CHAPTER III. 445 and authority, are no sure evidences of truth, so neither are they Certain marks of falsehood : for reason and scripture may join to dictate the same things which our parents, our nurses, our tutors, our friends, and our country, believe and profess. Yet there appears sometimes in our age, a pride and petulancy in youth, zealous to cast off the sentiments of their fathers and teachers, on purpose to shew that they parry none of the prejúdices of edu- cation and authority about them. They indulge all manner of licentious opinions and practices, from a vain pretence of assert- ing their liberty. But alas ! this is but changing one prejudice for another ; and sometimes it happens by this means, that they make a sacrifice both of truth and virtue to the vile prejudices of their pride and sensuality. IV. There is another kind of prejudices which are near a -kin to those of authority, and that is, when we receive a doc- trine because of the manner in which it is proposed to us by others. I have already mentioned the powerful influence that oratory and fine words have to insinuate a false opinion, and sometimes truth is refused, and suffers contempt in the lips of a wise man, for want -of the charms of language : but there are several other manners of proposals, whereby mistaken sentiments are powerfully conveyed into the mind. Some persons are easily, persuaded to believe what another dictates with a positive air, and a great degree of assurance ; they feel the overhearing force of a confident dictator, especially if he be of a superior rank or character to themselves. Some are quickly convinced of the truth of any doctrine, when he that proposes it puts on all the airs of piety, and makes solemn appeals to heaven, and protestations of the truth of it : the pious mind of a weaker christian, is ready to receive any )j thing that is pronounced with such an awful solemnity. . It is a prejudice near a -kin to this, when a humble soul is frighted into any particular sentiments of religion, because a man of great name or character pronounces heresy upon the contrary sentiments, casts the disbeliever out of the church, and forbids him the gates of heaven. Others are allured into particular opinions by gentler prac- tices on the understanding : not only the soft tempers of man- kind, but even hardy and rugged souls, are sometimes led away captives to error by the soft air of address, and the sweet and engaging methods of persuasion and kindness. I grant, where natural or 'revealed religion plainly dictate to us the infinite and everlasting importance of any secret doc- trine, it cannot be improper to use any of these methods, to per- suade men to receive and obey the truth, after we have given Sufficient reason and argument to convince their understandings. Yet all these methods, considered in themselves, have been often
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=