180 DEFINITIONS. 



the study of which constitutes the science of Natural Phi- 

 losophy *. They differ from intellectual beings in that they 

 are all capable of mensuration, and the human mind can 

 only conceive parts of them. Time and Space are co-ex- 

 istent with and attendant upon the Deity, being both eter- 

 nal. The immensity of Space is however wholly different 

 from its eternity, nor ought they to be confounded. Mat- 

 ter is the work of the Creator, and its existence is neces- 

 sarily neither eternal nor immense. 



It is perhaps impossible to define either Time, Space, 

 or Matter; we know them only by their properties. The 

 two former consist of parts> and are therefore divisible, 

 but differ from Matter inasmuch as it is impossible to 

 conceive how one of their parts can exist without its 

 connexion to another part, whereas every part of Matter 

 is a distinct being which may exist without the other 

 parts. We may therefore say that Time is capable only of 

 mensuration ; Space, of figure and mensuration ; whereas 

 ' Matter is capable not only of these, but also of incon- 

 tinuity. Our most accurate ideas of Matter appear to 

 be those which we acquire from its relation to Time and 

 Space. Such relations, however, appear in general to be 

 peculiar not to matter alone, but to all incontinuous beings. 



* Many philosophers both ancient and naodern have supposed another 

 kind ef natural beings to exist, namely, immaterial images of things, the 

 immediate objects of perception, which have been termed species, forms, 

 phantasms, impressions, or ideas. The Monads of Leibnitz are yet another 

 sort of hypothetical beings; but we shall take no notice of either, further 

 than to say, that if we admit the existence of ideas as immediate objects of 

 perception, it follows that there is nothing else in the universe but ideas; 

 and if we admit the existence of monads, it equally results that there is no 

 necessity for the existence of any thing than monads. 



