any

Here the first thing you do is to pretend an uncertainty of what I mean by Knowing or Knowledge, and by Believing or Opinion. First, As to knowledge, I have faid certainly know. I have call'd it Vifion, Knowledge and Certainty, Knowledge properly fo called. And as for Believ ing or Opinion, I fpeak of Believing with affu rance, and fay, that Believing in the highest degree of Affurance, is not Knowledge. That whatever is not capable of Demonftration, is not, unless it be felf-evident, capable to produce Knowledge, how well grounded and great foever the Aflurance of Faith may be wherewith it is received. That I grant that a strong Affurance of Truth fettled upon prevalent and wellgrounded Arguments of Probability is of ten called Knowledge in popular ways of talking, but being here to diftinguith between Knowledge and Belief, to what degrees of Confidence foever raised, their Boundaries must be kept, and their Names not confounded, with more to the fame purpose. P. 2, 3, and 4. whereby it is fo plain, that by Knowledge, I mean the effect of strict Demonstration; and by Believing or Opinion, I mean any degree of perfuafion even to the highest degree of Affurance, that I challenge you your felf to fet it down in plainer and more exprefs terms. But no Body can blame you for not finding your

Adverfary's

Adversary's meaning, let it be never fo plain, when you can find nothing to answer to it. The reafon therefore which you alledge for the denying the fufficiency of my divifion, is no reafon at all. Your pretended reason is because there is a third fort or degree of Perfuafion; which, though not grounded upon ftri&t Demonftration, yet in Firmnefs and Stability does far exceed that which is built upon flight appearances of probability, &c. Let it be fo, that there is a degree of perfuafion not grounded upon ftrict Demonstration, far exceeding that which is built upon flight appearances of probability. But let me afk you what reafon can this be to deny the fufficiency of my divifion, because there is, as you fay, a third fort or degree of perfuafion, when even that which you call this third fort or degree of perfuafion is contained in my divifion. This is a Specimen indeed, not of answering what I have faid, but of not an fwering; and for fuch I leave it to the Reader. A degree of perfuafion, though not grounded on ftrict Demonftration, yet in Firmnefs and Stability far exceeding that which is built upon flight appearances of probability, you call here a third fort or degree of perfuafion. Pray tell me which are the two other forts; for Knowledge upon strict Demonftration, is not Belief or Perfuafion,

but

but wholly above it. Besides, if the degrees of firmness in Perfuafion make different forts of Perfuafion, there are not only three, but three hundred forts of Perfuafion; and therefore the naming of your third fort was with little ground, and to no purpose or tendency to an Answer; though the drawing in fomething like a distinction be always to the purpose of a Man who hath nothing to answer, it giving occafion for the use of many good words; which, tho' nothing to the point, ferve to cover the Difputants faying nothing under the appearance of Learning, to thofe who will not be at the pains to examine what he says.

You fay, Every Magiftrate is by the Law of Nature under an Obligation to use Force to bring Men to the True Religion. To this I urge, that the Magiftrate hath nothing else to determine him in the ufe of Force for promotion of any Religion one before another, but only his own Belief or Perfuafion of the Truth of it. Here you had nothing to do, but fairly to grant or deny; but inftead thereof you firft raife a groundless Doubt as I have thewn about my Meaning, whereof there could be no doubt at all to any one who would but read what I had faid; and thereupon having got a pretence for a distinction, you folemnly tell the World there is a

third fort of Perfuafion, which, though not grounded on ftrict Demonftration, yet in Firmnefs and Stability, does far exceed that which is built upon flight appearances of Probability, leaving no doubt, approaching near to Knowledge, being full Aurance. Well, the Magistrate hatli a Perfuafion of Firmness and Stability, has full Affurance; must he be determin'd by this his full Affurance in the promoting of that Religion by Force, of whofe Truth he is in fo high a degree of Perfuafion fo fully affur'd? No, fay you, it must be grounded upon fuch clear and folid proof as leaves no reasonable doubt in an attentive and unbiafs'd Mind. To which the Magiftrate is ready to reply, that he, upon his grounds, can fee no reafonable doubt, and that his is an attentive and unbiafs'd Mind, of all which he himself is to be Judge, 'till you can produce your Authority to judge for him, though, in the Conclufion, you actually make your felf judge for him. 'Tis fuch a kind of Perfuafion, fuch a full Affurance must point out to the Magiftrate that Religion he is to promote by Force, which can never be bad but of the true Religion: Which is in effect, as every one may fee, the Religion that you judge to be true, and not the Religion the Magistrate judges to be true. For tell me, muft the Magiftrate's full Affurance point

pray

out

out to him the Religion which he is by Force to promote, or muft he by Force promote a Religion, of whofe Truth he has no Belief, no Affurance at all? If you fay the first of thefe, you grant that every Magiftrate must ufe Force to promote his own Religion, for that is the Religion whereof he has fo full Affurance, that he ventures his eternal state upon it. Ay, fay you, that is for want of attention, and because he is not unbiass'd. 'Tis like he will fay the fame of you, and then you are quits. And that he fhould by Force promote that Religion which he believes not to be true, is fo abfurd, that I think you can neither expect it, or bring your felf to fay it. Neither of these therefore being Answers that you can make use of, that which lies at the bottom, though you give it but covertly, is this, That the Magiftrate ought by Force to promote the Religion that you believe with full affurance to be true. This would do admirably well for your purpose, were not the Magiftrate intitled to afk, who made Judge for him in the Cafe? And ready to retort your own words upon you, that 'tis want of attention and unbiaffedness in that puts your Religion paft doubt with you upon your proofs of it. Try when you pleafe with a Bramin, a Mahometan, a Papift, Lutheran, Quaker, Anabaptift, Pref

you a

you,

byterian,