reading your three volumes of fermons to affure you of their fervi which were printed fome years fince.

wishes, and I am,

LET

From t

I muft beg you to direct your next let- regard, Sir, your, & ter to me at St. Leonard's Hill, for we remove thither (if it pleafe God) the day after to-morrow for about two months. My Lord and my fon affure you of their fincere regards, as I am fure Betty would do was the with me, but he is ftill in Yorkihire. I will not add any more at prefent than to deûre the continuance of your prayers, and affure you that I am, with a real veneration and friendship, thoug Sir, your, &c.

Sir,

terr

ha'

t'

HAV

yor

LETTER LXXXIX.

Frances Countess of Hartford, afterward
Dutchefs of Somerset, to Dr. I. Watts

I

Sir,

London, Nov. 28, 1

AM very much afhamed when I fider how long I have been in to you for the favour of a lett fince that time I have had my of care, and my hands full o When I received your's my laid up with a fevere fit which did not permit me to Forest (whither we are more) till the thirteenth When I first came to to agreeable news of my enill in Yorkshire, but, edge of is now well again, urs will be Jl. And for town next week. been bufy in gett reyes for fear to go down into than others have houfe which mather for fear they of my Lord and not blindly and to go to-morrings of others, what them? They are to be let

three or for

Mr. Pope

the

cry

of the herd they

ho

en upon

Jubmiffion of admit all, and

at fafhion makes en, is to me aftonishwonder you fhould have, ats, different apprehenfions t you meet with in authors; ree mind, that unbiaffedly purfues , it cannot be otherwife. Firit, All thors did not write unbiaffedly for truth fake. Secondly, There are fcarce any two men, that have perfectly the fame views of the fame thing, till they come with attention, and perhaps mutual affiftance, to examine it. A confideration that makes converfation with the living a thing much more defirable and ufeful than confulting the dead; would the living but be inquifitive after truth, apply their thoughts with attention to the gaining of it, and be indifferent where it was found, fo they could but find it.

The first requifite to the profiting by books, is not to judge of opinions by Digby chemfelves in, and to take the authority of the writers. None which is nothing but have the right of dictating but God fcourfe they make to one himfelf, and that because he is Truth ever they are going; itfelf. All others have a right to be fol

bergeric it ftand The which way

and

ver

te

e greatnels of it is no manner of lowed as far as I, i. e. as far as the evithat they are in the right. I fay dence of what they fay convinces; and becaufe it is a difcourfe wherein of that my own understanding alone muft you favour any opinions of mine (for I be judge for me, and nothing else. If ke care not to be deceived by the rea- we made our own eyes our guides, and

of my friends), but fay it from admitted or rejected opinions only by themfelves to have received light ther embrace or refufe any tenet, because and conviction from the clearness and we find it published by another, of what clofenels of your reafonings, and that in name or character foever he was.

the evidence of reafon, we fhould nei

You

v things because
e had expe-
that my
medy.

That which I think of Deut. xii. 15. is this, that the reason, why it is faid, as the roebuck and the hart, is because (Lev. xvii.), to prevent idolatry, in offering the blood to other Gods, they were commanded to kill all the cattle that they at the door of the tabernacle, as a Tering, and fprinkle the blood on but wild beafts that were aten, though their blood od (v. 13.); because

fed me on three feveral ocaffuring you that it was oncern I understood that avfelf with the hopes in this lat. Bet you, who would

were taken, their prinkled on the altar; atticed in fuch cases, to Lood wherever they were over it with duft. And for .eafon, when the camp was p, wherein the whole people was neighbourhood of the tabernacle, ng their forty years paffage from gypt to Canaan, and the people were fcattered in their habitations through all the Land of Promife; those who were fo far from the temple were excused (Deut. xii. 21, 22.) from killing their tame cattle at Jerufalem, and sprinkling their blood on the altar. No more was required of them than in killing a roebuck or any other wild beast; they were only to pour out the blood and cover it with duft, and fo they might eat of the flesh. These are my thoughts concerning that passage.

me d difcarried

ou will be

loft any, it

of ftrength of an iffue; but for tain a long train of ne mind having once to be at the pains to go ad fo your connection and lipped the memory, the purand the reafoning is neglected comes to the lait conclufion. have not tried it, you cannot inathe difference there is in ftudying ith and without a pen in your hand. Your ideas, if the connections of them that you have traced be fet down, fo that without the pains of recollecting them in your memory you can take an eafy view of them again, will lead you farther than you can expect. Try, and tell me if it is not fo. 1 fay not this that I fhould not be glad to have any converfation upon whatever points you fhall employ your thoughts about. Propofe what you have of this kind freely, and do not fufpect that it will interfere with my affairs.

