62 ANTTENT METAPHYSICS. Book I. 



be improper to fay fomething further, in order to explain thofe 

 two different ways of exilVinj^. When we fay that a thing; exifts 

 viTiually\ we mean that it exiits in fome other thing which contains 

 it, but has not produced it in the form belonging to its nature. But 

 when we fay that it exifts afttially, we mean that it is produced out 

 of the thing containing it, and has a feparate exiftence in the form 

 belonging to it. To make this diftinftion more clear, it will be 

 neceffary to diftinguilb betwixt intelledual animals, and other ani- 

 mals and vegetables. In thefe the things, which are produced out 

 of them, are faid to exift; in them v:?-iual/y before they are produced; 

 for, in this way they exift in the feeds of the parent animals and ve- 

 getables; but they do not exift aUually till they are produced and 

 are really animals and vegetables. But, in intelledual beings, things 

 exift virtually or potentially (for either word may be ufed) in the 

 ideas of the mind of the intelledual being. In this manner a work 

 of art exifts virtually in the idea of the artift before it be produced, 

 that is, before it aElually exifts : In this way alio all the works of 

 God exift virtually in the intelledual world in him, but only really 

 and aBually when they are produced and exift out of his mind. But, 

 according to the theology of Gregory Nazianzen, all the works of 

 God exift in both ways: For he maintains, that all the ideas of the 

 Divine Mind are realifed and have an aBual exiftence*; whereas in 

 the intelledual world of man, that is in our niicrocofm, there are 

 very many things which exift only in idea^ that is virtually^ but 

 never aEludly. And this, I think, is a very proper diftindion betwixt 

 our minds and the Supreme Mind, in which laft nothing cm be con- 

 ceived to exiil to no purpofe; which would be the cafe of his ideas, 

 if ihey were not produced out of his mind into adual exiftence. 



BOOK 



* See whnt I have faid of Gregory Nazianzen's docflrinc, p, i86. of vol. 5. and alfo 

 p. 57. of this volume. 



