2p9d.md (903B)
1 The idea of an individual thing actually existing is 2 an individual mode of thinking, and is distinct from other modes 3 (by the Corollary and note to Prop. viii. of this part); thus 4 (by Prop. vi. of this part) it is caused by God, in so far only 5 as he is a thinking thing. But not (by Prop. xxviii. of Part i.) 6 in so far as he is a thing thinking absolutely, only in so far as 7 he is considered as affected by another mode of thinking; and he 8 is the cause of this latter, as being affected by a third, and so 9 on to infinity. Now, the order and connection of ideas is (by 10 Prop. vii. of this book) the same as the order and connection of 11 causes. Therefore of a given individual idea another individual 12 idea, or God, in so far as he is considered as modified by that 13 idea, is the cause; and of this second idea God is the cause, in 14 so far as he is affected by another idea, and so on to infinity. 15 Q.E.D. 16 17