But

the confequent of ability without capacity. there may be capacity unoccupied. Thus a man inay have capacity for learning who is untaught; and a pint veffel capacity to contain wine although it be empty; and a wild horse docility, though no man ever attempted breaking it in.

We may also remark concerning capacity, that, we cannot infer the want of capacity in any respect from its not being exercised, nor from the exercise of a less degree of capacity can we infer that there is no greater degree in the subject. Thus though fteel is unpolished, we cannot conclude that it has not capacity to be polished, nor from a quart bottle as containing but a pint of liquor, can we conclude that it had not capacity to contain more.

Perhaps no one can help observing how eminently and effentially fhape concurs to both ability and capacity in innumerable inftances. Thus the shape of a knife to an ability for cutting; and thus the shape of Rupert's drops or hand grenadoes to capacity, for the remarkable event of flying to powder, on the small end being broken off.-Compofition alfo in numerous cafes concurs to ability and capacity. Refpecting ability, recollect the freezing mixture and gunpowder. And refpecting capacity, I may mention copper and filver, each of which are harder to melt feparately than gold, yet when used to alloy gold, the compofition will melt eafier than gold itself. Capacity,

1

Capacity, or paffive property, has been dignified by the appellation paffive power by Mr. Locke, but its claim to the name has been difputed by a respectable Writer. Bring capacity however, I mean capacity for sustaining change, to the idea of producing change, and no person will question whether exifting capacity in body, in mind, in thinking, or in motion, can produce change, or whether change will exift without the addition of relative ability and the suitable circumstances of time, place, and position.-Neither will the addition of inadequate ability and inadequate circumstances be fufficient. Suppose a faw made of wood, it would have ability, when in motion, to cut a fofter body, butter for instance, has a relative capacity, let the faw be in motion, and the butter be in concurring circumstances, power will exift, the lump will be divided. Suppofe the fame faw used in the most advantageous circumstances for dividing a piece of iron, for want of ability in the faw relative to the hardness of the iron, no power, operation, or change would exift. Thus alfo where ability meets relative capacity but with infufficient time, an inadequate place; or other circumftance, the power and change will also be proportionate. And if no time be admitted and no place allotted, it will matter nothing, the exact agreement of ability in one thing to capacity in another. Power and change will not exist.

13. Cir

13. Circumftance has been defcribed a particularity, which, though not effential to any action, yet doth some way affect it. Circumftances do undoubtedly affect every action, but I must add, that they are effential to the existence of the action. Every kind of circumstance, I grant, is not effential to any action; but I will contend that time and place are circumstances unlimitedly effential to action and operation, whether their fubjects be material or spiritual beings, for without time and place the subjects themfelves can have no existence, but are non-entities, and have nothing to do with operation or power. Circumftances may be favorable or unfavorable, fuitable or unsuitable, respecting any proposed event. Suitable circumftances compofe identically what we call opportunity. Circumstances are infinitely diversified and infinitely extended, for space is infinite, and the fame identical circumftances can never return.

Some have fuppofed favorable circumstances, concurring circumstances, or opportunity, to be caufal, the whole of what is caufal, and confequently to be power, or at least to involve the notion of power. But what are arrangements of circumftances either of body, or of mind, of motion, or of thinking, when brought to the idea of producing change? The truth is, that without the addition of ability and related capacity in the objects thus circumstanced, there can

be no operation or change, and confequently no power.

I faid fuitable circumftances are effential to power. We afk, Suitable to what? To the confequent operation. True, but we must not reft here, for if power is effentially related to excellence, (Pofitions 2, 3, 4.) and is restricted to valuable changes and to valuable abiding and enduring, then must the circumstances effential to power be fuitable to valuable operation.-A curious and ufeful work of art may be crushed by a millftone, We may conceive ability in the millftone, capacity in the mechanism and circumftances, fuitable to the operation of bruizing and influence of being crushed to atoms: but as the change was a bad change, the circumstances wanted the fuitablenefs effential to power, and the change is rightly afcribed to the absence of power in refpect of averting the blow.-One man murders another man,-Here alfo we conceive ability and capacity but no fuitable circumflances to a valuable change, for the change was not good but evil. The event is rightly afcribed not to power but to its abfence refpecting prevention of the murder.

I conceive that all finite beings, unless fecured by a perpetual series of divine immediate interpofitions, are, through the limitations of their properties and confequent circumftances, neceffarily expofed to confequences of the abfence of power

in certain respects, and thus to changes and abiding which effentially depend, not on power, but on its absence in respect of prevention.

We have confidered properties as effential to power, but could not fay that every junction of ability and a related capacity, effentially involved power; fo neither, with the addition of circumftances rendering them adequate to actual abiding, enduring or change, can we affirm there is power: because power is effentially related to value and excellence; but the abiding, enduring or change respected, may not be valuable or excellent. Some of these thoughts will again present themfelves, when we pay attention, to what are called negative causes.

14. The effentials to the exiftence of power evidently are ability, capacity related to that ability, and fuitable circumftances to valuable opera

tion.

I grant it difficult to reach a notion of power, and thus it is alfo of substance, yet we know both to exift, can diftinguish them, but cannot comprehend them. The nearest approach we can make to matter or body, feems to be extension and folidity. Conceive of a geometrical point, no length, breadth, or thickness, or absolutely without extenfion, and we are certain this cannot be matter, or even fubftance of any kind. kind. Suppofe, or conceive fome extenfion, for inftance a cubic foot, but abfolutely without any thing