no longer upon the first, till fome brighter or more favourable Moments arife. A Student fhall do more in one Hour, when all things concur to invite him to any special Study, than in four Hours, at a dull and improper Seafon.

I would also give the fame Advice, if some vain, or worthless, or foolish Idea will crowd itself into your Thoughts; and if you find that all find that all your Labour and Wrestling cannot defend yourself from it, then divert the Importunity of that which offends you by turning your Thoughts to fome entertaining Subject, that may amufe a little and draw you off from the troublesome and impofing Gueft; and many a Time also in fuch a Cafe, when the impertinent and intruding Ideas would divert from prefent Duty, Devotion and Prayer have been very fuccefsful to overcome fuch obftinate Troublers of the Peace and Profit of the Soul.

If the natural Genius and Temper be too volatile, fickle and wandring, fuch Perfons ought in a more especial manner to apply themselves to mathematical Learning, and to begin their Studies with Arithmetick and Geometry; wherein new Truths, continually arifing to the Mind out of the plaineft and eafieft Principles, will allure the Thoughts with incredible Pleasure in the Purfuit: This will. give the Student fuch a delightful Taste of Reasoning, as will fix his Attention to the single Subject which he pursues, and by Degrees will cure the habitual Levity of his Spirit: But let him not indulge and pursue thefe fo far, as to neglect the prime Studies of his defign'd Profeffion.

CHAP.

CHAP. VI.
Special Rules to direct our Conceptions of Things.
A

Great part of what has been already writ

ten is design’d to lay a Foundation for chose Rules, which may guide and regulate our Conceptions of things; this is our main Business and Design in the first part of Logick. Now if we can but direct our Thoughts to a just and happy Manner in forming our Ideas of things, the other Operations of the Mind will not fo. easily be perverted; because most of our Errors in Judgment, and the Weakness, Fallacy and Mistake of our Argumentation proceed from the Darkness, Confusion, Defect, or some other Irregularity in our Conceptions.

The Rules to assist and direct our Conceptions are these.

1. Conceive of things clearly and distinêily in

their own Natures. 2. Conceive of things compleatly in all their

Parts. 3. Conceive of things comprehensively in all their

Properties and Relations. 4. Conceive of things extensively in all their

Kinds. 5. Conceive of things orderly, or in a proper

Method,

TH

SECT. I.

Of gaining clear and diftin&t Ideas.

HE first Rule is this, Seek after a clear and diftinet Conception of things as they are in their own Nature, and do not content your felves with obfcure and confufed Ideas, where clearer are to be attain'd.

There are fome things indeed whereof diftinct Ideas are scarce attainable, they seem to surpass the Capacity of the Understanding in our prefent State; fuch are the Notions of Eternal, Immenfe, Infinite, whether this Infinity be applied to Number, as an infinite Multitude; to Quantity, as infinite Length, Breadth; to Powers and Perfections, as Strength, Wisdom, or Goodnefs infinite, &c. Tho' Mathematicians in their way demonstrate several things in the Doctrine of Infinites, yet there are ftill fome infolvable Difficulties that attend the Ideas of Infinity, when it is applied to Mind or Body; and while it is in Reality but an Idea ever growing, we cannot have fo clear and diftinct a Conception of it as to fecure us from Miftakes in fome of our Reasonings about it.

wherein our Ideas are very dark and confused, fuch as their Union with animal Nature, the way of their acting on material Beings, and their Converfe with each other. And tho' it is a laudable Ambition to fearch what may be known of these Matters, yet it is a vast Hindrance to the Enrichment of our Understandings, if we spend too much of our Time and Pains among Infinites and Unfearchables, and thofe things for the Investigation whereof we are not furnished with proper Faculties in the prefent State. It is therefore of great Service to the true Improvement of the Mind to distinguish well between Knowables and Unknowables.

As far as things are knowable by us, it is of excellent Ufe to accustom our felves to clear and diftinet Ideas. Now among many other Occafions of the Darkness and Mistakes of our Minds, there are these two things which moft remarkably bring Confufion into our Ideas.

1. That from our Infancy we have had the Ideas of things fo far connected with the Ideas of Words, that we often mistake Words for things, we mingle and confound one with the other.

2. From our youngest Years we have been ever ready to confider things not fo much in their own Natures, as in their various Respects to ourselves, and chiefly to our Senfes; and we have alfo join'd and mingled the Ideas of fome things, with many other Ideas, to which they are not akin in their own Natures.

In order therefore to a clear and diftinet Knowledge of things, we muft uncloath them of all thefe Relations and Mixtures, that we may contemplate them naked, and in their own Natures; and diftinguish the Subject that we have in View from all other Subjects whatsoever: Now to per

F 4

form

form this well, we must here confider the Definition of Words, and the Definition of Things.

SECT. II.

Of the Definition of Words or Names.

F we could conceive of Things as Angels and

I unbodied Spirits do, without involving them

in thofe Clouds which Words and Language throw upon them, we should feldom be in Danger of fuch Mistakes as are perpetually committed by us in the present State; and indeed it would be of unknown Advantage to us to accuftom ourselves to form Ideas of Things without Words, that we might know them in their own proper Natures. But fince we must use Words, both to learn and to communicate moft of our Notions, we fhould do it with just Rules of Caution. I have already declar'd in part, how often and by what Means our Words become the Occafions of Errors in our Conceptions of Things. To remedy fuch Inconveniencies, we must get an exact Definition of the Words we make ufe of, i. e. we muft determine precisely the Sense of our Words, which is call'd the Definition of the Name.

Now a Definition of the Name being only a Declaration in what Senfe the Word is used, or what Idea or Object we mean by it, this may be exprefs'd by any one or more of the Properties, Effects or Circumftances of that Object which do fufficiently distinguish it from other Objects: As if I were to tell what I mean by the Word Air, I might fay it is that thin Matter which we breath in and breath out continually; or it is that fluid Body in which the Birds fly a little above the Earth; or it is that invisible Matter which fills all

Places