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MBERS of people appear to have fallen into great mistakes concerning the nature of faith, and God's punishing them for the want of it.

FAITH," faith the author of the epiftle to the Hebrews, "is the evidence of things "not feen." But by many perfons it is esteemed the evidence of things that never were, never will, nor ever can be seen ;-of things not probable, not poffible to be proved, and even impoffible to be true.

WHAT can be more prejudicial to truth or right reasoning, than receiving facts or doctrines as certainly true, which are so far from being proved, that they will not admit D d

of

of proof? yet this is frequently the case in almost all religions.

A Danish miffionary afked fome Malabarian Bramins, or Priefts, if they could demonftrate that their idols were true gods? The Bramins answered, that the matter being self-evident, wanted no proofs or demonftrations". The fame people boast, that they have a law written by God himself; and the Mohammedans affert, that their Koran was so composed ". Now the first of these, instead of being a felf-evident truth, is a selfevident falsehood, and the two last cannot poffibly be proved. Most certain indeed it is that they are falfe: for God, properly and ftrictly speaking, hath no more wrote books, than he has built houfes, planted gardens, or made cloaths for men or women.

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Ir fome of thofe, who call themselves chriftians, would impartially and thoroughly examine their own doctrines and creeds, how many articles, juft as true and demonftrable as thofe of the Malabarians and Mohammedans above-mentioned, might they find in them?

THE Common and most successful method of establishing faith in false facts and false

doctrines,

Conferences between the Danish Miffionaries and

the Malabarian Bramins, p. 793.

• Ibid. p. 83.

The Koran tranflated by Mr. Sale, p. 170.

doctrines, is to pretend a divine authority for the truth of them. Thus when the Mala barian Bramins have once brought the peor ple to believe, that their law was written by God; the Turkish Mufty, that the Koran was compofed by the Almighty; and the Romish Priests, that their church is infallible; there are then no facts however falfe, nor no doctrines however abfurd, which they may not impose upon the people: for those who fhould attempt to controvert any facts or doctrines contained in thefe books, or adopted by this church, would immediately be told, they are of divine authority, and therefore what is afferted or taught by them must not be called in question or reafoned about. Such perfons or focieties therefore, who would keep clear of error and delufion, fhould above all things refolve not to admit any law, or book, or authority, as divine, which is not evidently demonftrated fo to be.

MENS faith generally increafes in proportion to their ignorance: the lefs they know, the more they believe. Thofe who know nothing are very apt to believe every thing. } AN intemperate zeal is very productive of falfe faith for as a great degree of elementary heat produces many noxious vermin, fo does violent religious heat give birth to a multitude of falfe and pernicious opinions.

THE love of wondering is alfo a mighty help to belief, and on some subjects is a much shorter as well as a much furer way to it than reasoning: Tu ratiocinare, fays St. Austin, ego mirer; difputa tu, ego credam.

FAITH doth not only remove mountains, but, which is a much greater work, creates abundance of things. What numbers of miracles, wizards, witches, necromancers, apparitions, demoniacs, &c. owe their very being to faith? No fooner did we in this country ceafe to believe in them, but, with us, they ceased to exift: and most certain it is, that if the people all the world over did no longer believe in them, they would likewife lose their exiftence every where.

CREDULITY is univerfally regarded as a mark of weakness, and greatly contemned in every thing except falfe religion. The reason why it is fo much recommended and extolled in that is evident: an extravagant belief in fools is the fource of an exorbitant power in knaves.

THE Corruption of the understanding is the generation of falfe faith: when the former is thoroughly corrupted, what monsters of the latter doth it produce!

THERE are two cafes in which every man fhould be ftrictly upon his guard even against himself: when he believes what he very

much

much wishes to be true, and when he disbelieves what he is very defirous to find falfe.

MANKIND have a wonderful alacrity at deceiving themfelves, and fcarcely on any fubject more than faith. But this is certain : all belief must be according to probability and evidence: as of these latter there are several degrees, fo will there be of the former.

WHATEVER fome men may fay or pretend, no man can believe that which to him appears impoffible; neither will a judicious perfon believe, in any cafe, without fufficient probability. The reafons therefore given by Tertullian for believing certain great mysteries are admirable: Crucifixus eft Dei filius: non pudet, fays he, quia pudendum eft. Et mortuus eft Dei filius: prorfus credibile eft, quia ineptum eft. Et fepultus refurrexit: certum eft, quia impoffibile eft." i. e. "The Son of "God is crucified: I am not ashamed of it, "because it is fhameful. And the Son of "God died: it is altogether credible, because "it is abfurd. He alfo rofe from the grave: "it is certain, because it is impoffible."

PROPER objects of faith are either fuch probable facts as men do not know themfelves, but are related to them by others; or certain propofitions or opinions that may be

Dd 3

De carne Chrifti, §. 5. p. 310,

true,