These systems, which are about equal in point of reasonableness, are as much opposed to each other as they are to ordinary Christianity. The Naturalists point out the absurdity of imagining that a party of Galilæan peasants giving out that they were messengers from Heaven, and reciting moral tales and maxims, could have ever been listened to, and could have induced great multitudes, both of Jews and of Gentiles, to contemn what they had been accustomed to hold most sacred, to forfeit what they held most dear, and to encounter bitter persecution in their cause. And the Mythics, again, expose the monstrous absurdity of the explanations framed by their oppo

nents.'

I cannot but think there is much truth in what is said by cach of these parties; that is, that each are fully borne out in what they say of the opposite.

There are some persons however, who, from various causes, deprecate the study of christian-evidences altogether, or at least would confine it to an exceedingly small number of learned men whose inclinations and opportunities have led them to devote their lives to it. I have heard even men of good sense in other points, remark that to investigate all the reasons for and against the reception of Christianity would be more than the labour of a whole life; and that therefore all except perhaps some five or six out of every million, had better not trouble themselves at all about the matter. It is very strange that it should fail to occur to any man of good sense, that it may be possible, and easy, and, in many cases, highly desirable, to have sufficient reasons for believing what we do believe; though these reasons may not be the twentieth part of what might be adduced, if there were any need for it. Any one of us, for instance, may be fully convinced, and on very good grounds, that he was in such and such places yesterday, and saw such and such persons, and said and did so and so. But all the evidence that might be collected of all this-supposing, for instance, that this was needful, with a view to some

1 In the Annotation on Part 2, ch. i. vol. i. I have offered some remarks on the advantage afforded to the advocates of these extravagances by the rash language of some enthusiasts.

2 Sce Cautions for the Times, Nos. II, 12.

trial that was going on-would perhaps fill a volume.

Suppose,

for example, you had to repel some charge by proving an alibi; what a multitude of circumstances, and what a crowd of witnesses, you might bring forward to prove that you really were in such a place at such a time.

In every case, except perhaps the one case of religion, every one would perceive the absurdity of refusing to attend to any reasons at all, because there might be a multitude of other reasons also, which we had not the power, or the leisure to investigate. And since therefore it has pleased the All-wise to create Man a rational animal, and there is always some cause, though often a very absurd one, for any one's believing or disbelieving as he does, and since on all subjects men are often led to reject valuable truths, and to assent to mischievous falsehoods, it is surely an important part of education that men should be trained in some degree to weigh evidence, and to distinguish good reasons from sophistry, in any department of life, and not least in what concerns religion.

But when the mass of the unlearned people (it has been said) do believe in a true religion, no matter on what grounds, it is better to let them alone in their uninquiring faith, than to agitate and unsettle their minds by telling them about evidences. They should be kept in ignorance, we are told, that the truth of Christianity was ever doubted by any one; that is, they must be kept in ignorance not only of the world around them, but of all books of history, including the Bible. It has even been publicly maintained in a work which was the organ of a powerful and numerous party in our Church, that an ignorant rustic who believes Christianity to be true, merely because he has been told so by those he looks up to as his superiors, has a far better ground for his belief than Paley or Grotius, or any other such writer. Now this is the ground on which the ancient and the modern Pagans, and the Mahometans, rest their absurd faith, and reject the Gospel. The evidence therefore which has proved satisfactory to the most enlightened Christians is, it seems, absolutely inferior to that which is manifestly and notoriously good for nothing!

Yet it is possible that some of those who speak thus may really believe that Christianity itself can stand the test of evi

dence; but they wish that some other things also should be believed, which will not stand that test. They wish men to give credit to some mediæval legends of miracles, and unsupported traditions, and new dogmas of human device; and they would rather not encourage them to cultivate the habit which the Apostle Peter recommends, of being 'ready to give a reason of their hope.' He who is trying to pass a large amount of coins, some good and some counterfeit, will be alarmed at seeing you apply a chemical test to the pure gold, lest you should proceed in the same way with the rest.

Others, not belonging to the party just alluded to, have publicly and very strongly proclaimed their conviction that any inquiry into the evidences of our religion is most likely to lead to infidelity. Many thanks!' an infidel might reply, 'for that admission! I want nothing more. That all inquiry, while it will establish a belief in what is true, will overthrow belief in Christianity or any other imposture, is just what I think. But nothing coming from me could have near the force of such an admission from you.'

One is loth to attribute to writers who are professed advocates of Christianity an insincere profession, and a disguised hostility. And yet, supposing them sincere, the absurdity of their procedure seems almost incredible. Save me from my friends,' we may say, ' and let our enemies do their worst.' Let one of these writers imagine himself tried in a court of justice, and his counsel pleading for him in a similar manner: 'Gentlemen of the jury, my client is an innocent and a worthy man, take my word for it but I entreat you not to examine any witnesses, or listen to any pleadings; for the more you inquire into the case, the more likely you will be to find him guilty.' Every one would say that this advocate was either a madman, or else wilfully betraying his client.

In confirmation of what I have now said, I subjoin extracts (to which many more might have been added) from writers of different schools, to show the coincidences between an avowed Atheist and professed favourers of Christianity, of different parties, and the contrast they all present to the New Testament writers.

