Systems of Divinity which raise great Difficulties in the Minds of those who read or hear talk of them 't is no wonder if Men of Sagacity and Penetration propose some Doubts to Divines Nay according to the Supposition of every Christian Society viz. that all others err in something it cannot be wondr'd at if it be said that Unbelievers offer some Objections to Divines which they can't resolve according to their Hypothesis or which they resolve by contradicting themselves Divines upbraid one another with it Let us therefore suppose that a Man not altogether ignorant observes in the Society in which he was born that the manner after which some Doctrines of the Christian Religion are explain'd is subject to great Difficulties or is altogether false Let us suppose further that the Divines of his Country are very learn'd Men and understand the Christian Religion better than others an Opinion common enough especially among those who never went out of their Country or never read the Books of other Sects When they perceive that the Divines whom they consult satisfy them not or maintain palpable Falsities they conclude from thence that the Religion of their Country is not true and consequently that the Christian Religion is altogether false If it happens that a Man having such Thoughts never reads the Works of other Christians who are free from the Errors he is offended at the more he lives the more he confirms himself in his Opinion because as soon as an Error hath been found out the longer it is thought of the better it is known When Men know nothing better about the Subject in question and have not Penetration and Learning enough to find out Truth of themselves they can hardly forbear doubting of every thing because they presently suspect that the other Parts of Divinity which they have not examin'd are not better and observe that the same Doctrine whereof they have found out the Falsity is accounted as essential as others But let us suppose again that a Man taken up with other Business and who has no time to spare for such an Examination as there are a great many comes to read Books of Controversy written by ingenious Men of both sides he will often perceive that both Parties attack very well and defend themselves ill That Man will conclude from thence and often with Reason that both Parties are in the wrong the more he hears them one after another the more he 'll be convinc'd of it and at last he 'll believe that there is nothing true because he hath not Parts enough to distinguish Truth from Falshood If we add that there are some other external and internal Motives which make him incline to Unbelief as there are but too many that Man will get into a Scepticism almost incurable or into a formal Unbelief out of which he will hardly be able to extricate himself What I have propos'd as Suppositions is really to be found in a great part of Christendom and there are a great many People in Italy France Spain and Germany for I must tell it and I ought not to conceal that I don't follow the particular Opinions which prevail in those Places there is I say an infinite Number of Men in the same case as I have describ'd They see some Opinions manifestly false establish'd in those vast Countries by a publick Authority if they offer any Objections they are pitifully resolv'd and then if they dare reply any thing they are overwhelm'd with Censures and Threatnings not to say that they are sent to the Inquisition and burnt if they grow obstinate Nevertheless Divines maintain those Doctrines tho evidently false with great Heat they make use of all their Wit and Eloquence to prove them Many Lay-men who want not Penetration but know no better think that indeed this is the Christian Religion and because they distinctly apprehend the Falsity of what is said they conclude from thence that Religion is not true Others add to their Meditations the reading of some controversial Book of Roman Catholick and Protestant Authors and they see that the latter altogether destroy the Doctrines of the Church of Rome They rightly conclude from thence that they are false and the utmost Endeavours of their Teachers can't free them from that Opinion On the other hand they often find some Books of Roman Catholick Authors who attack well enough some particular Opinions of certain Protestants and those Protestants are as unlucky in defending their own Opinions as they are successful in assaulting those of the Roman Catholicks They also think that those Protestants are in the wrong and because their Examination reaches not to all the Sects separated from the Church of Rome they confound them one with another and condemn them alike so that at last they perswade themselves that Truth is to be found no where Besides other Motives which may confirm them in those Thoughts and which I have already mention'd they see two things which affect them so much that they retain their Opinions for ever if no better Books come into their Hands or if no body frees them from the Doubts they are in The first is that it clearly appears that 't is the temporal Interest of Divines to maintain those Doctrines Those who assert them with Heat and declame with the greatest Violence against other Christian Societies are preferr'd and get the most considerable Dignities of the Party they are in On the contrary if any one seems to be modest and thinks himself oblig'd in Conscience to be moderate towards those who are call'd Hereticks or Heterodox he must needs be very much favour'd if he be not excluded for ever from all sorts of Employment and ruins not himself In some Places that 's enough to be altogether undone and almost every where if any intimates that he approves not all the Opinions of the Party he is in tho he does it never so modestly they shew him no Pity he must suffer whatever Hatred and Cruelty can do when they are cloth'd with the Pretence of Religion The second thing that confirms Unbelievers in their Disposition is that Divines will be Judges and Parties in controverted Doctrines against the clearest Principles of Equity tho 't is most evident that 't is their Interest to favour one of the Parties Tho their Decisions be never so unreasonable and unsatisfactory they must be submitted to because they look upon them as good and solid Nay if they are to be believ'd the Books of their Adversaries ought-not to be read or those who read them ought to do it with a Design of not approving their Arguments otherwise they must undergo the Condemnation of their Parties Unbelievers who are convinc'd of the Falsity of several particular Doctrines and observe that they are maintain'd out of a worldly Interest and by unjust and violent Means conclude that Divines and consequently all Christians are factious People and Enemies to Truth as well as those who profess the other
greatest Zeal for Religion should not justly render it suspected to Vnbelievers p. 131. Chap. 3. That the Incredulous are in the wrong for rejecting the Christian Religion because Interest seems to be the main Cause of many Peoples Devotion p. 143. Chap. 4. That the Divisions which reign among Christians is no good Reason why the Christian Religion should not be true p. 165. Chap. 5. That the Incredulous object in vain that Christianity being so little known and so ill observ'd in the World as it is can't be so useful to Mankind as a Religion reveal'd from Heaven for the Good of all Men should be p. 180. Chap. 6. That Vnbelievers can't conclude the Christian Religion to be false because the Divines of their Acquaintance make bad Answers to their Objections against it or because they maintain some false Tenets as true and as the Doctrine of Christ p. 199. Chap. 7. That the Difficulties which may occur in the Christian Religion ought not to bring the Truth of it into doubt p. 234. The Conclusion of the second Part. p. 277. Of the Truth of the Christian Religion p. 282. Letter 1. Wherein is prov'd the Sincerity of the Apostles concerning the Testimony they render'd to Christ's Resurrection p. 283. Letter 2. Shewing what a Miracle is and proving that from the Miracles of Jesus Christ and his Apostles we ought to look upon them as Persons truly sent of God p. 307. ERRATA Page 18. line 23. read angusta P. 23. l. 8. dele and. OF INCREDULITY The PREFACE Containing the Design of the Author in this Work I Cannot determine whether during the first Ages of Christianity more Books were written by the Christians to evince the Truth of their Religion than there may have been for these two hundred Years past But that we have fewer remaining of the precedent Ages than of the last two is most certain The Teachers of the Primitive Church and their Followers whilst Paganism was still considerable in the World labour'd more in confuting the Religion of the Heathens than to prove the Truth of that of Jesus Christ and his Apostles They thought if they could once convince the Heathens of the Falsity of their own Opinions that it would be no hard Matter then to make 'em Christians And this I could most easily shew were it at all useful to my Design On the contrary when Paganism was abolish'd in Europe and Christianity become the governing Religion the Teachers of it then left Paganism to attack the Religion of the Jews and that of the Mahumetans both which are yet in being amongst us But beside these two sorts of Vnbelievers there is yet a third who acknowledging the Falsity of the Mahumetan and Rabbinic Doctrines doubt notwithstanding of the Christian Religion or peremptorily judg it not true without setting up any other Religion in its Place Now to reduce these a new Method was absolutely necessary It was agreed therefore to prove directly the Truth of Christianity without insisting upon the Confutation of other Perswasions And it may truly be said to the Honour of the present Age and of that immediately preceding it that this Matter was never manag'd with better Success The Heathens the Jews and the Mahumetans were not ill confuted before but the Truth of the Christian Religion was far from being ever so well prov'd I am of Opinion nevertheless that there is still one thing behind which the most part of the Writers upon this Subject have either not touch'd at all or but very slightly I mean the secret Motives and general Reasons which the Incredulous have of not believing Christianity to be divinely reveal'd Their internal Disposition or Inclinations do so strongly incline them to reject all the Reasons offer'd them tho they are not aware themselves of the Motives by which they do this that all speaking to 'em is in vain before the Vnreasonableness of this Disposition be made evident Just as if any should plead a good Cause before prepossess'd Judges without endeavouring to cure them first of their Prejudices which must needs make them look upon that thing as false whereupon all the Reasons alledg'd are grounded 'T is certain that the Pleaders of such a Cause tho never so just would expose themselves to be cast or condemn'd This has been notwithstanding the Conduct of a great Part of the Champions of Christianity They have prov'd the Truth of it well enough but their Reasons appear weak to the Incredulous considering the Disposition wherein they are and whereof they know nothing themselves What is unreasonable therefore in this Disposition must be discover'd and laid so clearly before them that they may perceive how it imposes upon the Light of their Vnderstandings This is what the Author of the Christian Religion has taught us when he said that every one that doth Evil hateth the Light Joh. 3.20 neither cometh to the Light lest his Deeds should be reproved which signifies that Vnbelievers cannot look upon that as true which is contrary to the Maxims by which they have long govern'd themselves and to the Habits they have been contracting for many Years On the contrary he says that he that doth Truth cometh to the Light Ver. 21. that his Deeds may be made manifest that is to say that such as are dispos'd to live according to the Prescriptions of the Gospel are easily perswaded of the Truth of it In the same Sense he says elsewhere that if any will do his Will Joh. 7.17 he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or whether of himself Beside the Disposition wherein those may be who disbelieve the Gospel and which deceives them without their perceiving of it there are likewise certain general Reasons drawn from without that help to lead them into Error These Reasons must by all means be exploded because they are to them so many Prejudices whereby they determine the Truth and Falsehood of all that is said to them Whilst they think 'em good all the Proofs imaginable can make no Impression upon them because they never fail of opposing to them these Reasons which concluding to be solid they cannot at the same time embrace Christianity There are a world of People for example who discovering several of those Doctrines that go under the Name of Christ to be false judg of the rest by these and reject the good with the bad They are told of a thousand lying Miracles to whom those of Jesus Christ and his Apostles are join'd but finding the modern Miracles to be Impostures they give no greater Credit to those upon which the Christian Religion is grounded As long as they are of the mind that these Miracles are not more certain one than another all the Consequences drawn from those of Christ appear to them as built upon a rotten Foundation and the Christian Religion therefore but as a tottering Fabrick It must be shewn the Incredulous then that those Reasons drawn from without which
they appear not over-mortify'd who are in this Condition nor will I set about to shew the Absurdity of Scepticism I shall only remark that no body stops at a mere Doubt in Religion Those who say they have Doubts are not content to look upon others as possibly deceiv'd but as effectually so They consider not themselves as Persons who might well be in an Error but as having found the true Secret of Infallibility and this may be the Effect of humane Pride as much as the boldest Determinations Let them have a great Care therefore and since it is manifest that to doubt as well as to affirm out of Vanity is exposing of ones self to Error let them get rid of this fallacious Passion or at least suspend the Influence of it whilst they judg of Religion We require not this of them from the Principles of that Religion whereof they doubt or which they reject but from this Maxim of common Sense viz. That a Passion such as Pride is cannot be of any Service in the Discovery of the Truth CHAP. III. That what keeps Vnbelievers from yielding to the Proofs of the Christian Religion partly consists perhaps in mere Prejudices which all the while may be false WERE I writing against the Pagans Jews or Mahometans and should say that their Prejudices kept them wedded to the Religions whereof they made Profession then all the World as well those who believe as those that disbelieve Christianity would conclude me in the right But as I write against Men that have been educated in the Christian Religion and that are not perswaded of its Truth it may be ask'd what it is I understand here by Prejudices when I say that they are the Cause perhaps why Unbelievers yield not their Assent to it They were brought up as I said in Christianity which one would think should prejudice them in favour of this Religion But there are two sorts of Prejudices the first are the Effects of Instruction such as are those of the Jews of the Heathens and of the Mahumetans against Christianity The second proceed from a particular Depravation of the Mind and Understanding of some and whereof it is somewhat difficult to render a Reason These People do easily conquer sometimes the Prejudices of their Education but after slightly forming to themselves other Notions without examining them as they should they afterwards become Prejudices to them all the rest of their Lives and 't is of these Prejudices I design to treat upon this occasion I shall not determine how they are form'd because they owe their Original to such a Complication of several Motives and to Circumstances so different that it is not possible it may be to distinguish them rightly 'T is enough that they be true Prejudices that is to say hasty Conclusions which serve 'em afterwards instead of a Principle Let us suppose for example that a Man born in any part of Christendom where very gross Errors as it happens but too often are mix'd with the Doctrine of Jesus Christ and his Apostles let us suppose I say that this Man comes to discern these Errors by reading the Books of those Divines who are of the contrary Party He 's presently cur'd of the Prejudices of his Education for he was always told that the Sentiments maintain'd in the Place of his Nativity were true It may notwithstanding fall out that a