Christian Conferences DEMONSTRATING The TRUTH OF THE Christian Religion AND MORALITY By F. MALEBRANCHE To which is Added His MEDITATIONS ON HUMILITY and REPENTANCE LONDON Printed and are to be Sold by J. Whitlock near Stationers-Hall MDCXCV TO THE READER THE many pious Reflections which the Author of The Search after Truth makes in that admirable Book justly induc'd him to believe that they might be of use to demonstrate the Truth of Christian Religion by evident Reasons Those who follow Des Cartes will doubtless allow this to be true for nothing is set down there but what is plainly prov'd or what is an axiom universally granted Now as it is of great importance to convince all sorts of Persons of the Conformity of the Christian Religion with Reason This Author judged that the following Dialogues might be useful to that end Since these Philosophers ought not to be neglected But 't is also hop'd that many others not satisfied with the Proofs deduc'd from old Philosophy will be convinc'd by those that are given here provided these Dialogues be read with all the attention that is requisite to understand a work of this Nature This is all that is desired of them for a serious Application of the mind undoubtedly produces Light It may not be improper to answer a Thing which some Persons might think amiss in the management of this Work they might say that our young Erastus is too learned and answers Theodorus with two much strength and Judgment considering his unripe Years which are represented to be between Fifteen and Twenty But these Gentlemen may observe that our Author supposes Erastus to be altogether free from Prejudice and this ought to be supposed since Theodorus and Aristarchus chuse him Judge of their differences They may also consider that when Erastus speaks afterwards above his Years t is only some things which he had read in The Search after Truth And after all the Design of Christian Dialogues is not that of certain writings made only to indulge the Imagination but rather to instrust the Mind and 't is much better that Erastus should be admir'd for saying Things seldom spoken by those of his Years as they are now Educated than that he should give us occasion to laugh at his Childishness or at that Simplicity that so well expresses the Character of a young raw Student There are some few Passages in these Dialogues where the Author who is known to be a Roman Catholic has made his Interlocutors to speak like Men of that Persuasion But I did not think fit either to alter or omit any Thing this being a bare Translation which ought consequently to represent the Original as much as Possible Neither did did I think it necessary to confute those Passages For the Arguments used by the Roman Catholicks in behalf of their particalar Doctrines are so inconsiderable if compared with those which this Author has offer'd to prove the Truth of the Christian Religion that at this Day they do not deserve that Protestants should lose Time in confuting them As for the Translators Part if you can pardon some few Faults of Print and Gallicisms of which such Works are seldom wholly Free he dares assure you that he has taken all imaginable Care to give here his Author's Sence just in its full Extent and as close and clear as it was possible in such abstracted Notions The CONTENTS Dialogue I. THat their is a God and that none but he really act in us and can make us Happy or Miserable Page 1. Dialogue II. Objections and Answers p. 24. Dialogue III. Of the Order of Nature in the Creation of Man p. 44. Dialogue IV. Of the Disorder of Nature caused by Original Sin p. 61. Dialogue V. Of the Reparation of Nature by Jesus Christ p. 83. Dialogue VI. The Truth of the Christian Religion prov'd by other Reasons p. 104. Dialogue VII That Christian Morality is very useful to the Perfection of the Vnderstanding p. 123. Dialogue VIII That Christian Morality is absolutely necessary for the Conversion of the Heart p. 140. Dialogue IX The same Subject continued p. 159. Dialogue X. Reflections on the whole p. 178. Meditations concerning Humility and Repentance with Elevations of the Soul to God Of Man considered as a Creature Of Man considered as the Son of a sinful Father Of Man consider'd as a Sinner CHRISTIAN DIALOGVES DIALOGUE I. That there is a God and that none but him acts really in us and can make us happy or miserable Aristarchus I Must let you know my dear Theodorus how little satisfaction our late Conferences have yielded me I have discours'd with you of my Travels and several adventures of my last Campaigns you know them all do not ask me any more of them You told me a word yesterday which made such an impression on me that I am become insensible to all the things that have hitherto extreamly moved me I find their Emptiness and their Vanity and will have solid Enjoyments and certain Truths Theodorus Give thanks Aristarchus to your deliverer to him that breaks your bonds and