The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Introduction
• Advertisement
• The Divine Feudal Law Represented
• §1.
• §2.
• §3
• §4
• §5
• §6
• §7
• §8
• §9
• §10
• §11
• §12
• §13
• §14.
• §15
• §16
• §17
• §18
• §19
• §20
• §21
• §22
• §23
• §24.
• §25
• §26
• §27
• §28
• §29
• §30
• §31
• §32
• §33
• §34
• §35
• §36
• §37
• §38
• §39.
• §40
• §41
• §42
• §43
• §44
• §45
• §46
• §47
• §48
• §49
• §50
• §51
• §52
• §53
• §54
• §55
• §56
• §57
• §58
• §59
• §60
• §61
• §62
• §63
• §64
• §65
• §66
• §67
• §68
• §69
• §70
• §71
• §72
• §73
• §74
• §75
• §76
• §77
• §78
• §79
• §80
• §81
• §82
• §83
• §84
• §85
• §86
• §87
• §88
• §89
• §90
• §91
• §92
• §93
• §94

§8

The Dissention is either about Principles or Emoluments.But in this Affair it must be well observ’d, whether or no the Dissention is concern’d about meer Opinions or Principles, or whether the disagreeing Parties have no other Cause of their Disagreement but this, that they differently explain certain Places of Holy Scripture, and are not willing to depart from the Opinion they have espoused, or that they are govern’d entirely by the desire of defending the Truth: Or, because they fear a Diminution of their Authority and Esteem, if they should seem to have hitherto maintain’d an Errour, or do out of Envy or Pride disdain to embrace the Opinion of another; or else, if there be not a Contention really about some worldly Advantages, while different Principles are pretended to; such as are for Instance, Rule, and Authority, and Riches. And so it must be consider’d, whether or no the Principles that are contended for may not be defended as serviceable to those Advantages, and the contrary Opinions may not be such as tend to overthrow them. The Controversies of the former Sort, which are about meer Principles, tho’ they also cannot, but with difficulty, be ended, by reason of the Pride and Obstinacy of Humane Nature, and the Aversation to the Disparagement of being thought to have been in an Errour; which Vice is found especially in many of the Priests, and Men of the School, and such as have not had their Minds subdued to the Management of Business and Affairs of the World; yet are they not so insuperable as those wherein any considerable Advantages are concern’d, and in which the Contention is for the God, their Belly. And it is manifest by Experience, that the Controversies of the former Kind are in process of Time gradually mitigated and allay’d, and at length do entirely vanish. So long as the first Authors of those Controversies survive, or those who value themselves highly upon the Defence of them, these Men for the most part will stiffly contend to maintain the Opinions which they have once advanced, nor will they admit of any thing that should lessen their Authority. But when these Men are gone off the Stage, those that come after, tho’ they continue in the same Sect or Party, yet they do not so eagerly contend for their Opinion, nor with so much Prejudice reject the Reasons of the Adverse Party, unless by chance any of them should propose to make themselves eminent and considerable in that Contention. And that Fervour is the rather lessen’d in Process of Time, because fresh Contentions for the most Part are carried on with the greatest Vehemency, old ones of themselves grow out of use: When Men disdain to employ themselves about those Matters which have been so long and so fully examin’d, as that there is nothing more to be done in them, by which they can hope to make themselves famous or considerable.