What you fay about critics and critical interpretations, particularly of the Scriptures, is not only in my opinion true, but of great ufe to be obferved in reading learned commentators, who not feldom make it their bufinefs to shew in what fenfe a word has been used by other authors; whereas the proper bufinefs of a commentator, is to fhew in what fenfe it was used by the author in that place, which in the Scripture we have reason to conclude was moft commonly in the ordinary vulgar fenfe of the word or phrafe known in that time, because the books were written, as you rightly obferve, and adapted to the people. If critics had obferved this, we should have in their writings lefs oftentation and more truth, and a great deal of darkness now fpread on the Scriptures had been avoided. I have a late proof of this myfelf, who have lately found in fome paffages of Scripture a fenfe quite different from what I understood them in before, or from what I found in commentators; and yet it appears fo clear to me, that when

Know, that befide the pleasure that it is to converse with a thinking man and a lover of truth, I fhall profit by it more than you. This you would fee by the frequency of my vifits, if you were within the reach of them.

though ftill preferving the order of the Bible. The breaks, that arife from that confideration, are what are most likely to lead us into the true knowledge of the Bible. Without them the history of the Bible will be little more than the amufement of other hiftories. I am, Sir, your, &c.

LETTER XCIV.

Mr. John Locke, to Mr. Samuel Bold, at

Y

Sir,

Steeple.

YOUR's of the eleventh of April, I received not till last week. I fuppofe Mr. Churchil ftaid it till that difcourfe, wherein you have been pleafed to defend my Effay, was printed, that they might come together; though neither of them needs a companion to recommend it to me. Your reafonings are fo ftrong and juft, and your friendship to me fo vifible, that every thing must be welcome to me, that comes from your pen, let it be of what kind foever.

I promise myself, that to all thofe who are willing to open their eyes, and enlarge their minds, to a true knowledge of things, this little treatife of yours will be greatly acceptable and ufeful. And for thofe, that will fhut their eyes for fear they fhould fee farther than others have feen before them, or rather for fear they fhould use them, and not blindly and lazily follow the fayings of others, what can be done to them? They are to be let alone to join in the cry of the herd they have placed themselves in, and to take that for applause, which is nothing but the noife that of course they make to one another, which way ever they are going; fo that the greatnels of it is no manner of proof that they are in the right. I fay not this, because it is a difcourfe wherein you favour any opinions of mine (for I take care not to be deceived by the reafonings of my friends), but fay it from thofe who are frangers to you, and who own themfelves to have received light and conviction from the clearness and clofencis of your reafonings, and that in

a matter at firft fight very abftrufe, and remote from ordinary conceptions.

There is nothing that would more rejoice me, than to have you for my neighbour. The advantage that you promise yourfelf from mine, I fhould receive from your converfation. The impartial lovers and feekers of truth are a great deal fewer than one could with or imagine. It is a rare thing to find any one to whom one may communicate one's thoughts freely, and from whom one may expect a careful examination and impartial judg ment of them. To be learned in the lump by other men's thoughts, and to be in the right by faying after others, is the much eafier and quieter way: bat how a rational man, that fhould inquire and know for himself, can content himfelf with a faith or religion taken upon truft, or with fuch a fervile fubmiffion of his understanding, as to admit all, and nothing elfe but what fafhion makes paffable among men, is to me aftonifhing. I do not wonder you fhould have, in many points, different apprehenfions from what you meet with in authors; with a free mind, that unbiaffedly purfaes truth, it cannot be otherwife. First, All authors did not write unbiaffedly for truth fake. Secondly, There are scarce any two men, that have perfectly the fame views of the fame thing, till they come with attention, and perhaps mutual affiftance, to examine it. A confideration that makes converfation with the living a thing much more defirable and ufeful than confulting the dead; would the living but be inquifitive after truth, apply their thoughts with attention to the gaining of it, and be indifferent where it was found, fo they could but find it.

