It may, perhaps, be said, that after experience of the constant conjunction of certain objects, we reason in the following manner.

Such an object is always found to produce another.

It is impossible it coued have this effect, if it was not endowed with a power of production.

The power necessarily implies the effect; and therefore there is a just foundation for drawing a conclusion from the existence of one object to that of its usual attendant.

The past production implies a power: The power implies a new production: And the new production is what we infer from the power and the past production.
It were easy for me to shew the weakness of this reasoning, were I willing to make use of those observations, I have already made, that the idea of production is the same with that of causation, and that no existence certainly and demonstratively implies a power in any other object; or were it proper to anticipate what I shall have occasion to remark afterwards concerning the idea we form of power and efficacy.