§ 44. Now by following up this Notion, and comprehending it in his Mind, he perceiv'd that all Bodies had one Form in common, from whence one or more Actions did proceed. And that there were some of these, which tho' they agreed with all the rest in that one common Form, had another Form besides superadded to it, from whence some Actions proceeded. And further, that there was another sort, which agreeing with the rest in those two Forms which they had, was still distinguish'd from them by a third Form, superadded to those other two, from whence also proceeded some Actions. For instance, all Terrestrial Bodies, as Earth, Stones, Minerals, Plants, Animals, and all other heavy Bodies, do make up one in Number, which agree in the same Form, from whence flows the Property ofdescending continually, whilst there is nothing to hinder their Descent: And whensoever they are forc'd to move upwards, if they are left to themselves, they immediately, by the Power of their Form, tend downwards again. Now, some part of this Number, viz. Plants and Animals, tho' they do agree with all that Multitude before mention'd, in that Form; yet still have another Form superadded to it, from whence flow Nutrition and Accretion. Now the meaning of Nutrition is, when the Body that is nourish'd, substitutes in the room of that which is consum'd and wasted from it self, something of the like kind, which it draws to it self, and then converts into its own Substance. Accretion, or Growing, is a Motion according to the three Dimensions, viz. Length, Breadth, and Thickness, in a due Proportion. And these two Actions are common to Plants and Animals, and do without doubt spring from that Form which is common to them both, which is what we call the Vegetative Soul. Now part of this Multitude, viz. Animals, tho' they have the first and second Forms in common with the rest, have still a third Form superadded, from which arise Sensation and Local Motion, Besides, he perceiv'd that every particular Species of Animals, had some Property which, distinguish'd it, and made it quite different from the rest, and he knew that this Difference must arise from some Form peculiar to that Species, which was superadded to the Notion of that Form which it had in common with the rest of Animals. And the like he saw happen'd to the several kinds of Plants.
§ 45. And it was evident to him, that the Essences of those sensible Bodies, which are in this sublunary World, had some of them more Qualities superadded to their Corporeity, and others, fewer. Now he knew that the Understanding of the fewer, must needs be more easie to him, than the Understanding of those which were more in number. And therefore, he endeavour'd to get a true Notion of the Form of some one thing, whose Essence was the most simple and uncompounded. Now he perceiv'd that the Essence of Animals and Plants consisted of a great many Properties, because of the great variety of their Operations; for which reason, he deferr'd the enquiring into their Forms. As for the Parts of the Earth, he saw that some of them were more simple than others, and therefore resolv'd to begin his Enquiry with the most simple of all. So he perceiv'd that Water, was a thing, whose Essence was not compounded of many Qualities, which appear'd from the Paucity of those Actions which arise from its Form. The same he likewise observ'd in the Fire, and Air.
§ 46. Now he had a Notion before, that all these four might be chang'd one into another; and therefore there must be some one thing which they jointly participated of, and that this thing was Corporeity. Now 'twas necessary, that this one thing which was common them all, should be altogether free from those Qualities, by which these four were distinguish'd one from the other; and be neither heavy nor light; hot nor cold; moist nor dry; because none of these Qualities were common to all Bodies, and therefore could not appertain to Body as such. And that if it were possible to find any such Body, in which there was no other Form superadded to Corporeity, it would have none, of these Qualities, nor indeed any other but what were common to all Bodies, with what Form soever endu'd. He consider'd therefore with himself, to see if he could find any one Adjunct or Property which was common to all Bodies, both animate and inanimate; but he found nothing of that Nature, but only the Notion of Extension, and that he perceiv'd was common to all Bodies, viz. That they had all of them length, breadth, and thickness. Whence he gather'd, that this Property belong'd to Body, as Body. However, his Sense could not represent to him any Body existent in Nature, which had this only Adjunct, and was void of all other Forms: For he saw that every one of them had some other Quality superadded to the said Extension.
§ 47. Then he consider'd further, whether this Three-fold Extension, was the very Essence of Body or not; and quickly found, that besides this Extension, there was another, in which this Extension did exist, and that this Extension could not subsist by it self, as also the Body which was extended, could not subsist by it self without Extension. This he experimented in some of those sensible Bodies which are endu'd with Forms; for Example, in Clay: Which he perceiv'd, when moulded into any Figure, (Spherical suppose) had in it a certain Proportion, Length, Breadth, and Thickness. But then if you took that very same Ball, and reduc'd it into a Cubical or Oval Figure, the Dimensions were chang'd, and did not retain the same Proportion which they had before, and yet the Clay still remain'd the same, without any Change, only that it was necessary for it to be extended into Length, Breadth, and Thickness, in some Proportion or other, and not be depriv'd of its Dimensions: Yet it was plain to him from the successive Alterations of them in the same Body, that they were distinct from the Clay itself; as also, that because the Clay could not be altogether without them, it appear'd to him that it belong'd to its Essence. And thus from this Experiment it appear'd to him, that Body consider'd as Body, was compounded of two Properties: The one of which represents the Clay, of which the Sphere was made; The other, the Threefold Expression of it, when form'd into a Sphere, Cube, or what other Figure soever. Nor was it possible to conceive Body, but as consisting of these two Properties, neither of which could subsist without the other. But that one (namely, that of Extension) which was liable to Change, and could successively put on different Figures, did represent the Form in all those Bodies which had Forms. And that other which still abode in the same State, (which was the Clay, in our last Instance) did represent Corporeity, which is in all Bodies, of what Forms soever. Now that which we call Clay in the foregoing Instance, is the same which the Philosophers call Materia prima [the first Matter] and ϓλη, which is wholly destitute of all manner of Forms.
