EN aoe Sa Ee = ” oe) Z ea) = < Ee v2) ea Sa = x Z Um Lf C33 US GS GS ee OF THE PORORLOGIGAL SENINARY, PRINCETON, N. J. DON ATION‘ ‘OF SAMUEL AGNEW, OF PHILADELPHIA, PA. et = Wirgman, Thomas. Divarication of the New Testament into doctrine an SO o we = eee SS SSF OS OOS | bd Uae Ta ETRE RG, TT ee eee Re DIVARICATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT INTO DOCTRINE anv HISTORY. BY THOMAS WIRGMAN, ESQ. AUTHOR OF PRINCIPLES OF TRANSCENDENTAL PHILOSOPHY, AND THE ARTICLES ANT, LOGIC, METAPHYSICS, MORAL PHILOSOPHY, AND PHILOSOPHY, {IN THE ENCYCLOPEDIA LONDINENSIS. Pak te THE FOUR GOSPELS. LONDON: TREUTTEL AND WURTZ, TREUTTEL, JUN., AND RICHTER, SOHO SQUARE. 1830. ay re 4) ibs ie > Br ¥, LONDON : | oe F. SHOBERL; JUN., LONG ACRE. | Hedteatton TO THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE AND CHURCH UNION. Gentlemen, In furtherance of the objects proposed by you—and to the importance of them no truly good man can be indifferent—I heg respectfully to cast my MITE 7nto your treasury of Christian information, by attempting to prove, on the solid basis of Reason, the undeniable fact of the “ Diviniry oF Curist,” from the evidence of the Doctrine he promulgated to the world, whose absolute purity and perfect sublimity show at once that it could not be earth-horn, hut must have descended from those effulgent regions of never-ending bliss—heaven. This desideratum once accomplished, ““Cuurcu Union” follows of course. For, where the Doctrine is universal, the community who adopt it cannot fail to be the same. Euclid affords us a proof of the force of doctrine which can never he refuted, because it is established on the solid hasis of Reason alone, totally excluding all sensible phenomena. DEDICATION. Let this line of conduct he followed in “ RELIGION ;”’ it is in fact the only rational one, for here we have only to do with spirits: God is a spirit, the soul és a spirit—and the subordination of the will of Man to the will of God constitutes Morality and Religion —which Christ says can exist only in the heart. When this spiritual communion is so thoroughly understood that the “ Code of Laws” established by Christ are not only separated from the historical facts, through which they were given to the world, but assume the strict and positive form of a science; then, and then only, will there be a union in the Church never again to be dissolved ; and the divine morality of Christ will be as commanding and as easy to be taught as the axioms of Geometry. ft will assume the form of the and then indeed we shall he d “¢SACRED SCIENCE ;’ enabled to exult in the fulfilment of the prophecy— that the Gospel will he preached to ail the nations of the earth. Should this attempt merit your patronage and receive your able assistance, both in its accomplishment and promulgation, this glorious end may indeed soon he obtained. That this happy result may follow our united exertions is the pious wish of one who is devoted to truth, and has the honour to subscribe himself Your fellow labourer in the vineyard, THOMAS WIRGMAN. INTRODUCTION. A work proving, as the present is intended to do, the sublimity and divinity of the Christian Dispensation, from its own internal evidence, will be hailed by all good men as a consummation devoutly to be wished. All former efforts to prove the divinity and truth of this heavenly doctrine, from the “ Book’’ itself, have uni- formly been considered weak and inefficacious, because they merely quoted texts out of the work to support its own merits. But a very little reflection will convince the most sceptical mind of the complete success of the present mode of proof. A very superficial perusal of the ‘Sacred Volume”’ will satisfy the most careless reader that this inestimable book contains matters of two very opposite natures; in order to do justice to both portions of the work, it will be obvious:that each is susceptible of a very different kind of treatment. b vi INTRODUCTION. It is unparalleled the mischief which arises from treating a subject in an improper manner ; for instance, to expect the same conviction to flow from matters of History, that the mind is forced to give to the precepts of Morality. Hence the endless disputes as to the validity of a “‘ Book,” which, when it is resolved into its distinct elementary parts, cannot admit of two opinions. Whenever a principle is apprehended by the Reason of man, all rational creatures must of neces- sity assent to it ; for Reason cannot err: it is the last, it is the only standard of truth—Man should love virtue and shun vice.—The only science that in any way can compare with Morality, in point of the purity and universality of its principles, is pure Mathematics. In both these sciences Reason decides in a universal and necessary manner—never to be reversed. Thus, that a circle is round receives immediate assent—so it always was, so it ever will be—if it ever was esteemed rational to be good, and irrational to be wicked, so it always was, so it ever will be. How very differently is History circumstanced. A fact of history can have existed only at one point of time, and under no circumstances can it ever recur— for the time in which the fact took place has INTRODUCTION. Vil evanesced, and will never more return—for instance, the birth of Christ. Now this important event is placed by historians in the first year of the present era; but for the truth or falsehood of this assertion we are con- strained to rely on the testimony of some individual | who records the fact, either from his own observation, or from its having been related to him by some one else, on whom he is obliged to depend. Even at the present moment, chronologists are at variance as to the truth of this truly momentous fact of history ; some insisting that it was prior tothe year one. ‘Thus much is certain, that