518 A BRIEF SCHEME OF ONTOLOGY. Two or more things may be said to have the same general' essence or nature, so beasts, birds, fishes agree in that they are animals ; or they are said to have the same special nature ; so hounds and spaniels agree in that they are dogs ; Peter and Paul agree in that they are men. But it is only one thinghas the same individual nature or essence with itself, as Methuselah when a boy, a youth and an old man is the same. Hence arise the ideas of generical, specifical, and numerical or individual sameness. Again, Sameness is either material or formal. Wheat is the same body materially when it is a heap of grains, as when it is ground and moulded into bread, but it is not formally the same. One would think it a very easy question, Whether a thing be the same with itself or no ' But whosoever will read what Mr. Locke has written upon identity in chap. 27. book II. of his Essay, will think it a sort of insolvable difficulty in some cases, and almost an impossible thing to answer that query in some particular instances, especially relating to men, animals, 8fc. Thisquestion in the language of the schools is, What is the prin- ciple of individuation ? i. e. what is necessary to make :a thing . the same with itself ? Here we may consider the sameness of single bodies, as a grain of wheat ; of aggregates, as a heap of sand ; of com- pounds, as a house, a garden ; here enquire how small or how great a difference will hinder these from being called the same. Again, let us consider the sameness of rivers, vegetables, and animals, each of which samenesses consists in very different ideas, and some ire difficult to adjust. Consider yet further thesameness of spirits which consists in the same thinking power or substance; and'the sameness of per- sons, which consists chiefly in the very same consciousness, the same self, or rather in the same single conscious principle. Consider here also the sameness of mankind, when body and soul are united, or when divided ; when fat and lean ; when in- fants or in old age ; and the sameness of our bodies in the resur- rection with what we now have. All these will afford sufficient labour for philosophy and reason to hunt after the clear and dis- tinct ideas of them. Mr. Locke in this chapter has some excel- lent reasonings, though I cannot assent to all his sentiments en- tirely. See EssayXII. sect. ult. Similitude or likeness is an agreement chiefly in qualities, though sometimes it relates also to essences, natures and sub- stances. This may be total and complete, or partial or gradual. There is also likeness in the same kind, as one picture is like to another ; and likeness in a different kind, as a picture to a statue;
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