Person capable of discovering these Errors cannot go back to the very Spring and examine the Christian Religion in it self such as it is in the Writings of the Apostles There he stops then and imagines not only that the Religion of his Country is false but he makes the same Conclusion concerning all Religions without excepting that of the first Followers of Christ He may entertain such Thoughts a great while before he can find any body to whom he dares open his Mind or that is able to undeceive him if he does and these Thoughts may take such deep Rooting at length that it shall not be an easy Matter afterwards to eradicate them If the Man too be any thing speculative he may in this Condition form other Principles upon on which he shall reason all his Life tho they be in themselves most false These are the Prejudices from which I said we must preserve our selves and that may contribute much to get the Christian Religion rejected All those who are tainted with them are not equally capable of expressing them clearly and besides they dare not always declare them freely to those with whom they discourse upon the Subject so that it is a most difficult Business to examine them in such manner as may turn to their Advantage Nevertheless it may be said in general of all Judgments made of a thing from Principles which are not certain that if Men should thus hit upon the Truth it must be by pure Chance and consequently not to be rely'd upon 〈◊〉 this Rule is to be observ'd in the Search o◠all sorts of Truth how much more is it to be regarded in a Truth of so great Importance as Religion is granted by all to be This Rule then is grounded upon common Sense and no body can disagree to it Now let us apply it to a Prejudice very common amongst those who doubt of the Truth of Christianity or that plainly reject it They cannot they say believe the Miracles upon which it is built because they never saw any Miracles nor ever spoke to any Persons worthy of Credit who assur'd 'em that he had seen the like They cannot any better imagine that this Earth whereupon we live had a Beginning or that ever there was a time when there were neither Animals nor Plants The Reason of this is because they have always remark'd in a manner the same state of things and have never spoke to any that had seen this Beginning I maintain in the first place that this is a mere Prejudice which may be reduc'd to this general Maxim A Man cannot believe that whereof he has never seen any Examples nor spoke to any Eye-witnesses worthy of Credit who could give a Relation of it We shall find that this is very far from a Geometrical Axiom if we examine the Grounds of it What has perswaded some People to a Belief of this Principle is That many times they discover'd Falshoods by its means Some antient Philosophers for Example have confuted the Fables of the Poets concerning the Centaurs the Giants the Monster Chimera and the like fictitious things by this very Maxim What has been now is Palephat de reb incredibil and shall be for the future I agree that this Axiom may be of use when such as affirm unheard-of things deserve no Credit as were the Poets who own'd they had invented a great part of what they said But I deny that it extends generally to all things or that it can pass for a self-evident Maxim When a possible thing is attested by
divers Passages in the Gospels If I bear Witness of my self says he Joh. 5.31 my Witness is not true that is it cannot be look'd upon as true unless there be some other Proofs of it besides my saying so Then after telling that John Baptist had bore him witness he adds Ver. 36. I have a greater Witness than that of John for the Works which the Father hath given me to finish the same Works that I do bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me He further says to those that desir'd him to declare if he were the Christ The Works that I do in my Father's Name bear Witness of me Ch. 10.25 and a little lower If I do not the Works of my Father believe me not Ver. 37. but if I do tho you believe not me believe the Works What can be said more to the purpose than what you meet with in the same Gospel viz. If I had not done amongst 'em the Works which none other Man did Ch. 15.24 they had not had Sin By this it appears clearly that the Author of the Christian Religion did not require Assent to his bare Word His Apostles have acted just after the same manner for they did not only affirm that they had seen the Miracles of their Master or that he had spoken to them from Heaven after his Ascension but they have also join'd to their Testimony all the Marks of Truth that could be possibly defir'd Their Doctrine consider'd in it self did not afford the least Occasion to suspect Imposture they could not expect any temporal Advantage by publishing it on the contrary they met every where with an obstinate Resistance from the Jews and Heathens they were ill us'd every Moment and walk'd in perpetual Dangers In a word many of 'em suffer'd Death for constantly persevering in the Profession of the Truth And to accumulate Proofs they wrought Miracles like to those of Jesus Christ as he promis'd them they should before he left them The Incredulous will object perhaps that I beg the Question by supposing the Truth of what is doubted of but my Design is not now to infer any Consequences from these Facts in favour of the Christian Religion I only conclude from hence that the Apostles did not preach a blind Faith or Obedience as some Christians do at this time One of them exhorts those to whom he writes not to believe every Spirit 1 John 4.1 but to try the Spirits whether they be of God because may false Prophets were gone out into the World Another advises them to try all things 1 Thess 5.21 and to hold fast that which is best It cannot be said therefore that such as cry up implicite Faith do act according to the Genius of Christianity nor can the ridiculous Pretences of those who require Assent to their say-so be justly attributed to Jesus Christ or his Apostles It may be demanded of me here perhaps what that Faith is which is so much commended in the Writings of Christ's Disciples This is not the proper Place of discussing this Subject throughtly nor will I meddle with any more of it than is absolutely necessary to solve this Difficulty Faith as we have said before being not an implicite Belief consists first in assenting to good Proofs that is as strong Proofs as the Nature of the thing will bear For instance A Man affirms himself to be sent of God he preaches a certain Doctrine to me which he confirms by Miracles Immediately I examine this Doctrine in it self without regard to any Prejudices and without considering whether it be conformable to my present Disposition or not and if I find that it contains nothing false I conclude it may possibly come from God Then I proceed to the Miracles and if I see 'em wrought or if I find the Truth of them attested by Persons worthy of Credit I cannot doubt but God has actually sent this Man Those who are capable of making this Examen as they ought are worthy of great Praise for in the first place they must quit all their Prejudices and consider what is propos'd to them not as it relates to themselves but with respect to the eternal Laws of Truth and Falshood Secondly they must have a great Love for the Truth to go through with an Examination whose Consequences may prove very opposite to their temporal Interests as I have shewn in the first Part of this Work There are Times and Places when a Man cannot declare himself perswaded of the Truth of the Gospel without exposing himself to most cruel Persecutions and it may be said that the Commands of Christ cannot be exactly observed by us any where almost without drawing upon our selves the Hatred and Contempt of such as disobey them that is of the greatest Part of Men. So that to be a good Christian there is more Courage and Resolution necessary than is commonly imagin'd nor can it therefore be doubted but that Faith such as the Gospel requires of us is a very great Vertue It is also deserving of much Commendation if we consider that it is never found but in Minds well-dispos'd It engages us not only to believe that he who speaks to us in the Name of God and adds sufficient Proofs of it has been really so sent but also to expect great things of God for the future grounding our selves upon the Proofs he exhibits of his Power Those who saw the Persons brought to Life again by Jesus Christ who saw himself after his Resurrection and who could not doubt of the Truth of these Miracles were oblig'd from hence to a firm Perswasion of what he taught them concerning the general Resurrection of all Men. I 'm of opinion that no reasonable Man will look upon the last as impossible if he holds the first to be true for there is no greater Difficulty in raising an hundred than one again and it could not without Folly be said by any that God's Power was all spent upon those first Effects of it they had seen Nevertheless Men being accustom'd to believe nothing but what they learn from their own Experience can scarcely be perswaded of any thing without seeing some Examples of it He must be a Person of Discernment and good Sense who draws such a Consequence as I have mention'd and he must also have some Equity to expect for the future such great things from the Marks that God has given of his Power An unjust and obstinate Man will believe nothing except what he sees and has no regard to any thing but the present It cannot be deny'd therefore but that such an enlightn'd and understanding Faith as we have describ'd is a most commendable Disposition of Mind and most agreeable to the purest Light of Reason But here I foresee an Objection viz. I shall be told that I have describ'd the Faith of such as had seen the Miracles of Jesus Christ and his Apostles and not their Faith
and if Unbelievers will mind it they may observe that most of their Objections have no relation to them That Observation is of very great moment when the Question is about some Facts which happen'd many Centuries ago and are attested by some Historians whose Knowledg and Sincerity have been well prov'd Altho one may raise some Difficulties with respect to some Circumstances which can't be now easily resolv'd yet if those Difficulties destroy not the direct Proofs we have of the sincerity of the Historians and the exact knowledg they had of what they related they ought not to make us doubt of the Truth of the History To be able to answer all the Queries which may be made about a Relation one should have been an Eye-witness of whatever it contains and a History can't be look'd upon as fabulous because no Body can satisfy us now about it if we have no reason to suspect the Historians from whom we have it of want of Honesty or Knowledg I could easily clear this Matter with some Instances but it would carry me too far To go on with the Comparison I us'd two sorts of Objections may be rais'd against such a Science as Geometry and the Christian Theology Some do only require the exact knowledg of two or three Propositions to be fully resolv'd and so they may be answer'd in few words But others require a long Concatenation of many Propositions depending one upon another so that one can't be convinc'd of the last before he is sure of the Truth and Connexion of many others In such a Case 't is impossible to satisfy in few words those to whom all those Propositions or the greatest part of them are unknown because they ought to examine them one after another Notwithstanding it has been observ'd several times that some Men who have some Difficulties about Religion would have their Objections presently resolv'd without having any regard to what I said tho that Resolution necessarily supposes the knowledg of several other things which they are ignorant of Because 't is impossible to satisfy them without instructing them in those things and because they grow presently weary with a long Discourse 't is a difficult matter to make them sensible of their Mistake Tho it be their Fault if they retire without being well pleas'd with those to whom they propos'd their Objections seeing they would not hear them they fancy they have forc'd them to be silent or to speak of something else 'T is just as if a Man altogether ignorant of Geometry should hear another speak of Asymptot Lines or that approach nearer and nearer in infinitum without ever touching one another and would know in two or three words how that can be No Mathematician could make him understand it in so short a time If hereupon that Man should say that there are very great Falsities in Geometry and that that Science is not more certain than several others what other Judgment could be made of him but that he is the most unreasonable of all Men seeing he would judg of a Thing the Knowledg of which depends upon many more without knowing them The same may be said of those who propose any difficulty about an Article of Religion which can't be understood without the help of some others and are angry because they are not answer'd in a word Some who want not Wit and doubt of the Christian Religion or reject it because they find some Difficulties in it do most times make a most unreasonable supposition without being sensible of it viz. That whatever they do not distinctly comprehend is not true as if Human Knowledg ought necessarily to comprehend whatever exists or is done in Nature I could easily shew that there is an infinite number of things which our Knowledg can't attain to but it will suffice to observe here that the Principle of the Unbelievers which I mention'd just now is a meer Supposition they are pleas'd to make because they imagine it raises them above what they are I maintain that this Proposition can't be denied viz. That there may really be some things the Modus or Manner of which Humane Nature can't know at present tho it studies for it never so much It ought to be observ'd that I do not say there may be some things contrary to our distinct Notions which is impossible but only that it may be we have not the Knowledg that is requir'd or the Means of acquiring it to know some things which notwithstanding are not contrary to what we certainly know 'T is necessary to make that distinction because several People who are not aware of it confound things that are extreamly different We cannot believe what is really contrary to our clear Notions but we believe an infinite number of things tho we know not how they come to pass Most Unbelievers are commonly guilty of another Fault which is less excusable than the former Instead of being in such a Disposition as is necessary for such as seek after Truth they act like Men who only strive to get the better without inquiring who is in the Right or in the Wrong They wrangle as much as they can and if those with whom they dispute do it unsuccessfully they 'll be sure to take advantage of it as if the Truth of the Christian Religion depended upon that They will not shew those who do not defend Religion well what Mistakes they are guilty of but only labour to make advantage of it that they may the more easily triumph over them But when the Question is concerning a thing of that nature about which no Man can deceive others without doing himself a greater prejudice and when Truth is equally advantageous to every Body Men should only labour to find it out and instead of insulting those who can't shew the way to it they should endeavour to put them in the right way The Spirit of Dispute is altogether inconsistent with the search of Truth and a Heathen Philosopher said well †Arist lib. 1. de Coelo c. 10. That those who will rightly judg of Truth ought to be Arbitrators not Parties Assoon as one has put on the Character of an Adversary he thinks no more of Truth but of the Glory which may be gotten by triumphing over him whom he has assaulted He is only intent upon his Adversary's way of reasoning to take him up upon all Occasions but not to endeavour to find out a better He considers no longer the thing in question as the subject of his Enquiry but of his Censure He views it on every side to find fault with it not to know what it is grounded upon 'T is certain that this is an ill disposition of Mind and Unbelievers themselves cannot deny it After what has been said 't is no wonder if Men who shut their Eyes against the clear and beautiful part of the Christian Religion and only open them to see what 's obscure and difficult in it that they
