OCR Text |
Show No innate praCiical Principles. Book I. d II I) thefe and a thoufand other fuch Rules, all ally to know, an a ow a d d fi f b ve . V h. I e under thefe two general wor s rna e u e o a o ' vn. "' W iC ~~~ccata f/utuer and Sins, there will be more reafon fo; adrut<~ I ' a~d the like for common Notions ' and prachcal I nomittmg t Je'\ II . 'r'al Confent (were there any in Moral Prin-ciples . yet a1ter a , umve " . b . ·' h . ). T I tl knowledge whereof might e attamcu ot cr• Ciples to runs, Je . h . II I d wife, would fcarce pro,·e them to be innate; wluc >S a con ten for; , N r will it be of much moment here, to o"ne' r t 1J at ver·y rea dy , ~· 'o. 0 · 1 Anfwer (viz) That the innate PnnCJplu of Mora• bliutyt not ve~yEmdatcr1'" d Cu"o,;, and the general o .pinion of thofe a- mav oy _ 11ca ton, an .'P , n f I ' n."''I verfe bedarkewed and •tla .. quJte worn out o tJe mong .. wJom we con ' ' ·r . k I Minds of Men. Which affertion of theirs, >. true~ q,mte ta es away t Je Ar ument of univerfal Confent, by which thiS Opmwn of mnatc. Pnn· ci Yes is endeavoured to be proved: unlefs thofe men w!ll tlunk 1t rea• fc p bl that their own private Perfwafiorts, or that of the1r Party, lhould o;r: fo~'univerfal Confent; a thing not unfreq~cntly done , when men \refumin themfclves to be theonlyMaflers of nght Reafon, cafl by the ~ otes an~ Opinions of the refl of Manktnd, as not w~rthy the r~c;konin • And then their Argument !lands thus: The Pnnciples wluch ~II m~nkind allow for true, are innate; thofe that men of nght Reafon. adm:t, are the Principles allowed by all mankmd ,; we and th?fe. of our mmd, are men of right Rcafon; therefore w~ agreemg, our Pnnciples are >~nate; which is a very pretty way of argmng, and a lhort cut to Infalhbihty. for otherwife it will be very hard to underftand, h?w there be Come Prm· ci >les which all men do acknowledge, and agree m; and yetthere arc n~ne of thofe Privciple. which are not by depr":'e~ C•flom a.d Jil Educa· tio• b!.tted out of the minds of many me~: Which ts to fay, Th~t all men admit,but yet many men do deny ,and ddfent from them. Andmdeed the ~ fit' on of fuch firfl Principles, will fervc us to verY, httle purpofe; a':fd~~ fuall be as much at a lofs with, as without them, tf they. may by. any humane Power, fuch as is the Will of our Teachers, or Opimons ~~ o'ur Companions, be altered or lofl. in us; and notw>thftandmg ~II tlus bonfi of firfl Principles, and innate Light, we !hall be as much m the dark and uncertainty, as if there were .no fuch thmg at all. It bei(f all one 10 have no Rule, and one that wJ!I w~rp any way ; or ~mong va· rious and contrary Rules, not to know which IS the right. But concer· · ·nnate Principles I defire thefe men to fay, whether they can, or ~~~~~t, by Education ~nd Cullom, be blurr'd and blotted out: If they cannot, "e mull find them iP. all Mankmd.ahke, and they mufl be dta.r in every body: And if they m•y fuffer vanauon from ad\·enutious Not!· ons, we mufl then find them cleareft and mofl perfp>cuou.s, ncarefl the Fountain in Children and illiterate People, who ha~e rece1ved leaft iffi· J>reffion from foreign Opi~ions. Let them take wluch fide they pleafe: they will certamly find >t mconfifient wtth v>fible matter of fact, and dat Jy obfervation. • . . . ~. 2 1. Ieaftly grant, that there are great numbers of Opmtons, wluch, by men of different Countries, Educattons, and Tempers, are received and em~raced as jirj/ a•d unquej/ionable. Principles ; malf_Y whereof,. both for rheir ab{urdity, as \\·ell as oppofit10ns one to another, tt u tmpoj!ible jhould ~e true. But yet all thofe Propofitions, how remote foever from Reafon are fo facred fomewhere or otller, that Men,even of good Under· ftandin'g in other matters , will fooner part with their Lives, and what· ever is dearefl to them , than fuf!er them!Clves to doubt, IJr others to que!lion, the truth of them. §.u. Chap. III. No innate praCiica!'Principles. ----------------------- §. 