The Examination of P. Malebranche's Opinion, Of seeing all things in God, fhews it to be a very groundless Notion, and was not publish'd by the Author, because he look'd upon it to be an Opinion that would not spread, but was like to die of its felf, or at leaft to do no great Harm.

The Difcourfe of Miracles was writ for his own Satisfaction, and never went beyond the first Draught, and was occafion'd by his reading Mr. Fleetwood's Effay on Miracles, and the Letter writ to him on that Subject.

The fourth Letter for Toleration is imperfect, was begun by the Author a little before his Death, but never finifhd. It was defign'd for an Answer to a Book entituled, A Second Letter to the Author of the three Letters for Toleration, &c. which was writ against the Author's third Letter for Toleration, about twelve Tears after the faid third Letter had been publifh'd.

The Memoirs of the late Earl of Shaftsbury are. only certain particular Facts fat down in Writing by the Author as they occurr'd to his Memory if Time and Health would have permitted him, he had gone on farther, and from fuch Materials have col lected and compiled an Hiftory of that noble Peer.

P

ERRATA.

Age 21. Line 3. for that read than, p. 21. 1. 25. dele but, p. 76. 1. 7. for ne ran, p.80.1.23. after make add fuch, p. 88.1. 15. for obftrude r. obtrude, p. 107.1. 10. for ftain'd r. ftrain'd, p. 116. 1.7. dele a before mistake, p. 1. 25. for Cures r. Cure, p. 141. 1. 1o. for haver, made, p. 240. 1. 9. for here; for you 1. here for you. p. 270. 1.8. for is r. is not.

OF

OF THE

CONDUCT

OF THE

UNDERSTANDING.

Quid tam temerarium tamque indignum fapientis gravitate atque conftantia, quam aut falfum fentire, aut quod non fatis explorate perceptum fit & cognitum fine ulla dubitatione defendere? Cic. de Naturâ Deorum, lib. I.

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3

INTRODUCTION.

II.

T

HE laft refort a Man has re- Introdu&ion courfe to in the Conduct of himself, is his Understanding; for though we distinguish the Faculties of the Mind, and give the fupreme Command to the Will, as to an Agent; yet the truth is, the Man which is the Agent determines himself to this or that voluntary Action, upon fome precedent Knowledge, or appearance of Knowledge in the Understanding. No Man ever fets himself about any thing but upon fome view or other which ferves him for a reason for what he does: And whatsoever Faculties he employs, the Understanding with fuch Light as it has, well or ill informed, conftantly leads, and by that Light, true or falfe, all his operative Powers are directed. The Will it felf, how abfolute and uncontroulable foever it may be thought, never fails in its Obedience to the Dictates of the Understanding. Temples have their facred Images, and we fee what Influence they have always had over a great

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Introduction a great part of Mankind. But in truth the Ideas and Images in Mens Minds are the invifible Powers that conftantly govern them, and to these they all univerfally pay a ready Submiflion. It is therefore of the higheft Concernment, that great care should be taken of the Understanding, to conduct it right in the fearch of Knowledge, and in the Judgments it makes.

The Logick now in ufe has fo long poffeffed the Chair, as the only Art taught in the Schools for the Direction of the Mind in the Study of the Arts and Sciences, that it would perhaps be thought an affectation of Novelty to fufpect, that Rules that have ferved the learned World these two or three thousand Years, and which without any complaint of Defects the Learned have refted in, are not fufficient to guide the Understanding. And I fhould not doubt but this Attempt would be cenfured as Vanity or Prefumption, did not the great Lord Verulam's Authority juftifie it; who not fervilely thinking Learning could not be advanced beyond what it was, becaufe for many Ages it had not been, did not reft in the lazy Approbation and Applaufe of what was, because it was; but enlarged his Mind to what might be. In his Preface to his Novum Organum concerning Logick he pronounces thus, Qui fummas Dialectica partes

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