880 AN ENQUIRY ADOUT INNATE IDEAS. made on the brain by sensible objects. And yet man may be said to form them, because what hand soever God has in it, it is by one uniform law of creation or original appointment, which has a lasting efficacy through all generations of men : And on this account these ideas may be so far called innate since it is not all the impressions of objects on the organs of sense, nor the conveyanceof these impressions to the brain, could raise or form these ideas in the soul, but only the divine appointment of such effects, according to laws of union which he has established be- tween the souls and bodies of all mankind. I will not add any thing here concerning our ideas of those qualities of bodies whichare called primary, such as the figure or shape, size, motion and rest, and situation of the parts of matter; because the strokes which are formed on the brain by these objects or these properties of matter may perhaps resem- ble the objects themselves ; for such kind of lines, and figures, motions, &c. may be formed on the brain itself : And perhaps some persons may imagine that the ideas of these corporeal pri- mary qualities in the mind are raised naturally and entirely from the mere outward impressions on the senses, because these im- pressions ire like their objects ; though I think there must bean almighty volition of the Creator to give the soul even these ideas also ; for the soul has not proper eyes to see these figures and motions on the brain, though they may never so much re- semble these primary qualities, i. e. those motions and figures which are found in the objects without us. And a soul being im- material, can receiveof itself no natural impressions from matter or body. But when we turn our thoughts to the secondary sensible qualities oj"' body, we are sure that all possible figures, stamps, motions, alterations, traces, which are made by these sensible objects on the brain, are but primary qualities still ; they are nothing but shapes, motions, &c. and they de not at all resemble these ideas, sensations, thoughts or perceptions of sensible or secondary qualities that are occasioned by such corporeal mo- tions. What possible resemblance is there between the mo- tions of a fibre of the brain raised by the grass or the sky, and the idea of green or blue? between the figures or traces imprest on the brain by sugar or wormwood touching the tongue, and the ideas of sweet and bitter, which are occasioned by that touch ? Yet God our Creator path by an original almighty volition or- dained, that whensoever such motions or traces are made in the brain, the soul by the occasion thereof shall have such a percep- tion of sweet or bitter, or form such an idea as green or blue. And thisalmighty will of God, whereby the soul comes to have such perceptions or to form such ideas, is an uniform law of creation, as I before expressed it; it is one lasting appointment,
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