is in the fpecies, but each of them contains onlv 

 what is neceflluy to conllitute tlie thing and mak>; it what it is. 



"What I have here faid fhows of what importance the fclence of 

 logic is, which is fo little cultivated at prefent in Britain: For it not 

 only expLins to us the operations of our nobleft faculty, inielled:, 

 in the iludy of Iciences, and dh-eds thefe operations, but it carries 

 us up to theology, the fuminit of human knowledge, and is the 

 beft preparation for that iludy. 



This illuftration of the proceffion of all things from the firft caufe, 

 which the dodrine of genufes and fpeciefes affords, would, I think, 

 be very valuable, even if thefe genufes and fpecies had no real ex- 

 igence, but were no more than fidions or creations of our mind, 

 colleded from a great number of individuals ; which is the opinion, 

 I believe, of all the philofophers of this age, and was the opinion 

 even of Ariftotle, who fuppofes that every being on this earth, even 

 the meaneft infed, proceeds diredly from the fupreme being, with- 

 out the inter^^ention of genufes or fpeciefes ; which he fays are only 

 ideas of our mind, but which have no exiftence in the nature of 

 things. Upon this fubjed I have faid a good deal elfewhere** and 

 I will only add here, that as general ideas are the foundation of all 

 fcience, I cannot be convinced that they are crea'td by us, and have 

 no exiftence in the nature of thing? by themfelves, out of the mind 

 of any intelligent being, even of Supreme intelligence. That they 

 are in the mind of the Supreme Being, and that they proceed from 

 him, as every thing elfe in the univerie did, I think it would be 

 impious to deny. And 1 fay they proceeded from him as they 

 exifted in his mind, that is as generals and not as the particulars • 

 Vol. VI. H Fo,^ 



* Vol. 5. p. 187. 



