Occasional Thoughts in Reference to a Vertuous or Cristian life | Page 8

assent to it as being so.
And as plainly Irrational must it be to give, or require assent to any
thing as a Divine Revelation, which is evidently contrary to Reason; no
less being herein imply'd than that God has made us so as to see clearly
that to be a Truth, which is yet a Falshood; the which, were it so, would
make the Testimony of our Reason useless to us; and thereby destroy
also the Credit of all Revelation; for no stronger proof can be had of the
Truth of any Revelation than the Evidence of our Reason that it is a
Revelation.
Now if the Christian Religion be very often represented as teaching
Doctrines clearly contrary to Reason; or as exacting belief of what we
can neither perceive the Truth of, nor do find to be reveal'd by Christ,
or his Apostles: And, (what is still more) that this pretended Divine
Religion does even consist in such a Belief as This; so that a Man
cannot be a Christian without believing what he neither from
Arguments or Authority has any Ground for believing; what must the
Natural Consequence of this be upon all whoever so little consult their
Reason, when in riper Years they come to reflect hereupon, but to make
them recal, and suspend, at least, their assent to the Truth of a Religion
that appears to them thus Irrational? since an Irrational Religion can
never Rationally be conceived to come from God.
And if Men once come to call in question such Doctrines as (tho' but
upon slender Grounds for it) they had received for unquestionable
Truths of Religion, they are ordinarily more likely to continue

Scepticks, or to proceed to an intire disbelief of this Religion, than to
take occasion from hence to make a just search after its Verity: The
want either of Capacity, Leisure or Inclination for such an inquiry,
disposing Men, very generally, to neglect it; and easily to satisfy
themselves in so doing, from a perswasion that the Christian Religion is
indeed self condemn'd: Those whom they imagine to have understood it
as well as any Men, having never taught them that this Religion does so
much as pretend to any Foundation in, or appeal to Reason, that Faculty
in us which distinguishes us from Beasts, and the Actual use thereof
from Mad-Men; but indeed Taught them the contrary: And thus
prejudg'd, it truly is that the Christian Religion, by those who
disbelieve it, has usually come to be rejected; without ever having been
allow'd a fair Examination.
From what has been said, I think it does appear, that Ill, that is to say,
Irrational Instruction concerning Religion, as well as want of
Instruction, disposes to Scepticism: And this being so, what wonder can
it be that Scepticism having once become fashionable, should continue
so? the un-instructed, and the ill-instructed, making by so great odds,
the Majority. For Those who have no Religion themselves, do not often
take care that others should have any: And They who adhere to a
misgrounded Perswasion concerning Religion, retaining a Reverence
for their Teachers, do, in consequence thereof, commonly presume that
their Children cannot be better taught than they have been before them;
which is generally (as has been said) only by the learning of some
approved Catechism; wherein, commonly enough, the first principles of
Religion are not, as they should be, laid down, but suppos'd: and from
whence Those who learn them, learn nothing except that certain
Propositions are requir'd to be Believed, which perhaps, they find
inconceivable by them; or (at best) whereof they see neither use, nor
certainty: These Catechisms yet being represented to Children by those
whom they the most Esteem, and Credit, as containing Sacred verities
on the Belief of which Salvation does depend, they quickly become
afraid to own that they are not convinc'd of the Truth of what is
deliver'd in them: For the greater part among our selves are instructed
in Religion much after the same manner that that good Lady of the
Church of Rome instructed her Child; who when the Girl told her, she

_could not believe Transubstantiation_; Reply'd, _What? You do you
not believe Transubstantiation? You are a naughty Girl, and must be
whip'd._
Instead of having their reasonable Inquiries satisfy'd, and incourag'd,
Children are ordinarily rebuk'd for making any: from whence not
daring in a short time to question any thing that is taught them in
reference to Religion; they, (as the Girl above-mention'd was) are
brought to say, that they do Believe whatever their Teachers tell them
they must Believe; whilst in Truth they remain in an ignorant unbelief,
which exposes them to be seduc'd by the most pitiful Arguments of the
Atheistical, or of such as are disbelievers of reveal'd Religion.
The