A treatise of the causes of incredulity wherein are examin'd the general motives and occasions which dispose unbelievers to reject the Christian religion : with two letters, containing a direct proof of the truth of Christianity / translated from the French of Monsieur Le Clerc.

CHAP. IV. That many are Ʋnbelievers, because they know not how to reason rightly.

IN the preceding Chapters I suppos'd that Unbelievers did not reason well, and that, without perceiving it, they suffer'd themselves to be seduc'd by their Passions or Prejudices; but I did at the same time suppose that they might be re∣claim'd by Arguments, when they were shew'd that they follow'd not the Rules of good Sense. But there are more than one kind of Unbelievers; and some of them, those I mean who are to be the Sub∣ject of this Chapter, are Unbelievers up∣on no other Account, but because they cannot reason well, as I shall presently de∣monstrate.

But we must remark before, that, the Christian Religion consisting in Doctrines and Matters of Fact, to prove both these we must make long Reasonings, and al∣ledg many Proofs depending upon one another. Thus to perceive the Force of those Reasons brought to prove the Divi∣nity of the Christian Religion, we must be capable not only of understanding eve∣ry Proposition or every Argument by it self; but likewise to enter into the Dis∣cussion

of all that is said, by examining the Connection of the Reasonings, and the Relations which a great number of Idea. have towards one another. But there are a world of People who entertain a good Opinion of themselves, and are not capa∣ble, nevertheless, of this Examination nor to consider distinctly so great a Colle∣ction of such compounded and perplex'd Ideas.

I shall be immediately told, no doubt, That if this be so, I do but lose my time in reasoning with them; since I suppose that they are not capable to know the Solidity of an Argument. Yet two things oblige me to do it, whereof the first and principal is, that what I have to say upon this Subject may contribute to keep those who are perswaded of the Truth of Chri∣stianity, from being seduc'd by the Exam∣ple of this sort of Unbelievers. An infinite number of People who believe the Chri∣stian Religion true, know not the Proofs of it so perfectly, and are not so much con∣firm'd in their Belief, but that they may be tempted by the Example of those Un∣believers who reason little. They are of all Qualities and Conditions; and the haughty Air whereby they reject Revela∣tion, is not sometimes less dangerous that the most specious Sophistry.

In the second place, It may happen that such as are not Masters of the true Me∣thod

of Reasoning, may notwithstanding be in a Condition of leaving their Igno∣rance, and of making a better Use of their Understandings. It is very fit to con∣vince this sort of People that they are on∣ly Unbelievers, because they know not how to govern their Thoughts. But I grant that those who are grown old in this kind of Ignorance, and whose Pre∣sumption is encreas'd by their Age, are in a manner incurable, go to work with them how you will; especially if any Im∣morality be join'd to this want of Judg∣ment, which never fails scarcely to hap∣pen: Nor is it for such that we write, as Books of Physick are not written about incurable Diseases.

To be perswaded our selves that there are, in effect, some People who for want of knowing how to reason refuse their Assent to the Gospel, we need only reflect a little upon the present State of the Hea∣thens, and upon what we know of many Unbelievers which live among Christians.

Such as undertake to convert the In∣dians, and the other Idolaters of Asia, America, and Africa, after taking a great deal of pains to learn their Language, are forc'd to take much more when they would by reasoning perswade them of the Falsity of their Religions, and of the Truth of that of Jesus Christ. The Monks may long enough make all imaginable Efforts

to become intelligible to those ignorant People, and to convince them of the Ab∣surdity of their Idolatry, and the Opini∣ons whereupon it is built; but although this thing be so plain, yet there are but few of them who can be made to under∣stand it, and fewer that conceive the Rea∣sons upon which Christianity is grounded.

'Tis not necessary that I speak here of the Means which the Missionaries have chosen to employ in their Conversions, rather than Reason. This makes no∣thing to my Design. I shall only remark, that the Difficulty of bringing those Ido∣latrous Nations to receive the Gospel, proceeds not from any Insidelity peculiar to them from the People of Europe. They are, upon the contrary, the most credu∣lous People in the World, and very seri∣ously embrace a great number of incredi∣ble things, whereof their Theology is made up. Their Incredulity, with respect to the Gospel, proceeds from their not reasoning almost at all, except about things relating to Life; and that nothing ever enters into their Minds except from Experience or Education. They are not Men that meditate, and are capable of attentively considering abstracted Ideas, nor of comparing them with one ano∣ther, to draw some Consequence from them. So for want of meeting a little reasoning in these People, one is ex∣tremely

puzzl'd how to get 'em to change their Opinions.

