28 No Innate Trincip/e: in t/Je Mina’. B. I.

well as the other, of the fore-mentioned Propofitions, and with both, for the lame Reafon, ziiz. becaufe he finds the Ideas, he has in his Mind, to agree, or difagree, according as theWords, {tand- ing for them, are affirmed, or denied one of another, in the Pro- pofition. But if Propolitions be brought to him in Words, which {land for Ideas he has not yet in his Mind; to fuch Propo- fitions, however evidently true or falfe in themfelves, he aflbrds neither AIIent nor Dillent, but is ignorant. For \Vords being but empty Sounds, any farther than they are Signs of our Ideas, we cannot but aITent to them, as they correfpond to thofe Ideas we have, but no farther than that. But the Ihewing by what Steps and ‘Nays Knowledge comes into our Minds, and the Grounds of feveral Degrees of AITent, being the Bufinefs of the follow- ing Difcourfe, it may fuffice to have only touched on it here, as one Reafon, that made me doubt of thofe Innate Principles.

N0, Innate, §. 24. To conclude this Argument of Univer- éfiCalll/IZIZOHI/‘Zi- fill CCI/Ifenf, I agree with thefe Defenders Of In- YW/fl/l)’ "fw" nate Principles, That, if they are Innate, they edto‘ mull needs have Urziverffizl Aj/ent. For, that a Truth fhould be Innate, and yet not aflented to, is, to me, as un- intelligible, as for a Man to know a Truth, and be ignorant of it, at the fame time. But then, by thefe Mens own Confeflion, they cannot be Innate; fnice they are not aIIented to, by thofe, who underfland not the Termsmor by a great Part of thofe, who do underfland them, but have yet never heard, nor thought of thofe Propofitions ; which, I think, is at leaft one half of Man- kind. But, were the Number far leis, it would be enough to dellroy Univerfizl 4mm, and thereby {hew thefe Propofitions not to be Innate, if Children alone were ignorant of them. 77,45. Maxim, 3S. 2 5. Bur, that I may not be aceufed to ar- m1‘ ffiffir/l gue from the Thoughts of Infants, which are know” unknown to us, and to conclude, from what

pafies in their Underftandings, before they exprefs it; I fay next, i

That thefe two general Propofitions are not the Truths, that firfl poflefs the Minds of Children; nor are antecedent to all ac- quired and adventitious Notions; which, if they were Innate, they mutt needs be. Whether we can determine it or no, it

matters