157 



immediate impression of some faculty disposed to re- 

 ceive and retain the impression. But every one 

 may be conscious, that immaterial objects were never 

 so present to any faculty of his mind, as to imprint 

 and leave upon it any just and real similitude or re- 

 semblance of themselves. Or, 



Secondly, these ideas must proceed from the im- 

 mediate power of God. That he can impregnate the 

 mind with them, is certain. But how is it proved, 

 that he does ] If ever he does, it is by an extraordi- 

 nary, supernatural act. Whereas we are now speak- 

 ing what our perceptions are, in the ordinary way of 

 nature. Or, 



Thirdly, the mind has a power of raising up to it- 

 self ideas of things, whereof it can have no actual 

 view, of objects which have no communication with 

 any of our faculties. But if it cannot form one 

 idea of any material object, without the actual pre- 

 sence of it, much less can it frame ideas of imma- 

 terial objects, without their immediate presence. 



Perhaps the power of raising up to itself ideas, 

 without the presence or impression of any object, is 

 the privilege of the Divine Mind, answerable to that 

 of creation. But the power of our mind in the little 

 world, is much the same with that of the whole man 

 in the greater. It is as impossible for it to raise up 

 to itself any new idea, independent of all sensation* 

 as it is for a man to add one particle to the common 

 mass of matter. 



A second property of ^an idea of sensation is, that 



