mended for believing without Evidence. Whoever thinks fit to maintain the contrary, it will be incumbent upon him to fhew, either, 1ft, That Prophecies and Miracles afford no rational Evidence; or, 2dly, That Faith is commended, in a Perfon who was unacquainted with this Evidence; or, 3dly, That thofe who leaft regarded it are most commended in Holy Scripture. The contrary of all which is manifeftly true.

THE fole Foundation of this Objection appears to me to be this.-Men are fometimes commended for believing, not upon infufficient Grounds, or without Inquiry; but upon lefs Evidence, than others had demanded, and after a fhorter Inquiry than was generally made. And this in perfect Confiftence with the Notion we have been maintaining. For, if the Merit of Faith arifes, in great Measure, from a due Care in extirpating Prejudices; the more effectually these were extirpated, the greater would this Merit be. And I fear not to affert that thofe Perfons, who had moft effectually weeded out their Prejudices, would moft readily embrace Chriftianity; would both be convinced upon lefs Evidence, and in a shorter Time, than other Men. For, without Question, the Difficulty of our Conviction, all other Circumstances being fuppofed equal, is always in Proportion to the Strength of our Prejudices. Strong Prejudices are not to be

over

overcome with lefs than demonftrative Arguments; while thofe of a flighter Sort will frequently give way to moral Proofs: and, could we suppose a Man entirely free from Prejudice; he would yield to every Kind of Reafoning, at least when rightly understood, thofe Degrees of Force and Weight, which justly and properly belong to it.-So that a ready Affent to the Truth of our Saviour's Miffion, fuppofing that Miffion to be well attefted, was an Argument of a fair and candid Mind; it was not, as is pretended, a Sign of Credulity; but a Sign of Honesty and good Senfe: and, as such, was defervedly commended.

INDEED our Saviour never fails to exprefs his Approbation on receiving a reasonable and intelligent Answer. And, what is very remarkable, in more Inftances than one, he extols the Faith of the Perfons with whom he is converfing, as it fhould feem, on no other Account, than because they gave Signs of a good Understanding on the Subject of Religion.

-How different this from those Notions, which are industrioufly propagated in Catholic Countries; that all the Merit of Faith confifts in affenting, we know not why, to Doctrines we do not, and cannot understand! or, to speak more properly, in profeffing to believe, what, in Truth and Fact, can neither be believed, nor disbelieved by any Man living!— But fuch a Faith, where-ever it is to be found, D

comes

comes not within the Bounds of this Inquiry; as being no Portion of religious Knowlege, or indeed of any Knowlege at all.

To return-If thofe Profelytes, who are mentioned in the Gofpel, appear to us to have been too hafty in embracing a new Religion; we fhould confider the Strength of the Evidence, by which that Religion was fupported. They who had feen, with their own Eyes, a dead Man raifed to Life, might surely be excufed from all Hefitation. Nay, the leaft and lowest of our Saviour's Miracles, when taken in Conjunction with his Character and Doctrine, could not fail of producing a very speedy Effect in the Minds of fober and reafonable Men.-Nor would this render their Belief morally worthless. The Excellence of Faith is by no means to be eftimated from the Length of Time taken up in the Inquiry; but chiefly depends on thofe good Difpofitions of Mind, with which we begin to inquire. Indeed a diligent Perfeverance in fearching for the Truth was, in their Circumftances, neither poffible, nor needful. But the Virtues of Humility and Impartiality might fill appear with the greatest Luftre. Nay, the Jooner Men affented to the Truth of our Saviour's Miflion, the clearer Evidence they gave, that they were neither prejudiced in Favour of received Opinions, nor violently attached to their own. And furely fecular Intereft was quite

excluded

excluded from their Thoughts: when they left all that they had and followed Chrift: when they believed Him to be a true Prophet, whofe Commands were fo difagreeable to corrupt Nature, fo utterly inconfiftent with temporal ProSperity. We can have fmall Reafon to doubt of their Probity, who were content to expofe themselves to the Frowns of their Superiors, the Contumely of the Rabble, and the Contempt of all; merely to obey the Call of Truth. I fay nothing of the Perfecutions which followed, because thefe, it may be faid were not then foreseen.-But I cannot forbear repeating in this Place, that whatever Exceptions there might be to these general Obfervations; our Saviour's Knowlege of Men's inmoft Thoughts perfectly well enabled him to find them out. We have therefore no Pretence for fuppofing, that he bestowed his Praise on unworthy Objects.

AFTER all, where can be the Merit of yielding to irrefiftible Evidence? Whether Men affented foon or late, yet an Affent extorted by Miracles, may feem to have been unavoidable, and therefore undeferving of Praife. But if the Efficacy of Miracles were fo great as this Objection fuppofes, how came it to pass that Thoufands of Spectators remained unconverted? And why was the Number of true Difciples, during the Lifetime of our Saviour, comparatively speaking

10 very Small?—I only defire an Answer to this fingle Question, why fome believed, and others believed not; when the very fame Evidence had been offered to both ?-The Difference could refult from nothing elfe, but Men's different Capacities or different Difpofitions of Mind. Not the former, because the wife and prudent, the leading Men among the Jews, were the moft virulent in their Oppofition, and moft obftinate in their Unbelief. It was owing therefore to the latter of these Caufes. Either then we must afcribe it to a faulty Credulity on one Side, and a rational Sufpence on the other; or to Humility and Candour in the former, Pride and Prejudice in the latter. But he must be an utter Stranger to the Opinions and Temper of the Jews, who can imagine any Part of them difpofed to Credulity, in a Matter of this Nature. Nothing could lie more crofs to their Apprehenfions and their Paffions; nothing could be more unlikely to meet with a favourable Reception, than the Religion of a crucified Saviour *. — Their Conviction then was owing to no other Caufe, but a fair and candid Difpofition of Mind. By this they were enabled to furmount the greatest Difficulties, and to remove the strong

eft

*As for thofe who followed him under the Notion of a Temporal Prince; and immediately deferted him, when they found themfelves difappointed: they, I prefume, are out of the Quelion. For it does not appear that the Faith of fuch Perfons is ever extolled in the facied Writings.