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Show ~--------------~~----~~r---------~~~~~ B4 'Degre~s of iijfent. Book IV. their Alfent, and upon which they pjn their Faith more than any thing elfe; any, that is, tbe Opinio!f of othfrs ; though !here, cannot be a more dangerous thing to rely on, nor mor~ )\~ely to n;uflea,d, one; Iince there ' js much more Falfl10od. and Ef.\our amon~ft )'1en1,t4all }ruth apd ~~~w' le~e. And if the Opmtons and Pcdualions of oth~rs, , whom }I'~ ~~~ow • a'M thiHk well of, be a ground of Alf~nr, Men have ll.cafon to be Hea~ ti!CijlS in Japan, Mahumet~ns in JMrkey; Papifts. in Sp~in, Protellants in 'Elti,land, and Lvtherans tn Sucden. Jl,ut of dus wrong ground of Af.. fenr, IJ)lall have occalion 'to fP,~tk .more a~ larg•·in another place. • uJ .:o, 'nr, n .n ·• CHAP. XVr. OJ the 'l)egrees of fijfeut. ,,, , . y I' §. 1. T. , He grounds of l'tobability, we have laid down in the fore-going Chapter1 as they are ,the foundations on whlcJ1 our A./fo•f is built; fo are they alfo the meafure whereby jts fevcral degrees are, or ou~ht' to be rtgulated: only we are to take n?tice, that whatever grounds of Probability there may be, they yet operate l!O farther on the Mind,;.vhich feat~qes afterTruth,and endeavours to judge rig!1t,thap they appear; at leall 1m the firll Judgment or Search that ,ihe Mind makes. I cootCts, in the Opinions Men have, and firmly lli<;k tp. ~ in the World, their Alfcnt is not always frdm an actual view of th~ !!'eal<;>ns that at lirll: prevailed with them : It being in many cafes a I moll i~Dpofliblc, a?d in moll very hard, even fot thofe who have very adt11irable Memories, to retain all the.'Proofs, which, upon a due examination, oiadc them embrace that fide of the ~ellion. It fullices, that they lpve once wjt)l care and fuirnefs, examined the matter as fitr as they could ; and that they have fearclllxl into all the Particulars, that they could imagine to giv~ any light to the Qlellion ; and with the belt of their Skill , call Ul> the atcount upon the whole Evidence : and thus having once founl,f on which fide the Probability appeared to them, after as full :ind exact an enquiry as they can make, they lay up the conclulion in their Memories, as a Truth they have difcovered; and for the future, they remain fatisfied with the Tellimony of their Memories, that this is the Opinion, that by the Proofs they have once K'Cn of it, dcferves fuch a degree of their Aifent as they afford it. ~. 2. This is all that the greatefl part of Men are capable of doing, in regulating their Opinions and Judgments ; unlefs a Man will exaCt of them, eitberto retain dillinctly in their Memories all the Proofs concerning ·any probable Truth, and that too in the fame ord~r, and regular deduCtion ofConfcquences , in which they have formerly placed or feen them; which fometimes is enough to fill a large Volume upon one lingle ~eflion: Or e,lfe they muft require a Man, lor every Opinion th~t he embraces, every day to examine the Proofs: both which, are impoffib!e. I~ is unavoidable therefore, that the Memory be relied on in the cafe, and that Mew be perfoaded of f everal OpmionJ, wbereoj t/;e Proofs art ••t al/ua/ly i• tbeir Thoug,IJIJ; nay, which per hap~ they are not able actually to re-call. Without this, the greatell pan of Men mull be either very S~;epricks, or change every moment, and yield themfelvcs up to wbo-ever, Chap. XVI .. 'D,egrm of Aj{ent. evet, having lately llndicd the Qleftion, offers them Arguments; which for want of Memory, they arc not able prefently to anfwer. ~. 