16 Feb y 1813

Church II Topics Ch 6

6

In this case however

intellectual authority

is indispensable -

All the mind can

do is to factor on

the affirmative to

the exclusion of

the disaffirmative

proportions. The

nature of the case

admits not of indigenous

and so must

be of the adoptive kind.

In this case to produce to the production of any such

persuasion the intervention of authority - intellectual authority

is seems indispensible. Towards the production of persuasion, all

that the power of the will can do, is contained in the [freely]

self-deceptive process: viz in the exclusion of putting an exclusion upon all considerations

operating in disaffirmance of the proposition in question,

coupled with joined to the fastening the attention upon all such as

operate in affirmance of it. Such persuasion

if produced can not but be either of the indigenous or

of the adoptive kind. But of any considerations tending to produce a persuasion of the indigenous kind the nature

of the case does not admitt. remain therefore such

considerations and such alone of which the tendency of

which is to produce a persuasion of the adoptive kind.

and but these con but under the name of authority —

intellectual authority — all these such considerations are stand

included.

That two & two

make more or less

than 4 could not

receive belief

by my efforts of

human nature, - But

by authority this or

any other may be

made to receive credence

and accordingly propositions

of the same nature

have received as

sincere belief as if

compatible with

the deceptive process

That two and two are either more or less than

four is a proposition in favour of which, upon the spot, and without the help of intellectual authority all the terms

found to all the to which human nature is

exposed susceptible would not suffice to produce credence. But, by means

of authority this proposition is as capable of being made

to receive credence as any other and accordingly, [as every

body knows] propositions of exactly the same complection

have been made to receive not only pretended, but, accordingly

to all probability, as founded deduced from the observations

above mentioned, a sort of secure and real evidence: credence as secure as is compatible with the employment

of the self-deceptive process above mentioned.