f 7 7 And Properties fhould be found in Animals, becaufe they imply a plain ContradiEtion to the Nature of Plants would not every Man at firft View difcover the Ab- furdity, and laugh at the Follyof fuch Argumentation ? And yet Men may as well do fo, as argue from Body to Spirit, and from FINITE to INFINITE." " However, fuppofing, for a Moment, that Reafon is fufficient to afcertain the Mode in which the Author of all things exifts ; it muff then be confeffed, that it is certainly equal to the Talk of afcertaining and defining the Mode of Exiftence in the things themfelves. If it can rife to explore the Summit ; furely it is high enough to furvey the Bafe. But every Body feels, and moll Peo- ple have Senfe enough to own, the utter Imbecillity of the human Mind to inveftigate the Efï'ence of even what is familiar to theSenfes, and the Obje& of conftant Infpeltion. The acuteft Philofopher and the molt in- genious Naturalilt are wholly unable to define the con- ifituent Particles of a Straw beneath their Feet, or the fimpleft and minuteft Atom that floats in the Air. The Learned and the Ignorant are equally puzzled upon the molt infignificant Subjeas of Senfe ; and, as they af- cend higher, either to the Modes of animal Life, or to the fubtle Phoenomena of Nature, they find the Scale of Reafon declining in its Ufe ; till they are obliged to own, that it can no more meafure thefe Arcana of GOD, than the puny Subdivifions of an Inch or a Span can be commenfurate with boundlefs Expanfion, or in- finite Space.. And if the wifeft Men can neither trace out, nor explain thefe fecondary Caufes, and thofe which are applied to inferior Things ; with what Face do our minute Philofophers, or cavilling Deifts, pretend to draw the Line of their Judgement, upon the Caufe of (Caufes, and' the unfearchable Author of all things ? Were it not for extending this IntroduEtion to a Rill grea.er Length than was at firft 'intended ; we might, Arecf agarft Socin. Part iv. p. 43: F1d
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