54 ^^ Wisdom of GOD Parti, 

 elfewhere, and of their Situation ; of the Fi- 

 gure and Confiftency of all the Humours and 

 Membranes of the Eye, all confpiring and ex- 

 adly fitted to the Ufe of Seeing ? But I have 

 touched upon that already, and fhall difcourfe 

 it largely afterward. You will ask me. Who, 

 or what, is the Operator in the Formation of the 

 Bodies of Man,- and other Animals ? I anfwer. 

 The fenfitive Soul it felf, if it be a fpiritual and 

 immaterial Subftance, as I am inclinable to be- 

 lieve ; but if it be material, and confequent- 

 ly the whole Anunal but a mere Machine, or 

 Automaton^ as I can hardly admit, then muft we 

 have recourfe to a Plajiick Nature, 



That the Soul of Brutes is material, and the 

 whole Animal, Soul and Body, but a mere Ma- 

 chine, is the Opinion, publickly own'd and de- 

 clared, of Des Cartes^ Gajfendus, Dr. Willis^ and 

 others. The fame is alfo neceffarily confequent 

 upon the Dodlrine of the Peripateticks, viz. 

 That the fenfitive Soul is educed out of the Power 

 of the Matter ; for nothing can be educed out 

 of the Matter but what was there before ; which 

 mufl: be either Matter, or fome Modification 

 of it. And therefore they cannot grant it to 

 be a fpiritual Subftance, unlefs they will affert 

 it to be educed out of nothing. This Opinion, 

 I fay, I can hardly digeft : I ihould rather think, 

 Animals to be endu'd with a lower Degree 

 of Reafon, than that they are mere Machines. 

 I could inftance in many Adions of Brutes, 

 that are hardly to be accounted for with- 

 out Reafon and Argumentation j as that com- 

 monly 



