Chapter II. How Consideration differs from Contemplation

In the first place, then, observe what I mean by consideration. I would not have thee to understand it as identical in all respects with contemplation, because, whereas this latter occupies itself with truths already known, the former is concerned with the investigation of truth. According to this sense, contemplation may be defined as the true and certain intuition of any object by the intellect, or as the certain apprehension of truth ; * and consideration as an intense exercise of thought in inquiry, or as an intense application of the mind to the investigation of truth. Nevertheless the two terms are commonly used without distinction.