BRUTE. 
perform a variety of other wonderful operations. Now, 
it is not to be queilioned, but that the mechanifm of the 
body of the meaneft animal infinitely furpafles that of the 
molt perfect of rhefe machines; and what can be the'.con¬ 
sequence of this, but that the afctions of that animal mult 
be .proportionally .more furprifing than any automaton 
whatfoever? See Automaton. 
Thefe are the arguments brought in favour of the Car- 
tefiau fyftem: but they are evidently very far from being 
conclulive. They are deficient, in the firft place, becaufe, 
though we allow them in the utmoft extent, they prove 
only the poflibility of brutes being inanimate, and that 
the power of God actually could produce fuclj and. fuch 
actions from inanimate machines ; but that he actually 
hath done fo, they have not the leu ft tendency to prove. 
In the lecond place, the Cartefian argument is infufficient, 
becaufe it hath no limits, and knows not where to flop ; 
as, by the fame method of arguing, every man might 
prove his neighbour to be an inanimate machine ; for, 
though every individual be confciotis of his own thoughts, 
he is nqt fo of thofe of his neighbour ; and it no more 
exceeds the power of-God to caufe an inanimate machine 
to perform the aCtions of a man than thofe of a bead. 
Neither are the two objections which the hypothefis is 
calculated to anlvver, to be at all admitted as arguments 
in its favour. They are, i. That if we allow brutes to 
have louls, they mud be immaterial, and consequently 
immortal ; and, 2. It fete ms-a contradiction to the good- 
nefsof God to think that he Ihould fubjeCt innocent crea¬ 
tures to fuch a multitude of evils as we fee the brute cre¬ 
ation endure in this world. The firft of thefe is product¬ 
ive of no bad confequences to us, though it ihould be 
granted; and, if it is fuppofed that brute creatures are 
really immortal, the fecond objection vaniflies ; becaufe, 
in the enjoyment of endlefs felicity, all temporary afflic¬ 
tions, how fevere foever, mu ft be fwallowed up as though 
they had never been. As to a politive proof on the other 
fide, viz. that brutes are really endowed with fenfation 
and confcioufnefs, there is undoubtedly the fame evidence 
for the fenfi.bility of brutes that there is for that of man¬ 
kind. We fee brutes avoid pain as much as we do; and 
we like wife fee them feek for pleafure and exprefs their 
happinefs in the enjoyment of certain things by figns not 
at all equivocal. Therefore, though we grant the pofti- 
bility of all this being the cffeCt of mere mechanifm ; yet, 
as we are confcious that in ourfelves fimilar effeCfs are 
produced by a fentient principle, we have all the reafon 
in the world to conclude that in brutes they are likewife 
derived from a principle of fenfation ; efpecially feeing we 
know of no kind of mechanifm in any other part of nature 
that produces any thing like the effeCfs juft mentioned; 
and, until we fee that a mechanifm of this kind does take 
place in fome part of nature, we have, no right to fuppofe 
it in any. As to thofe actions of the human body in which 
it feems to move fpontaneoufly, like an automaton, with¬ 
out the direction of the mind or will, it is alntoft fuper- 
fluous to obferve, that they were not performed in this 
manner originally, but required very great exertions of 
the will and intellectual fatuity before the body could be 
brought to perform them eafily; fo that from hence no¬ 
thing can be inferred- Add to this, that divine revela¬ 
tion fets forth to us in, many places the brute creation as 
objeCts of mercy; which could not be done without the 
bigheft abfurdity, if they were not really capable of feel¬ 
ing: pleafure and pain as well as we. 
The 1110ft rational oppolers of the Cartefian fcheme 
maintain, that brutes are endowed with a principle of fen¬ 
fation as well as we; though of an inferior nature to ours. 
