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ESSAYS

SOME OF THE PECULIARITIES

THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.

RICHARD WHATELY, D.D.
PRINCIPAL OF ST ALBAN's HALL, OXFORD, AND LATE FELLOW OF
ORIEL COLLEGE.

THIRD EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED.

LONDON :
PRINTED FOR B. FELLOWES, LUDGATE STREET.
1831.

LONDON :
R. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD-STREET-HILL,
CHEAPSIDE.

TO THE

RIGHT HONOURABLE
LORD GRENVILLE,
CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD.

MY LORD, The following work contains the substance
of some discourses delivered by me, as Select
Preacher, before this University ; a place to which
I have been long affectionately attached, and for
my restoration to which, as a resident member, I
am indebted to your Lordship's favour.
It is also the first work I have brought before
the public, since my appointment to the situation
I now hold.
By inscribing it therefore to your Lordship, I
considered that I was adopting the most appro
priate mode within my reach, of testifying how
sensible I am of the kindness, as well as the
honour, implied in this selection.
I could not indeed but feel proud of owing my
appointment to a Nobleman with whom I had
a 2

IV DEDICATION.
no personal or political connexion, and who had
always been regarded as the patron of academical
merit, as well as a steady promoter of the welfare
of the University.
Before I was placed where I now am, it might
have exposed me to the suspicion of interested
views, if I had offered such a publication to your
notice, or ventured to express those sentiments of
respect which are common to every member, and
to every true friend, of this University : but a
dedication to one from whom I have already
received all that I could ever hope to obtain, can
only be interpreted, I trust, by yourself, and by
the world, as a tribute, however humble, of gra
titude for past favour, and of applause for public
virtues. I have the honour to be,
My Lord,
Your Lordship's most obliged
and most obedient humble servant,
RICHARD WHATELY.
St. Albaris Hall,
Nov. 28, 1825.-

PREFACE.

The greater part of the substance of the
following Essays was delivered in several
discourses before the University of Oxford.
They were not originally designed for
publication ; but the author was induced
to entertain the idea, at the suggestion of
some friends, whose opinions are entitled
to deference, and who thought that the
views contained in them might have the
effect on some minds, not of introducing
new doctrines, but of awakening attention
to some important points which are very
frequently overlooked : and that the chain
of argument would appear to more advan
tage, and would be likely to be more justly
estimated, when comprised in a volume,

VI PREFACE.

than when delivered, as was necessarily the
case, at long intervals, from the University-
pulpit. It is hardly necessary to observe, that I
have not entertained the design of noticing
all the peculiarities of the Christian reli
gion ; which would indeed amount to little
less than a complete system of theology ;
nor even all the principal ones ; but those
only which appeared to be the most fre
quently overlooked, or depreciated. That
the unbeliever should rank Christianity
along with the various systems of supersti
tion which human fraud and folly have
produced and maintained, keeping out of
sight every circumstance that forms a dis
tinction between the true coin and the
counterfeit, is not to be wondered at ; but
to oppose decided infidelity (though it is
hoped some of the arguments adduced
may be employed with effect for that pur
pose) has not been made the primary ob
ject of these Essays. I have had in view

PREFACE. Vil
the case of those who regard Christianity
with indifference, rather than of those who
reject it.
It is a more common, and not a less
pernicious error, to regard Christianity as
little else than the Religion of Nature,
proclaimed by a special mission, for the
benefit, chiefly, of those whose feebleness
of intellect, ignorance, or depraved disposi
tion, unfits them for discovering its truths
by the light of Reason. The Gospel ac
cordingly, while praised as a beautiful
system, and highly extolled for its utility,
is praised, in fact, for what does not be
long to it, viz. its containing nothing of
importance which a philosophical mind
might not discover by its own unaided
powers : and it is thence regarded as useful
only for the less intelligent and less culti
vated ; in short, for the vulgar.
There are others, again, whose venera
tion for the Gospel is more real, but who

Viii PREFACE.

erroneously think to honour and support
it by laying a foundation which, in fact,
tends to weaken and degrade the super
structure. Beginning with Natural-Reli
gion, they attribute to that much of what
properly belongs to Christianity, and much
that belongs to neither ; and thus often
lead to the perversion of some parts of the
Gospel, and to the depreciation of others.
In fact, the study of natural-religion ought
properly to follow, or at least to accom
pany, not to precede, that of revelation.
Our own speculations ought to be con
trolled and regulated by a divine revela
tion, when it is once ascertained that a
revelation exists ; they should not be left
to range unlimited and unassisted, on a
subject on which God has Himself decided
that Man is not competent of himself to
judge rightly. And if Reason be for some
time enthroned as sole judge and lawgiver,
she will not afterwards readily resign her
seat, and submit her decisions, to Reve
lation ; but will often exercise an undue

PREFACE. IX
interference. It is sometimes complained,
that the mind is unduly biassed in its
judgments, by continual reference to the
authority of the Scriptures ; and the com
plaint is just, when reference is made to
them, on other than religious subjects. It
is also just to complain of reference to
Scripture on religious subjects, if Scripture
does not really contain a divine revelation.
But if it does, there is an opposite and cor
responding danger to be guarded against ;
that of suffering the mind to be unduly
biassed in the study and interpretation of
the revealed will of God, by the deductions
of unaided reason.

Respecting the peculiarities about to
be noticed, various misconceptions are
afloat, according to the diversity both of
the several points in question, and of the
habits of mind of different individuals. A
circumstance may be either utterly over
looked and disregarded; — or it may be

PREFACE.

supposed not connected with, or not pecu
liar to, our religion, while in fact it is so ;
— or its importance may be under-rated.
This variety in the errors to be guarded
against must give rise occasionally to a
corresponding variety in the topics dwelt
on ; and the necessity of thus shifting the
attention successively to different quarters,
may, it is feared, give a desultory and in
terrupted appearance to some parts of the
work : but the inconvenience is one whiclr
cannot be entirely avoided, when it is ne
cessary, within a moderate compass, to
maintain and illustrate, with a view to
different descriptions of readers, several
different positions, all intimately connected
with the main object.
Numerous, indeed, and various are the
misapprehensions which have prevailed
(not to advert to heresies which have been
formally stigmatised as such) respecting
the peculiarities of the Christian religion :
for as, on the one hand, many deny to

PREFACE. XI
the Gospel much of what belongs to it,
or refer to the religion of nature, much
that belongs exclusively to" Christianity, so,
on the other hand, many, and sometimes
even the same, persons attribute to the
Gospel-revelation what forms no part of
it ; or represent that as peculiar to it,
which really does lie within the reach of
natural reason. A familiar instance of
this last is the representation given by
some of the doctrine of the corrupt nature
of Man ; which they represent as a truth
resting on revelation, and claiming to be
acknowledged as an article of faith not
discoverable by reason : whereas, daily ex
perience sufficiently proves it ; and though
there are still, and ever will be, some who
will not learn from experience, men of
sense, in all ages, seem to have fallen little,
if at all, short of the truth, in that point.
The history, indeed, of the fall of Man is
revealed in Scripture ; but the actual con- ^
dition of Man, though often adverted to,
can hardly be said to be revealed in Scrip-

XU PREFACE.
ture ; any more than the truths, that the
sun shines by day and the moon by night.
The origin of evil, again, not a few are apt
to speak of, as explained and accounted
for, at least in great part, by the Scripture-
accounts of "sin entering into the world,
and death by sin ;" whereas the Scriptures
leave us, with respect to the difficulty in
question, just where they find us, and are
manifestly not designed" to remove it. He
who professes to account for the existence
of evil, by merely tracing it up to \he first
evil recorded as occurring, would have no
reason to deride the absurdity of an atheist,
who should profess to account for the origin
of the human race, without having recourse
to a Creator, by simply tracing them up to
the first pair.
Errors of this class, however, the nature
of my design, in the following Essays, will
only allow me to notice slightly and inci
dentally : the principal object proposed
being, to guard against those of the op-

PREFACE. Xlll
posite description ; which tend to the
depreciation, and ultimately the neglect,
of Christianity, by keeping out of sight,
or under-rating, many of its great and
important peculiarities.
Let any one, in company with persons
as well-educated and as reflective as a
large proportion of the higher classes
are, give utterance to such opinions and
sentiments as the following : " That all
religions teach men to look for future re
tribution," (see Essay I.)—" That they all
inculcate piety toward some Divine Being,
and moral conduct," (see Essays II III. V.)
— " That they all profess to furnish reve
lations respecting the Deity, and the world
to come," (see Essay IV.) — " That they
all lay down directions as to what men
are required to believe and to do," (see
Essay VI.) — and " that they all have their
priests and their priestcraft," (see Appen
dix) — " That all of them may do some
good, in proportion as they are framed

XIV PREFACE.

conformably to the principles of sound
philosophy, and pure morality; but that
a man of upright heart and cultivated
understanding, need not much trouble him
self with examining the pretensions of any
of them, because his heart and head will
lead him to the knowledge of those most
important truths, the immortality of the
soul, and the tendency of virtue, and of
vice, to insure happiness, and misery, gene
rally, in this life, and certainly in the next :
that he will thus have attained all the
good, unmixed with the evil, that any
religion can convey to the less-educated
classes ; and that whatever truth there
may be in the pretensions of any religion
to a divine origin, he cannot have any
thing to fear in consequence of his want
of faith in it, since he will have reached,
though by another road, the same point
towards which any true religion must tend."
And let him conclude by citing some lines
from the " Essay on Man," or the " Uni
versal Prayer," of Pope, whose rhymes

PREFACE. XV
often supply admirably the defects of his
reasons ; as, for instance,
" For modes of faith let senseless bigots fight ;
His can't be wrong, whose life is in the right."
Let such sentiments, I say, be promulgated
in such company as one may often meet
with, and I am much mistaken if several
of the hearers will not readily acquiesce in
them. And yet, in every one of the points
in respect of which all religions will have
been thus indiscriminately thrown together,
Christianity does, in fact, stand eminently
distinguished from all the rest, by strikingly
peculiar features. It bears only that su
perficial and general resemblance to them
which a genuine coin bears to its various
counterfeits. To establish and illustrate
this conclusion, is the object of the pre
sent work.
Bishop Warburton's " Divine Legation"
is a work too well known to require that a
distinct reference should be made to it in

XVI PREFACE.

every place in which I have availed myself
of his learning and ingenuity. I can hardly
be suspected of wishing to impose on the
public as my own, what I have borrowed
from an author who has so long been
before them. To have exhibited clearly
in a small space, separated from extraneous
matter, and from topics of temporary con
troversy, some of the most important parts
of an inestimably valuable, but voluminous,
digressive, and incomplete work, may
prove advantageous not only to such as
have not studied the work, but, in some
degree, to many also even of those who
are familiar with it.
So general, however, is the tendency in
men to enlist themselves under the banner
of some leader, and to take for granted
that every one does so, in respect of any
author he professes to admire, that it
may not be unnecessary for me to protest
against being regarded as a " follower " of
Warburton, in the sense either of adopting

PREFACE. XV11

any conclusion on his authority, or of ac
quiescing throughout in every thing he
may have advanced.
Some insertions and other alterations
have been made in the present edition ;
and a sixth Essay has been added. This,
for the convenience of purchasers of the
former editions, may be had separately.

CONTENTS.

ESSAY I.
REVELATION OF A FUTURE STATE. PAGE
§ 1. Importance of the doctrine of Man's Immortality,
p. 1 ; spoken of in Scripture as peculiar to
Christianity  4
§ 2. A future state represented by some as discover
able and discovered, by Reason, p. 5 ; inquiry
proposed whether the Pagans, and the Jews,
had, properly, the knowledge of it  7
§ 3. Popular Mythology of the ancient Heathen re
specting this subject, p. 9; shadowy and unreal
sort of existence attributed to the departed . . 13
§ 4. Historical proofs that Elysium and Tartarus were
generally regarded as fabulous  19
§ 5. Ancient Philosophers not believers in a future
state of distinct consciousness, p. 29 ; arguments
furnished by Reason, for and against it, p. 83 ;
the immortality of the Soul taught by some of
the ancients, amounts, practically, to annihila
tion  39

£X CONTENTS. PAGE
§ 6. Metaphysical arguments, not to be fully trusted
to, in such a question, p. 42 ; reasons for a
future state of retribution, not conclusive as to
a future immortality  50
§ 7. Probable cause of the eagerness shewn to prove
that the doctrine was revealed to the Jews,
p. 51 ; manifest inadequacy, for this purpose,
of the scanty intimations in the Mosaic Law . . 52
§ 8. Passage in the Law appealed to by our Lord . . 57
§ 9. Unsuitableness of the revelation of a future state,
to the Old Dispensation, p. 62 ; mistakes re
lative to the interpretation of the ancient types
and prophecies on this subject  71
§10. Actual belief of the Jews in later periods .... 75
| 11. Opinion that Man may earn immortal happiness
by the practice of virtue, p. 79 ; extravagance
of the expectation on any ground but that of
express promise  83
\ 12. The doctrine of eternal life being a free gift, ex
plained and vindicated  90
\ 13. Importance of perceiving and remembering that
Christianity alone furnishes a well-grounded
confidence of a future state  93
Note (A.) Opinions of Aristotle  99
 (B.) Of Cicero and others  106
 (C.) Bodily identity, and intermediate
state  108
 (D.) Testimony of Marcus Antoninus
and Seneca  110
 (E.) Sanctions of the Mosaic Law,
temporal  jjjrf.
 (F.) Testimony of Episcopius and of
Grotius  135

CONTENTS. XXI
ESSAY II.
ON THE DECLARATION OF GOD IN HIS SON. PAGE
§ 1. Peculiar mode of inculcating Piety and Morality in
the Christian Scriptures, p. 137; declaration of
God in his Son, not a mere divine commission . 1 40
§ 2. Caution against expecting to understand the divine
counsels, p. 141 ; and against expecting to know
all the reasons for each revelation  144
§ 3. Advantages in respect of piety, from the mani
festation of God in Christ  146
§ 4. Difficulty of attaining affectionate devotion, in
natural-religion, p. 149 ; sympathy combined
with veneration, through the union of the divine
and human natures  155
§ 5. Jesus a perfect Model, p. 161 ; advantages of this,
over an imperfect, or an unreal model  165
§ 6. Summary of the argument, and introduction to the
succeeding Essay"  169
Note (G.) Passage from Archbp. King, p. 172 ;
explained and defended  175
ESSAY III.
ON LOVE TOWARDS CHRIST AS A MOTIVE TO OBEDIENCE.
§ 1. Appeal to the affections, a characteristic of the
Gospel  179
§ 2. Opposite errors, of Antinomian enthusiasm, and
of cold calculation  182
§ 3. Contrast between the reliance on mere prudential
motives, and the appeal to the heart  189

