SECT. II. Progress of Reafon. A Progrefs from infancy to maturity in the mind of man, fimilar to that in his body, has been often mentioned. The external fenfes, being early neceffary for felf-prefervation, arrive quickly at maturity. The internal fenfes are of a flower growth, as well as every other mental power: their maturity would be of little or no ufe while the body is weak, and unfit for action. Reasoning, as obferved in the firft fection, requires two mental powers, the power of invention, and that of perceiving relations. By the former are difcovered intermediate propofitions, having the fame relation to the fundamental propofition and to the conclufion; and that relation is verified by the latter. Both powers are neceffary to the perfon who frames an argument, or a chain of reafoning the latter only, to the person who judges of it. Savages are miferably deficient in both. With refpect to the former, a favage may have from his nature a talent for invention; but it will stand him in little ftead without a stock of ideas enabling him to select what may anfwer his purpose; and a favage has no opportunity to acquire fuch a flock. With respect to the latter, he knows little of relations. And how should he know, when both ftudy and practice are neceffary for diftinguishing between relations? The understanding, at the fame time, is among the illiterate obfequious to paffion and prepoffeffion; and among them the imagination acts without control, forming conclufions often no better than mere dreams. In fhort, confidering the many causes K 2 causes that mislead from just reasoning, in days efpecially of ignorance, the erroneous and abfurd opinions that have prevailed in the world, and that continue in fome measure to prevail, are far from being furprising. Were reafon our only guide in the conduct of life, we fhould have caufe to complain; but our Maker has provided us with moral fenfe, a guide little fubject to error in matters of importance. In the sciences, reason is effential; but in the conduct of life, which is our chief concern, reafon may be an useful affiftant; but to be our director is not its province. The national progrefs of reafon has been flower in Europe, than that of any other art: ftatuary, painting, architecture, and other fine arts, approach nearer perfection, as well as morality and natural hiftory. Manners and every art that appears externally, may in part be acquired by imitation and example in reafoning there is nothing external to be laid hold of. But there is befide a particular cause that regards Europe, which is the blind deference that for many ages was paid to Ariftotle; who has kept the reasoning faculty in chains more than two thousand years. In his logic, the plain fimple mode of reasoning is rejected, that which Nature dictates; and in its ftead is introduced an artificial node, fhowy but unsubstantial, of no use for discovering truth; but contrived with great art for wrangling and difputation. Confidering that reafon for fo many ages has been immured in the enchanted caftle of fyllogifm, where phantoms pafs for realities; the flow progrefs of reafon toward maturity is far from being furprifing. The taking of Conftantinople by the Turks ann. 1453, unfolded a new fcene, which in time relieved the world from the ufurpation of Ariftotle, and restored reason to her privileges. All the knowledge of Europe was centered in Conftantinople; and the learned men of that city, abhorring the Turks and their govern ment, ment, took refuge in Italy. The Greek language was introduced among the western nations of Europe; and the ftudy of Greek and Roman claffics became fashionable. Men, having acquired new ideas, began to think for themselves: they exerted their native faculty of reafon the futility of Ariftotle's logic became apparent to the penetrating; and is now apparent to all. Yet fo late as the year 1621, feveral perfons were banished from Paris for contradicting that philofopher, about matter and form, and about the number of the elements. And fhortly after, the parliament of Paris prohibited, under pain of death, any thing to be taught contrary to the doctrines of Ariftotle. Julius II. and Leo X. Roman Pontiffs, contributed zealously to the reformation of letters; but they did not foresee that they were alfo contributing to the reformation of religion, and of every fcience that depends on reafoning. Tho' the fetters of fyllogifm have many years ago been fhaken off; yet like a limb long kept from motion, the reafoning faculty has fcarcely to this day attained its free and natural exercife. Mathematics is the only fcience that never has been cramped by fyllogifm, and we find reafoning there in great perfection at an early period. The very flow progress of reafoning in other matters, will appear from the following induction. To exemplify erroneous and abfurd reasonings of every fort, would be endless. The reader, I prefume, will be fatisfied with a few inftances ; and I fhall endeavour to felect what are amufing. For the fake of order, I divide them into three heads. First, inftances fhowing the imbecillity of human reafon during its nonage, Second, Erroneous reasoning occafioned by natural biaffes.. Third, Erroneous reafoning occafioned by acquired biaffes. With refpect to the first, inftances are endless of reafonings founded on erroneous pre mises. It was an Epicurean doctrine, That the gods have all of them a human figure; moved by the following argument, that no being of any other figure has the use of reason. Plato, taking for granted the following erroneous propofition, That every being which moves itself muft have a foul, concludes that the world must have a foul, because it moves itself (a). Ariftotle taking it for granted, without the leaft evidence and contrary to truth, that all heavy bodies tend to the centre of the universe, proves the earth to be the centre of the univerfe by the following argument. "Heavy bodies naturally tend to the centre of the "universe we know by experience that heavy "bodies tend to the centre of the earth: there"fore the centre of the earth is the centre of the "universe." Appion ridicules the Jews for adhering literally to the precept of refting on their fabbath, fo as to fuffer Jerufalem to be taken that day by Ptolomy fon of Lagus. Mark the anfwer of Jofephus" Whoever paffes a fober "judgement on this matter, will find our prac"tice agreeable to honour and virtue; for what "can be more honourable and virtuous, than to "poftpone our country, and even life itself, to "the fervice of God, and of his holy religion ?” A ftrange idea of religion, to put it in direct oppofition to every moral principle! A fuperftitious and abfurd doctrine, That God will interpofe by a miracle to declare what is right in every controverfy, has occafioned much erroneous reasoning and abfurd practice. The practice of determining controverfies by fingle combat, commenced about the feventh century, when religion had degenerated into fuperftition, and courage was esteemed the only moral virtue. The parliament of Paris in the reign of Charles VI. appointed a fingle combat between (a) Cicero, De natura Deorum, lib. z. § 12, two two gentlemen, in order to have the judgement of God whether the one had committed a rape on the other's wife. In the 1454, John Picard being accufed by his fon-in-law for too great familiarity with his wife, a duel between them was appointed by the fame parliament. Voltaire juftly obferves, that the parliament decreed a parricide to be committed, in order to try an accufation of inceft, which poffibly was not committed. The trials by water and by fire, reft on the fame erroneous foundation. In the former, if the person accufed funk to the bottom, it was a judgement pronounced by God that he was innocent: if he kept above, it was a judgement that he was guil ty. Fleury (a) remarks, that if ever the perfon accufed was found guilty, it was his own fault. In Sicily, a woman accused of adultery, was compelled to fwear to her innocence: the oath, taken down in writing, was laid on water; and if it did not fink, the woman was innocent. We find the fame practice in Japan, and in Malabar. One of the articles infifted on by the reformers in Scotland, was, That public prayers be made and the facraments administered in the vulgar tongue. ૮. The anfwer of a provincial council was in the following words: "That to conceive public prayers or adminifter the facraments in any language but Latin, is contrary to the traditions and practice of the Catholic church for many ages paft; and that the demand cannot "be granted, without impiety to God and difo"bedience to the church." Here it is taken for granted, that the practice of the church is always right; which is building an argument on a very rotten foundation. The Caribbeans abstain from fwines flesh; taking it erroneously for granted, (a) Hiftoire Ecclefiaftique, that |