1000000031

1St

M E T A P H Y S

e s.

obfer.ing • connan! ch onge ofits

idenl,

fOOletimes by the

irnprelJions of

outward

objt:éh upon

the

ren(e~

Cl:od

rome·

times

[he detcrmination of ¡es own ehoiel!'; and con–

cluding. fram what ir has fo conHantly obCervcd

haye

b een, that

th~

like ch.!nges will

frH

tht:: ruture be made

the fame things, by the fame agents, and by lhe likc

ways, confiders in one Ihing Ihe pollibililY oi having any

of in fimple

ideal

ehanged, and in another Ihe pollibilily

of making that change, and

Comes

[hat

id~(l

which

",hieh we eall

power.

Thus we fay

Ji"

has a power 10

.mllgold,

.nd make il /luid; .nd

gold

ha. a po'wer 10 be

mell.-d.

Power thus confidered, is twofold,

viz.

as abIe to

make. or able to receive any change:

lhe

one may be

called

aElive,

Ihe olher

paffive po'Wer.

paffiue po'Wer

all {enfible Ihing. abound.ntly furnilh u. with

ideal,

whofe

(enrible qualities and beings \Ve lind to

in a continual

flux . Nor

haTe We

af1iv( powtr

fewer inrlancts ; fince

whateverchange is obCl!r.ved, the mind muCl collC'a a power

fom~here

able 10 'make Ih.1 change.

BUI yet, if we

",iJl

confide r it anentively, bodies

our

{~n{es

do not

afford us (o clear and diClina an

jd~a

p{1it,~ pow~r

"We have from reft:élioo

0 0

the operations of our minos.

For all power rel.uing to aaion, and there being but

t\Vo

fons of

afljon,

viz.

Ihin~jnJ

and

11Io/jon.

Jet us confider

",henee we have the clearefi

idulJ

of the powers which

produce Ihefe .étion.,

Ihinli.g,

body .fford. u. no

idea

.1 .11: 11 is 00-

from reReétion that \Ve haTe that; neither have we

(rom body any

idea

of Ihe begioniog of mOlio" .

body

at rell, affords us no

id~a

of any

afUve

power to move ;

aDd when it is (et in motion itrelr. thin motion is rather

a pallioo than

aétion in it ) The

id~a

of the beginning

of mQtioo, we have ooly by refleétion on wha t palTes in

ourfelves ; where we fiod by experienee, thal barely by

willing

ir,

we can move (he pan, of our bodies which

""ere before

<efl .

W e find in ourfelves • power to begin Or forbe.r, eon–

tioue or end, (everal allions of oor minds, 'and matioos of

our bodies, barely by • thought, or preferenee of lhe

m ind. T his power which the mind has thus tO order

the confideration of any

id(a,

or rhe forbeAring to coo·

íider it ; or lo pref« the motion of aoy part of the hody

to iu rell, . and

vice

fJ~rla,_

io any particular innance, is

that we call the

wi/I;

the aétual exercife ofthat power is

that which we calJ

volilirm.

willillg.

1'"he forbearance

or performaDce of that aétion. confequent to fueh order or

command of the mind, is called

volunlary;

aod what·

foever .étion i, performed wilhoul f"eh a Ihought of Ihe

m ind. is called

invDlunlar,J.

The power of pereeplion is Ihat we eall the

und<rJland–

;nK'

P(rcrlJ/ion.

which we make 1he an: of the under ...

/I.nding, is of lhree forts:

'J1,

The pereeption of

ideQI

our miods .

2dg,

T he perceptioQ of Ihe fignincation

of fign"

3dly,

The pereeplion of lhe agreemenl or dif–

agrecmenl of .ny difl,ntl

idral.

There powers of the

m ind,

" iz o

of perceiving and prcfeHing, are ufually called

another n<lme ; and ' lhe orctinary way of fpeaking is,

Ih. 1 the uodeTflaodiog and ",ill are tWO

fQc/lltiu

of the

JDind.