this glorious event must have happened either before, or after, or at, the point of time recorded in history, for no other case is possible. Now what universality is there when parties disagree ! The Miracles even come under the consideration of History, as being events that have addressed the senses of some individual, and been by him either recorded, or communicated to some one else, by whom they are recorded. Nor is it in the power of any person to prove that such circumstances have not occurred. Take for instance our Saviour’s transfiguration. Here we have the testimony of three men, Peter, James, and John, who all declare that Christ’s face shone like the b 2 Vill INTRODUCTION. sun, and that his raiment appeared as white as snow; then a cloud overshadowed them, and they were all very much frightened. These facts are recorded by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and they all agree in the main circumstances. Surely this is authority enough to rank these events as historical facts. But what is still more in their favour is, that it is totally impossible for any human being to gainsay that these men did actually receive impressions on their senses, which produced such belief in their minds. Nor do these events or the Miracles generally imply contradictions to the laws of nature. On the contrary, they absolutely confirm and establish these immutable laws of God, that so uniformly regulate his mundane system. Every Miracle, or sensible appearance, is stated to fill up a part of SPACE, and to have occurred at a certain point of TIME. So far from the Miracles either requiring the abrogation or even suspension of the unalterable laws of nature, they on the contrary actually confirm and fix these laws forever. Nay, even the most ancient History that we know of also confirms these laws. The “ Bible,” in describing the very generation of our earth, states that every part filled up SPAcE, and took place in Time. So fixed and unaltera- INTRODUCTION. 1X ble are these laws of nature, that any testimony of a fact which neither fills the one, nor occurs in the other, cannot gain the least credit, nay, cannot even be conceived, therefore cannot form a part of history. It has been said by some writers on this subject, that it would be unbecoming the perfect wisdom of God to make laws and then break them. Facts are realities that have actually addressed the Senses of some Individual, consequently conformed to the laws of Time and Space ; and it is only when they are related to other persons that they constitute Hisrory. But, if every fact recorded in history could be established beyond the possibility of doubt, this would not alter the nature of these facts, which are real events, having arisen and vanished in ¢ime: as the birth, ministry, and crucifixion of our Saviour, each of which occurred at some point of TIME, or they could not have occurred at all. Different, indeed, are the DocTRiINEs taught by Jesus Christ. These divine truths, when once uttered, remain unalterably the same—the strongest proof that they do not constitute any part of the changeable phenomena of nature, or exist where nature does in TIME and SPACE: they must consequently be out of x INTRODUCTION. the sphere of things which are perpetually changing — that is to say, they are in ETERNITY, where no change can take place. Well, then, may we say that God’s commandments partake of his own divine nature, and are like his ineffable self, immutable. It must now indeed be evident that the Docrrinzes of Christ are precepts of a perfectly pure Morality—of universal application ; and when once acknowledged by REason, though never perceived by the SENsEs, are absolutely admitted by all reasonable creatures to form a code of divine laws, which admit of no dispute, but command instant Convicrion : as, Love God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself{—that is, be strictly virtuous, whatever may ~ be the consequences. These laws are divine laws, and placed by the Deity in the Reason of man, so that he who fulfils these commandments will feel conscious of having done his duty, and he who neglects them feel a moral unworthiness. It must now be obvious that these are pure, immuta- ble, and consequently divine or spiritual, laws, and commanding not only for men, but for all beings endowed with Reason—even of a higher order—as angels: for they are the very constituents of that INTRODUCTION. Xl faculty. The purity of these laws proves their divine nature, and must convince the most sceptical that they do not constitute any part of the mundane system ; consequently they can only regard the soul, which every one acknowledges to be spiritual or immaterial, and therefore cannot relate to the material substances of this world. ‘The inference is here strikingly power- ful, namely, that these divine laws are implanted in our rational or moral nature, for the sole purpose that we should render ourselves worthy to be made partakers of that kingdom which is prepared for us from the foun- dation of the world. If the view here taken of the New Testament is new, it most certainly is equally true; for that which is spiritual cannot be material, or subject to the laws of ‘matter, much less can it be subjected to the records of history. Who shall describe or relate the particular operations of a power which they have never beheld ? Who shall record the motives which actuate the soul, which no human eye can perceive, or pronounce on its immortality otherwise than through the reasoning faculty 2? He only can describe or record the infinite powers of the sowl, who is himself infinite. It is therefore strikingly obvious that principles which are xil INTRODUCTION. themselves infinite and immutable require a very different kind of treatment from historical facts. To the SensEs and their