CHAPTER II. 19 All these belong to the first method of knowledge, which I call observation. II. Reading is that means or method of knowledge, where- by We acquaint ourselves with what other men have written or pub- lished to the world in their writings. These artsof reading and writing are of infinite advantage ; for by them we are made par- takers of the sentiments, observations, reasonings, and improve- ments of all the learned world, in the most remote nations, and in former ages, almost from thebeginning of mankind. III. Public or private lectures, are suchverbal instructions asare given by a teacher while the learners attend in silence. This is the way of learning religion from the pulpit, or of philo- sophy or theology from the professor's chair or of mathematics by a teacher shewingus various theorems or problems, that is specu- lations or practices, by demonstration and operation, with all the instruments of art necessary to those operations. IV. Conversation is another method of improving our minds, wherein by mutual discourse and enquiry, welearn the sentiments of others, as well as communicate our sentiments to others in the same manner. Sometimes indeed, though both parties speak by turns, yet the advantage is only on one side ; as, when a, teacher and a learner meet and discourse together : but frequently the profit is mutual. Under this head of conversation, we may also rank disputes of various kinds. V. Meditation or study includes all those exercises of the mind whereby we render all the farmer methods useful for our increase in true knowledge and wisdom. It is by meditation we come to confirm our memory of things that pass through our thoughts in the occurrences of life, in our own experiences, and in the observations we make : it is by meditation that we draw various inferences and establish in our minds general principles of knowledge. It is by meditation that we compare the various ideas which we derive from our senses, or from the operations of our souls, and join them in propositions. It is by meditation that we fix in our memory whatsoever we learn, and formour own judgment of the truth or falsehood, the strength or weakness of 'what others speak or write. It is meditation or study that draws Out long chains of argument, and searches and finds deep and difficult truths, which before lay concealed in darkness. It would be a needless thing to prove that our own solitary meditations, together with the few observations that the most part of mankind are capable of making, are not sufficient of themselves to lead us into the attainment of any considerable proportion of knowledge, at least in an age so much improved as ours is, without the assistance of conversation and reading, and other proper instructions that are to be attained in our days. Yet each of these five methods have their peculiar advantages, whère- R .>
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