XX11 CONTENTS. PAOE
§ 4. Reference to persons, in the Scriptural delineation
of future happiness  192
§ 5. Superior Expediency, as well as Dignity, in the
Scripture-views  198
§ 6. Importance of contemplating the above, as con
stituting a peculiarity in the Christian religion . 204
ESSAY IV.
ON THE PRACTICAL CHARACTER OF REVELATION.
§ 1. Statement of the questions, whether a pretended,
and whether a true, revelation, be likely to con
tain matters of mere curiosity, p. 207 ; the former
question to be answered in the affirmative . . . 209
§ 2. Confirmation of this, from experience  212
§ 3. A true revelation likely to be the reverse, p. 218 ;
and ours accordingly, not speculative but prac
tical  221
§ 4. Modification and explanation of this assertion . . 223
§ 5. Practical character of Christianity maintained and
illustrated, p. 230 ; doctrine of the Trinity, the
foundation both of faith and practice  234
§ 6. Backwardness of our sacred writers to indulge our
curiosity, p. 235 ; this, a proof of their inspira
tion  237
§ 7. Christianity, and that alone, such as we might
expect a true revelation to be, and a false one,
not to be  239
§ 8. What we are to look for in revelation ; how to in
terpret; and how to apply it  241
Note (H.) Difficulty of finding any thing re
vealed in Scripture that shall even appear
to be merely speculative  251

CONTENTS. XXU1
ESSAY V:
ON THE EXAMPLE OF CHILDREN AS PROPOSED TO CHRISTIANS. PAGE
§ 1 . Twofold relations in which the condition of Chris
tians is analogous to that of children; viz: the
relation of children to their parents; and, to
their own future adult state  253
§ 2. Our analogy to children in respect to knowledge,
p. 256; which is a relative, p. 257; and also,
§ 3. A limited knowledge, p. 268 ; and, lastly,
§ 4. A practically-useful knowledge  277
§ 5. Analogy of Christians to children in respect of
duties  279
§ 6. Humility  282
§ 7. Docility, p. 285 ; not consisting in blind credulity . 292
§ 8. Resignation, p. 294 ; a part of wisdom, not of
weakness  299
§ 9. Mode of making use of the example of children . . 300
Note (I.) Illustration from the case of a per
son born blind and couched  304
 (K.) Extract from the Appendix to
Archbp. King's Sermon  307
ESSAY VI.
ON THE OMISSION OF A SYSTEM OF ARTICLES OF FAITH,
LITURGIES, AND ECCLESIASTICAL CANONS.
§ 1 . The omission not to be explained on the principle
developed in the Fourth Essay  312
§ 2. Indirect and irregular mode of teaching in the
existing Scriptures  316

XX1V CONTENTS. PAGE
§ 3. Difficulty of explaining, from human causes, why
some more systematic instruction was not super
added  323
§ 4. Objection against Christianity thence raised,
p. 326; in reality, a proof of its divine origin . 329
§5. Wisdom of the omission  331
§ 6. Mischiefs which would have resulted from the
existence of inspired Liturgies, Catechisms, &c. 335
§ 7. Inspired Compendium of Faith, not desirable . . 340
§ 8. Use of Compositions of this kind by uninspired
authors, p. 344 ; abuse of them  346
§ 9. Self-distrust distinguished from universal scepti
cism  350
§ 10. Liability to actual, as well as future, error, to be
acknowleged by those who disclaim infallibility 356
Note (L.) Self-distrust in respect of moral-
conduct  360

APPENDIX.
ON THE ABSENCE OF A PRIESTHOOD.
Christian religion without a priest in the ordinary sense,
p. 364; equivocal use of the word, p. 366; Romish
corruption in this point p. 367 ; and importance of
the peculiarity in question, ibid. Christianity exempt
from Priestcraft; and danger, in practice, of intro
ducing a vicarious religion  368

ESSAY I.
REVELATION OF A FUTURE STATE.
§ 1. The doctrine of man's immortality,
when once the mind can be brought to dwell
intently on the subject, is certainly the most
interesting and the most important that can be
presented to him. Other objects may, and often
do, occupy more of our attention, and take a
stronger hold of our feelings ; but that in real
importance, all those objects are comparatively
trifles, no one can doubt. Other matters of con
templation, again, may be, in themselves, not
less awful, stupendous, and wonderful ; but none
of these can so intimately concern ourselves.
Admirable as is the whole of God's creation, no
other of his works can be so interesting to Man,
as Man himself; sublime as is the idea of the
eternal Creator himself, our own eternal exist
ence after death is an idea calculated to strike
us with still more overpowering emotions. That
B

2 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
Man, feeble and shortlived as he appears on
earth, is destined by his Maker to live for ever —
that ages hence, when we and our remotest pos
terity shall have been long forgotten on earth —
and countless ages yet beyond, when this
Earth itself, and perhaps a long succession of
other worlds, shall have come to an end — we
shall still be living ; still sensible of pleasure or
pain, to a greater degree perhaps than our pre
sent nature admits of, and still having no shorter
space of existence before us than at first — these
are thoughts which overwhelm the imagination
the more, the longer it dwells upon them. The
understanding cannot adequately embrace the
truths it is compelled to acknowledge : and
when, after intently gazing for some time on
this vast prospect, we turn aside to contemplate
the various courses of earthly events and trans
actions, which seem like rivulets trickling into
the boundless ocean of eternity, we are struck
with a sense of the infinite insignificance of all
the objects around us that have a reference to
our present state alone; while every the most
minute circumstance, that may concern the future
life, like a seed from which some mighty tree is

sect. I.] Revelation of a future state. 3
to spring, rises into immeasurable importance,
as the awful reflection occurs that perhaps some
thing which is taking place at this very moment
may contribute to fix our final destiny. There
is no one truth, in short, the conviction of which
tends to produce so total a change in our estimate
of all things.
The powerful influence which such a belief is
likely to have on the conduct of those who keep
it habitually before them, is too obvious to need
being insisted on : but it may be interesting,
and not unprofitable, to inquire, by whom a doc
trine thus sublime in contemplation, thus im
portant in practice, was first proposed to us ;
by whom " life and immortality were brought
to light :" proposed, I mean, not as a matter
of curious speculation, and interesting conjec
ture, but of general, and well-grounded, and
practical belief; brought to light, not as an
ingenious and pleasing theory, but as an esta
blished truth; displayed to us, not as a wan
dering meteor that serves but to astonish and
amuse us, but as the great luminary which is
destined to brighten our prospect, and to direct
our steps.
b 2

4 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
Now, that " Jesus Christ brought life and im
mortality to light through the Gospel," and that,
in the most literal sense, which implies that the
revelation of this doctrine is peculiar to his
Gospel, seems to be at least the most obvious
meaning of the Scriptures of the New Testa
ment. The doctrine in question, which occupies
a very prominent place in the preaching of the
Apostles, appears in general to be taught by
them not as one already well established, rest
ing on sufficient evidence, and which they had
only to acknowledge and confirm, but as a part
of the revelation which they were commissioned
to communicate.
That infidels who admit the doctrine should
reject this account of its establishment, is at
least consistent ; but there are not a few among
Christians who seem to regard it as a truth, not
only discoverable, but actually discovered, by
unassisted human reason ; and who have main
tained, that though debased and perverted in
form by ignorant superstition, it has been in
substance fully and generally admitted, in al
most all ages and countries. And there have
been others, who, though not going the length

sect. 2.] Revelation of a future state. 5
of making this knowledge a part of natural
religion, and ascribing it to the Pagan nations
of antiquity, have yet insisted that it is a part
of the revelation given through Moses to the
Israelites.

§ 2. In favour of the first of these opinions,
it is often pleaded, in addition to the direct
arguments drawn from the Pagan writers, that
to deny the power of reason to establish this
truth, is to weaken the foundation of natural
religion, and to diminish the support it affords
to Christianity : it is even contended by one
writer of no small repute, that " the natural
revolutions and resurrections of other creatures
render the resurrection of the body highly pro
bable. The day dies into a night, and is buried
in silence and in darkness ; in the next morning
it appeareth again and reviveth, opening the
grave of darkness, rising from the dead of night ;
this is a diurnal resurrection. As the day dies
into night, so doth the summer into winter ;"
&c. &c. &c. In favour of the latter also of the
above-mentioned opinions, it has been urged, that
to acknowledge no revelation of a future state

6 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
in the law of Moses, is " derogatory to God's
honour, injurious to the Mosaic dispensation, a
very erroneous and dangerous doctrine," &c. &c.
and this in a discourse on the very text which
asserts that " Jesus Christ brought life and
immortality to light through the Gospel ! " To
reconcile this passage with such opinions, (which
a Christian who entertains them is evidently
bound to do,) has been attempted in a manner
which may fairly be designated explaining away
those words of the Apostle ; and indeed not
those words only, but the general tenor of the
whole of the preaching of the Apostles, as far as
relates to the point in question ; so as to lay them
open to the censure of giving an overcharged
representation of the Gospel scheme, when they
characterize it as " bringing life and immortality
to light."
I shall not, however, at present dwell on this
inconsistency ; because as long as the notion
remains unrefuted, that the doctrine of a future
immortality could be known, and was known, in
dependently of the Gospel, any arguments which
go to prove that the first preachers of Chris
tianity professed to exhibit the first revelation

sect. 2. J Revelation of a future state. 7
of that truth, would be worse than unserviceable ;
would tend only to expose them to the imputa
tion of making groundless pretensions, and thus
to give a colour to the cavils of the infidel, who
is ready enough to charge them with falsely
laying claim to the original announcement of a
doctrine already well established.
It will be advisable therefore to enquire first
into the notions entertained on this subject by
the ancient Pagans and by the Jews, and into
the grounds on which those notions rested ; in
order that the questions may be, as far as pos
sible, decided, how far natural Reason, and how
far the Mosaic Revelation, are calculated to
afford, what I can find only in the Gospel, a
rational and a well-established assurance of a
future state. I say, " well-established," because
if the doctrine were made to rest even on the most
decisive evidence, but on such evidence as could
not be comprehended by any but profound philo
sophers, the mass of mankind would still need a
revelation to assure them of it. On the other
hand, I say, "rational" as well as "established,"
because however general and confident the belief
of it might be, if that belief rested on no

8 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
" rational" grounds, it would still need to be
made known (since conjecture is not knowledge)
on sufficient authority. It is important therefore
to remember, that there are two points, neither
of which should be lost sight of in the present
inquiry : in what degree the belief of a future
state prevailed among the ancients ; and how
far those who did entertain such belief were
correct in their notions of it, and warranted in
maintaining them : since it is plain, that no
opinion deserves to be called knowledge, except
so far as it is not only agreeable to truth, but
also supported by adequate evidence.
It ought to be observed, that, in order to avoid
vagueness and ambiguity in speaking of the
Tmowledge of a future state, or of any thing
else, we should steadily keep in mind the pre
cise signification of the word Knowledge; which
implies, when strictly employed, three things ;
viz. Truth, Proof, and Conviction. It is plain,
that no one can, properly speaking, be said to
know any thing that is not true, however con
fident his belief of it may be : but even if to
this confident belief, truth be added, still there
is properly no knowledge, unless there is suf-

sect. 3.J Revelation of a future state. 9
ficient proof to justify such confidence : one man,
e. g. may feel fully satisfied that the moon is
inhabited, and another may feel equally certain
that it is not ; and one of them must have truth
on his side ; but neither in fact possesses know
ledge, because neither can have sufficient proof
to offer. Lastly, both truth and proof are in
sufficient to constitute knowledge in the mind
of one to whom that proof is not completely
satisfactory : it is true that the angles of a triangle
are equal to two right angles; but though Euclid's
demonstration of that truth is complete, no one
can be said to know that they are so, who is not
fully convinced by that demonstration, but remains
in a state of hesitation.
§ 3. The popular mythology of the Greeks
and Romans (to direct our attention in the first
place to the Pagan nations) did certainly contain
ample descriptions of a life after this, and of
the places prepared for the reward and punish
ment, respectively, of the virtuous and the
wicked. And though it might be urged, with
truth, that this mythology, resting as it did
on no other evidence than that of vague, and

10 Revelation of a Juture state. [essay i.
incoherent, and contradictory tradition, could not
afford any rational assurance of a future state, a
and also that it did not inculcate the doctrine
of a resurrection, and was in many other points
greatly at variance with what Christians receive
as the authentic and true account ; still it must
be admitted, that a system so far correct in
its outline as to contain the notion of a just
judgment, and a state of retribution hereafter,
to be influenced by our conduct during the pre
sent life, would, in some degree, supply the
want of the Gospel-revelation on these points ;
provided it were (on whatever evidence) fully
a Such, of course, must be the case with the notions of
Pagans of the present day on the subject, as well as with
those of the barbarous nations of antiquity, of whose my
thology we have no distinct and authentic accounts. How
far the doctrine of a future state did or does prevail, and
prevail as a matter of serious belief, in those nations, it is by
no means easy to determine on sufficient evidence. In those
of modern times it is also difficult, if not impossible, to
decide, whether, and to what degree, some parts of their
religion may have been derived, through a remote and cor
rupt tradition, from the Gospel. The. fairest mode of trying
the question therefore seems to be, by examining the
opinions that prevailed before the promulgation of the
Gospel.

sect. 3.J Revelation of a future state. 11
and firmly, and generally established among the
mass of the community.
Now that this was not the case with respect to
the accounts of a future state current among the
ancients, is the conclusion which will present itself
to any one who examines the question fully and
candidly. I say, fully and candidly, because one
whose researches are very limited, will not be
unlikely to have met with such passages only in
ancient writers as would, of themselves, lead to
a contrary conclusion ; and one who is strongly
prepossessed in favour of that conclusion, will
confine his attention to those passages, seeking
only to explain away all that militate against it.
The truth is, there are many passages to be
found (and that, frequently in the same authors)
of each description ; some that seem to imply
the general belief, and others the disbelief, of
the accounts of a future life. And some have
dwelt on the numerical superiority of those
passages that favour the doctrine ; as if a book
were to be regarded in the same light as a
legislative assembly, in which we have only to
count the votes on each side, and consider the
decision of the majority as that of the whole.

