have blundered on ftill in fucceffive Generations amongst Abfurdities and thick Darkness, and a hundred useful Inventions for the Happiness of human Life had never been known.

Thus it is in Matters of Philofophy and Science, But, you will fay, shall not our own Ancestors determine our Judgment in Matters of civil or religious Concernment? If they muft, then the Child of a Heathen must believe that Heathenifm is Truth; the Son of a Papist muft affent to all the Abfurdities of Popery; the Pofterity of the Jews and Socinians must for ever be Socinians and Jews; and a Man, whofe Father was of Republican Principles, must make a Succeffion of Republicans in his Family to the End of the World. If we ought always to believe whatsoever our Parents, or our Priests, or our Princes believe, the Inhabitants of China ought to worship their own Idols, and the Savages of Africa ought to believe all the Nonfenfe, and practise the Idolatry of their Negra Fathers and Kings. The British Nation, when it was Heathen, could never have become Christian ; and when it was a Slave to Rome, it could never have been reformed.

Befides, let us confider that the great God, our common Maker, has never given one Man's Understanding a legal and rightful Sovereignty to determine Truth for others, at least after they are past the State of Childhood or Minority. No fingle Perfon, how learned and wife, and great foever, or whatsoever natural, or civil, or ecclefiaftical Relation he may have to us, can claim this Dominion over our Faith. St. Paul the Apostle, in his private Capacity would not do it; nor hath an infpired Man any fuch Authority, until he makes his divine Commiffion appear. Our Saviour himself tells the Jews, that if he had not done fuch won

drous

drous Works among them, they had not / sinned in disbelieving his Doctrines, and refusing him for the Messab. No Bishop or Presbyter, no Synod or Council, no Church or Assembly of Men, (since the Days of Inspiration) hath Power derived to them from God to make Creeds or Articles of Faith for us, and impose them upon our Understandings. We must all act according to the best of our own Light, and the Judgment of our own Consciences, using the best Advantages which Providence hath given us, with an honest and impartial Diligence to enquire and search out the Truth: For every one of us must give an Account of bimself to God. To believe as the Church, or the Court believes, is but a sorry and a dangerous Faith : This Principle would make more Heathens than Christians, and more Papists than Protestants ; and perhaps lead more Souls to Hell than to Heaven ; for our Saviour himself has plainly told us, that if the Blind will be led by the Blind, they must both fall in the Ditch..

Tho' there be so much Danger of Error arising from the three Prejudices last mentioned, yet before I dismiss this Head, I think it proper to take Notice, that as Education, Custom and Authority are no sure Evidences of Truth, so neither are they certain Marks of Falshood ; for Reason and Scripture may join to di&tate the same Things which our Parents, our Nurses, our Tutors, our Friends, and our Country believe and profess. Yet there appears sometimes in our Age a Pride and Petulancy in Youth, zealous to cast off the Sentiments of their Fathers and Teachers on Purpose to shew that they carry none of the Prejudices of Education and Authority about them. They indulge all manner of licentious Opinions and Practices, from a vain Pretence of asserting their Liberty. But

alas! This is but changing one Prejudice for another; and fometimes it happens by this means, that they make a Sacrifice both of Truth and Virtue to the vile Prejudices of their Pride and Senfuality.

IV. There is another Tribe of Prejudices which are near akin to thofe of Authority, and that is when we receive a Doctrine because of the Manner in which it is propofed to us by others. I have already mentioned the powerful Influence that Oratory and fine Words have to infinuate a falfe Opinion, and fometimes Truth is refufed, and fuffers Contempt in the Lips of a wife Man, for want of the Charms of Language: But there are feveral other Manners of Propofal whereby miftaken Sentiments are powerfully conveyed into the Mind.

Some Perfons are eafily perfuaded to believe what another dictates with a pofitive Air and a great Degree of Affurance: They feel the overbearing Force of a confident Dictator, especially if he be of fuperior Rank or Character to themfelves.

Some are quickly convinced of the Truth of any Doctrine, when he that propofes it puts on all the Airs of Piety, and makes folemn Appeals to Heaven, and Proteftations of the Truth of it: The pious Mind of a weaker Chriftian is ready to receive any thing that is pronounced with fuch an awful Solemnity.

It is a Prejudice near akin to this, when a humble Soul is frighted into any particular Sentiments of Religion, because a Man of great Name or Character pronounces Herefy upon the contrary Sentiments, cafts the Difbeliever out of the Church, and forbids him the Gates of Heaven.

Others

Others are allured into particular Opinions by gentler Practices on the Understanding: Not only the fofter Tempers of Mankind, but even hardy and rugged Souls are fometimes led away Captives to Error by the foft Airs of Addrefs, and the fweet and engaging Methods of Perfuafion and Kindnefs.

I grant, where natural or reveal'd Religion plainly dictate to us the infinite and everlasting Importance of any facred Doctrine, it cannot be improper to use any of these Methods to perfuade Men to receive and obey the Truth, after we have given fufficient Reason and Argument to convince their Understandings. Yet all these Methods confidered in themselves, have been often used to convey Falfhood into the Soul as well as Truth; and if we build our Faith merely upon these Foundations, without Regard to the Evidence of Truth and the Strength of Argument, our Belief is but the Effect of Prejudice: For neither the pofitive, the awful or folemn, the terrible or the gentle Methods of Address carry any certain Evidence with them that Truth lies on that Side.

There is another Manner of propofing our own Opinion, or rather oppofing the Opinions of others, which demands a mention here, and that is when Perfons make a Jeft ferve instead of an Argument; when they refute what they call Error by a Turn of Wit, and answer every Objection against their own Sentiments, by cafting a Sneer upon the Objector. Thefe Scoffers practife with Succefs upon weak and cowardly Spirits: Such as have not been well established in Religion or Morality, have been laughed out of the beft Principles by a confident Buffoon; they have yielded up their Opinions to a witty Banter, and fold their Faith and Religion for a Jeft,

There

There is no Way to cure thefe Evils in fuch a degenerate World as we live in, but by learning to distinguish well between the Subftance of any Doctrine, and the manner of Address either in propofing, attacking, or defending it; and then by fetting a juft and fevere Guard of Reason and Confcience over all the Exercises of our Judgment refolving to yield to nothing but the convincing Evidence of Truth, religiously obeying the Light of Reafon in Matters of pure Reafon, and the Dictates of Revelation in Things that relate to our Faith.

Thus we have taken a brief Survey of fome of the infinite Varieties of Prejudice that attend Mankind on every fide in the prefent State, and the Dangers of Error or of rafh Judgment, we are perpetually exposed to in this Life: This Chapter fhall conclude with one Remark, and one Piece of Advice.

The Remark is this. This fame Opinion, whether false or true, may be dictated by many Prejudices at the fame time; for as I hinted before, Prejudice may happen to dictate Truth fometimes as well as Error. But where two or more Prejudices oppofe one another, as it often happens, the ftronger prevails and gains the Affent: Yet how feldom does Reafon interpofe with fufficient Power to get the Afcendant of them all as it ought to do!

The Advice follows, (viz.) Since we find fuch a fwarm of Prejudices attending us both within and without; fince we feel the Weakness of our Reason, the Frailty of our Natures, and our Infufficiency to guard our felves from Error upon this Account, it is not at all unbecoming the Character of a Logician or a Philofopher (together with the Advice already given) to direct every Perfon in his Search after Truth to make his daily Addreffes