From !he tODúdcralÍolI of Ihe exteD!

of the power

the mind over the aétioos of the m:ln, which every one

finds in himrelf, arite tlle

i¿(tu

lib(rly

and

Tj(C¿JliIJ :

fo fH as a mAn has a power tO thin" or DOt to tlllnk,

mov(! or nOt to IlIove. accordlng

the prefel'enct' or

direélion of his own mind , fo far'is a man free. Where ..

ever ilny performa nce: or forbt:arance are not equally in a

man 's power ; ' where ·ever doing, or

001

doing, will Dot

equally folJo \V upon the preferc::nce of his mi nd ; lhere he

is notfru , though perhaps the aélian may be

,,~/fJnIQrJ,

So th ilt the

id~Q

lih¿rIJ,

is rhe

id(Q

of a power in aoy

agcnt

do or forbear any aalOn, accordioe to lhe cleter..

mination or thought of lhe minu whe reby

eith.er

of lhem

is .preferred to the other . \tVhere eilher o( themois oot

in lhe

po?,~r

o( the agent tO

produced by h lm, ac–

cordio!: lO his ...olidon, there he is OOt al !iberty ; that

agent -is undu

necefli'Y.

So that

lió(rlJ

C.!lonot be where

there is no

IhougJ.t,

volil joll,

wdl ;

but there may

be thought. rhere m-ay be will. l here may be volition.

where there

Iió~r'y.

Thu5 a

/enniJ ball,

whether

in mm ion by the firoke of a racket, or Iyiog fiill al rell,

is not by any oQe laken

be a free agent. So a

m~n

Itriking himfelf or his.friend by a eonvulfive mOlion of hit

o:arm, whieh it is not

hls power by "olidon or

tl~e

di ...

reétlon of hi, mind 10 rtop or forbe","; no body think. he

has in this

lil}(rl)';

every one pities him, as aai ng by

ncuJlily

and

conj/rQjlll.

Agai n, fuppofe a man be carried

whílU fan afleep ioto a room, whcre is a perron he Joog'

lo fee, and be Ihere loeked rafi in, beyond his power 10

gel OUI; he .wakes, .nd is glad lO,fee himrelf in fo de–

fi rable eompany; whieh he fiays willingly iD, Ihal is, pre–

fers his Ilaying tO going away. Is 001 this fi ay volunlary/

no body will doubl il ;. and yet being loeked

f.fi

iD, he

is OOt ar liberty to fiay. he has oOt frecdom tO be gone.

So tbat

líóer/y

is not an

idc.'l

belonging to volítion or pre–

{erring, but

Ihe perfon having the powerof doinC, or for..

bearing fO do, 'accordingOas the mind !hall chure ur direa.

is in the motiuos of lhe body, fo it is in the

rhoughts of our minds : where any one is fuch, that we

ha"e power to take il up. or lay ir by. according tO the

preference of fhe mind, there we are at Itberty. A wa–

king l1)an is not at liberty to think, or nOI tO think, no

more Iban he i. al liberty whelher his body

0,.11

loue"

any other or no: But whefhc:r he wiJl remove his con–

templation from one

ide'a

anolher. is many limes

his

choice. And then he ¡s, . in rerpcft of his

id(QJ,

as mucn

al liberty, as he i. in refpetl of bodies he rdls on. He

can

pleafure remove himrelf from one [O another : but

yet fome

jd~as

to the' mind. like (ome motioos

_lO

the

body, are Cuch, as in cenain circumllaoces ir

can~ot

¡–

void, nor obtai n theír abCence by Ihe utmoO cffort

Can

ufe. Thus a mao on Ihe rack i, no' al

l i~erty

'o I.y by

the

id~a

pain,

and entertain other contemplations.

Where-ever thought ís wholly wanting, or the power

to aét or forbear according to Ihe diretl.ion of thougbt,

Ihere oe«IliIY takes place. Thi. in an 2genl cap.ble of

volition, when the bcginning or continuOItion of aoy ac·

tion is contrary to the preference of his mind. js cal

~ed

cOIII/,uljion;

when lhe hindering or

(loppi"~

any aélto.

is contrary to his volition, it is called renralDt ;

Agr~t'

thal have no lhoughl, no yolitioD

aH,

are in every

thtn~

Iletcífary aseou.