1000000031

200

M E T A P ll ' Y S

e s.

to beconGdereu,

Firfl,

T he nunlu:r;

Se';"J.JIf,

T hein·

tegri,y;

7 hird/¡.

Thc Ikill or ,hc wi,ndr", ;

r ourlh/¡.

Tilc

d : lig"

the author,

be a

td l imony

cited ou.t of a

book;

FiJihl;'.

T hc cooWeoey or ,he

p.m.

aud clreum·

1tances of lhe rebuían;

S iXlhl.)'1

Contrary teUimonies.

Tho mind, be(ore

rationally

,,¡FIIII

diÚoJIJ

any

probabll! propofitioo. ought to exami ne

al!

the 6rounds

probahilil)',

and

Cee

how they

(llak.c,

more or

[s, for ur

againfi

it;

and upon a d\le ba1.lOcing of lhe

wholc. rcica

or receive

¡t,

with

a more

Icfs film

nJ!~III,

arcordlng

to lhe prepollderancy of lhe

grc.aer

grouudJ

probabj·

Ji')

on one fide, or lhe other.

Ihe d<gr<<J o/

a.ff~

Il/.

T H'

grortndl o/probabilil"

l"iJ do\Vo io ,hc rorego

ir:g

Cedion, as lhe1 are lhe

found.uions

on which our

fin l

is built, fo are

lhey alfo the: meafu re whereby its

feveral

d!g"eI

are (or ough, 'o bc) regula«d. O ol y we

are

take notice,

th:n

no grounds of probability operate

any fanb&..(oo the mind. which fearcllt:s after trmh , and

endcjlyoutS (O judge riJ:!ht, thao they aprear,

I~aa,

the fir(l j udgmcot or Ceareh ,ha< ,ho miod make..

iDdeed io many

car~s

impoffiLl e,

an¿

io moU very hard ;

eyeo for (hoCe who

hav~

aclmir'able memorics,

retain all

lhe proofs which, upoo

due examioation, made them

em–

bracc ,ha! fide or ,he quellioo.

CuRioe., ,hat ,hey have

once, wilh care aod f.líroefs, fi feed the maller as fa r as

. he)' eould; aod haviog ooee fouod 00

\\'hie~

fide ,he

pro

¡ nhilil)

appearecl 'o ,hem. ,hey lay up ,he eooclufioo io

thc:ir mcmories, as a

Iru th

they have diCcovered ; and for

lhe fueu re remaio fal ished with Ihe tdliOlony of Iheir me·

rnories, ehal

this

iS.lhe opioion. that.

the proofs (hey

h ave once feen of it, de(erves

(uch ...

dlgru

of their

ajJ~f},

as thcy .fford it.

is uoavoidable theo th at tbe memory be relied

0 0

this

ca(~,

Rod that mcn

perfuaded of (cveral

opinÍt)lJl,

whercof

~he

prolJfs are not aétuallyin lhl!ir ehouglHs, nay,

which perhaps ,hey are no' .ble a(tually

c.lI:

' Vi ,h·

out

lhis the r,reatdt pan of men mull be either

fc~p,iC/,

or change evc:ry mOl11c oe, when any one

ofF~rs

them ar·

gumeots which fo r ',"/lne of mcmury. they

3 1e

not prcfent.

Iy able

.0C\Vcr.

mu(l be owoed, ,ha! meo. llie!tiog ' o pa(l jugmeors,

often the

ca:J re

of great

cbfiiuaC)'

error aod m.rlakc.

B ut

the

faul t i5

not

that

they

Jdy

,hc.:ir memorie5 fo r

\Vha< rh,y have bdore \\'.11 juugcJ, bu, uec4uCe ,hey

jud~<d

before ,hcy had \V<}I <""mioed. Who al·

moH

is there

thi t

h..th

the

k :hJre,

rattcncc,

:llOd

mcan:;,

collel\ togethcr

al!

thc proofs concel ning mon of

¡he op:oion,

has, fo as fafdy to conclud c:. thae he

has

a c1c4T

and

full

view, and that thcre is no more to

ue alledccd for hls buter iofolm.nion? Aod

y~t

we arc

(I)rced

dcter;nineourfclves

une

fiJ e,

or otller: The

coc'dul\ of our hves, and lhe m:\O.lgcrnCnt of our greJ '

conccrns , will

nOl

bear dday: For thofe dependo for lhe

molt

pan.

on the dttcrl11inatiun of our judgOltnt

puints,

whereio we are nOl capable: of

CCrta ul

knowlcnge. and

whereio

is ncceff.lry fo r us

embrace one lidc or lhe

ather.

T he rropo(irions

\'le

rect ivc upon inducemenls of

pr,·

~Qbilil) ,

... of

I'UJOJorll: r oj/,

C cuecrr.iog fume parti.

cular exifience, or

maitcr

f.ln,

which

fi\lling . ndcr

ou r ohferv,tliC'ln, ís ca p.¡..,I"! of

IHlltlfln

t~Jli"!"IlJ: S~c(JJJJ·

Il'

Con: ..:rni 'lg things whlch, bci.,g b=yoncJ lhe dlfc.)vt ry

of our

/(,IIfo,

are

oot {,..tp..blc

hunH o 'tcfllmony.

