Subftantial
Existence is

or Corporeal.

terial or Substantial, that is, the Being of SubAtance or Matter. (2.) Modal or Formal, which refpects the Being of Modes, Forms, Qualities, and Relations, either inherent in, or accidental to Substance in general, or its Parts in particular. Befides these two Sorts of Being there are no other, that I know of.

BUT then each of these contain their Species, or leffer Kinds; and thefe again, their numerous either Spiritual Subdivifions, and Individuals. Thus with regard to Substance, material Being or Existence may be distinguish'd into (1.) Incorporeal or Spiritual, or the Being or Existence of fuch Things as we do not, or cannot properly call Body, but Spirit. (2.) Corporeal, or the Existence of Bodies. I have here defignedly avoided the old, tho' commonly receiv'd Diftinction of real Beings into No Beings pro- Material and Immaterial, which I take to be abperly immate- furd and inartificial; because all real Being must

rial.

Spirit defined by Mr. Watts, but not justly

be that of Realities, and not Non-entities; and all Realities being pofitive Things, muft confift of fomething, and that Something is in itself bcmogeneous, and univerfally the fame in the Efence of all real Exiftences, is the Bafis of all Effences, and the fame we call Substance or Matter; and confequently all pofitive Existence is that of Matter, and therefore material wholly, and no Part immaterial.

In order to have a true Notion of Spiritual and corporeal Existence, we muft firft have a clear and diltinct Idea, or true Definition, of what Spirit and Body are, and how they differ.

SPIRIT, Mr. Watts defines to be Power of Thinking; but I can by no means think this a just Definition. For if by Power, Mr. Watts means only the mere cogitating Faculty, as I think it is plain he does, then it is fo far from including any Notion or Idea of Substance (which

yet

yet he affirms Spirit to be) that it is only a mere Mode or Property of fome particular Substances. For can any one who believes Subftance to be Matter extended, think that this Idea agrees in any wife with the Idea of Power or Faculty of doing any thing in general? If not, it can't be thought to agree with the Idea of any particular Sort of Power, tho' the most noble, or that of Thinking. The Power of Thinking is felf-evidently nothing but a Mode of Being, and cannot fubfift of itself, abftract from a Subject or Substance.

I fhall therefore define a Spirit to be a Sub- A true Defini ftance of a most fubtle and (to us) infenfible Tex- tion of a Spirit. ture and Form, poffeffed of all the Faculties and

Powers of Mind and Intellect in various De

grees of Perfection.

BODY I also thus define; It is a grofs Subftance Body defined. obvious and perceptible by fome or all the animal Senfes, indifferent to the Power of Thinking, and endow'd with great Variety of Forms and Qualities, in the feveral Species thereof.

THE principal Differences therefore of Spirit The Difference and Body confift in the following Particulars. (1.) between Body The Subftance of Spirits is incomprehenfibly fine and Spirit. and fubtle, fo as to pervade the Pores of the most folid Mass of Matter; but that of Bodies is of a grofs Texture, and renders them Obstacles to each other. (2.) The Form and Subftance of Spirits are naturally infenfible to us; that is, we can neither See, Hear, nor Feel them; yet are they capable of prefenting themselves on fome Occafions to thofe Senfes. But all Bodies are fenfible by us in part, and most are wholly fo. (3.) All Spirits are naturally cogitative, or endow'd with the Power of Thinking; whereas this Faculty is not effential to Bodies; fome being poffeffed therewith, and others not. (4.) Spirits are not the Subjects of

Q 4

buman

The Kinds of
Spiritual Be-
ings.
God.

Son of God.

buman Knowledge or Converse, but Bodies naturally are; of thefe we know many things; of thofe nothing, unless by Revelation, or other fupernatural Means.