changes your heart I have spoke a long time to your ears but at last he that put words into my mouth hath made you understand their meaning You have seen Truth and you love it you desire to see it more plainly that you may love it more fervently Think not Aristarchus that what enlightens you and creates in you the desire you feel now is a word spoke in the air which only affects the body or the sensible man uncapable of understanding How many times have I told you the same things without convincing you of them I spoke then to your ears but the light of truth did not shine in your mind or rather since that Light is always within us it did shine in your mind but it did not enlighten it Being out of your self you hearken'd to a man who only spake to the Body You were in Darkness and would not turn your self towards him who alone can disperse it Learn then my dear Aristarchus to retire within your self to be attentive to Inward Truth to ask and receive the answers of our common Master for without it I assure you all my words will be barren fruitless and like all those I have told you already which you hardly can remember Aristarchus I am willing to do my endeavour to follow you but I fear I shall not be able to do it for I have much ado to understand well the things you have told me now Theod. In the Passion that moves you now you will not fail to give attention to all the things I 'll tell you but you shall not always understand them your attention will hardly be pure enough and your intention sufficiently free from Interest to be always rewarded with the clear and distinct sight of Truth The attention of the mind is the natural Prayer we make to Inward Truth that it may discover it self to us but this Soveraign
how he is the beginning and end of all things Those holy persons that read the Scripture with an intention to find Christ never fail to find him there for he is in every place of it But they have not the spirit of this world but that of God whereby they know the greatness of the Gift that God hath imparted to them The outward and sensible Man is not capable of the things which the Divine Spirit teacheth us for the eye hath not seen the ear hath not heard nor the heart of man ever understood what God hath prepared for those that love him I do not only speak of those false learned who deny the corruption of Nature the necessity of Grace and the Divinity of Christ yet assume the quality of Christians I also speak of those who live in the bosom of the Church but have little love for Religion It is impossible they should be very well learned in the knowledge of Christ seeing they do not love him and do not study the Scriptures professing the Christian Religion perhaps only because it is that of their Parents Arist You have told us a great many things both to day and yesterday since I have seen my Friend I imagin that he wants me as I do to know what he will think of these things I must leave you to go to him Theod. Do Aristarchus make him sensible of the general corruption of Nature and the enmity that is between God and man and endeavor to demonstrate plainly to him the necessity of Christ's satisfaction If you find that he receives your Sentiments as he ought and is willing to be instructed immediately fall on the praises of our Redeemer and stir him up to the love of his Saviour by the consideration of the chief obligations he hath to him Tell him That Christ is the Way the Truth and the Life That he is our intelligible light that enlightens us in the deepest recess of our Reason and our sensible light that instructs us by Miracles by Parables and Faith That he alone is the food of the Soul That his light is the sole producer of Charity and that none but him can give us the holy Spirit whereby we become the children of God Tell him that he hath been predestinated before all time to be our King and Chief our Pastor and Law-giver That God receives our Prayers through him only That we are made clean only by his blood and enter into the Holy of Holies only through his Sacrifice In short That Christ is all things to us that in him we are new creatures and new men that have not been condemned in Adam that without Christ we are nothing have right to nothing but are sold to Sin Slaves to the Devils and the eternal objects of God's wrath Use all your endeavors to make him think on Christ to unite him to and make him esteem and love Christ and conclude with these words of St Paul at the end of one of his Epistles If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maran-atha 1 Cor. 16.22 DIALOGUE VI. The Truth of the Christian Religion proved by other Reasons Arist AH Theodorus how unsatisfy'd am I in my Friend Theod. Yes Aristarchus I can easily see it the Air of your Countenance does not rejoice those that examin it 't is not an Air of Triumph or of Victory that might please those who take part of it But how cou'd he resist you Arist As I was well