22. This, however ftra~ge it may fecm, 'is that which every days Experience confirms; and Will not, perhaps, appear fo wonderful if we confider the ways, nod fleps bJ which it is brought about; and h01~ really it may come to pafs,that Doffrines, that have been derived from no bet· ter original; than the Superflition of a Nurfe, or the Authority of an old Woman, may, by length of time, and confent of Neighbours, grow up,. the di11.nity of Principles in Religion ot' Morality. For fuch,who are careful (as they call it) to principle Children well, (and few thete be who have not a fet ofthofe Principles for them, which they believe in) inftill wro the unwary, and, as yet, unprejud1ced Undcrftanding, (for whitePa· per receives any Characters) thofe Doctrines they would have them retain and profefs. Thefe being taught them as foon as they have any apprehenfion ; and frill as they gtow up, confirmed to them, either by the open Profeffion, or tam Confent, of all they have to do with; or at leaft by,thofc,ofwhofe Wifdom, Knowledge, and Piety, they have an Opinion Who never fuffer thofe Propofitions to be otherwife mentioned, but as th~ Bafis and Foundation, on which they build either their Religion or Manners, come by thefe means to have the Reputation of unqueftionable felf.. evident, and innate Truths. ' .. 9. 21. To which w~ mayadd,That when Men,fo inftructed, are grown up, and reflect on their own Mtnds, they cannot find any thing more an .. t1ent there, than thofe Opinions which were taught them, before their Memory began to keep a Regifier of their Actions , or date the time when any new thing appeared to them; and therefore make no fcruple to coNclude, ihat thofe Propofttions, ofwhofe knowledge they can .find in themfel'!' es no on;r,mal, wrre cert•mly the tmprefs of God and Nature upon their Mmds; and not taught them by any one elfe. Thefe they entertain and fubmit to, as many do to their Parents, with Veneration ; not becaufe it is natural; nor do Children do it, where they are not fo.taught, but becaufe, havtng been always fo educated, and having no remembrance of the beginning of this RefpeCl:, they think it is natural. ~. 24. This will appear very likely, and almoft unavoidable to come to pafs, if we confider the Nature of Mankind, and 'the Conflitution of Humane Affairs: Wherein mof/ Men cannot live, without employing their time rll. the dat!y LaboNrsof thur Callings; nor /;e .r 9uiet in their Minds, tvlfhout [ome FoundatJ~n or PrmCJples .to ~ej/ :heir ihoughu on. There is fcarce any one fo lloaung and fuperficialm hJS Underflanding, that ham not fome reverenced PropofitJOns, which are to him the Principles on which he bottoms his Reafonings; and by which he judgeth of Truth and Fal010od, Right and Wrong; which fome, wanting skill and Ieifure and odJers the inclination , and fome being taught, They ought not t~ examme; there are few to be found, who are not expofed by their Ignorance, Lazinefs, Education, or Precipitancy, to take them upon truj/. ~. ~f· This is evidently the cafe of all Children and young Folk; and Cull:om, a greater power than Nature, feldom failing to make them worlllip for Divine, what lhe hath inured them to bow their Minds, and Cubmit their Underflandings to; it is no wonder, that grown Men, eithsr perplexed m the necelfary affairs of Life, or hot in the purfuit of Plea· fc1res, lhould not feriouOy fit down to examine · their •wn Tenets; efpecially when one of their Principles is, That Principles ought not to be queflioned. And had Men leifure, parts, and will, Who is there almoft that dares to 01ake the foundations of all his pall Thoughts and Actions, and end~re t? brmg upon himfelf, tl1e lbame of having been a long time wholly m miftake and error t Who is there hardy enough to contend E with |