Creface. READER-The matter of this book is addressed to your good sense, and sound judgment. It invites your most critical, and scrutinizing attention. But the manner of it, the style, &c. implore your clemency. The investigation in the first Chapter professes to derive, from the very nature, and necessity of things, as they relate to the human mind, a demonstration of the truth of the Christian Religion; and, by the same conclusiveness of reasoning, a refutation of Atheism, and Deism, or Natural Religion. The chief objects of this Book are to establish the truth, and importance of God's word, to the religious, moral, social, and civil interests of mankind; and to prove that it is clothed with a divine character of more practical efficiency, and influence, than many of the religious denominations seem willing to ascribe to it. The truths developed in this Chapter, fully evince the necessity of Revelation in producing many of the most important ideas which exist amongst mankind, and which constitute the very life, and soul of social order, and human happiness. They shew, by necessary inference, the defects of the Pestalozian, and every other method of education, (especially in the moral, and sentimental departments) which exclude the Christian Religion from their plan; and also the injurious consequences of teaching Natural Religion, in preventing the belief of the Revealed. The practical truth of these remarks will readily occur to your mind in reading the first Chapter of this Book. The author has, for several years past, been persuaded that the Christian Religion has been greatly cramped, and, in many instances, denied its real influence upon society, and humanity at large, by the systems, and views of many of its sectarian professors; and, indeed, he may say, in a greater or less degree, by all: in consequence of which, it seems rather to be suited for scismatic purposcs, pimphicteering controversies, and meeting-house exercises, &c. than for the amelioration of mankind, their improvement, and perfection, and the glory of God. Un PREFACE. der these impressions, he has paid but little or no attention to the opinions of men in his inquiries, further than they appeared to harmonize with the explicit revelations, and analogies of divine truth. The author has, in many instances, employed the ideas, and expressions of many writers, without marks of quotation, or even mentioning their names. This he thinks proper to state, in order to avoid the charge of having improperly plagiarized. By systematically avoiding to notice the opinions of any one denomination of Christians as contra-distinguished from others, in a controversial manner, he hopes to escape the fierce assaults of the religious polemic. Indeed, this book is not designed for controversy. No one denomination can charge the author with having manifested a partiality in favour of any other to its prejudice. He thinks that all the christian denominations are right in many things, and are wrong in not a few. He feels desirous that they should all be bound together in the unity of the Spirit, and in the bonds of peace. This cannot be accomplished until they make some alterations in their matters of conscience—until they agree to make God's explicit revelations, and commandments the rules of their conduct, and the laws of their minds, and hearts, and attach to their peculiar schismatic opinions, which are too much the growth of their passions, and prejudices, a much less degree of importance than they do. Gentle reader, the author does not pretend to disguise the firm belief that his investigations have established truths which refute opinions that have existed for many centuries in the Christian Church, and philosophic world; some of which took their rise in the age immediately succeeding the days of the Apostles. He beseeches you to spare the charges of self-conceit, ignorance, rashness, &c. until you have read, and understood the following sheets. His great aim has been to clear away the obstructions which prevent the universal belief of the Gospel, and the practical application of its principles to all the pursuits, relations, and conditions of men. Sntroduction. THE belief in a God is acknowledged by all to be at the foundation, and to form the principle upon which all Religions depend. My object in the succeeding chapter is to investigate the question with fairness and candour, Whether the human mind, formed and circumstanced as it is, could, without revelation, have acquired the knowledge of God? This inquiry will necessarily lead to an examination of the powers and capacities of the human mind, and the boundaries which limit its acquirement of ideas. The extent of our ideas will ascertain the limits of our knowledge; for, as Mr. Locke observes, We can have knowledge no farther than we have ideas. This, I apprehend, is the only method that can be pursued to establish the difference between revealed and natural knowledge, and to find out with certainty where truth lies. The votaries of truth cannot object to a course of inquiry so impartial, nor hesitate in adopting such conclusions as it must produce. Disquisitions of this nature have been too much shaped to suit pre-conceived notions, and favourite opinions, formed in the mind, independent of right reason, and often in opposition to it. Mr. Locke very justly observes, further: "He that would seriously set upon the search of truth, ought, in the first place, to prepare his mind with a love of it: For he that loves it not will not take much pains to get it, nor be much concerned when he misses it. There is nobody in the commonwealth of learning, or who believes himself possessed of common sense, who does not profess himself a lover of truth and there is not a rational creature that would not take it amiss to be thought otherwise of: And yet, for all this, one may truly say, there are very few lovers of truth, for truth's sake, even amongst those who persuade themselves that they are so. How a man may know whether he is so in earnest, is worth inquiry: And I think there is this one unerring mark of it, (viz.) the not entertaining any propo B sition with greater assurance than the proofs it is built upon will warrant. Whoever goes beyond this measure of assent, it is plain, receives not the truth in the love of it; loves not the truth for truth's sake, but for some other bye-end. For the evidence that any proposition or tenet is true, lying only in the proofs a man has of it, whatsoever degrees of assent he affords it beyond the degrees of that evidence, it is plain all that surplusage of assurance is owing to some other affection, and not to the love of truth: It being as impossible that the love of truth should carry my assent above or beyond the evidence there is to me, that it is true, as that the love of truth should make me assent to any proposition, for the sake of that evidence which it has not that it is true; which is in effect to love it as truth, because it is possible or probable that it may not be true. Whatsoever credit or authority we give to any principle or proposition more than it receives from the principles and proofs it supports itself upon, is owing to our inclinations that way, and is so far a derogation from the love of truth as such: which, as it can receive no evidence from our passions or interests, so it should receive no tincture from them." I hope the reader will attend to these observations of this great master of the human mind. It is not my wish that any person admit, embrace or assent to any principle or sentiment by me advanced, only so far as it shall appear to be supported and justified by proper evidence, or the reason and nature of things. I feel anxious that he keep his mind open to truth and reason, and that he labour to banish from his breast all prejudice, prepossession and party-zeal; assuring him that, as I enjoy myself, so do I freely allow to him the unalienable rights of judgment and con science. These observations are not intended less for the professor and advocate of christianity, than the avowed deist and atheist. The professors of christianity are too much in the habit of taking their religious principles upon trust, and not fetching them from their true and proper source. It is in this way that errors in religion have, since the first establishment of christianity originated, and under the sacred name of religion, it has sheltered and defended it |