12 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
But it should be remembered, that, in such a
case, the expressions which negative the belief
are entitled to far the greater weight. For there
can be no doubt, that the fables of Elysium and
Tartarus were a part of the popular religion*
which it was usually thought decorous to speak
of with respect; and the doctrine of a future
state was regarded as especially expedient to be
inculcated on the vulgar, in order to restrain
them in cases beyond the control of human laws ;
so that a good reason can be assigned for a
philosopher's appearing to consider the doctrine
as indubitable, though he neither believed it him
self, nor could flatter himself that it was so
generally believed as he might think desirable :
whereas, on the other hand, no reason whatever
can be assigned for any one's treating it as a
fable, if he really did believe it.
When, then, we find Socrates and his disciples
represented by Plato as fully admitting, in their
discussion of the subject, that " men in general
were highly incredulous as to the soul's future
existence," and as expecting that " it would, at
the moment of our natural death, be dispersed (as
he expresses it) like air or smoke, and cease alto-

sect. 3.] Revelation of a future state. 13
gether to exist, so that it would require no little
persuasion and argument to convince them that ,
the soul can exist after death, and can retain any
thing of its powers and intelligence ;" — when we
find this, I say, asserted, or rather alluded to, as
notoriously the state of popular opinion, we can
surely entertain but little doubt that the accounts
of Elysium and Tartarus were regarded as mere
poetical fables, calculated to amuse the imagina
tion, but unworthy of serious belief.
Those who are not only firm believers in a real
state of future existence, but familiar from child
hood with the belief, are apt to understand much
too strongly what the ancient poets say of the
dream-like, shadowy sort of half-existence which
they attribute to Elysium and Tartarus, and to
the souls which inhabited those abodes. And
there is the more difficulty in avoiding such a
misinterpretation, because the more philosophical,
clear, and precise our views are, the more we
shall be likely to mistake theirs. A man of
tolerably clear and cultivated understanding,
knows very well, that every thing of which he can
form a conception, either has a real existence in
dependent of his mind, or has it not; — that there

14 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
is nothing intermediate between these two — no
such state as half-existence; — that "substance
does not admit of degrees ;"b and that, conse
quently, if a man exist at all, he cannot exist
more or less than another. And though we may
be uncertain whether a particular man, or other
Being, does really exist or not, a moment's re
flection shews us that this intermediate, uncertain
state appertains only to our minds : the Being itself
either has a real complete existence, or none at
all. But loose, popular language, which is apt to
impart to our thoughts a corresponding indis
tinctness, is continually tending to transfer to
externa] objects what in reality belongs to the
mind. We may find many, accordingly, even of
those who are regarded as philosophical writers,
speaking of "contingency" or "uncertainty" as
denoting qualities of events themselves ; c whereas
the words denote merely the relation in which
they stand to our knowledge. Whether a ship,
for instance, has arrived, or will arrive, at a cer
tain time, at her destined port in the Indies, is
an uncertainty, and might be a fair subject of a

b Arist. Categ.
0 Elements of Logic : Appendix, article " Certain."

sect. 3.] Revelation of a future state . 15
wager, in England ; though the former is a matter
of certainty to those on the spot. Yet how much
of the controversy between predestinarians and
their opponents, which has lasted so many ages,
has gone on without either party perceiving (and
often in consequence of their not perceiving) that
the same thing may be both "contingent," and
" certain," though not to the same person, at the
same time. d
Universally we are prone to form insensibly a
habit of regarding objects and events, as them
selves strictly corresponding with our views of
them. Thus, if one of the ancient heathen
thought, in his waking hours, or in his dreams,
of some deceased -friend, he would receive an im
pression of that person's existence, more or less
vivid, but far short of what he had received in a
real personal interview. If such a man had rea
soned philosophically on the subject, he would
have perceived at once that his friend either did
really exist, or did not ; and that though he might
exist in a thinner and less grossly material sub
stance than formerly, and might be less an object
of the senses of the survivors, still if his soul did
d See Essay on Election, Second Series, § 4.

16 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
exist at all, it must exist as really as ever ; (just
as things seen dimly in the twilight, are not in
themselves the less substantial;) and if it did not,
could no more be any real thing at all, than the
monsters of a feverish dream.
But the generality were not sq likely to reason
accurately, as to resign themselves to their ima
gination ; which would suggest the (strictly, im
possible) idea, of attributing to the souls of the
deceased a kind of existence analogous to their
own indistinct conceptions ; — a sort of inter
mediate condition between being, and not being,
corresponding to the impression of a dream or a
fancy ; which is intermediate between the vivid
impression produced by a real present object,
and, no impression at all. What our senses or
our reason assure us does exist, we regard as
something really and properly existing ; what we
are in like manner assured does not exist, we
regard as absolutely non-existent ; and thence,
what we are in doubt about, or have a faint per
ception of, we are led to regard (without reflect
ing and reasoning) as almost existing, and not
quite. And this kind of confused and indistinct notion,

sect. 3.] Revelation of a future state, 17
the ordinary expressions, in all languages, rela
tive to dreams, rather tends to foster. We are
accustomed to say, indifferently, either, " I saw
so and so, in a dream," or, " I dreamed that I saw
it :" and though both expressions are designed to
convey the same meaning, the former of them,
according to its strict sense, suggests (while the
latter does not) the idea of a real object distinct
from the mind : for that of which we can, pro
perly, say, I saw it, we conceive to have a real
existence. That such was the origin, and such the cha
racter, of the ancient popular notions respecting
a future state, is abundantly confirmed by the
language of the poets ; who perpetually com
pare the souls of the departed to dreams. e And
the rewards and punishments of the future state,
they represent as of the same dreamy and unsub
stantial character; — as "only shadows dealt out
to shadows ;"f and, what is more remarkable
still, as producing only a sort of shadowy and
unreal enjoyment. The poet from whom so
e Thus Virgil's " Volucrique simillima somno," &c.
1 Hinds's " History of the Rise and Progress of Chris
tianity;" Introduction. C

f.

18 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
many were content to derive their creed, repre
sents Achilles, among the shades, as declaring
that the life of the meanest drudge on earth, is
preferable to the very highest of the unsubstan
tial glories of Elysium.
BovXoifiriv k eirapovpog i&)v OriTEve/jiev d'XA&f
'AvBpl Trap' a/cX?/p£> hi /xfl (iioToe woXve c'lr),
H wao-tv veKvevtn KaratyOinivoMTiv dvaaaeiv.
It is remarkable too that the same poet seems
plainly to regard the body, not the soul, as being
properly " the man," after death has separated
them. We should be apt to say that such a
one's body is here, and that he, properly the
person himself, is departed to the other world ;
4>ut Homer uses the very opposite language in
speaking of the heroes slain before Troy ; viz.
that their souls were despatched to the shades,
and that they themselves were left a prey to
dogs and* birds.
LToXXctE 3' lipdifjiovg ¥YXA2 aiSi Trpotaipev
'Hp&xov, AYTOYS Se e.\wpia rev^e Kvveaaiv. g
B A curious instance of that kind of confusion of thought
I have been speaking of, is afforded by those theological
or ecclesiastical writers who reckon Barnabas among the

sect. 4.] Revelation of a future state. 19
§ 4. It may be thought, however, (though the
supposition does not seem a probable one,) that
the philosophers I have mentioned, mistook, or
misrepresented, the opinions of their countrymen :
let us turn to the records of matters of fact, as
presented to us by an able and faithful historian,
who possessed the amplest opportunities for ob
taining information. The testimony of Thucy-
dides, not as to the professed belief, but as to
the conduct, of the Athenians, under those trying
circumstances in which the near approach of
death impresses the most forcibly the thought
of a future state on the minds of those who
expect it — his testimony, I say, as to their con
duct on such an occasion, must alone prove almost
" Apostolical Fathers," on the ground that an epistle is
extant under his name, which is generally suspected, or
more than suspected, to be spurious. If they had been
quite sure that Barnabas did write it, they would have
reckoned it the work, not of an Apostolical Father, but, of
an undoubted Apostle; if again they had been quite sure
that Barnabas did not write it, they would not have applied
to him any title or description having reference to the work :
but their minds being in an intermediate state between the
affirmative and negative conclusion, they adopted respecting
Barnabas himself a sort of intermediate language, implying
at once that he is, and that he is not, the Author.
C 2

20 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
decisive of the question. For it will hardly be
denied, that those who firmly believe in a future
state, or even regard it as a thing highly pro
bable, however the pursuits and occupations of
this world may have drawn off their attention
from it, will be likely, when death evidently
draws near — death, not in the tumultuous ardour
of battle, but in the calm, yet resistless, progress
of disease — to think with lively and anxious in
terest of the life of another world. If they have
any apprehensions at all of judgment to come,
they will usually wish to " die the death of the
righteous," even though they may not have been
willing to lead the life of the righteous. Even
those who have been in some doubt respecting
this truth, or who have studied to keep it out of
sight, are generally found to believe in it the
most firmly at that awful moment, when they
would be most glad to disbelieve it ; and then to
think most of it, when the thought is the most
intolerable. It is not necessary for the present purpose to
contend, that what has been just said constitutes
a rule without exception ; let it be admitted
only as applying to the generality, or even to a

sect. 4.] Revelation of a future state. 21
considerable portion merely, of mankind ; (and
thus far at least we are surely borne out, both
by reason and experience ;) and let any one, with
these principles before him, contemplate the pic
ture drawn of the pestilence which ravaged
Athens during the Peloponnesian war, by that
judicious historian who was an eye-witness and a
partaker of the calamity. Whether the ancient
Poets, or Philosophers, be regarded as the better
instructors in the doctrine of a future state,
Athens had no deficiency in either : and a plague
so wide -spreading, so irresistible, and which
brought with it to those whom it seized (as we
are expressly told) such an utter despair of reco
very, may be fairly expected to have had the
effect, in some minds at least, of awakening
whatever belief, or even suspicion, they might
have entertained respecting Tartarus and Ely
sium, and of calling into action their fears and
hopes on the subject. We might expect to find
some of them at least bewailing their sins, making
reparation to those they had injured, and in every
way striving to prepare for the judgment that
seemed impending.
The very reverse took place. The historian

22 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
tells us, that "seeing death so near them, they
resolved to make the most of life while it
lasted, by setting at nought all laws divine and
human, and eagerly plunging into every species
of profligacy." Nor was this conduct by any
means confined to the most vile and worthless
of the community ; for he complains of a general
and permanent depravation of morals, which
dated its origin from this calamity. Nor again
does the description apply to such only as had
been, either openly or secretly, contemners of
the whole system of the national religion ; for
we are told, that " at first many had recourse to
the offices of their religion, with a view to ap
pease the gods ; but that when they found their
sacrifices and ceremonies availed nothing against
the disease, and that the pious and the impious
alike fell victims to it, they at once concluded
that piety and impiety were altogether indiffe
rent, and cast off all religious and moral obli
gations." Is it not evident from this, that those
who did reverence the gods, had- been accus
tomed to look for none but temporal rewards
and punishments from them ? Can we conceive
that men who expected that virtue should be

sect. 4. J Revelation of a future state. 23
rewarded, and vice punished, in the other world,
would, just at their entrance into that world,
begin to regard virtue and vice as indifferent ?
It is but too true, indeed, that men have been
found, in countries where Christianity is pro
fessed, so hardened, as to manifest, even at the
approach of death, no regard to the judgment
which is to succeed it; who have availed them
selves of present impunity for the commission
of crimes, or have endeavoured to drown thgught
in sensual excess : but instances of this kind
rather go to prove that such men do not, than
that the heathens did, believe in a future re
tribution; if by belief is to be understood, not
a mere unthinking assent, or a mere non-denial,
of the doctrine, but a deliberate, firm, and ha
bitual conviction. Such gross and complete
ignorance is to be found in not a few of the
lower orders, in professedly Christian countries,
that scarcely any idea whatever of religion has
at any time entered their minds. If this assertion
should appear, as it probably may to some of
my readers, overcharged, or if they should sup
pose that instances of this kind must be, in this
country at least, extremely rare, they may convince

24 Revelation qf a future state, [essay i.
themselves but too easily of the deplorable
truth, either by inquiring of those, who in the
discharge of their clerical functions have had
opportunity to ascertain it, or by themselves
examining such of the least educated among the
lower orders (and many, I fear I may add, much
above the lowest) who come in their way ; among
whom they will, I am convinced, meet with in
stances of persons growing up to maturity with
scarcely any more knowledge or thought con
cerning the Christian religion, than the Hindoo
mythology. Those, again, who have long been hardened in
habits of extreme profligacy, may ultimately be
come as blind to all ideas of a future state as if
they had never heard of it ; but experience as
well as reason forbids us to believe, that, where
the Gospel is assiduously preached, such a degree
of ignorance, or of depravity, can ever be general,
much less universal.
And, accordingly, it appears, that the great
plague which desolated London, produced, on
the whole, an effect exactly opposite to that
at Athens. Some abandoned wretches, no doubt,
took the same advantage as the Athenians did, of

sect. 4.] Revelation of a future state. '25
the calamity ; but the generality seem plainly to
have shewn, that their belief of a future state,
however it might have lain dormant during a time
of apparent security, and however easily it might
be thrown off on a return to such a state, was real
and deep-rooted. No instances are recorded there
of pious men renouncing their piety, when they
saw death approaching : on the contrary, serious
devotion seems, for the most part, to have
prevailed ; and, if not reformation, at least alarm
and contrition, to have been generally produced
among sinners. Many are said, when attacked
by the plague, to have even rushed into the
public streets, confessing aloud and bewailing
crimes long ago committed, and never before
imputed to them, and earnestly seeking to make
reparation. Now, it may surely be presumed,
that instances of this kind, if they occurred at all,
at Athens, must have been rare indeed ; that no one
such took place, is the most probable inference ;
since none are recorded. The account, indeed,
which the historian gives of the general depravity
that supervened, is certainly not to be understood
without exceptions ; for he tells us, that some
good men retained their virtue, and displayed

