Conviction, as a well-form'd and unanswerable Syllogifm.

VIII. ALLOW the Perfon you defire to inftruct, a reasonable Time to enter into the Force of your Argument. When you have declared your own Sentiments in the brightest Manner of Illuftration, and enforced them with the most convincing Arguments, you are not to fuppofe that your Friends should immediately be convinced and receive the Truth: Habitude in a particular Way of thinking, as well as in most other Things, obtains the Force of Nature, and you can't expect to wean a Man from his accuftom'd Errors but by flow Degrees, and by his own Affiftance; entreat him therefore not to judge on the fudden, nor determine against you at once, but that he would pleafe to review your Scheme, reflect upon your Arguments with all the Impartiality he is capable of, and take Time to think thefe over again at large; at least that he would be difpofed to hear you speak yet further on this Subject, without Pain or Averfion.

ADDRESS him therefore in an obliging Manner, and fay, I am not fo fond as to think I have placed the Subject in fuch Lights, as to throw you on a fudden into a new Tract of thinking, or to make you immediately lay afide your prefent Opinions or Designs; all that I hope is, that fome Hint or other which I have given, is capa

ble

ble of being improved by you to your own Conviction, or poffibly it may lead you into fuch a Train of Reafoning, as in Time to effect a Change in your Thoughts. Which Hint leads me to add,

IX. LABOUR as much as poffible to make the Perfon you would teach his own Inftructor. Human Nature may be allur'd, by a fecret Pleafure and Pride in its own Reafoning, to feem to find out by itself the very Thing that you would teach; and there are fome Perfons that have fo much of this natural Byas towards Self rooted in them, that they can never be convinced of a Miftake by the plaineft and strongest Arguments to the contrary, tho' the Demonftration glare in their Faces; but they may be tempted by fuch gentle Infinuations to follow a Track of Thought, which you propofe, till they have wound themfelves out of their own Error, and led themselves hereby into your Opinion; if you do but let it appear, that they are under their own Guidance rather than yours. And perhaps there is nothing which fhews more Dexterity of Addrefs, than this fecret Influence over the Minds of others, which they do not difcern even while they follow it.

X. IF you can gain the main Point in Question, be not very folicitous about the Nicety with which it fall be expreffed. Mankind is fo vain a Thing, that 'tis not willing to

derive from another, and tho' it cannot have every Thing from itself, yet it would feem at leaft to mingle fomething of its own with what it derives elsewhere: Therefore when you have fet your Sentiment in the fulleft Light, and proved it in the most effectual Manner, an Opponent will bring in fome frivolous and ufelefs Diftinction on purpose to change the Form of Words in the Quel tion, and acknowledge that he receives your Propofition in fuch a Senfe, and in such a Manner of Expreffion, tho' he cannot receive it in your Terms and Phrafes. Vanillus will confefs he is now convinced, that a Man who behaves well in the State, ought not to be punished for his Religion; but yet he will not confent to allow an univerfal Toleration of all Religions which don't injure the State, which is the Propofition I had been proving. Well, let Vanillus therefore ufe his own Language, I am glad he is convinced of the Truth; he fhall have leave to drefs it in his own Way.

To thefe Directions I fhall add two Remarks in the Conclufion of this Chapter, which would not fo properly fall under the preceding Directions.

I. Rem. WHEN you have laboured to inftruct a Perfon in fome controverted Truth, and yet he retains fome Prejudice against it, fo that he doth not yield to the convincing Force of your Arguments, you may fome

times have happy Succefs in convincing him of that Truth, by fetting him to read a weak Author, who writes against it: A young Reader will find fuch Pleasure in being able to answer the Arguments of the Oppofer, that he will drop his former Prejudices against the Truth, and yield to the Power and Evidence of your Reafons. I confefs this looks. like fetting up one Prejudice to overthrow another; but where Prejudices cannot be fairly removed by the Dint of Reason, the wifeft and beft of Teachers will fometimes find it neceffary to make a Way 'for Reafon and Truth to take Place by this Contraft of Prejudices.

II. Rem. WHEN our Defign is to convince a whole Family or Community of Perfons of any Mistake, to lead them into any Truth, we may juftly fuppofe there are various reigning Prejudices among them; and therefore it is not fafe to attempt, nor so easy to effect it, by addreffing the whole Number at once. Such a Method has been often found to raise a sudden Alarm, and has produced a violent Oppofition even to the most fair, pious and useful Propofal; fo that he who made the Motion, could never carry his Point.

We must therefore firft make as fure as we can of the moft Intelligent and Learned, at least the moft leading Perfons amongst them, by addrefling them apart prudently,

and

and offering proper Reafons, till they are convinced and engaged on the Side of Truth; and these may with more Succefs apply themfelves to others of the fame Community: yet the original Propofer should not neglect to make a diftinct Application to all the Reft, fo far as Circumftances admit.

WHERE a Thing is to be determined by a Number of Votes, he fhould labour to fe cure a good Majority, and then take care that the most proper Perfons fhould move and argue the Matter in public, left it be quafht in the very firft Propofal by fome Prejudice against the Propofer.

So unhappily are our Circumstances fituated in this World, that if Truth and Justice and Goodness could put on human Forms, and defcend from Heaven to propofe the most divine and ufeful Doctrines, and bring with them the clearest Evidence, and publish them at once to a Multitude whofe Prejudices are engaged against them, the Propofal would be vain and fruitlefs, and would neither convince nor perfuade. So neceffary is it to join Art and Dexterity together with the Force of Reafon to convince Mankind of Truth, unlefs we came furnifht with Miracles or Omnipotence to create a Conviction.*

* The Condua of Christ and bis Apoftles, arm'd as they were with fupernatural Powers in the gradual

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