THE principal Things relating to these incorporeal Effences, or Spirits, taught us by Revelation, are the following. (1.) That God himself is a Spirit, and infinitely the most perfect of all others; whofe high Dignity, and fingular Majefty, we call the Godbead, or Deity. (2.) That next to God, there is another Being, originally a pure Spiritual Effence, which in time affum'd thereto a Corporeal Subftance or Body, of a most excellent and fuperlative Nature, who therefore is call'd the Son of God, or next to him in Holy Ghoft. Dignity. (3.) We are inform'd also that in the third Degree of the Scale of fpiritual Effences, is one of a peculiar Nature; having a near Relation to the other two, and from his Office has the Name of Holy Ghost, as being the Sanctifier of Men. (14.) At an immenfe Remove from thefe, we find a fourth Clafs of incorporeal Subftances, call'd Angels by us, but by the Heathen Dæmons, Genii, &c. concerning which we read of various Denominations, Numbers, and SubTheir threefold ordinations; which latter is call'd the Hierarchy Hierarchy. of Angels, and is ufually reckon'd threefold, viz. The firft Hierarchy contains the three most honorary Orders, call'd Seraphims, Cherubims, and Thrones. The fecond Hierarchy confifts of three intermediate Orders, call'd Dominions, Virtues, and Powers. The third Hierarchy contains the three lowest Orders, call'd Principalities, Archangels, and Angels.

Angels.

Of good and bad Angels.

CONCERNING Angels we have alfo a farther Account; that they were originally all pure, perfect, boly, and divine Spirits, and minifter'd the fovereign Power and bigh Commands of the

ONTOLOGY. Deity to inferior created Worlds; but that in Time fome proved treasonable and disobedient to the Majefty of Heaven, who therefore expell❜d, rejected, and caft them down from the celeftial Abodes, and blissful State they before enjoy'd; whereupon they became enraged against God, and are said ever fince to go up and down spreading Evils over the Moral World, and seeking the Destruction of Mankind from a Principle of Revenge and Hatred to God. These are therefore by us call'd evil Spirits, wicked Angels, and in common Devils. The good Angels, who continued in their State of native Rectitude and loyal Obedience, are call'd good Angels, and Sons of God; whofe Bufinefs and Office it is, to minifter for those who are Heirs of Salvation.

ONE thing more Revelation teaches us con- Apparition of cerning Angels, and that is, that they have a Angels. Power of affuming any vifible Form or Shape, and becoming the Objects of our Senses; we are inform'd of feveral Inftances of this Nature, which is call'd the Apparition of Angels. In this Cafe, they have often appear'd in human Shape, and exerted buman Actions; as Talking, Eating, Drinking, Sleeping, Washing, &c. This I take to

be confirm'd by the Apparition of Spirits, which The fame as many times appear in the Perfons of deceafed the Apparition Men and Women; and are therefore faid to be of Spirits. their Apparition or Spirit. For fince Angels are converfant in all inhabited Worlds, and are doubtless well acquainted with the State and Exigencies of People, and have the Power of affuming a visible or fenfible Form, why should it not be thought most reasonable for them to be permitted, on fome Occafions, to perfonate particular Perfons after their Decease? I fee nothing abfurd in this Suppofition; as I can fee nothing rational in that which makes thefe Apparitions to

be

The Doctrine

of the Soul's Existence not rational.

be the Souls of the departed, whom they repre

fent.

For notwithstanding the Antiquity and Univerfality of the Doctrine of the Soul's Existence, and the many Efforts of the most learned Pens to fupport it, I have never yet been able to see any thing of Reason or Truth therein fufficient to render it credible, or indeed intelligible. The grand Principle on which this Opinion is receiv'd, is, That mere Matter cannot think; 'tis granted it cannot; and 'tis alfo as evident, that mere Matter cannot move of itself, yet it does not follow that it is uncapable of Motion, of which Matter may be we know it is eafily fufceptible. Why then endorved with fhould it be thought uncapable of the Power of the Power of Thinking from the Divine Being? I have not feen

Thinking.

it proved a Contradiction by its greatest Oppugners; yea, fo far is it from that, we have frequent Examples of mere Matter's being immediately endow'd with the Power of Life and Thought Exod. iv. 3. by the divine Omnipotence; witnefs Mofes's Rod:

Was it not mere Matter one Moment, and a cogiExod. viii. 16. tative Animal the next? Is not Duft, mere Matter?

And did not God immediately convert it to Animals, by endowing it with Life and Thought? Again, did not the fhort-lived Serpent immediately return to its priftine lignous State? Would it not be wretched Futility, and a trifling Evafion, to fay, God inftantly infpired the Rod and the Duft with Souls, and then deprived them of them again? It is evident, therefore, that mere Matter's being capable (by the Almighty Power) of the Faculty of Thinking, is no longer an Opinion, but real Fact; and confequently the Bodies of Men and other Animals are render'd capable of Life and Thought, on Principles more rational and intelligible, than that of the Existence of Souls; which is a mere Ens Rationis, or Phenix

of