SECT. XIV. i. PRODUCTION, &c. 79 



SECT. XIV. 



OF THE PRODUCTION OF IDEAS. 







I. Of material and immaterial beings. Doclrine of St. Paul. II. 

 I. Of the fenfe of touch. Of folidity. 2. Of figure. Motion. 

 Time. Place. Space. Number. 3. Of the penetrability of 

 matter. 4. Spirit of animation pojftffes jolidity, figure > vifibility 9 

 5V. Of fpirit s and angels. 5. The exiftence of external things. 

 III. Ofvifion. IV. Of hearing. V. Offmellandtajle. VI. 

 Of the organ of fenfe by which we perceive heat and cold, not by 

 the fenfe of touch. VII. Of the fenfe ofextenfton, the whole of the 

 locomotive mufcles may be conftdered as one organ of fenfe VIII. 

 Of the fenfe 's of hunger, thirj}, want offrejh air^fuckling children^ 

 and luft. IX. Of many other organs of fenfe belonging to the 

 glands. Of painful fenfations from the excefs of light , prejfure^ 

 heat, itching, caujiics, and eleflricity. 



I. PHILOSOPHERS have been much perplexed to underftand, 

 in what manner we become acquainted with the external world ; 

 infomuch that Dr. Berkeley even doubted its exiftence, from 

 having obferved (as he thought) that none of our ideas refemble 

 their correfpondent objects. Mr. Hume aflerts, that our belief 

 depends on the greater diftinftnefs or energy of our ideas from 

 perception ; and Mr. Reid has lately contended, that our belief 

 of external objects is an innate principle neceffarily joined with 

 our perceptions. 



So true is the obfervation of the famous Malbranch, " that 

 our fenfes are not given us to difcover the efTences of things, 

 but to acquaint us with the means of preferving our exiftence," 

 (L. I. ch. v.) a melancholy reflection to philofophers ! 



Some philofophers have divided all created beings into 

 material and immaterial ; the former including all that part 

 of being, which obeys the mechanic laws of action and reaction, 

 but which can begin no motion of itfelf ; the other is the caufe 

 of all motion and is either termed the power of gravity, or of 

 fpecific attraction, or the fpirit of animation. This immaterial 

 agent is fuppofed to exift in or with matter, but to be quite dif- 

 tinct from it, and to be equally capable of exiftence, after the 

 matter, which now poflefles it, is decompofed. 



Nor is this theory ill fupported by analogy, iince heat, elec- 

 tricity, and magnetifm can be given to or taken from a piece 

 of iron ; and muft therefore exift, whether feparated from the 

 metal, or combined with it. From a parity of reafoning, the 



fpirit 



