And in practical mathematics our senses have ftill greater employment.

If we would judge of the pure properties, and actions of the mind, of the nature of spirits, their various perceptions and powers, we must not inquire of our eyes and our ears, nor the images or fhapes laid up in the brain, but we must have recourse to our own consciousness of what paffes within our own mind.

If we are to pafs a judgment upon any thing that relates to fpirits in a ftate of union with animal nature, and the mixt properties of fenfation, fancy, appetite, paffion, pleasure and pain, which arife thence,. we must confult our own fenfations, and the other powers which we find in ourselves, confidered as men or creatures made up of a mind and an animal; and by just reasonings deduce proper confequences, and improve our knowledge in thefe fubjects.

If we have occafion to judge concerning matters done in paft ages, or in diftant countries, and where we ourselves cannot be present, the powers of fense and reafon (for the most part) are not fufficient to inform us, and we must therefore have recourfe to the testi mony. of others and this is either divine or human.. In matters of mere human prudence, we shall find. the greatest advantage by making wife obfervations on our own conduct, and the conduct of others, and a furvey of the events attending fuch conduct. Expe rience in this cafe is equal to a natural fagacity, or ra ther fuperior. A treasure of obfervations and experiences collected by wife men, is of admirable service here. And perhaps there is nothing in the world of this kind equal to the facred book of Proverbs, even if we look on it as a mere human writing.

In questions of natural religion, we must exercife the faculty of reafon which God has given us; and fince he has been pleafed to afford us his word, we fhould confirm and improve or correct our reasonings on this fubject by the divine affistance of the bible.

In matters of revealed religion, that is, Christianity, Judaifm, &c. which we could never have known by the light of nature, the word of God is our only foundation and chief light; though here our reafon muft

be used both to find out the true meaning of God in his word, and to derive just inferences from what God. has written, as well as to judge of the credentials whereby divine teftimony is diftinguished from mere human teftimony, or from imposture.

As divine revelation can never contradict right reafon, (for they are two great lights given us by our creator for our conduct) fo reason ought by no means to affume to itself a power to contradict divine revelation..

Though revelation be not contrary to reafon, yet there are four claffes wherein matters of revelation may be faid to raise above, or go beyond our reason.

1. When revelation afferts two things of which we have clear ideas, to be joined, whofe connection or agreement is not difcoverable by reafon; as when scripture informs us, that the dead shall rife, that the earth fhall be burnt up, and the man Chrift Jefus fhall return from heaven, none of these things could ever be. found out or proved by reason..

2. When revelation affirms any propofition, while reafon has no clear and distinct ideas of the subject, or of the predicate; as God created all things by Jefus Chrift by the Urim and Thummim God gave forth divine oracles. The predicate of each of these propofitions is to us an obscure idea, for we know not what was the peculiar agency of Jefus Chrift when God the father created the world by him; nor have we any clear and certain conception what the Urim and Thummim were, nor how God gave answers to his people by them.

3. When revelation, in plain and exprefs language, declare fome doctrine which our reafon at present knows not with evidence and certainty how or in what fenfe to reconcile fome of its own principles; as, that the child Jefus is the mighty God, Ifa. ix. 6. which propofition carries a feeming oppofition to the unity and fpirituality of the godhead, which are principles of reason.

4 When two propofitions or doctrines are plainly afferted by divine revelation, which our reafon at prefent knows not how or in what fenfe with evidence and certainty to reconcile with one another; as, the

Father is the only true God, John xvii. 3. and yet,. Chrift is over all, God bleffed for ever, Rom. ix. 5.

Now divine revelation having declared all these propofitions, reafon is bound to receive them, because it cannot prove them to be utterly inconfiftent or impoffi ble, though the ideas of them may be obfcure, though. we ourselves fee not the rational connection of them, and though we know not certainly how to reconcile them. In these cases reafon muft fubmit to faith that is, we are bound to believe what God afferts, and wait till he fhall clear up that which feems dark and difficult, and till the myfteries of faith fhall be farther explained to us, either in this world, or in the world to come, and reason itself dictates this, fubmiffion..

