GENERAL INDICATIONS, 



Ssc. 8$c. 



CHAP. I. Truth. 



1. As the word "Truth" is used in general, there 

 is nothing further meant by it than that it is synonymous with 

 " belief." Our religion is called the true religion: we esteem 

 Christ to be above Mahomet: a Turk says his is the true religion, 

 yet he conceives Mahomet to be greater than Christ. Another 

 worships the Sun, a beast, or a devil of his own contrivance, and 

 each is ready to affirm that his own is the true religion. Our 

 notion of Truth certainly does not at first sight afford this latitude; 

 it certainly does not allow that things contrary and incompatible 

 can both be true.; and yet it is seen, as in the above examples, that 

 propositions which are contradictory may be respectively believed. 

 If we want more examples, we have them in this way : a merchant 

 hears that a great venture has miscarried; that his ship parted 

 company in a tremendous sea, was speedily lost sight of, and was 

 said to have gone down: this account seems well authenticated, 

 and our merchant (as we are not apt to discredit ill) believes him- 

 self ruined, until he receives intelligence from his captain, saying 

 how the ship rode through the tempest with slight damages, was then 

 safe, and her cargo entire. The case is, that the merchant believed 

 his ship lost, when she was safe. To proceed with fewer words 

 2. A question of Truth is a question of the existence of the 

 object concerning which such question might be proposed. Truth 

 then refers to existence, and may be applied universally as to the 

 existence of the world, or, with limitation, reduced to any par- 

 ticular department or form of existence. To go a little higher, it 

 must be inquired upon what foundation does our idea of existence 