This cannot be said of the Mahometans, since we know that their Divines do some∣times write with Subtlety and Sense e∣nough against some of the Doctrines which the Missionaries would have 'em embrace. Nor can we treat them as In∣fidels that reject the Christian Religion out of a Spirit of Scepticism; for they are every thing rather than Pyrrhonians, seeing they most heartily believe all the Alcoran. Nevertheless, altho they have Sense enough (as I said) to make Obje∣ctions against some Doctrines that are preach'd to them, yet they have not enough to examine the Principles of their own Religion, and to see upon what it is grounded. They don't so much as understand what is said to them upon that Head, nor the Reasons brought to prove the Truth of Christianity. And if the Missionaries now and then convert some of 'em, it is not from any Reasons they alledg, but in gaining their Love and Esteem by some other ways.

The Jews are much in the same Condi∣tion, as it may be seen by the Books they have written to establish their own Opini∣ons, or to confute those of the Christi∣ans. This may be easily discover'd also by any that discourses with them upon these Subjects. But between them and

the Mahometans there is this Difference, that the latter give Credit to a Book full of Impertinencies and Falshoods; whereas the Jews ground their Perswasion upon the Books of the Old Testament, which contain a true Revelation. And yet they can reason little better than the Maho∣metans; which is one of the greatest Ob∣stacles to their Conversion. Whilst they are satisfy'd with the mere Authority of some Rabbins, tho without any Founda∣tion, they are Proof against the strongest Reasons the Christians can oppose to 'em; because from their Infancy they are wont to believe what their Rabbins tell them, and are never taught to reason justly.

Otherwise, if the Jews were in a Con∣dition of pursuing an Argument, and of distinguishing a good from an ill Conse∣quence, it would then be very easy to con∣vince them of the Truth of Christianity. It should be only needful, as some Chri∣stian Divines have lately done, to put them upon proving the Truth of the Di∣vine Mission of Moses, as they would prove it to a Heathen they design'd to proselyte to Judaism. For if they bring any solid Proofs for this matter, it may be easily made evident, that these same Reasons are incomparably stronger in favour of the divine Mission of Christ and his Apo∣stles, than in favour of that of Moses; as it has been shewn in the Book whose

Title you may see in the Margin.

* 1.1Now then, to convince the Jews and other Infidels by Reason, they must be first taught the Art of methodically di∣gesting their Thoughts, and be accustomed to reason stricly upon other Heads, that they may learn to understand the Force of the Proofs upon which the Gospel is founded. But this is what all the Missi∣onaries in the World are not able to do, especially to those Insidels who are ad∣vanc'd in Years. It were Injustice to be∣lieve that 'tis only amongst Infidels that Men are found uncapable of discerning the Goodness of an Argument; and who, upon this account, reject the Christian Re∣ligion. There are Unbelievers among Christians themselves, who are not only such out of some Disposition engaging them against the Gospel, but likewise out of downright Stupidity, and for want of understanding the Reasons whereupon Christianity is grounded.

There are some People who from their Childhood have been brought up to some Trade, or other constant Business, with∣out any Care taken about the forming of their Minds, or even of instructing them in Religion; and who, being moreover of a Genius not very proper for conceiving of things reveal'd, tho haughty and pre∣sumptuous, have grown to a full Age with∣out any farther Instruction, or being cur'd

of their Pride. These are rarely perswa∣ded of the Truth of the Christian Religion; nay, they frequently reject it entirely, or at least, in part: not only because they know not the Proofs of it, but also because they understand them not, when they hear them from those that do know them. These unpolish'd and ignorant Creatures imagine that there is nothing true, but what they perceive by their Senses, or what they have found by their own Expe∣rience to be possible, or, in a word, what they find conformable to their Passions. Thus neither the speculative Doctrines of Religion, nor the Practice of it, nor yet the History of those who taught it being within the Verge of their Knowledg, they refuse to believe them rather out of Brutality and Stupidity, than as deceiv'd by captious Reasonings. If they reject it not altogether, 'tis certain however that they retain only what is most pleasing to them; which is an evident Demonstration that they are not perswaded of it from Reasoning and Knowledg; because the Proofs which confirm a part of it, are the same that shew the whole Religion to be true.

