Book 1. fuch as is the will of our teachers, or opinions of our companions, be altered or loft in us: and notwithstand ing all this boaft of firft principles and innate light, we shall be as much in the dark and uncertainty, as if there were no fuch thing at all: it being all one, to have no rule, and one that will warp any way; or, amongst various and contrary rules, not to know which is the right. But concerning innate principles, I defire thefe men to fay, whether they can, or cannot, by education and cuftom, be blurred and blotted out if they cannot, we must find them in all mankind alike, and they must be clear in every body and if they may fuffer variation from adventitious notions, we must then find them clearest and most perfpicuous, nearest the fountain, in children and illiterate people who have received leaft impreffion from foreign opinions. Let them take which fide they pleafe, they will certainly find it inconfiftent with vifible matter of fact, and daily obfervation.

Contrary principles in the world.

§. 21. I eafily grant, that there are great numbers of opinions, which, by men of different countries, educations, and tempers, are received and embraced as first and unqueftionable principles; many whercof, both for their abfurdity, as well as oppofitions to one another, it is impoffible should be true. But yet all those propofitions, how remote foever from reason, are so sacred somewhere or other, that men even of good understanding in other matters, will fooner part with their lives, and whatever is dearest to them, than fuffer themselves to doubt, or others to question, the truth of them.

How men

commonly

§. 22. This, however ftrange it may fecm, is that which every day's experience concome by their firms; and will not, perhaps, appear fo principles. wonderful, if we confider the ways and fteps by which it is brought about; and how really it may come to pafs, that doctrines that have been derived from no better original than the fuperftition of a nurse, or the authority of an old woman, may, by length of time, and consent of neighbours, grow up to the dignity of principles in religion or morality. For fuch, who

are careful (as they call it) to principle children well (and few there be who have not a fet of thofe principles for them, which they believe in) inftil into the unwary, and as yet unprejudiced understanding (for white paper receives any characters) thofe doctrines they would have them retain and profefs. These being taught them as foon as they have any apprehenfion; and ftill as they grow up, confirmed to them, either by the open profeffion, or tacit confent, of all they have to do with; or at least by thofe, of whose wisdom, knowledge and piety, they have an opinion, who never fuffer thefe propofitions to be otherwife mentioned, but as the bafis and foundation on which they build their religion and manners; come, by these means, to have the reputation of unquestionable, self-evident, and innate truths.

§. 23. To which we may add, that when men, so inftructed, are grown up, and reflect on their own minds, they cannot find any thing more ancient there than those opinions which were taught them before their memory began to keep a register of their actions, or date the time when any new thing appeared to them; and therefore make no fcruple to conclude, that those propofitions, of whofe knowledge they can find in themfelves no original, were certainly the imprefs of God and nature upon their minds, and not taught them by any one else. These they entertain and fubmit to, as many do to their parents, with veneration; not because it is natural; nor do children do it, where they are not so taught; but because, having been always fo educated, and having no remembrance of the beginning of this refpect, they think it is natural.

§. 24. This will appear very likely, and almoft unavoidable to come to pafs, if we confider the nature of mankind, and the conftitution of human affairs; wherein most men cannot live without employing their time in the daily labours of their callings; nor be at quiet in their minds without fome foundation or prin ciple to reft their thoughts on. There is fcarce any one fo floating and fuperficial in his understanding, who hath not fome reverenced propofitions, which are to

E 2

him

Book 1. him the principles on which he bottoms his reafonings; and by which he judgeth of truth and falfhood, right and wrong which fome, wanting fkill and leifure, and others the inclination, and fome being taught, that they ought not to examine; there are few to be found who are not expofed by their ignorance, lazinefs, education, or precipitancy, to take them upon trust.

