A Variety of RULES to guard against ERROR, in: By ISAAC WATTS, D. D. A NEW EDITION, CORRECTED AND IMPROVE D. LONDON: Printed for A. MILLAR, W. CATER, and G. ROBSON. MDCCXCVII, то Sir JOHN HARTOPP, Bart. SIR, Tis fit the Public fhould receive, through your I hands, what was written originally for the affiftance of your younger ftudies, and was then prefented to you. It was by the repeated importunities of our learned friend Mr John Eames, that I was perfuaded to revife the Rudiments of Logick, and when I had once fuffered myself to begin the work, I was drawn ftill onward, far beyond my firft defign, even to the neg-. lect, or too long delay, of other preffing and important demands that were upon me. It has been my endeavour to form every part of this Treatife both for the inftruction of students, to open their way into the sciences, and for the more extenfive and general fervice of mankind, that the Gentleman and the Chriftian might find their account in the perusal, as well as the Scholar. I have therefore collected and proposed the chief principles and rules of right judgment in matters of common and facred importance, and pointed out our most frequent mistakes and prejudices in the concerns of life and religion, that we might better guard against the fprings of error, guilt and forrow, which furround us in our state of mortality. You know, Sir, the great defign of this noble science is to refcue our reasoning powers from their unhappy flavery and darkness; and thus, with all due fubmiffion and deference, it offers an humble affistance to to divine revelation. Its chief bufinefs is to relieve the natural weakneffes of the mind, by fome better efforts of nature: it is to diffufe a light over the underflanding in our inquires after truth, and not to furnish the tongue with debate and controverfy. True Logick is not that noify thing that deals all in dispute and wrangling, to which former ages had debafed and confined it; yet its difciples must acknowledge alfo, that they are taught to vindicate and defend the truth, as well as to fearch it out. True Logick doth not require a long detail of hard words to amufe mankind, and to puff up the mind with empty founds, and a pride of falfe learning; yet fome diftinctions and terms of art are neceffary to range every idea in its proper class, and to keep our thoughts from confufion. The world is now grown fo wife, as not to fuffer this valuable art to be engroffed by the fchools. In fo polite and knowing an age, every man of reason, will covet fome acquaintance with Lagick, fince it renders its daily fervice to wisdom and virtue, and to the affairs of common life, as well as to the fciences. I will not prefume, Sir, that this little Book is improved fince its firft compofure in proportion to the improvements of your manly age. But when you fhall pleafe to review it in your retired hours, perhaps you may refresh your own memory in fome of the early. parts of learning: And if you find all the additional Remarks and Rules made fo familiar to you alreadyby your own obférvation, that there is nothing new 2mong them, it will be no unpleafing relection that you have fo far anticipated the prefent zeal and labour of, SIR, Your most faithful and obedient fervant, London, Aug. 24, 1724. I. WATTS.. INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL SCHEME OGICK is the art of using REASON* well in our inquiries after truth, and the communication of it to others. REASON* is the glory of human nature, and one of the chief eminencies whereby we are raised above our fellow creatures, the brutes, in this lower world. Reafon, as to the power and principles of it, is the common gift of God to all men; though all are not favoured with it by nature in an equal degree: but the acquired improvements of it in different men, make a much greater distinction between them than nature had made. I could even venture to fay, that the improvement of reafon hath raifed the learned and the prudent in the European world, almost as much above the Hottentots, and other favages of Africa, as thofe favages are by nature fuperior to the birds, the beafts, and the fishes. *The word reafon in this place is not confined to the mere faculty of reafoning, or inferring one thing from another, but includes all the intellectual powers of man. Now |
