Occasional Thoughts in Reference to a Vertuous or Cristian life | Page 7

mistaken in, as are those of Religion.
Yet such is the wretched Inconsideration Natural to most Men, that (in
fact) it is no uncommon thing at all to see Men live day after day, in the
pursuit of their Inclinations, without ever exerting their Reason to any
other purpose than the gratification of their Passions; and no wonder
can it then be if they give in to the belief, or take up with a blind
Perswasion of such Opinions as they see to be most in Credit; and
which will also the best suit their turn?
Absolute Atheism does no doubt the best serve Their's, who live as if
there was no God in the World; but how far so great Non-sense as this,
has been able to obtain, is not easie to say: downright Atheism being
what but few Men will own. To me it appears (in that Those who will
expose themselves to argue against the Existence of a God, do rarely
venture to produce any Hypothesis of their own to be fairly examin'd
and compar'd with that which they reject: But that their opposition to a
Deity, consists only in Objections which may as well be retorted upon
themselves, and which at best prove nothing but the shortness of
Humane Understanding) to me, I say, it appears from hence probable
that the greatest part of Atheistick Reasoners, do rather desire, and seek
to be Atheists, than that in reality they are so. Men, who are accustom'd
to Believe without any Evidence of Reason for what they Believe, are,
it is likely, more in earnest in this wild Opinion: And in all appearance
very many there are among us of such as a Learned Man calls

_Enthusiastick Atheists, viz._ who deny the Existence of an Invisible,
Omniscient, Omnipotent, first Cause of all things, only through a
certain Sottish disbelief of whatsoever they cannot either see or feel;
never consulting their Reason in the Case. That there are some who do
thus, their Discourses assure us: The Actions of many others, are
unaccountable without supposing them to be of this Number; and it is
very suspicious that to this Atheism as to a secret Cause thereof, may
be attributed the avow'd Averseness of many Men to reveal'd Religion,
since in a Country where People are permitted to read the Scriptures,
and to use their Reason freely in matters of Religion; and where, in
effect, there are so many Rational Christians, 'tis hard to conceive that
Men can be long Scepticks in regard of Christianity, if they are indeed
hearty Deists; and fully perswaded of the Truths of Natural Religion.
But it being sufficiently obvious that want of Instruction concerning
Religion does in a Sceptical Age dispose Men to Scepticism and
Infidelity, which often terminates in downright Atheism; let us see
whether, or no, Ill, by which I mean, all irrational Instruction in regard
of Religion, has not the same Tendency.
It is as undeniable as the difference between Men's being in, and out of
their Wits, that Reason ought to be to Rational Creatures the Guide of
their Belief: That is to say, That their Assent to any thing, ought to be
govern'd by that proof of its Truth, whereof Reason is the Judge; be it
either Argument, or Authority, for in both Cases Reason must
determine our Assent according to the validity of the Ground it finds it
Built on: By Reason being here understood that Faculty in us which
discovers, by the intervention of intermediate Ideas, what Connection
Those in the Proposition have one with another: Whether _certain_;
_probable_; or _none at all_; according whereunto, we ought to
regulate our Assent. If we do not so, we degrade our selves from being
Rational Creatures; and deprive our selves of the only Guide God has
given us for our Conduct in our Actions and Opinions.
Authority yet is not hereby so subjected to Reason, as that a
Proposition which we see not the Truth of, may not nevertheless be
Rationally assented to by us.

For tho' Reason cannot from the Evidence of the thing it self induce our
assent to any Proposition, where we cannot perceive the Connexion of
the Ideas therein contain'd; yet if it appears that such a Proposition was
truly reveal'd by God, nothing can be more Rational than to believe it:
since we know that God can neither Deceive, nor be Deceived: That
there are Truths above our Conception, and that God may (if he so
pleases) communicate these to us by Supernatural Revelation.
The part of Reason then, in regard of such a Proposition as this, is, only
to examine whether it be indeed a Divine Revelation: which should
Reason not attest to the Truth of; it is then evidently Irrational to give,
or require