Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	object_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	12	3	10.2942	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49908	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 from the French of Monsieur Le Clerc.; De l'incredulité. English	Le Clerc, Jean, 1657-1736.	1697 (1697)	Wing L827; ESTC R19200	151,596	339

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 remark●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 study●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

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