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THE

IMPROVEMENT OF THE MIND.

Part First,

CONTAINING

A VARIETY OF REMARKS AND RULES

FOR

THE ATTAINMENT AND COMMUNICATION OF USEFUL KNOWLEDGE

IN RELIGION, IN THE SCIENCES, AND IN COMMON LIFE.

THE

IMPROVEMENT

OF THE

MIND.

PART I.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE ATTAINMENT OF USEFUL KNOWLEDGE,

INTRODUCTION.

No man is obliged to learn and know every thing; this can neither be sought nor required, for it is utterly impos sible yet all persons are under some obligation to improve their own understanding, otherwise it will be a barren desert, or a forest overgrown with weeds and brambles. Universal ignorance or infinite errors will overspread the mind which is utterly neglected, and lies without any cultivation.

Skill in the sciences is indeed the business and profession but of a small part of mankind; but there are many others placed in such an exalted rank in the world, as allows them much leisure and large opportunities to cultivate their reason, and to beautify and enrich their minds with various knowledge. Even the lower orders of men have particular callings in life, wherein they ought to acquire a just degree of skill, and this is not to be done well without thinking and reasoning about them.

The common duties and benefits of society, which belong to every man living, as we are social creatures, and even our native and necessary relations to a family, a neighbourhood

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neighbourhood, or a government, oblige all persons whatsoever to use their reasoning powers upon a thousand occasions; every hour of life calls for some regular exercise of our judgement as to times and things, persons and actions; without a prudent and discreet determination in matters before us, we shall be plunged into perpetual errors in our conduct. Now that which should always be practised must at some time be learnt.

Besides, every son and daughter of Adam has a most important concern in the affairs of a life to come, and therefore it is a matter of the highest moment for every one to understand, to judge, and to reason rightly about the things of religion. It is in vain for any to say, we have no leisure or time for it. The daily intervals of time, and vacancies from necessary labour, together with the one day in seven in the Christian world, allows sufficient time for this, if men would but apply themselves to it with half as much zeal and diligence as they do to the trifles and amusements of this life; and it would turn to infinitely better account. Thus it appears to be the necessary duty and the interest of every person living to improve his understanding, to inform his judgement, to treasure up useful knowledge, and to acquire the skill of good reasoning, as far as his station, capacity, and circumstances, furnish him with proper means for it. Our mistakes in judgement may plunge us into much folly and guilt in practice. By acting without thought or reason, we dishonour the God that made us reasonable creatures; we often become injurious to our neighbours, kindred, or friends, and we bring sin and misery upon ourselves: For we are accountable to God, our Judge, for every part of our irregular and mistaken conduct, where he hath given us sufficient advantages to guard against those mistakes.

It is the design of Logic to give this improvement to the mind, and to teach us the right use of reason in the acquirement and communication of all useful knowledge though the greatest part of writers on that subject have turned it into a composition of hard words, trifles, and subtilties for

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the mere use of the schools, and that only to amuse the minds and the ears of men with empty sounds, which flatter their vanity, and puff up their pride with a pompous and glittering shew of false learning and thus they have perverted the great and valuable design of that science.

A few modern writers have endeavoured to recover the honour of Logic, since that excellent author of the Art of Thinking led the way: Among the rest I have presumed to make an attempt of the same kind, in a treatise published several years ago, wherein it was my constant aim to assist the reasoning powers of every rank and order of men, as well as to keep an eye to the best interest of the schools and the candidates of true learning. There I have endeavoured to shew the mistakes we are exposed to in our conception, judgement, and reasoning, and pointed to the various springs of them. I have also laid down many general and particular rules how to escape error, and attain truth in matters of the civil and religious life, as well as in the sciences.

But there are several other obsérvations very pertinent to this purpose, which have not fallen so directly under any of those heads of discourse, or at least they would have swelled that treatise to an improper size; and therefore I have made a distinct collection of them here out of various authors, as well as from my own observation, and set them down under the following heads.

The learned world, which has done so much unmerited honour to that logical treatise, as to receive it into our two flourishing universities, may possibly admit this as a second part or supplement to that treatise. And I may venture to persuade myself, that if the common and the busy ranks of mankind, as well as the scholar and the gentleman, would but transcribe such rules into their understanding, and practise them upon all occasions, there would be much more truth and knowledge found among men ; and it is reasonable to hope, that justice, virtue, and goodness, would attend as the happy consequents.

CHAP.

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