ordinary mode of judging they cannot be submitted, for they ever elude their grasp. No one will surely be hardy enough to say that he has either seen or felt a principle. Then how is it that we are actuated by these all-powerful and invisible essences; that we respect and revere them more than all that can be offered to gratify the Sense? Reason must be the Faculty which takes cognizance of these perfectly pure, nay, spiritual and divine beings, which exercise such a powerful influence over our souls, and fit us to inherit the Eternal kingdom of Christ. Those, however—if such there be—who prefer con- sidering the Miracles as oriental forms of speech, or metaphorical illustrations of the new doctrine, instead of historical facts, have, indeed, an ample field from which to draw perfect moral precepts, always dis- playing the pre-eminence of the spirit above the flesh ; thus confirming the Christian Doctrine, and establishing for ever the divinity of Christ: for instance, Christ walking on the water. This is indeed a figurative exposition of the whole doctrine, indicating that the soul or spirit is so superior to the body or flesh, that in INTRODUCTION. xu all temptations it has the power of conquest, and final victory within itself: “for the kingdom of God is within us,” and constitutes the moral part of man’s nature, which manifests itself in conscience as the power that decides whether we have discharged our duty or not, and is very properly denominated “ Purr PracricaL Reason.” Indeed there is not one Miracle which is not replete with moral information. The temptation in the wilderness is a forcible illustration of the power possessed by man to overcome all the seductions of the inclinations, and steadily to adhere to the moral law planted in his Reason. It also affords a powerful lesson that, in our most pressing necessities, we ought to rely upon the favour and assistance of God, and never to lose our confidence in his goodness. Even the darkness which took place at the crucifixion is a heautiful emblem, implying that the Son of Righteous- ness withdrew from our terraqueous globe, and wafted himself to his own spiritual abode of eternal bliss : not, however, without leaving an indelible example of strictly upright conduct, and of a never- failing obe- dience to the moral law, which example, so far from being effaced by time, is sure to become more efficacious as enlightenment advances, and Pure Practical Reason b 5 X1V INTRODUCTION. is more immediately cultivated. Rending the veil of the temple may be considered a type, emblematic of the abolition of the Mosaic, and the perfect establish- ment of the Christian, Dispensation. ‘The parables constantly employed by our Saviour in enforcing his doctrine sufficiently evince his predilection for figurative language, as being a very forcible mode, not only of conveying instruction, but of adapting it to the plainest capacity. Nor indeed is it so absolutely certain that prophane History does not sometimes indulge in metaphor. Poetry, we know, delights in personification, calling the sea Neptune, and the sun Apollo. The grave and sedate History of Rome very circumstantially relates of Caligula, that he consecrated his favourite horse High Priest, invested him with the dignity of Consul, provided him with marble apartments, indulged him with a golden rack and manger, besides allowing him a suite of attendants. May not this be refined censure concealed under a metaphor, refiecting upon the irregularity of the Emperor’s conduct ? Let it not, however, be supposed for a moment that history can be dispensed with, for it is as impossible to teach morality without an investigation and comparison INTRODUCTION. XV of the actions of men recorded in history, as it is to teach the mathematics without an extended surface on which to describe its diagrams. All that we here insist upon is, that the pure part in each science is susceptible of a different mode of treatment from the empirical part. It is an acknowledged fact that the mathematical diagrams exhibited to the SENsEs are only symbolical representations, which raise in the mind the PURE mathematical figures. ‘These, indeed, can never be felt, or in any way address the senses. Exactly so is itin Morality. ‘The various actions of man recorded in history and ranked as good, bad, or indifferent, are so many empirical symbols, referring each action to its motive, wherein alone its morality consists. The more accurately a diagram is described, the nearer it approaches to the mental figure. For this, however, it never can be substituted. ‘This is precisely the case with ‘Morality ;” the better the action the nearer it approximates to its moral type, which is planted in the Reason of man, and denominated the * Morar Law.”’ Nor indeed can man from the action decide upon the motive: this is an affair of the individual with his Maker, and is not cognizable by man. _ Though thou- sands might witness the actioz of plunging the dagger XVi INTRODUCTION. into the heart, thus terminating the existence of the individual, who but God shall judge the motive !