CHAPTERXIX.Of the excellency and greatness of a devout spirit.1.IHAVE now finished what I intended in this treatise. I have explained the nature of devotion, both as it signifies a life devoted to God, and as it signifies a regular method of prayer. I have now only to add a word or two in recommendation of a life governed by this Spirit.And because in thispoliteage, we have solived awaythe spirit of devotion, that many seem afraid even to be suspected of it, imagininggreat devotionto be greatbigotry; that it is founded inignoranceandpoornessof spirit; and thatlittle,weak, anddejectedminds, are generally the greatest proficients in it.It shall here be shewn, that great devotion is thenoblesttemper of thegreatestandnoblestsouls; and that they who think it receives any advantage fromignorance, are themselves entirely ignorant of the nature of devotion, the nature of God, and the nature of themselves.People offine partsandlearning, or of great knowledge inworldly matters, may perhaps think it hard to have theirwantof devotion charged upon theirignorance. But if they will be content to be tried by reason and scripture, it may soon be made appear, that awantof devotion,wherever it is, either amongst the learned or unlearned, is founded ingross ignorance, and thegreatest blindnessandinsensibilitythat can happen to a rational creature.And that devotion is so far from being the effect of alittleanddejectedmind, that it must and will be alwayshighestin the mostperfectnatures.2. Andfirst, Who reckons it a sign of apoor, littlemind, for a man to be full ofreverenceanddutyto his parents, to have the truestloveandhonourfor hisfriend, or to excel in thehighest instancesof gratitude to his benefactor?Are not these tempers, in thehighestdegree, in the most exalted and perfect minds?And yet what ishigh devotion, but the highest exercise of these tempers, ofduty,reverence,love,honour, andgratitudeto the amiable, gloriousparent,friend, andbenefactorof all mankind?Is it a true greatness of mind, to reverence the authority of your parents, to fear the displeasure of your friend, to dread the reproaches of your benefactor; and must not thisfear, anddread, andreverence, be much more just, and reasonable, and honourable, when they are in thehighest degreetowards God?So that as long asdutyto parents,loveto friends, andgratitudeto benefactors, are thought great and honourable tempers, devotion, which is nothing else but duty, love, and gratitude toGod, must have the highest place amongst our highest virtues.If aprince, out of hismere goodness, should send you a pardon by one of hisslaves, would you think it a part of your duty to receive theslavewith marks oflove,esteem, andgratitude, for his kindness of bringing you so great a gift, and at the same time think it ameannessandpoornessof spirit, to shewlove,esteem, andgratitudeto the prince, who of his own goodness freely sent you the pardon?And yet this would be as reasonable, as to suppose that love, esteem, honour, and gratitude, arenoble tempers, and instances of agreat soul, when they are paid to our fellow-creatures; but the effects of a poor, ignorant mind, when they are paid to God.3. Even that part of devotion which expresses itself insorrowfulconfessions, andpenitentialtears of a broken and contrite heart, is very far from being any sign of alittleandignorantmind.For who does not acknowledge it an instance of aningenuous,generous, andbravemind, to acknowledge a fault, and ask pardon for any offence? And are not thefinestandmost improvedminds, the most remarkable for this excellent temper?Is it not also allowed, that theingenuousnessandexcellenceof a man’s spirit is much shewn, when his sorrow and indignation at himself rises in proportion to the folly of his crime, and thegoodnessandgreatnessof the person he has offended?Now if things are thus, then thegreaterany man’s mind is, the more heknowsof God and himself, the more will he be disposed to prostrate himself before God in all thehumblest actsand expressions of repentance.And the greater thegenerosityandpenetrationof his mind is, the more will he indulge apassionate, tendersense of God’s just displeasure; and the more he knows of the greatness, the goodness, and perfection of the divine nature, the fuller of shame and confusion will he be at his own sins and ingratitude.And on the other hand, the moredullandignorantany soul is, the morebaseandungenerous, the moresenselessit is of the goodness of God, the more averse tohumble confessionandrepentance.Devotion therefore is so far from being best suited tolittle, ignorantminds, that atrue elevationof soul, alively