them than by annexing them to particular words. It is true the studious often affect to employ technical terms, hoping thereby to escape the confusion incident to the language of the vulgar: but these being all, either common words restrained to a particular sense, or else derived from words of general currency, partake in some measure of the slippery and changeable quality of their primitives nor can even the thoughtful always agree with one another, or maintain a consistency with themselves, in the application of their terms. : Wherefore in these sciences philology must go along with philosophy, not as a partner or companion, but as an attendant or handmaid. For the knowledge of things is our principal aim, and criticism no further than shall be found expedient to secure our meditations against confusion, and our discourses against misapprehension. I may think myself entitled to the liberty others have taken of coining new words, or extending, restraining, or a little altering the signification of old ones; but shall never use this liberty so long as I can do without it. I would rather make it my business to distinguish the various senses belonging to words already current, as they stand in different expressions, or are employed upon different occasions: if this could be sufficiently remarked and borne in mind, it would prevent mistakes as effectually as if every idea had a particular name appropriated to itself alone. I shall need great indulgence with respect to the manner of my performance, wherein I fear will be found a degree of wildness and deviation from the ordinary rules of composition: I was the less scrupulous in adhering to them during the course of my work, as depending upon a subsequent revisal for setting matters to rights, but upon trial I perceive that correction is not my talent: I have made some few additions in the first part, as of two entire chapters, the first and the twenty fourth, the beginning sections in that of the vehicles, the visit to Stahl in the vision, and the six concluding sections of the last chapter; but for the rest, am forced to give out the first running off with very little alteration. This disappointment falls the lighter, because what amendments I had hoped to make, would have tended only to the better look and appearance of the work, for which I am much less solicitous than for the substance. I do not pretend insensibility to reputation ; but my first and principal wish is to be of some little service to my fellow-creatures by suggesting some observations which they may improve to their advantage; and my greatest concern to avoid doing hurt by misleading into notions of dangerous tendency. Under this caution I must warn the reader against judging too hastily upon the last chapter of this volume, for I should be very sorry to have him take his idea of virtue from the very exceptionable figure wherein she is represented there. But he will please to observe that I proceed solely upon the view of human nature, without any consideration of Religion or another world, and will expect no completer edifice than can be erected upon such scanty bottom and that he may not sit down with a notion of my believing the plan of morality ought to lie upon no other ground, I entreat his attention to the two concluding sections of that chapter; from whence he may augurate that I have a larger scheme in reserve, whereon my building will make a very different appearance from what he sees it here; and possibly it may be shown in good time that I had my reasons for drawing this imperfect sketch before I proceeded to designs more extensive. I shall now begin to work upon my foundation, which was proposed to be laid in human nature; and having taken the line and plummet in hand, shall look for directions in the contemplation of the mind, the manner and causes of action, the objects affecting us, and their several ways of operation. THE LIGHT OF NATURE PURSUED. HUMAN NATURE. CHAP. I. FACULTIES OF THE MIND. WHOEVER Considers the frame and constitution of Man, must observe that he consists of two parts, Mind and Body. And this division holds equally good, whatever opinion we may entertain concerning the nature of the mind; for, be it an immaterial substance, be it a harmony, or be it a certain configuration of corporeal particles, at all events it does not extend to the whole of the human composition. There are several things within us which cannot belong to the mind under any notion we may conceive of it; such as the bones, the muscles, the sinews, the blood, the humors, and even the limbs and organs of sensation, because by losing some of these, we lose nothing of our mind: when an arm is cut off or an eye beat out, though the man become less perfect, the mind remains entire as before; the harmony is not dissolved, the mental compound disunited, or the spiritual substance destroyed. How variously soever we may think of the mind, every one will readily acknowledge the body to be a very complicated machine, containing muscles, tendons, nerves, organs of motion, organs of sensation, and a multitude of other inferior parts. But with these we have no immediate concern; our purpose being principally to consider the mind, but the body with its members no further than as they concur with the mind or serve as instruments in the performance of its operations. 2. Now in pursuit of this inquiry we shall find it requisite to distinguish between the faculties of the mind and the faculties of |