A careful and strict enquiry into the modern prevailing notions of that freedom of…

The habitual Connection which is in Men's Minds between Blamelessness and those forementioned Terms, Must, cannot, unable, necessary, impossible, unavoidable &c. becomes very strong; because as soon as ever Men begin to use Reason and Speech, they have Occasion to excuse themselves, from the natural Necessity signified by these Terms, in numerous ⟨p. 209⟩Instances— I can't do it— I could not help it.—And all Mankind have constant and daily Occasion to use such Phrases in this Sense, to excuse themselves and others in almost all the Concerns of Life, with Respect to Disappointments, and Things that happen which concern and affect us and others, that are hurtful, or disagreeable to us or them, or Things desirable that we or others fail of.

The habitual Connection which is in Men's Minds between Blamelesness and those foremention'd Terms, Must, cannot, unable, necessary, impossible, unavoidable &c. becomes very strong; because as soon as ever Men begin to use Reason and Speech, they have Occasion to excuse themselves, from the natural Necessity signified by these Terms, in numerous ⟨p. 209⟩Instances— I can't do it— I could not help it.—And all Mankind have constant and daily Occasion to use such Phrases in this Sense, to excuse themselves and others in almost all the Concerns of Life, with Respect to Disappointments, and Things that happen which concern and affect us and others, that are hurtful, or disagreable to us or them, or Things desirable that we or others fail of.

That a being accustomed to an Union of different Ideas, from early Childhood, makes the habitual Connection exceeding strong, as tho' such Connection were owing to Nature, is manifest in innumerable Instances. It is altogether by such an habitual Connection of Ideas, that Men judge of the Bigness or Distance of the Objects of Sight from their Appearance. Thus 'tis owing to such a Connection early established, and growing up with a Person, that he judges a Mountain, which he sees at ten Miles distance, to be bigger than his Nose, or further off than the End of it. Having been used so long to join a considerable Distance and Magnitude with such an Appearance, Men imagine it is by a Dictate of natural Sense: Whereas it would be quite otherwise with one that had his Eyes newly opened, who had been born blind: He would have the same visible Appearance, but natural Sense would dictate no such Thing concerning the Magnitude or Distance of what appeared.