senseof honour, andgreat knowledgeof God and ourselves, are the greatest helps that our devotion hath.4. On the other hand, it shall be made appear, thatindevotionis founded in the most excessive ignorance.And,first, Our blessed Lord and his apostles were eminent instances of great devotion. Now if we will grant, (as all Christians must grant) that their great devotion was founded in a true knowledge of the nature of devotion, the natureof God, and the nature of man, then it is plain, that all those that are insensible of devotion, are in this excessive state of ignorance; they neither know God, nor themselves, nor devotion.Again, how comes it that most people have recourse to devotion, when they are in sickness, distress, or fear of death? Is it not because this state shews themmoreof the want of God, and their own weakness, than they perceive at other times? Is it not because their approaching end,convincesthem of something which they did nothalf perceivebefore?Now if devotion, at these seasons, is the effect of abetter knowledgeof God and ourselves, then the neglect of devotion at other times is owing to ignorance of God and ourselves.5. Farther, as indevotion is ignorance, so it is the mostshamefulignorance, and such as is to be charged with thegreatest folly.This will fully appear to any one that considers by what rules we are to judge of the excellency of any knowledge, or the shamefulness of any ignorance.Nowknowledgeitself would be noexcellence, nor ignorance anyreproachto us, but that we arerationalcreatures.It follows plainly, that knowledge which is mostsuitableto our rational nature, and which most concerns us, as such, to know, is ourhighest, finestknowledge; and that ignorance which relates to things that are mostessentialto us, asrational creatures, and which we are most concerned to know, is, of all others, the mostgrossandshamefulignorance.6. If agentlemanshould fancy that themoonis no bigger than it appears to theeye, that it shines with itsown light, that all thestarsare only so many spots of light; if after reading books ofastronomy, he should still continue in the same opinion, most people would think he had but a poor apprehension.But if the same person should think it better to provide for ashort lifehere, than to prepare for aglorious eternityhereafter; that it was better to berich, than to beeminentin piety, hisignoranceanddulnesswould be too great to be compared to any thing else.That is the most clear and improved understanding, whichjudgesbest of thevalueandworthof things; all the rest is but the capacity of ananimal; it is but meerseeingandhearing.If a man hadeyesthat could see beyond thestars, or pierce into the heart of the earth, but could not see the things that were before him, or discern any thing that was serviceable to him, we should reckon that he had but a verybad sight.If another hadearsthat received sounds from the world in themoon, but could hear nothing that was said or done upon earth, we should look upon him to be asbadasdeaf.In like manner, if a man has amemorythat can retain a great many things, if he has awitthat issharpandacutein arts and sciences, but has adull, poorapprehension of hisdutyandrelationto God, of thevalueof piety, or theworthof moral virtue, he may very justly be reckoned to have abad understanding. He is but like the man that can onlyseeandhearsuch things as are of no benefit to him.7. To proceed: We know how our blessed Lord acted in an human body; it washis meat and drink to do the will of his Father which is in heaven.And if any number of heavenly spirits were to leave their habitations in the light of God, and be for awhile united to human bodies, they would certainly tend towards God in all their actions, and be as heavenly as they could, in a state of flesh and blood.They would certainly act in this manner, because they would know that God was theonly goodof all spirits; and that whether they wereinthe body, oroutof the body, inheavenor onearth, they must have every degree of their greatness and happiness from God alone.All human spirits therefore, themore exaltedthey are, the more theyknowtheir divine original, thenearerthey come to heavenly spirits, the more will they live to God in all their actions, making their whole life astate of devotion.Devotion therefore is the greatest sign of a great and noblegenius; it supposes a soul initshighest stateof knowledge; and none butlittleandblindedminds, that are sunk intoignoranceandvanity, are destitute of it.8. If a human spirit should imagine somemighty princeto be greater than God, we should take it for a poor ignorant