3· I cannot but own, that Men'sjlickinr, to their paj} Judgmen:, an<j adhering firmly to Conclufi0M formerly made, IS often the caufe of great obftimcy in Errour and Miflal<e. llut th~ fault is not that they rely on rheir McmoriGS, for what they have before well ;udged; but bccaufe they judged belorc they had well examined. May we not find a great nul)lber (not to fay the greatefl part) of Men, that think they have formed right Judgm~nts of fevcral matters ; and tim for no other reafon, but bccaufc they never thought otherwife! That . imagine themfelves to have judged right , only becaufe they never quefl•oned, nev.er examined the)r own Opinions? Wh1ch ts mdeed to thmk they ;udged nght, becaufe they never judged at all : And yet thefe of all Men hold their Opinions with the greatcft n;(fr,efs; tlwfe beltlf\ generally the molt fierce and firm in 1heir Tenets, who have leaft exammed them. What we once !mow, we are certain is fo: and we \Tlay be fecure, that there are no latent Proofs undifcovcred, which may overturn our !\now ledge, or bring it in doubt. But in matters of Probability, 'tis not in every cafe that we can be fure that we haye ~II the Particulars before us, that any \'·ay concern the ~eftion .; and t)Jat there ,is ,no evidence behind, and yet unfeen, which may caft ~he Probability pn the other fide, and out:weJgh all that at prefe~t k~s to preponperate wjth U>. Who allT'ofr ts there, that hath the !el• fute, patienoe, and mean~, to collet! toge1her all the Proofs "?n~erntqg moJl: .of the Opinipns he has, fo as fafdy to conclude, that he h~t11 ~ cl~f!r and full view, and that there IS no mote to be .alledg~<;l for lu~ bett~J' m· fo.rmation 1 And yet we arc forced to ,deterp1111e our fel vcs on tlje one fade or other. The conduct of our Lives, and tbe management of our great Concerns, willqgt bear delay : for th~fe depend, for the moll part, pn the determination of,our Jllf]gment 111 pomts, wheret~ we .are not capable of cerrpj0 and demonflrative Knqwledge,and wherc1111t IS neceffary 10.. us to embr3ce,the on~ lid~, or the othfr. . . ., §, 4. Since therefore it is unavoidable to the .greatell part of Men , tf 1101 all, to have fcveral Opinions, Wt\!wut ccnam \'nd .mdub•tablc Proofs oft~eir Truth~, and it5=3rries too great an tmputatl?n of •gnorance, lighmefs or folly for Men to qmt and renounce the1r former Tenets, prefently upoQ th; offer of an Argument, which they can. not immediately llifWer, and 01ew the infulliciency of : It would, methmks, b"':"me all Mfl;t to maiot.llin Peace , 1and the common Offices of Humamty, and Fri.e"dfhip, in,thr divrr.Jity of Opinionr: lin~~ we ca~not rcafc;mablyexpea, tbat any one fhou!d readily and obfcqmoufly quit l)lS own, Opm10n, anc:1 embrace..Q\lfS, with a plind refignation to an Authonty, wjuch tl:o lJoderllandiog of Man ac~nowledges no;. For however tt ~ay <?ften. ~~lbkt', it>can own np pthcr Gujde put R~(pn,nor blmd!y fubm1t ro /l~p Wtll aod Dichtei pf another. lfhe you woufd bnng ov~ to ).'O~r S~,nhfhents beoneih~t.eJCaJJlines Wore he aifents, you mufl gsve !l)IJd;,~ye, at h~s -fare, to golt>Ver the a.acqunt agatn, 'lnd re·calh~g what IS owt . 6f hi< Mind, .exnmine: all tbe Particulars, to fee on wb1ch fide the adllanrn~e ~: And if he will nor,;hil)!> ,our Arguments of we1ght eooug!11to e_nga~e lbim bncw ln fo mllch pqip~ 'tis but wllllf we do oftcp our feJY,~f1p;1 , t e Jil~fe ; .an<j "'e fl1oul<! taf\e it amifs, if otl1er,, ll;iol!ld prcJcru>G.to • 'Wh:it poims. we fhould fiu,ly, A ad if ~e be one Y(l)o 111kes lm <?P\Illoqs ... truft, H:aw cnn we imagine that he lhould repounce thpfe Tenets, 111bith Time a~ Gufl~rQ have fo fet!ed in hisMind1 ~at he tlj•~kS them ftlf-evident, and of an unquellionable Certamty ; or wh1ch he taltes ~~ |