—Who shall pronounce judgment on the motive of Manlius Torquatus, who killed his own son for acting without orders! Being deeply impressed with the importance of attention to orders in military tactics, he acted towards his son as he would towards any one else under his command—he dispatched him, though his exertions were crowned with a glorious victory—~Was this a crime or a virtue in Manlius ? That the morality of an action depends on the motive is universally admitted. Hence Morality is the doctrine of motives, or a“ Pure Science of Reason,’’ where every motive is examined and compared in point of purity with the sacred standard—the moral law, seated in Reason, where every action we are going to perform must be first submitted to this test, and either be allowed or prohibited: thus it is we know whether the motive is good or bad. In this way man is the natural judge of his own actions, for he either acquits or con- demns himself by that divine spirit of truth within him, Conscience; and, having acted conformably to its dictates, nothing more can be required of him. But the very essence of Morality consists in man’s dis- INTRODUCTION. xvii charging his duty quite disinterestedly, that is, purely for the sake of duty. Thus Reason commands Morality, and gives man the power of obtaining the victory over the sinful lusts of the flesh—the carnal inclinations. When these pure and permanent laws of Reason are represented as the divine commandments of God, they constitute RELIGION, that is, a demand made on the finite being to render his will conformable to the will of God. It is a fatal error to mistake the type for the essence —to adore the ‘‘ Book,” which is the work of man’s hand, instead of the idea of the pure spiritual essence which the type awakens in the mind. This is indeed worshipping a material Deity, an Idol, and is as gross a superstitition as any that can be charged to the Roman Catholics, or indeed to the most savage tribes. Sciences and precepts are spiritual or mental things, and can exist only in mind, and not in matter. To teach the science of Geometry, a book is necessary, as well as to awaken religious sentiments; yet no one would say that he had seen or felt a mathematical figure, because he found diagrams in Euclid, or that he had discovered the spiritual essence of the Deity in a printed book. It is indeed true that matter is necessary ragttl INTRODUCTION, to instruct mind; for without it there could not be any object to think of; yet thoughts raised in the mind by material objects are themselves purely mental, that is, spiritual. So, in Religion, History, which records the actions of men, is essential, in order that these actions may be investigated as to their relative purity and correctness. But, to consider any action performed by man in experience, or in ¢ime and space, as a reli- gious act, is quite a mistake. For it is the motive alone which is of a religious nature, and which, being invisible to man, can never become an object of expe- rience. These spiritual essences are, therefore, affairs between man and his Maker. It must not, however, be supposed, that it is even hinted at in the most distant manner, that religious forms and ceremonies are to be dispensed with. These essential requisites for raising ideas which inspire religious awe are absolutely indis- pensable. All that is required is, that the one should not be confounded with the other, nor the ceremonials be mistaken for the Religion itself. Our great Proto- type, Christ, has taught the futility of the outward action, and shown that “ true Religion can exist only in the heart.” The view here taken of historical events is cor- INTRODUCTION. X1X roborated by a recent work of considerable merit, entitled ‘* Hisrory or THE JEWs,” in the “ Family Library.” On that momentous event, the birth | of Christ, this work is greatly at variance with the ‘New Testament.’’ This History represents Arche- laus, the son of Herod the Great, as reigning in Judea three years before the birth of Christ, which directly contradicts the relation of Matthew, that Herod’s massacre was intended to include the infant Christ. Thus the period which has to boast of this memorable event, the “ Birth of our Saviour,” is involved in apparently inexplicable difficulty, and furnishes an additional proof of the necessity of dividing the labours of the inspired writers into two distinct parts—the DocrrinaL, which commands instant and universal assent, and the Husroricat, which will employ the researches of the learned for an indefinite period, without their ever arriving at aconclusion which can be absolutely depended upon. Fortunate, indeed, is it that the “ Reicion or Curist’’ is not built on such a sandy foundation ; but that, on the contrary, the principles of Morality, which our Saviour expounds in his teaching, need only be understood to sink so deep into the heart, that he who feels their perfect purity and xx INTRODUCTION. ' divine origin will suffer martyrdom in support of their truth—a glorious triumph of principle over fact. The excellent work, just referred to, has the following passage, which still further proves the propriety of the divarication here attempted. “ ‘ The Bible,’ that is the ‘Old Testament,’ is strictly historical, not theological ; yet some will not read the most ancient and curious History in the world, because it is inthe Bible ; others read it in the Bible, with a kind of pious awe, which prevents them from comprehending its real spirit. The latter look on the distinguished characters in the Mosaic annals as a kind of sacred beings scarcely allied to human nature. Writers, unfriendly to revealed religion, starting with the same notion that the Mosaic narrative is uniformly exemplary, not historical, have enlarged, with malicious triumph, on the delinquencies of the patriarchs and their descendants—perplexity and triumph surely equally groundless. The patriarchs, and their descendants, are the depositories of certain great religious truths, the Uniry, OMNIPOTENCE, and ProviDENCE oF Gop; not solely for their own use and advantage, but as conservators for the future universal benefit of mankind. Hence human affairs took their ordinary course ; the common passions and INTRODUCTION. XX1 motives of mankind were left in undisturbed operation. Higher and purer notions of the Deity, though they tend to promote and improve, by no means necessarily enforce moral perfection ; neither does the actual interposition of the Almighty, in favour of an individual, or nation, nor his