S. 25. This is evidently the cafe of all children and young folk; and cuftom, a greater power than nature, feldom failing to make them worship for divine what fhe hath inured them to bow their minds, and fubmit their understandings to; it is no wonder that grown men, either perplexed in the neceffary aflairs of life, or hot in the purfuit of pleasures, fhould not feriously fit down to examine their own tenets; efpecially when one of their principles is, that principles ought not to be queftioned. And had men leifure, parts, and will, who is there almoft that dare shake the foundations of all his paft thoughts and actions, and endure to bring upon himself the flame of having been a long time wholly in miftake and error? who is there hardy enough to contend with the reproach which is every where prepared for those who dare venture to diffent from the received opinions of their country cr party? And where is the man to be found that can patiently prepare himself to bear the name of whimfical, fceptical, or atheift, which he is fure to meet with, who does in the least scruple any of the common opinions? And he will be much more afraid to queftion those principles, when he fhall think them, as molt men do, the standards fet up by God in his mind, to be the rule and touchstone of all other opinions. And what can hinder him from thinking them facred, when he finds them the earliest of all his own thoughts, and the moft reverenced by others?

§. 26. It is eafy to imagine how by thefe means it comes to pafs, that men worship the idols that have been fet up in their minds; grow fond of the notions they have been long acquainted with there; and stamp the characters of divinity upon abfurdities and errors, become zealous votaries to bulls and monkeys; and contend too, fight, and die in defence of their opinions: " Dum

folos

folos credit habendos effe deos, quos ipfe colit." For fince the reasoning faculties of the foul, which are almost conftantly, though not always warily nor wifely, employed, would not know how to move, for want of a foundation and footing, in moft men; who through lazinefs or avocation do not, or for want of time, or true helps, or for other caufes, cannot penetrate into the principles of knowledge, and trace truth to its fountain and original; it is natural for them, and almost unavoidable, to take up with fome borrowed principles which being reputed and prefumed to be the evident proofs of other things, are thought not to need any other proof themfelves. Whoever fhall receive any of these into his mind, and entertain them there, with the reverence ufually paid to principles, never venturing to examine them, but accuftoming himself to believe them, because they are to be believed, may take up from his education, and the fashions of his country, any abfurdity for innate principles; and by long poring on the fame objects, fo dim his fight, as to take monsters lodged in his own brain, for the images of the Deity, and the workmanship of his hands. §. 27. By this progrefs, how many there are who arrive at principles, which they c believe innate, may be eafily obferved, in the variety of oppofite principles held and contended for by all forts and degrees of men. And he that shall deny this to be the method, wherein most men proceed to the affurance they have of the truth. and evidence of their principles, will perhaps find it a hard matter any other way to account for the contrary tenets, which are firmly believed, confidently afferted, and which great numbers are ready at any time to feal with their blood. And, indeed, if it be the privilege of innate principles, to be received upon their own (authority, without examination, I know not what may not be believed, or how any one's principles can be queftioned. If they may, and ought to be examined, and tried, I defire to know how firft and innate prinA ciples can be tried; or at leaft it is reasonable to demand the marks and characters, whereby the genuine

E3

Principles

must be

examined.

innate

་

Book 1. innate principles may be diftinguished from others; that fo, amidst the great variety of pretenders, I may be kept from mistakes, in fo material a point as this. When this is done, I fhall be ready to embrace fuch welcome and useful propofitions; and till then I may with modefty doubt, fince I fear univerfal confent, which is the only one produced, will fcarce prove a fufficient mark to direct my choice, and affure me of any innate principles. From what has been faid, I think it paft doubt, that there are no practical principles wherein all men agree; and therefore none innate.

CHA P. IV.

Other Confiderations concerning Innate Principles, both Speculative and Practical.

Principles not innate, unless their ideas be in

nate.

§. 1. Hus that there are innate princiAD thofe, who would perfuade

ples, not taken them together in grofs, but confidered feparately the parts out of which those propofitions are made; they would not, perhaps, have been fo forward to believe they were innate: fince, if the ideas which made up thofe truths were not, it was impoffible that the propofitions made up of them should be innate, or the knowledge of them be born with us. For if the ideas be not innate, there was a time when the mind was without thofe principles; and then they will not be innate, but be derived from fome other original. For, where the ideas themfelves are not, there can be no knowledge, no affent, no mental or verbal propofitions about them.

Ideas, efpecially those

belonging to principles, not born with children.

§. 2. If we will attentively confider newborn children, we fhall have little reafon to think, that they bring many ideas into the world with them. For bating perhaps fome faint ideas of hunger and thirft, and warmth, and fome pains which they may have felt in

the