A careful and strict enquiry into the modern prevailing notions of that freedom of…

And indeed, according to the Hypothesis I am opposing, of the Acts of the Will coming to pass without a Cause, it is the Case in Fact, that Millions of Millions of Events are continually coming into Existence Contingently, without any Cause or Reason why they do so, all over the World, every Day and Hour, thro' all Ages. So it is in a constant Succession, in every moral Agent. This Contingency, this efficient Nothing, this effectual No-Cause, is always ready at Hand, to produce this Sort of Effects, as long as the Agent exists, and as often as he has Occasion.

If it were so, that Things only of one Kind, viz. Acts of the Will, seemed to come to pass of Themselves; but those of this Sort in general came into Being thus; and it were an Event that was continual, and that happened in a Course, wherever were capable Subjects of such Events; this very Thing would demonstrate that there was some Cause of them, which made such a Difference between this Event and others, and that they did not really happen contingently. For Contingence is blind, and does not pick and choose for a particular Sort of Events. Nothing has no Choice. This No-Cause, which causes no Existence, can't cause the Existence which comes to pass, to be of one particular Sort only, distinguished from all others. Thus, that only one Sort of Matter drops out of the Heavens, even Water, and that this comes so often, so constantly and plentifully, all over the World, in all Ages, shows that there is some Cause or Reason of the fa•ling of Water out of the Heavens; and that something besides mere Contingence has a Hand in the Matter.

If it were so, that Things only of one Kind, viz. Acts of the Will, seem'd to come to pass of Themselves; but those of this Sort in general came into Being thus; and it were an Event that was continual, and that happen'd in a Course, wherever were capable Subjects of such Events; this very Thing would demonstrate that there was some Cause of them, which made such a Difference between this Event and others, and that they did not really happen contingently. For Contingence is blind, and does not pick and choose for a particular Sort of Events. Nothing has no Choice. This No-Cause, which causes no Existence, can't cause the Existence which comes to pass, to be of one particular Sort only, distinguish'd from all others. Thus, that only one Sort of Matter drops out of the Heavens, even Water, and that this comes so often, so constantly and plentifully, all over the World, in all Ages, shows that there is some Cause or Reason of the faling of Water out of the Heavens; and that something besides meer Contingence has a Hand in the Matter.