§. 48. When his Contemplation had proceeded thus far, and he was got to some distance from sensible Objects, and was now just upon the Confines of the intellectual World, he dissident, and inclin'd rather to the sensible World, which he was more used to. Therefore he retir'd from the Consideration of abstracted Body,(since he found that his Senses could by no means reach it, neither could he comprehend it) and applied himself to the Consideration of the most simple sensible Bodies he could find, which were those four, about which he had been exercis'd. And first of all he consider'd the Water, which he found, if let alone in that Condition which its Form requir'd, had these two things in it, viz. Sensible Cold, and a Propension to move downwards; But if heated by the Fire or the Sun, its Coldness was remov'd, but its Propension to move downwards still remain'd: But afterwards, when it came to be more vehemently heated, it lost its tendency downwards, and mounted upwards; and so it was wholly depriv'd of both those Properties which us'd constantly to proceed from it, and from its Form: Nor did he know any thing more of its Form, but only that these two Actions proceeded from thence; and when these two ceas'd, the Nature of the Form was alter'd, and the watry Form was remov'd from that Body, since there appear'd in it Actions, which must needs owe their Origin to another Form. Therefore it must have receiv'd another Form which had not been there before,from which arose those Actions, which never us'd to appear in it whilst it had the other Form.
§ 49. Now he knew that every thing that was produc'd anew, must needs have some Producer. And from this Contemplation, there arose in his Mind a sort of Impression of the Maker of that Form, tho' his Notion of him as yet was general and indistinct. Then he paus'd on the examining of these Forms which he knew before, one by one, and found that they were produc'd anew, and that they must of necessity be beholden to some efficient Cause. Then he consider'd the Essences of Forms, and found that they were nothing else, but only a Disposition of Body to produce such or such Actions. For instance, Water, when very much heated, is dispos'd to rise upwards, and that Disposition is its Form. For there is nothing present in this Motion, but Body, and some things which are observ'd to arise from it, which were not in it before (such as Qualities and Motions) and the Efficients which produce them. Now the fitness of Body for one Motion rather than another, is its Disposition and Form. The same he concluded of all other Forms, and it appear'd to him, that those Actions which arose from them, were not in reality owing to them, but to the efficient Cause, who made use of these Forms to produce those Actions which are attributed to them, [i.e, the Forms]. Which Notion of his is exactly the same with what God's Apostle [Mahomet] says; I am his Hearing by which he hears, and his Seeing by which he sees. And in the Alcoran; You did not kill them, but God kill'd them; when thou threwest the Darts, it was not thou that threwest them, but God.
§ 50. Now, when he had attain'd thus far, so as to have a general and indistinct Motion of this Agent, he had a most earnest Desire to know him distinctly. And because he had not as yet withdrawn himself from the sensible World, he began to look for this voluntary Agent among sensible Things; nor did he as yet know, whether it was one Agent or many. Therefore he enquir'd strictly into all such Bodies as he had about him, viz. those which he had been employ'd about all along, and he found that they were all liable to Generation and Corruption: And if there were any which did not suffer a total Corruption, yet they were liable to a partial one, as Water and Earth, the parts of which are consum'd by Fire. Likewise he perceiv'd, that the Air was by extremity of Cold chang'd into Snow, and then again into Water; and among all the rest of the Bodies which he was conversant with, he could find none which had not its Existence anew, and required some voluntary Agent to give it a Being. Upon which account he laid them all aside, and transferr'd his Thoughts to the Consideration of the Heavenly Bodies. And thus far he reach'd in his Contemplations, about the end of the fourth Septenary of his Age, viz. when he now eight and twenty Years old.
§ 51. Now he knew very well, that the Heavens, and all the Luminaries in them, were Bodies, because they were all extended according to the three Dimensions Length, Breadth and Thickness, without any exception; and that every thing that was so extended, was Body; ergo, they were all Bodies. Then, he consider'd next, whether they were extended infinitely, as to stretch themselves to an endless Length, Breadth and Thickness; or, whether they were circumscrib'd by any Limits, and terminated by some certain Bounds, beyond which there could be no Extension. But here he stopp'd a while, as in a kind of Amazement.
§ 52. At last, by the strength of his Apprehension, and Sagacity of his Understanding, he perceiv'd that the Notion of infinite Body was absurd and impossible, and a Notion wholly intelligible. He confirm'd himself in this Judgment of his, by a great many Arguments which occurr'd to him, when he thus argued with himself. That this heavenly Body is terminated on this side which is next to me, is evident to my sight: And that it cannot be infinitely extended on that opposite side, which rais'd this Scruple in me; I prove thus: Suppose two Lines drawn from the Extremity of this Heavenly Body, on that terminated Side which is next to me, which Lines should be produc'd quite through this Body, in infinitum, according to the Extension of the Body; then suppose a long part of one of these Lines, cut off at this End which is next to me; then take the Remainder of what was cut off, and draw down that end of it where it was cut off; And lay it even with the end of the other Line from which there was nothing cut off; and let that Line which was shortned, lye parallel with the other; then suppose them through this Body, till you come to that side which we suppos'd to be infinite: Either you will find both these Lines infinitely extended, and then one of them cannot be shorter than the other, but that which had a part of it cut off, will be as long as that which was not, which is absurd: Or else the Line which was cut will not be so long as that other, and consequently finite: Therefore if you add that part to it which was cut off from it at first, which was finite, the whole will be finite; and then it will be no longer or shorter than that Line which had nothing cut off from it, therefore equal to it; But this is finite, therefore the other is finite. Therefore the Body in which such Lines are drawn is finite; And all Bodies in which such Lines may be drawn, are finite: But such Lines may be drawn in all Bodies. Therefore if we suppose an infinite Body, we suppose an Absurdity and Impossibility.