1. The sacrifice of dissipation is the first price we must pay for the truth. Be attentive is the first Be attentive is the first precept, which we must obey, if we would know it. A modern philosopher has carried, I think, this precept too far. He pretends that the mind of man is united to two very different beings; first to the portion of matter, which constitues his body, and next, to God, to eternal wisdom, to universal reason. He pretends, that, as the emotions, which are excited in our brain, are the cause of our sentiments, effects of the union of the soul to the body; so attention is the occasional cause of our knowledge, and of our ideas, effects of the union of our mind to God, to eternal wisdom, to universal reason. The system of this philosopher on this subject hath been long since denominated a philosophical romance. It includes, however, the necessity, and the advantage, of attention, which is of the last importance. Dissipation is a turn of mind, which makes us divide our mind among various objects, at a time when we ought to fix it wholly on one. Attention is the opposite disposition, which collects, and fixes our ideas on one object. Two reflections will be sufficient to prove that truth is unattainable without the sacrifice of dissipation, and the application of a close attention.

The first reflection is taken from the nature of the human mind, which is finite, and contracted within a narrow sphere. We have only a portion of genius. If, while we are examining a compound proposition, we do not proportion our attention to the extent of the proposition, we shall see it only in part, and we shall fall into error. The most absurd propositions have some motives of credibility. If we consider only two motives of credibility in a subject, which hath two degrees of probability, and if we consider three degrees of probability in a subject, which hath only four, this last will appear more credible to us than the first,

The second reflection is taken from experience. Every one, who hath made the trial, knows, that things have appeared to him true or false, probable or certain, according to the dissipation which divided, or the attention which fixed, his mind in the examination. Whence is it, that on certain days of retirement, recollection, and meditation, piety seems to be the only object worthy of our attachment, and, with a mind fully convinced, we say, My portion, O Lord, is to keep thy words? Psal. cxix. 57. Whence is it, that, in hearing

* Malbranche, in his search after truth. Book III. chap. 6.

hearing a sermon, in which the address of the preacher forceth our attention, in a manner, in spite of ourselves, we exclaim, as Israel of old did, All that the Lord hath spoken, we will do? Exod. xix. 8. Whence is it, that, on a deathbed, we freely acknowledge the solidity of the instructions that have been given us on the emptiness of worldly possessions, and readily join our voices to all those that cry, Vanity of vanities, all is vanity, and vexation of spirit? Ecces. i. 2. Whence is it, on the contrary, that in the gaiety of youth, and in the vigour of health, the same objects appear to us substantial and solid, which seem void and vexatious when we come to die? How comes it to pass, that a commerce with the world subverts all the systems of piety, which we form in our closets? How is it, that demonstrations expire when sermons end, and that all we have felt in the church ceaseth to affect us when we go out of the gate? Is there, then, nothing sure in the nature of beings? Is truth nothing but an exterior denomination, as the schools term it, nothing but a creature of reason, a maimer of conceiving? Doth our mind change its nature, as circumstances change the appearance of things? Doth that, which was true in our closets, in our churches, in a calm of our passions, become false when the passions are excited, when the church doors are shut, and the world appears? God forbid! It is because, in the first circumstances, we are all taken up with studying the truth; whereas health, the world, the passions, disperse, (so to speak,) our attention, and, by dissipating, weaken it.

I add further, Dissipation is one ordinary source, not only of errors in judgment, but also of criminal actions in practice. We declaim, perhaps, too much against the malice of mankind. Perhaps men may not be so wicked as we imagine. When we can obtain their attention to certain truths, we find them affected with them; we find their hearts accessible to motives of equity, gratitude, and love. If men seem averse to these virtues, it is sometimes their attention is divided among them; it is because they are taken up with a circle of temporal objects; it is because the hurry of the world incessantly deafens them. Ignorance and error are inseparable from dissipation. Be attentive, then, is the first precept we give you. The sacrifice of dissipation, then, is necessary, in order to our arrival at the knowledge of truth.

But, if truth can be obtained only by observing this precept, and by making this sacrifice, let us ingenuously own,

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truth is put up at a price, and at a great price. The expression of the wise man is just, the truth must be bought. Buy the truth. Our minds, averse from recollection and attention, love to rove from object to ohject, they particularly avoid those objects which are intellectual, and which have nothing to engage the senses, of which kind are the truths of religion. The majesty of an invisible God who hideth himself, cannot captivate them; and as they are usually employed about earthly things, so terrestrial ideas generally involve them. Satan, who knows that a believer, studious of the truth, is the most formidable enemy to his empire, strives to divert him from it. As soon as Abraham prepares his offering, the birds of prey interrupt his sacrifice: a disciple of truth drives such birds away. Among various objects, amidst numerous dissipations, in spite of opposite ideas, which resist and combat one another, he gathers up his attention and unreservedly turns his soul to the study of truth.