creature; all people would acknowledge such an imagination to be the height of stupidity.But if this samehuman spiritshould think it better to be devoted to some mightyprince, than to be devoted to God, would not this still be a greater proof of a poor, ignorant, and blinded nature?Yet this is what all people do, who think any thingbetter,greater, orwiserthan a devout life.So that which way soever we consider this matter, it plainly appears, that devotion is an instance ofgreat judgment, of anelevated nature; and the want ofdevotionis a certain proof of the want ofunderstanding.The greatest spirits of the Heathen world, such asPythagoras,Socrates,Plato,Epictetus,Marcus Antoninus, owed all their greatness to the spirit of devotion.They were full of God; their wisdom and deep contemplations tended only to deliver men from the vanity of the world, the slavery of bodily passions, that they might act asspiritsthat came from God, and were soon to return to him.9. Letlibertinesbut grant that there is a God, and a providence, and then they have granted enough to justify the wisdom, and support the honour of devotion.For if there is an infinitely wise and good Creator, in whom we live, move, and have our being, whose providence governs all things in all places, surely it must be the highest act of ourunderstandingto conceive rightly of him; it must be the noblest instance ofjudgment, the most exalted temper of our nature, to worship and adore this universal providence, to conform to its laws, to study its wisdom, and to live and act every where, as in the presence of this infinitely good and wise Creator.Now he that lives thus, lives in the spirit of devotion.And what can shew such great parts, and so fine an understanding, as to live in this temper?For if God iswisdom, surely he must be the wisest man in the world, whomostconforms to the wisdom of God, whobestobeys his providence, who entersfarthestinto his designs, and does all he can, that God’s will may be done on earth, as it is done in heaven.A devout man makes a true use of his reason; he sees through thevanityof the world, discovers thecorruptionof his nature, and theblindnessof his passions. He lives by alawwhich is not visible tovulgar eyes; he enters into the world ofspirits; he compares the greatest things, setseternityagainst time; andchuses rather to be for ever great in the presence of God when he dies, than to have the greatest share of worldly pleasures whilst he lives.11.Lastly, Courageandbraveryare words of a great sound, and seem to signify anheroicspirit; but yethumility, which seems to be thelowest, meanestpart of devotion, is a more certain argument of anoblemind.For humility contends with greater enemies, is more constantly engaged, more violently assaulted, suffers more, and requires greater courage to support itself, than any instances of worldly bravery.A man that dares be poor and contemptible in the eyes of the world, to approve himself to God; that resists and rejects all human glory; that opposes the clamour of his passions, that meekly puts up all injuries, and dares stay for his reward till the invisible hand of God gives to every one their proper places, endures a muchgreater trial, and exerts anobler fortitude, than he that is bold and daring in the fire of battle.For the boldness of a soldier, if he is a stranger to the spirit of devotion, is ratherweaknessthan fortitude; it is at best butmad passion, and heated spirits, and has no more true valour in it than the fury of atyger.Reason is ouruniversal law, that obliges us in all places, and all times; and no actions have any honour, but so far as they are instances of our obedience to reason.And it is asbaseto be bold and daring against the principle of reason and justice, as to be bold and daring inlyingandperjury.Would we therefore exercise atrue fortitude, we must do all in the spirit ofdevotion, be valiant against the corruptions of theworld, and the lusts of theflesh, and the temptations of thedevil: for to be daring and courageous against these enemies, is the noblest bravery that an human mind is capable of.I have made this digression for the sake of those, who think great devotion to bebigotryandpoornessofspirit; that by these considerations they may see, howpoorandmeanall othertempersare, if compared to it: that they may see all worldly attainments, whether of greatness, wisdom, or bravery, are butempty sounds; and there is nothingwise, orgreat, ornoble, in anhuman spirit, but rightly toknow, and heartilyworshipandadorethe great God, that is thesupportandlifeof all spirits, whether inheaven, or onearth.
