Page images
PDF
EPUB

all our Knowledg; nor can we poffi- Ch. 3.
bly have Ideas any other way without
without
new Organs or Faculties.

11. Authority, abufively fo call'd, as if all its Informations were to be receiv'd without Examen, is either Humane or Divine: Humane Authority is call'd alfo Moral Certitude; as when I believe an intelligible Relation made by my Friend, because I have no Rea fon to fufpect his Veracity, nor he any Intereft to deceive me. Thus all poffi ble Matters of Fat, duly attested by coevous Persons as known to them, and fuc ceffively related by others of different Times, Nations, or Interests, who could neither be impos'd upon themselves, nor be justly fufpected of combining together to deceive others, ought to be receiv'd by us for as certain and indubitable as if we had feen them with our own Eyes, or heard them with our own Ears. By this means it is, I believe there was fuch a City as Carthage, fuch a Reformer as Luther, and that there is fuch a Kingdom as Poland. When all these Rules con cur in any Matter of Fact, I take it then for Demonftration, which is no thing else but Irresistible Evidence from

proper

1

Sect. I. proper Proofs: But where any of these Conditions are wanting, the thing is uncertain,or,at best,but probable, which, with me, are not very different.

12. The Authority of God,or Divine Revelation, is the Manifeftation of Truth by Truth it felf, to whom it is impoffible to lie: Whereof at large in Ch. 2. of the following Section. Nothing in Nature can come to our Knowledg but by fome of these four means, viz. The Experience of the Senfes, the Experience of the Mind, Hamane and Divine Revelation.

CHA P. IV.

Of the Ground of PERSWASION.

13. N lubject to Deception, we

as we are extreamly

may, without fome infallible Rule, often take a queftionable Propofition for an Axiom, Old Wives Fables for Moral Certitude, and Humane Impoftures for Divine Revelation. This infallible Rule, or Ground of all right Perfuafion, is Evidence; and it confifts

in

[ocr errors]

in the exact Conformity of our Ideas or Ch. 4. Thoughts with their Objects, or the Things we think upon. For as we have only Ideas in us, and not the Things themselves, 'tis by those we must form a Judgment of these.

14. Ideas therefore being Reprefentative Beings, their Evidence naturally confifts in the Property they have of truly representing their Objects. Not that I think every Idea has a perfect Pattern to reprefent, as the Ideas of Length and Motion in my Mind are like the Length and Motion of the Pen I handle; for fome Ideas are but the Refult of certain Powers in the Particles of Bodies to OCCASION particular Senfations in us; as the Sweetness of Sugar and the Cold of Ice, are no more inherent in them than Pain in the Knife that cuts me, or Sickness in the Fruit that furfeits me. But tho fuch occafional Ideas have no Existence out of our Imagination, yet the Pleafure, Pain, and other Qualities they excite, fhew us the Good or Harm their Subjects may do us; which renders the Knowledg of them as ufeful as that of the Properties which really exift in the C 2

Things

[ocr errors][merged small]
[ocr errors]

16. But God the wife Creator of all, (ever to be nam❜d and thought upon with Reverence) who has enabl❜d us to perceive things, and form Judgments of them, has also endu'd us with the Power of fufpending our Judgments about whatever is uncertain, and of never affenting but to clear Perceptions. He is fo far from putting us upon any Neceffity of erring, that as he has thus privileg❜d us on the one hand with a Faculty of guarding our felves against Prepoffeffion, or Precipitation, by placing our Liberty only in what is indifferent, or dubious and obfcure; fo he provides on the other hand, that we fhould difcern and imbrace the Truth, by taking it out of our Power to diffent from an evident Propofition. We must neceffarily believe, that it is impoffible the fame thing fhould be and not be at once: Nor can all the World perfwade us to doubt of it. But we need not admit that there's no Void in Nature, or that the Earth abfolves an annual Course about the Sun, till we get Demonftrations to that Effect.

[ocr errors]

17. If People precipitate their Affent, either because they find the Search of Truth

3

Truth attended with more Difficulties Ch. 4. than they are willing to run through, or because they would not feem to be ignorant of any thing, this is their fault. Wherefore let us attribute all our falfe Notions to our own Anticipation and Inattention: Let us confefs our De- 2 Pet.2.1. ftruction to be of our felves; and cheerfully thank our kind Difpofer, who 32 has put us under a Law of bowing before the Light and Majefty of Evidence. And truly if we might doubt of any thing that is clear, or be deceiv'd by distinct Conceptions, there could be nothing certain: Neither Confcience, nor God himself, fhould be regarded: No Society or Government could fubfift. But it is as true, that if we could not fufpend our Affent to dubious or obfcure Propofitions, Almighty J. Goodness (which is impoffible) should be the real Caufe of all our Errors,

18. If it fhould be ask'd, why Affent is deny'd to true Propofitions, fince Evidence neceffarily requires it? I answer, 'tis because they are not made evident: For Perfpicuity and Obfcurity are relative Terms, and what is either to me may be the quite contrary

« PreviousContinue »