employment of them as instruments for certain important purposes, stamp the seal of divine approbation on all their actions. -4ctions are to he judged by their MotivEs, and not by their unde- signed consequences.” Since the “ Old Testament” is the repository of these highly important religious truths, the Unrry, Omnrpo- TENCE, and ProvipENCE oF Gop, even though inter- mingled with historical facts, what shall we say of the sacred deposit, handed down to us in the ““ New Testament,” which contains the ark of the new covenant—a perfect code of moral laws—with a practical example of the possibility of fulfilling them to the very letter, in the sacred and divine person of their author, who, in propounding the eyer-to-be adored doctrine of the Hoty Triniry, has shone with a light which never man did, and has distinguished himself from every other individual whom the world has beheld XX1l INTRODUCTION. since its creation? This only true and genuine notion of the Deity, first promulgated by Christ, partakes of the nature of God himself, and must endure as long as the Divine Essence subsists. All difficulty, which this only perfectly pure notion of the Godhead may appear to involve, will be instantly dissipated by attention to the following observations. First, it is absolutely impossible for man to think of oneness—it is a complete nonentity, consisting nelther of matter, form, nor connexion of these two elements. Hence, when the human mind cogitates, it must think of something. But a thing whichis composed neither of matter nor form is positively nothing. Con- sequently the word thing always implies a compound of three elements in one—a triad of principles, or in fact a Trinity IN Unity. Secondly, if we think of a material object, it is quite evident that it must consist of matter, or parts which fill up Space and occupy Time, that is to say, the thing must be an object of experience, and can only be known byits addressing the Senses: for instance, a house, a horse, a tree, and soon. The materials of which the thing consists, as the bricks which compose the house, are the matter ; the arrangement of these parts INTRODUCTION. XxX of matter constitutes its shape, as round, square, or oval, andis the form of the house. But this form could not be given to nothing; hence the necessity of the — matter; and neither of these can be annulled without totally annihilating the thing, with this inseparable condition—that these particular bricks constitute this identical house, with this determinate form. So that these two elements necessarily imply connexion ; a third, and the three together, constitute the thing called a house. ‘This reasoning applies to the whole of nature, and quite exhausts the entire mundane system, which is composed of an endless series of triads. Now, as matter is divisible ad infinitum, it must consist of an infinite number of parts; and no one part, strictly speaking, can exist by itself, otherwise the division would not be infinite: the least number of parts that can be connected is two; but, if these two parts were not connected, there would not be a thing. The elements here are two parts, and their wnion, making three necessary elements, none of which can be annulled. It is quite obvious that every object of nature which fills up time and space conforms to this law of a trinity in unity. Let us carry this parity of reasoning to mental things which exist in time only. Thus, all mathemati- XXIV INTRODUCTION. _cal figures equally conform to this law: take a line for instance ; it consists of parts in connexion, and is, in fact, a series of triads; for the smallest possible part of a mental line must consist of two mathematical points and their union—a triangle must consist of three lines united at three points, yet forming only one conception. A circle consists of a centre, periphery, and radius—three necessary elements, none of which can be annulled. This law holds with all mental operations, as substance and properties in connexion constitute a thing: Cause, Effect, and the necessary dependence of the one on the other; for that is no cause which has not produced an effect, and there can be no effect without a cause: so that all mental things obey this law. We have only to ascend one step higher in the scale of reasoning, and carry this notion of a trinity in unity to the infinite, and the Christian Doctrine will be fully displayed. Infinite nothingness is a nonentity. Therefore, if the mind of man is to be occupied with a rational thought, it must think of an infinite something ; but this must consist of some infinite parts, or it would be an infinite nothing. Now the least possible number of infinite parts that can be united is two, but, unless these two INTRODUCTION. XXV are connected by a third, they could not constitute an infinite something. Hence, even in the infinite, the same process of reasoning is required to constitute a thing, namely, three elements united in one, or a trinity m unity. Having now satisfactorily accounted for the mystical number three in ONE, it only remains to show that these infinites are pure and holy, and Christ’s theory of the Trinity will blaze forth with the effulgence and permanence of truth: itself. Thus, then, itis: Every thing which pervades the sphere of nature consists of matter, is corruptible, and always changing its state, consequently is neither pure nor holy. Nor will nature ever furnish us with matter that merits this epithet, nay, we cannot obtain a glass of pure water, strictly speaking. Hence the things of nature, which fill space and occupy time, are uniformly considered as corrup- tible—‘‘ What is sown in corruption is raised in incor- ruption, what is sown a natural body is raised a spiritual body.” The class of objects that rank under these conditions are called objects of nature or