Of the excellency and greatness of a devout spirit.
1.IHAVE now finished what I intended in this treatise. I have explained the nature of devotion, both as it signifies a life devoted to God, and as it signifies a regular method of prayer. I have now only to add a word or two in recommendation of a life governed by this Spirit.
And because in thispoliteage, we have solived awaythe spirit of devotion, that many seem afraid even to be suspected of it, imagininggreat devotionto be greatbigotry; that it is founded inignoranceandpoornessof spirit; and thatlittle,weak, anddejectedminds, are generally the greatest proficients in it.
It shall here be shewn, that great devotion is thenoblesttemper of thegreatestandnoblestsouls; and that they who think it receives any advantage fromignorance, are themselves entirely ignorant of the nature of devotion, the nature of God, and the nature of themselves.
People offine partsandlearning, or of great knowledge inworldly matters, may perhaps think it hard to have theirwantof devotion charged upon theirignorance. But if they will be content to be tried by reason and scripture, it may soon be made appear, that awantof devotion,wherever it is, either amongst the learned or unlearned, is founded ingross ignorance, and thegreatest blindnessandinsensibilitythat can happen to a rational creature.
And that devotion is so far from being the effect of alittleanddejectedmind, that it must and will be alwayshighestin the mostperfectnatures.
2. Andfirst, Who reckons it a sign of apoor, littlemind, for a man to be full ofreverenceanddutyto his parents, to have the truestloveandhonourfor hisfriend, or to excel in thehighest instancesof gratitude to his benefactor?
Are not these tempers, in thehighestdegree, in the most exalted and perfect minds?
And yet what ishigh devotion, but the highest exercise of these tempers, ofduty,reverence,love,honour, andgratitudeto the amiable, gloriousparent,friend, andbenefactorof all mankind?
Is it a true greatness of mind, to reverence the authority of your parents, to fear the displeasure of your friend, to dread the reproaches of your benefactor; and must not thisfear, anddread, andreverence, be much more just, and reasonable, and honourable, when they are in thehighest degreetowards God?
So that as long asdutyto parents,loveto friends, andgratitudeto benefactors, are thought great and honourable tempers, devotion, which is nothing else but duty, love, and gratitude toGod, must have the highest place amongst our highest virtues.
If aprince, out of hismere goodness, should send you a pardon by one of hisslaves, would you think it a part of your duty to receive theslavewith marks oflove,esteem, andgratitude, for his kindness of bringing you so great a gift, and at the same time think it ameannessandpoornessof spirit, to shewlove,esteem, andgratitudeto the prince, who of his own goodness freely sent you the pardon?
And yet this would be as reasonable, as to suppose that love, esteem, honour, and gratitude, arenoble tempers, and instances of agreat soul, when they are paid to our fellow-creatures; but the effects of a poor, ignorant mind, when they are paid to God.
3. Even that part of devotion which expresses itself insorrowfulconfessions, andpenitentialtears of a broken and contrite heart, is very far from being any sign of alittleandignorantmind.
For who does not acknowledge it an instance of aningenuous,generous, andbravemind, to acknowledge a fault, and ask pardon for any offence? And are not thefinestandmost improvedminds, the most remarkable for this excellent temper?
Is it not also allowed, that theingenuousnessandexcellenceof a man’s spirit is much shewn, when his sorrow and indignation at himself rises in proportion to the folly of his crime, and thegoodnessandgreatnessof the person he has offended?
Now if things are thus, then thegreaterany man’s mind is, the more heknowsof God and himself, the more will he be disposed to prostrate himself before God in all thehumblest actsand expressions of repentance.
And the greater thegenerosityandpenetrationof his mind is, the more will he indulge apassionate, tendersense of God’s just displeasure; and the more he knows of the greatness, the goodness, and perfection of the divine nature, the fuller of shame and confusion will he be at his own sins and ingratitude.
And on the other hand, the moredullandignorantany soul is, the morebaseandungenerous, the moresenselessit is of the goodness of God, the more averse tohumble confessionandrepentance.
