508 A BRIEF BCÍTEME OF ONTOLOGY. After all these distinctions of causes in general, let us now come to distribute causes into their chief particular kinds. In- stead of dividing them into those commonbranches of material and formal, efficient and final, it may be much more proper to leave out matter and form, as not being properly causes, and then we may distribute the rest into four kinds, viz. Emanative, efficient, instructive, and suasive r and as I think none of these are included properly in each other, so these include all the va- rious ideas of positive proper causes in the most natural and easy view and order. I. An emanative cause is, when the effect flows from it without any action to produce it, supposingonly that all obstruc- tions be removed. So water flows from a spring, so heat from the fire, or a fragrant scent from spices. This might perhaps be reduced to the rank of continent principles whence any thing proceeds, though it much better deserves the name of a cause than malter and form, which are only constituents, and are the effect itself. It belongs chiefly to natural and necessary causes to have the title of emanative. Sometimes the effect is co-eval with the emanative cause, as light and heat flowing from the sun, or a sweet smell from a violet. Sometimes the cause is prior to the effect, as when a plant springs from the seed, or leaves and fruit from a tree, or a long river from a distant fountain. Query, Whether some of those which are usually called emanative causes, because their agency is more insensible and unnoticed, be not as properly ranked among the efficient causes? Such as, the sun in emitting its rays, which give both light and heat, and produce innumerable effects throughout the earth and all the planetary worlds ? Is it a mere emanative cause of light and heat ? Ans. This may be debated inphysiology if it be worth a debate. II. An efficient cause most properly deserves the name of a cause, because it produces the effect by some sort of active power or natural agency ; as when an archer bends his bow, or when the bow gives flight to an arrow, or when an arrow strikes the mark. All these three are distinct efficient causes with their distinct effects. Efficient causes have many divisions. I. Efficient causes are either first or second. The first cause is either absolutely so, which is God alone, and all crea- tures are but second causes : Or it is first in its own kind; so a gardener is the first cause of the growth of trees in the garden whichhe bath planted ; all his under agents, whether diggers, waterers or weeders, are second causes. 2. The next division near a-kin to the former is when effi- cient causes are distinguished into principal, less principal, and instrumental. The principal cause of building a house is the architect; the less principal are adjuvant or assistant causes,.
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