VII. Direct. It is very useful to have fome general principles of truth fettled in the mind, whofe evidence is great and obvious, that they may be always ready at hand to affit us in judging of the great variety of things which occur. Thefe may be called first nations, or fundamental prin ciples; for though many of them are deduced from each other, yet most or all of them may be called prin ciples when compared with a thousand other judgments which we form under the regulation and influence of these primary propofitions.

Every art and fcience, as well as the affairs of civil life and religion, have peculiar principles of this kind belonging to them. There are metaphyfical, phyfical, mathematical, political, economical, medicinal, theolo gical, moral, and prudentical principles of judgment: It would be too tedious to give a fpecimen of them all in this place. Thofe which are most of universal use. to us both as men and as chriftians, may be found in the following chapter among the rules of judgment. about particular objects.

VIII. Direct: Let the degrees of your affent to every. propofition bear an exact proportion to the different degrees of evidence. Remember this is one of the greatest princi ples of wisdom that man can arrive at in this world, and the beft human fecurity againft dangerous mistakes in fpeculation or practice..

See fomething more on this subject, direct: II. preced. and chap, V. fect. 6.

In the nature of things, of which our knowledge is made up, there is infinite variety in their degrees of evidence. And as God hath given our minds a power to fufpend their affent till the evidence be plain, so we have a power to receive things which are proposed to us with a stronger or weaker belief, in infinite variety of degrees proportionable to their evidence. I believe, that the planets are inhabited, and I believe that the earth rolls among them yearly round the sun; but I do not believe both these propofitions with an equal firmness of affent, because the arguments for the latter are drawn from mathematical obfervations; but the arguments for the former are but probable conjectures. and moral reafonings. Yet neither do I believe either of these propofitions fo firmly, as I do that the earth is about twenty-four thousand miles round, because the mathematical proof of this is much easier, plainer and ftronger. And yet farther, when I fay that the earth. was created by the power of God, I have ftill a more infallible affurance of this than of all the rest, because reafon and fcripture join to affure me of it.

IX. Direct. Keep your mind always open to receive truth and never fet limits to your improvements. Be always ready to hear what may be objected even against your favourite opinions, and those which have had longeft poffeffion of your affent. And if there fhould be any new and uncontroulable evidence brought against these old or beloved fentiments, do not wink your eyes faft against the light, but part with any thing for the fake of truth: Remember when you overcome an error, you gain truth; the victory is on your fide, and the advantages is all your own,

I confefs thofe grand principles of belief and practice which univerfally influence our conduct both with regard to this life and the life to come, should be fuppofed to be well fettled in the first years of our studies, fuch as, the existence and providence of God, the truth of christianity, the authority of fcripture, the general rules of morality, &c. We thould avoid a light fluttering. genius, ever ready to change our foundations, and to. be carried about with every kind of doctrine. To guard againft which inconveniences, we fhould labour with.

earneft diligence and fervent prayer, that our most fundamental and important points of belief and practice may be established upon just grounds of reafon and fcripture when we come to years of difcretion, and fit to judge for ourselves in fuch important points. Yet fince it is poffible that the folly or prejudices of younger years may have established perfons in fame mistaken fentiments, even in very important matters, we fhould always hold ourselves ready to receive any new advantage toward the direction or improvement even of our eftablished principles, as well as opinions of leffer mo

ment.

CHAP. V.

SPECIAL RULES TO DIRECT US IN JUDING OF PARTICULAR OBJECTS.

IT

T would be endless to run through all thofe particular objects concerning which we have occafion to pass a judgment at one time or another. Things of the most frequent occurrence, of the wideft extent, and of the greatest importance, are the objects and exercises of fenfe, of reafon and fpeculation, the matters of morality, religion, and prudence, of human and divine teftimony, together with the effays of reasoning upon things paft and future. Special rules relating to all thefe will be the fubject of the following fections.

SECT. I

Principles and Rules of Judgment concerning the Objects of

Senfe.

HOUGH our fenfes are fometimes liable to be deceived, yet when they are rightly disposed, and