persuaded of the truth of the Christian Religion by the proofs of original Sin and the necessity of a Mediator so I imagined I cou'd convince him by proposing the same proofs but I know not to what I should attribute the ill success of my words when I spoke to him instead of persuading him I provoked him and he rejected all that I proposed to him with a kind of scorn he would not so much as agree with me in common Notions but continually said that my Reasons were the Reasons of Philosophy Such Answers grieved me I strove to convince him and continued to repeat the same things hoping that at last he would reflect but all my Efforts were entirely lost 'T is something strange Theodorus that a Man can't convince others of the same thing that he himself is fully convinced of for it appears to me that all Men ought to see the same things Theod. If all Men were equally attentive to inward truth they would all equally see the same things but your Friend is not like you he is taken up with a multitude of things and his pride has now for many years kept him unconversant even with himself so that abstracted proofs and reasonings built upon Notions which have no dependance of the senses persuade him not because these proofs don't touch him and because he has many confused reasons which hinder his application to them When a Man has discovered a Geometrical Demonstration he can convince all Men of it to whom he clearly proposes it because that these things are sensible that they freely apply themselves to them that there 's no reason why they should not believe them that they are not prepossess'd by the authority of Men that deny them and that when they see these kinds of truth they see them after a sensible manner But 't is not the same with certain truths which are contrary to our inclinations there we think not seriously and we have many reasons not to believe them It 's necessary Aristarchus that I demonstrate to you the truth of the Christian Religion by more sensible proofs than those of our preceding Conferences it may be your Friend will more willingly hearken to them Do you take his place and object whatever you can imagin against what I shall offer I only suppose that God hath made our Souls to know and love him 'T is what your Friend assents to You have heard Aristarchus of one Moses the famous Legislator of the Jews to whom God gave the Ten Commandments upon Mount Sinai Do you believe what the Scripture says of him Arist But what if he was a Cheat an Impostor Theod. Very well Aristarchus you suppose your self under your Friend's character but you know that he must have an excessive bold spirit I would say the most ignorant and most transported of bold spirits who dares say that Moses was a Cheat you do much honour to your Friend Arist I know what I say Theod. Well then if you know him so well speak for him I will engage him in your person You have reason Aristarchus and ought not to oppose a Sentiment that is universally received by all reasonable persons unless you have good proofs that they are deceived Arist There is much prejudice Theod. Right but this common Reason does not justifie you nor will it justifie the most extravagant doubts that may be raised but I may tell you that there was never any Man that could be more unreasonably accused of Imposture
than Moses 'T is one essential quality of a Cheat to avoid the Light but the Miracles of Moses were wrought before all the people in the sight of Six hundred thousand fighting Men there was a great number of them and some were repeated every day for many years together But not to stay upon these unprofitable proofs let us reflect upon the manner how the Israelites were nourished in the Wilderness forty years every morning the Earth was covered with Manna except the Sabbath day when it was kept till the next day it was corrupted and full of Worms except the Sabbath day This Manna ceased to fall when the Israelites had once eaten of the fruits of the Land of Canaan and from that time they never saw it â—…ll Can one doubt of a Fact which was continued Forty years Or can one attribute to a natural Cause this Rain or Dew which fell but for Forty years which ceased to fall every Saturday and which could not be kept without corruption but upon Saturdays Is Saturdays Air or Sun different from that of other days Did the first Repast which the Israelites had in the Land of Canaan change the face of Heaven or the situation of the Stars which caused it to rain Manna Is' t not evident by these Circumstances that this Rain was not Natural Arist But what proofs have you that the Pentateuch Joshua and other Books from whence you borrow what is spoken of Manna are true If they were Fabulous Theod. If they were Fabulous Aristarchus the Jews were Men of a different nature from us they were Fools and stupid to a very improbable degree Think you Aristarchus that Men who have but a little of common Sense would without