608 GOTTFRIEDLEIBNIZ
- THEEXCELLENCE OFMINDS. GODCONSIDERSTHEM IN
PREFERENCE TOOTHERCREATURES. MINDSEXPRESSGOD
RATHERTHAN THEWORLD, BUTOTHERSUBSTANCESEXPRESS
THEWORLDRATHER THANGOD
But to show by natural reasons that God always will preserve not only our substance but
also our personality, that is memory and knowledge of what we are although distinct
knowledge of that may sometimes be suspended when asleep or unconscious, morality
must be joined to Metaphysics. That is, God has not only to be considered as the princi-
ple and cause of all substances and all beings, but also as the chief of all persons or
intelligent substances and the absolute monarch of the most perfect city or republic, like
that of the universe composed of all minds together, since God himself is the most
accomplished of all Minds as well as the greatest of all Beings. For assuredly, minds are
either the only substances existing in the world if bodies are no more than true phenom-
ena, or else they are at least the most perfect ones. And since the whole nature, end,
virtue and function of substances is merely to express God and the universe, as has been
sufficiently explained, there are no grounds for doubting that substances expressing
Him in the knowledge of what they are doing, and capable of knowing great truths
regarding God and the universe, express Him incomparably better than those natures
that are either animal and incapable of knowing truths, or altogether destitute of sense
and knowledge; and the difference between intelligent substances and those that are not
is as great as that between the mirror and he who sees.
And since God Himself is the greatest and wisest of minds, it is easy to conclude
that beings with whom He can so to speak enter into conversation or even into fellow-
ship, communicating His thoughts and intentions individually, so that they can know and
love their Benefactor, must concern Him infinitely more than all other beings, able only
to pass for the tools of minds, just as we can see wise persons taking infinitely more
account of a man than of some other thing, however precious that may be. It seems that
the greatest satisfaction an otherwise contented soul can have is to see himself loved by
others although in respect of God there is this difference that His glory and our worship
can add nothing to His satisfaction, since the knowledge of creatures is no more than a
consequence of His sovereign and perfect happiness and very far from contributing to the
latter or being part of the cause thereof. Nevertheless, what is good and reasonable in
finite minds is supremely so in Him and just as we would praise a king who preferred to
preserve the life of a man before the most precious and rare of animals, we should not
doubt that the most enlightened and just of all Monarchs is of the same opinion.
- GODIS THEMONARCH OF THATMOSTPERFECTREPUBLIC
THATCONSISTS OFALLMINDS, AND THEHAPPINESS OF THIS
CITY OFGODISHISPRINCIPALDESIGN
In fact, minds are the most perfectible of all substances and their perfections have this
characteristic that they hinder each other the least, or rather that they assist each other,
for only the most virtuous can be the most perfect friends. Hence it manifestly follows
that God who always looks to the greatest perfection in general, will have the most care
of minds, and will give them, not only generally but to each individually, the greatest
perfection the universal harmony can permit.
It can even be said that God, in so far as He is a mind, is the origin of existent
things—if there were no will to choose best there would be no reason for one possible