Occasional Thoughts in Reference to a Vertuous or Cristian life | Page 9

Foundation of All Religion is the belief of a God; or of a Maker
and Governour of the World; the evidence of which, being visible in
every thing; and the general Profession having usually stamp'd it with
awe upon Children's Minds, they ought perhaps most commonly to be
suppos'd to Believe This, rather than have doubts rais'd in them by
going about to prove it to them: because those who are uncapable of
long deductions of Reason, or attending to a train of Arguments, not
finding the force thereof when offer'd to prove what they had always
taken for a clear, and obvious verity, would be rather taught thereby to
suspect that a Truth which they had hitherto look'd on as
unquestionable, might rationally be doubted of, than be any ways
confirm'd in the belief of it. But if any doubts concerning the Existence
of God, do arise in their Minds, when they own this, or that this, can be
discover'd by discoursing with them: such doubts should always be
endeavour'd to be remov'd by the most solid Arguments of which
Children are capable. Nor should They ever be rebuk'd for having those
doubts; since not giving leave to look into the grounds of asserting any
Truth, whatever it be, can never be the way to establish that Truth in
any rational Mind; but, on the contrary, must be very likely to raise a
suspicion that it is not well grounded.
The belief of a Deity being entertain'd; what should be first taught us
should be what we are in the first place concern'd to know.
Now it is certain that what we are in the first place concern'd to know,

is that which is necessary to our Salvation; and it is as certain that
whatever God has made necessary to our Salvation, we are at the same
time capable of knowing. All Instruction therefore which obtrudes upon
any one as necessary to their Salvation, what they cannot understand or
see the evidence of, is to that Person, wrong Instruction; and when any
such unintelligible, or unevident Propositions are delivered to Children
as if they were so visible Truths that a reason, or proof of them was not
to be demanded by them, what effect can this produce in their Minds
but to teach them betimes to silence and suppress their Reason; from
whence they have afterwards no Principle of Vertue left; and their
practices, as well as opinions, must needs (as is the usual consequence
hereof) become expos'd to the Conduct of their own, or other Men's
Fancies?
The existence of God being acknowledg'd a Truth so early receiv'd by
us, and so evident to our Reason, that it looks like Natural Inscription;
the Authority of that Revelation by which God has made known his
Will to Men, is to be firmly establish'd in People's Minds upon its
clearest, and most rational evidence; and consequentially They are then
to be refer'd to the Scriptures themselves, to see therein what it is that
God requires of them to believe and _to do_; the great Obligation they
are under diligently to study these Divine Oracles being duly
represented to them. But to exhort any one to search the Scriptures to
the end of seeing therein what God requires of him, before he is
satisfy'd that the Scriptures are a Revelation from God, cannot be
rational: since any ones saying that the Scriptures are God's Word,
cannot satisfy a rational and inquisitive Mind that they are so: and that
the Books of the Old and New Testament were dictated by the Spirit of
God, is not a self evident Proposition, but a Truth that demands to be
made out, before it can be rationally assented to.
It should also be effectually Taught, and not in Words alone, That it is
our Duty to study and examine the Scriptures, to the end of seeing
therein what God requires of us to _believe_, and to do. But none are
effectually, or sincerely taught this, if notwithstanding that this is
sometimes told them, they are yet not left at liberty to believe, or not
believe, according to what, upon examination, appears to them to be the

sense of the Scriptures: for if we must not receive them in that sense,
which, after our best inquiry, appears to us to be their meaning, it is
visible that it signifies nothing to bid us search, and examine them.
These two things, _viz._ a rational assurance of the Divine Authority of
the Scriptures, and a liberty of fairly examining them, are absolutely
necessary to the satisfaction of any rational Person, concerning the
certainty of the Christian Religion, and what it is that this Religion does
consist in: and He who when he comes to be a Man, shall remember
that