material objects, and are only manifest to the senses because they fill up ¢ime and space. They are objects of intui- tive or immediate knowledge, and may be termed XXV1 INTRODUCTION. ‘Inrurrions. None of these objects can be considered holy or pure, because they are generated in the soil of corruption, where every thing is mutable. Neither can the actions of man, which manifest themselves in time, deserve this sublime epithet ; for they, like man, while in time and space, are mere fleeting phenomena, whose value lies in the purity and sanctity of the motives which induce them. The next class of objects that come under consideration are the reminiscences retained in the mind after the removal of the material object. Such are the conceptions we have on leaving any person or thing; as parting from a friend, we retain his form in our mind, which mental form cer- tainly does not fill up any space, though it is generated and retained mentally in time. All the mathematical figures conform to this law. ‘Though these objects may be deemed purer than those which fill both time and space, yet they do not merit the epithet pure. A conceptive circle must be allowed to exceed by far the purity of one described ona material surface ; but it is not infinite ; it is always definite when it is intelligible. These are objects existing wholly in the mind, though they are derived from material objects, and may be called CONCEPTIONS. INTRODUCTION. XXVi Intuitions occupy both time and space ; Conceptions, time only ; both which have their finite limits: for conceptions evidently arise and vanish in time, conse- quently are mutable and changeable like every thing in the sphere of Nature. The “Supreme Being’’ is totally free from these restricting limitations ; with the ineffable essence of the Divinity, every thing is i/inite, unlimited, pure, absolutely perfect, and eternal. No part of this divine essence could inhabit corruptibility, neither can it exist within the changeable sphere of time and space. Hence the Deity—that is, the Creator, who is also the Preserver, that is the Saviour, and, by the spirit of connexion between these two infinite attributes, the Auder of all his works—is perfectly pure, free from corruption, immutable, and absolutely sacred, and holy: this is indeed a true and rational Idea of the Divinity. Objects, which are perfectly pure and holy, transcend the confines of nature, and cannot exist with the changeable phenomena in time and space, but inhabit the pure and holy region of Ererniry, and may be termed IpeAs: so that the class of objects that are out of time and space—if they are to exist at all—can be no where else but in Kéernity. Such are the Deity, the soul, and all pure and spiritual beings. XXVili INTRODUCTION. As it is perfectly clear that the /imite cannot com- prehend the infinite, all that remains for us to do, in order to obtain only a faint notion of these sacred and holy spirits, is to personify them. We have a powerful proof of the existence of our own “ Reason,”’ which is of so pure and holy a nature, that if it were separated from the inclinations which inhabit the flesh, it could only act reasonably. Of its spirituality no one can doubt. It is equally certain that this pure Faculty could not have made itself, therefore it must have had an Author. But that Being must be eminently rational, pure, and holy, to have communicated such qualities to his production. The instant this Cause had produced this Effect, arose the third necessary element, the relation or Connexion between the two, which com- pletes the notion of a Triune Essence. It is customary to say, when any one makes another in his own likeness, that he has begotten a son, which always implies the relationship between Father and Son. Now, if we personify these pure and Holy Powers, nothing can be more natural than to call the first the holy father, the second in order the holy son, and the necessary con- nexion subsisting between these infinite spirits the holy ghost, being of the same nature as the father and INTRODUCTION. XX1X the son. But the Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all onE all equally infinite, holy, spiritual, and co-eternal. But without a Father there can be no Son, much less a holy and necessary Connexion between these two infinite and Eternal Spirits. This doctrine was so perfectly understood in the infancy of Christianity, that, when a fierce contention took place on this most vital point of the ‘ Christian Religion,’ the council of Nice, A. D. 325, decided the question in favour of a Trinity in Unity, as the only true notion of the Godhead, and determined that the dogma which Arius and his followers wished to esta- blish was a nonentity. And it is very remarkable that all the learning and all the talent, which have been bestowed on this momentous doctrine for more than fifteen centuries, have not been able to reverse this decision. So firmly fixed in the Reason of man is Christ’s doctrine, that it has not only endured through- out this long period, but it must remain to the end of time, and even be found in all its purity in Ererniry. However, at the period of this hot debate, it was deemed necessary to propose some standard or ¢est, in order to know under what banner each individual Cc rs XXX INFRODUCTION. ranked himself. Hence arose that superlative string of syllogisms—the finest piece of reasoning ever offered to the contemplation of human Reason—known by the name of the Athanasian Creed. The only obnoxious clauses are those two which open this matchless com- position, and the concluding sentence. Yet, even these are strictly the words of our Saviour; and, when the venom is extracted from the mere words, the sense flashes conviction upon us with an electric effect. The object of this Creed was, to be a ¢est, not only