11. That the nominal essence is that only whereby we distinguish species of substances, further evident, from our
ideas of finite spirits and of God.
That our ranking and distinguishing natural substances into species consists in
the nominal essences the mind makes, and not in the real essences to be found in the things themselves, is further
evident from our ideas of spirits. For the mind getting, only by reflecting on its own operations, those simple ideas
which it attributes to spirits, it hath or can have no other notion of spirit but by attributing all those operations it
finds in itself to a sort of beings; without consideration of matter. And even the most advanced notion we have of
GOD is but attributing the same simple ideas which we have got from reflection on what we find in ourselves, and
which we conceive to have more perfection in them than would be in their absence; attributing, I say, those simple
ideas to Him in an unlimited degree. Thus, having got from reflecting on ourselves the idea of existence,
knowledge, power and pleasure--each of which we find it better to have than to want; and the more we have of
each the better--joining all these together, with infinity to each of them, we have the complex idea of an eternal,
omniscient, omnipotent, infinitely wise and happy being. And though we are told that there are different species
of angels; yet we know not how to frame distinct specific ideas of them: not out of any conceit that the existence
of more species than one of spirits is impossible; but because having no more simple ideas (nor being able to
frame more) applicable to such beings, but only those few taken from ourselves, and from the actions of our own
minds in thinking, and being delighted, and moving several parts of our bodies; we can no otherwise distinguish
in our conceptions the several species of spirits, one from another, but by attributing those operations and powers
we find in ourselves to them in a higher or lower degree; and so have no very distinct specific ideas of spirits,
except only of GOD, to whom we attribute both duration and all those other ideas with infinity; to the other
spirits, with limitation: nor, as I humbly conceive, do we, between GOD and them in our ideas, put any difference,
by any number of simple ideas which we have of one and not of the other, but only that of infinity. All the
particular ideas of existence, knowledge, will, power, and motion, etc., being ideas derived from the operations of
our minds, we attribute all of them to all sorts of spirits, with the difference only of degrees; to the utmost we can
imagine, even infinity, when we would frame as well as we can an idea of the First Being; who yet, it is certain, is
infinitely more remote, in the real excellency of his nature, from the highest and perfectest of all created beings,
than the greatest man, nay, purest seraph, is from the most contemptible part of matter; and consequently must
infinitely exceed what our narrow understandings can conceive of Him.
