AFFECTIONS OR STATES OF MIND. 259 



his mind as to get some rest that night ; and this rest will be more or 

 less in proportion to the state of his mind. But if that man is to have 

 his life preserved on condition that he does sleep, he certainly cannot 

 sleep ; the very anxiety arising from desire and fear will prevent 

 him. 



A fixed principle fixes the mind, but a doubtful one leaves it no rest. 

 Anxiety is expressive of the union of two passions, ' desire' and ' fear.' 



The state of mind has more effect on the actions of involuntary 

 parts than on those that are at the command of the will. The reason 

 of this is plain : the state of the mind finds no obstacle in its im- 

 pressions on the involuntary parts, except what may be called natural to 

 the parts themselves, viz. their backwardness to take on unnatural 

 actions ; but the state of mind has more difficulty in exciting the 

 voluntary parts to action ; for the will is often counteracting the actions 

 that arise from mental emotion in voluntary parts, which produces an 

 irregular action, as in trembling. 



The actions of the mind of which we are sensible are as much the 

 objects of sensation as [external causes of] sensation itself; we can 

 reason about them. 



The [state of] mind has two causes of its formation — the state of the 

 body and sensation. Some states of mind are almost formed from the 

 state of the body, as sexual desire ; but it is heightened by sensation : 

 other states of the mind are almost formed from sensation, as love, 

 friendship, &c. 



The feelings of the mind we often want to reduce to reason, or to 

 that principle which arises entirely from sensation, viz. reasoning about 

 real things. This becomes the basis of religion. 



The actions of the body may be called insensible and sensible. In 

 the first actions the mind is not directly sensible of them, although it 

 may be so in a secondary way ; as, for instance, the mind may feel 

 uneasy or the reverse ; although it does not know the immediate cause 

 or action of the body which produces such feeling. In the second or 

 sensible action the mind is made acquainted with them. The insensible 

 actions or operations are often put into motion by the sensible ones ; for 

 example, the stomach is made to digest by the sensible act of throwing 

 food into it. Or the sensible actions or operations may be set into 

 motion by the insensible ones, as when the muscles of the penis are 

 thrown into action by the insensible secretion of the semen of the 

 testes; or when the bladder is thrown into action by the insensible 

 actions of the kidneys. 



The insensible actions are such as go on at all times, during health, 

 whether we be sleeping or waking. Many of these insensible actions 



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