'Tis not only amongst People taken up with Trade and Business that this sort of Unbelievers is to be found; for there are more of 'em, perhaps, amongst such as aspire to great Preferments, amongst Sol∣diers,

and Persons of Quality. It may be said indeed, that Persons of these Ranks have had a better Education than others, with relation to the Affairs of the World, and those Employments to which they were design'd: But in very truth, it is as common a thing to hear them reason as wretchedly about Religion, as the most ignorant among the Populace. When once they are grown old in their Prejudi∣ces against Christianity, then their natu∣ral Vanity, encreas'd with their Age, renders them more obstinate, and not seldom makes 'em altogether inaccessible to Truth. You propose the most cogent Arguments to them in vain; for they look upon them as mere Sophisms, tho they know not wherein Sophistry differs from solid Reasoning.

I shall be told, perhaps, that this sort of Men is not so ignorant of the Art of Thinking as I suppose them to be, seeing they reason not so ill concerning those things they know by Experience, and that they govern themselves with Prudence enough in the Affairs of Life. To this I answer, That I do not deny but those, I speak of, may reason very well about what are the Objects of their Passions, or when they confine themselves within the Limits of their Experience. But I main∣tain, that they have not as much as the Notion of reasoning solidly about spe∣culative

things, that make no Impressions upon the Senses; such as are the Proofs whereupon the Truth of the Christian Religion is built.

To be convinc'd of this, we need only examine them, if we can, upon these two Heads. First, We must discourse 'em about some abstracted Subject; such as are, for Example, the general Ideas of most things, the Notions of Vertues and Vices: And if they reason exactly herein, we may justly conclude, that these Per∣sons are not of their number who continue Unbelievers, for want of knowing how to reason rightly. But if we hear them talk of such Matters without any Principles or Coherence, if we see that they do not comprehend what is said to them upon such Occasions, be it never so clear, or notwithstanding all the Pains taken to make it plain, (which happens but too frequently) then it will be easily granted me, that their Infidelity does, at least, pro∣ceed in part from their Ignorance of the Art of Reasoning.

Another way we have to discover this kind of Unbelievers, is, when we find them distasted with all Discourses upon abstracted Matters, or with any thing that relates not to their Passions; when they avoid the reading of all Books requiring any Attention, especially of such Books as are written to prove the Truth of what

they disbelieve; finally, when they won't enter upon a Discussion of any such Sub∣jects, nor will be at the Pains of compa∣ring the Answers of Believers with the Objections of the Incredulous. We may sufficiently know such Persons, who are, so to speak, so fill'd with what they have learn'd from Experience of the Affairs of the World, that nothing else can enter in∣to them, and are displeas'd when they hear other Discourses.

Such was Festus, for Instance, the Go∣vernour of Judea, who is mention'd in the Acts of the Apostles. He could scarcely hear a short Discourse from St. Paul, and charg'd him with Madness, after hearing from him another Discourse full of Evi∣dence and good Sense. Were he told of some Methods how to squeeze Money dexterously out of his Province, or were he acquainted with some Intrigue that might contribute to prefer him to a more considerable Post, he would immediately understand what was said to him; or he would get it repeated to him so often, and would have ask'd so many Questions about it, that he should at least have an exact Notion of the Business. But because S. Paul spoke to him of things no way relating to his Designs or Passions, he could scarce patiently hear him, and understood no∣thing of his Discourse.

There are a world of People at this day in the midst of Christendom, who are very near in the same Disposition. They speak very well of their Temporal Affairs, or any thing belonging to them; they willingly converse about the News of the Times, and that sometimes with Sense enough; but put them once by such things to talk of Religion, they are presently tir'd, they speak of it ridiculously, they shew, in a word, so great a Contempt of such Discourses, as if they were Matters beneath them, and to which they cannot stoop without Uneasiness.

As these Unbelievers, who reason not at all, are moreover entirely possest with Passions opposite to the Gospel, and have been long habituated to obey them; so they are not accessible on any side, and I see not how, without a Miracle, they can be convinc'd of their miserable State, nor reclaim'd from their Error. However it was fit to make some Reflections upon this sort of Unbelievers, that we might not be impos'd upon when we meet with such, nor seduc'd by their Ways.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Limborch Amica collat. cum Erudit. Judaeo.