when separatedfrom the body. 277

With a body, or system of matter, that weresubject to no disorder, or indisposition, neverbabie to be exhausted or run out, nor need-e d successive reparations, as our bodies in this

Without the help of dead matter. This is a remarkableContradiction; it strikes at the root of our prejudices,a nd should for ever silence our objections.

This shews farther that the foul not only acts withoutthe concurrence or instrumentality of dead matter, butdirectly contrary to it. The foul leaves off one action, be-gins another, changes the state of matter, and controls itmanner of ways. And it is a direct contradiction thata dead substance should concur, in any sense, to make* living being control and counter-act itself. Mattercould not be supposed to be the instrument of this, with-out being supposed to be over-ruled, controled, andcounter-acted. That is, when we would suppose matterto be the necessary instrument of action to the soul, we*ust necessarily suppose action in the soul of which itCan not be the instrument: r. e. Our supposition confuteslt s e f And in truth, every action of the soul upon mat-* er is a proof, that it acts without the help of that sub-ftance, and contrary to its nature. And this shews usthat the actions of the foul spring out of the nature ofthe foul itself, as I asserted in the beginning of this Note.The inertia of matter once evinced, would be of greata nd universal use to us in this subject, if we wouldre ason fairly from it. And if we will needs reason fromAppearances in a state of union to a state of separation,that I have here insisted on, is a certain and un-doubted matter of fact.

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