I.

to the Manner, in which our Organs of Senfe CHA P. prepare and convey them. Both are in a like Way Inftruments of our receiving fuch Ideas from external Objects, as the Author of Nature appointed those external Objects to be the Occafions of exciting in us. However, Glaffes are evidently Inftances of this; namely of Matter which is no Part of our Body, preparing Objects for and conveying them towards the perceiving Power, in like Manner as our bodily Organs do. And if we fee with our Eyes only in the fame Manner as we do with Glaffes, the like may justly be concluded, from Analogy, of all our other Senfes. It is not intended, by any thing here said, to affirm, that the whole Apparatus of Vifion, or of Perception by any other of our Senfes, can be traced, through all its Steps, quite up to the living Power of seeing, or perceiving: But that fo far as it can be traced by experimental Obfervations, fo far it appears, that our Organs of Senfe prepare and convey on Objects, in order to their being perceived, in like Manner as foreign Matter does, without affording any Shadow of Appearance, that they themselves perceive. And that we have no Reason to think our Organs of Sense Percipients, is confirmed by Inftances of Perfons lofing fome of them, the living Beings Themselves, their former Occupiers, remaining unimpaired. It is confirmed

alfo

PARTalfo by the Experience of Dreams; by which I. we find we are at prefent poffeffed of a latent and, what would otherwife be, an unimagined unknown Power of perceiving sensible Objects, in as strong and lively a Manner without our external Organs of Senfe as with them.

So alfo with regard to our Power of moving, or directing Motion by Will and Choice: upon the Deftruction of a Limb, this active Power remains, as it evidently feems, unleffened; fo as that the living Being, who has fuffered this Lofs, would be capable of moving as before, if it had another Limb to move with. It can walk by the Help of an artificial Leg; just as it can make use of a Pole or a Leaver, to reach towards itself and to move Things, beyond the Length and the Power of its natural Arm: And this laft it does in the fame manner as it reaches and moves, with its natural Arm, Things nearer and of lefs Weight. Nor is there so much as any Appearance of our Limbs being endued with a Power of moving or directing themfelves; though they are adapted, like the feveral Parts of a Machine, to be the Inftruments of Motion to each other; and fome Parts of the fame Limb, to be Instruments of Motion to other Parts of it.

Thus

Thus a Man determines, that he will look CHAP. at fuch an Object through a Microscope; or I. being lame fuppofe, that he will walk to fuch a Place with a Staff a Week hence. His Eyes and his Feet no more determine in these Cafes, than the Microscope and the Staff. Nor is there any Ground to think they any more put the Determination in Practice; or that his Eyes are the Seers or his Feet the Movers, in any other Senfe than as the Microscope and the Staff are. Upon the whole then, our Organs of Sense and our Limbs are certainly Inftruments, which the living Perfons ourselves make use of to perceive and move with: There is not any Probability, that they are any more; nor confequently, that we have any other Kind of Relation to them, than what we may have to any other foreign Matter formed into Inftruments of Perception and Motion, suppose into a Microscope or a Staff; (I fay any other Kind of Relation, for I am not speaking of the Degree of it) nor confequently is there any Probability, that the Alienation or Diffolution of these Inftruments is the Deftruction of the perceiving and moving Agent.

And thus our finding, that the Diffolution of Matter, in which living Beings were moft nearly interested, is not their Diffolution; and D

that

PART that the Deftruction of feveral of the Organs I. and Instruments of Perception and of Motion belonging to them, is not their Destruction; fhows demonftratively, that there is no Ground to think that the Diffolution of any other Matter, or Destruction of any other Organs and Inftruments, will be the Diffolution or Destruction of living Agents, from the like Kind of Relation. And we have no Reafon to think we ftand in any other Kind of Relation to any thing which we find dissolved by Death.

But it is faid these Observations are equally applicable to Brutes: and it is thought an infuperable Difficulty, that they should be immortal, and by confequence capable of everlafting Happiness. Now this Manner of Expreffion is both invidious and weak: but the thing intended by it, is really no Difficulty at all, either in the way of natural or moral Confideration. For ift. Suppose the invidious thing, defigned in fuch a Manner of Expreffion, were really implied, as it is not in the leaft in the natural Immortality of Brutes; namely, that they must arrive at great Attainments, and become rational and moral Agents; even this would be no Difficulty: fince we know not what latent Powers and Capacities they may be endued with. There was once, prior to Experience, as great Pre

fumption

sumption against human Creatures, as there is CHAP. against the brute Creatures, arriving at that I. Degree of Understanding, which we have in W mature Age. For we can trace up our own Existence to the fame Original with Theirs. And we find it to be a general Law of Nature, that Creatures endued with Capacities of Virtue and Religion, fhould be placed in a Condition of Being, in which they are altogether without the ufe of Them, for a confiderable Length of their Duration; as in Infancy and Childhood. And great Part of the human Species go out of the prefent World, before they come to the Exercise of these Capacities in any Degree at all. But then 2dly. The natural Immortality of Brutes, does not in the leaft imply, that they are endued with any latent Capacities of a rational or moral Nature. And the Oeconomy of the Universe might require, that there fhould be living Creatures without any Capacities of this Kind. And all Difficulties as to the Manner how they are to be difpofed of, are fo apparently and wholly founded in our Ignorance, that it is wonderful they should be infifted upon by any, but fuch as are weak enough to think they are acquainted with the whole System of Things. There is then abfolutely nothing at all in this Objection, which is fo rhetorically urged, against the greatest Part of the natural Proofs or PreD 2 fumptions