they pretend to be their own due The too good Opinion any conceives of himself is ever accompany'd with a Contempt of others and both the one and the other are equally apparent outwardly Those who suffer themselves to be blinded with this Passion believe not only that there are no good Qualities except in their own Persons and in such as admire them but they also abhor all that to them appears ordinary and think they should debase themselves had they any Thoughts that were common to several others Such were for example the antient Stoicks who imagin'd they had more Knowledg than all the World besides and that they were above those Weaknesses remarkable in other Men. They look'd upon those with Scorn and Pity if their Principles would permit 'em to have any who were not perswaded of their Doctrines They troubl'd themselves little with the Sentiments of others which they confider'd as idle Dreams and never spoke of the most ordinary things but in strange Terms Pain was not an Evil Pleasure was not a Good all Vertues were equal there was no Difference between Vices their Sage only had common Sense all others were Fools They utter'd a thousand Paradoxes of this Nature only to distinguish themselves from the Vulgar who have Ideas very opposite to these On the contrary Humility which is the same Vertue the Heathens call'd Modesty consists in having no other Sentiments of our selves but what are proportion'd to our good Qualities and not to pretend to Honours that are not due to us Nay this Vertue goes yet further and those whom we may call humble patiently suffer themselves to be debas'd much below their Merit As those who have this Vertue esteem not themselves more than they ought so they are far from despising others and willing to do them all the Justice they can reasonably wish Nor are they vex'd to see People that are their Inferiours in many respects exalted above them and more consider'd than they deserve This Vertue may be remarkably seen in the Primitive Christians who perfectly knowing the Errors of the Heathens and the Defects of their Philosophy did not reject however all that it taught to distinguish themselves from the Pagan Philosophers On the contrary they readily approv'd all that was good in it and were transported to discover a Conformity between the Notions of those Sages admir'd by the Multitude and the Doctrines of the Gospel They even confess'd with great Sincerity that the Heathen Authors did much surpass in Eloquence the first Writers of the Christian Religion Clemens Alexandrinus in his Stromates and Eusebius in his Evangelick Preparation can furnish a thousand Proofs of it as well as many other Ecclesiastical Authors whom I need not cite Such therefore as reject Sentiments generally receiv'd or at least receiv'd by a great Number of Persons should take care that the Love of Singularity rather than a Demonstration that others are mistaken has made them quit the beaten Road. 'T is true indeed that the Multitude of those who embrace a certain Opinion is not a good Proof of the Truth of it but on the other hand it is no cogent Argument that a thing is false because many People believe it It is certain notwithstanding that to be distinguish'd from the Croud a Man frequently rejects what he believes true for no other Reason but because it is a vulgar Notion A vain Spirit cannot bear that he should be equall'd in any thing to an infinite number of Persons whose Knowledg he believes inferiour to his own and whose mean Inclinations aim at nothing but what is common I 'm perswaded that several are Unbelievers because at least the fundamental Doctrines of Christianity are extremely common They think it noble to be indeceiv'd concerning vulgar Opinions and to look upon others as People that feed themselves upon Chimera's A Man thus conceited of himself thinks he 's elevated far above the credulous Multitude which is led rather by Custom than guided by Reason There is nothing so pleasant says an Epicurean Poet as to live in the exalted Temple of Wisdom where you may enjoy a perpetual Calm and whence you may look down upon other Men wandring and scatter'd in their different ways of living Nil dulcius est benè quam munita tenere Edita doctrinâ sapientum templa serena Despicere unde queas alios passimque videre Errare atque viam palantes quaerere vitae But at bottom one exposes himself as I have said already as much to Deception by contemning whatever the Vulgar esteems for no other Reason than this as by blindly embracing all that the Multitude authorizes Neither its Aprrobation nor its Hatred are the proper marks of Truth or Falshood If there have been Chimera's generally receiv'd there have been also as many ridiculous Notions countenanc'd by a small number of People who imagin'd themselves more knowing than others Therefore when any finds himself inclin'd to forsake vulgar Sentiments he ought to take heed that he be not impos'd upon by the agreeable Thoughts of being exempted from those Errors wherein he sees others engag'd This may be as well the Delusion of a secret Pride as the Effect of uncommon Knowledg It is by so much the more dangerous to fall out of Vanity into any singular Thoughts as that when once a Man is govern'd by this Principle it is the hardest thing in the World to make him change his Mind The same Passion that leads him into it confirms him in it insensibly by reason of the Pleasure wherewith it fills those who will be blinded by it representing them as I said to themselves as Persons highly elevated above the Vulgar Beside all this vain People imagining they are more clear-sighted than others easily believe themselves never mistaken and that the rest of Men have not the necessary Sagacity for discovering the Truth This is the reason that when any whereof they have not so good an Opinion as of themselves proposes to them Sentiments contrary to their own they will not so much as give him the Hearing The first Thought that offers it self then to their Minds or if you please the Sentiment that is awak'd in their Heart is that if this Man spoke the Truth it would follow that a Person whom they despise and not as they think without Reason should have more Penetration and a sounder Judgment than themselves But this is what they can never agree to for so they must entirely change the pleasing Idea they hitherto entertain'd of themselves and others They would be oblig'd to allow those whom they always believ'd much their Inferiours a more considerable Rank in their Esteem than themselves and in certain Regards acknowledg their Superiority I shall illustrate this Truth by some Examples Let 's take a Jewish Doctor and if you will of the Sacerdotal Race Suppose him to have studied the Laws of Moses with great Application and the Traditions currant among the Jews in the Apostles time Add
the Truth of the Christian Religion cannot distinctly report the Reasons of such as defend it nor tell what they except against in every one of them This is what they should examine themselves about and without which they must confess they did pronounce a hasty Sentence nor can they without Injustice refuse to examine once again a Matter of so great Importance All the Books that have been seen and all the Discourses we could hear upon this Subject contain only some loose Difficulties which seem by no means to be the Result of an exact and methodical Examination These Difficulties cannot be more sufficient to inform those who would judg solidly of so great an Affair than the Objections of one of the Parties are to inform equitable Judges We have therefore Reason to believe that those who declare themselves against the Christian Religion after resolving out of Vanity against the common Sentiments continue to reject them by the same Principle I confess they may have and that they actually have other Motives for it is very rare that in a Judgment which is made of a Subject so full as the Christian Religion with all its Consequences there should not enter Motives of divers sorts But I maintain that the particular one of Pride I have been speaking of is found among the rest I won't say here that the other Motives whatever they may be are not better than this I shall prove it in the Sequel of this Work for 't is enough now to shew that Vanity is concern'd in 't Another thing whereby it may be known what great Influence Pride had upon a Judgment made of any Subject is that after having embrac'd an Opinion that cannot be demonstrated 't is presum'd that this Opinion unexamin'd must serve as an infallible Rule to judg of Truth and Falshood Mathematicians have their Axioms their Definitions and their Suppositions which they do not demonstrate by reason of their own great Clearness and Plainness which puts 'em beyond the Reach of all sorts of Doubts They have Reason to suppose them therefore without proving them but to suppose most obscure and uncertain not to say false things and to make use of those Suppositions as Principles is absurd To expect this Method should be approved of and to treat scornfully those who reject it is so sensible a Mark of their being govern'd by Vanity that I do not know a greater Proof can be given of it The Jews for Example when the Gospel begun to appear in the World thought they had a Right to suppose as indisputable the eternal Duration of the Mosaick Law and the Necessity of observing it in order to become acceptable to God that to demand a Proof of it was sufficient to gain their Hatred The Greek Philosophers likewise of that time look'd upon themselves as so knowing and upon their Opinions as so well establish'd that every thing was false in their Judgment which contradicted them the least in the World Nevertheless it may be said that the particular Principles of the Jews and Heathen Philosophers compar'd to Christianity were not even probable as I could shew if those I have to do with doubted of it So the Jews those blind Guides of the Blind and the Greeks conceited of a thousand Chimera's concluded the Gospel to be false out of mere Vanity Those who being educated among Christians are got into the same Fancy should take heed they do not commit the like Fault unless they will be voluntarily deceiv'd Let them examine then whether in the Judgment they form of Christianity they suppose nothing but what is clear and incontestable They reproach Christians with making Suppositions without Proofs let them not be guilty therefore themselves of what they object to others For my own part I 'm perswaded that if they go back to the first Principles of their Reasonings and then reduce them to certain Propositions they will be convinc'd of their having built upon the most obscure and incomprehensible Principles that ever were To suppose for example that there is but one Substance in the World compounded of Extension and Thought and which modifies it self as we see the Vniverse is without having any supreme Intelligence distinct from the Vniverse it self concern'd about it To suppose I say so strange a Proposition without demonstrating it is certainly to imagine that the peremptory manner of saying such obscure things serves them for Evidence or Demonstration When I say to demonstrate I understand as Mathematicians do what leaves no Doubt nor Difficulty behind in the Minds of any who understand the Terms of the Demonstration Otherwise they must not talk of demonstrating unless they would impose upon the Weak by this Word Let the Writings of those be read over and over who maintain the Proposition I have mention'd and ground themselves upon it to deny the Truth of Christianity and it will appear that there is nothing in all Religion which equals the obscuring of this Principle There are notwithstanding some People who utter it as an incontestable Truth and judg thereby of whatever the Christians say concerning God the Creation of the World and Providence If these People would diligently examine themselves I 'm much deceiv'd if they did not discover that one of the greatest Reasons which brings them to think this a clear Principle is their valuing themselves upon defending an Opinion remote from vulgar Notions and of admitting rather the most obscure things imaginable than they should mix again with the Croud from which they endeavour'd hereby to distinguish themselves As Credulity and Superstition add to their Objects as it were a false Light which serves them instead of Evidence So Pride makes a Geometrical Principle of a thing that 's in it self unintelligible There are other Persons to whom this dogmatical and peremptory Air is so displeasing that they equally condemn such as stick to the vulgar Opinions and those who forsaking what is commonly receiv'd endeavour to establish new Principles They think that seeing there are Difficulties every where and those sometimes insurmountable the surest way is to affirm nothing and to reject all without establishing any thing I will not undertake to confute this Principle here I shall only say that altho this Way seems very different from that whereof we have been speaking it is probable nevertheless that it proceeds from the like Disposition of Mind It is not much less agreeable to humane Pride to consider it self secur'd from popular Errors by doubting of every thing than by establishing Principles contrary to those that are commonly receiv'd Some look upon other Men as the Sport of their Opinions and the Prey to speak so of a thousand Chimeras whilst under the Shelter of Doubt they think themselves safe from the Danger of Error It might be said nevertheless by some Men that not Pride but the mere Impossibility of discovering the Truth which is a very mortifying thing is the Cause of their Doubts I won't say that
to employ in their Conversions rather than Reason This makes nothing to my Design I shall only remark that the Difficulty of bringing those Idolatrous Nations to receive the Gospel proceeds not from any Insidelity peculiar to them from the People of Europe They are upon the contrary the most credulous People in the World and very seriously embrace a great number of incredible things whereof their Theology is made up Their Incredulity with respect to the Gospel proceeds from their not reasoning almost at all except about things relating to Life and that nothing ever enters into their Minds except from Experience or Education They are not Men that meditate and are capable of attentively considering abstracted Ideas nor of comparing them with one another to draw some Consequence from them So for want of meeting a little reasoning in these People one is extremely puzzl'd how to get 'em to change their Opinions This cannot be said of the Mahometans since we know that their Divines do sometimes write with Subtlety and Sense enough against some of the Doctrines which the Missionaries would have 'em embrace Nor can we treat them as Infidels that reject the Christian Religion out of a Spirit of Scepticism for they are every thing rather than Pyrrhonians seeing they most heartily believe all the Alcoran Nevertheless altho they have Sense enough as I said to make Objections against some Doctrines that are preach'd to them yet they have not enough to examine the Principles of their own Religion and to see upon what it is grounded They don't so much as understand what is said to them upon that Head nor the Reasons brought to prove the Truth of Christianity And if the Missionaries now and then convert some of 'em it is not from any Reasons they alledg but in gaining their Love and Esteem by some other ways The Jews are much in the same Condition as it may be seen by the Books they have written to establish their own Opinions or to confute those of the Christians This may be easily discover'd also by any that discourses with them upon these Subjects But between them and the Mahometans there is this Difference that the latter give Credit to a Book full of Impertinencies and Falshoods whereas the Jews ground their Perswasion upon the Books of the Old Testament which contain a true Revelation And yet they can reason little better than the Mahometans which is one of the greatest Obstacles to their Conversion Whilst they are satisfy'd with the mere Authority of some Rabbins tho without any Foundation they are Proof against the strongest Reasons the Christians can oppose to 'em because from their Infancy they are wont to believe what their Rabbins tell them and are never taught to reason justly Otherwise if the Jews were in a Condition of pursuing an Argument and of distinguishing a good from an ill Consequence it would then be very easy to convince them of the Truth of Christianity It should be only needful as some Christian Divines have lately done to put them upon proving the Truth of the Divine Mission of Moses as they would prove it to a Heathen they design'd to proselyte to Judaism For if they bring any solid Proofs for this matter it may be easily made evident that these same Reasons are incomparably stronger in favour of the divine Mission of Christ and his Apostles than in favour of that of Moses as it has been shewn in the Book whose Title you may see in the Margin Limborch Amica collat cum Erudit Judaeo Now then to convince the Jews and other Infidels