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Show Wrong /ljfent or /:'.:rror. Book IV. will be prevailed with, to difrobe himfclf at once. of all hi• old Opinions, and Pretences to Know.lcdge and Learmng, wh1ch With hard Study, he hath all his Time been labouring for, and turn lum(elf out fiark naked, in queft a-frefh of new Notions 1. All the Arguments can be ufcd, will be as little able to prevail, as the Wmd dJd With the Traveller, to part With his Cloak, which he held only the fafier. To tlus of wrong Hypothcfis, may be reduced the Errors, that may be occafioned by a true H~ pothefis, or right Princi~les, but not nghtly underfiood. T here IS nothmg more familiar than tlus, The Infianccs of Men, contendmg for ddfcrcnt Opinions, which they all derive from the mfall1blc Truth of the Scnpture, arc an undeniable Proaf of it. All that call thcmfelves Chnfl1ans, allow the Text that fays ~UfocooiiJE, to carry in it the Obligation to a very weighty Duty. But ye; how crroneocs will one of their Practices b_e, who underfianding nothing but the Frencb, take tlus Rule With one Tranllat•on to be n1ewte:. v ous , repent; or With the other, fntte:.. Pemte11ce , do Penance. §. n. J'birdly, Probabilities, which crofs Men's Appetites, and puvailing Pajlions, run the fame Fate. Let never fo much Probability hang on one fide of a covetous Man's Reafoning, and money on the other; and it is eafie to forefee which will our-weigh. Earthly Minds, like MudWalls, refill: the firongefl:Battcries: and though, perhaps, fometimcs the force of a clear Argument may make fame Imprei!ion, yet they neverthelcfs fund firm, keep out the Enemy Truth, that "ould captivate, or diflurb them. Tell a Man, paflionately in Love, that he is gil ted ; bring a fcore of Wirncaes of the Falfhood of his Mifirefs, 'tis ten to one bu~ three kind Words of hers, fh~ll invalidate all their Tefiimonies. 0!od volumus, facile credifJius; w!Jat fuits our Wijbu, is forwardly bdie·ved, is, I fuppofe, what every one hath more than once elGperimented: and though Men cannot always openly gain-fay, or refi!l: the force of manifcfl Probabilities; that make againfl them; yet yield they not to the Argument. Not but that it is the Nature of the Underfianding confiantly to clofe with the more probable fide , but yet a Man hath a Power to fufpcnd and reflrain its Enquiries, and not permit a full and fatisfactory Examination, as far as the Matter in ~cfiion is cap•ble, and will bear it to be made. Until that be done, there will be always thefe two ways left of evading t!Je mofl•pparent Probabilitiet. ~·IJ· Firfl, That the Arguments being (as for the moll: part they arc) brought in Words,t!Jere may 6e a Fallacy latent in them:and the Confcqucnces ~ing, perhaps, many in Train, they may be fome of them incoherent! There be very few Difcourfes, are fo lhort, clear and confifienr, to which moft Men may not, with fatisfaction enough to themfelvcs, raifc this doubt ·; and from whofe conviction they may not, without reproach of Di(iogenuity or Unreafonablenefs, fet themfelves free with the ole Reply, Non perfoade6is, etiam ji perfuaferis ; tbouf,h I c.umot anfiver, I wi/1 not yield. §. 14Secondfy,Manifefi Probabilities may be evaded,and the A!fcnt with· held upon this Suggefiion, That I know not) et all tl;at may be foid on the contrary, .(ide; and therefore though he be peaten, 'tis not necellary he lhould )'leld, not knowing what Forces there arc in refcrvc behind. Th•s is a r~fuge againfi Conviction fo open and fo wide, that it is hard to determine, when a Man is quite out ol tl\e Verge of it. ~· t5: But yet there is fAme end of it, and a Man having carefully en·. qu1ted mto all the grounds of Probability and Unlikelinefs ; done Ius ut· mo!l: to inform himfelf in all Particulars fairly; and call: up the· whole Summ Su both fides may in mo!l: C~)esco~e to ack~owledge, ~P~.n the mm o.o otter on' which fide the t'rob;W~:ty rclls : ~J~crem f~,n/,C wholf, t: Ma~t~rs of Reafon, which arc f~ppofit,'O~s.up~n un.vcrfa) J';x~~ froo s Ji :pt and dear· and fome Te(hmon•cs.