probability, greater or lefs, according to circumftances."

21. In the phenomena of nature, fimilar confequences of ability, relative capacity, and oppor tunity, will in futurity take place, to former confequences of fimilar ability, relative capacity, and opportunity.

All these appear to me, felf-evident truths, and as thought on by me, to be, necessary knowledge, actually exifting in my mind.

Demonftrable knowledge is also neceffary. Thus that A. is equal to B. for C. is the meafure of both. D. is not equal to E. for F. is the measure of D. but does not agree to E.

Knowledge alfo on the evidence of report or history, which takes the name belief, is necessary. When we believe, we cannot help believing. I believe, and cannot but believe, that there is a city in America called Philadelphia. I neceffarily believe that ancient Babylon doth not exist at prefent.

Existence, mental exiftence, is applicable to every degree of affent to a propofition. And every thing actually exifting is necessary, therefore every existence of actual affent is neceffary, cannot but be as it is, and cannot be, all circumftauces confidered, any otherwise. It is impoffible, nature and circumftance confidered, that it should be otherwife. Thus neceffity is applicable to knowledge, faith, and opinion in us, for

these

these are conceived, rightly conceived, to exift in our minds. And all actual existence is neceffary, that is, involves power, or its abfence, to be: And cannot be detached from coexiftence with power, or its abfence, in that refpect. Neceffity of operation or action, comes under the fame definition as neceffity of the existence of things, because we as juftly conceive operation and action to be things actually exifting as we do any other modes, or even fubftances. This remark applies to mental operation and action as well as material, for thinking, under any modification, is juftly conceived to be a thing exifting; and neceffity regards at all times the real exiftence of things. Conceptions are real and actual exiftences in the mind, and as fuch muft in every cafe be as they are, natures and circumstances taken into the ac'count, and cannot be otherwise.

The word effential, is alfo expreffive of neceffity. This is effential to that, may be rendered, this is necessary to that, or this is effective to that. But as the effences of material things are to in little more than merely nominal effences, and the effences of imaginary things are quite arbitrary, perhaps the term effential may be confiftently reftrained to mental matters, and thus is applicable to what goes to make the idea of a thing what it is, or its definition to be true. Timber is effential to a fhip. Tallow or wax is essential to candles. Workmanship is effential to a clock. Evi.

dence

dence is effential to knowledge. Premises are effential to an inference. In all these cafes, effential may be exchanged for neceffary, and the notion continued the fame, with only a shade of difference, as immediately regarding the effence of things, whereas neceffity has immediate refpect to existence.

Indifpenfible, requifite, or as we sometimes fay, effentially requifite, are alfo ufed respecting our thoughts, as fynonimous with necessary.

We have an adverbial expreffion of neceffity, but this can be with equal effect expreffed by the adverbs from power. We may fay neceffarily this, efficiently and effectively that. Thus, the conclufion of a fyllogifm is neceffarily contained in, or flows from the premises, may be expreffed, the conclufion of a fyllogifm effectively and efficiently is contained in, or flows from, the premifes. The latter may not be so usual in speech: but do they not equally manifest that the exiftence of the conclufion results from the power coexiftent with the premifes, as rightly underftood, and that where this is not the case, though there be the appearance of a fyllogifm, yet in reality it is but a fophism?

Were it proper to anticipate a fubject, which belongs to the future application, I might here remark, that neceffity, proper direct neceffity, is rightly judged a primary attribute of God. His existence and all other known or unknown attri

butes,

butes, his neceffity excepted, as well as his operations must be necessary, for the smallest deviation in this refpect must destroy in our conception the infinitude of divine excellency. That neceffity cannot be fuperior to God as some have erroneously conceived, is fully evident from the confideration, that, apart from eternal, actual, fubftantial existence, neceffity would be a nonentity, eternally a non-existence; and this actual eternal being is God: confequently were there no God, neceffity would be no more than an abftract notion of our minds.

Let us now proceed to furvey fundry objects, fome of which are akin to power, and all of which have been more or lefs confounded with it.

SECTION V.

Of Things akin to Power, and other Objects which have been confounded with Power.

FIRST, LIBERTY. Liberty is a fpecies of op

portunity. It confifts in opportunity for concurrence to certain conduct and its opposite, or certain conduct and its negation as the inclination of the fubject of liberty fhall be. Liberty thus differs from opportunity in general, as fingle and plural :

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fince liberty ever involves opportunity for two. objects, but with this peculiarity, that one of them only can be embraced. If this reprefentation is juft, liberty confifts in opportunity for acting or operating. Thus a ball at the north fide of a room, twenty feet fquare, has liberty to roll twenty feet to the fouth, but is deprived of liberty for rolling twenty feet to the north. The aperture of the door gives liberty for the furniture and other objects to pafs. The window gives liberty to the rays of light to enter by day, and to emerge from a candle by night. Removing a dyke, gives liberty for the water to rush through. The loofenefs and flexibility of apparel, gives liberty or freedom for the motion of the limbs.Thus alfo ignorance of the event gives liberty for an ox to be influenced by its leader or driver to go to the place of flaughter. Thus the filence of the holy fcriptures refpecting the final event of any future determinate individual of mankind, gives liberty or freedom for the operation of their commands, intreaties and expoftulations on the mind. And, thus probably, fome exiting ignorance of futurity, gives liberty for even the angel Gabriel, to be influenced by the divine command. -The cage bounds the liberty of a bird, and a prison the liberty of a man.

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There is an hypothefis that has of late much prevailed in the world, which has been called by the ambiguous name of the free-will fyftem."