PART V. 



I WOULD here willingly have proceeded to exhibit 

 the whole chain of truths which I deduced from 

 these primary; but as with a view to this it would 

 have been necessary now to treat of many questions 

 in dispute among the learned, with whom I do not 

 wish to be embroiled, I believe that it will be better 

 for me to refrain from this exposition, and only 

 mention in general what these truths are, that the 

 more judicious may be able to determine whether a 

 more special account of them would conduce to the 

 public advantage. I have ever remained firm in my 

 original resolution to suppose no other principle than 

 that of which I have recently availed myself in 

 demonstrating the existence of God and of the soul, 

 and to accept as true nothing that did not appear to 

 me more clear and certain than the demonstrations 

 of the geometers had formerly appeared ; and yet I 

 venture to state that not only have I found means to 

 satisfy myself in a short time on all the principal 

 difficulties which are usually treated of in Philos 

 ophy, but I have also observed certain laws estab 

 lished in nature by God in such a manner, and of 

 which he has impressed on our minds such notions, 

 that after we have reflected sufficiently upon these, 

 we cannot doubt that they are accurately observed 



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