266 PRESENT-DAY RATIONALISM 



it was based not solely on our Lord's authority, but on 

 His whole life, as He stood confessed before them. They 

 knew Him, they reasoned owX. that He was the Christ ; and 

 His life was, in Wi€\x judgment, the life every one should 

 imitate. This was pure inductive reasoning, upon which 

 they resolved to die for Him if called upon to do so. 

 The result of their Faith was loyalty to Christ. It was 

 reasoning, but coupled with personal love ^ and aspira- 

 tion, though this latter was at the time misdirected.^ 



First, then, by " Credulity " I mean accepting anything, 

 merely because somebody has asserted it utterly regard- 

 less of there being any likelihood of its being true. Thus 

 are gross superstitions spread ; all reasoning is totally 

 absent. " Belief" is the acceptance of a statement in the 

 same way, but there is some show of authority for the 

 statement. Thus the Creeds are presumably based on 

 Scripture, but are enforced on the authority of the 

 Church. 



Thirdly, "Faith" is a totally distinct matter. One 

 of the best descriptions of Faith is given by the late 

 author of Ecce Homo. It runs as follows : — 



" When Christ rejected the test of right conduct which 

 society uses. He substituted the test of faith. It is to be 

 understood that this is not strictly a Christian virtue ; it 

 is the virtue required of one who wishes to become a 

 Christian. . . . He who, when goodness is impressively 

 put before him, exhibits an instinctive loyalt}' to it, starts 

 forward to take its side, trusts himself to it, such a man 

 has faith, and the root of the matter is in .such a man."^ 



If we ask why should any man do this, or what 

 reasons has he for so doing, the answer is that it was 



' John xxi. 15-17 ; note, our Lord uses the verb a^aTrS;/ but Peter, <pi\i'kv. 



''■ Matt. XX. 20, 21. 



'Ecce Homo, chap, vi., on " Christ's Winnowing Fan ". 



