﻿ATTENDING 
  THE 
  EXERCISE 
  OF 
  THE 
  SENSES. 
  519 
  

  

  Sensations 
  felt 
  in 
  the 
  mind, 
  and 
  Perceptions 
  formed 
  in 
  the 
  mind, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  

   those 
  sensations. 
  

  

  But 
  although 
  he 
  stated 
  that 
  he 
  could 
  trace 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  our 
  notions 
  in 
  

   regard 
  to 
  the 
  external 
  world 
  no 
  farther 
  than 
  the 
  mental 
  operations 
  thus 
  described, 
  

   he 
  distinctly 
  admitted, 
  as 
  a 
  general 
  principle, 
  the 
  possibility, 
  and 
  approved 
  the 
  

   attempt, 
  of 
  farther 
  analysis, 
  if 
  made 
  under 
  due 
  precautions. 
  " 
  It 
  must," 
  he 
  says, 
  

   " 
  require 
  great 
  caution, 
  and 
  great 
  application 
  of 
  mind, 
  for 
  a 
  man 
  that 
  has 
  grown 
  

   up 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  prejudices 
  of 
  education, 
  fashion, 
  and 
  philosophy, 
  to 
  unravel 
  his 
  no- 
  

   tions 
  and 
  opinions, 
  till 
  he 
  find 
  out 
  the 
  simple 
  and 
  original 
  principles 
  of 
  his 
  

   constitution, 
  of 
  which 
  no 
  account 
  can 
  be 
  given 
  but 
  the 
  will 
  of 
  our 
  Maker. 
  

  

  " 
  This 
  may 
  be 
  truly 
  called 
  an 
  analysis 
  of 
  the 
  human 
  faculties 
  ; 
  and 
  till 
  this 
  is 
  

   performed, 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  vain 
  we 
  expect 
  any 
  just 
  system 
  of 
  the 
  mind, 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  an 
  enu- 
  

   meration 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  powers 
  and 
  laws 
  of 
  our 
  constitution, 
  and 
  an 
  explication 
  

   from 
  them 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  phenomena 
  of 
  human 
  nature. 
  Success, 
  in 
  an 
  inquiry 
  

   of 
  this 
  kind, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  human 
  power 
  to 
  command 
  ; 
  but 
  perhaps 
  it 
  is 
  possible, 
  

   by 
  caution 
  and 
  humility, 
  to 
  avoid 
  error 
  and 
  delusion. 
  The 
  labyrinth 
  may 
  be 
  too 
  

   intricate, 
  and 
  the 
  thread 
  too 
  fine, 
  to 
  be 
  traced 
  through 
  all 
  its 
  windings 
  ; 
  but 
  if 
  we 
  

   stop 
  where 
  we 
  can 
  trace 
  it 
  no 
  farther, 
  and 
  secure 
  the 
  ground 
  we 
  have 
  gained, 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  harm 
  done; 
  a 
  quicker 
  eye 
  may 
  in 
  time 
  trace 
  it 
  farther" 
  — 
  (Reid, 
  p. 
  99.) 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  plain, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  quite 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  Dr 
  Reid's 
  views, 
  — 
  

   both 
  with 
  the 
  principles 
  which 
  he 
  thought 
  he 
  had 
  established, 
  and 
  with 
  his 
  anti- 
  

   cipations 
  of 
  the 
  future 
  progress 
  of 
  the 
  science, 
  — 
  to 
  attempt 
  a 
  farther 
  and 
  more 
  

   minute 
  analysis 
  of 
  the 
  acts 
  of 
  Mind, 
  attending 
  the 
  exercise 
  of 
  the 
  Senses, 
  by 
  

   which 
  we 
  are 
  assured 
  of 
  the 
  existence, 
  and 
  informed 
  of 
  the 
  properties 
  of 
  external 
  

   things 
  ; 
  and 
  to 
  endeavour 
  to 
  refer 
  these, 
  by 
  a 
  process 
  of 
  induction, 
  to 
  other 
  and 
  

   more 
  general 
  Laws 
  of 
  Mind. 
  This, 
  accordingly, 
  has 
  been 
  attempted 
  by 
  several 
  later 
  

   writers. 
  Mr 
  Stewart 
  maintained, 
  and 
  fortified 
  himself 
  by 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  Turgot, 
  

   that 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  notion 
  of 
  Externality, 
  or 
  independent 
  exist- 
  

   ence, 
  in 
  any 
  object 
  of 
  perception, 
  a 
  repetition 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  sensations, 
  under 
  the 
  

   same 
  conditions, 
  is 
  necessary, 
  and 
  that 
  then 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  that 
  notion, 
  — 
  the 
  

   conclusion 
  thus 
  drawn 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  a 
  cause 
  for 
  our 
  sensations, 
  inde- 
  

   pendent 
  of 
  ourselves, 
  might 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  Law 
  of 
  Mind, 
  — 
  analogous 
  

   to 
  the 
  first 
  Law 
  of 
  Motion, 
  or 
  the 
  Inertia 
  of 
  Matter, 
  — 
  our 
  belief 
  " 
  that 
  the 
  course 
  

   of 
  Nature 
  is 
  uniform, 
  or 
  will 
  be 
  in 
  future 
  such 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  already 
  observed 
  it." 
  

  

  Dr 
  Brown 
  went 
  a 
  step 
  farther. 
  He 
  explicitly 
  admitted 
  the 
  accuracy 
  of 
  the 
  

   distinction 
  drawn 
  by 
  Dr 
  Reid 
  between 
  Sensations 
  and 
  Perceptions, 
  and 
  the 
  con- 
  

   venience 
  of 
  the 
  term 
  Perception, 
  as 
  denoting 
  an 
  act 
  of 
  the 
  mind, 
  distinguishable 
  

   from 
  all 
  others, 
  but, 
  as 
  he 
  thought, 
  resolvable 
  into 
  others. 
  " 
  I 
  am 
  far 
  from 
  wish- 
  

   ing," 
  he 
  says, 
  " 
  to 
  erase 
  the 
  term 
  Perception 
  from 
  our 
  metaphysical 
  vocabulary. 
  

   On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  I 
  conceive 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  very 
  convenient 
  one, 
  if 
  the 
  meaning 
  attached 
  

   to 
  it 
  be 
  sufficiently 
  explained, 
  by 
  an 
  analysis 
  of 
  the 
  complex 
  state 
  of 
  mind 
  which 
  

  

  