Conccrnlng lhe firH

tht:(c:,

t:iz,

l'.Irlicular

IJ/all(r

o/f,fl.

FirjJ.

\V hcre any plTticular thing. confonant

lhe

cClnltd.nt

obferv;l.1ioo of ourfelves, aoJ others, in lhe like

calc, comes 311 cfied widl rhe concur reot repoTts of

aIJ

that mentioo

It,

reccivc it as cilfily, aod build as firm .

Iy upoo it l as if

wen: cert ain knowledgc. T ilus, if all

E nglijh1JulJ ,

who h;¡ve occa(ioo to mcnllOoi" lhould

re–

p OIC.

that

itfrlJzc

E nglond

I.lH

wlnter, or lhe

Iikc. a

mao woulJ as Hule uoubt of

it,

th.lt

fev~n

ami f our

ar(

el,:val.

The

Jirj/. od

Aili~<Jl

degree or

prohabilil)

,heo

i.,

when

the generid

confcn~

all

men,

111

al l ages, 3' f.. r as ca n

be known. coocurs Wilh

manOs own

CO.lft.:tnt

cxperiencc

in the

J.ke

cafes,

confirm lhe trUlh of any pd.rucular

matter or r.(t . •<tened hy

f..

ir wi,odLs: Such are ,he (l . ,ed

COI1Jlillllionl

and

p,"prrfltl

of bodies , anO the Hgelar

proceedings of

cpufa

and

dFEll10

th!! o,dinary cOllrfe ot'

f/.1I¡¡re.

1.'hi5 we:

c~ lI

a ,c utnCIII

from

the

nature

thiflgS lheml'dves: For

WhiU

\Ve and (,thel s alwa7s ob–

rente

tObe after the f.Jme mtl.nner,

\Ve

conclude with rea–

(00'0 be ,he c!feél. or

ne.uy

aod regular

COII!",

,houe"

they ccme cot withio the rench of our knowlt:dge; as tboa

Cire warmed a mao, or made

I:adjluid;

th.H

¡ron

fUDk in

water, fwam io quickfilver.

relallon aflirminc anyfuch

thing to have beeo , or a predicatioo that ít wdl happen

ag"i n in lhe fame ruanoer,

rcct.i\·ed "ithom deubt o!'

hditation; and our

lulirf thus

crououcd) riEs

l a

aj[:¡–

ranc~.

S econd/¡,

The oex' d<grcc or

probob;lil;,

i. wh. o by

my own cxpcricoce. and {he agrcelllt f.t of

. 11

other~

thelt

mentíoo

ít.

I hil1g

is founu tO be fo r Ihe m,(l pan fo ;

and that the panicular ¡n(lance of

ís atteUed by

ma.ny

aod 1I0doubtcJ

'UJilt:

://<1.

T hu.

loij/or)'

gi. iog u. fueh ••

aceounl of meo in all afies, and my

own

expcrience eún·

firming

it,

that

mo!} meo :>rc:fcr ,heír own

priv.ne

2d\·an·

tage

,he public; ir all hinori.o. ,ha< wri,. or

7,be· .

r itu,

ray thJl he did fo,

is extremdy pr obable : And

in lhis care, our

njfrf/'

rifes lO a degree

w:li(h

we may

e.U

c'JlIfid~/¡a,

T hirdlj,

I n matlers hlvpening indiffc:rendy. as lhat

hird

rhoulJ

fly

this (.Ir thlll

w ...

y; wheoiloy p.\rticul..¡r mal–

ter

f..

comes atteHed hy the COllcurrc:n t tdl imony of

\11fufp!ac.J

"tlJilll,.!f.I,

there: O\1r

01 ..

'111

is .dlo uonoid ...b!e.

1 'h\1S, d::u tlltre is in

II'¡y

f\lch a ..:ity as

R(¡II!~:

l!1al

;¡l>OUI one: thour.lnd ilnd (lVeo hundrcd yea rs =go there

Ji'leci

fuch

man In it

;\5

Jttliw

C.if

,r,

&c a

m-an can

as liulc: doubt o( Ihl' . iilml

lhe hke, ..

s he

d,,~s

of the Le ..

¡ng and

3 .. 'lI00S

of his owo J":<)lI,,uOl.l.n..:.!, wher<!of he him ..

ftlt

IS 3

wilncfs.

Pr~b.,¡'¡IrIJ.

on there

grcnr..!s.

c.uríe!

~lu:h

cv:dcnr.e

with it,

t1l.Jl

it I(; a\'l"s

U'i "5

htele

lc:ny

ro t".t:!¡e\'e ur

J lt ·

bclicve,

dl ll10nJlI :tllOf'l

dtl·-~" \'. Ii(thcr

we \\

kno·.\

ignoranL

BUI

!lIt

Ji'

,ul! )'

IS,

\'liten

tdlimonies

COII–

t ri\JII.~t

common

I.X j11 Id l":f .

,nJ

d. ,

r'por" of

Wlln

,r:"

cl dh

wirh

d u:

(' rll¡

.Jly

C(.:.;. f

r. ~1 111~,

'~H h

O.u' ;¡–

r.cthcr

hl.;l":

Jll!~

'O ...,,;. :\ncOt:OI1,

ol!JJ

~XJ\.'l.~t:{.,

re:'

qU!1~J