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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 138, page id 778263916:0154
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Our Ideas of Substances.
arhich Words, every one Wrho understands the Language, trames in His
Mind a Combination ol thole several simple Ldeas, Which he has ulvally
observed, ox tancied to exist together under that denomination; all Whien
he suppoles to rest in, and be, as it rere, acherent to thac untenowncom-
mon Subicet, erhich inheres nor in ans chins else: Thoush in the mean
time it be manisest, and everr onc, upon Enguiris into his omn thougtts.
illtnd, chat he has no other Ldea otans Substance, v. 8. let it be Gold
FTOrse, TrOn, Man Vitriol, Bread, Dut rhat he has barelr ot those sen-
Sible Oualities, Which he supposes to inhrere rith a suppolition of tuch a
Substratum, as civesas it ivere a uppore to those Qualicies, or simple P.
deas, Which he has observed to exist unitedtosether. Thusthe ldea oF Sun,
What is it, but an aggresare oF these leveral simple Ideas, Bright, LTot,
Roundistr, havins a constant regular motion, at a certain distance trom
us, arid, pertraps, some other: As he who thinkes and discourses ot the
Sun, has beenmore or less accurate, in observins thole sensible Oualicies,
Ideas, Or Properties, Which are in that ching, rhich he calls the Sun.
3. 7. Forhe has the perfectes Ldea ol ans particular Subltance, Who
has sathered, and put together, most ol thole smple Ldeas, wrhich do exist
in ie amono rhich are to be reckoned its active Porvers, and pastive Ca-
pacities; ertich though not Aricty simple Ideas, Vet, in this respect, for
Brerities Pake, may convenienty enouzh be reckoncd amonost them.
Thusthe porrer of dramins tron, is one of the Ideas of the Complex one
OFthat substance e call a Loadstone, and a Porver tobe (o grain is a pare
OFthe Complex one we call Tron; Wrhieh Porers pals For intrerent Ouali-
ties in thole Subjects. Because every Substance, being as aptby the Pou-
ers ire observe init, to chanse lome sensible Oualities in ortier Subjects,
asit is to produce in us those limple Ideas, e reccire immediarels trom
it, does by those netr sensible Oualicies, introdtuced into oeher Subjects,
dilcorer tous thole Porrers, Wrhuch do thereby mediarely afteet our sen-
ses as regulariy as its sensible Qualities do it immediately, v. c. weimme
diatelr by our senses perceire in Fire its Freat and Colour; Wrhieh are, il
rishur considered, nothing but Porrers in it, to produce thole Ideas in uS:
We also by our senses perceire the colour and brieclenels oF Charcoal;
Whereby re come by the Rnomledsse of anocher Pover in Fire, irtich ie
has to chanse the colourand consictener ot Wood: By the former Firo
immediatelr, by the later it mediately discovers eo us these sereral
Porvers; Wtich cherclore e look upon to be a part of the Qualities oF
Firc, and lo matce them a part ot the complex ideas ofit. For aIl those
Porers chat Wetalse Cognizance ol, terminatirs ouly in the alteration ot
fome senlible Dualities, in those Subjects, on wrhich they operate, and so
matiine them exhibit to us neu sensible Ldeas, theretore it is, thac T have
reckoned these Porvers amonsst the simple Laeas, Wrhich matre the com-
plex ones ot the sorts of substances; though these Porvers considered in
themselres, are truly complex Ideas. And in chis looser sense, I crave
leave to be understood, ertien l name any ol these Porentialities amon est
rhe simple Ideas, tich ve recallee in our Minds, When we thinke of par-
ricular Substances. For the Porvers that are leverally in them, are necessa-
ry eo be considered, it re ill hare true distinet Notions of Subltances.
6. 8. NOr are etowonder, that Povers maté a great parr of our com-
plex Ideas of Substances; Cince their secondary Dualities are those, wrhich
in most et them serve principally eo distinonim Substances one trom ano-
cher, and commontu make a considerable part ot the complex Ldea et the
leveral lores ot them. Por our senses tailino us, in the dilcoverr ot the
Bulte, Fenture, and tigure et che minure parto ot Bodico, on ihich aei
re
Be