by Reason they must be first taught the Art of methodically digesting their Thoughts and be accustomed to reason stricly upon other Heads that they may learn to understand the Force of the Proofs upon which the Gospel is founded But this is what all the Missionaries in the World are not able to do especially to those Insidels who are advanc'd in Years It were Injustice to believe that 't is only amongst Infidels that Men are found uncapable of discerning the Goodness of an Argument and who upon this account reject the Christian Religion There are Unbelievers among Christians themselves who are not only such out of some Disposition engaging them against the Gospel but likewise out of downright Stupidity and for want of understanding the Reasons whereupon Christianity is grounded There are some People who from their Childhood have been brought up to some Trade or other constant Business without any Care taken about the forming of their Minds or even of instructing them in Religion and who being moreover of a Genius not very proper for conceiving of things reveal'd tho haughty and presumptuous have grown to a full Age without any farther Instruction or being cur'd of their Pride These are rarely perswaded of the Truth of the Christian Religion nay they frequently reject it entirely or at least in part not only because they know not the Proofs of it but also because they understand them not when they hear them from those that do know them These unpolish'd and ignorant Creatures imagine that there is nothing true but what they perceive by their Senses or what they have found by their own Experience to be possible or in a word what they find conformable to their Passions Thus neither the speculative Doctrines of Religion nor the Practice of it nor yet the History of those who taught it being within the Verge of their Knowledg they refuse to believe them rather out of Brutality and Stupidity than as deceiv'd by captious Reasonings If they reject it not altogether 't is certain however that they retain only what is most pleasing to them which is an evident Demonstration that they are not perswaded of it from Reasoning and Knowledg because the Proofs which confirm a part of it are the same that shew the whole Religion to be true 'T is not only amongst People taken up with Trade and Business that this sort of Unbelievers is to be found for there are more of 'em perhaps amongst such as aspire to great Preferments amongst Soldiers and Persons of Quality It may be said indeed that Persons of these Ranks have had a better Education than others with relation to the Affairs of the World and those Employments to which they were design'd But in very truth it is as common a thing to hear them reason as wretchedly about Religion as the most ignorant among the Populace When once they are grown old in their Prejudices against Christianity then their natural Vanity encreas'd with their Age renders them more obstinate and not seldom makes 'em altogether inaccessible to Truth You propose the most cogent Arguments to them in vain for they look upon them as mere Sophisms tho they know not wherein Sophistry differs from solid Reasoning I shall be told perhaps that this sort of Men is not so ignorant of the Art of Thinking as I suppose them to be seeing they reason not so
ill concerning those things they know by Experience and that they govern themselves with Prudence enough in the Affairs of Life To this I answer That I do not deny but those I speak of may reason very well about what are the Objects of their Passions or when they confine themselves within the Limits of their Experience But I maintain that they have not as much as the Notion of reasoning solidly about speculative things that make no Impressions upon the Senses such as are the Proofs whereupon the Truth of the Christian Religion is built To be convinc'd of this we need only examine them if we can upon these two Heads First We must discourse 'em about some abstracted Subject such as are for Example the general Ideas of most things the Notions of Vertues and Vices And if they reason exactly herein we may justly conclude that these Persons are not of their number who continue Unbelievers for want of knowing how to reason rightly But if we hear them talk of such Matters without any Principles or Coherence if we see that they do not comprehend what is said to them upon such Occasions be it never so clear or notwithstanding all the Pains taken to make it plain which happens but too frequently then it will be easily granted me that their Infidelity does at least proceed in part from their Ignorance of the Art of Reasoning Another way we have to discover this kind of Unbelievers is when we find them distasted with all Discourses upon abstracted Matters or with any thing that relates not to their Passions when they avoid the reading of all Books requiring any Attention especially of such Books as are written to prove the Truth of what they disbelieve finally when they won't enter upon a Discussion of any such Subjects nor will be at the Pains of comparing the Answers of Believers with the Objections of the Incredulous We may sufficiently know such Persons who are so to speak so fill'd with what they have learn'd from Experience of the Affairs of the World that nothing else can enter into them and are displeas'd when they hear other Discourses Such was Festus for Instance the Governour of Judea who is mention'd in the Acts of the Apostles He could scarcely hear a short Discourse from St. Paul and charg'd him with Madness after hearing from him another Discourse full of Evidence and good Sense Were he told of some Methods how to squeeze Money dexterously out of his Province or were he acquainted with some Intrigue that might contribute to prefer him to a more considerable Post he would immediately understand what was said to him or he would get it repeated to him so often and would have ask'd so many Questions about it that he should at least have an exact Notion of the Business But because S. Paul spoke to him of things no way relating to his Designs or Passions he could scarce patiently hear him and understood nothing of his Discourse There are a world of People at this day in the midst of Christendom who are very near in the same Disposition They speak very well of their Temporal Affairs or any thing belonging to them they willingly converse about the News of the Times and that sometimes with Sense enough but put them once by such things to talk of Religion they are presently tir'd they speak of it ridiculously they shew in a word so great a Contempt of such Discourses as if they were Matters beneath them and to which they cannot stoop without Uneasiness As these Unbelievers who reason not at all are moreover entirely possest with Passions opposite to the Gospel and have been long habituated to obey them so they are not accessible on any side and I see not how without a Miracle they can be convinc'd of their miserable State nor reclaim'd from their Error However it was fit to make some Reflections upon this sort of Unbelievers that we might not be impos'd upon when we meet with such nor seduc'd by their Ways CHAP. V. That the Neglect of searching into Truth is often the Cause of Incredulity THere are many Men who have naturally a Genius good enough for abstracted Matters and that also were not wholly neglected in their first Education but whom the Course of their Lives has engag'd in Occupations which have no Affinity with the Search of Truth The Necessaries of their Families or the Desire of satisfying their Passions do so take up their Minds for several Years together that they neglect all other things never improve their natural Parts nor distinguish Truth from Falshood with any Application in the Business of Religion This Negligence leads 'em insensibly into Doubting for if the Connection of religious Truths be not heedfully attended to there arise a thousand Difficulties in the Mind out of which we know not how to extricate our selves From Doubt Men easily fall into Infidelity whilst they neglect the Search of what may remove their Scruples for when once they are got into the Understanding they are in motion upon all occasions and as the Solutions to them are not study'd after at the beginning we should not wonder if in time they take such deep rooting as it shall not be an easy Matter afterwards to extirpate them If such as refuse to believe the Truth of the Christian Religion seriously examine themselves I am much mistaken if the greatest Part of 'em won't confess that they have extremely neglected the Care they ought to have us'd in order to be inform'd of a thing of such Importance Nay I dare affirm that there is not any Unbeliever who perceives not if he minds it that this Negligence is one of the principal Causes of his Incredulity and I shall bring many Proofs of it in the Sequel of this Work Now to make what I have said more evident I will instance this Fault in other Persons where People may remark it more impartially than in themselves When Christianity begun to make a Noise in Judea that is chiefly when the Apostles declar'd every where the Resurrection of their Master and shew'd that he wanted not faithful Disciples on Earth tho he was himself no more there all the Jews ought one would think to have inform'd themselves of what these Disciples said seeing they were things most nearly concerning them to know They expected their Messias about that time they groan'd so heavily under the Roman Tyranny that they wish'd for nothing so much as Liberty and they hop'd the Messias should prove their Deliverer In this Disposition they ought to hearken I should think to every one that spoke to 'em of a Messias to get rid of their Doubt whether the wish'd Deliverer was yet come or not Methinks too the Apostles should have been heard of all the World when they preach'd the Doctrine and the Miracles of their Master especially his Resurrection for indeed these Miracles were so great and many that more could not be expected from the Messias The
like manner People whose Desires are contrary to the Spirit of the Gospel may indulge those Desires without calling into question all the while the Truth of Christianity In the second place the Manners of most Christians are contrary to their Perswasion not that they perceive not this Opposition well enough and condemn it too when they think of it but the Method of Living generally receiv'd and that 's most agreeable to their Passions carries it over the Judgment they make of themselves in their own Consciences and we may be convinc'd of it by the Examples already alledg'd and by thousands of the like nature In short It cannot be hence concluded that we must judg of Religion according to our Inclinations nor that we may accommodate it rather to our manner of living than continue to believe what we do not obey Who will maintain that a Prince would do better in changing the Laws according to his present Passions than to let them subsist and break 'em every hour No body For if he observes not the Laws as he should he leaves them their Authority however with respect to his Subjects and such other Princes as are willing to observe them which is of absolute Necessity to Society What Disorders would it cause in the Commonwealth if an adulterous Prince lest he should be thought to contemn their Authority would abrogate all those Laws prohibiting Adultery Herodot l. 3. c. 31. 'T is said that Cambyses the Son of Cyrus being in Love with his Sister and desirous of marrying her enquir'd of the Royal Judges who were the Interpreters of the Laws amongst the Persians whether it was lawful for a Brother to have his Sister to Wife They answer'd him That there was no Law which permitted it but that there was another Law that permitted the Kings of Persia to do whatever they pleas'd Upon this Answer Cambyses marry'd his Sister and the Persians have not from that time scrupl'd to imitate their King in this Practice It had questionless been less criminal and much less hurtful to the Society if Cambyses had marry'd his Sister without saying any thing of it and not endeavour to cover his Incest by Authority of Law If it be ask'd then Which Carriage is most dangerous and blameable that of such as violate the Laws of the Gospel whom they believe to be Divine or that of the Incredulous who reject the Divinity of these Laws because they have no mind to obey them 'T is plain that the latter is much worse than the former supposing the Laws of the Gospel to be beneficial to Society which cannot be doubted as I have shewn in the first Chapter So whatever be the Conduct of those who profess the Christian Religion Unbelievers cannot however excuse themselves because others do not act coherently seeing they neglect to understand what imports them most to know The greatest part of Christians are doubtless in the wrong herein and they deny it not themselves but the Incredulous are much more to blame than they If the latter would examine themselves they might discover perhaps some other Source of this Negligence in their own Persons and it is that generally they are not very sollicitous about knowing the Truth in Matters of Religion There are some People so much taken up with the present and having so good an Opinion of themselves that they shut their Eyes and Ears to all sorts of Discourse or Examples which might convince them that they have reason not to be well satisfy'd with their Opinions and Practice Altho they seem sometimes to love the Truth yet if it be well remark'd it will appear that they love nothing but their Passions and are careful only how to indulge these for they receive no more of the Truth but what is not incompatible with their Desires Thus Princes and Persons of great Quality cannot bear that such as are about them should ingenuously acquaint them with what is said of them and tell besides their own Thoughts of the Matter If any is a little too sincere he 's quickly banish'd from their Presence 'T is just so with many private Persons who take none for their Friends but such as flatter them and help to keep them up in the good Opinion they have conceiv'd of themselves Princes and private Men do equally drive out of their Minds all Thoughts that might trouble their Repose and hinder them from quietly enjoying what they love They cannot say therefore that they are such mighty Lovers of Truth who care for knowing no more of it than what is pleasing to them And it may probably happen that many Unbelievers deal after this manner with Religion neglecting to understand what might convince them out of a secret Averseness they have of searching into such Truths as they cannot discover without extremely disquieting themselves So S. Paul reasoning before Felix of Justice Acts 24.25 Temperance and future Judgment this trembling Governour was quickly weary of hearing him and put him off till another time Had S. Paul entertain'd him with some other Discourse he would have heard him it may be as long as he pleas'd but the Vertues whereof this Apostle began to speak to him were too opposite to his Manners to obtain a longer Audience from him 'T is evident then that this Disposition is entirely against all good Sense and the whole World does equally blame Flattery and Flatterers 'T is generally agreed upon likewise that there is nothing more remote from Wisdom than wilfully to continue ignorant of what is disadvantageous to us for without knowing it we can never bring a Remedy against it and our Ignorance about it changes not the Nature of the thing but contributes not seldom to render our Condition worse The Incredulous therefore ought to look to it and not fear to hazard their Repose in the Search of disquieting Truths They ought to beware of that ill regulated Self-love which flatters our present Passions and avoids every thing that may mix some Bitterness with the Sweetness we taste in the Enjoyment of them For my part I 'm perswaded that their Negligence of informing themselves about the Grounds of Christianity proceeds in great part from this dangerous Disposition and they would agree to it no doubt were they capable of examining themselves Did we see Unbelievers use much Application in the Search of Truth without omitting any thing that was necessary for their thorough Information and yet not quit their Infidelity we should perhaps be tempted to believe that they were in the right seeing they did not conclude but after a long and requisite Discussion But we see not one of them so dispos'd and they are all contented with a very superficial Knowledg of Religion without endeavouring to penetrate into the Proofs of it which gives us occasion to confirm our selves in the Belief of the Truth and to be perswaded that their Infidelity proceeds as I have prov'd from their Neglect of due Instruction CHAP. VI.