Great difputes, however, have arifen on this fubjeft; fome 
maintaining, that the foul in brutes is merely fenfitivc, 
and that they are altogether deftitute of refleClion and im- 
derftanding ; others, that they not only reafon, but make 
a better ule of it than men do. That the brutes are en¬ 
dowed only with fenfation, and totally deftitute of all 
power of reflection, or even reafoning, is what can by no 
means be maintained on good grounds: neither can it be 
afterted that they aCt entirely from inftinCt, or a blind 
propenfity to certain things, without knowing why or 
wherefore. In numherlefs inftances, needlefs to be men¬ 
tioned here, but which will readily occur to every reader, 
it is evident, that education will/get the better of many of 
the natural inItin <51 s of brutes; which could never be tlie. 
cafe were they abfoiutely incapable of.reafoning. On the 
other hand, it is equally certain,That they are by no means 
capable of education in the fame degree that men ate ; 
neither are the rational exertions of beads at all to be 
compared even with thofe of the meaneft favages. One 
remarkable inftance of this is in the life of the element of 
fire. The mod favage nations have known how to make, 
tilts element fublervient to their purpofes ; or, if fome have- 
been found who have been entirely ignorant of its exift- 
ence, they have quickly learned its ufes on feeing it made 
ufe of by others: but, though many of the bru.te creatures 
are delighted with warmth, and have opportunities every 
day of feeing how fire is fupplied with fuel, and by that 
means preferved, it never was known that one of them 
attempted to preferve afire by this means. This-fhews, 
a ftrange defect of rationality, unaccountable upon any 
other fuppofition than that the foul or fentient principle 
of brutes is infinitely inferior in its nature to that of man; 
but ftill it is a fentient principle, capable of perceptions as 
quick, and in many inftances much more fo than our own. 
Father Bougeant fupports his opinion of the fpirits of 
brute creatures being devils in the following manner: 
Having proved at large that beads naturally have under- 
flanding, “ Reafon (fays he) naturally inclines us to be¬ 
lieve that beads have a fpiritual foul ; and the only thing 
that oppofes this fentiment is, the confequences that might 
be inferred from it. If brutes have a foul, that foul muff 
be either matter or fpirit; it muft be one of the two, and 
yet you dare affirm neither. You dare not fay it is mat¬ 
ter, becaufe you muft then necdlarily fuppofe matter to 
be capable of thinking; nor will you fay that it is fpirit, 
this opinion bringing with it confequences contrary to the 
principles of religion ; and this, among others, that man 
would differ from beafts only by the degree of plus and 
minus; which would dernolilh the very foundation of all 
religion. Therefore, if I can elude all thefe confequences, 
if I can aflign to beafts a fpiritual foul, without ftriking 
at the doctrines of religion, it is evident, that my fyftem, 
being moreover the mod agreeable to reafon, is the only 
warrantable hypothefis : now 1 fhall, and can do it, with 
the greateft eafe imaginable. Religion teaches us, that 
the devils, from the very moment they had finned, were 
reprobate, and that they were doomed to burn for ever in 
hell ; but the church has not yet determined whether 
they do actually endure the torments to which they are 
condemned. It may then be thought that they do not yet 
fuffer them, and that the execution of the verdiit brought 
againft them is referred for the day of final judgment. 
Nqw> what I pretend to infer from hence is, that, till 
doomfday conies, the Almighty, in order not to fuffer fp 
many legions of reprobate fpirits to be of no u!e, has dif- 
tributed them through the feveral fpaces of the world, to 
ferve the deligns of his providence. Some, continuing in 
their natural ftate, bufy themfelves in tempting men, in 
feducing and tormenting them; either immediately, as 
Job’s devil, and thofe that lay hold of human bodies; or 
by the miniftry of forcevers or phantoms. Thefe wicked 
fpirits are thofe whom the feripture calls the powers of 
darknefs, or the powers of the air. God, with the others, 
makes millions of beafts of all kinds, which ferve for the 
ufes of men, which, fill the univerfe, and caufe the wif- 
dom and omnipotence of the Creator to be admired. By 
that means I can eafily conceive, on the one hand, how 
the devils can tempt us ; and on the other, how beafts can 
think, know, have fentiments, and a fpiritual foul, with¬ 
out any way ftriking at the doctrines of religion. 1 am no 
longer furprifed to fee them have forecaft, memory, and 
judgment. I Ihould rather have occafion to wonder at 
their 