26 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
their humanity ; but, had any instances occurred
of the repentance of bad men— of sinners alarmed
into remorse for their guilt, and endeavouring to
atone for it — such instances would have presented
so striking a contrast to the general case, that we
can hardly suppose a writer so accurate and
intelligent, living on the spot, would have made
no mention of them.
In Christian countries, on the contrary, how
ever imperfectly Christian, in respect of many
of the inhabitants of them, it is well known
that instances of this kind are of daily occur
rence, even when the ordinary course of human
mortality is not accelerated by any remarkable
visitation. Can we then, on comparing two such cases
together, come to the conclusion, that in each,
the notions respecting a future state were the
same, or at all similar ? Is not the inference
obvious, that, at least the Athenians of that age,
considered the accounts of a future life as no more
than amusing fictions, of whose utter falsity there
was no reason even to doubt ? And, accordingly,
when Pericles is represented, by the same his
torian, as exhausting every topic of consolation,

sect. 4.] Revelation of a future state. 27
in his address to the friends of those who had
fallen in battle,11 he speaks of their glorious me
mory, and of the hope of other sons to be born,
who may fill their place, and emulate their worth ;
but adds not one word of their future life and
immortality. And that the prevailing belief, at other times,
and in other states, Greek or Italian, was the
same as at Athens at the period just spoken of,
there is at least a strong presumption, till evi
dence of the contrary is produced. The Athenians
were noted for their religious devotion ; the
popular mythology which prevailed among the
other Grecian states, and, I may add, at Rome,
was the same, or nearly the same, with theirs ;
and therefore may be presumed, in the absence
of all proof to the contrary, to have had the
same results in respect of the belief of a future
life. Indeed, we find the younger Pliny,1 in his
account of the eruption of Vesuvius, in which his
uncle perished, recording, among the striking
events of that scene, the excitement of a feeling
not unlike that of the Athenians in the plague ;
h Thucyd. lib. ii. c. 35, et seq.
1 Epist. lib. ii. Ep. 20.

28 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
viz. a general distrust of divine aid, arising from
the notion, that the gods themselves were possibly
involved in the impending ruin.
The belief, then, of a life to come, though
nominally professed, cannot be considered as
practically forming any part of the creed of
those ancient nations with whom we are best ac
quainted. Cicero acknowledges, that the epistle
of Sulpicius to him, on the death of Tullia, com
prehended every argument for comfort which the
case admitted ; yet, we find in it no allusion to
the one topic, which would have been uppermost
in the mind of a believer. It is no wonder,
therefore, that when, at Athens, Paul came to
speak of the resurrection of the dead, some of his
hearers mocked ; and that, when Festus " heard
of the resurrection from the dead," he exclaimed,
" Paul, thou art beside thyself." So far, indeed,
were the promulgators of Christianity from finding
the belief of a future state already well established,
that they appear to have had no small difficulty
in convincing of this truth even some of their
converts. Some of those who denied a resurrec
tion, may, indeed, with good reason, be supposed
to have looked for some other kind of future

sect. 5.] Revelation of a future state. 29
existence ; but when Paul finds it necessary to
urge, " if in this life only we have hope in Christ,
we are of all men most miserable — let us eat and
drink, for to-morrow we die,"k it is plain that he
must have been opposing such as expected nothing
beyond the grave. And when he exhorts the
Thessalonians not to sorrow for the deceased,
" even as the rest, l who have no hope," we have
the testimony, if we will receive it, of one who
knew better than we can, as to the real sentiments
of the heathen on this point.
§ 5. It may be said, however, (and this per
haps is the most prevailing notion,) that little
as the vulgar believed in the doctrine of a future
state, it was received and inculcated by many
eminent Philosophers. Now that a truth of
the highest importance to all mankind alike
" Thus Catullus :
Vivamus mea Lesbia, atque amemus,
Rumoresque senum severiorum,
Omnes unius sestimemus assis,
Soles occidere et redire possunt :
Nobis cum semel occidit brevis lux,
NoX EST PERPETUA, UNA DORMIENDA.
1 0( AoiTTOl.

30 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
should be discovered by a few, and confined
to them, would be, even if the fact were fully
established, no very great triumph of human
reason. But, in reality, the doctrine never was
either generally admitted among the ancient
philosophers, or satisfactorily proved by any of
them, even in the opinion of those who argued
in favour of it. On the one hand, not only
the Epicurean school openly contended against
it, but one of much greater weight than any
of them, and the founder of a far more illustrious
sect, Aristotle, without expressly combating the
notion of a future state, does much more ; he
passes it by as not worth considering, and takes
for granted the contrary supposition, as not
needing proof. He remarks incidentally, in his
treatise on courage, that "death is formidable
beyond most other evils, on account of its ex
cluding hope ; since it is a complete termination,
and there does not appear to be any thing either
of good or evil beyond it."m And in the same
work, in discussing the question whether a man
can justly be pronounced happy before the end
m Arist. Eth. Nicom. b. iii.

sect 5.] , Revelation of a future state. 31
of his life, he proceeds all along (as indeed is
the case throughout) on the supposition, that
after death a man ceases altogether to exist."
And it should be observed, that his incidental
and oblique allusion to this latter opinion, im
plies (as I have said) much more than if he
had expressly asserted and maintained it ; in
that case he would have borne testimony only
to his own belief; but as it is, we may collect
from his mode of speaking that such was the
prevailing, and generally uncontradicted, belief
of the rest of the world.
Of those philosophers again, who contended
for a future state, it is to be observed, not only
that, as Dr. Paley remarks, they did not, pro
perly speaking, effect a discovery; "it was
only one guess among many ; he only discovers,
who proves ;" but also, that (as has been said
above) their arguments did not fully succeed in
convincing even themselves. Those which at
one time they bring forward as decisive proof,
they seem at another time to regard as hardly
possessing that degree of probability, which, now
" Arist. Eth. Nicom. b. i. See note (A) at the end of
this Essay.

32 Revelation of a future state, [essay r.
that the doctrine is established, most are ready
to allow to them. Cicero especially, who is fre
quently appealed to on this question, we find
distinctly acknowledging, at least in the person
of otie of his disputants, that though, while he
is reading the Phaedo, he feels disposed to assent
to the reasons urged in favour of a future state,
his conviction vanishes as soon as he lays down
the book, and revolves the matter in his own
thoughts ; which was the feeling probably with
which the author himself had written it.° Many
indeed of the deistical writers of modern times
have come to much more decisive conclusions,
on this, and also on many other points, than
the ancients did, and indeed than are fairly war
ranted by any arguments which unassisted reason
can supply ; but this only affords a presumption
of the powerful, though unacknowledged and'
perhaps unperceived, influence which the Gospel
" Not that this inconsistency in their writings arose from a
corresponding hesitation and vacillation in their opinions ; but
evidently from the circumstance that most of them, except the
Epicureans, judged it necessary to keep the vulgar in awe, by
the terrors of another world ; which accordingly they very
gravely set forth and insist on in their popular (exoteric)
works. See note (B) at the end of this Essay.

sect. 5.J Revelation of a future state. 33
revelation has exercised even on the minds of
those who reject it : they have drunk at that
stream of knowledge, which they cannot, or will
not, trace to the real source from which it flows.
Supposing however those of the ancient phi
losophers, who maintained a future state, to have
been more fully convinced themselves of the con
clusions they respectively arrived at, than it
appears they really were, it is evidently necessary
to inquire in the next place, what those con
clusions were, and on what proofs they rested.
The arguments commonly employed by them,
(and also by such deists of the present day as
admit the doctrine,) viz. the distinct nature of
the soul from the corruptible body with which
it is united — the vigour and energy which the
soul sometimes manifests when the body is in
the lowest state of exhaustion, &c. led them
naturally to the inference, that the soul will
continue to exist after death in a separate state,
never to be re-united with matter. They re
presented the body as a kind of prison of the
spiritual part, from which it was to be released
by death ; and the soul accordingly would ener
gize, they supposed, more freely, and enjoy the

34 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
happiness of more exalted contemplation, when
freed from its connexion with gross material
substance. To this it was replied, that the body seems
rather the necessary organ of the soul, than its
prison ; that the effects frequently produced by
external injuries, by the administration of certain
drugs, and by several, though not all, bodily
diseases, sufficiently shew the dependence of the
mental functions on the body; and that the
perceptive powers of the mind, which are the
main source of our knowledge, must apparently
lie dormant, without the intervention of the
bodily senses : p " how," said they, " can the
p Some writers are accustomed to adduce instances of
great mental energy remaining in the midst of bodily decay,
unimpaired even up to the moment of dissolution, as a
proof of the mind's independence on the body. But surely
this is a very incorrect way of reasoning ; especially when
the cases brought forward are manifestly exceptions to the
general rule. To prove that the mental faculties are not
dependent on every part of the bodily organization, does
not authorize us to conclude that they are connected with
no part of it : a disease may attack a vital part of the bodily
system, and yet leave unhurt to the last those parts (sup
posing there are such) which are connected with the exercise
of the mental powers.

sect. 5.] Revelation of a future state. 35
soul enjoy, when the eye and the ear, for instance,
are destroyed, those perceptions which are fur
nished by sight and hearing ?" The whole argu
ment is detailed in Lucretius with considerable
ingenuity ; and though he goes much too far,
in thence concluding that the soul cannot possibly
exist in an active and perceptive state without
the body — much more, when he contends that
it cannot exist at all, (for how can we tell that
other means of perception, such as we have no
notion of, may not be substituted ?) — still it must
be admitted, that he leaves the question in a
doubtful state, and reduces the opposite conclu
sion to no more, at the utmost, than a faint
probability. At least, nothing more can be fairly
claimed for it, till some more satisfactory answer
(drawn from reason, independent of revelation)
can be given to the above objections, than any
that has hitherto appeared.
A well-known argument by illustration, which
has been employed on this subject, will be found
on examination to be less solid than ingenious.
If we suppose, it has been said, a person to have
been kept from his birth in a dark cave, which
admits a portion of light, and a partial view of
d 2

36 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
external objects, only through an aperture in the
wall that closes its entrance, would he not, thus
accustomed to receive all his perceptions through
that aperture, suppose, that this loop-hole is
essential to them, and that if it were destroyed,
he should be left in total obscurity? yet we
know, that if the wall were pulled down, and
the whole cave thrown open, he would enjoy
a fuller light and a much wider prospect. Even
so, we, it is urged, who are accustomed to re
ceive all our perceptions through the medium
of the bodily senses, are apt to suppose, though
with no better reason, that the destruction of
the body would leave us without the means of
perception ; whereas, in fact, the soul might then
be released, as it were, from a cave, and enjoy
a wider sphere of intelligence and of activity.
There is a speciousness in this illustration,
very likely to captivate a superficial inquirer ;
but in fact, if it proves any thing at all, it mili
tates against the conclusion drawn from it. The
fallacy consists in overlooking, (what is com
monly overlooked in many similar cases, into
which much error and confusion of thought are
thus introduced,) that an aperture is a negative

sect. 5.3 Revelation of a future state. 37
idea, implying merely the absence of a certain
portion of opaque matter. The supposed person
in the cave, therefore, would not in reality be
at all mistaken in his notions and expectations ;
for he supposes, not that the opaque substance
of the sides of the cave is necessary to his per
ceptions, but, on the contrary, that the inter
ruption or absence of that opaque body is so ;
in which he would be perfectly right : as he
would also be, in supposing that the destruction
of that aperture would put an end to his per
ception ; since that destruction would be, pro
perly, the closing of the aperture ; not the
throwing down of the walls, which would, in
truth, be an enlargement of it.
Now the body and the bodily senses being
evidently not merely negative ideas, the destruc
tion of them bears no analogy whatever to the
supposed destruction of the cave ; since that cave
itself was never imagined to be, to the person
enclosed, (as the bodily senses are to us,) the
means of conveying knowledge, but, on the
contrary, as far as it extends, of excluding it.
The question then is left, as I have said, by
unaided Reason, in a doubtful state. To the

38 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
Christian, indeed, all this doubt would be in
stantly removed, if he found that the immortality
of the soul, as a disembodied Spirit, were re
vealed to him in the word of God. He cannot
question the power of the great Creator to
prolong, in any way He may see fit, the life
He originally gave : but this is very different
from arriving at the conclusion by the evidence
which unassisted reason can supply.
In fact, however, no such doctrine is revealed
to us ; the Christian's hope, as founded on the
promises contained in the Gospel, is, the resur
rection of the body ;q a doctrine which seems
never to have occurred (nor indeed was likely
to occur, from any contemplation of the change
from night to day, and from summer to winter)
to any of the heathen. Indeed, when any of
them are struck by, and notice, any phenomenon
in nature that has the appearance of a revival,
they are struck by it as a contrast to the sup
posed fate of man. Thus we find a Greek poet,
in bewailing a departed friend, lamenting, that
while the herbs of the garden, which appear
11 See note (C) at the end of this Essay.

sect. 5.] Revelation of a future state. 39
dead, shoot up in the succeeding spring, man,
on the contrary, who appears a Being of so
much greater dignity, when dead, is doomed to
live no more/
" The meanest herb we trample in the field,
Or in the garden nurture, when its leaf
In autumn dies, forebodes another Spring,
And from brief slumber wakes to life again :
Man wakes no more : Man, peerless, valiant, wise,
Once chilled by death, sleeps hopeless in the dust,
A long unbroken, never-ending sleep." GlSBORNE.
As, however, even the faintest conjecture of a
future existence, though it must not be con
founded with a full assurance of it, is, as far as
it goes, an approximation towards the knowledge
of truth, so, also, notions considerably incorrect
respecting that existence, if they are but such as
to involve the idea of enjoyment or suffering,
corresponding with men's conduct9 in this life,
r 'Ottkote Trpara Baviofieq, avcucooi iv -)(6ovl KolXa
VvBo/xeQ eZ /xaXa fiaicpdv, ATEPMONA, NETPETON
vttvov. Mosch. Epit. Bionis.
8 I mean, virtuous and vicious conduct respectively ; else
the doctrine may even do harm instead of good. See § 9,

