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Ionly intend to fuggeft fome hints for guarding the mind against error; and thefe, I hope, will be found to be deduced from principles which every man of common capacity may examine by his daily experience.

It is true, that feveral fubjects of intricate fpeculation are examined in this book: but I have endeavoured, by conftant appeals to fact and experience, by illuftrations and examples the most familiar I could think of, and by a plainnefs and perfpicuity of expreffion which fometimes may appear too much affected, to examine them in fuch a way, that I hope cannot fail to render them intelligible, e-ven to those who are not much converfant in ftudies of this kind. Truth, like virtue, to be loved, needs only to be seen. My principles require no difguife; on the contrary, they will, if I mistake not, be moft easily admitted by those who best understand them. And I am perfuaded, that the fceptical fyftem would never have made fuch an alarming progrefs, if it had been well understood. The ambiguity of its language, and the intricacy and length of fome

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fome of its fundamental investigations, have unhappily been too fuccefsful in producing that confufion of thought, and indiftin&tnefs of apprehenfion, in the minds both of authors and readers, which are fo favourable to error and fophiftry.

Few men have ever engaged in controverfy, religious, political, or philofophical, without being in fome degree chargeable with mifconception of the adverfary's meaning. That I have never erred in this way, I dare not aflirm. But I am confcious of having done every thing in my power to guard against it. The greater part of thefe papers have lain by me for feveral years; they have been repeatedly perufed by fome of the acuteft philofophers of the age, whom I have the honour to call.my friends, and to whofe advice and affiftance, on this, as on other occafions, I am deeply indebted. I have availed myfelf all I could cf reading and converfation; and endeavoured, with all the candour I am mafter of, to profit by every hint of improvement, and to examine to the bottom every objection, that others have offered, or myfelf could devife. And

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may I not be permitted to add, that every
one of those who have perufed this effay,
has advised the author to publish it; and
that many
of them have encouraged him
by this infinuation, to him the most flat-
tering of all others, That by fo doing, he
would probably be of fome fervice to the
caufe of truth, virtue, and mankind? In
this hope he fubmits it to the public. And
it is this hope only that could have indu-
ced him to attempt polemical difquifition :
a fpecies of writing, which, in his own
judgement, is not the moft creditable;
which he knows, to his coft, is not the
moft pleafing; and of which he is well
aware, that it can hardly fail to draw up-
on him the refentment of a numerous,
powerful, and fashionable party. But,

Welcome for thee, fair Virtue! all the past;
For thee, fair Virtue! welcome even the laft.

If these pages, which he hopes none will condemn who have not read, fhall throw any light on the firft principles of moral fcience; if they fhall fuggeft, to the young and unwary, any cautions against that fophiftry, and licentioufnefs of principle, -which too much infect the converfations

and

and compofitions of the age; if they fhall, in any measure, contribute to the fatisfaction of any of the friends of truth and virtue; his purpose will be completely anfwered: and he will, to the end of his life, rejoice in the recollection of thofe painful hours which he passed in the examination of this most important controverfy.

A N

A N

ESS A Y

O N THE

NATURE and IMMUTABILITY

O F

TRUTH,

IN OPPOSITION то

SOPHISTRY and SCEPTICISM,

I

PROPOSE to treat this fubject in the following manner.

FIRST, I fhall endeavour to trace the feveral kinds of Evidence and Reafoning up to their first principles; with a view to afcertain the Standard of Truth, and explain its immutability.

SECONDLY, I fhall fhow, that my fentiments on this head, however inconfiftent with the genius of fcepticism, and with the practice and principles of fcep

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