that the doctrines of Christ were cherished in the heart of the individual professing Christianity, but of his determi- nation to act up to the purity of this spiritual faith. Christ says, Unless you believe in me, the Aoyos, the word, you cannot be saved. Now, to believe in the doctrine of Christ is to feel such an internal conviction of its truth, that its contrary is not for a moment to be conceived; and to act up to its divine precepts is to be morally good, on all occasions, without considering what consequences may flow from the action—thou shalt not lie—either for promised reward or threat- ened punishment. But how can any one be expected to act morally who has not the moral type indelibly fixed in his own sow/ ? Can a man do the impossible ! INTRODUCTION. XXX1 —No! where mystery begins Virtue and Religion end. Can a man obey laws he does not understand! Hence it is clear that these clauses only repeat the words of Christ, and this Creed most fully develops his doctrine. Thus it is impossible to do otherwise than acknowledge | the Caruotic Farrn, and to promise to keep it whole and undefiled; which, in modern language, is to say : “ Tama being endowed with Reason, whose laws I ought to follow, or I cease to be a reasonable creature, and am obnoxious to my Creator..The most prominent law of my Reasoning Faculty is the ‘Mora. Law; Iam forced to consider its dictates as the immediate commandments of God, and to acknowledge that I ought to obey them strictly, in order to be acceptable to that ineffable Being who has given me existence.” What reasonable man would shrink from this confession of faith!—who will not acknowledge that he possesses a reasonable sow/, subsisting in human flesh, which of itself is a trinity in unity, as the soul, the body, and connexion, constitute man! For the soul, separated from the body, is not man, but an angel or spirit; neither is the flesh distinct from the spirit, man: therefore man must necessarily be the two conjoined, or a trinity in unity. Never was doctrine so expounded. XXXll INTRODUCTION. What can surpass the boldness, the fire, the energy, and, above all, the truth of this astonishing production ; and this in the very infancy of the Christian Religion ! In fact, the Creed of St. Athanasius is the most argu- mentative and soundest part of our Liturgy. Those who wish to revel in the pure delight of perfect doctrine, will have the satisfaction, in this Divarication, to find all the beautiful and soul-exalting precepts of Christ collected together, and prepared to their hand, entirely free from the perplexity and intermixture of the historical facts, as presented to us by the inspired writers. ‘They will here be enabled to enter fully into the sublime morality of this doctrine, which is the vital essence of the Christian Religion ; | they will enjoy the advantage of having this doctrine expounded in modern language, embracing all the benefits. derivable from the advanced state of science, and particularly from the high cultivation of the Reasoning Faculty. It is to be hoped that a com- bination of these excellencies will facilitate the labours of the truly pious, and promote their praiseworthy endeavours to reach that kingdom prepared for them from the beginning of the world, by walking in the paths of virtue and avoiding the seductions of vice, so INTRODUCTION. XXXili that they may feel the deepest conviction of having acted up to the dictates of the moral law, and thus be acquitted by conscience as having strictly performed their duty. Reason, indeed, would be a contradictory and illusory faculty, if it did not fulfil the promises it holds out to man: that when we have terminated our Sensible existence, and our sowl is set free from the trammels of the flesh, our Rational Faculty will have its sphere of action enlarged, and become capable of those pure delights of which it shall have rendered itself . worthy ; for no reasonable creature would be justified, nay, would deem it reasonable, to be rewarded beyond his deserts. Reason says, Man is entitled to no more happiness than is due to him from the purity of the motives that have induced his conduct; and therefore disclaims all right to accept more. Now, as the pro- portion between Virtur and Happiness is not meted out to us in an equal degree in this probationary sphere, that Reason may be consistent, we must of necessity inherit a future state, in order to complete hereafter what is so happily begun here. If the manner of expounding Christ’s Doctrine in this work proves, upon full investigation, to be not only correct, but the only ¢rwe one, then indeed will it c3 XXXIV INTRODUCTION. last as long as the ‘‘ Hoty Boox”’ which it attempts to illustrate : if otherwise, let it be consigned to its fate— oblivion. “The discovery of truth ought to be the object of all true philosophy ; and the attainment of this end must, to a philosopher, be the greatest of all possible blessings. If, then, a man is satisfied that he has arrived at the fountain-head of pure truth; and yet, because the generality of men hold different sentiments, dares not avow it, but tacitly gives assent to falsehood, he withholds what, according to his own principles, it is for their good to know—he prefers his personal good to 'Truth—and proves that, whatever he may profess, he is not imbued with the spirit of true philosophy.’’ Should, however, any thing’ occur, on the side which is devoted to Docrrine, that does not command instant conviction, the reader is requested to transfer it to the page of history. It seems to have been in sheer mercy to the laity, that the Roman Catholic clergy interdicted the reading of the ‘Sacred Volume;”’ for, as their own highly-cultivated understandings could not master the ‘ Holy Bock,” little did they deem it suited to the capacity of the vul- gar; and it is very remarkable that, though so many ages have rolled on, yet we are not universally agreed as to INTRODUCTION. XXXV its strict meaning. When will the period arrive that there will be but one opinion of the ‘Sacred Book ?”’