&larte’6 fünfie Sntoegnuno. 421
ßlarfe’« fünfte Entgegnung.
As*) Multitudes of Words are neither an Argument of clear Ideas in Ihe Writer, nor a proper means of conveying clear Notions to the Reader ; I shall endeavour to give a distinet Answer to this Fifth Paper, as briefly as I can.
i — 20. There is no^) similitude between a Balance being moved by Weigbts or Impulse, and aMind moving itself, or acting upon the View of certain Motives. The Difference is, that the one is entirely passive ; wbich is being subject to absolute Necessity : The other not only is acted upon, but acts also ; which is the essencc of Liberty. To^) suppose that an equal apparent Goodness in different Ways of acting, takes away from the Mind all Power of Acting at all, as an equality of Weights keeps a Balance necessarily at Rest ; is denying the Mind to have in itself aPrinciple ofAction ; and is con- founding the P w e r of Acting, with the Impression made upon the Mind by the Motive, wherein the Mind is purely passive. The Mo- tive, or thing considered as in View, is something extrinsick to the Mind : The Impression made upon the Mind by That Motive, is the perceptive Quality, in which the Mind is passive : The Doing of any thing, upon and after, or in consequence of, that perception ; this is the Power of Self-Motion, or Action : Which, in All animate Agents, is Spontaneity ; and, in moral Agents, is what we properly call Liberty. The not carefully distinguishing these things, but con- founding^) the Motive with the Principle ofAction, and denying the Mind to have any Principle of Action besides the Motive, (when in- deed in receiving the Impression of the Motive, the Mind is pu- rely passive ;) This, I say, is the Ground of the whole Error ; and leads Men to think that the Mind is no more Active, than a Balance would
- ) 1>a9 Original biefef Schreibend ifl unter ben Seibntjifc^en papieren md)t Dor^anben. —
^ud ber Sorbemerfung fann tnait fd)Ite|eii , bo^ biefed 6d ;reibcn dlarfe’S erft nad) üleibni^enft $obe QböefQ^t ifl.
1) § 3. 2) § 14. 3) § 15.
