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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 277, page id 778263916:0293
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Fxtent ot Llumane Pnomledee
verse may have, by che Altistence oF Senses and Faculcies, more or per-
fecter than ire lare, or different trom ours, tis not For us to derermine.
Buc 10 PaY, Or chink there are no such, becaule e conceive nochine oF
ehem, is no better an Arsument, than il a blind Man Mould be politire
in it, char chere ras no such thins as Sislit and Colours, because. hie had
no manner oF Idea ot any such thing, nor could by any means Fraime to
himselt any Notions about Secins. Thelgnorance, and Dartinels that is
in us, no more hinders nor contines the Rnom ledse chatis in ottiers, than
the Blindnels of a Mole is an argument against the quick lichrednels oF
an Fagle. He thar Will consider ehe intinire Porer, Wisdom, and Good.
hess ot ehe Crearor oF all Things, Will find Reason eo think it Wvas noc all
laid out upon so inconsiderable, mean, and impotent a Creature, as HC
Wwill And Nan Eo be; Who in aII probabilitr, is one ot the lowest ot al
intellectual Beings. What Faculties cheretore other Species ol Creatures
have to penetrate into the Nature, and inmost Constitutions ol Things;
Whac Ideas they may receive of them, tar different trom ours, We rnon
nOt. This we Know, and certainy tind, that re rrant several otter viens
oF them, besides those re hare, to malie Dilcoveries oF them more per-
fect. And We may be convinced thac the Pdeas we can attain toby our
Faculcies, are very disproportionare ro Thines themlelres, wrhen a politive
clear distinet onc oF Substarice it selE, Wrhieh is the Foundarion of aII
the rest, is concealed trom us. But want of Ideas oF this bind,
Deins a Part, as vell as Cause oF our lgnorance, cannor be described.
Onty chis, Tthink, Imay contidently Pay ot ic; Thacthe incellectual and
sensible Worid, are in ehis perfectiy aliko; Thac thac pare ertrich we sce
oF cirtrer of ehem holds no provortion wich what e sec not; And What
loerer re can reach with our Lyes, or our Thouxtus ol cither ol them,
is bur a point, almost nochins, in comparison of the rest.
8. 24. Secondly. Another Great C aule OF LgnOranCC, is the vant of Ideas
veare capable of. ASthe vant oF Ideas, Wrhich our Faculcies arenot able
eo sive us, Muts usiholly trom thole viers oF Things, irhich tis reaso-
nable tothink, other pertecter Beings than me hare, ot irhich e lnoir
nothing; (0 che Want of Ideas, Pnow speak oF, Keeps us in Tenorance ot
Thinos, e conceire capable of beins bnomnto us. Bulk, tigure, and
Morion, We have Ideas ot. But though re are not wichoue Ideas of thiele
primary Jualicies of Bodies in general; vet not knomins erhat is the par-
cicular Bulk, Figure, and Motion, ot the srearest part ol the Bodies ot the
Universe, Wve are ignorant ot che several Povers, PAicacies, and Ways ot
Operacion, Wrhereby the Lfects re daily sec, are produced. Thele are
hid fromus in some Thines. By Beine 10o remote; and in others, by beine
500minute. When re considerthe rast diltance of the knoun and vili.
ble parrs ofthie Worid, andche Realons we have tothinte, chat ihat lies
richin our Ren, is but a Imall part of the immense Vniverle, We Mall
chen discover an huse AByIs oF Tonorance. What are the particular La
bricles ofthe great Masses oF Macter, Which malre ux the itiole supendi
ous frame ot corporeal Beines; hor tar they are extended; What is their
Notion, and hou continued, orcommunicared; and wrhat Influence they
nave one upon another, are Conremplatioris, thar at tirst slimpse our
Thouotes lose chemlelres in. IE e narror our Contemplarion, ind
contine our Thoughes to this little Canton, I mean this Syltem ot oije
Sun, and the grosser Masses otMaeter, that visibly more about it, irtat
several soris ot Vegetables, Animals, and intellectual corporeal Beines, in
Ainitely different trom chole oF our licrle spor ot Farrh, may probably be in
che other Planets; to the Knomledee otwhich, even ot icir outrard
Fixures
t