with Anaximenes, the air, to be God; and what a divinity,
religion, and worship must we needs have! Nothing can be so dangerous as
PRINCIPLES thus TAKEN UP WITHOUT QUESTIONING OR EXAMINATION; especially
if they be such as concern morality, which influence men's lives, and
give a bias to all their actions. Who might not justly expect another
kind of life in Aristippus, who placed happiness in bodily pleasure; and
in Antisthenes, who made virtue sufficient to felicity? And he who, with
Plato, shall place beatitude in the knowledge of God, will have his
thoughts raised to other contemplations than those who look not beyond
this spot of earth, and those perishing things which are to be had in
it. He that, with Archelaus, shall lay it down as a principle, that
right and wrong, honest and dishonest, are defined only by laws, and not
by nature, will have other measures of moral rectitude and gravity, than
those who take it for granted that we are under obligations antecedent
to all human constitutions.

5. To do so is no certain Way to Truth.

If, therefore, those that pass for PRINCIPLES are NOT CERTAIN, (which we
must have some way to know, that we may be able to distinguish them
from those that are doubtful,) but are only made so to us by our blind
assent, we are liable to be misled by them; and instead of being guided
into truth, we shall, by principles, be only confirmed in mistake and
error.

6. But to compare clear, complete Ideas, under steady Names.

But since the knowledge of the certainty of principles, as well as
of all other truths, depends only upon the perception we have of the
agreement or disagreement of our ideas, the way to improve our knowledge
is not, I am sure, blindly, and with an implicit faith, to receive and
swallow principles; but is, I think, to get and fix in our minds clear,
distinct, and complete ideas, as far as they are to be had, and annex
to them proper and constant names. And thus, perhaps, without any other
principles, but BARELY CONSIDERING THOSE PERFECT IDEAS, and by COMPARING
THEM ONE WITH ANOTHER; finding their agreement and disagreement, and
their several relations and habitudes; we shall get more true and clear
knowledge by the conduct of this one rule, than by taking up principles,
and thereby putting our minds into the disposal of others.

7. The true Method of advancing Knowledge is by considering our abstract
Ideas.

We must, therefore, if we will proceed as reason ad