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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 122, page id 778263916:0138
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Action to its absence, is the willins oF it: and re can lcarce telt hoW 10
imasine any Beine treer, than to De able to do whrat lc will: 50 chat in
respeet ot Actions, ichin the reach ot such a pover in him, a Man lcems
25 tree, as ris possible for Frcedom to matre him.
5. 22. Buc ehe inquisirive Mind oF Nan, illino eo Mist ofF trom him-
TelF, as Far as he can, all thoughes of guilt, though it be by puttins him-
selF into a Worse Ctate than chat of tatal Necestutr, is nor content with this;
Will have this to be no Freedom, unlels it reaches tarther: but is ready to
Tar, a Man is nottrec at all, it he benor as Frec to rill, as heis toact, whathe
Wills. Concernins a MansLiberty chere vet cheretore is railed this Far-
ther Ouection, Whether a Man be frec to will; wtrich, I chinte, is thac
meant, When ir is disputed, Whether the will be lree: And aS to that, L
imaxine,
5. 23. 2. Thar Willins. or Choosns beins an Action, and Frcedom
consictins in a pover ot actins, or not actins, a Man in respect of willins
any Action in his pover once proposed to his Thouches, cannot be free. The
reason Wrhereofis very manisest: For it beins unaroidable that the Action
dependins on his Will, Thould exist, or noc exilt; and its existence, or not
existence, follomins pertectir the determination, and preterence ot his
WilI, he cannot avoid illins the existence, or nor existence, ot that
Action; it is absolutelr necellary that he will the one, or theotter, i e prefer
theonc tothe other: linco one of them must necellarily Follo; and that
Wrhich docstollor, ollors by che choice and determination of his Mind;
that is, by his willine it: For iE he did notwil it, it vould nor bc. Sothar
in respeet ofche aet ol millins, a Man is noc srec: Liberes consiltins in a
Dover to act, or not to ac, Which, in recard oF Volition, a Man haS nOF:
it beins necessarr, and unaroidable (any Action in his porver being once
choustit on) to preler cither its doins. Or Forbearance, upon which pre-
Ference, the ACtion, or its Forbearance certainty Follos, and is truly volun.
tarY. Sothat to makcea Man tree in thistense, there must be another an-
Eecedent Will, to determine the ACtS oF this Will, and anorher to deter.
mine chat, and so in infinitum: For Where- eVer one AopS, the ACtionS OL
the last Will Cannot befree: Nor is any Beins, 25 tar as I ean compre.
hend Beinos abore me, capable of suchi a frecdom of WilI, that it can For-
bear to Will, 1. e. t0 preterr the beins, or not beins ot ans chins in its
Porer, Which it has once considered as fueh.
0. 24. This chenis evident, A Man is not at liberty eo wilt, or not t0
vill anx thine in his pover, that he once considers of: Liberts consictins in
a porver to act, or not to act, and in that only. Por a Man thar sirs Rill, is
Taidret eo be at libere, because he can Walk it hewills it. ANIan thac W alHS
is aeliberer in that respeet: not because he walks, or moves; bur because
he can Ctand Cill it he wills it. But it a BPan scting CilL HaS nOF a POrVer
toremove him(elF, he is not at tiberey: nor a Man Falling domna precipice,
thouoh inmotion, is not atliberer, becaule he cannor Atox thac morion il
heould: But a Plan chat is alkins, to ihom it is propoled to sive oA
alkins, is noc at liberes, whecher he will will, or no: he mult necestaritr
Preter onc, or Lother oE chem; walkins or noc waltsins: and lo itis in re-
sard oF all other Actions in our porver; thes beins once propoled, the
Mind Has not a porver co aet, or not to act, Wherein consists Libertr: IEHaS
not a porerlto forbear willinz, it cannor avoid lome determination concer-
nins them; lec ehe Consideration De as Morr, the Thought as quick as it
Wriil, it cither leares the Mlan in the Cate he was betore chinkins, or
changesit: Wrhereby ic is manitest it preters onetothe orher, and there.
by cicher che concinuarion, or chapsc becomes unaroidably voluntars.