Serro. I (. f he Excellency ofAbraham'sFaith andObedience. 19 5. None are reproved in Scripture for their Unbelief, but where fufficient Rea- fon and Evidence was offered to them. The Ifraelites were generally blamed for their Infidelity; but then it was after filch mighty Wonders liad beenwrought för their Convi&ion. The Jews in our Saviour's time are not condemned limply for their Unbelief; but for not believing when there was fuch clear Evidence offered to them. So our Saviour himfelf fays, If I had not done amongll them the works which no other man did; they had not had fin. Thomas indeed is blamed for the perverfenefs of his unbelief, becaufe he would believe nothing but what he himfelf law. ,Laflÿ, To. thew this yet mare plainly, let us confider the great inconvenience and abfurdity of declining the ufe of Reafon in matters of Religion. There can be no greater prejudice to Religion, than to decline this Tryal. To fay we have no Reafon for our Religion, is to fay it is unreafonable. Indeed it is Reafon enough for any Article of our Faith, that God bath revealed it ; be- caufe.thls is'opeofthe llrongeft and molt cogent Reafons for the belief of any thing. But when we fayGod hath revealed any thing, we mutt be ready to prove it, or elfe we fay nothing. If we turnoff Reafon here, we level the heft Religion in the World with the wildeft and "molt abfurdEnthufiafms. And it does not alter the cafe much, to give Reafon ill names, to call it blind, and carnal Reafon. Our heft Reafon is but very fhort and impeded : But lime it is no better, we mutt make ufe of it as it is, and make the beft of it. Before I pafs from this Argument, I cannot but obferve, that both the extremes ofthole who differ from our Church, are generally great Declamers againft the ufe ofReafon in mattersof Faith. Ifthey find their account in it, 'tiswell; for ourparts we apprehend no mannerof inconvenience, in having Reafon on our fide; nor need we to delire a better Evidence, that any Man is in the wrong, than to hear him de- clareagainft Reafon, and thereby to acknowledge that Reafon is againft him. Men mayviltfie Reafon as much as they pleafe; and tho' being reviled the reviles not again, yet in a more (till and gentle way, the commonly bath her full revenge upon all thofe that rail at her. I have often wondered that People can with patience endure to hear their Teachers and Guides talk againtt Reafon ; and not only fo, but they pay them the greater fubmiflion and veneration for it. One would,think this but an oddway to gain authority over the Minds of Men : But fome skilful and deigning Men have found by experience, that it is a very good way to recommend them to the ignorant ; as Nurfes ufe to endear thenifelves to Children, by perpetual noife and nonfenfe. Thirdly, I obferve that God obligeth no Man to believe plain and evident Con- tradidions, as Matters of Faith. Abraham could not reafonably have believed this fecond Revelation to have been from God, if he had not found fome way to recon- cile it with the firft. For tho' a Man were never fo much difpofed to fubmit his Reafon to Divine Revelation; yet it is not poflìble for any Man to believe God, againft God himfelf. Some Men Teem to think that they oblige God mightily, by believing plain Contradictions. But the matter is quite otherwife. He that made Man a reafonable Creature, cannot take it kindly from any Man to debafe his Workmanship, by making himfelf unreafonable. And therefore, as no Service or Obedience; fo no Faith is acceptable unto God, but what is reafonable : If it be not fo, it may be Confidence or Prefumption; but it is not Faith. For he that can believe plain Con- tradictions, may believe any thing how abfurd foever; becaufe nothing can be more abfurd, than the beliefof a plain Contradiction ; and he that can believe any thing, believes nothing upon good grounds, becaufe to him Truth and Falíhood are all one. Fourthly, I obferve, that the great caufe of the defect of Mens Obedience is the of their Faith. Did we believe the Commands ofGod in the Gofpel, and his Promifes and Threatnings,as firmlyas Abraham believed God in this cafe; what lhould we not be ready to do, or fuffer, in obedience to him ? D2, If
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