SECT. XIV. 2. 4- OF IDEAS. 85 



touch, any more than we can with odours or flavours without 

 our fenfes of fmell and tafte. 



But that any being can exift without exifling in f pace, is, to 

 my ideas utterly incomprehenfible. My appeal is to common 

 fenfe. To be implies a when and a where ; the one is com- 

 paring it with the motions of other beings, and the other with 

 their Situations. 



If there was but one object, as the whole creation may be 

 confidered as one objecl, then I cannot afk where it exifts ? 

 for there are no other objects to compare its fituation with. 

 Hence if any one denies, that a being exifts in fpace, he denies, 

 that there are any other beings but that one ; for to anfwer the 

 queftion, " Where does it exift ?" is only to mention the fitua- 

 tion of the objects that furround it. 



In the fame manner if it be afked " When does a being 

 exift ?" The aniwer only fpecifies the fucceffive motions either 

 of itfelf, or of other bodies; hence to fay, a body exifts not in 

 time, is to fay, that there is, or was, no motion in the world. 



4. Of the Spirit of Animation. 



But though there may exift beings in the univerfe, that have 

 sot the property of folidity ; that is, which can pofTefs any part 

 of fpace, at the lame time that it is occupied by other bodies ; 

 yet there may be other beings, that can aflume this property of 

 folidity, or difrobe themfelves of it occafionally, as we are taught 

 of fpirits, and of angels ; and it would feem, that THE SPIRIT 

 OF ANIMATION muft be endued with this property, otherwife 

 how could it occafionally give motion to the limbs of animals ? 

 or be itfelf ftimulated into motion by the obtrufions of fur- 

 rounding bodies, as of light, or odour ? 



If the fpirit of animation was always neceflarily penetrable, 

 it could not influence or be influenced by the folidity of com- 

 mon matter ; they would exift together, but could not detrude 

 each other from the part of fpace, where they exift -, that is, 

 they could not communicate motion to each other. No two 

 things can influence or off eel each other ', which have not fome prop- 

 erty common to both of them ; for to influence or affect another 

 body is to give or communicate fome property to it, that it had 

 not before ; but how can one body give that to another, which 

 it does not poflefs itfelf ? The words imply, that they muft 

 agree in having the power or faculty of pofTefling fome common 

 property. Thus if one body removes another from the part of 

 fpace, that it poffeiTes, it muft have the power of occupying 

 that fpace itfelf : and if one body communicates heat or motion 



to 



