THE ANALOGY OF RELIGION NATURAL AND REVEALED TO THE CONSTITUTION AND COURSE OF NATURE To which are added Two Brief Differtations I. OF PERSONAL IDENTITY II. OF THE NATURE OF VIRTUE Ejus (Analogia) hæc vis eft, ut id quod dubium eft, ad aliquid fimile de quo non quereferat; ut incerta certis probet. at. Inft. Orat. L. 1. c. vi. CHISWICK PRESS:-PRINTED BY C. WHITTINGHAM, TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE. HERE are two points moft material to the establishment of any propofition; firstly, that it be credible, fe condly, that it be proved. It is vain to produce teftimony, if what we feek to prove be in itself incredible, for then we can only prove that our witneffès are themselves deceived, or feek to deceive others. This point of credibility is that on which the main ftrefs of the debate about religion and Christianity has generally lain; no fuch accumulation of argument and evidence as has been brought together in their defence could have been neceffary, if men had always thought them credible. In truth, repugnance to believe is in any cafe properly to be met by arguments about credibility, not by direct evidence, fince repugnance and hesitation to believe a credible thing must be always more or lefs abfurd. It was to meet this feeling, fo prevalent in the first half of the eighteenth century, that Chriftianity was in itself incredible,-that the "Analogy" was written; it was to prove that it is not b |