The first requifite to the profiting by books, is not to judge of opinions by the authority of the writers. Nore have the right of dictating but God himself, and that because he is Truth itself. All others have a right to be followed as far as I, i. e. as far as the evidence of what they fay convinces; and of that my own understanding alone muf be judge for me, and nothing elfe. If we made our own eyes our guides, and admitted or rejected opinions only by the evidence of reason, we should nei ther embrace or refufe any tenet, because we find it published by another, of what name or character foever he was.

You

though ftill preferving the order of the Bible. The breaks, that arife from that confideration, are what are most likely to lead us into the true knowledge of the Bible. Without them the hiftory of the Bible will be little more than the amufement of other hiftories. I am, Sir, your, &c.

LETTER XCIV.

Mr. John Locke, to Mr. Samuel Bold,
Steeple.

Sir,

Your's of the eleventh of Apri

ceived not till last week. Mr. Churchil ftaid it till that wherein you have been please my Effay, was printed, the come together; though ne needs a companion to re me. Your reasonings juft, and your friendsh that every thing must that comes from yo what kind foever. I promise myfe1 are willing to of large their mind things, this litt greatly accept thofe, that w they fhould f feen before fhould ufe lazily follo can be d

a matter at first fight

remote from ordina ER XCV.
There is nothin
me, than to ha
The advantag
felf from mi

your conve
and feek
fewer t
It is a

one

free

a

book

ing, that de

that the e existence d be this,

an of Canterbury (after hop), to a friend, wh of a languifhing diffemps, le died.

forry to understand by Mr. T-'s etter to my fon, that your ditempe ..s upon you, and that you feem to ecline fo falt. I am very fenfible how much eafter it is to give advice again trouble, in the cafe of another, than m - I take it in our own. It hath pleafed Ge to exercise me of late with a very fre trial, in the lofs of my dear and only child; in which I do perfectly fubito his good pleasure, firmly believing the he always does what is beft; and yet, though reafon be fatisfied, our paffionis not fo foon appeafed; and when nature has received a wound, time must be al lowed for the healing of it. Since that, God hath thought fit to give me a nearer fummons, and a clofer warning of my mortality, in the danger of an apoplexy; which yet, I thank God for it, hath oc cafioned no very melancholy reflections; but this, perhaps, is more owing to tural temper than philofophy and wit confideration. Your cafe, I know, very different, who are of a temper turally melancholy, and under a difenper apt to increase it, for both which grea allowances are to be made.

and that

to his at

potency, &c. sed, pretend ed therefore I ther about the fay on the oc, that the ideas of fubftances are before the idea of in this I differ from think the ideas of the are antecedent to the tence; for they inuft can any ways affect us, be of their operations, ugpole them to be fore

is going to be printed h you were near, that I w you the feveral alterations s I have made, before they ris. The warm weather that with us, makes me hope I peedily get to town. If any raws you thither this fummer, will order it fo, that I may good fhare of your company. No it more tha, and I have a thing to talk with you.

your, &c.

I

A yet, methinks, both reason and religin do offer to us, confiderations a that folidity and strength, as may very we fupport our fpirits, under all the frailties and infirmities of the flesh; fact as thefe, that God is perfect love goodnefs; that we are not only his creatures, but his children, and as dear 19 him as to ourselves; that he does not afflict willingly, or grieve, the children of men; and that all evils and affitions which befall us, are intended for the curt and prevention of greater evils of fin, and punihment; and therefore we ought not only to fubmit to them with patience, as being deferved by us, but to receive them with thankfulness, as being defigned by him to do us that good, and to bring to that fenfe of him and ourfelves, which perhaps nothing elfe would have done; that the fufferings of this prefent life are

but