84.  But, secondly it will be urged that miracles do, at least, lose much of their stress and import by our principles.  What must we think of Moses’ rod? was it not really turned into a serpent; or was there only a change of ideas in the minds of the spectators?  And, can it be supposed that our Saviour did no more at the marriage-feast in Cana than impose on the sight, and smell, and taste of the guests, so as to create in them the appearance or idea only of wine?  The same may be said of all other miracles; which, in consequence of the foregoing principles, must be looked upon only as so many cheats, or illusions of fancy.  To this I reply, that the rod was changed into a real serpent, and the water into real wine.  That this does not in the least contradict what I have elsewhere said will be evident from sect. 34 and 35.  But this business of real and imaginary has been already so plainly and fully explained, and so often referred to, and the difficulties about it are so easily answered from what has gone before, that it were an affront to the reader’s understanding to resume the explication of it in its place.  I shall only observe that if at table all who were present should see, and smell, and taste, and drink wine, and find the effects of it, with me there could be no doubt of its reality; so that at bottom the scruple concerning real miracles has no place at all on ours, but only on the received principles, and consequently makes rather for than against what has been said.

85.  Consequences of the preceding tenets.—­Having done with the Objections, which I endeavoured to propose in the clearest light, and gave them all the force and weight I could, we proceed in the next place to take a view of our tenets in their Consequences.  Some of these appear at first sight—­as that several difficult and obscure questions, on which abundance of speculation has been thrown away, are entirely banished from philosophy.  “Whether corporeal substance can think,” “whether Matter be infinitely divisible,” and “how it operates on spirit”—­these and like inquiries have given infinite amusement to philosophers in all ages; but depending on the existence of Matter, they have no longer any place on our principles.  Many other advantages there are, as well with regard to religion as the sciences, which it is easy for any one to deduce from what has been premised; but this will appear more plainly in the sequel.

86.  The removal of matter gives certainty to knowledge.—­From the principles we have laid down it follows human knowledge may naturally be reduced to two heads—­that of ideas and that of spirits.  Of each of these I shall treat in order.