§ 25. For supposing it were 5639 miles, or millions of miles, from this place to the remotest body of the universe (for being finite, it must be at a certain distance), as we suppose it to be 5639 years from this time to the first existence of any body in the beginning of the world, we can, in our thoughts, apply this measure of a year to duration before the creation, or beyond the duration of bodies or motion, as we can this measure of a mile to space beyond the utmost bodies; and by the one, measure duration, where there was no motion; as well as by the other, measure space in our thoughts, where there is no body.

§ 26. If it be objected to me here, that in this way of explaining of time, I have begged what I should not, viz. that the world is neither eternal nor infinite; I answer, that to my present purpose, it is not needful, in this place, to make use of arguments to evince the world to be finite, both in duration and extension; but it being, at least, as conceivable as the contrary, I have certainly the liberty to suppose it, as well as any one hath to suppose the contrary; and I doubt not but that every one that will go about it, may easily conceive in his mind the beginning of motion, though not of all duration; and so may come to a stop, and non ultra, in his consideration of motion; so, also, in his thoughts, he may set limits to body, and the extension belonging to it; but not to space, where no body is, the utmost bounds of space and duration being beyond the reach of thought, as well as the utmost bounds of number are beyond the largest comprehension of the mind, and all for the same reason, as we shall see in another place.

§ 27. Eternity. By the same means, therefore, and from the same original that we come to have the idea of time, we have also that idea which we call eternity, viz., having got the idea of succession and duration, by reflecting on the train of our own ideas, caused in us either by the natural appearances of those ideas coming constantly of themselves into our waking thoughts, or else caused by external objects successively affecting our senses; and having, from the revolutions of the sun, got the ideas of certain lengths of duration, we can, in our thoughts, add such lengths of duration to one another, as often as we please, and apply them, so added, to durations past or to come: and this we can continue to do on, without bounds or limits, and proceed in infinitum, and apply thus the length of the annual motion of the sun to duration, supposed before the sun's, or any other, motion had its being; which is no more difficult or absurd, than to apply the notion I have of the moving of a shadow, one hour to-day upon the sundial, to the duration of something last night; v. g. the burning of a candle, which is now absolutely separate from all actual motion; and it is as impossible for the duration of that flame for an hour last night, to co-exist with any motion that now is, or for ever shall be, as for any part of duration, that was before the beginning of the world, to co-exist with the motion of the sun now. But yet this hinders not, but that having the idea of the length of the motion of the shadow on a dial between the marks of two hours, I can as distinctly measure in my thoughts the duration of that candle-light last night, as I can the duration of any thing that does now exist. And it is no more than to think, that had the sun shone

then on the dial, and moved after the same rate it doth now, the shadow on the dial would have passed from one hour-line to another, whilst that flame of the candle lasted.

very

§ 28. The notion of an hour, day, or year, being only the idea I have of the length of certain periodical regular motions, neither of which motions do ever all at once exist, but only of the ideas I have of them in my memory, derived from my senses or reflection, I can with the same ease, and for the same reason, apply it in my thoughts to duration antecedent to all manner of motion, as well as to any thing that is but a minute or a day antecedent to the motion that at this moment the sun is in. All things past, are equally and perfectly at rest; and to this way of consideration of them are all one, whether they were before the beginning of the world, or but yesterday; the measuring of any duration by some motion, depending not at all on the real co-existence of that thing to that motion, or any other periods of revolution, but the having a clear idea of the length of some periodical known motion, or other intervals of duration of my mind, and applying that to the duration of the thing I would measure.

§ 29. Hence we see, that some men imagine the duration of the world from its first existence, to this present year 1689, to have been 5639 years, or equal to 5639 annual revolutions of the sun; and others a great deal more, as the Egyptians of old, who, in the time of Alexander, counted 23,000 years from the reign of the sun; and the Chinese now, who account the world 3,269,000 years old, or more; which longer duration of the world, according to their computation, though I should not believe it to be true, yet I can equally imagine it with them, and as truly understand and say one is longer than the other, as I understand that Methusalem's life was longer than Enoch's: and if the common reckoning of 5639 should be true (as it may be, as well as any other assigned), it hinders not at all my imagining what others mean, when they make the world 1000 years older, since every one may, with the same facility, imagine (I do not say believe) the world to be 50,000 years old, as 5639; and may as well conceive the duration of 50,000 years, as 5639. Whereby it appears, that to the measuring the duration of any thing by time, it is not requisite that that thing should be co-existent to the motion we measure by, or any other periodical revolution; but it suffices to this purpose, that we have the idea of the length of any regular periodical appearance, which we can in our minds apply to duration, with which the motion or appearance never co-existed.