Devotion therefore is so far from being best suited tolittle, ignorantminds, that atrue elevationof soul, alively senseof honour, andgreat knowledgeof God and ourselves, are the greatest helps that our devotion hath.
4. On the other hand, it shall be made appear, thatindevotionis founded in the most excessive ignorance.
And,first, Our blessed Lord and his apostles were eminent instances of great devotion. Now if we will grant, (as all Christians must grant) that their great devotion was founded in a true knowledge of the nature of devotion, the natureof God, and the nature of man, then it is plain, that all those that are insensible of devotion, are in this excessive state of ignorance; they neither know God, nor themselves, nor devotion.
Again, how comes it that most people have recourse to devotion, when they are in sickness, distress, or fear of death? Is it not because this state shews themmoreof the want of God, and their own weakness, than they perceive at other times? Is it not because their approaching end,convincesthem of something which they did nothalf perceivebefore?
Now if devotion, at these seasons, is the effect of abetter knowledgeof God and ourselves, then the neglect of devotion at other times is owing to ignorance of God and ourselves.
5. Farther, as indevotion is ignorance, so it is the mostshamefulignorance, and such as is to be charged with thegreatest folly.
This will fully appear to any one that considers by what rules we are to judge of the excellency of any knowledge, or the shamefulness of any ignorance.
Nowknowledgeitself would be noexcellence, nor ignorance anyreproachto us, but that we arerationalcreatures.
It follows plainly, that knowledge which is mostsuitableto our rational nature, and which most concerns us, as such, to know, is ourhighest, finestknowledge; and that ignorance which relates to things that are mostessentialto us, asrational creatures, and which we are most concerned to know, is, of all others, the mostgrossandshamefulignorance.
6. If agentlemanshould fancy that themoonis no bigger than it appears to theeye, that it shines with itsown light, that all thestarsare only so many spots of light; if after reading books ofastronomy, he should still continue in the same opinion, most people would think he had but a poor apprehension.
But if the same person should think it better to provide for ashort lifehere, than to prepare for aglorious eternityhereafter; that it was better to berich, than to beeminentin piety, hisignoranceanddulnesswould be too great to be compared to any thing else.
That is the most clear and improved understanding, whichjudgesbest of thevalueandworthof things; all the rest is but the capacity of ananimal; it is but meerseeingandhearing.
If a man hadeyesthat could see beyond thestars, or pierce into the heart of the earth, but could not see the things that were before him, or discern any thing that was serviceable to him, we should reckon that he had but a verybad sight.
If another hadearsthat received sounds from the world in themoon, but could hear nothing that was said or done upon earth, we should look upon him to be asbadasdeaf.
In like manner, if a man has amemorythat can retain a great many things, if he has awitthat issharpandacutein arts and sciences, but has adull, poorapprehension of hisdutyandrelationto God, of thevalueof piety, or theworthof moral virtue, he may very justly be reckoned to have abad understanding. He is but like the man that can onlyseeandhearsuch things as are of no benefit to him.
7. To proceed: We know how our blessed Lord acted in an human body; it washis meat and drink to do the will of his Father which is in heaven.
And if any number of heavenly spirits were to leave their habitations in the light of God, and be for awhile united to human bodies, they would certainly tend towards God in all their actions, and be as heavenly as they could, in a state of flesh and blood.
They would certainly act in this manner, because they would know that God was theonly goodof all spirits; and that whether they wereinthe body, oroutof the body, inheavenor onearth, they must have every degree of their greatness and happiness from God alone.
All human spirits therefore, themore exaltedthey are, the more theyknowtheir divine original, thenearerthey come to heavenly spirits, the more will they live to God in all their actions, making their whole life astate of devotion.
Devotion therefore is the greatest sign of a great and noblegenius; it supposes a soul initshighest stateof knowledge; and none butlittleandblindedminds, that are sunk intoignoranceandvanity, are destitute of it.
