4 3 4 Of a`Reliiou.r and Divine Faith. Vol. IL . .. is Immortal ; it being altogether unimaginable how a Principle that is nothing elfe but Matter, can either underftand, or determine it felt by its own Will; all the motions of Matter that we know -of, or can imagine, being neceffrry : and partly from the Juftice and Goodnefs of. God. The confideration of God's Goodnefs would perfwade a Man, that as he made all things very good, fo hè made them of the longeft duration they were capable of : and the Juftice of God would eafily induce a Man to believe, feeing the Providence of God doth generally in this Life deal promifcuouflywith good and bad Men, that there {hall be a Day which will Snake a difference, and every Man (hall receive according tohis Works. But t do not intend to infift upon thefe Arguments ; all that I defign, is to thew what kind of Arguments, do work a Faith and Perfwafion in Men concern- ing thefe Principles of Natural Religion : and they are Reafons drawn from the thing. And it is not always neceffary to the working of this Faith and Perfwafion, that there Reafons fhould neceflarily, yea or truly conclude the Principle to be believed if they do it probably, and it appear fo to me, it is enough to beget a perfwafion in me of futh a thing. There are many Men entertain the greateft Truths, and are firmly perfwaded of them, upon an incompetent Argument, and fuch as might perfwade them of any thing elfe as well ; and fuch Perlons, if they have Capacity and Undemanding, they are rather Happy than Wife in their Religion. It falls out well that they happen to be in the right; for they might have been in the wrong upon the fame terms. But if the Perlons who believe the Principles of Religion upon infuflicient Arguments,and their Belief have a real effe& upon them, as it will if it be triteand permanent ; if theybe Ignorant, and fuch as want the ordinary advantages of improving their knowledge, they are wife enough ; that is, they are as wife as God's Providence hath made them, and the Circumftances of their Education, and the Condition of their Life will let thembe. The Third thing to be enquir'd is, Whether this Faith or -Perfwafion of the Principles of Natural Religion admit Degrees, or not? And what differences are obfervable in them ? That it does admit degrees, that is, that a Man may be more or lefs perfwaded of the Truth of thefe Principles, is evident from the Heathens; force of whom did yield a more firm and unfhaken of ent to them ; others enter- tain'd ,them with a more faint perfwafion of them, efpecially of the Immortality of the Soul, and a Future State, about which molt of them had many Qualms and Doubts. Of all the Heathens, Socrates feems to have had the trueft and firmeft perfwafion of there things ; which hedid not only tettifie in words ; but by the Confiancy, and Calmnefs, and fedate Courage whichhe manifefted at his Death. Indeed in his Difcourfe before his Death, he Pays, " He did not know ° whether his Soul (hall remain after his Body, and whether there be a Happinefs teferv'd for good Men in another World: but he thought fo, and had fuch °0 hopes of it, that he was very willing to venture his Life upon thefe hopes. Which words, tho' they feem to be fpoke doubtingly, as the manner of the Academy was ; yet confidering his manner of (peaking, which was modefl, and not peremptory and dogmatical, they fignifie as great a confidence as he had of any thing, and they are high expreflions of affurance. For we may believe that the Man whodies for any thing, how modeftly foever he may exprefs himfelf, is very well allured óf the truth of it, So that this Faith and Perfwafion admits of degrees, the difference whereof is to be refolv'd partly into the capacity of the Perlons who believe : and partly into the arength, or at leaft appearance of ftrèngth in the Arguments whereby it is wrought. The Fourth thing to be enquir'd is, What are the proper and genuine efre s of this Faith or Perfwafion ? Now that in a word is Natural Religion, which confias in apprehenfions of God fuitable to his Nature, and affe&ions towards him fuitable to thefe Apprehenfions, and A&ions fuitable to both. He that be- lieves there is fuch aBeing in the World as Ged, that is, one infinitely Good, and Wife, and Powerful, and Juft, and Holy, and (ina word) cloathed withall Ex- cellency, will have a great efleem and reverence for him, and love to him, which he will teftifte in thofe outward expreflions of refpe& which we call Worfhip.
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