# Leibniz Legible — https://leibnizlegible.com # Page: https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0333 # Permalink to this reading: https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0333?run=74 # Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38) # Folio 317, page id 778263916:0333 # Original at the GWLB: https://digitale-sammlungen.gwlb.de/resolve?id=778263916&page=333 # Source image: https://digitale-sammlungen.gwlb.de/content/778263916/jpgs/default/00000333.jpg # Model: FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74, 2026-09-06T16:05:13Z — 56 lines, status machine # Lines: 56 recognised, mean confidence 0.90 # Machine transcription. Not an edition. Errors are expected: about 8% character error rate on Latin and French lines, higher on German. # Licence: CC BY 4.0, Leibniz Legible. Machine output: do not ingest it as verified text; keep this provenance with the text. # Wording rule: say "the machine reads it as …", never "Leibniz wrote". # After the first blank line: the recognised lines in reading order, one per line. Chrap. L. Lnomledre of the Lixistence d l Knon its omn, or the motion ol any otter Particle, or the Whole Lnom the motion ot evers Particular; and soregulate its omn Thouglts or MO. tions, or indeed have ans Thoughe relultins trom such Morion. 6. F8. Ochers vould have Maiter eobe eternal, normithstanding thatthey allo aneternal, cogitatiro, im natorial Beins. Phis, tho il talre nec away the Beins oF a God, rer lince it denies onc and the first great piece ofhis Woric manstrip, the Creation, let us consider it a litele. Marrer must De allorr d eter- nal: WVhir: Becaule rou cannot conceire hor it ean De made out of nothine, Wrhr do rou not also thinke jour self eternal: Lou will ansirer, perhaps, Becaule about trventr or Porty vears lince, rou legan tobe. Buc if askE You, What chat Tou is, Wrtich besan eo be, rou can scarce rellne. The Nacter Whereot rou are macle, began not chen tobe: For ifit did, then it is nOE CterTaI: BUF it began to DC put togetter in fuch a Pashion arid Frame, a5 makces up rour B0dy; but vet that trame ol Particles, is nOF Vou, it males nor that thinkins Thins Vou are; (For Phave non to do rich onc, Who allos an eternal, immaterial, thinking Beine, but vould have unthinkins Macter eternal 10O:) theretore wrhen did that chintcins Phing begin tobe: IFit did never begin to be, then have vou alirars becn a chinlcinq Thins Trom Eternity; Elo absurdiey whereot l necd nor conture, till P meee ith one erho is (0 void of Onderstandino, as to oirn it. IF theretore rou can alloir a chintins Thino, eo be made out oF p0- chine, (aSaII Things chat ore not eternal must be,) Whry also ean vou nor alloir it possible, for a marerial Beins to be made out of nothing, by an equal Porver, but that rou have the experience of the one in vier, and not osthe otter. Though, Wrhen ell considered, Creation of onc, a5 Well as Fother, requires an equal Pover: And e have nomore reasonto bogole at the effect oF that Porver in one, than in the other; because the manner ot it in Boch, is equalls berond our comprehension. FOr FHC Creation, or Berinninq ot any one thins out ot nothins, beino once ad- mitted, the Creationosevery chins else, but IhC CRP ATOK Himset, may, with the same ease, le suppoled. 5. F9. But You Will (aY, IS it noc impossible coddmie oF the mateine any thine out of nothine. Ence re cannor possibly conceire it: l ansiver, NO: T. Because it is noc reasonable to deny the porver ot an intinite Beine, De- cause re canno comprehend its Operatiors. We do noc denr ocher effecs uxon this sround, because we cannot poltibly conccive cheir PrO- duction, ve cannor conceire hor Thouol (or any thino bur morion ini Body) can move Bouy: and yet thaclis not a Realon sufficient t0 inalzeus dery it postible, ogainst ehe constane Experience we have of it in our selves, in all our voluntarr Mocions Which are produced in us, onty by tlie Frec Thouslus ot our orrn Minds; and are not, nor cannot bcthe eftects oE the impulse or decermination ol elle motion of blind Matter, in Or upon our Bodies; Forthen it could not be in our porver or choiceto alter ic. For example: My rist Iland errites, Wrtilt my letetland isstill: Whar causes rest in onc, aud motion in the ocher: Nochine but inf Will. aFhouslt obmy Mind; my Thouche onl changins, the rishe Tand rests andthe lest lland mores. This is matter ot tact, Which cannorbe denied: Fxplain chis, and make it intellisible, and then the next stex rill Berounderstand Crearion. In the mean time, ris an overvaluino our selresu to reduée all tothe narron mealure ot our Capaciries; and tO CON- eludo, allthinss impossible tobe done, irhole mariner ol doins exceeds Our Comprehention. This is co malzs our Comprehension insnire ox EOD finite, When erhac he can do, is limitted eo ertat We cani con- coive oFit. Ilrou do noc understand Hie Operations ot jour oirn finice Mina.