Pyrrho asked, how that could be made to appear? Theophilus answered, that requiring men, upon pain of damnation, to believe some things, which they cannot understand, was the ready way to unhinge, disturb, and perplex the minds of many weak, but honest and wellmeaning persons. God himself is no hard master. He never requires impossibilities, as the terms of salvation. Why then should men require such things, or represent God as requiring them? Why should they confound the understandings of the weak, who are easily imposed upon and led astray? All that God requires is, that men should assent according to evidence; make their faith a reasonable service; and be influenced by it to holiness of temper and life. The terms of acceptance are plain and easy, and the minds of good men ought not to be puzzled and confounded with dark, unintelligible, and incomprehensible speculations.

That indeed, said Pyrrho, seems to be a matter of some consequence. But what have you further to allege?

Theophilus replied, that the making men fancy they can believe what they cannot understand must be of bad consequence, as it leads them to enthusiasm, which is a most dangerous thing in religion. I own that "here the ravings of an enthusiast are on a level with the dictates of infinite wisdom, and nonsense is rendered most sacred; that here a contradiction is of great use to maintain a doctrine, which, when fairly

stated, is not defensible; because, by talking backward and forward, by using obscure terms, and taking words in different senses, they may easily amuse and puzzle the people. On this foundation, transubstantiation is built, and most of those mysterious propositions, about which in former days men so frequently murdered each other."

The rational Christian first understands, then considers the evidence, and then believes. The enthusiast has a much quicker way, as he fancies, to come at his faith. He has inward feelings and divine impulses. He has knowledge and conviction darted into his mind all at once; such clear knowledge, and strong, irresistible evidence, as satisfies himself; but is insufficient to satisfy any other person, because it is incommunicable, and he cannot explain to another the nature and evidence of his faith; what it is he believes, or why he assents to it. He has a strong persuasion, grounded upon the conceit of inspiration, without clearly understanding what he believes, or professes; and without any rational or sufficient evidence on which to ground his assent. To what absurdities must such a person stand exposed? He may believe transubstantiation, or anything else. For, as in the dark all colours are alike, so in his dark mind all the most wild and fanciful conceits, that can be named, may be entertained and zealously contended for, as the great and deep things of God, and the fundamental doctrines of religion. One absurdity,

firmly and tenaciously adhered to, makes way for a thousand. For, if you will be so obsequious as to profess your belief of one thing, which you do not understand, and for which you have no evidence, why not a second, and a third, and so on? When a man is got out of the reach of his own understanding, and into the dark labyrinths of error and enthusiasm ; when he renounces his reason to follow fancy, appetite, or inclination, inward feelings, or imaginary impulses, he can have no ground for the soles of his feet to stand upon, but seems to be bewildered and gone beyond recovery.

Pyrrho observed that the man was in a bad way, who had gone that length, and that he heartily pitied him.

Ay, says Theophilus, he is to be pitied; and so are all they who live around him. For, when a man fancies that he can believe what he cannot understand, it leads him from enthusiasm into bigotry and uncharitableness. He is not to be argued with, and treated like a rational creature. Nor is he satisfied, that he may enjoy his own unreasonable, blind, and implicit faith; but his zeal hurries him on to make converts, and to persuade others to believe, or at least to talk, as he does; that is, without evidence, and without understanding. And, generally speaking, the more dark and unintelligible any points are, the more warmly and fiercely he contends for them. Where the iron is blunt he puts to more strength to make it

cut, and wound, and destroy. The senseless and ridiculous doctrine of transubstantiation has occasioned the shedding the blood of more Protestants, than all the great and weighty matters of the law and of the Gospel.

When a man has reason and evidence for what he says, he is ready to propose them; and that is the best way to make converts among the sober and thinking part of mankind. For when you have convinced an honest man's understanding, you may be sure of him. But when a man holds ridiculous opinions, and makes them fundamental articles of faith; if you deny them, or even doubt, you are reprobate, or in a dangerous state, and must be consigned over to everlasting damnation; as if these zealous defenders of the faith had got the keys of the bottomless pit hanging to their girdles, and could open or shut the gates of the dark, infernal prison, at their pleasure. But, blessed be God, pronounce it who will, the curse causeless shall not come. Those who love God, and understand and believe as well as they can, shall none of them be rejected by the righteous and equitable judge of the universe, though they may have been mistaken in some points of opinion, and though their over zealous neighbours should best ow their uncharitable censures upon them, load them with hard names, and use them unkindly here, or consign them over to the misery of the world to come.

Pyrrho observed that Theophilus painted strongly, and spoke with a becoming pathos, but hoped that he could not charge the contrary doctrine with many more bad consequences.

Yes, said Theophilus, I have two more, which I propose to mention, and then I will detain you no longer. The first is, that to contend for believing what we cannot understand is neither more nor less than contending for implicit faith, and gready favors the church of Rome, that has frequently and in many places prohibited the free use of the Scriptures, taken away that key of knowledge, and neither entered into the true design and interpretation of those sacred writings herself, nor suffered those who were willing to enter in. She has styled ignorance the mother of devotion. Methinks I should be sorry to see any Protestants so far doing the work of Papists, as to take men off from a diligent and impartial inquiry into the grounds and reasons of their faith; or in the least to discourage the close and critical examination of the sacred writings; or the free, honest, and open profession of a man's sentiments after he has inquired. You know, Pyrrho, how warm and animated my zeal against Popery has always been, because I have ever looked upon it, not only as the greatest corruption of Christianity, but even a combination against reason and common sense, as well as against the rights and liberties of mankind. And, in proportion, I dislike all tendencies thereto.