40 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
have so far something of a just foundation, and
of a tendency to practical utility. This, how
ever, appears by no means to have been the
case with the systems of any, as far as we can
learn, of those ancient philosophers, who con
tended the most strenuously for the immortality
of the soul. For not only do they seem to have
agreed, that no suffering could be expected by
the wicked in another life, on the ground that
the gods were incapable of anger, and therefore
could not punish ; ' but the very notion of the
soul's immortality, as explained by them, in
volved the complete destruction of distinct per
sonal existence. Their notion was, (I mean,
when they spoke their real sentiments; for in
their exoteric or popular works they often incul
cate, for the benefit of the vulgar, the doctrine of
future retribution, which they elsewhere laugh
at,) that the soul of each man is a portion of that
Spirit which pervades the Universe," to which
it is reunited at death, and becomes again an
undistinguishable part of the great whole ; just
' Cic. de Off. lib. iii. chap. 28, &c. &c.
" See note (D) at the end of this Essay.

sect. 5.3 Revelation of a future state. 41
as the body is resolved into the general mass of
matter.1 So that their immortality, or rather
eternity, of the soul, was anterior as well as
posterior ; as it was to have no end, so it had
no beginning ; and the boasted continuance of
existence, which according to this system we
are to expect after death, consists in returning
to the state in which we were before birth;
which, every one must perceive, is the same
thing, virtually, with annihilation.
Let it be remembered then, when the argu
ments of the heathen Sages are triumphantly
brought forward in proof of the soul's immor
tality, that when they countenanced the doctrine
of future retribution, they taught, with a view to
political expediency, what they did not them
selves believe : and that when they spoke their
real sentiments on the subject, the eternity of
existence which they expected, as it implied the
destruction of all distinct personality, amounted,
practically, to nothing at all.
x "Whatever there is," says Cicero, (Fragm. de Conso-
latione,) " that perceives, that exercises judgment, that wills,
is of celestial nature, and jlivine i and for that reason it must
of necessity be eternal."

42 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
§ 6. It is not unlikely, that in thus depre
ciating the power of unassisted reason to ascertain
the truth of a future life, I shall be suspected of
favouring some opinions against which much
clamour has been raised, viz. that the Soul is
naturally mortal — incapable of an existence con
tinued after our dissolution, except from the
express decree of the Creator ; and that it is a
Material Substance, or an Attribute of Matter.
It were to be wished that those who have
agitated these questions (and indeed many
others) had begun by distinctly ascertaining
what they were disputing about ; which nei
ther of the parties appear to have attended to.
For my own part, I must frankly acknowledge,
that I do not understand the questions. If by
" nature " is meant the course in which the
Author and Governor of all things proceeds in
his works, (which is the only meaning I am
able to attach to it,) then, to say that the souls
of men, if God has appointed that they shall
exist for ever, are naturally immortal, is not
only an undeniable, but an identical proposi
tion : it is only saying that the appointments of
Omnipotence will surely take effect. If on the

sect. 6.] Revelation of a future state. 43
other hand, when it is said that the Soul is natu
rally mortal, nothing more is meant than that
its existence is maintained after death solely by
the agency of divine power; this also I should
be disposed not only fully to admit, but to extend
to our present existence also ; " for in God we
live, and move, and have our being :" I cannot
myself conceive what are called physical causes
to possess power, in the strict sense of the
word ; y or to be capable of maintaining, more
7 It is a remarkable circumstance, that both in the Greek
and Latin languages, nouns of the neuter gender, i. e. con
sidered as denoting things, and not persons, (for though many,
really, inanimate objects were expressed by masculine and
feminine nouns, they were personified by the very circum
stance, of sex being attributed to them,) invariably had the
nominative and accusative the same ; or rather, may be said
to have had an accusative only, employed as a nominative
when the grammatical construction required it ; for the
nominative, so called, of neuter nouns, corresponds to the
accusative (if to any case) of masculines ; e.g. the accusative
of "dominus" is "dominum;" and accordingly, under the
same declension we have " regn-um," both nominative and
accusative. A rule of this kind, extending without exception
to several declensions, and both numbers, in two languages,
can hardly be a mere accident. May it not have arisen
from an indistinct consciousness that a person only can really
be an agent, ; a mere thing, being, in truth, only acted upon ?

44 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
than of first producing, the system of the uni
verse ; whose continued existence, no less than
its origin, seems to me to depend on the con
tinual operation of the great Creator. The Laws
of Nature, as they are called, presuppose (as Dr.
Paley remarks) an Agent ; since they are " the
modes in which that Agent operates ;". they can
not be the cause of their own observance.
The principles here touched upon (which it
would be foreign to the present purpose to ex
plain and defend) may, I am aware, be disputed
by many who are far from having any leaning
towards atheism ; but that they are at all of a
mischievous tendency, even if erroneous, can
hardly be contended by any one of the smallest
degree of candour.
The question again respecting the Materiality
of the soul, is one which I am also at a loss to
And may not the same cause have led to the practice, in Greek,
of joining a neuter plural with a verb in the singular?
I throw out this suggestion with a full expectation that
by many it will be derided as fanciful; but they cannot deny
that the phenomenon exists, and must have some cause ; and
it must be allowed that at least the most decisive objection
to any proposed solution of it, is, to offer a better.

sect. 6.] Revelation of a future state. 45
understand clearly, till it shall have been clearly
determined what matter is. We know nothing
of it, any more than of Mind, except its Attri
butes; and (let it not be forgotten) the most
remarkable of these are not ascertained. Whe
ther Gravitation be an essential quality of matter
is still a question, and likely to remain so, among
natural philosophers ; who accordingly are di
vided in opinion whether those commonly called
imponderable Substances, Heat, Light, and Elec
tricity, are Substances at all, or not. At any
rate, let not the truths of Religion be rested on
any decision respecting subtle questions which
belong to the Natural-philosopher or the Meta
physician, not the Theologian ; nor let our hopes'
in God's promises be mixed up with debates
about Extension, and Gravitation, and Form.
The Scriptures in these points leave us just
where they found us; giving no explanation of
the nature of the Soul, but giving us instead,
what is far more important, an assurance that we
are destined to live for ever. That this is impos
sible, and that no revelation is to be received,
however attested, which contains this doctrine,
we may be assured no metaphysical arguments

46 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
will ever prove : and it is on the other hand, I
think, equally out of the power of metaphysical
arguments to prove the contrary ; — to establish,
without the aid of divine revelation, the certainty
of a future immortality : for if otherwise, whence
is it that the wisest of men, when fairly left to
themselves, never did arrive at the conclusion,
by any arguments which were satisfactory even
to themselves ? For it should not be forgotten,
among other considerations, that none of those
who contend for the natural immortality of the
Soul, on the ground of its distinct nature from
the Body, — its incapability of decomposition, &c.
have been able to extricate themselves from one
difficulty, viz. that all their arguments apply,
with exactly the same force, to prove an immor
tality not only of brutes, but even of plants ;
though in such a conclusion as this, they were
never willing to acquiesce.
Let it be observed, however, once more, that
the full assurance of man's immortality is what
is here spoken of; which must be carefully dis
tinguished from probable conjecture. It is not
denied that arguments have been adduced in
favour of this conclusion, which may have been,

sect. 6.] Revelation of a future state. 47
more or less, convincing to many ; some of which
are justly regarded as possessing considerable
weight ; and others have been reckoned such,
though perhaps without sufficient grounds. It
must not be forgotten, however, that most men
are very incompetent judges of the force of any
argument which tends to a conclusion of which
they are already well assured ; and are prone
to consider as perfectly clear and decisive, such
a train of reasoning as would never have pre
vailed with themselves, if proposed to them while
in a state of doubt. When Columbus had dis
covered the New World, he found men (accord
ing to the well-known anecdote told of him)
who thought it easy to prove beyond a doubt,
d priori, that such a country must exist ; but they
forgot that they had not seen the force of these
arguments till the discovery had been made.
Of the arguments just alluded to, that which
proceeds on the disorder and irregularity ap
parent in the present world, and the necessity of
a future state of retribution, to vindicate the
divine justice, would be indeed most satisfac
tory, if it involved a solution of the great and

48 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
perplexing question (intimately connected with
it) respecting the origin of Evil : but though it
may seem to remove the difficulty one step
further off, it does not in any degree explain or
lessen it ; " the expectation that at the day of
harvest the tares shall be rooted up and burnt,
does not at all explain why they were allowed
to be sown among the wheat. That there are
wicked men, experience teaches us ; and that
they shall be punished, the Scriptures teach us ;
nor is there any ground for cavilling at this
doctrine, since it involves no greater difficulty
than the other, which we cannot but admit ;
but it does not explain the fact ; nor are we
therefore authorized to infer, a priori, indepen
dent of Revelation, a future state of retribution,
from the irregularities prevailing in the present
life ; since that future state does not account
The Scriptures, it should be observed, leave the question
concerning the origin of evil just where they find it: Reve
lation neither introduces, the difficulty, as some weak op
ponents contend ; nor clears it up, and accounts for it, as is
imagined by some not less weak advocates.
I have entered into a fuller discussion of this point in the
Appendix, No. 2, to the last edition of Dr. King's Sermon on
Predestination.

sect. 6.] Revelation of a future state. 49
fully for those irregularities. It may explain
indeed how present evil may be conducive to
future good; but not, why the good could not
be attained without the evil : it may reconcile
with our notions of the divine justice, the present
prosperity of the wicked ; but it does not account
for the existence of the wicked.
There is much more weight in the argument,
that Man (at least, civilized and cultivated Man)
not only is capable of a continued course of im
provement, which must be cut short by death,
but also has a painful apprehension of this, and a
disposition to entertain hopes and fears respecting
something after death ; and that, consequently,
on the supposition of no future state, the Brutes,
who enjoy the present moment without any
apprehensions and anxieties about futurity, and
who arrive at once at the perfection of their na
ture, must be much better off than Man, and
much better fitted for their condition than we are
for ours, since our Rational Nature thus forms
an impediment to our satisfaction. Since, there
fore, such a constitution of things would be a
manifest exception to the general course of nature,
e

50 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
inasmuch as, in all other cases, each Being seems
admirably adapted to the kind of existence to
which it is destined, the inference drawn is, that
the present life is not likely to be the whole of
man's existence.
This argument, though it can scarcely be con
sidered as decisive, possesses, as has been said, a
considerable degree of probability : but it should
be observed, that, allowing the utmost force both
to this argument and to the one above mentioned,
though they lead to the inference of a future state
qf existence, yet they have little, if any, force in
proving a future immortality. And it is remark
able, that the northern mythology of our Teutonic
ancestors (how far it obtained sincere acceptance,
we have no sufficient means of judging) repre
sented the glories enjoyed by the brave in the hall
of Odin, as of long continuance, indeed, but des
tined to. have an end, and to last only
" Till Lok shall burst his seven-fold chain,
And Night resume her ancient reign ;"
when the gods themselves, with all the heroes
who were the objects of their favour, should be
overpowered by their adversaries, and finally

sect. 7. J Revelation of a future state. 51
annihilated. And the Grecian mythology also
represented the happiness of Elysium as of limited
duration.

§ 7. The case of the Jews evidently presents a
distinct question, inasmuch as they did possess
a divine revelation. The supposition that they
were acquainted, through that revelation, with
the doctrine of a future state, does not militate
with the conclusion* that unassisted reason is
inadequate to the discovery ; but it certainly is at
variance with the full and literal acceptation of
the assertion, that " Jesus Christ brought life and
immortality to light through the Gospel."
That the Mosaic law did contain the revelation
in question, has been maintained, as is well known,
by many learned men ; and the illustrious author
of "The. Divine Legation" has been assailed by
many of them, with much acrimony, for denying
that position. It has been contended, that it is
" derogatory to God's honour, and injurious to
the Mosaic dispensation, &c. to acknowledge no
revelation of a future state in the Law :" and
expressions like these may, perhaps, afford a clue
to the origin of the opinion held by those who use
e 2

52 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
them. For it is probable, that it is the cavils,
actual or apprehended, of infidels, against so im
portant an omission in the communication made
to God's favoured people, that have contributed
mainly to suggest a reply which consists in a denial
of the fact of such omission : a defence, unfortu
nately, which gives a great apparent advantage
to the adversary, by enabling him to cavil, with
much better reason, at the very inadequate manner
in which this purpose was accomplished — at the
few, and scanty, and obscure intimations of the
doctrine, which the Law contains, even admitting
every text which has ever been adduced on that side
of the question, to be interpreted in the manner
most favourable to it.
And this argument, if duly considered, will be
found of such weight, as to amount, in fairness, to
a decision of the question ; to prove, that is, not,
of course, that Moses was an impostor, but that,
on the supposition of his not being such — in other
words, of his being divinely inspired — he could
not have been commissioned to inculcate the doc
trine of a future state.
For, let it be considered, in the first place,
that, as the condition of the departed is unseen,

sect. 7.] Revelation of a future state. 53
and as the rewards and punishments of a future
life are not only comparatively remote, but also
must be considered as of a nature very dif
ferent from any thing we can have experienced ;
from all these causes, it is found necessary that
the most repeated assurances and admonitions
should be employed, even towards those who have
received the doctrine on the most satisfactory
authority. A Christian minister, accordingly, in
these days, finds that his hearers require to be
perpetually reminded of this truth, to which they
have long since given their assent ; and that even,
with all the pains he takes to inculcate it, in every
different mode, he is still but very partially
successful in drawing off men's attention from
the things of this world, and fixing it on the
" unseen things, that are eternal." Much more
must this have been the case with the Israelites
whom Moses was addressing, who were so dull
and gross-minded, so childishly short-sighted and
sensual, that even the immediate miraculous pre
sence of God among them, of whose judgments
and deliverances they had been eye-witnesses, was
insufficient to keep them steady in their allegiance
to Him. Even the temporal sanctions of the Law,

