1000000031

M E T A P H Y S

r e

ISr

t ithcr of \t'hich

rails,

the: whole bu(jnc:[s of

nU1lr.

l ui"g

will

be:

diflurbed ; and (here: will rc:main only. t he

conrul~a

¡dra

1I1fu" i tud(;

bUl

the

idetll

nccdf."ry

difilnél numcration

will

nOl

be atlaintd

too

O/in.!JlJily".

T H

idea

fignificd by ,he oame

infinily;

i. bea exa·

rninc:d,

confidenng to

'Whlil

infinity is

the,mind at·

uibuted, al1d then

hGW

frames

¡l .

Finile

and

inJinile,

then,

:ilrC:

looked upon as the Olodes

quantity; and

at·

t ribured primarily

things that have

pans,

and are: ca·

pable of increafe or diminu,ion by ,he

addilion

luh.·

jJro{];lJll

of any

the: lean

parto

Such are lhe

idctlJ

¡!.lCe. duro/ioll,

and

numbtr.

\Vhen we a pply

this·idea

the:

Su/rel1te Being.

'''c:

primarily, in

reCrea.

his duration and

ul>iquily;

more fi guratively,

whe .. to his

wifdolJl, pO'Wer, g ,(Jd–

n~fl.

and orhcr <\((ributes, which are properly

in~xhouJl"

able

~nd inc~mpre/un.frble :

l,'or whc:n

call them ioEi–

nite, we have no o'her

¡d~a

of Ihi, infinity, but what

c:nries wirh jt fome refleétjan 00 the

numlur

or Ihe

ex–

len/

of lhe

00,

objeé/J

of God's power and wifdom,

which can never be fuppofed fo grea t, or fo many, that

thefe auribu les will not aJways furmount and rxceed,

tho,llgh we multiply them in our thoughts with (he ín6.–

nity

endüfl

numlur.

T f¡e next thing to be confidered. ¡s,

H (;'W 'tve

~Dme

lhe

id-:Q

of ¡nfi niey. Every

ODe

thal has any

ideu

of any

Oa,ed leng,h. of fpaee, as a

1001,

)'ard,

&e. find. ,hat

he, can repeat that

¡de'!,

and join it to

anolher,

to a

Ihirtl.

and fo on without ever coming to an end of his

¡ddition,. Froffi _this power of enlarging his

id~a

fpace, he takes the

idea

of infinite fpac.e. or

imm-:njiIJ.

By ,he fame power of repeating ,he

idea

of any ler gth uf

dutatlan we have in our minds, wilh all the endleJi addi–

tion of number, we come by the

idea

e/ernil)'.

our

id.a

infihilJ

be gOt by repea,ing wi,hout end

our own

idea,;

why do we óot attribute it to other

i–

,ÜOI,

as well

Ola

thore o(

JPace

and

dura/ion;

fince cbey

may be as eafily and a, often repeated in our miad" oas

(he other: Yel no body ever thlnks of inriniteftuu/nifs

rwhi/etuft,

though he

c~n

, epeal the

idell

of Cweet oro

whi'e as f"quently as

,h~fe

Jord

day .

Bu, , hoCe

ideal

chal have parts, and are c;:apable o( increó4fe by che

¡ddition of any parts, afford us, by lheir repecicion, an

idca

of ¡nlinity; becau(e Wilh the endle(s re:pelition there

¡s continued an cnla rgement,

whicJ:. tl1cre is no cnd.

BOl il is nat (o in other

idcol:

For

lhe perfelt

idea

have of

whi/e,

1 add another

equíll whitcneCs; ,ít en–

larges nOI my

idcll

aH. ·Thofe

¡duu

thal confift not of

parts, cannOI b(! augiTlented lO what proportion men

plea(e , or be Clretcht:'d beyond what they hne

receiY~d

by -their (cnfes: But

¡pare,

dura/ion,

and

nUIll6~r.

being

capable of ¡ncreaCe by repelilion , Jeave in the mind an

idca

of án endlefs room for more;

~nd

fo thofe

ideal

a·

IÚAe lead ,he mind ,owards .he ,hollgh, of iofini,y.

0l,h. modo

thillling.

