Ittl THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE MIND. sport themselves in their own deceivings ; let them at their peril snake a jest at the bible, and treat the sacred articles of christi- anity with scoff and merriment ; but then let them lay aside all their pretences to reason as well as religion ; and as they expose themselves by such writings to the neglect and contempt of men, so let them prepare to meet the majesty and indignation of God, without timely repentance. XIX. In reading philosophical, moral or religious contro- versies, never raise your esteem of any opinion by the assurance and zeal wherewith the author asserts it, nor by the highest praiseshebestows upon it ; nor on the other hand, let your esteem of an opinion be abated, nor your aversion to it raised by the supercilious contempt cast upon it by a warmwriter; nor by the sovereign airs with which he condemns it. Let the force of ar- gument alone influence your assent or dissent. Take care that your soul be not warped or biassed on one side or the . other, by any strains of flattering or abusive language ; for there is no question whatsoever, but bath some such sort of defenders and opposers. Leave those writers to their own follies, who prac- tise thus upon the weakness of their readers without argu. ment ; leave them to triumph in their own fancied possessions and victories; it is oftentimes found that their possessions are but a heap of errors, and their boasted victories are but overbearing noise and clamour, to silence the voice of truth. In philosophy and religion, the bigots ofall parties aregene- rally the most positive, and deal much in this sort of arguments. Sometimes these are the weapons of pride ; for a haughty man supposes all his opinions to be infallible, and imagines the con- trary sentiments are ever ridiculous and not worthy of notice. Sometimes these ways of talking are the mere arms of ignorance ; the men who use them know little of the opposite side of the question, and therefore they exult in their own vain pretences to knowledge, as though no man of sense could oppose their opi- nion. They rail at an objection against their own sentiments, because theycan find noother answer to it but railing. And men of learning by their excessive vanity, have been sometimes tempted into the same insolent practice as well as the ignorant. Yet let it be remembered too, that there are some truths so plain and evident, that the opposition to them is strange, unaccount- able, and almost monstrous ; and in -vindication of such truths, a writer of good sense may sometimes be allowed to use a degree of assurance, and pronounce them strongly with an air of confidence, while he defends them with reasons of convinc- ing force. `'XX. Sometimes'aquestion may be proposed, which is of so large and extensive a nature, and refers to such a multitude of subjects;. as ought not in justice to be determined at once by a
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