41 8 Materials of [Book X. 



and inherent inftinft have faved the labour of many 

 a painful inveftigation. 



With refpeft to the aclual exiftence of innate ideas 

 or principles, the reader will perceive that I am not 

 anxious to renew the controverfy. Innate ideas, I be- 

 lieve, have been in general given up by philofophers 

 fince the time of Mr. Locke. A moral principle has, 

 indeed, been contended for by fome writers of the 

 'higheft reputation, as being innate in man. It may be 

 coniidered either as a fixth fenfe, as fomething infe- 

 parable from the foul or mind of man, or as a general 

 inftinftive refult of his mental organization. I muft 

 obferve, however, that the exiftence of fuch a principle- 

 has never yet been fatisfaclorily proved, though on the 

 contrary it is not eafy to difprove it ; I fhall, therefore, 

 as much as poffible, avoid the controverfy, and endea- 

 vour, as far as obfervation enables us, to account for 

 the operations of our minds in the fimpleft and eafieft 

 manner, and to have as little recourfe as poflible to prin- 

 ciples which are involved in doubt or obfcurity. 



The elementary part of this book will naturally di- 

 vide into two branches. The firft part will extend to 

 the end of the eighth chapter, in which I mall endea- 

 vour to explain the inftrumenEs and the modes of a<5Hon 

 of the human mind. The fecond will extend from the 

 ninth chapter to the thirteenth, in which the fprings or 

 incentives that produce action in the mind, and in- 

 fluence its movements, will be examined. 



The materials, upon which the human mind is prin- 

 cipally to ad, are die traces or veftiges left by external 

 impreflions on the five fenfes. Of thefe a fimple effecl: 

 on any one fcnfe produces what is Cdikdajft^frrtfttfj 

 the word idea fignifying an image or reprefentation in 

 the mind of an action, quality, or fenfation ; thus white 

 fimple ideas. 



AB 