54 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
—the plenty and famine,— the victory and defeat,
and all the other points of that alternative of
worldly prosperity and adversity which was set
before them— things in their nature so much more
easily comprehended by an unthinking and bar
barous people, and so much more suited to their
tastes* — it was found necessary to detail with the
utmost minuteness, and to repeat and remind them
of, in the most impressive manner, in a vast num
ber of different passages. a
Is not, then, the conclusion inevitable, that, if
to such a people, the doctrine of future retribution
had been to be revealed, or any traditional know
ledge of it confirmed, we should have found it
still more explicitly stated, and still more fre
quently repeated ? And when, instead of any
thing like this, we have set before us a few scat
tered texts, which, it is contended, allude to or
imply this doctrine, can it be necessary even to
examine whether they are rightly so interpreted ?
Surely it is a sufficient reply to say, that if Moses
had intended to inculcate such a doctrine, he
would have clearly stated and dwelt on it in
almost every page. Nor is it easy to conceive,
* See note (E) at the end of this Essay.

sect. 7.] Revelation of a future state. 55
how any man of even ordinary intelligence, and
not blinded by devoted attachment to an hypo
thesis, can attentively peruse the books of the
Law, abounding, as they do, with such copious
descriptions of the temporal rewards and punish
ments (in their own nature so palpable) which
sanctioned that Law, and with such earnest ad
monitions grounded on that sanction, and yet can
bring himself seriously to believe, that the doc
trine of a state of retribution after death, which it
cannot be contended is even mentioned, however
slightly, in more than a very few passages, formed
a part of the Mosaic revelation.
And if any one, from a mistaken zeal to vindicate
the honour of God's Law against infidels, persists
in maintaining that this was intended, how will
he reply to the cavil they will immediately raise,
against the glaringly inadequate way of fulfilling
such an intention? Thus it is, that when men
rashly presume to distort the plain meaning of
Scripture, for the sake of defending our reli
gion against unsound objections, they expose it to
more powerful ones, which they have left them
selves without the means of answering.
An unwise attempt to combat Socinian doc-

56 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
trines also, has probably contributed to produce
the same bias in the minds of some, whose
abilities and learning would else have led them
to judge more fairly of the sense of Scripture.
When it is urged against Socinians, that on their
hypothesis, which explains away the doctrine of
the Atonement into a mere figure of speech, the
Gospel-revelation would seem to be of little or
no importance, they usually reply, that it esta
blished the belief of future retribution. The
ready answer to this appears to be, that this
belief was already taught in the Old Testament ;
an assertion which some of the opponents of So-
cinianism have accordingly undertaken to esta
blish ; in conformity with the too common
practice, of eagerly catching at any argument
which seems to bear against an adversary, with
out stopping to inquire first whether it is well-
founded. And this carelessness about Truth
seldom fails to be in the end injurious to its
cause. In the present case, for instance, the
Socinian may immediately reply, " you have fur
nished a decisive refutation of the doctrine that
eternal life is procured by the Sacrifice of Christ,
and is offered us only through faith in his

sect. 8.] Revelation of a future state. 57
Atonement ; since to the Jews, certainly, the
efficacious sufferings of the Messiah were not
revealed ; at least, not so as to be understood
by the mass of the People ; to whom there
fore eternal life must have been held out (if
at all, as you contend it was) as the direct
reward of obedience. The conclusion therefore
is inevitable, that unless what Moses taught
was false, your account of the Gospel must be
false." § 8. Although, however, it has not been deemed
necessary here to examine all the passages in the
Books of Moses which have been interpreted
as relating to a future state, it will be needful
to say a few words respecting that one which is
cited by our Lord himself against the Sadducees,
in proof of the doctrine : " Now that the dead
are raised," says He, " even Moses sheweth at
the bush,b when he saith, I am the God of Abra
ham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob ; He is not the God of the dead, but
b " At the bush :" this seems to have been the usual
mode of reference to any particular passage of Scripture,
before the division into chapters and verses was introduced.

58 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
of the living, for all live unto Him;" and, for
not having drawn this inference, He charges
them with " not knowing the Scriptures :" whence
it has very rashly been concluded, that the Scrip
tures He alluded to were intended to reveal this
doctrine. But can any man of common sense
seriously believe, that such a passage as the one
before us (which we may suppose was selected
by our Lord as at least one of those most to the
purpose) could be sufficient to make known to a
rude and unthinking people, such as the Israelites
when Moses addressed them, the strange and
momentous truth, that the " dead are raised ?" —
that one of the most important parts of the reve
lation given them (which it must have been,
if it were any part of it) could have been left
to rest on an oblique and incidental implication,
while the far simpler and more obvious doctrine
of temporal rewards and punishments, was so
plainly and so laboriously inculcated?0 But, in
fact, our Lord's declaration by no means amounts
to this : the Sadducees of his time had heard
' It should be observed that the argument deduced from
this passage, seems to have struck our Lord's hearers by its
novelty.

sect. 8. J Revelation of a future state. 59
of the doctrine ; d no matter from what quarter ;
and their part evidently was, to examine patiently
and candidly whether it were true or not ; and
this, especially, by a careful study of the sacred
books which they acknowledged, in order to
judge whether it were conformable to these, or
not. But a passage, which may be decisive of a
certain question, when consulted with a view to
that question, may be utterly insufficient for the
far different purpose of making known, in the
first instance, the truth which it thus confirms.
The error of confounding together these two
things, gives rise to numberless mistakes in
other points besides the one now before us. In
fact, it is this very fallacy which has principally
misled men throughout, with respect to the
general question we are considering, as well as
in many other doctrines of our religion.6 Hu
man reason is considered as sufficiently strong to
d See Hawkins on Tradition, p. 66.
e " Nam neque tam est acris acies in naturis hominum et
ingeniis, ut res tantas quisquam, nisi monstratas, possit videre ;
neque tanta tamen in rebus obscuritas, ut eas non penitus,
acri vir ingenio, cernat, si modo adspexerit." Cic. de Orat.
lib. hi. c. 31.

60 Revelation of a future state, [essay i,
discover the doctrine of a future state, because
when the doctrine has been proposed to our
belief by revelation, it perceives probabilities
in favour of it : and the same with many other
doctrines also. And thus it is, that a system
of what is called Natural Religion is dressed up,
as it were, with the spoils of revelation ; and is
made such, as men, when fairly left to them
selves, and actually guided by the light of nature
alone, never did attain to. And then, this Na
tural Religion is made by some the standard by
which they interpret the declarations of Scrip
ture; which is, in fact, correcting an original
from an incorrect and imperfect transcript.
It would be tedious, and, after what has
been said, I trust, unnecessary, to cite, as might
easily be done, a multitude of passages from the
Old Testament, in which a reference to the ex
pectations of a future state would have been
apposite, and almost inevitable, had the belief
of such a doctrine prevailed ; f or to examine
those few texts in the New as well as the Old
Testament which have been brought forward to
prove that a future state was revealed to the
I ' See Isaiah xxxviii. 18, 19, &c.

sect. 8.3 Revelation of a future state. 61
Jews. The sixth book of Warburton's Divine
Legation contains a copious and learned discus
sion of this part of the subject ; but no one can
enter into such an examination, with any thing like
a full and fair view of the question, who does not
completely embrace, and steadily keep in mind,
the argument already adduced, and on which
the conclusion mainly rests ; viz. that an unthink
ing and uncultivated people, such as the Israelites
whom Moses addressed, must have needed, if
it had been designed to reveal to them a future
state, (or even to confirm and establish such a
doctrine already received,) that it should be per
petually repeated,8 and inculcated in the most
s All admit that Moses does hold out, and dwell upon,
temporal promises and threatenings : but the frequency and
earnestness with which he enforces this sanction (and on that
it is that the present argument turns) is often under-rated ;
few being accustomed to read the books of the Law straight
through ; and those who do so, being of course inclined to
pass over slightly, any passage which plainly appears to be
merely a repetition of what had been before said; whereas
it is this very repetition that is the most important for the
present purpose. I have accordingly subjoined (note (E) at
the end of this Essay) all these passages ; that the reader
may be enabled to estimate the more easily their extra
ordinary number and copiousness.

62 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
copious and the clearest manner ; that, conse
quently, since this is not done, it must be con
sidered as, at least, highly improbable that such
a revelation to them should have been intended.;
and that therefore, in the case of any doubtful
passages, which will admit of, but do not abso
lutely require, an interpretation favourable to
the affirmative side, (which is the one our own
habits of thought would naturally at. first sug
gest,) a different interpretation must be allowed
to be, antecedently* more probable.
§ 9. Why Moses was not commissioned to
reveal this momentous truth, is a question that
cannot fail to occur to one who is pursuing such
an inquiry as the present ; and it is a question
which we are not competent completely to an
swer, because we cannot presume to explain
why the Gospel, which "brought life and im
mortality to light," was reserved for that precise
period at which it was proclaimed; but, that
inquiry — why a different and more imperfect
dispensation was needful to prepare the way for
the Gospel, — being waived, as one surpassing
man's knowledge and powers, it is easy to per-

sect. 9.] Revelation of a future state. 63
ceive, that the revelation of the doctrine in the
Mosaic law, would have been neither necessary
nor proper. It was not necessary, for the pur
pose of affording a sanction to the law of Moses,
because the Israelites alone, of all the nations
of the world, were under an extraordinary pro
vidence, distributing temporal rewards and judg
ments according to their conduct. The necessary
foundation therefore of all religion, " that God
is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him,"
did not require, as it must in all other nations,
the belief in a future retribution, to remedy all
the irregularities of God's ordinary providence,
which, among this peculiar people, did not exist,
at least, in the same degree and form as among
all others. h Nor again would it have been proper
for Moses, (commissioned as he was, to promul
gate, not the Gospel, but the Law,") to proclaim
that life and Immortality which the Gospel (as
had been, no doubt, revealed to him) was destined
to " bring to light ;'' much less, to represent
eternal happiness as attainable otherwise than
through the redemption by Christ, which the
h See a discourse on " National Blessings and Judgments,"
delivered before the University, and published together with
four others.

64 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
Gospel holds out as the Only efficacious means of
procuring it."
On this last point, a few observations will be
offered presently ; but in the meantime it may be
remarked, that the slight hints of this doctrine
which the books of the prophets contain, — the
faint dawnings, as it were, of a scheme, which
was to bring " life and immortality to light," — and
which appear more and more bright as they
approached the period of that more perfect reve
lation, are in perfect consistency with the rule I
have supposed Moses to have observed ; since
it is in proportion as they gave more and more
clear notices of the Redeemer to come, and in
almost constant conjunction with their descrip
tions of his mission, that the immortal life, to
which He was to open the road and lead the way,
is alluded to by the prophets ; and also, in
proportion as the extraordinary and regular
' See note (F) at the end of this Essay. Had eternal
life been offered as the reward of obedience to the law, so
that the mission of Christ served only to relax the terms of
the covenant, in favour of those who transgressed the Law,
surely the apostle Paul's expression would have been, (the
very reverse of what he uses,) " For what then serveth the
GOSPEL? it was added because of transgressions."

sect. 9. J Revelation of a future state. 65
administration of divine government in this world,
by which the law had been originally sanctioned,
and under which the Jews had hitherto lived,
was gradually withdrawn. That it was in these
writings, and not in those of Moses, that the
Jews must have sought for indications of a future
state, is strongly confirmed by the opinion of
that celebrated and learned divine, Joseph Mede,
who declares, that he cannot tell on what Scrip
ture authority the Jewish Church could found
their belief in a future state, except the well-
known passage in Daniel : (chap. xii. ver. 2.)
and even of that it may be observed, that it
does not necessarily imply a resurrection of all
men. Doubtless it did not escape Mede, that
there are in the other prophets many allusions
to a future state, which were so understood by
the inspired authors themselves ; as they are by
us Christian readers ; but it does not follow
that the great mass of the people — any besides
the studious and discerning few — would be able
clearly to perceive such meaning ; especially when
a different interpretation of those very passages,
applicable to temporal deliverances, might, with
out destroying their sense, be adopted. Nothing
F

66 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
appears to us more evident, than the description
in Isaiah, for instance, of a suffering Messiah ;
yet we well know, that a prosperous and tri
umphant temporal prince was generally expected
by the Jews; and that the frustration of this
hope was the grand stumbling-block of the un
believing among them.
So also, many passages of the prophets, which
convey to Christians, who have enjoyed the Gos
pel-revelation, the intimation of a future state,
(at least in their secondary sense,) might very
easily be otherwise understood ; or, at least,
might appear not decisive, to those who lived
before Jesus Christ had " abolished death, and
brought life and immortality to light through the
Gospel." It has been however contended that " the doc
trine of a future state was always entertained by
the Israelites, though not expressly declared in
the Mosaic law;" — that the silence of Moses
would not eradicate their belief; — and that if
they had been ignorant of it, they could not have
been said with truth to "have much advantage
every way" over the Gentiles : but would have
been their inferiors in point of religious know-

sect. 9. J Revelation qf a future state. 67
ledge, inasmuch as the doctrine formed a part
of " the universal religion of mankind." But
surely, even on the supposition (which I do not
maintain) that the whole nation of Israel utterly
disbelieved a future state, the Gentiles cannot be
said to have had much advantage over them in
point of religious knowledge, from believing, if
they really had believed, what they seem to
have but very faintly suspected, the current
fables (for they were no better) respecting an
other world; viz. that admission into a place of
happiness after death was to be procured by
piety towards the gods ; including under that
term, acts of the foulest impurity, and the most
infernal cruelty : by. due obedience, for instance,
to the divine institutions of Cotytto, the Baby
lonish Venus, who sentenced every female with
out exception to become a prostitute for hire ;
and by human sacrifices at the tomb of the
defunct. Let no one forget, that such notions
of piety were not confined to barbarous nations :
even Aristotle, in his projected republic, in which
he wisely prohibits the exhibition of indecent
objects to youth, is forced to limit himself to the
exclusion of young persons from the temples of
F 2