the want of a little Quiet whereof they deprive themselves for some small time But methinks a short term of Carelessness ought not to be of so great value with a Man that nothing can be capable of making him quit it Is there any in the World who can live in this eternal Indifference for all that requires Application If any leaves this Laziness for other things what Reason can he bring for not quitting it in order to discover his own state as to Religion If indeed after taking much pains to no purpose a Man could not enjoy his former Quiet he might plead very plausibly in Defence of this Carriage but on the contrary after fatiguing himself a little his Repose is but the more pleasant And so the Lazy should by this Principle at least be at the trouble of examining Religion But now if the Christian Religion be certainly true as we maintain a more deplorable State could not well be conceiv'd in this Life than that of the lazy Gentlemen we have describ'd For what can be imagin'd more lamentable than to precipitate ones self into eternal Misery rather than take the pains of learning the Means to avoid it That Man could not be look'd upon as a lazy Person who would not rise at Night for fear of breaking his Repose tho the House was on fire no he would be taken for a Fool or a Madman We see by these Examples very clearly how unreasonable that spiritual Laziness is which keeps Men from examining Religion We perceive the dangerous Consequences of it or at least the Miseries that may proceed from it Nevertheless there have been formerly Men of this Character and there are now even among Christians Such were those Jews of Thessalonica Acts 17.4 whereof very few were the better for S. Paul's Preaching because they would not examine what he said and whereof the most part very zealous in all other things rais'd a Commotion in the Town against the Professors of Christianity as we are told by S. Luke This appears by the Opposition which we find in the same History of the Jews of Berea another City of Macedonia to those of Thessalonica These says the Historian were more noble than those of Thessalonica in that they receiv'd the Word with all readiness of mind and search'd the Scriptures daily whether those things were so therefore many of them believed If those of Thessalonica had Love enough for the Truth to do as much they would not have been less ready to receive their Reasons who preach'd the Gospel to ' em But the Laziness that detain'd them in Judaism join'd to their other Passions kept them from examining the Doctrine of S. Paul and consequently they acknowledg'd not the Truth of it The present Jews who live among the Christians and perhaps a part of the Mahometans may neglect the Examen of Christianity out of divers Principles such as those we have describ'd in the preceding Chapters but I 'm very apt to believe that they mix with them a great deal of that Laziness we are treating of in this Chapter They are out of Love with all Meditation and Discussion nor can there be a better Proof of it than that they vouchsafe not even to examine why they give Credit to Judaism or Mahometanism Being altogether busy about sensible Objects and the Cares of Life they cannot without Reluctancy think seriously and attentively of any other Subject They may be compar'd to People extremely weary after walking a great way on foot but desir'd to take a longer Walk to refresh and divert themselves They would not hearken be sure to such a Proposition but indulging themselves in the Pleasure of Repose they would think of no other thing except quietly enjoying their Rest Thus such as are busy about the Affairs of Life and fatigu'd with the perpetual Cares they occasion are lazy as to all other things Christianity being at this time divided into several Sects whereof some must necessarily be in an Error may we not therefore place in the Number of the Lazy those Persons who full of all other Things but the Love of the Truth have never carefully examin'd which of these Sects is most conformable to the Sentiments of the Apostles I own that divers other Motives might lead them to remain without knowing why themselves in that Party wherein they happen'd to be born and to condemn all others without vouchsafing to examine their Tenets but if you remark it well it will appear that one of the Principles which occasion this Conduct is a certain lazy Aversion to the Trouble of searching after the Truth in Matters of this kind We may proceed yet further seeing there are People who condemn not only their native Religion without having ever sufficiently studied it but likewise all other Religions tho still less known to them because first perswading themselves that they have discover'd some Falsity therein they conclude next that all the rest is of the same Nature and so can never resolve upon seriously or throughly examining the Truth After having found out as they think that the ablest Men they know teach a false Doctrine for a Gospel-Truth they judg by this Sample of the Religion of their own Country as well as of all others and that Laziness which keeps 'em as it were enchanted makes 'em think it more convenient to condemn all without any more ado than to ingage in a solicitous enquiry after the true Principles of Christianity I have already shewn the Danger and Unreasonableness of this Laziness nor are there any Persons who disagree to it but when they would actually get quit of this Passion they find themselves so much prejudic'd in favour of it that they have need of their utmost Endeavours to be cur'd or to form an opposite Habit. Besides all I have hitherto said we ought to reflect upon the Pleasure of being in a contrary Disposition to this idle Temper which is not only infinitely more satisfactory but likewise much more reasonable and it may happen that the Love of Truth would be preferr'd to a shameful Quiet worthier of Beasts than Men. Let us imagine now such a lazy Person as we have been speaking of and let us compare his Condition to that of a Man whose Mind being accustom'd to Enquiry finds no Repose except in the certain Knowledg of the Truth The first having perceiv'd some false Doctrine which was taught him as a true one for we may grant this to several of the lazy Unbelievers he rejects this Doctrine and whatever else is affirm'd to be true concerning Religion without considering that important Truths might be mix'd with Falsehoods in the Theology of his Country or that there may be People perhaps elsewhere exempted from those Errors that were taught him or finally that the Doctrine of the first Founders of Christianity might have been misunderstood Common Sense would teach a Man to suspend his Judgment at least till he had examin'd these three
of believing in Jesus Christ He will make no more account of 'em for this than if they had been in a quite opposite Perswasion and 't is certain that no Ignorance can excuse them as we could easily shew Secondly if Men not of such ill Morals at least not in so scandalous a manner should embrace the Gospel out of pure Credulity as they would receive the contrary were they taught it 't is evident this is not the Faith so much extoll'd by the Gospel A Proof whereof is that those People ordinarily change from black to white according as they alter their Minds who have the Conduct of their Consciences Nor do I well know whether such Men can be properly said to be of any Opinion for they have no Conception of what is never so little abstracted and only conform themselves externally to those for whom they have a Respect But among those that may be term'd gross and ignorant Persons there are some who without any Learning have much Uprightness and Integrity of Mind which makes them admire and receive the Truths of the Gospel as soon as propos'd to them tho they are not always capable to express clearly all that they think The Beauty of the Evangelick Morals makes a great Impression upon such Men and easily gains their Souls and as they discover nothing in the other Doctrines of Christianity that shocks their Notions or Desires they cordially embrace them and constantly persevere to believe them This Disposition and Carriage is certainly very commendable and conformable to the Doctrine of Jesus Christ Such were for example the Apostles before they were extraordinarily illuminated The Miracles and Discourses of Jesus Christ gain'd them in a small time and the more they continu'd with him the more they admir'd him altho they were still prepossess'd with some Jewish Errors We may place also in this Rank the Publicans and Women of ill Lives who were converted by seeing the Miracles and hearing the Doctrine of Christ There are a world of People of this sort who are for a time drawn into an evil and shameful manner of Life by seducing Temptations and the Force of certain Conjunctures but all the while the Love of Truth and Vertue is not quite extinguish'd in them And this is the Reason that when Providence lays the one or the other before them in a sensible and touching way as in the time of Jesus Christ and upon a thousand other Occasions they forthwith renounce their Immoralities and zealously take up the opposite Method of Living At this Day such as truly believe in Christ and that are not capable of making long Deductions have not indeed the same Advantages as the Apostles had and the other Disciples who saw those Miracles wrought which convinc'd them without much reasoning of the Truth of his Mission and the Divinity of his Doctrine But the Doctrine of Jesus Christ being always the same the Holiness of its Precepts recommends them as much as ever to the understanding of such as are not quite corrupted with the bad Customs of the Age. We see every day the Excellency and Usefulness of them whether we consider them as practis'd by others or remark the Disorders which accompany all ways of living opposite to them To perceive this there is need only of a little Vertue and good Sense On the other hand if we cast our Eye upon the Doctrines contain'd in the Gospel and which solely tend to lead us to the Observation of its Precepts to procure us eternal Happiness there is nothing herein but what is worthy of God especially if they be drawn out of those Fountains which the Subtlety of Modern Divines has not corrupted Nor does the History of the first Establishment of the Gospel contain any thing but what is conformable to the Doctrine of it and proper to perswade us of its Truth This History written in so plain and natural a Method carries in it self all the Characters of Sincerity insomuch that in reading of it one has not the least Suspicion to make him doubt whether the Writers of it believ'd it or not The most part of the Matters of Fact mention'd in it are of such a Nature that few could be deceiv'd about them All this join'd together is more than sufficient to perswade a Man whom Vice or I know not what Science falsly so call'd hath not blinded and the Difficulties which the Incredulous find in them proceed rather from their Disposition of Mind than from the things themselves It is indeed true that the Persons we speak of are not capable to judg of those subtle and perplex'd Questions which divide the Divines But it cannot be said neither that the distinct Belief of Doctrines above the reach of a discreet and sincere Man that loves Vertue tho he has no Learning it cannot be affirm'd I say that such a distinct Belief is necessary to his Salvation Every Man that loves the Truth that according to his best Understanding embraces all that he conceives in the Gospel that orders his Life by what he believes and that endeavours as much as possible he can to encrease his Knowledg does all that is requisite to obtain Salvation from the Mercy of God according to the Ideas we have of it from the Gospel For it may be said that this Man improves the Talents he receiv'd as much as God indispensibly requires it of him and nothing hinders but we may apply to him what Jesus Christ said in the Parable Good and faithful Servant Mat. 25.23 thou hast been faithful over a few things I will make thee Ruler over many things enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord. If it be objected to me further that there are some who are not by any means capable to see in the Morals of the Gospel in its other Doctrines and in the History of it that Usefulness Excellence and Sincerity which I said might be remark'd therein and nevertheless believe it to be true I have nothing to reply to this but what I have said already These People imitate others but they have not that Faith which the Gospel demands It is not calculated indeed for the Learned alone but no more is it for Brutes Such as understand not or are suppos'd not capable to understand any thing of it should become Men before they think of being Christians for there is no great Difference between them and the Savages of Africa or America So I may conclude that the Incredulous do calumniate the Christian Religion when they accuse it of requiring from Men a blind Credulity and to condemn Examination It has been shewn that there is nothing more false by Reasons if I 'm not mistaken that can never be answer'd CHAP. II. That the Immorality or Ignorance of those who sometimes shew the greatest Zeal for Religion ought not to render it suspected to the Incredulous THE Christian Religion demanded not only that it should be thought true but also that this Belief
