(seq. 18)

Oracles

Finally though we can have no Just perception or
comprehension of the essence of the Soul; or of Spiritual
beings, yet we may understand from logical reasonings
that they must be of some specific substance mysteri-
ous to us, so as to contitute their entity, and render them
capable of possessing place. To suppose that any spe-
cies of entity has no place, is a contradiction to the
doctrine of entity it self, for that if it be in no place it
would be no where, and if no where, it could not be
entity but nonentity. From the foregoing conclusion
we infer, that we are able to reason farther on this Subject
than our external senses can e(x)tend (or consist), as we have demon-
strated that intelligent beings must exist(,) of some
specialfic substance, though our senses are utter Stran-
gers to it, and though our reflection(s) nor and conscious-
ness can not comprize its intrinsic essence.

Undoubtedly it was for wise and
good purposes, and to ultimately promote (our) happiness
(all things considered), that our Creater has in this life,
restricted our perception of external objects by the laws
of our organized senses, and illegible the knowledge of our
own intelligent nature, by our immediate consci-
ousness of it, and thereby concealed from us the understand-
-ing of the essence of a pure Spiritual Substance or being.
Our Senses are incompetent to give us any percep-
tion of such a being, and therefore our reflections
predicated thereon cannot comprize it, nor does our
immediate consciousness of our own rational nature
contain in it; a (compleat) Idea of its essence so that we are thereby

able