68 Revelation of a future states [essay i.
those gods, of whose worship such exhibitions
formed a necessary part. And the anecdote of
Cato is well known, who withdrew from the
theatre, that his presence might not interrupt
the sacred impurities of a religious festival.
Truly " every abomination of the Lord which
He hateth, have those nations done unto their
gods:" and the expectation of future happiness
from such gods and such services, could hardly
have been reckoned either as religious know
ledge, or as an advantage in point of faith.
On the actual belief, however, of the great
mass of the Israelites, We have no means of de
ciding positively ; but if any one should sup
pose most of them to have thought little or
nothing, one way or the other, about what
should become of them after death, nor conse
quently to have either believed or disbelieved,
properly speaking, the doctrine in question,
his conjecture certainly would not be at variance
with the representations Moses gives of the
grossness of ideas, and puerile short-sightedness
of the nation ; who, while fed by a daily miracle,
and promised the especial favour of the Maker
of the universe, had their minds set on " the

sect. 9.] Revelation of a future state. 69
flesh-pots of Egypt, and the fish, and the cucum
bers, and the leeks." Christians of these days
are not surely more gross-minded and unthink
ing than those Israelites ; but every one, at
least every Minister who is sedulous in his
duties, must know, that a large proportion of
them require to be incessantly reminded, that
this life is not the whole of their existence ;
though the doctrine be one which is "expressly
declared " in their religion ; and that silence on
that subject is quite sufficient, if not to eradicate
from their minds all belief, at least to put an end
to all thought, about the matter.
There is no doubt, however, that some con
siderable time before our Lord's advent, the
belief in a future state did become prevalent
(though, as the case of the Sadducees proves,
not universal) among the Jews. In the second
book of Maccabees, a work of small authority
indeed as a history, but affording sufficient evi
dence of the opinions of the writer and his contem
poraries, we find not only unequivocal mention of
the doctrine, (though, by the way, not as an
undisputed point,) but persons represented as
actuated by the motives which such a doctrine

70 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
naturally suggests; which doubtless we should,
sometimes at least, have met with also in the
historical books of the Old Testament, had the
same belief prevailed all along. And our Lord
himself alludes to the prevailing opinion of the
generality of those whom he addresses : " Search
the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eter
nal life, and they are they that testify of me :" as
much as to say, the very prophets who allude to
the doctrine of eternal life, do likewise foretell the
coming and describe the character of me, the
Bestower of it ; these two parts of their inspired
word hang together ; he who is blind to the one,
can found no rational hope on the other ; since
" I am the way, and the truth, and the life," and
" he that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath
not the Son hath not life." This passage, indeed,
as well as the others to the same purpose in. the
New Testament, though they imply the preva
lence of this tenet among the Jews, and the
general sincerity and strength of their conviction,
do not by any means imply either that this their
confident expectation was wellfounded on Scrip
tural evidence, or that their notions respecting a
future life were correct. Had these last two

sect. 9. J Revelation of a future state. 71
circumstances been superadded (which is evidently
impossible) to the general sincere reception of
the doctrine, it could not have been said, with
any propriety, that " Christ abolished death, and
brought life and immortality to light through the
Gospel." The truth probably is, that, as the indications
of a future state, which are to be found in the
prophets, are mostly such as will admit of an
interpretation referring them to a promise of
temporal deliverance, those persons would most
naturally so understand them, in the first in
stance at least, who were so "slow of heart"
as to the prophecies respecting the Messiah, as
to expect in him a glorious temporal prince only ;
while those who were more intelligent, and took
in the spiritual sense of the prophecies relating to
Him, would be led to put the spiritual interpre
tation on the other also. I say, in the first
instance, because when the belief of a future state
had been introduced, from whatever quarter, and
did prevail, all who held it, would naturally
interpret in that sense whatever passages in their
Scriptures seemed to confirm it. But it does not
follow, that such a belief was correct, even when

72 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
supported by an appeal to passages of Scripture
which really do relate to the doctrine in question ;
for, if one part of a scheme be understood literally
and carnally, and another part spiritually, the
result will be a most erroneous compound; if
eternal life be understood to be promised, but
the character and kingdom of Christ, who was to
bring it to light and procure it, be misunderstood,
the faith thus formed will be essentially incorrect.
'¦ In fact, all the temporal promises of the Mosaic
law have a spiritual signification. The land of
Canaan, and the victory and prosperity to which
the Israelites were invited, are types of the future
glories prepared by Christ for his followers ; but,
then, the Law, which they were to observe as their
part of the covenant, with all its sacrifices and
purifications, had a corresponding spiritual sig
nification also; being types of the redeeming
sacrifice of Christ, and of the faith and holiness
of heart required of his followers. Those who
understood both parts literally, were right as far
as they went ; for the observance of the Law did
literally bring those promised temporal blessings
as a reward ; and these also are right, and are
further enlightened, who perceive the spiritual

sect. 9.] Revelation of a future state. 73
signification of both parts : but it is an error to
couple the spiritual interpretation of one part
with the literal interpretation of the other; as
those of the Jews did, who imagined that eternal
life was the promised reward of obedience to the
Law of Moses, and who looked for immortal hap
piness as the sanction of a religion to be propa
gated and upheld by a temporal Messiah.
This incongruous mixture of part of the shadow
with part of the substance, appears to have been
an error of the Jews of our Lord's time, which
not only prevented most of them from believing
in Him, but, in a great degree, clung to those
even who admitted his pretensions. The efficacy
of the observance of the Law in procuring the
blessings of the life to come, blessings which
were never promised as any part of the sanction
of that Law, was so inveterate a persuasion
among them, that they were for super-adding
these extinct legal observances to their faith in
Christ ; and even persuaded many of the Gentile
converts (among the Galatians especially), that
their profession of Christianity required them to
" be circumcised and keep the Law " as a condition
of salvation.

74 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
So far, then, as any of the Jews disjoined the
prophetic annunciations of immortality from those
relating to the spiritual kingdom of Christ, and
looked for eternal rewards, as earned by obedience
to the Mosaic Law, so far their expectations were
groundless, their faith erroneous ; even though
resting on the authority of such parts of Scripture
as, in a different sense, do relate to the doctrine
in question.
An error, not unlike this, prevails among some
Christians ; who look for a complete revelation of
Gospel-truth in every book of the Old Testa
ment : as if a series of letters from a father to
his son, from his childhood to his mature age,
were to be confusedly blended together, and it
were contended, as necessary to vindicate the con
sistency of the writer, that all, from the earliest'
to the latest, should contain the very same in
structions. It is highly probable, however, that the belief
of a future state, as it prevailed among the Jews
in our Lord's time, and for a considerable period
before, was not, properly speaking, drawn from
their Scriptures in the first instance — was not
founded on the few faint hints to be met with in

sect. 10. J Revelation of a future state. 75
their prophets ; though these were evidently
called in to support it ; but was the gradual
result of a combination of other causes with these
imperfect revelations. For otherwise there would
surely have been some notice in the books of
Ezra and Nehemiah (written after all the most
important prophecies had been delivered) of so
mighty a revolution having taken place in the
minds of the Jews of their time, as a change from
ignorance to a full conviction, on so momentous a
point, by a supposed decisive revelation.
§ 10. Respecting the details of the rise and
prevalence of the doctrine of a future state
among the great majority of the Jews, the scan
tiness of historical authority leaves us chiefly to
our own conjectures. Without entering at large
into a disquisition which must, after all, be
obscured by much uncertainty, it may be allow
able to suggest, that the Jews were likely to be
much influenced by the probable arguments (for
it has been admitted that there are such) which
their own reason partly supplied, and which they
partly learned from the neighbouring nations, with
whom (and with some of the more enlightened and

76 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
intelligent of them) they had much more, and
much more extensive, intercourse after the cap
tivity than before. Nor does such a supposition
militate, as might, at first sight, be suspected,.
against what was formerly advanced respecting
the prevailing disbelief among the heathen, of
the popular fables of Elysium and Tartarus, and
respecting the emptiness of the pretended immor
tality of the soul, held by philosophers ; who
thought that it was to be re-absorbed into the
substance of the Deity, from which it had been
separated, and to have no longer any distinct
personal existence. For, whatever their belief
might be, they would be likely, in any discussion
with their Jewish neighbours, to set forth either
such arguments as occurred to them in favour
of a future retribution, which undoubtedly was
a part of the religion they professed, or such
pretended proofs of the natural and necessary
immortality of the soul, as their schools sup
plied. And such discussions we cannot but
suppose must have been frequent; since the in
tercourse of the dispersed Jews with the Gentiles
was such as to lead to the disuse of their own
language, and the consequent necessity of a

sect. 10. J Revelation of a future state. 77
translation of their Scriptures into Greek. Now
the Jews, who claimed to be favoured with
an authentic revelation of God's will, and to be
his peculiar people, could not have been satisfied
to rest their pretensions to such superiority, and
their boast of its advantages, on the extraordinary
providence under which their ancestors had lived,
but which seems to have been nearly, if not en
tirely withdrawn from themselves ; but would be
likely to set up a rival claim to that of the Pagan
religions, and to produce from their Scriptures
every thing that might seem to favour the hope
of a future reward. And this, not insincerely;
for the very circumstance of the withdrawing of
that miraculous providence under which their
nation had formerly lived, would lead them to the
expectation of something beyond the grave to
compensate the loss. God's moral government,
of their nation at least, they were assured of,
from their own past history ; and if He had
formerly been " a rewarder of them that diligently
seek him," they would perceive an improbability of
his ceasing to be so ; though in this world the
"just recompense of reward" was evidently no
longer to be looked for. It was to be expected,

78 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
therefore, that they should be more inclined to
believe sincerely in a future retribution, than the
Pagans, who had not the same experimental
assurance, that the Deity is, indeed, the moral
Governor and Judge of mankind.
Still, their belief, however confidently held by
many of them, must have been, as has been said,
fundamentally erroneous, as far as it consisted in
" thinking they had eternal life in the Scriptures,"
held out as the reward of obedience to the
Mosaic Law ; which was sanctioned (as was re
marked above) by no such promise. For the
only just ground on which immortal happiness
can be looked for, whatever some arrogant
speculators have urged on the other side, is
that of an express promise of it, as a free gift,
and not as a natural and merited recompense of
virtue. This latter notion, indeed, — that immortal
happiness after death is the just and natural
consequence of a well-spent life, (an error ana
logous to that of the Jews, lately mentioned,)
has prevailed to a degree which, considering
its utter want of foundation, either in reason or
revelation, is truly surprising. A large proportion

sect. 11. J Revelation of a future state. 79
of deists, and many who admit the truth of the
Gospel, though miserably ignorant of it, have
either maintained, or (which is much more common,
because much easier) have taken for granted,
and alluded to as indisputable, the natural and
necessary connexion between a virtuous life on
earth, and eternal happiness after death. And
this is more especially the case with such as lean
towards the opinion that Christianity is a mere
republication of the religion of nature ; a cir
cumstance which confirms what has been just
said concerning the extreme ignorance of the
Gospel scheme under which these professors
of Christianity labour : since if Nature taught
us to expect a happy eternity as the fair, natu
ral, and well-earned reward of virtue, it would
follow, that Christianity, which undoubtedly
teaches no such doctrine, nor can be under
stood to favour it, by any one who has even a
moderate acquaintance with Scripture, must be,
on that very account, essentially different from
Natural-religion, and even at variance with it.
§ 11. Not only, however, is Christianity very
far from being a republication of natural religion,

80 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
but the notion we are speaking of is, as has
been just observed, equally unfounded in reason
and in revelation. As the Scriptures speak
of eternal life as "the gift of God through
Jesus Christ our Lord," so reason also shews,
that for man to expect to earn for himself, by
the practice of virtue, and claim as his just
right, an immortality of exalted happiness, is a
most extravagant and groundless pretension.
It would indeed be no greater folly and pre
sumption to contend, that the brutes are able
by their own efforts to exalt themselves to
rationality. In the case indeed of some eminent person
ages of antiquity, the arrogant hope seems to
have been cherished by themselves or their fol
lowers, that their great exploits and noble
qualities would raise them after death into the
number of the gods ; and this is precisely the
expectation we are now speaking of: for it
should be remembered, that by the term which
we translate " God," the ancient heathens under
stood, not, as we do, the Author and Governor
of all things, but merely, a Being of a nature
superior to man, perfect, happy, and immortal ;

sect. 11.] Revelation of a future state. 81
such, in short, as the Christian hopes to become
after death. Now to pretend that man is natu
rally capable of raising himself to this state —
of thus elevating himself into a god — is surely
no less extravagant than to suppose that a brute
is qualified to exalt itself into a rational being.
Nor did this absurdity escape the more intelligent
of the ancient heathen ; their sentiments were
probably the same as the Bramin is reported to
have uttered, who on being asked by Alexander
" what a man should do in order to become a
god," is said to have replied, that "he must do
something impossible to man." And accordingly,
the most judicious writers of antiquity make
little scruple of alluding to the temples erected
to those who were canonized as heroes, as merely
a more splendid kind of monument; and the
sacrifices offered to them, as merely a kind of
solemn commemoration, to support their posthu
mous fame.
Nor does the belief in a Deity who is the
Moral-Governor of the universe, in reality alter
the case so much as many seem to suppose ;
for if by the practice of virtue man were entitled
to claim such a reward from the justice of God,

