when separated from thehody. 263

present to be an active impercipient stateof existence, though it will appear below,N° 23. that we cannot be sure that ever it issuch. We must wait till the body hath runitself into disorder, or we must industriouslyprocure its disorder. Since then the soul isunder a necessity of being active and perci-pient, when the body is rightly disposed; itfollows, that if the body were always thusdisposed, it should be always under that ne-cessity: or, that it should always be activeand percipient, even while united to deadmatter, if this system of matter were liableto no irregularity and disorder. Now, sincethe body cannot give it less impediment inacting and perceiving, even when best dis-posed, than none at all- y and since, when se-parated from the body, it hath just this de-gree of impediment from it, viz. none atall; it follows that it must be then under anequal necessity at least, of acting and per-ceiving, as when, in a state of union withthe body, the body is best disposed. If itshould be said that, besides the advantage ofhaving no impediment at all from the body,in acting and perceiving, it must have ano-

ther, that os having its perceptivity excited ,S 4 ly