8. If a human spirit should imagine somemighty princeto be greater than God, we should take it for a poor ignorant creature; all people would acknowledge such an imagination to be the height of stupidity.
But if this samehuman spiritshould think it better to be devoted to some mightyprince, than to be devoted to God, would not this still be a greater proof of a poor, ignorant, and blinded nature?
Yet this is what all people do, who think any thingbetter,greater, orwiserthan a devout life.
So that which way soever we consider this matter, it plainly appears, that devotion is an instance ofgreat judgment, of anelevated nature; and the want ofdevotionis a certain proof of the want ofunderstanding.
The greatest spirits of the Heathen world, such asPythagoras,Socrates,Plato,Epictetus,Marcus Antoninus, owed all their greatness to the spirit of devotion.
They were full of God; their wisdom and deep contemplations tended only to deliver men from the vanity of the world, the slavery of bodily passions, that they might act asspiritsthat came from God, and were soon to return to him.
9. Letlibertinesbut grant that there is a God, and a providence, and then they have granted enough to justify the wisdom, and support the honour of devotion.
For if there is an infinitely wise and good Creator, in whom we live, move, and have our being, whose providence governs all things in all places, surely it must be the highest act of ourunderstandingto conceive rightly of him; it must be the noblest instance ofjudgment, the most exalted temper of our nature, to worship and adore this universal providence, to conform to its laws, to study its wisdom, and to live and act every where, as in the presence of this infinitely good and wise Creator.
Now he that lives thus, lives in the spirit of devotion.
And what can shew such great parts, and so fine an understanding, as to live in this temper?
For if God iswisdom, surely he must be the wisest man in the world, whomostconforms to the wisdom of God, whobestobeys his providence, who entersfarthestinto his designs, and does all he can, that God’s will may be done on earth, as it is done in heaven.
A devout man makes a true use of his reason; he sees through thevanityof the world, discovers thecorruptionof his nature, and theblindnessof his passions. He lives by alawwhich is not visible tovulgar eyes; he enters into the world ofspirits; he compares the greatest things, setseternityagainst time; andchuses rather to be for ever great in the presence of God when he dies, than to have the greatest share of worldly pleasures whilst he lives.
11.Lastly, Courageandbraveryare words of a great sound, and seem to signify anheroicspirit; but yethumility, which seems to be thelowest, meanestpart of devotion, is a more certain argument of anoblemind.
For humility contends with greater enemies, is more constantly engaged, more violently assaulted, suffers more, and requires greater courage to support itself, than any instances of worldly bravery.
A man that dares be poor and contemptible in the eyes of the world, to approve himself to God; that resists and rejects all human glory; that opposes the clamour of his passions, that meekly puts up all injuries, and dares stay for his reward till the invisible hand of God gives to every one their proper places, endures a muchgreater trial, and exerts anobler fortitude, than he that is bold and daring in the fire of battle.
For the boldness of a soldier, if he is a stranger to the spirit of devotion, is ratherweaknessthan fortitude; it is at best butmad passion, and heated spirits, and has no more true valour in it than the fury of atyger.
Reason is ouruniversal law, that obliges us in all places, and all times; and no actions have any honour, but so far as they are instances of our obedience to reason.
And it is asbaseto be bold and daring against the principle of reason and justice, as to be bold and daring inlyingandperjury.
Would we therefore exercise atrue fortitude, we must do all in the spirit ofdevotion, be valiant against the corruptions of theworld, and the lusts of theflesh, and the temptations of thedevil: for to be daring and courageous against these enemies, is the noblest bravery that an human mind is capable of.
I have made this digression for the sake of those, who think great devotion to bebigotryandpoornessofspirit; that by these considerations they may see, howpoorandmeanall othertempersare, if compared to it: that they may see all worldly attainments, whether of greatness, wisdom, or bravery, are butempty sounds; and there is nothingwise, orgreat, ornoble, in anhuman spirit, but rightly toknow, and heartilyworshipandadorethe great God, that is thesupportandlifeof all spirits, whether inheaven, or onearth.