—then only when its truth is fully elicited. Whatever tends to level the Scriptures to the plainest understanding, must, at the same time, tend to enlarge the sphere of their influence, and thus to fulfil the injunction—that they are to be “preached to all the nations of the world.’ But who can read the sublime doctrine contained in this Volume, and withhold his consent from its truth, or dwell on these sacred religious truths, and not be convinced of their divine origin ! When Religion is disencumbered from historical facts —which constitute no part of its essence, however much they may have contributed to its promotion—its adoption is compulsory on every rational creature : and when its divine truths are purified from all that is extraneous, and collected and arranged so as to form a sacred science, they will be as powerful in their appeal, and as susceptible of proof, as any proposition in the mathematics. Then will the Scriptures be fully under- stood, and the possibility of entertaining two opinions on this important subject be for ever destroyed. The XXXVI INTRODUCTION. reason why all mankind assent to mathematical truths is, because mathematics is a science of Reason. When Religion once assumes the strict form of a science, it must also be a rational science, and be fully apprehended by all reasonable creatures : then, indeed, we shall have no need of wars and massacres to establish religious truths. Principles cannot be enforced by the sword: neither can the rack, nor all the punishments threatened by the ingenuity of the bigot, nor all the powers of nature combined, with a view to torture or eventually destroy the delinquent, either confirm or refute principle. ‘This is the calm operation of the Rational Faculty—the quiet and slow work of Reason, by the safe and sure march of syllogism, but, when once obtained, with full conviction of its truth, established for ever. The present is, indeed, but a faint attempt to display some of the treasures of the “ Sacred Volume’’—who shall exhaust the treasure of such a mine !—and to suit their divine precepts, in some measure, to the advanced state of enlightenment at the present day. Should this work survive the present edition, I shall avail myself of all the remarks of the learned critics— whose severest censure | invoke—that its successor INTRODUCTION. Xxxvii may be more worthy of the dignity of the subject. A first attempt, where every thing is new in the manner of treatment, and can be improved, developed, and per- fected, by repeated efforts only, must naturally be replete with defects. It is to be hoped that this attempt to illustrate the Doctrines of Christ will induce those whose heads and hearts are not only in unison with the author’s, but who can boast superior gifts of Providence for unfolding the ‘Scriptures,’ to engage in this delightful task, so that the whole world may become enlightened with respect to this 3? ‘“ Divine Moratity.’’ How propitious, indeed, are the present times, for the accomplishment of this wish, when the march of intellect has passed the Rubi- con, and must now either succeed in its glorious enterprize, or perish in the attempt ! Should the arguments adduced, in this little volume, have the blessed effect of clearing up the doubts and perplexities that may have prevented a single individual from embracing, with heart and soul, the doctrines of the Christian Dispensation, it will then not only have accomplished its object—that of facilitating the univer- sal adoption of the Religion of Christ—but the author XXXVIIl INTRODUCTION. will feel amply recompensed for his labour in the reflection that another member is added to those who are already in communion with Christ. That these pages may operate such conviction on the minds of those who are perplexed with doubt on this “most vital subject—the future welfare of their sowls— is the devout and fervent prayer of THE AUTHOR. Timberham Lodge, near Reigate, Surrey, October 6, 1830. ARGUMENT FOR THE DIVARICATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. Tue writings of the ‘‘ New Testament,” as connected with the Christian Religion, may be divided and arranged under two distinct heads, namely, I. DOCTRINE. THESIS. Under this head are com- prised all pure principles, which are of a spiritual nature, and consequently not to be met with in ExPERIENCE, that is, in Time and Space. Pure Principles are inherent in the Reason of man, and constitute the internal basis of “Religion.” CRITERION. Principles can be contem- plated only by Reason, and can never address the SENSES. I. HISTORY. ANTITHESIS. Under this head are com- prised those parts of the ‘‘ New Testament” which record facts that have taken place on Earth. Facts are realities that have actually addressed the Sxenszs, and, by being related, consti- tute “History.” CRITERION. Facts are known only by addressed the Senszs of some individual, and in no other way. their having. ” ee A Pare i let ergs veh epee aes ra +s ke is ae. z E sipstieotar jen a dive traaes te jor ah wah Pat Rava it: 4) eae Ay RES Laced Hemi” ans: sual esirnen ne ails Bi Vo -easeneieda-s at gabbana oy: ; ee abn ates! 41 Fa VIR w Te beatsa: a Bay TARO | ae % » Tiacit ha. ee Ast ’ ren any Thee a oe on heetae: ali “adhe ee pate he (hE rope dice) PRE Sp eage pa os pga ag dal on Lewy tiem erated balay th ey ee eatin hit ‘ ‘, M , 9 hts Sota rf, | pe ie ae AE te A sae eae Me 4 ey Ops: Li i AL Oe Dy e as cl Be MO hs ae Oe BAEK v | bak ta t i BD Pye | eS bal ; ede rane PAYS ieee ss ttn Oy rahe ICSE F Way saimsaticdaten orb, ( Vices mae ae ee , ) A ve 1 Ad 01012 5195