st the soul's
materiality. Since, on which side soever he views it, either as an
UNEXTENDED SUBSTANCE, or as a THINKING EXTENDED MATTER, the difficulty
to conceive either will, whilst either alone is in his thoughts, still
drive him to the contrary side. An unfair way which some men take with
themselves: who, because of the inconceivableness of something they find
in one, throw themselves violently into the contrary hypothesis, though
altogether as unintelligible to an unbiassed understanding. This serves
not only to show the weakness and the scantiness of our knowledge, but
the insignificant triumph of such sort of arguments; which, drawn from
our own views, may satisfy us that we can find no certainty on one side
of the question: but do not at all thereby help us to truth by running
into the opposite opinion; which, on examination, will be found clogged
with equal difficulties. For what safety, what advantage to any one is
it, for the avoiding the seeming absurdities, and to him unsurmountable
rubs, he meets with in one opinion, to take refuge in the contrary,
which is built on something altogether as inexplicable, and as far
remote from his comprehension? It is past controversy, that we have in
us SOMETHING that thinks; our very doubts about what it is, confirm
the certainty of its being, though we must content ourselves in the
ignorance of what KIND of being it is: and it is in vain to go about to
be sceptical in this, as it is unreasonable in most other cases to be
positive against the being of anything, because we cannot comprehend
its nature. For I would fain know what substance exists, that has not
something in it which manifestly baffles our understandings. Other
spirits, who see and know the nature and inward constitution of things,
how much must they exceed us in knowledge? To which, if we add larger
comprehension, which enables them at one glance to see the connexion
and agreement of very many ideas, and readily supplies to them the
intermediate proofs, which we by single and slow steps, and long poring
in the dark, hardly at last find out, and are often ready to forget one
before we have hunted out another; we may guess at some part of the
happiness of superior ranks of spirits, who have a quicker and more
penetrating sight, as well as a larger field of knowledge.]

But to return to the argument in hand: our knowledge, I say, is not only
limited to the paucity and imperfections of the ideas we have, and whic