FAITH AND CEEDULITY 



/^NB of our most eminent doctors of diyinity, 

 ^~^ Dr. Fisher of Yale, has recently been discuss- 

 ing the nature of faith and revelation in one of the 

 popular magazines. 



The doctor says that skeptical writers are apt to 

 " describe faith as an arbitrary, groundless accept- 

 ance of doctrines in behalf of which no proof is pos- 

 sible. This is to confound faith and credulity." 

 But the doctor does not himself make very clear 

 the difference between the two. If faith goes upon 

 proof, why not call it science ? Why is it so diffi- 

 cult ? It seems to me that the essence of religious 

 faith is that it is independent of proof, and, at most, 

 rests upon, or starts from, a degree of probability. 

 Faith proper begins where reason ends ; where rea- 

 son avails we have no need of faith : where there is 

 a bridge we do not need to take a leap. "What can 

 be proved to the understanding there is no escape 

 from ; but our religious cravings and aspirations are 

 entirely personal and subjective, and are not matters 

 of evidence. Eeligious faith has to do with the 

 supernatural ; and what can reason or sense do with 

 that which transcends reason and sense ? 



Credidity is quite a different thing. Credulity 