2. The second sacrifice is that of indolence, or slothfulness of mind; and Be not discouraged at labour is the second precept, which must be observed, if you would obtain the knowledge of truth. This article is connected with the preceding. The sacrifice of dissipation, cannot be made without making this of indolence, or sluggishness of mind. Attention is labour; it is even one of the most painful labours. The labour of the mind is often more painful than that of the body; and the greatest part of mankind have less aversion to the greatest fatigues of the body, than to the least application of mind. The military life seems the most laborious; yet, what an innumerable multitude of men prefer it before the study of the sciences! This is the reason, the study of the sciences requires a contention, which costs our indolence more than the military life would cost it.

Although the labour of the mind is painful, yet it is surmountable, and it is formed in the same manner in which fatigue of body is rendered tolerable. A man, who is accustomed to ease and rest, a man, who hath been delicately brought up, cannot bear to pass days and nights on horseback, to have no settled abode, to be continually in action, to waste away by the heat of the day, and the inclemency of the night. Nothing but use and exercise can harden a man to these fatigues. In like manner, a man, who hath been accustomed to pass his days and nights on horseback, to have no settled abode, to be continually in action, to wear him

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self out with the heat of the day, and the cold of the night; a man whose body seems to have changed its nature, and to have contracted the hardness of iron, or stone; such a man cannot bear the fatigue of attention. It is then necessary to accustom the mind to labour, to inure it to exercise, to render it apt, by habit and practice, to make those efforts of attention, which elevate those, who are capable of them, to ideas the most sublime, and to mysteries the most abstruse.

They, whom Providence calls to exercise mechanical arts, have reason to complain; for every thing, that is necessary to discharge the duties of their calling, diverts their attention from what we are now recommending, and absorbs their minds in sensible and material objects. God, however, will exercise his equitable mercy towards them, and their cases afford us a presumptive proof of that admirable diversity of judgment, which God will observe at the last day. He will make a perfect distribution of the various circumstances of mankind; and to whom he hath committed much, of him he will ask the more, Luke xii. 48.

Let no one abuse this doctrine. Every mechanic is engaged, to a certain degree, to sacrifice indolence and dulness of mind. Every mechanic hath an immortal soul. Every mechanic ought to buy the truth by labour and attention. Let every one of you, then, make conscience of devoting a part of his time to recollection and meditation. Let each, amidst the meanest occupations, accustom himself to think of a future state. Let each endeavour to surmount the reluctance, which, alas! we all have to the study of abstract subjects. Be not disheartened at your labour, is our second precept, The sacrifice of indolence and sluggishness of mind is the second sacrifice, which truth demands.

3. It requires, in the next place, that we should sacrifice precipitancy of judgment. Few people are capable of this sacrifice indeed, there are but few, who do not consider suspension of judgment as a weakness, although it is one of the noblest efforts of genius and capacity. In regard to human sciences, it is thought a disgrace, to say, I cannot determine such, or such a question. The decision of it would require so many years study and examination. I have been but so many years in the world, and I have spent a part in the study of this science, a part in the pursuit of that; one part in this domestic employment, and another in that. It is absurd to suppose that I have been able to examine all the VOL. II. principles,

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principles, and all the consequences, all the calculations, all the proofs, and all the difficulties, on which the ecclaircissement of this question depen is. Wisdom requires, that my mind should remain undetermined on this question, that I should neither affirm, nor deny, any thing of a subject, the evidences, and the difficulties, of which are alike unknown

to me.

In regard to religion, people usually make a scruple of conscience of suspending their judgments: yet, in our opinion, a christian is so much the more obliged to do this, by how much more the truths of the gospel surpass in sublimity and importance all the objects of human science. I forgive this folly in a man educated in superstition, who is threatened with eternal damnation, if he renounce certain doctrines, which not only he hath not examined, but which he is forbidden to examine under the same penalty. But that casuists, who are, or who ought to be, men of learning and piety, should imagine they have obtained a signal victory over infidelity, and have accredited religion, when, by the help of some terrific declamations, they have extorted a catechumen's consent; this is what we could have scarcely believed had we not seen numberless examples of it. And that you, my brethren, who are a free people, you who are spiritual men, and ought to judge all things, 1 Cor. ii. 15. that you should at any time submit to such casuists; this is what we could have hardly credited, had not experience afforded us too many mortifying proofs.

Let us not incorporate our fancies with religion. The belief of a truth, without evidence, can render us no more agreeable to God than the belief of a falshood. A truth, received without proof, is, in regard to us, a kind of falshood. Yea, a truth, received without evidence, is a never failing source of many errors; because a truth, received without evidence, is founded, in regard to us, only on false principles. And, if, by a kind of hazard, in which reason hath no part, a false principle engage us to receive a truth on this occasion, the same principle will engage us to receive an error on another occasion. We must then suspend our judgments, whatever inclination we may naturally have to determine at once, in order to save the attention and labour, which a more ample discussion of truth would require. By this mean, we shall not attain, indeed, all knowledge: but we shall prevent all errors. The goodness of God doth not propose to enable us to know all truth: but it proposeth to