'\VHP.H

(he the mind turns in

viewiñw~ rds

UpOD

¡trelf,

Ih¡"Ai,,1t

the GrO

iJeo

thou occu rs: \-Vhacin

ohferves

a great v<\riely o( moclifici:uions; aod lhereof framcs

VOL.

ti!.

N°. 67.

!,felf.d!fiina

id"".

ThuSlhep<rception

~nnexed

to any

'OIpreO,on on ,he body made by an ex'ernal objea, i.

caJledfolifa/ion.

When an

idca

H Curs without the pre"

fence of lhe objetl: .

is called

remelllhranu :'

When

fought after by the mind, and brought agaio in view,

rtclJ/leflion:

Whcn

hcld there long under ancntive

con(jdention,

it is

con/emI,io/ion.

\ Vhen

ideal

float

the mind without regard or reflcétian, it is called in French

rev¿rü

;

our Jangllage has {caree a Dame

(01"

jt : Whcn

tbe

idePI

are talcn notice of, and,

it were, regillere:d

the memory, il is

al/en/ion:'

When the

mind

fixes

itl

view

on any one

idea,

and confidcrs it on

all

fides, jt

ís

in/en/ion

and

JludJ. Slup ,

without ' drea.ming, is rd i

from all the(e. And

dreomini

¡s the percep[ion of

ideal

in the mind, nol fuggeCled by any externaJ objeéh,

known oecarions ; Qor under aoy choice or conduét

the

underflaDding.

0l ,h. m, do

..r

r/ealure "nd p"in.

PLEASUIl S

andpain

are 'úmple

idca/,

which we re·

ceave both from fenfation and refleétioD. There

are

thoughts of the: mind,

well

fenfatioDs, accompanied

with plea(ure or pain. Their cauCes are termed

gl/od

euil. Pito/tire

aod

pain.

and their caufes

go~d

and

vil,

are the hinges UpOh which Our paffions turo ; by re–

fletl:ing on tbe various madifications or tempers .of Olind.

and (he internal (enCations which pleafi.tre and pain, good

and evil, produce in us, we may theoce form to

our{eJv~s

the

idear

of our p.Oio.s. Tltus by

r~fieaing

upon

,he '

though, \Ve have of ,he delight whieh any ,hing i. apt

to produce iD us, we have an

¡dla

we caH

Jove :

And

0 0

the contrary, (he thought of the paio which any thin,

prerent or abCent prnduces

us,

¡,

what we call

¡'olr~d

Do/ire

is (hat unealineCs which aman 6nds in himfel( upo"

the abfepee of . ny 'hing ,he prefeD" enjoymen, of whieh

earrie. the

idea

delight.wi

,h il.

J oy

a delight o( ,he

mind . rifing from ,he prefen, or afTured approaehing por–

(eOion of a good.

Sorrow

¡s ah uDt:ariners of tbe min(i.

UpOD ,he thou¡¡ht of. good Ion, or ,he fenfe of

prefeDt

evjl.

Hope

is a pleafure in the mind, upoo lhe lhought

of a probClble future cnjoyment of a thiog which is apt tI)

delight.

Fear

is 3n unearinefs of tbe mind. upon (he

,hough, of • f'lIure eoil likely 'o befall u..

Anger

is a d i(compofure of mind, upon tbe receipt of jnjury,

wi,h

prefeD' pu rpofe of revenge.

D IJpair

i. ,he

though, of ,he un.ttainablenefs of .ny good .

Env~

is an

unearinefs o( Olind, caured by the conGderation of a gnod

we defire, ob,ained by one we ,hiok Ihould no' have Itad

it before uso

is to be confidered, that in reference to the paffian,.

(he removal or Idrening of a pain, is confidcred and

1?erates ilS a

p.le~

fure;

and the lors or diminifhing of a

pleilCure, as a palo. And fart her, that (he piiffions in

mon per(ons operiltc

the bocly, aod ciluf\!' variau.

changes in jt; bUI thefe being nOl always fen(iblt!', do not

make a oeceO'ry par' of ,he

id.a

of eaeh paUioD.

°lpo,",er.

mind bcing eo<ry d.y informed by ,he fenfe.

,he aheration o ( thore fimple

;-le.J1

obCl'rv~s

in things

without, reA..:éting alfo on wh.t

paacs

wllhln itCelr, and

z..

oblervin¡: