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Re: Intermittent operation of 3 appliance modules AM486



of all our knowledge. For the knowledge of first principles, as
space, time, motion, number, is as sure as any of those which we get from
reasoning. And reason must trust these intuitions of the heart, and must
base them on every argument. (We have intuitive knowledge of the
tri-dimensional nature of space and of the infinity of number, and reason
then shows that there are no two square numbers one of which is double of
the other. Principles are intuited, propositions are inferred, all with
certainty, though in different ways.) And it is as useless and absurd for
reason to demand from the heart proofs of her first principles, before
admitting them, as it would be for the heart to demand from reason an
intuition of all demonstrated propositions before accepting them.

This inability ought, then, to serve only to humble reason, which would
judge all, but not to impugn our certainty, as if only reason were capable
of instructing us. Would to God, on the contrary, that we had never need of
it, and that we knew everything by instinct and intuition! But nature has
refused us this boon. On the contrary, she has given us but very little
knowledge of this kind; and all the rest can be acquired only by reasoning.

Therefore, those to whom God has imparted religion by intuition are very
fortunate and justly convinced. But to those who do not have it, we can give
it only by reasoning, waiting for God to give them spiritual insight,
without which faith is only human and useless for salvation.

283. Order.--Against the objection that Scripture has no order.

The heart has its own order; the intellect has its own, which is by
principle and demonstration. The heart has another. We do not prove




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