THE SECOND TREATISE: 



DECLARING 



The nature and operations of Mans Soule. 



THE FIRST CHAPTER. 



Ofjtmflt 



THat we may duly underftand,what a right Apprehenfi- j. 

 on isjlet usconfidcr the preeminence that a man who What i* aright 

 apprehendeth a thing rigntly, hath ever himwhomif- apprehenfion 

 feth of doing To. This latter can but rove wildly at the 

 nature of the thing he apprehendeth; and will never be able to 

 draw any operation into aft, out of the apprehenfion he hath fra- 

 med of it. As for example : if a man be to work upon gold, and 

 by reafon of its refemblance unto brafle, hath formed an appre- 

 henfion of brafle, ioftead of an apprehenfion of gold, and then 

 ( knowing that the aftion of fire, will refolve brafle into its leaft 

 parts,and fever its moift from its dry ones,) will go about to cal 

 cine gold in the fame manner as he would do brafle , he will foon 

 find that he lofeth his labour ; and that ordinary fire is not an ade- 

 quate Agent to dcftroy the homogeneall nature, and to fever the 

 minute parts of that fixed mettall: all which happencth, out of 

 the wrong apprehenfion he hath made of gold. Whereas on the 

 other fide, he that apprehendeth a thing rightly-, if heplcafethto 

 difcourfe of what heapprehendeth^findcth in his apprehenfion all 

 the parts and qualities, which are in the thing he difcourfeth of: 

 for example, if he apprehendeth rightly a knife, .or a beetle, or 

 a five,or any other thing whatfoever; in the knife he will find haft 

 and blade ; the blade of irn, thick on the back, and thin on the 

 edge ; tempered to be hard and tough ; thus beaten, fo ground,in 

 fuch manner foftned,thus quenched, and whatfoever elfeconcer- 



A a a ncth 



