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has allowed the most exalted human Understanding no better Materials to work upon. He has very juftly exploded the Notion of innate Ideas, and has by confequence left us nothing but those, which we receive by Senfation, to be the Ground-work of our moft refined Speculations. Why then, will he not allow the fame uniform Effect to be produced by the fame uniform Cause in both? Why does he take fo much Pains to perfuade himself and us, that Rationality in Brutes muft proceed from a quite different Caufe, from what it does in ourselves? What is he afraid of? What would be the terrible Confequences of fuch a Conceffion? For my own part, I think I fee none, but what your own excellent Understanding will, with a little Recollection, easily evade, without the leaft Violence, either to Reason or Revelation. He concedes, indeed, to the main Point, and allows the Rationality of Brutes; but, for fear of allowing them immaterial, and confequently immortal Souls, he frequently infinuates, that Thought, Rationality, or Reflection, is not the abfolute Privilege of immaterial Beings, but may be communicated by the Power of God to certain Portions of Matter, differently modified; and confequently, that Matter exalted to a certain Degree of Purity, may be as capable of Reason and Reflection, as an immaterial Spirit. And in his Difpute with the Bishop of Worcefter, who juftly charged him with this unphilofophical Notion, he was reduced to a Neceffity of af ferting it in plain and express Terms, and of putting all his Philosophy to the utmost Stretch, to reconcile it to Reason and common Sense; which, I humbly conceive, is abfolutely impoffible. Yet he frequently

and

and directly afferts the Poffibility of Thinking Matter, allowing to his material animal Senfe, Perception, Reafon, fpontaneous Motion, or Volition, which, one would imagine, that nothing but Vanity, an Itch of Singularity, or a Defire of Victory, could ever have extorted from fo great and excellent a Perfon: And I cannot pafs it by without fome little Examination, for which I fhall offer no Apology to a Lady of your inquifitive Genius, and fuperior Understanding, directed folely by Reafon and the Nature of Things, without the Prejudices of vulgar Errors, or the Subtilties of Philosophy, falfely fo called.

The most obvious Idea we have of Matter, is of an extended, impenetrable, folid Substance, uncapable of moving itself, or of being moved, but by the Agency and Impreffion of fome fuperior, external, active Cause; from whence it will unavoidably follow, that mere Matter, however modified, exalted, or purified, will be as uncapable of Self-motion, as it was in its lowest State of Density, or Depression; and confequently cannot, by any Power, be tranfmuted, or fublimated into a living, felf-moving Subftance; from whence it follows, that all Gravity, Attraction, Elasticity, Repulfion, and whatever Tendencies to Motion are obferved in Matter, and commonly called natural Powers of Matter, are not Powers implanted in Matter, or poffible to be made inherent in it; but are intirely owing to fome Impulfe or Force, impreffed upon it from external Caufes. And the most that çan be faid, is, that Matter is indeed fufceptible of Motion, or capable of being moved; but that the Motion itself muft proceed from fome external Caufe,

totally

totally diftinct from, and fuperior to, Matter. Mr. Locke, therefore, had very little Reafon to be fo peremptory in his Difpute with the Bishop of Warcefter, about the Poflibility of Thinking Matter; where, to prove it poffible, he fays, Vol. II. p. 144. Edit. 1715. For Example, God creates an extended folid Subftance, without fuperadding any thing else to it, and fo we may confider it at reft; to fome Parts of it he fuperadds Motion, but it has ftill the Effence of Matter. Other Parts of it he forms into Plants, with all the Excellencies of Vegetation, Life, and Beauty, which is to be found in a Rofe or a Peach-tree, above the Essence of Matter in general, but it is still but Matter: To other Parts he adds Senfe, or spontaneous Motion, and those ather Properties that are to be found in an Elephant. Hitherto it is not doubted but the Power of God may go; but if we venture to go one Step further, and fay, God may give to Matter Thought, Reafon, and Volition, as well as Senfe and spontaneous Motion; there are Men ready to limit the Power of the Omnipotent Creator, and tell us he cannot do it; because it deftroys the Effence, er changes the essential Properties of Matter, &c. Well! and a very good Reason it would certainly be; for Omnipotence itfelf cannot produce Impoffibilities, cannot effect Contradictions, cannot make the fame Thing to be, and not to be, at the fame time; cannot make a Subftance, which, as folidly extended, must resist all Change of State, become (while it continues unactive and dead) Life, Senfe, and fpontaneous Motion; for that is directly affirming, that the fame Portion of Matter, which is unactive, dull, and dead, may be at the fame time living, fenfible, and fpontaneously moving. To fay the Truth, his

Zeal

Zeal to fupport his Argument, and confound his Adverfary, has thrown him into fuch Inconfiftencies of Thought and Expreffion, as could never have proceeded from cool and fober Reafon. For inftance, where he fays above, To fome Parts of Matter, God, fuperadds Motion, but it has fill the Effence of Matter. What does he mean by faying, It has ftill the Effence of Matter? Does he mean, that Motion has the Effence of Matter, or is effential to it, or a Mode of it: Neither of thefe could be his Meaning; he could only mean, that that Portion of Matter, to which Motion is fuperadded, has ftill the Effence of Matter. Who doubts it? And therefore is intirely diftinct from the Motion fuperadded, which is really and truly nothing less than an Emanation or Impreffion from the original and eternal Fountain of of Life and Power; and, confequently, intirely dif tinct from Matter. If Solidity, Inactivity, and Refiftance, be the effential Properties of Matter, it will unavoidably follow, that all thofe Effects, commonly afcribed to certain natural Powers refiding in Matter, are immediately produced by the Power of an immaterial Being, who firft created this dead Substance Matter, originally impreffed, and still continues to impress, Motion upon it. Now whatsoever begins Motion where it was not, and stops it where it was, that effects a Change from Rest to Motion, and from Motion to Reft, and that arbitrarily, can never be Matter, whofe effential Property it is neceffarily to refift all Change of its State, either of Reft or Motion. I therefore conclude, that whatever Principle or Being can arbitrarily effect a Change of the present State of Reft or Motion, in that Portion of Matter

which compofes the Body of any Animal, cannot be the Matter of the Body itfelf, which neceffarily refifts or oppofes all Change of its prefent State, and therefore must be concluded to be an active, immaterial, and fpiritual Subftance, which, without any Violence to Philofophy, we may venture to call a Soul. Pardon me, Madam, for leading you into this intricate dry Speculation; my Subject led me into it, and required fome little Examination in this Place. Some further Confiderations upon this Subject, and the Reverend Father's devilifh Contrivance to account for all animal Functions and Operations, without allowing them to have Souls, we shall defer to a more proper Place, and proceed to the next Head of Inquiry.

II. Of the Neceffity of a Language between Brutes.

By Language we are not only to understand a Sequel of articulate Sounds, by which Men have agreed to exprefs their Ideas and Sentiments to each other, but any Sort or Kind of inarticulate Sounds, Gestures, or Motions, by which, in the feveral Tribes and Families of the Brute-Creation, the Individuals communicate their Sentiments, their Wants, their Defires, to each other; and these are, no doubt, as different as the Species themfelves, and as expreffive and fignificant to them as our most articulate Sounds can be to us. Of this there can be no Manner of Doubt, especially among those that live in Society, as particularly Pigeons, Rooks, Swallows, and Storks, among Birds; Bees and Ants among Infects; and particularly the Beavers among Beafts; and no doubt

but

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