it be concluded from thence that this Science was only a Chimera No body durst maintain it But 't is just thus with the Christian Religion and such as are carry'd away with a false Zeal The Incredulous object further that since those who shew the greatest Zeal observe not the most important Precepts of this Religion 't is at least a sign that they are not themselves perswaded of its Truth for otherwise say they they would not quit the best part of it seeing if the speculative Doctrines be true what concerns Practice is not less so But if the most zealous are not perswaded of their Religion what may be judg'd of its Proofs This is certainly a Prejudice that is very difficultly conquer'd in the Minds of those who have more regard to what is said than to what is done and who look upon Mens Morals as the Character of their Belief Every Person has not strength of Thought enough to consider the Laws of the Gospel in themselves without any respect to the manner how they are obey'd or to the Judgment that Christians seem to make of them by their Conduct But at bottom this is an ill-grounded Prejudice from which no Consequence can be inferr'd against the Truth of the Christian Religion as it will appear by the following Remarks First of all we may grant that there are some of those Zealots in shew for a part of the Christian Doctrines who are not in effect perswaded of any of them and who make use of the Cloak of Religion to impose upon the Multitude the better to carry on their Affairs in the World But does it follow from hence that the Christian Religion is not true By no means since it is evident that these Men may be deceiv'd as well as others They are not always such as make the greatest Noise about an Art that best understand it And if all the Discourses of these People were well examin'd it might be easily perceiv'd that the Christian Religion has Beauties to which they are utter Strangers There might be also remarkâ—d in their Dispositions some invincible Obstacles to the sincere Acknowledgment of the Truth of Christianity which is entirely contrary to those Dispositions The greatest part of these People believe for example that Force must be made use of to establish Truth and that the Magistrates who favour them ought to use those hardly that are not of their Sentiments Nay they maintain that without this Christianity is lost and that all other Religions shall triumph over it All had been still Pagan according to them if Constantine and the other succeeding Christian Emperors had not employ'd their Authority to destroy Heathenism Now what other thing can such Discourses mean but that they are Strangers to the true Proofs of Christianity as well as to the Spirit of Charity and Moderation which is the Life and Soul of the Gospel Those who have well studyâ—d these Proofs and carefully examin'd all the Parts whereof the Christian Religion is made up find it so well grounded its Promises so becoming God and Men and its Precepts so useful to humane Society that to make it wholly triumph over Error it is enough in their Judgment to obtain a Liberty of preaching it and that such as profess it may incur no Danger for so doing in a word that it may oppose the contrary Opinions with equal Arms. These Persons animated with that Spirit of Moderation whereof I spoke and equally pressing all the Parts of Christianity do not contradict by their Actions the Doctrines they profess with their Mouths If Religion therefore were to be judg'd of from the Conduct and Discourses of its Professors regard ought to be had rather to these Men than to others Secondly I have shew'd elsewhere that since Men do not always act according to their Knowledg but most frequently follow the Movements of their Passions their Sentiments must not be always concluded from their Carriage This being so it may probably happen that certain Zealots might act very disagreeably to their Profession which is an Argument that we ought not to judg of their Perswasion from their Manners We must confess however that if in those Zealots there appears a continual Series of Actions contrary to the clearest Commands of the Gospel or inveterate Habits of walking contrary to what must be known to be an essential part of Christianity then we have great occasion to suspect them of Hypocrisy and a Design of covering their Infidelity with a shew of Zeal For it is not possible but that a strong and sincere Belief should at length eradicate out of the Heart all Habits which are directly contrary to it But the most ingenuous Men may act sometimes against their Perswasion by Surprize or the sudden Motions of a violent Passion Thirdly As it would be Injustice to judg of the Goodness of the Laws of any Government from the way how they are observ'd so it would be very ill reasoning to condemn the Christian Religion because such as profess it obey it not There may be most excellent Laws and acknowledg'd too for such yet not always strictly observ'd by reason of the Interests and Passions of those who break 'em as it may be remark'd in all Kingdoms of the World 'T is just so with the Christian Religion What causes this Contradiction between the Sentiments and Carriage of Men besides the Reasons already alledg'd is perhaps because they know not how to apply the general Laws to the particular Cases which happen every day and that they mistake the most prohibited Actions for Exceptions to the Rules Arrian upon Epictetus l. 3. c. 26. A famous Philosopher said that most of Mens Errors proceeded from their not knowing how to apply general to particular Ideas If we consider it nearly we shall find that the same thing occasions at least in part the violation of many Laws which are all the while thought just and well-grounded Zeal accompany'd with very great Ignorance and the greater as the Ignorance is grosser furnishes the Incredulous likewise with another Pretence of looking upon Religion as a blind Perswasion merely built upon the Credulity of the People And indeed we see that in all Religions such as have least examin'd things and that are the less discerning appear frequently the hottest in defence of the Party with which they are engag'd The furious Zeal of the Jews and Mahumetans as well as that of the Pagan Populace is so well known that I need bring no Examples of it In those Sects also into which Christianity is at present divided the Heat wherewith the ignorant Multitude defend their Sentiments and endeavour to propagate them is but too common This blind Zeal has so often broke out and has made use of such ill Methods to advance each Party that there is no Sect but has some reason to be asham'd of it But if this false Zeal may be consider'd as a Consequence of the Principles of the Heathens
the Mahumetans the Jews and some of the Christians it is certain that true Christianity gives it no Approbation so that if the Falsity of these Religions or Sects may be hence concluded yet it follows not that we can reason against Christianity in the same manner I have already shewn in the precedent Chapter that it requires no such thing as a blind Obedience from such as embrace it and that it expresly condemns the furious Zeal which flows from this Spring One of Christ's Apostles acknowledging that the Jews had a Zeal for God Rom. 10.2 Gal. 1.14 adds that it was without Knowledg and blames it exceedingly Another says to those to whom he writes Jam. 3.14 If you have bitter Zeal and Strife in your Hearts glory not and lie not against the Truth This Wisdom descendeth not from above but is earthly sensual devilish for where this Zeal and Strife is there is Confusion and every evil Work This blind Zeal then is not an Effect of the Christian Religion and cannot be reasonably attributed to it it is a Consequence of the Temper and Education of the ignorant Populace who instead of defending the Truth by its proper Light and the Vertues it does produce in their Hearts who duly receive it defend it with the same Arms they would Error that is with Passion and Fury This sort of People cannot without extreme Injustice be look'd upon as Models whereby to judg of the Spirit and Effects of Christianity since it clearly condemns their Conduct We must on the contrary cast our Eye upon the understanding Persons who make use of none but good Reasons in its Defence and that to procure themselves Love and Respect practise only those calm and peaceable Vertues they learn from Truth This is the Character which the Founders of Christianity bestow upon them who ought to be consider'd as the true Christians The Wisdom that is from above says the same Apostle is first pure then peaceable gentle and easy to be entreated full of Mercy and good Fruits without Partiality and without Hypocrisy CHAP. III. That Vnbelievers are in the wrong for rejecting the Christiam Religion because Interest seems to be the Cause of most Peoples Devotion SInce Christianity has flourish'd in the World it has frequently prov'd an advantagious thing to shew great Zeal for the Doctrines of it Altho this makes no Change in the thing it self Truth not depending upon the Interest one has or has not to defend it yet the Incredulous are sure to take an occasion from hence of doubting the Truth of the Christian Religion There are Endeavours made sometimes to gain them over by representing to them the Consent of the Clergy in so many Places and Ages but they instantly reply that 't is no wonder if those Men did make a Profession of Christianity since they would be great getters by it in so doing but must lose infinitely if they did not And indeed we must confess that no cogent Conclusion can be drawn from the Example of all such as have defended or that now defend the Christian Religion against Infidels But their Reasoning is still less solid as I shall shew after putting it in a greater Light It is not well done to give those Occasions of saying that the Defenders of the Christian Religion diminish the Force of their Objections and those who by their ill Carriage put before them this Stone of Offence and Stumbling deserve to be reproached for it not to speak of revenging in this place the Wrong they do to Christianity Moreover I have from the very beginning of this Work propos'd to my self not only to deal with such as entirely reject it but with those also who seem to embrace it only by halves Let us imagine then a cheating Priest People but too much known in all Christendom who pretends to some Benefice if he has none already or aspires to a greater Dignity than what he possesses He appears humble gentle moderate and kind He speaks of nothing but Disinterestedness and the Vanity of all the Enjoyments of this Life If he has a Talent for the Pulpit he there principally shews his Zeal against the corrupt Manners of the Times Nay he 's in a Fury against scandalous Clergy-men and the Abuses committed in Ecclesiastical Matters so long complain'd of and not yet reform'd In a word he uses all the Discourses that should be made in that Place in order to pass for an honest Man and to make the World believe that had his Incomes been greater he would put 'em to much better Uses than most Ecclesiasticks do After acting his Part for some Years at last he obtains his end that is a Dignity and Income that render him considerable in the World and in the Church But then it may be said of him Quantum mutatus ab illo for indeed he 's no longer to be known He 's forthwith haughty hard-hearted untractable and passionate towards all such as he thinks his Inferiours Those who were his Friends before and upon whose Friendship too he valu'd himself ought to be very well satisfy'd with him if he now vouchsafes them a Look The Obligations they laid upon him while he continu'd a private Person and when they expected no Returns from him are quite lost He thinks they were all due to his Merit and that more were owing him but as for himself he owes nothing to any body and does 'em too much Honour when he coldly receives the Incense they are base enough to offer him If he prefers any Man he must be some Blockhead or Flatterer People that have no Idea almost of their Duty and that are ready to admire any thing the Bad as well as the Good so be you make 'em live at their Ease This Man so disinterested heretofore becomes oftentimes insatiable and the Revenues of the best Benefices are not sufficient to satisfy his Avarice He procures therefore as many as he can and has never too many If he be naturally covetous all that he preach'd before of Liberality is quite vanish'd all the Invectives he made against Avarice are laid in perpetual Oblivion He does Good to no body and thinks of nothing but laying up Treasure If on the contrary he be a voluptuous or stately Person he consumes his great Incomes in keeping a magnificent Table in having a stately Train and living as the proudest Men or the most addicted to their Pleasure in the World The sordid Avarice of the one is a Frugality becoming a good Clergy-man and the excessive Luxury of the other is but an Expence absolutely necessary to keep up his Rank in the World and to beget Respect in the Laity Far from making the least Reformation in the Clergy that depend upon them they let them loose to all the ill Customs and Manners to which they are subject on condition they be submissive to them and meddle not with their particular Method of living When Unbelievers consider such a
Religions which are seen in the World It can't be doubted but these are most violent Prejudices against some Christian Societies but 't is an easy thing to shew that they ought not to involve all Christianity in general First Unbelievers can't suppose without Examination as they do on this occasion that the Notion Men have of the Christian Religion in their Country or that of some Divines whom they have read is really the same with that of its Founders Some Alterations may have by degrees crept into the Doctrine of the Christians whom they know and so it may be very different from that of Christ and his Apostles No body can be sure of the contrary without going to the Source to compare it with the Streams which are said to flow from it that is without reading the Writings of the Apostles and comparing their Doctrine with that which is now pretended to be the true Doctrine of the Founders of Christianity This Unbelievers are necessarily oblig'd to do before they affirm that the Doctrine of Jesus Christ is false Else they would imitate corrupt Judges who vouchsafe not to examine the Instruments of a Suit in Law but give their Sentence at the first Report of it I am perswaded that if the Unbelievers of the above-mention'd Places would undertake that Examination they would presently see that most of the Doctrines which they dislike are not to be found in the Writings of the Apostles and consequently that whatever Christians think now ought not to be ascrib'd to them The same thing ought to be observ'd every where and Men ought not to judg of the Gospel according to the Opinions that are commonly receiv'd where they live or which is worse to condemn it from hearing a silly Preacher who represents it quite otherwise than it is Yet there are many People who entertain no favourable Thoughts of the Christian Religion by reason of the Explications thereof which they hear from the Pulpits which are but too often ill provided A great many things spoken there are so far from bearing a severe Examination of judicious Men that they could scarce be allow'd in the Conversation of any Persons not altogether destitute of common Sense That sort of Discourses can't without great Injustice be confounded with the Word of God tho there are some who affect to give them that Name as if such Preachers were inspir'd Apostles and authoriz'd with Miracles They should have a greater respect for the Gospel than to call such Meditations by the same Name with the Discourses of Christ and his Apostles I had not made this Remark were it not that such Expressions give occasion to Unbelievers to despise Christianity which deserves as much to be admir'd by the most penetrating and solid Wits as many Sermons deserve to be despis'd by the meanest and most illiterate Persons As no body could bear the Injustice of that Man who should judg of the Opinions of an Author by the Discourses of another who perhaps understands them not and whose Interest it is to explain them otherwise and then pretends he may with Reason vent his Explications as infallible so Unbelievers can't ascribe to the Apostles the Opinions which they hear preach'd as Apostolical Doctrines before they have carefully compar'd them with the Writings of the Apostles unless they are willing to be look'd upon as the most unjust of Men. Secondly Unbelievers are guilty of