An extract from theRev.Mr.Law’sLATER WORKS.An extract from the Case of Reason, or Natural Religion, fairly and fully stated. In answer to a book, entitledChristianity as Old as the Creation.The Introduction, shewing the state of the Controversy.THE infidelity which is now openly declared for, pretends to support itself upon thesufficiency,excellency, andabsolute perfectionof reason, or natural religion.The author with whom I am engaged, makes no attempt to invalidate thehistorical evidenceon which Christianity is founded; but by arguments drawn from the nature of God, and natural religion, pretends to prove that no religion can come from God, which teaches any thing more than that, which is fully manifest to all mankind by themere lightof nature.His chief principles may be reduced to these following propositions.1. That human reason, or natural light, is theonly meansof knowing all that God requires of us.2. That reason, or natural light, is so full, sufficient, plain, and certain a rule in all religious duties, that no external divine revelation can add any thing to it, or require us to believe or practise any thing, that was not as fully known before. A revelation, if ever made, can only declare those verysamethingsexternally, which were before equally declared by theinternallight of nature.3. That this must be the case of natural and revealed religion, unless God be an arbitrary being. For if God be not an arbitrary being, but acts according to the reason and nature of things; then he can require nothing of us by revelation, but what is already required by the nature and reason of things. And therefore, as he expresses it,reason and revelation must exactly answer one another like two tallies¹.¹Page 60.4. That whatever is at any time admitted as matter of religion, that is not manifest from the reason of the thing, and plainly required by the light of nature, is gross superstition.5. That it is inconsistent with the divine perfections, to suppose, that God can by an external revelation give any religious knowledge, atany time, toany people, which was not equally given atalltimes, and toallpeople.This is the state of the controversy. As to the railing accusations, which this author pours out, at all adventures, upon the clergy, I shall wholly pass them over; my intention being only to appeal to the reason of the reader, and to add nothing to it, but the safe, unerring light of divine revelation.
An extract from the Case of Reason, or Natural Religion, fairly and fully stated. In answer to a book, entitledChristianity as Old as the Creation.
The Introduction, shewing the state of the Controversy.
THE infidelity which is now openly declared for, pretends to support itself upon thesufficiency,excellency, andabsolute perfectionof reason, or natural religion.
The author with whom I am engaged, makes no attempt to invalidate thehistorical evidenceon which Christianity is founded; but by arguments drawn from the nature of God, and natural religion, pretends to prove that no religion can come from God, which teaches any thing more than that, which is fully manifest to all mankind by themere lightof nature.
His chief principles may be reduced to these following propositions.
1. That human reason, or natural light, is theonly meansof knowing all that God requires of us.
2. That reason, or natural light, is so full, sufficient, plain, and certain a rule in all religious duties, that no external divine revelation can add any thing to it, or require us to believe or practise any thing, that was not as fully known before. A revelation, if ever made, can only declare those verysamethingsexternally, which were before equally declared by theinternallight of nature.
3. That this must be the case of natural and revealed religion, unless God be an arbitrary being. For if God be not an arbitrary being, but acts according to the reason and nature of things; then he can require nothing of us by revelation, but what is already required by the nature and reason of things. And therefore, as he expresses it,reason and revelation must exactly answer one another like two tallies¹.
¹Page 60.
¹Page 60.
¹Page 60.
4. That whatever is at any time admitted as matter of religion, that is not manifest from the reason of the thing, and plainly required by the light of nature, is gross superstition.
5. That it is inconsistent with the divine perfections, to suppose, that God can by an external revelation give any religious knowledge, atany time, toany people, which was not equally given atalltimes, and toallpeople.
This is the state of the controversy. As to the railing accusations, which this author pours out, at all adventures, upon the clergy, I shall wholly pass them over; my intention being only to appeal to the reason of the reader, and to add nothing to it, but the safe, unerring light of divine revelation.