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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 350, page id 778263916:0366
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Faith and Reason.
DY Moscs: Dut he has noc so great an asturance, that Moses urrit that BOOlE
as ithie had seen Moses vrite ir; (0 that the alturance of its beins a Rere.
lation, is less sill etan the asturance cFhis Senses.
6. 5. In Propositions Fhen, irhole Cerrainey is built upon clear, anc
pertect Ideas, and erident Deductions of Reason, we necd not the astistence
oF Revelation, as necessary to gain our Asent, and introduce them into
our Mincs. Decause the natural wazs of Knowledge could setrle them
there, or had done it alreacy, Which is the sreatest alturance e can posti
bIy have ot any thino, unlels here Ciod immediarels reveals it to us:
and eliere too our Alurance can be no greater than our Hno ledse is, that
it is a Rerelation trom C0 I. But yet nothins, I chink, can under chat
Title, Make or over rule plain Rnomledee, nor rationalls prevail wittr
any Mlan, to admit ic for rrue, in a direet contradiction to the clear Lvi-
dence ot his omn Onderstandins. For since no Lvidence ot our Faculties
By Wrhich ie receive such Revelations, can excecd, it equal, the Certainty
ot our intuitire Rnomledse, re can never receive for a Pruch, any thino
that is directlr contrary to our clear and distinet Know ledse; v. 8. Th0
Idea oF one Bocy, and one Place, does (0 clearly agrec; and the Mind has
Io erident a Perception of it, that we can nerer alsent to a Propolition,
that astirms the same Body to be in trro distant Places at once, horrever
it should pretend ro che Authoriey ot a dirine Revelation, lince the fivi-
dence; Pirst, That re deceire not our selves in alcribine it to CrOD
Secondlr, That we understand it rishe, can never be lo great, 25 the Fvi-
dence ot our oun intuitire Ihnow ledse, Whereby e discern it impostible,
Forthelame Body to be in tro Places at oncc. And theretore, no Proposi
tion ean be recerved for divine Revelation, Or obtain the ASent due t0 aII
(uC, if it becontradictory to our clear intuitive Unouledee. Since this
rould be to subrertthe Principles, and Foundations oF all Rnowledsc, Rri
dence, and Asent Wharsoever; and leare no difference betreen Fruch and
Falitiood; no measures of Credible and Incredible in the Worid, il doubr.
ul Propositions al talee place belore selFevident; and What re certain-
ly Hno, sire ay to whac ve may possibls be mistalien in. In Propo-
litions chieretore contrary to our distinet and clear Ideas, trrill be in vain
to urge them as Matrers of Faith. They cannot move our AMene under
that, Or any ocher Tirle WWhacloever. For Faith can neves convince us Ot
any thing, that contradtiets our Rnomledge. Because thoue Faith De
Founded on ehe Festimonz oi Cod, (revealins anx Proxolitien tous,) vho
cannot lie; set wre cannor have an alturance of the Truth ot its being a
divine Revelation, greater than our own Rnomledse: since the wrtrolo
Strenoth of the Certainty depends upon our Rnonledse, that God re-
vealed it, wtrich in thiis Case, where che Propolition supposd reveal d,
contraciets our Knowledge or Reason, will alvaze have this Objection
hansins ro it, (viz.) thac we cannot rellhor to conceire, that to come
From COD, the bountitul Author oF our Beine, Which il received for
true, must overturn all our Principles and Foundarions of Rnowledse;
render allour Faculties useless; Wholly destror the most excellent part ot
liis Wortemanstrip, our Onderstandines; and puc a Man in a Condition,
arhierein he will have lels Lighe, less Conduet than the Beast that
verisheth. For il ihe Mind ot Man can never havea clearer (and, per-
haps, nOF (0 clcar) an Fvidence ot any thing to be a dirine Revelation, a5
it has ofthe Principles of its omn Realon, it can never hare a ground to
quit the clear Fvidence ot irs Reason, 1o sire placero a Propolirion, Whole
Rerelarion has nota prearer F videnee.
B