CHAPTER 1V. gpg }getter secured from inconsistencies, that is, from asserting or denying any thing in one place, which contradicts what you have asserted or denied in another : and to attain these ends, an ex- tensiveness of understanding, and a large memory, are of un- speakable service. One would be ready to wonder sometimes how easily great and wise and learned men are led into assertions in some parts of the same treatise, which are found to be scarce consistent with what they have asserted in other places ; but the true reason is, the narrowness of the mind of man, that it cannot take in all the innumerable properties and relations of one subject with a 'single view ; and therefore whilst they are intent on one particu- lar part of their theme, they bend all their force of thought to prove or disprove some proposition that relates to that part, with- out a sufficient attention to the consequences which may flow from it, and which may unhappily aftèct another part of the saine subject i and by this means they are sometimes led to say thing's which are inconsistent. In such a case, the great dealers in dis- pute and controversy take pleasure to cast nonsense and self- contradiction on their antagonist with huge and hateful re- proaches. For my' part, I rather choose to pity human nature, Whose necessary narrowness of understanding exposes us till to some degrees of this frailty.' But the most extensive survey pos- sible of our whole subject is the best remedy against it. It is our judging and arguing upon a partial view of things, that ex- poses us to mistakes, and pushes us iOto absurdities, or at least tò the very borders of them. Ill. " In searching the knowledge of things, always keep the precise point of the present question in your eye." Take heed that you add nothing to it while you are arguing, nor ,oMiit any part of it: Watch carefully, lest any new ideas slide ïü to mingle themselves either with the subject or the predi- cate.: See that the question be not altered by the ambiguity of any word taken in different senses ; nor lest any secret prejudices of your own, or the sophistical arts of others, cheat your under - standing by changing the question,. or shuffling in any thing else in its room. And for this end it is useful to keep the precise matter of enquiry as simple as may be, and disengaged from a complica- tion of ideas, which do not necessarily belong to it. By admit- ting a complication of ideas, and taking too many things at max into one question, the mind is sometimes dazzled and bewildered, - and the truth is lost in such a variety and confusion of ideas ; whereas by limiting and narrowing the question, you take a ful- ler survey of the whole of it. By keeping the single point of enquiry in our constant View, we shall be secured from sudden, rash, and impertinent
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