'Upon the whole,
we may conclude
that the christian
Religion not only
was at first attended
with miracles, but
even at this day can-
not be believed by
any reasonable per-
son without one.
Mere reason is in-
sufficient to convince
us of its veracity;
and whoever
moved by Faith to
assent to it, is con-
scious of a continued
miracle in his own
person, which sub-
verts all the princi-
ples of his under-
standing, and gives
him a determination
to believe what is
most contrary to
custom and expe-
rience.' Hume's

Essay on Miracles (at the end).

we are to be censured for having 'shifted
the ground of our belief from testimony to
argument, and from faith to reason."

In answering the question why our religion
is to be believed, 'the poor, ignorant, unin-
structed peasant will probably come nearest to
the answer of the Gospel. He will say, 'Be-
cause I have been told so by those who are
wiser and better than myself. My parents
told me so, and the clergyman of the parish
told me so; and I hear the same whenever I
go to church. And I put confidence in these
persons, because it is natural that I should
trust my superiors. I have never had reason
to suspect that they would deceive me. I hear
of persons who contradict and abuse them, but
they are not such persons as I would wish to
follow in any other matter of life, and there-
fore not in religion I was born and baptized
in the church, and the Bible tells me to stay
in the church, and obey its teachers; and till
I have equal authority for believing that it is
not the church of Christ, as it is the Church of
England, I intend to adhere to it.' Now,
such reasoning as this will appear to this
rational age very paltry and unsatisfactory:
and yet the logic is as sound as the spirit is
humble. And there is nothing to compare
with it either intellectually, or morally, or
religiously, in all the elaborate defences and
evidences which would be produced from
Paley, and Grotius, and Sumner, and Chal-
mers.'-British Critic.

"The sacred writers have none of the timidity
of their modern apologists. They never sue
for an assent to their doctrines, but authorita-
tively command the acceptance of them. They
denounce unbelief as guilt, and insist on faith
as a virtue of the highest order. In their
catholic invitations, the intellectual not less
than the social distinctions of mankind, are un-
heeded. Every student of their writings is
aware of these facts, &c. They presup-
pose that vigour of understanding may consist
with feebleness of reason; and that the power
of discriminating between religious truth and
error does not depend chiefly on the culture or
on the exercise of the mere argumentative
faculty. The special patrimony of the poor
and illiterate-the Gospel-has been the stay
of countless millions who never framed a syllo-
gism. Of the great multitudes who, before
and since the birth of Grotius, have lived in
the peace and died in the consolations of our
Faith, how small is the proportion of those
whose convictions have been derived from the
study of works like his. Of the numbers who
have addicted themselves to such studies, how
small is the proportion of those who have
brought to the task either learning, or leisure,
or industry, sufficient, &c.

He who lays
the foundation of his faith on such evidences
will too commonly end either in yielding a
credulous and therefore an infirm assent, or in
reposing in a self-sufficient and far more hazard-
ous incredulity.'-Edinburgh Review.

"This beginning
miracles did Jesus in
Cana of Galilee, and
manifested his glory,
and his disciples be-
lieved on Him.

"We know that thou
art a teacher sent from
God; for no man can
do these miracles that
thou dost except God
be with him.

'If I had not done
among them the works
that none other man
did, they had not had
sin.'

'The works that I
doin my Father's name,
they bear witness of

me.

'Him God raised
up, and showed Him
openly not to all the
people, but to wit-
nesses chosen afore of
God, even to us,' &c.

'To him bear all
the Prophets witness.'

'Be always ready to
give to every one that
asketh you, a reason
of the hope that is in
you,' &c.

The charge of timidity' brought against those who court inquiry, appeal to evidence, and defy refutation, reminds one of the anecdote told of some North-American Indians, who on one occasion, when acting as allies with our troops, were' attacked by an enemy. The Indians, as their custom is, fled, and sheltered themselves behind trees, while the English soldiers stood firm under a heavy fire, and repulsed the assailants. They expected that their Indian friends would have admired their valour. But the interpretation these put upon it was, that the English were too much frightened to run away;that they were so paralysed by terror as not to have had sufficient presence of mind to provide for their safety!

There is another class of persons who take a different view, but I cannot think a right one, of the study of christian evidences. They acknowledge its use and necessity; but they dislike and deplore that necessity. They view the matter somewhat as any person of humane disposition does the arming and training of soldiers; acknowledging, yet lamenting, the necessity of thus guarding against insurrections at home, or attacks from foreign nations; and though, when forced into a war, he rejoices in meeting with victory rather than defeat, he would much prefer peaceful tranquillity. Even so, these persons admit that evidences are necessary in order to repel unbelief; but all attention to the subject is connected in their minds with the idea of doubt; which they feel to be painful, and dread as something sinful.

Far different however are men's feelings in reference to any person or thing that they really do greatly value and admire, when they have a full and firm conviction. No one in ordinary life considers it disagreeable to mark and dwell on the constantly recurring proofs of the excellent and admirable qualities of some highly valued friend—to observe how his character stands in strong contrast to that of ordinary men; and that while experience is constantly stripping off the fair outside from vain pretenders, and detecting the wrong motives which adulterate the seeming virtue of others, his sterling excellence is made more and more striking and conspicuous every day on the contrary, we feel that this is a delightful exercise of the mind, and the more delightful the more we are disposed to love

1 Cautions for the Times.