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An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 32

Machine transcription. Not an edition. Errors are expected: about 8% character error rate on Latin and French lines, higher on German. Mean line confidence on this page: 0.90.

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The machine reads it as

  1. Woinnate Principles.
  2. unt
  3. rels, and other mean Oualities, actributed by them to their sods; e
  4. Phall have licelereason to chink, that the heartien Wortd, i. c. ehe crcatest
  5. Part oF Mankinc, had such Ideas of Cod in their Minds, a5 he himsolE, OuE
  6. OEcare, that thes Mould not be miltaten abour him, ras Author oF. And
  7. this unirertalie ofconsent, (o much argued, it it prove ans native im-
  8. prestions, twillbe onls this: Fhat God imprinced on the Minds oF aII
  9. Men Spealcins the same Languase, a Name for Fimsels, but not any
  10. Idea: Since those People, Who agreed in the Name, had at the lame
  11. time, Par difterent apprehensions about the chins signitied. IF they (a7,
  12. That the variets oF Deities Worthipped by cheheathen Worid, verebut
  13. ficuratire ars oF expressins the several Attribures of that imcomprehen-
  14. sible Beins, or several parts oEhis Providence: Pansiver, Whatther mighe
  15. be in their orisinal, LWill not here enquire; but chat they rere lo in the
  16. Thoughus oF the Vulsar, P thinkno body will aftirm: And he that ill
  17. consule the Voyase ot the Bihop ot Beryre, C. I3. (not co mention othier
  18. Teltimonies) ill tind, that the Theology oFthe Siamires, prolessedly oWns
  19. pluraliey oE Crods: Or, as the abbé de Choisy more judicioully remarks,
  20. in his Tournal du Voiase de Syam, it conlilts properlr in ackroleds.
  21. ins no Ciod at alI.
  22. 8. 15. IP it Be said, That wise Men OE alI Pations came tOhave true Con-
  23. cextions, oE the Onity and Intinies of the Deity, Lgrant it. But then
  24. this,
  25. First, Exeludes universaliey oE Consent in any thins, but the name.
  26. For those wiseMen beins very ser, perhaps onc ot a thouland, this uni
  27. versalits is very narroW.
  28. Secondly, ut scems to me plainly to prove, Fhat the cruest and best
  29. Notions Menhrad of Crod, vere nor imprinted, but acquired by thouehe
  30. and meditation, and a richruse oP eheir l’aculties: since the isc and con-
  31. Tiderate Nen oF the Worla, by a ristut and caretul emplorment oltheir
  32. Thoughes, and Rcason, attained true Nocions in chis, a5 Well aS Other
  33. chings; Whil the lazy and inconsiderare part os Men, mattins the lar
  34. sreater number, t00lc uptheir Notions, by chancc, trom common Praci
  35. tion, and vulsar Conceptions, without much beatine their heads about
  36. them. And if it be a realonto thinke the notion of 6od innate, because aII
  37. ise Nen had ic, Vercue must be chousli innate; for thar alio wise Men
  38. have alvazs had.
  39. 6. 26. Thiswas eridently the case oE all Centilism: Nor hath even a-
  40. monost Feus, Christians, and Mahometans, Wrho actenoirledse but One
  41. Crod, this Doctrinc, and the care is talien in thole Nations, to tcact
  42. Nen tohare true notions oF a CO D, prevailed (o Far, as to matie Men tO
  43. trave the same, and true Ideas oF Flim. TTo mans, even amongst us
  44. will befound upon enquirs, to fansie hum in the Mhape of a Man, LIEEINE
  45. in Flcaven; arid to have manz other absurd and unfit conceptions ot
  46. tim: Christians, as Well as Turles, have had wrhole Sects ornins, and
  47. contendins carnestly for it, That the Deirs as corporcal, and ot hu-
  48. ane Chape: And choushive lind ser nom amonsle us, ntio protels
  49. themselves Anthropomorphites, (though lome lhave met with that own
  50. iF) rer Ibeliere, hechat ill matce it his bulinels, maz find amonsst thc
  51. isnorant, and uninstructed Christians, mans of that Opinion. Talk but
  52. ith Counery- people, almost ol any Aee; or zouns people almostans
  53. rhere, and rou Pall find, that though the Name oF GOD DC Freguent-
  54. ly in their mouths; yet the notions ther apply this Name to, are (0 odd.
  55. lor, and pitisul, that no bodr can imagine thes vere taushe by a ratio.
  56. nal Man; muck tels, chac chey vere ite Characters urit by chefineer

Cite

An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 32. Machine transcription, not an edition: Leibniz Legible (model FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74). https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0048?run=74