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Affertion was, by more Divines than one, look'd upon as a fcandalous Declaration that the Soul is material and mortal. Some Englishmen, devout after their Way, founded an Alarm. The Superftitious are the fame in Society as Cowards in an Army; they themselves are feiz'd with a panic Fear, and communicate it to others. "Twas loudly exclaim'd, that Mr. Locke intended to destroy Religion; nevertheless, Religion had nothing to do in the Affair, it being a Question purely Philofophical, altogether independent on Faith and Revelation. Mr. Locke's Opponents needed but to examine, calmly and impartially, whether the declaring that Matter can think, implies a Contradiction; and whether God is able to communicate Thought to Matter. But Divines are too apt to begin their Declarations with saying, that God is offended when People differ from them in Opinion; in which they too much resemble the bad Poets, who us'd to declare publickly that Boileau spake irreverently of Lewis the Fourteenth, because he ridicul'd their stupid Produ

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Productions. Bishop Stilling fleet got the Reputation of a calm and unprejudic'd Divine, because he did not expressly make use of injurious Terms in his Difpute with Mr. Locke. That Divine entred the Lifts against him, but was defeated; for he argued as a Schoolman, and Locke as a Philofopher, who was perfectly acquainted with the strong as well as the weak Side of the human Mind, and who fought with Weapons whose Temper he knew. If I might presume to give my Opinion on fo delicate a Subject after Mr. Locke, I would say, that Men have long difputed on the Nature and the Immortality of the Soul. With regard to its Immortality, 'tis impoffible to give a Demonstration of it, fince its Nature is ftill the Subject of Controverfy; which however must be thoroughly understood, before a Perfon can be able to determine whether it be immortal or not. Human Reason is fo little able, merely by its own Strength, to demonftrate the Immortality of the Soul, that 'twas abfolutely neceffary Religion fhould reveal it to us. 'Tis of Advantage

But 'tis

Advantage to Society in general, that Mankind fhould believe the Soul to be immortal; Faith commands us to do this; nothing more is requir'd, and the Matter is clear'd up at once. otherwise with respect to its Nature; 'tis of little Importance to Religion, which only requires the Soul to be virtuous, what Substance it may be made of. 'Tis a Clock which is given us to regulate, but the Artist has not told us what Materials the Spring of this Clock is compos'd.

I am a Body and, I think, that's all I know of the Matter. Shall I afcribe to an unknown Caufe, what I can fo eafily impute to the only fecond Cause I am acquainted with? Here all the School Philofophers interrupt me with their Arguments, and declare that there is only Extenfion and Solidity in Bodies, and that there they can have nothing but Motion and Figure. Now Motion, Figure, Extenfion and Solidity cannot form a Thought, and confequently the Soul cannot be Matter. All this, fo often repeated, mighty Series of Reasoning, a

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mounts to no more than this; I am abfolutely ignorant what Matter is; I guess, but imperfectly, fome Properties of it; now, I absolutely cannot tell whether thefe Properties may be joyn'd to Thought. As I therefore know nothing, I maintain pofitively that Matter cannot think. In this Manner do the Schools reafon.

Mr. Locke addrefs'd thefe Gentlemen in the candid, fincere Manner following. At least confess your felves to be as ignorant as I. Neither your Imaginations nor mine are able to comprehend in what manner a Body is fufceptible of Ideas; and do you conceive better in what manner a Substance, of what kind foever, is fufceptible of them? As you cannot comprehend either Matter or Spirit, why will you prefume to affert any thing?

The fuperftitious Man comes afterwards, and declares, that all those must be burnt for the Good of their Souls, who so much as fufpect that 'tis poffible for the Body to think without any foreign Affiftance. But what would these People fay should they themselves be prov'd irreligious? And indeed, what

Man

Man can presume to affert, without being guilty at the fame time of the greateft Impiety, that 'tis impoffible for the Creator to form Matter with Thought and Senfation? Confider only, I beg you, what a Dilemma you bring yourfelves into; you who confine in this Manner the Power of the Creator. Beasts have the fame Organs, the fame Senfations, the fame Perceptions as we; they have Memory, and combine certain Ideas. In case it was not in the Power of God to animate Matter, and inform it with Senfation, the Confequence would be, either that Beafts are mere Machines, or that they have a fpiritual Soul.

METHINKS 'tis clearly evident that Beasts cannot be mere Machines, which prove thus. God has given them the

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very fame Organs of Sensation as to us: If therefore they have no Sensation, God has created a ufelefs Thing; now according to your own Confeffion God does nothing in vain; he therefore did not create so many Organs of Sensation, merely for them to be uninform'd with this Faculty; confequently Beasts are

not

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