§30. For as in the history of the creation delivered by Moses, I can imagine that light existed three days before the sun was, or had any motion, barely by thinking that the duration of light before the sun was created, was so long as (if the sun had moved then as it doth now) would have been equal to three of his diurnal revolutions; so, by the same way, I can have an idea of the chaos or angels being created before there was either light or any continued motion, a minute, an hour, a day, a year, or 1000 years. For if I can but consider duration equal to one minute, before either the being or motion of any body, I can add one minute more till I come to 60: and by the same way of add

ing minutes, hours, or years (i. e. such or such parts of the sun's revolutions, or any other period, whereof I have the idea), proceed in infinitum, and suppose a duration exceeding as many such periods as I can reckon, let me add whilst I will, which I think is the notion we have of eternity, of whose infinity we have no other notion than we have of the infinity of number, to which we can add for ever without end

§ 31. And thus I think it is plain, that from those two fountains of all knowledge before-mentioned, viz., reflection and sensation, we get the ideas of duration, and the measures of it.

For, First, By observing what passes in our minds, how our ideas there in train constantly some vanish, and others begin to appear, we come by the idea of succession.

Secondly, By observing a distance in the parts of this succession, we get the idea of duration.

Thirdly, By sensation, observing certain appearances at certain regular and seeming equidistant periods, we get the ideas of certain lengths or measures of duration, as minutes, hours, days, years, &c.

Fourthly, By being able to repeat those measures of time, or ideas of stated length of duration in our minds, as often as we will, we can come to imagine duration, where nothing does really endure or exist; and thus we imagine to-morrow, next year, or seven years hence.

Fifthly, By being able to repeat ideas of any length of time, as of a minute, a year, or an age, as often as we will in our own thoughts, and adding them one to another, without ever coming to the end of such addition, any nearer than we can to the end of number, to which we can always add, we come by the idea of eternity, as the future eternal duration of our souls, as well as the eternity of that infinite being, which must necessarily have always existed.

Sixthly, By considering any part of infinite duration, as set out by periodical measures, we come by the idea of what we call time in general.

CHAP. XV.

OF DURATION AND EXPANSION, CONSIDERED TOGETHER.

§ 1. Both capable of greater and less.-Though we have in the precedent chapters dwelt pretty long on the considerations of space and duration; yet they being ideas of general concernment, that have something very abstruse and peculiar in their nature, the comparing them one with another, may, perhaps, be of use for their illustration; and we may have the more clear and distinct conception of them, by taking a view of them together. Distance or space, in its simple abstract conception, to avoid confusion, I call expansion, to distinguish it from extension, which by some is used to express this distance only as it is in the solid parts of matter, and so includes, or at least intimates, the idea of body: whereas the idea of pure distance includes no such thing, I prefer also the word expansion to space, because space is often applied to distance of fleeting successive parts, which never exist together, as well as to those which are permanent. In both these (viz. ex

pansion and duration), the mind has this common idea of continued lengths, capable of greater or less quantities: for a man has as clear an idea of the difference of the length of an hour and a day, as of an inch and a foot.

§ 2. Expansion not bounded by matter.-The mind, having got the idea of the length of any part of expansion, let it be a span, or a pace, or what length you will, can, as has been said, repeat that idea; and so adding it to the former, enlarge its idea of length, and make it equal to two spans, or two paces, and so, as often as it will, till it equals the distance of any parts of the earth one from another, and increase thus, until it amounts to the distance of the sun, or remotest star. By such a progression as this, setting out from the place where it is, or any other place, it can proceed and pass beyond all those lengths, and find nothing to stop it going on, either in or without body. It is true, we can easily, in our thoughts, come to the end of solid extension; the extremity and bounds of all body, we have no difficulty to arrive at; but when the mind is there, it finds nothing to hinder its progress into this endless expansion; of that it can neither find nor conceive any end. Nor let any one say, that beyond the bounds of body there is nothing at all, unless he will confine God within the limits of matter. Solomon, whose understanding was filled and enlarged with wisdom, seems to have other thoughts, when he says, "Heaven, and the heaven of heavens, cannot contain thee;" and he, I think, very much magnifies to himself the capacity of his own understanding, who persuades himself, that he can extend his thoughts farther than God exists, or imagaine any expansion where he is not.

