ITS CAUSES AND SOURCES.

13

sign, the strict goodness of its precepts, and the like considerations, not sorting with their fancies and desires. This is that hardness of heart which is so often represented as an obstruction of belief..

"Of kin to that perverseness of heart is that squeamish delicacy and niceness of humour which will not let men entertain or savour anything, anywise seeming hard, or harsh to them, if they cannot presently comprehend all that is said, if they can frame any cavil, or little exception against it, if every scruple be not voided, if anything be required distasteful to their sense, they are offended and their faith is choked ... With these dispositions is connected a want of love to truth the which if a man hath not, he cannot well entertain such notions, as the Gospel propoundeth, being no wise grateful to carnal sense and appetite

"A grand cause of infidelity is pride, the which doth interpose various bars to the admission of Christian truth. Pride fills a man with vanity and affectation of seeming wise in special manner above others, thereby disposing him to maintain paradoxes and to nauseate common truth, received and believed by the generality of mankind ..

"He that is wise in his own conceit, will hug that conceit, and thence is incapable to learn.

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BARROW ON INFIDELITY:

There is, saith Solomon, more hope of a fool than of him . . . He that is conceited of his own wisdom, strength of parts, and improvement in knowledge cannot submit his mind to notions which he cannot easily comprehend and penetrate he will scorn to have his understanding baffled, or puzzled by sublime mysteries of faith: he will not easily yield anything too high for his wit to reach, or too knotty for him to unloose. How can these things be? what reason can there be for this? I cannot see how this can be true; this point is not intelligible; not considering the feebleness and shallowness of his own reason. "Another spring of infidelity is pusillanimity, or want of good resolution and courage Timorous men have not the courage to adventure a combat with their own flesh, and those lusts which war against the soul: to set upon correcting their temper, curbing their appetites, bridling their passions, keeping flesh and blood in order

...

"Infidelity doth also arise from sturdiness, fierceness, wildness, untamed animosity of spirit; so that a man will not endure to have his will crossed, to be under any law, to be curbed from anything which he is prone to affect . . .

"In fine, infidelity doth issue from corruption of mind by any kind of brutish lust, any irregular passion, any bad inclination or habit. Any such

ITS CAUSES AND SOURCES.

15

evil disposition of soul obstructs the admission or entertainment of that doctrine which doth prohibit or check it. . . . Whatever corrupt affection a man be possessed with, it will work in him a distaste and repugnance to the doctrine, which, indispensably, as a condition of salvation, doth prescribe and require universal holiness, purity, innocence, virtue, and goodness ... No man liketh to be galled, to be stung, to be racked with a sense of guilt, to be scared with a dread of punishment, to live under awe and apprehension of imminent danger; gladly therefore would he shun that doctrine, which demonstrates him a grievous sinner, which speaketh dismal terror, which thundereth ghastly woe upon him

Hence a man resolvedly wicked cannot but be willing to be an infidel, for his own quiet and ease. . . . In fine, from what spirit infidelity doth proceed we may see by the principles, commonly with it espoused for its support and countenance by its great masters and patrons, all which do rankly savour of baseness and ill-nature

The naughtiness of infidelity doth appear by considering its effects and consequences, which are plainly a spawn of all vices and villanies, a deluge of all mischiefs and outrages upon earth."

There are passages even stronger if possible than those which I have quoted. I do not bring them forward as models of the style which we

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HOW TO DEAL WITH INFIDELS.

should adopt in refuting atheists; but by way of contrast to the weak half-hearted vacillating utterances of modern criticism; some specimens of which I shall give in the next chapter.

The true way of dealing with the opponents of religion is to avoid bitter revilings as well as foolish flattery, and speak the language of grave disapproval and earnest remonstrance, and compassionate charity.

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QUARTERLY

RESPECTABLE PERIODICALS.-THE

REVIEW OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY.-THE

REVIEW" ON MR. HERBERT SPENCER.-THE 66 SATURDAY REVIEW ON PROFESSOR TYNDALL.-MR. MIVART'S

ESTEEM FOR PROFESSOR HUXLEY.

ONE often reads at the beginning of letters or paragraphs in the papers the heading "How the smallpox is spread," or "How fever gets into houses;" and then some instance of carelessness or gross mismanagement is mentioned, which fully accounts for the fact. It is the same with the spread of infidelity. Infidelity is disseminated amongst the people in ways one would have scarcely thought of. Take the following from the Guardian, which has a large circulation. among Church people:

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Critiques and Addresses. By Thomas Henry Huxley, LL.D., F.R.S. Macmillan and Co.

"To read a book of Professor Huxley's is always a keen enjoyment, whether you agree or disagree with it. He is a master of the English

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