40 6 Objections to the immateriality

part in these new affairs; if the scene is ststft-*ed, it cannot help that; it must take thingsas it finds them; but still it is busy and ac-tive, and takes a part in all scenes. And thusit would continue for ages, acting, defending,contriving, Gc. as things required; if steepand these circumstances were still prolonged.If this be kept in mind, it will not be sodifficult to advance something intelligible onthe nature of dreaming, as hath hithertobeen imagined. But to return r from all thiswe may fee what reason there was in the na--tore of things, why the activity of the foulshould be restrained in steep; and why itshould be barred from the perception of ex-ternal things. And hence again we cannotbut be convinced how necesiarily it must befreed from all such hindrances and inequalitiesin a state of separation. And if all this be in-telligible, (as it seems to me) and highly rea-sonable from the nature of a material senso-ry, and from the necessity of repairing the ani-mal œconomy, and therefore of suspendingthe power of the soul over the body; he musttalk very unreasonably wh'o would turn thenecessities of the body to an imputation ostthe foul. Let us act fairly between the two

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