§3. Nor duration by motion.-Just so is it in duration; the mind having got the idea of any length of duration, can double, multiply, and enlarge it, not only beyond its own, but beyond the existence of all corporeal beings, and all the measures of time taken from the great bodies of the world, and their motions. But yet every one easily admits, that though we make duration boundless, as certainly it is, we cannot yet extend it beyond all being. God, every one easily allows, fills eternity; and it is hard to find a reason, why any one should doubt that he likewise fills immensity. His infinite being is certainly as boundless one way as another; and methinks it ascribes a little too much to matter, to say, where there is no body, there is nothing.

§ 4. Why men more easily admit infinite duration, than infinite expansion. Hence, I think, we may learn the reason why every one familiarly, and without the least hesitation, speaks of, and supposes, eternity, and sticks not to ascribe infinity to duration; but it is with more doubting and reserve, that many admit, or suppose, the infinity of space. The reason whereof seems to me to be this; that duration and extension being used as names of affections belonging to other beings, we easily conceive in God infinite duration, and we cannot avoid doing so; but not attributing to him extension, but only to matter, which is finite, we are apter to doubt of the existence of expansion without matter, of which alone we commonly suppose it an attribute. And, therefore, when men pursue their thoughts of space, they are apt to stop at the confines of body, as if space were there at an end too, and

reached no farther. Or if their ideas, upon consideration, carry them farther, yet they term what is beyond the limits of the universe, imaginary space; as if it were nothing, because there is no body existing in it. Whereas, duration, antecedent to all body, and to the motions which it is measured by, they never term imaginary; because it is never supposed void of some other real existence. And if the names of things may at all direct our thoughts towards the originals of men's ideas (as I am apt to think they may very much), one may have occasion to think, by the name duration, that the continuation of existence, with a kind of resistance to any destructive force, and the continuation of solidity (which is apt to be confounded with, and if we will look into the minute anatomical parts of matter, is little different from hardness), were thought to have some analogy, and gave occasion to words so near of kin, as durare and durum esse. And that durare is applied to the idea of hardness, as well as that of existence, we see in Horace, epod. 16. ferro duravit secula. But be that as it will, this is certain, that whoever pursues his own thoughts, will find them sometimes launch out beyond the extent of body, into the infinity of space or expansion; the idea whereof is distinct and separate from body, and all other things: which may (to those who please) be a subject of farther meditation.

§ 5. Time to duration, is as place to expansion.-Time in general is to duration, as place to expansion. They are so much of those boundless oceans of eternity and immensity, as is set out and distinguished from the rest, as it were, by land-marks; and so are made use of, to denote the position of finite real beings, in respect one to another, in those uniform infinite oceans of duration and space. These rightly considered, are only ideas of determinate distances from certain known points fixed in distinguishable sensible things, and supposed to keep the same distance one from another. From such points, fixed in sensible beings, we reckon, and from them we measure our portions of those infinite quantities; which so considered, are that which we call time and place. For duration and space being in themselves uniform and boundless, the order and position of things, without such known settled points, would be lost in them; and all things would lie jumbled in an incurable confusion.

§ 6. Time and place are taken for so much of either, as are set out by the existence and motion of bodies.-Time and place taken thus for determinate distinguishable portions of those infinite abysses of space and duration, set out or supposed to be distinguished from the rest by marks and known boundaries, have each of them a two-fold acceptation. First, Time in general is commonly taken for so much of infinite duration, as is measured by, and co-existent with, the existence and motions of the great bodies of the universe, as far as we know any thing of them and in this sense, time begins and ends with the frame of this sensible world, as in these phrases before-mentioned, before all time, or when time shall be no more. Place likewise is taken sometimes for that portion of infinite space, which is possessed by, and comprehended within, the material world; and is thereby distinguished from the rest of expansion, though this may more properly be called exten

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