than a Rational Creature ; But to difcern wherein the difference confifts when two Notions very nearly Resemble each other, but are not the Same; Or to fee the just weight of an Argument, and that through all its Artificial Difguifes; to do This 'tis neceffary to Conceive, Diftinguish, Methodize, and Compare Ideas in a manner that few of All those Multitudes that pretend to Reafoning have accustomed themfelves to. But Thus to See, Thus Nicely to Distinguish things nearly resembling one another, Whether Visible, or Immaterial, is the Business of a Connoiffeur. 'Tis for want of this Diftinguishing Faculty that Some whom I have known, and from whom one might Reasonably have expected better have blunder'd as Grossly as if they had Mistaken a Coreggio for for a Rembrandt; or (to speak more intelligably to thofe who are not well acquainted with these things) an Apple, for an Oyster : But Leffer Miftakes have been made perpetually when the difference between the two Manners, That which we faw before us, and That which it was judg'd to be, Whether as to the Mafters way of Thinking, or of Executing his thoughts was nevertheless very easily discernable. "Tis as neceffary to a Connoiffeur as to a Philofopher, or Divine to be a good Logician; The Same Faculties are employ'd, and in the Same manner, the Difference is only in the Subject. 1. He must never undertake to make any Judgment without having in his Mind Certain, Determin'd Ideas, He must not Think, or Talk at Random, and when he he is not Clear in the thing; As those Gentlemen Mr. Lock (peaks of fomwhere who were disputing warmly upon a certain Liquor in the Body, and might probably never have come to any Conclufion if he had not put them upon fettling the Meaning of that Term Liquor ; They talk'd all the while in the Clouds. 2. A good Connoiffeur will take care not to Confound things in which there is a real Difference because of the Refemblance they may Seem to have. This he has perpetual occafion to be upon his guard againft, for many times. the Hands, and Manners of Different Masters very near resemble each other: Miftakes of This kind are very Common in Other Cafes. That there are Indifferent Actions, that is, Such as are neither Com Commanded, nor Forbidden paffes currantly with almost Every body; This is imagin'd to be a fort of Waft ground between the Frontiers of the two Empires of God, and the Devil; but 'tis no other than Imaginary: For tho there are Many Actions of which no Reveal'd, or Poffitive Law has taken any notice, there are None which fall not under the cognizance of the Moral Law, the Law of Nature; and there is a Wide Difference between being left Free by One of Thefe, and Both of them. So it will be thought 'twas Indifferent Whether (for example) I had taken up the Pen I have in my hand, or That which lay by it, as Good as This for ought I know: And it was Indifferent as to the Principal Confideration concerning it, because I knew Bb not not which of the two was the Beft; but Other Circumstances, as they determin'd my Choice of This rather than That, deftroy'd that Seeming Indifference; This was what my Eye first struck upon, was readieft to my hand, c. If there are a thousand Circumftances relating to two things, and they agree exactly in All but One of them; This gives us two as diftinct Ideas as of any two things in the Universe. And if we carefully observe it we shall find some fuch Diftinguishing Circumftances in every Action we do, which determines us to the doing of That rather than fome Other, how Indifferent foever it may feem to be which of them we do. Effay of Humane There is the fame difference between the Demonftration Mr. Lock gives |