another Fault which is not much less than the foregoing when by reason of the false Doctrines which they have read in the Writings of some Divines or heard them preach they reject all Christianity For it must be granted that 't is not impossible but many Truths may be mix'd with Lies and as it can't be said that a Book contains nothing but Truth because some few Truths are to be found in it so it can't be affirm'd that every thing in it is false because some Lies have been found in it Is there for example any profane History either antient or modern without a mixture of Truth and Falshood Yet no body says that History contains nothing that 's true and certain They endeavour only to distinguish what is true from what is false The like ought to be practis'd with respect to the Explications of Christians Doctrines which we read or hear We ought neither wholly to reject them nor embrace them because there may be a Mixture of Truth and Falshood We ought as I said before to compare them with the Writings of the Founders of Christianity and judg by those Writings of Religion it self and of what is true in the Opinions of modern Divines this is if I may say so the Touch-stone by which only the true Doctrine of the Apostles can be known Thirdly Unbelievers undoubtedly know that a Truth changes not its Nature for being ill defended We see every day very good Causes ill pleaded by some Lawyers who understand not their Profession Nay 't is confess'd among all Christians that there are a great many Books whose Authors are really engag'd in the Defence of Truth but they do it so ill that it would certainly be condemn'd if it had no better Support Many People for example who have not studied well the Writings of the Apostles say they see no Character of Divinity in the Doctrine of the Gospel and can't convince an Unbeliever of it but nevertheless they believe it to be Divine with as great a Certainty as if they perceiv'd the Finger of God in every part of it because they are say they inwardly perswaded of it by the Holy Ghost without knowing why That 's the Cant of a perfect Phanatick who equals without being aware of it the Gospel with the Alcoran and all the false Religions the Followers whereof may all say as he does that they are perswaded of it by a secret and inward Operation of God upon their Hearts But the Apostles never said any such thing all their Preaching consists in some Facts and in good Reasonings attended with the miraculous Gifts they had and 't is by such Means they pretended to prove the Divinity of their Doctrine So that we should wrong them very much should we believe that they taught their Doctrine could not be embrac'd by the means of Knowledg but by a mere Enthusiasm Others to do the Christian Religion a greater Honour ascribe to the Apostles an Art which they themselves seriously * 1 Cor. 1.17 11.4 13 c. say they have not They set forth their Stile as an admirable Pattern of Eloquence which exceeds that of the Grecians and Romans What follows from thence Unbelievers read the Writings of those Holy Men to seek what they are told is contain'd in them and because they don't find it they fancy that those who said so design'd to deceive them and thereupon being exasperated against them who grounded in part the Truth of the Doctrine of the Apostles upon their wonderful Stile they wholly reject it They could not be
Apostles to believe that they are inspir'd but I affirm again that that very thing would raise Suspicions against them and Doubts concerning the Truth of their Doctrine Before I shew it I must not forget to say that I don't blame Art and Eloquence as being pernicious and useless on all occasions On the contrary those that make a good use of it can't be too much esteem'd that is those who use it to vindicate and clear Truth or to lead Men to Vertue I only design to shew that it fell out better that the first Preachers of the Gospel were destitute of it Let us suppose again the contrary of what happen'd and that the Apostles who left to Posterity the Life Discourses and Doctrine of Jesus Christ were Men of great Eloquence and perfect Masters of the Art of Writing exactly and methodically Let us suppose that their Writings as well as their Discourses were compos'd with great Exactness and all possible Elegancy I 'll tell you the Effect it would work upon the Minds of Men especially of those who should read them now They would think that they were very ingenious Men whose Learning and Eloquence had mov'd them to propagate their Doctrine through the whole World and get Reputation by it as it can't be doubted that 't was Plato's Design as well as of many other Philosophers It would be said that those Men in order to convince others not only of the Excellency of their Morals by the Eloquence of their Writings but also to make them observe so excellent a Doctrine out of a more powerful Motive contriv'd all the Miracles contain'd in the Life of Christ The more exact they had been in observing the Circumstances of Time Places and Persons the more careful they had been to set off the wonderful Parts of that incomparable Life and the Beauty of their Master's Thoughts by their manner of expressing them the more they would have been suspected of Artifice especially in the following Ages when what they said of Christ would be the only Reason of believing in him Thus Plato * Vid. Diogenes Laert lib. 3. §. 3. Intt. in h. loc was suspected to have adorn'd the Discourses of Socrates his Master nay it has been said that he sent him some of his own Thoughts as those who have any Knowledg of the Master and his Disciple can't doubt of it The Success of the Gospel which is no inconsiderable Mark of its Divinity would be look'd upon as the Effect of the Eloquence of its first Preachers not of an extraordinary Providence It would have been said at most that the Doctrine of the Apostles was the most excellent and rational Philosophy that had been taught till that time But by granting the Truth of their moral Rules they would have doubted of its Divinity and look'd upon it rather as the effect of the Apostles Meditations than a Divine Revelation But having written the Life of their Master and publish'd his Discourses without any Art or Method they can't be suspected neither to have contriv'd what they said nor to have us'd any Artifice to make a Lie look with the Air of Truth Their great Simplicity which appears every where and their taking no care to impose upon the Reader are evident Marks not only of their being not able to deceive but also of their Sincerity The wonderful Success of their Preaching tho destitute of whatever rais'd the Admiration of the Orators and Philosophers is a convincing Proof of their being favour'd by Heaven * 1 Cor. 2.4 5. My Speech and my Preaching says one of them was not with enticing Words of Mens Wisdom but in Demonstration of the Spirit and of Power to wit in the Miracles that your Faith should not stand in the Wisdom of Men but in the Power of God If we reflect upon those Circumstances of the Revelation and all the other which at first seem to make one doubt of it when they are not throughly examin'd we shall see that God could not give more sensible Marks of the Care he took about it but by chusing those whose Ministry he made use of to propagate it through the whole World I shall not undertake to resolve the particular Objections which Unbelievers may raise against the Christian Religion the Answer to which must be look'd for in the Writings of those who have directly prov'd the Truth of it or written upon the Holy Scripture The CONCLUSION of the Second Part. I Think I may conclude now nor can Unbelievers accuse me of drawing a Consequence that extends farther than the Proofs I made use of that nothing can be more false than to fancy that the Christian Religion is grounded upon mere Credulity That the Ignorance or corrupt Manners of those who profess it ought not to prejudice it in the least That tho many profess it out of Interest for many Ages past rather than out of Perswasion no such thing can be suspected concerning its first Founders That the Divisions which are among Christians ought not to make one doubt of the Truth of it That the Gospel is very useful to the greatest part of Mankind both in this Life and the next That the Falsities which are to be found in the Doctrine of some Christians now must not be ascrib'd to the Apostles Lastly That the History of the Creation of the World and of God's Revelation to Men such as the Christians represent it contains nothing but what is most agreeable to Reason and most worthy of the Wisdom of the Maker of Heaven and Earth If Unbelievers would seriously think upon what I have said concerning those Propositions I am perswaded that they would easily grant them and then they might find without any difficulty an Answer to all their particular Objections As soon as some undeniable Principles have been laid down which influence all the Parts of the Christian Theology several things which before seem'd difficult cease then to be so and thus one's Knowledg may be encreas'd every day On the contrary the general Principles of Religion remaining uncertain or unknown every thing makes Men perplex'd and the longer they live in such a State the more the Difficulties encrease As soon as Men have learn'd to distinguish the Religion of Christ and his Apostles from what is taught in several Parts of Europe and the Maxims of the first Founders of Christianity from those of many Christians of this time they may easily perceive that a great Part of the Doctrines which they were offended at and the Behaviour which they dislike are not at all like the Doctrine of antient Christianity or the Manners of the Primitive Christians The thing we treat of is not a Dispute wherein Men only design to shew their Wit and get the Victory but the Question is about the Search of a Truth the Knowledg whereof is equally useful to both Sides Unbelievers ought therefore to part altogether with that Spirit of Wrangling which makes them so eager to
instructing him in all those Circumstances The Divinity of the Christian Religion being establish'd upon some Facts one can 't judg of it neither but by the Knowledg of the Circumstances which attend them Wherefore those who desire it should be prov'd to them without acquainting them with those Circumstances require a thing equally unjust and impossible What I have said concerning Julius Cesar can't be prov'd to a Man altogether ignorant of the Roman History whilst he remains in that Ignorance and consequently 't would be unjust to require any such thing with respect to Religion 3. The first thing therefore that ought to be done to prove the Truth of the Christian Religion is to set down the Facts it supposes with all their Circumstances but an Objection offers it self which must be resolv'd before They ask what are the Doctrines of that Religion for the Christians have great Controversies among themselves about their Belief But our business is not to prove the private Opinions of any Party of Christianity 'T is enough to shew that the Doctrines about which all Christians agree are true by proving the Truth of some Facts about which they agree too Those who are sure of the Truth of its Doctrines and Facts may if they will afterwards examin all the Controversies they please Therefore without undertaking to decide those Matters I begin with the Examination of the Gospel-Morals * See are Abridgment of them in ch 1. of Part 1. without coming to any Particulars It can't be deni'd that if all Men liv'd according to its Precepts and by reason of the Rewards and Punishments of another Life were careful to worship the Creator of the World to live with Modesty Temperance Sobriety and Patience and to deal with their Neighbours as they would be dealt by them it can't be deni'd I say that such a Life would be most pleasant and advantageous to human Society We should not see a thousand impious Extravagancies and so many Superstitions which have very dismal Consequences as we see among Idolatrous Nations The excessive Love of Dignities Riches and Pleasures would not be the Cause of any Disorder and would be attended with no publick or private Sorrows Men should not know what it was to wrong their Neighbours or suffer any Trouble because of others Inhumanity or Malice They would help one another in all their Needs with all the Ardour and Eagerness that can be wish'd for If they should happen to give one another any Trouble without any premeditated Design they would forgive one another and make amends for it by all sorts of good Services Lastly the Mind enjoying a perfect Tranquility and the Body being as healthful as its natural Weakness can allow and both enjoying the harmless Pleasures which the Gospel allows us Men would not part with so pleasant a Life but to enjoy another that would be free for ever from the unavoidable Inconveniencies to which Nature has made those liable who live upon Earth Such as have any Notion of the Morals of Christ will necessarily grant this Truth viz. that Men would be most happy if they observ'd them all alike It will perhaps be ask'd whether any Christian Society does it But that is not a proper Question 't is enough if it be granted that a Doctrine which can work so admirable Effects must needs make one entertain favourable Thoughts of those who preach'd it at first We can't forbear admiring those who first exhorted Men to live one with another after a manner so agreeable to Reason so advantageous to Society and so pleasant and charming that nothing can be preferr'd to it but the supreme Happiness which can't be enjoy'd but in an endless Life 4. To know when that Doctrine was brought into the World and by whom we need only examin from Age to Age the Authors who spoke of it by ascending from ours to that wherein Christianity began first to be known We shall learn from thence or from the reading of some History that above thirteen hundred Years past the Roman Emperors having embrac'd the Christian Religion it flourish'd in a great part of Europe Asia and Africa We may be convinc'd by a great number of Christian Authors that from that time they profess'd to believe the Divinity of the Gospel-Morals If we go higher still we shall find by the reading of Heathen and Christian Authors that there was already a great multitude of Christians under those Emperors who taught the same Doctrine All those who spake of the Origin of Christianity grant it began under the Empire of Tiberius and that it was not heard of before Tacitus who was born towards the end of the Empire of Claudius or in the beginning of Nero's says that Nero having set on fire several Parts of Rome charg'd the Christians with it and put them to horrible Torments He takes occasion from thence to speak of the Origin of Christianity in these Words * Annal. lib. 15. c. 44. The Author of that Sect is Christ who was put to Death under the Empire of Tiberius by Pontius Pilate Governour of Judea That pernicious Superstition tho suppress'd in the beginning quickly broke out again and spread it self not only throughout Judea the Place where this Evil had its Origin but also in Rome whither every villanous and shameful thing resorts and finds Abettors Those who confess'd that they were Christians were presently seiz'd and then a great multitude of People whom they discover'd but were not convicted of being Incendiaries so much as they were run down by the Hatred that all Men bore against them It appears from hence that Tacitus tho a Man of Sense was not at the pains to know what Christianity was of which he speaks after a most absurd manner 'T is a shameful Effect of his Negligence as I have observ'd elsewhere and perhaps of the Roman Vanity which despis'd every thing except the Learning of the Grecians But two things may be observ'd in those Words One is the Truth of the Fact which the Evangelists teach us that there was one Jesus in the Time of Tiberius who was look'd upon as the Christ or Messiah whom Pontius Pilate put to Death The other is that the Christians were not found guilty of the Fire of Rome and could not be put to Death as Tacitus believes but upon that Accusation which concern'd also the Jews viz. That they were Enemies to Mankind The Interpreters of †See Lipsius upon this Place Tacitus have shew'd that that Historian confounded the Jews with the Christians As it was but too true that the Jews were Enemies to other Men so nothing can be more absurd than to accuse the Christians of it who had drawn on themselves the Hatred of the Jews by maintaining that all Men are Brethren and freely conversing with all Nations We have also the Testimony of another contemporary Author and a Friend of Tacitus but who was somewhat more careful to know the Opinions of