•n Nottcrs.of f•C! rienc~, are or~~~flc cannot r~fufe his A,ifen,t. ~o t,ha,t, I thi:n)<, we mar, fo u~rf~fa~hat in Propofitions: \V~le(e rho,¥gh t1.1c f,foofs i~ vie1~ ~re ~f con uc ' et there re fuilicicnt grou9ds, to fufpc:;t that ,~here ,•s mo!l: ~oltnt~ y words :. certaiQ ~roo~. as confiderable, ~0 be vroduCinher a acy 10 fid' 'th "; Aife~t Sufpenfe · cir Di.lfent, arc often ced on the contrary 1 e, •vh:re heJ,>r~ofs are' lu~h,' as make it ,highly voluntar.y Acd~•o1ns : Butt, fficic~t ground to fufpect, that there is either pr.o bable ' a' n tI tet(e 1Is n.o.I. m , r.~ ' , . d'' "' f< bcr and lerious Con •~erauon may Hcov~r,; ·Fallacy of Wort'd'P w ty~toundifcov~rC\:I Iatent on the either floc, ( 1Vh1ch .nor equally vat . roo s . rna in .forhe Cafes m~kc plain to a confialfo .dte J:'aturc of the tlr"r· 1; •• who h.'s w~igficd them, ca~' flare< derate Man,) there,\ I ~dn <, ~ whi~h the greater Probability appears. ·refufe lm .AfJe>tt to~~~ · 1 ~·.~a promifcuous jumble of pri~ting. Letters -Whether lt be pro ~ I I d pd Order whi~h {hould fiamp Ill raper lhould often fall llltf. a e\ 10t a b\i~cl forr'uitous concourfe qf Atoms, not .a coherent D1fcour e ; ortl~ a, 'r lh ld fr uently con(lirute the Be" guided by a~ underfl['~dmg f~e~ ~he?c~nd ~e .\ike Cafes, I tli!~k, no :dies of any Spec•es o mma s 'be one ·or at a fiand which fide to take, -Body that conliders them, can L fi) )when there can be noSuppofition, .nor at all waver Jll Ius Alfeqt .. ndiffe fn'r, and ' wholly dcpendipf\ u'pon,tht: {the dung m ~ts own af•)tm~;t th~r~ is as fair Tcfl:ipt9ny ag;ai•)fl, as for ::refiunony of W1tne es, t . h b En uir is to lj>C.learnoo, v. g. ~~he. ihe .Matter of FaCt attell cd; ~h·~ furh a.~a! 'r.Rome a~ Juli'f C~Ja~:' lrt ther there was r7oo years a.,on ·n any ra~onal Man's, Power t6 ~cfufe .all fuch Cafes, I fay, I, thmk fE '\ nf~llows and clofes' wirh fuch J'r9bab•h· .his AiTent; but that 1t !)CCC an Y h' k ·~ is in a Man's power to fufpend .tics. In other lefsclear Cafes~e~: 1~ffTifelf with the Proofs he has~· if they his Alfent; and, perhaps, ~on . 1 his Inclination or Interc!l:, and fo f]:op .favour the Opinion thatfmthn~~ Man fitould affo;d his,!\.lfcqt to th~t Me, .from farther fearch. Butt to him fcems to me utterly 1mpra· on which the lefsProbab•hty ap~ears t beli~vc the fame thing probable •Gicable, and as tmpoflible, as It IS o and improbable at the fam_c ume. ore arbitrary than Perception ; fa, I . ~· t 6. As !{now ledge! !So~; P~wer than !{no,~ ledge. When tl,te Agreethink, Alfcnt IS no more ill r' to our Minds, whetltcr im!nediatfly, or ment of any rwo !deaJ appca no more refufe to percei\·e, no mar~ .by the Aflifience of Reafonc'.~ c;oid feeing thofe Obje¢ls, whifh I turn avoid lmowmg 1t, than 1 . · d li ht . And wha't upon full Examma' my Eyes to, and look onhj" y"~~n~ot deny my AiTcnt co.. But though • tion I find the mo!l: proba e, e where the Agreement IS once perce•· . we cannot lnndcr our 1\no~lfi!g 1' where the Prol;>ability mamfeflly ap· vedbyourMmds; norour . "rdllrheMeafurcsofit : Yet '"e:•• bm· pears upon due Confiderauon o o in o•r Enquiry, and not lmploy. der botb l(ltOivledg,e a>~d /!fJ'"[• b{ j/ J'!-r~th : if it were not fo, lgno·rance, · ing our Faculties in the fearc 10 ~n Cafe be a Fault. Thu~ in fome Cafes~ • Error or Infidelity could not '~ffi yt. But can a Mari, ver(ed in modern we ca'n prevent or fufpend ~l:ethe~ntl;ere befuch a Place as Rome,,or whef or ancient H•flory' doubt J !' Ctl!jar' Indeed there arc m•llions o ther there was fuch a Man as u tzJJ thin.k himfclf concerned to know; ·Truths that a Man is nor,o r may not!-back'd or r.o; or whether Roger as whether Rich."d the Tlmd \\aS croo \ ' Batotf |
