The ignorance and darkness that is
in us no more hinders nor confines the knowledge that is in others,
than the blindness of a mole is an argument against the
quicksightedness of an eagle. He that will consider the infinite
power, wisdom, and goodness of the Creator of all things will find
reason to think it was not all laid out upon so inconsiderable,
mean, and impotent a creature as he will find man to be; who in all
probability is one of the lowest of all intellectual beings. What
faculties, therefore, other species of creatures have to penetrate
into the nature and inmost constitutions of things; what ideas they
may receive of them far different from ours, we know not. This we know
and certainly find, that we want several other views of them besides
those we have, to make discoveries of them more perfect. And we may be
convinced that the ideas we can attain to by our faculties are very
disproportionate to things themselves, when a positive, clear,
distinct one of substance itself, which is the foundation of all the
rest, is concealed from us. But want of ideas of this kind, being a
part as well as cause of our ignorance, cannot be described. Only this
I think I may confidently say of it, That the intellectual and
sensible world are in this perfectly alike: that that part which we
see of either of them holds no proportion with what we see not; and
whatsoever we can reach with our eyes or our thoughts of either of
them is but a point, almost nothing in comparison of the rest.
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