A TREATISE OF THE Causes of Incredulity Wherein are examin'd the general Motives and Occasions which dispose Unbelievers to reject the Christian Religion WITH Two LETTERS containing a direct Proof of the Truth of Christianity Translated fròm the French of Monsieur LE CLERC LONDON Printed for Awnsham and John Churchill at the Black Swan in Pater-noster-row MDCXCVII The Translator's PREFACE MR. Le Clerc is a Person so well known to all the learned World that it could not be thought less arrogant than superfluous for me to give any Character of his Capacity or his Writings Nor can it be said that I transgress either way in recommending the following Treatise for setting aside all personal Considerations the Subject of it is enough to justify my Vndertaking The Study of Religion in general is so natural to Man that some would make this Inclination to pass for the only essential Distinction of our Species from all other Animals But the Study of the true Religion must needs be of the highest Importance since the Profession of it is not acknowledg'd to be more necessary than the Sects pretending themselves to be the only Persons enjoying that Happiness are found to be different from one another in their Opinions and Practices This Diversity join'd to the great number of Parties that lay their Claim to genuine Christianity exclusively of all the rest seems to render the Discovery of the Truth very difficult if not impossible And indeed thousands of well-meaning People have upon this very account given up themselves to Scepticism and Indifference in Matters of Religion or which is as bad are content to be implicitely led by their Teachers Now that Person deserves best of the World who not only makes the Truth plain and intelligible separating it from all the false Notions with which it is so mix'd and over-run sometimes as to endanger the entire Ruin thereof but who likewise establishes such an excellent Method that a Man may be most certain he 's on the right side without being oblig'd to undergo the endless labour of examining every Religion successively How far our Author has contributed to do Mankind this desirable piece of Service the Reader must determine for we pretend not to lead his Judgment And tho Mr. Le Clerc is so modest as to think his own Performance inferiour to that of Grotius upon the same Subject I must affirm and that with all imaginable Impartiality that in my Opinion there is no Comparison to be made between them for were it for nothing else but that the Evidence of Mr. Le Clerc's Reasons is obvious to Men of all Conditions whereas most of the other's Book is not intelligible but to profound Scholars as if these only had a Right to the Privilege of understanding the Grounds of their Religion this alone is sufficient to decide the Controversy But what is more notwithstanding the extraordinary Talents of Grotius he was not near so great a Master of the Oriental Languages nor so acute and solid a Philosopher nor yet superior in Philology or History to speak nothing of the Advantages of writing after him But let Mr. Le Clerc's Book speak for its Author As for my Version I shan't detain the Reader with any Apology because it is not more correct or polite if it be faithful and intelligible which is all that is necessary for those who sincerely study for Truth and if I be so happy as to satisfy them I care not much for the Displeasure of others To the READER 'T IS some Years since I first form'd a Design of writing upon the Subject of this small Piece which I publish at present and had my other Occupations purely depended upon my own Choice this had been perform'd long ago but being necessarily engag'd in some other things I was forc'd to put it off till now At length having finish'd my Latin Writings upon the Pentateuch I happily became Master of Time enough to turn my Applications upon this Subject I can freely say that I never thought of Matters of this nature without extreme Satisfaction for after what manner soever I could consider the Christian Religion it always appear'd to me grounded upon the firmest Proofs and the Doctrines of it perfectly conformable to sound Reason or to say all in one word worthy the Creator of Heaven and Earth Nor did I in my whole Life labour with more ardour and delight than I did in composing this Work wherein I have I think evidently made out that Unbelievers act against all good Sense in refusing their Assent to the Gospel and I perswade my self that if they consider the same things that I have they must necessarily acknowledg the Truth of it But whether I 'm mistaken or not that the World shall judg If this Book have the good luck to meet with that Reception in French which several others of this kind have had I may one time or other put it into Latin and in my Annotations upon it confirm all that I say by the Authority of the most antient Apologists of Christianity and that too of the most considering Heathens as the incomparable Grotius has done in his Books of the Truth of the Christian Religion I 'm far indeed from equalling my Work to his nor do I flatter my self with the same Success as to the Judgment of the publick but if Men had regard only to the Intentions of those that write I think I may safely say that none in the World had better than mine nor was more convinc'd of the Goodness of that Cause I have undertaken to defend John Le Clerc The CONTENTS of the Chapters THE Preface or the Design of the Author in this Work pag. 1. Part I. Of the Motives of Incredulity which spring from the inward Disposition or Inclinations of Vnbelievers Chap. 1. That it is unreasonable and unjust to reject the Christian Religion because it is contrary to the Dispositions a Man finds in himself p. 9. Chap. 2. That Pride may be the Cause why Assent is refus'd to the Proofs of the Truth of the Christian Religion p. 27. Chap. 3. That what hinders Vnbelievers from yielding to the Proofs of Christianity partly consists perhaps in mere Prejudices which all the while may be false p. 45. Chap. 4. That many are Vnbelievers only because they know not how to reason well p. 63. Chap. 5. That the Neglect of searching into Truth is often the Cause of Incredulity p. 75. Chap. 6. That Laziness keeps many People in Ignorance Doubts and Infidelity p. 93. The Conclusion of the first Part. p. 107. Part II. Of the Motives of Incredulity which proceed from the Occasions given Vnbelievers to doubt of the Christian Religion or entirely to reject it Chap. 1. That the Truth of the Christian Religion ought not to be call'd in doubt because several embrace it more out of Credulity than upon good Reasons p. 110. Chap. 2. That the Immorality or Ignorance of those who sometimes express the
blam'd for that if the Apostles themselves boasted of their Eloquence but seeing they say quite the contrary 't is a great piece of Injustice to condemn them as Impostors upon the Assertion of those who ascribe to them what they never had nor pretended to have The true Character of the Apostles Stile to say so by the by is this First 't is simple and plain such as is the Stile of those who propose some things of which they are fully perswaded Secondly 't is a Stile without any Ornaments of Rhetorick whether it be with respect to the Choice of the Words or the Disposition If a thousand sublime Strokes are to be found in it they come from the things they say which are very sublime not from the Words or Order Thirdly we must add to it that Providence undoubtedly watch'd over their manner of writing that they should always say Truth and lest if they had express'd themselves ill they should be misunderstood by their Readers But this is not a fit Place to treat of that Subject I only made those Remarks to hinder Unbelievers from taking Advantage at the ill Rhetorick of some Defenders of Christianity who contradict the Apostles without being aware of it 'T is manifest in general that the Defects of those who defend Truth ought not to prejudice it and I declare as to my self that I don't desire at all to be believ'd in any thing but when it has been examin'd and compar'd with the Writings of the Apostles or that any of my Thoughts should be ascrib'd to them but when they have been found in their Works If I have been mistaken in any thing I desire those Mistakes may be ascrib'd to me and not at all to the Religion I vindicate There is no need I should say here that the Apostles had no temporal Interest to move them to preach such a Doctrine I have already said so elsewhere and I will prove it more at large in my first Letter at the end of this Discourse I will not repent neither that they pretended not their Doctrine should be receiv'd with any Examination because I have prov'd it in the first Chapter of this second Part. So that if Self-Interest and Ambition are often the Reason why Divines maintain now some Opinions and after a manner unbecoming Christianity 't is their Fault not the Apostles who can be charg'd with no such thing After those general Observations I must set down some particular Examples of false Doctrines which hinder Unbelievers from believing the Gospel 'T is but too true that one might write large Volumes about that Matter but I shall be contented to alledg three or four Examples of Doctrines which offend Unbelievers and are contrary to the Doctrine of the Apostles There are some People now who pretend that we ought scarce to make use of Reason in Matters of Religion They maintain that we ought to believe its Divinity without knowing why that when the Question is about the Sense of the Revelation or the Books which contain it we ought not to reason neither to discover it and that we ought to believe even the things that are most contrary to Reason rather than forsake the literal Sense They are so full of this Thought viz. that Reason may overthrow all Divinity if those who apply themselves to it are allow'd to make use of it and if they see any body who reason better than ordinary Divines do or has any Principles somewhat different from theirs which he has embrac'd by using his Reason they slander him as a dangerous Man because he ventures to reason about the receiv'd Doctrines Such a Character is always attended with Hatred and stirs ill-affected Persons against those who receiv'd it from Heaven and if it were impossible for a Divine to live quietly with a Man who endeavours to reason well and grounds the Christian Religion upon undeniable Principles Others will have us humbly to submit to the Decisions of those whose Profession it is publickly to explain Religion without mistrusting them or reasoning at all because we ought to look upon on them as infallible tho we have no Proof of it They think 't is impossible for most Christians to examine those Doctrines and their best way is as they say blindly to follow their Guides Such Discourses which are commonly to be heard from the Pulpits and elsewhere have made long ago a great many Unbelievers For the first thing that comes then into ones Mind is that those who speak at this rate are not very sure of what they say and design to deceive others because there is nothing tho never so false and absurd but what may be maintain'd by the same Principle If we were told the same thing in our ordinary Affairs we would really think that those who say so design to deceive us If they would sell something to us and we were told that we must not examine it we would presently suspect that they design'd to cheat us In Matters of Religion as well as in other things we have no other Guide but Reason to distinguish a false Religion from a true one Besides 't is only by the use of Reason we can find out the Sense of the Words contain'd in those Books wherein we know the Revelation is Nevertheless those Men would have us to read those Books with an unlimited Credulity and be ready to receive whatever we are told tho it be never so contrary to all our Notions They are afraid as soon as they hear of a Man who is only for Reason and whom insignificant Words and an ill-grounded Authority can't satisfy Unbelievers conclude from thence that there is a Design upon them and that Divines very well perceive that the Doctrines which they would introduce can't be maintain'd seeing they will not allow that they should be examin'd And because that strange Doctrine is cri'd up as one of the chief Doctrines of Christianity those who have not carefully read the Writings of the Apostles fancy that they have taught it and involve them in the same Suspicious with some modern Divines When Divines have taught Principles so contrary to the Nature of Men they preach Transubstantiation and other such Doctrines to credulous Men which they insinuate by virtue of that Maxim of not reasoning in Matters of Religion But Unbelievers fail not to perceive the Falsity of those Doctrines and persist the more in their Thoughts concerning the Falsity of the Christian Religion But they should observe that the Apostles teach us no where that we ought not to use our Reason to examine whether Religion is true or not or to know the Sense of their Words On the contrary they suppose every where that we ought to examine what they say and not believe it before we are sure that they say nothing but Truth They also suppose that we are rational Creatures and able to put a good Sense upon their Words by observing all the Rules that are made