OF MANS SOULE. Chap. II. 23 



With a man,who knoweth fomething which we doc not,if with- 

 all we be perfwadedthat he doth not ,nor will not tell a lye; we 

 then beleeve what he faith of that thing to be true ; now accord- 

 ing to the perfwafion we have of his knowledge and veracity, 

 ourbelicfeis ftrong, or mingled with doubt : fothat if we have 

 abfolute aflurancc and certainty , that he knoweth the truth and 

 will not lye, then we may be aflured, that the faith which wee 

 yeeld to what he faith, is certaine as well as evident knowledge 

 is certaine,and admitteth no cemparifon with epinion,be it never 

 fo probable :butfoitmay happen, that we may be certainly at- 

 fured that a man doth know the truth of what he fpeaketh of, and 

 that he will not iye in reporting it to us; for feeing no man is 

 wicked without a caufc ; and that to tell a lye in a {erious matter, 

 is a great wickednefle; if once we come to be certaine that he 

 hath no caufe, (as it may fall out we mayj then it followcth^hat 

 we are afiured of thfc thing which he reporteth to us. 



Yet (till fuch faith falleth fhort of the evidence of knowledge 

 in this regard, that its evidence fticketh one degree on this fide the 

 thing it fSfc : and at the pufh ,in fucha cafe we fee but with ano- 

 thers eyes ; and confequent Jy, if any oppofition doe arife againft 

 our thought thereabout, it is not the brames, and the light ofthe 

 thing it felfe,which ftrengthen us againft fuch oppo{ition,but the 

 goodnefle ofthe party upon whom we rely. 



Before I goe any further, I muft needs remember one thing, 8. 

 that our Matters teach us : which is, that tmth and falfehood are Why truth is 

 ft>ft found mfayings or #*f*W*W.r; and that although finglc ^ c perfc a 

 apprehcnfiens are in our mind before thefe judgements, yet are f ou a i e r ; a a ndwhy 

 they not true or falfe themfelves, nor is the underftanding fo by i t is not Lund j 

 them. Tocomprehend thereafonofthismaxime, Ittusconfider infmipleap- 

 >vhat truth and falfehood are : furely truth is nothing elfe, but the prchenfipns as 



confirmity of our understanding, with the thincs that make im- well . as . mE - 



ff. J i i/- L j-jr - nuntiations. 



prtm-jn upon it : and coniequently , ralfchood is adifagreemg 



bet ween our mind and thofc things : if the exiftcnce which the 

 things hav in us, be agreeable to the Exiftcnce they have in 

 themfelves ; then our underftanding is true ; otherwife it is falfe. 

 Now the naturall perfection of our Soule or underftanding, is to 

 be fraught with the reft of the whole world, that is to have the 

 knowledge of all things that arc ; theknowlsdge of their cflen- 

 ces, of their natures, gf their propricties,of tbcir operations, and 



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