Reason or Examination receive Books as authentic and as a Rule of their Faith and Conduct I 'll explain my self Think you that a whole Nation would submit to a Law so very severe and painful by the force of Arms or some reason of Interest without being compelled thereto as 't were by Divine Authority Think you that upon a Fabulous History derived from our Ancestors we should be so stupid and insensible blindly to submit our selves to a Ceremony so shameful and incommodious as is that of Circumcision How can it be imagined that the Jews receiv'd the Law which they observe and the Books which they call Canonical without consideration These Books flatter them not they continually menace and reproach them with the stupidity infidelity and malice of their Ancestors The Jews were not obliged by force of Arms to receive these authentic Books wherefore do they receive them wherefore do they preserve them so carefully wherefore are there no Men so constant as they to the Religion of their Fathers 'T is without doubt either because the Jews are not Men as we are or rather because their Religion and Books have all the possible characters of truth But Aristarchus you believe that God hath made us to know and love him and to make use of the most reasonable Religion for there must be an outward worship for Men that make use of their senses and who live in society We must then of all Books that treat of Religion believe those that have the greatest appearance of truth but there are none comparable to the Scripture for the Reasons I have told you as also for innumerable other Reasons We ought then to look upon these Books as our Rule and there to search the Religion which we ought to sollow And if we deceive our selves in the choice of these Books our Error would only depend on this that there would be no mark to discern sacred Books from profane or rather from this that there would be neither sacred Books nor Religion which were pleasing to God Arist What you say Theodorus is highly reasonable but my Friend will rashly tell me that Mahomet was a Prophet and that the Alcoran is a Divine Book how would you have me to answer him Theod. Compare the Miracles of Moses with those of that Impostor and shew him what difference there is betwixt his making a tame Pigeon whisper in his Ear before all the people or making a famisht Bull bring him a Book through the multitude or attributing a * The Falling-sickness Disease shameful enough to the apparition and dazzling lustre of the Angel Gabriel and the Miracles which confirm the mission of Moses or the covering the Earth with Insects changing Water into Blood filling the Air with thick darkness agitating it by Thunder inflaming it by Lightning making it to rain celestial Food for forty years to be conducted by a Cloud in the day-time and Fire by night both of them in form of a Pillar I pass over many other Miracles that God performed by Moses in the sight of all Egypt and all the people of Israel The Alcoran relates no such Miracles in favour of Mahomet it does not so much as mention those which I have already spoken of which are such gross cheats * Chap. of the Cow of Women and other things of the version of Du Rier and 't is well known that many Men despised the false Prophet which is the Author of them because he did no Miracle But Aristarchus let us not insist altogether upon this the Alcoran destroys itself by itself as well as Iudaism as you shall see presently I 'll suppose that Mahomet was a Prophet and that his Book is as authentic as the Old Testament grant to me that there is at least an equal Authority to two Books so different and let us first see which is the Religion that the holy Scripture propounds to us Arist How Theodorus will you be a Jew Theod. Yes certainly Aristarchus if Judaism be the Law which the holy Scripture proposes to us as capable of making most perfect and happy as for me I look upon holy Scripture as a Divine Book but perhaps Judaism as to the Letter is not the end of the Law Take heed Aristarchus think you that Beasts have a Soul I mean a Substance which animates or informs their Body and which is more noble than it Arist To what purpose Theod. Only answer Arist Yes I believe that Beasts have a Soul and that their Soul is more noble than their Body Theod. I 'll prove that you are mistaken what is the end the good or happiness of Beasts think you that Beasts have any other natural Felicity than the enjoyment of their Bodies Arist No I believe the end of Beasts is to eat and drink Theod. Then God hath made the Soul of Beasts for the enjoyment of their Body but the Soul of Beasts is more noble than their Body Then God has not well ordered his work nor proposed to Beasts an end worthy of them if that which makes them more happy and perfect must be more noble than that which receives its happiness and perfection Thus you ought to observe that God has not given to Beasts a Soul distinct from their