82 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
he might strictly and properly be said to earn
and acquire it for himself, as a labourer his
wages. Men are apt indeed to speak of the
justice of the Deity as leading Him to the re
warding of virtue, as well as the punishing of
sin, in the next world, (considering such reward
and punishment as the natural consequence of,
each respectively,) as if the two cases were
parallel; whereas in truth they are even incon
sistent with each other : for a man deserves
reward only for doing something beyond his
bounden duty — something, consequently, which
he would not deserve punishment for omitting.
This obvious rule of justice every one assents
to in human affairs : no positive rewards are
proposed to men by legislators for merely ful
filling their engagements, and paying their
debts ; though if they fail to do so, punish
ments are denounced ; those, on the other hand,
who voluntarily devote their fortunes, jtheir ser
vices, or their persons, to the public good, we
consider as worthy to be rewarded by riches,
honours, or rank ; while no one ever thought of
denouncing punishment for the mere absence
of such munificent liberality and generous

sect. 11.] Revelation of a future state. 83
public-spirit ; which indeed would lose their very
name and character by the attempt to make
them compulsory. In no case, in short, does
justice dictate reward to be placed on the one side
of an alternative, and punishment on the other.
Now if it be admitted, (and few will go so
far as to deny it,) that all obedience to the
commands of our Maker is a debt justly due
to Him, — a service his creatures are bound to
perform, — it follows, that the discharge of that
debt, by a life of perfect rectitude, would not,
in itself, entitle a man to claim any reward on
the plea of merit, except only exemption from
punishment. For as a servant (according to
the illustration used by our Lord himself) is
not thanked by his master for performing with
exactness his appointed task of daily labour,
so also must his disciples, as He proceeds to tell
them, call themselves, even when they have" done
all that is required of them, " unprofitable ser
vants, who have done but that which it was their
duty to do," and who can have consequently no
merit to boast.
It may be said, indeed, and with truth,
that the creatures of a benevolent Deity may
g 2

84 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
reasonably expect, that He should provide for the
enjoyment, or comfort at least of those He has
called into being ; as a father does for his
children. And though in this world marks may
be perceived of such a provision being made
for the enjoyment not only of man, but of the
brute -creation also, (to which, be it remem
bered, this reasoning equally applies,) yet, since
it is plain, that the goods of this world are not
regularly distributed, and the best men fre
quently lead a life of suffering, it may be urged,
that this irregularity must be rectified in a
future life ; in which such persons shall receive
a compensation for the unmerited afflictions they
have undergone in this. All this may be ad
mitted ; nor need we inquire, how far life is
in general a good or an evil ; or what proportion
of men's sufferings may be traced to their own
misconduct : let us rate, at the very highest that
reason will admit, the sufferings in any supposed
case, — the innocence of the sufferer, — and the
compensation to be fairly expected ; and to
what, after all, will this fair and ample com
pensation amount ? To an eternity of exalted
bliss ? The idea is too extravagant to be

sect, li.] Revelation of a future state. 85
entertained for a moment. Surely the fair com
pensation would fall so incalculably below this, —
would be such a trifle in comparison, as hardly
to be worth noticing in the present argument.
We see every day men submitting voluntarily,
during a considerable portion of their lives, to
no small amount of toil, privation, and danger,
not for the certainty, but for a probability only —
a chance dependent on many different contin
gencies — of enjoying, during the latter years of
their life, such ease and comfort, wealth, pros
perity, and glory, as this world has to bestow :
and, in most instances, he who refuses to do
this, is censured for his indolence and folly.
Now it must surely be allowed, that a certainty
(instead of a mere contingency) of a life, ap
proaching in length to that of the antediluvians,
to be spent in the enjoyment (not of such " good
things as eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nei
ther hath it entered into the heart of man to
conceive," but) of such happiness as may be
conceived in this world, would be a much fuller
compensation for the greatest mass of undeserved
afflictions that ever man suffered, than the attain
ment of such objects as men commonly aim at,

86 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
(and which, after all, they are not sure of attain
ing,) can be reckoned, when weighed against the
hardships they submit to in the pursuit. If,
however, such a compensation as I have sup
posed should be considered too small, let it,
for the argument's sake, be multiplied ten fold ;
and still it will be as far as ever from bearing
any proportion to that "far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory," which the Gospel,
and the Gospel only, holds out to us, as " the gift
of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord ;" but
which man's presumptuous self-sufficiency has
pretended to discover, and to claim.
An inconsiderate and hasty objector may,
perhaps, contend, that the longest period of
enjoyment would be no enjoyment at all, if
known to be of limited duration ; that it would
be neither attractive in prospect, nor gratifying
in possession, from the disturbing reflection that
it must have an end. If any one can seriously
feel this as an objection, let him try to impress
on the generality of mankind, as the Christian
minister assiduously, and not very effectually,
labours to do, the reflection, that this life must
have an end, in less than a tenth part of the space

sect. 11. J Revelation of a future state. 87
allotted to the antediluvians ; let him endeavour
to withdraw men's attention and interest from the
perishable goods and enjoyments of this world ;
adding, also, the great uncertainty of them, even
during the short period of our abode here ; and
dwelling also on the never-ending life which
awaits man beyond the grave ; and he will find,
that, many as are the afflictions of the present life,
and short, precarious, and responsible as it is,
men are yet so wedded to the things of this world,
that, so far are we from being haunted with the
thought of parting with them, and from having
our delight in them thus destroyed, on the con
trary, it is not without a continual effort that
even the best Christian can wean himself from
over-attachment to the passing scene, and " set
his affection on things above, not on things on the
earth." And the result must be an admission,
that a limited period of enjoyment, so far from
being disregarded, is often even too satisfactory ;
that the thoughts of its termination are not apt to
be even so intrusive as they ought to be.
The origin of much of the confusion of thought
which has prevailed on this subject, and which
has led to the groundless notion of a claim to

88 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
immortal happiness, established by a virtuous life,
is probably this; that we observe some human
actions to be really and justly deserving of
gratitude and reward from other men: being
beyond what they had any right to demand ; and
hence many persons are apt to forget that such
actions cannot have a similar claim on the
Almighty. Any one, for instance, who freely
relieves a fellow-creature in distress, or aids him
in his pursuits, is justly entitled to gratitude and
reward from him; having done more than that
other man had any right to demand of him ;
but since God has a strict claim upon him for
the practice of every duty, no one can, in his
sight, set up the plea of merit, or boast of his
services. Some, however, may urge, that immortal
happiness, though not demanded as a right
from the justice of God, may reasonably be
hoped from his goodness; and that it is ao-ree-
able to his attributes to bestow it. Doubtless
this is so far conformable to what we know of
the divine attributes, that we need not be sur
prised at his condescending, in any instance, to
bestow it, nor hesitate to believe, on sufficient

sect. 11. J Revelation of a future state. 89
evidence, (as the Christian does,) in his having
done so. But this is far different, not only from a
claim, but from a rational expectation, supposing
no proof to exist of an express promise to that
purpose. If a rich and liberal man freely bestows
a bountiful gift on any one, he certainly performs
an action suitable to his nature ; but it would be
strange to say, that therefore that particular
person had, and that any one else has, a fair right
to expect it of him. As far as we know, it is
nothing inconsistent with God's nature, to confer
perfection and happiness, at once, on any of his
creatures ; as He, perhaps, has on some others of
them : but yet we know, that on man He has not.
The immortal happiness, therefore, of which we
are speaking, not only can be no other than a
free gift, but a gift which can be reasonably
expected on no other ground than that of express
promise. Such a promise, the Christian thankfully and
joyfully recognises, as held out in the Gospel ;
in which he finds eternal life uniformly alluded
to, not as merely " brought to light " by Jesus
Christ, but procured through his means. He
came not into the world merely that his followers

90 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
might know Of this immortal life, but (as He
himself declares) " that they might have life." The
Christian Scriptures do not profess to republish,
as part of the religion of nature, the doctrine that
eternal happiness is the just and legitimate reward
of a virtuous life ; but, on the contrary, while
they speak of death as the " wages of sin," they
represent eternal life, not as the wages of obe
dience, but as " the gift of God through Jesus
Christ :" a reward, indeed, dependent on obe
dience, but earned and merited by the sacrifice of
a Redeemer. § 12. The perversion of this doctrine, by those
who imagine that they may " continue in sin that
grace may abound," is nothing different from
the abuse to which almost every other doctrine
of Scripture (and, indeed, almost every truth ever
taught) is liable. That salvation is a free gift,
through Jesus Christ, yet is prepared for those
only who obey his commandments and walk in
his steps, is in itself no more mysterious or
difficult, than a multitude of cases which occur
daily, and the nature of which is readily compre
hended by every man of common sense ; because

sect. 12.] Revelation of a future state. 91
common sense is usually consulted in the ordinary
affairs of life, even by those who lay it aside in
religious questions. Every one would judge
readily and rightly, in such a case, for instance,
as that of a rich and bountiful man placing a
poor labourer on a piece of ground, which he is
charged to cultivate industriously and carefully ;
with the promise, that if he does so, for a certain
time, the land shall be bestowed upon him in
perpetuity ; if not, he shall be deprived of it. If
a man placed in this situation should suffer the
ground to lie waste, and pass his time in sloth,
because he was a dependent on another's bounty,
every one perceives that that advantage would of
course be withdrawn from him : should he, on
the other hand, diligently exert himself in tilling
the spot of land, and then claim it, not as a free
gift, but as fairly earned by his labour, no one
would fail to censure his absurd ingratitude.
Should a case of this kind actually occur, it
would probably be thought to present no diffi
culty to any one's mind ; though our Lord's
parables of the talents, and of the pounds, which
correspond so closely with it, have so often failed to
convey, as they were designed, the same lesson.

92 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
It may be urged, indeed, that to those who
acknowledge themselves to be sinners, it is of no
practical consequence to determine whether the
unsinning obedience of which all men fall short,
would, if practised, claim the reward of eternal
life from the justice of God. But, in fact, those
who erroneously regard human virtue as natu
rally and in itself establishing such a claim, and
the redemption by Christ as needful for man,
only so far as he falls short of his duty, will
generally be found, those of them at least whose
lives are the most correct, to dislike or under
rate that Gospel, which so plainly teaches us to
plead only the merits of another ; and to consider
Christianity as less necessary for such men as
themselves, than for the multitude. While, on
the other hand, such as are more viciously dis
posed, though they may admit that it is neither
allowable nor safe to " continue in sin that grace
may abound," will yet be likely to have less
abhorrence of sin, if they conceive, that it is
their sins only which give them an interest in
the redemption. And though they may acknow
ledge, that with the utmost care they will not be
likely to attain sinless rectitude, yet, when under

sect. 13.] Revelation of a future state. 93
the influence of temptation, they will be less
practically earnest in striving to approach such
perfection, from believing, that it would, if
attained, supersede the necessity of Christ's
sacrifice, and of itself merit salvation. Whereas,
when this error is removed, we perceive the full
value and importance, and also the right use,
of the Gospel : and our Lord's declaration, " I
am the way, the truth, and the life ; no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me," will be
regarded neither as raising an impediment, and
limiting, by an arbitrary condition, our just
rights, nor yet as proposing a licence, or an ex
cuse, for sin, but as holding out a most gracious
offer of an unmerited gift ; and thus enforcing
virtue by the strongest motives of gratitude and
affection, as well as of interest. Those will
surely not be the most likely to consider the
righteousness of Christ as a substitute for their
own, who acknowledge, that the benefits they hope
for through Him are such as their own righteous
ness, however perfect, could never have earned.
§ 13. It appears, then, that whatever argu
ments may have been adduced, and with whatever

94 Revelation of a future state, [essay i.
effect, in favour of the natural and necessary
immortality of the soul ; at least the natural and
necessary tendency of virtue to earn a happy
immortality, can never have been discovered by
human reason ; because nothing can, properly
speaking, be discovered, which is not true.
But it has been my endeavour to show, that
the arguments which human reason actually did
or might suggest in favour of a future immor
tality, when fairly considered, as presented to
the minds of such as had nothing else to pro
ceed upon — not of such as are already believers,
on other grounds — are insufficient to warrant
any thing beyond a probable conjecture ; and
that, in fact, they very seldom produced even
that effect. To bring the doctrine fairly within
the list of truths discoverable by unaided reason,
it should be shown, first, to have not only ex
isted, but prevailed, as a matter, not of conjec
ture, but of belief, in some nation destitute of
divine revelation ; secondly, to have been believed
on sufficient grounds ; and, thirdly, to have been
correctly believed. If any one of these requisites
be wanting, it cannot be properly reckoned among
the doctrines of Natural-religion. But, in truth,

sect. 13.] Revelation qf a future state. 95
it appears that all three of these requisites were
wanting among those enlightened nations of anti
quity, whose supposed knowledge of a future
state is commonly appealed to : their notions
were neither correct, nor well-founded, nor gene
rally received as a matter of certain belief. And
while the Gentiles were thus left in darkness,
the only nation who did receive a divine revela
tion, had, in that, but a faint and glimmering
twilight, as far as respected the glories of the
world beyond the grave, till " the day-spring from
on high should visit them" — till Jesus Christ
should "bring life and immortality to light,
through the Gospel." " For the Law made no
thing perfect, but the bringing in qf a better
hope, did," Heb. vii. 19.
To bring forward an elaborate argument to
prove that the Gospel did this, considering how ex
pressly it is asserted in the New Testament, may
have appeared to some readers a superfluous task.
Let them, however, but inquire of those around
them, and examine the works of those who have
written on the subject, — even such as not only
admit the truth of Christianity, but are far from
professing to regard it, or intending, in the first

96 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
instance, to represent it, as a mere republication of
Natural-religion, — and they will see that there is
but too much need for asserting and maintaining
the claim of "the Author and Finisher of our
faith," as having " brought to light " the doctrine
in question. It is a claim which is often over
looked at least, even when not expressly denied ;
and hence, one main point of evidence for the
truth of Christianity is conceded to the infidel :
while, to the minds of believers, it is presented
stripped of one of its most striking peculiarities ;
and a most inadequate view given of its im
portance. The depreciation of Christianity hence result
ing is, perhaps, not a less evil than heresy, or than
infidelity itself; being one more insidious, and
less curable. For he who denies any leading doc
trine of Christianity, or even the whole of it, but
who yet acknowledges the importance, if true,
of what he rejects, may, at least, be brought to
attend to the arguments in favour of it : but, far
less corrigible is the error of him, who, regarding
Christianity as little more than an authoritative
confirmation of the religion of nature, looks upon
the whole system with indifference, as a thing

sect. 13.] Revelation qf a future state. 97
needed, perhaps, for the vulgar, but which the
educated and intelligent might very well have
dispensed with, and about which they need not
much concern themselves.
When it is said that the view which has been
taken of the doctrine of man's immortality affords
an evidence for the truth of Christianity, it is not
of course meant to take into the account the
superior correctness of the Gospel accounts of
a future state, as compared with the mytholo
gical fables, and philosophical theories, with
which the ancients amused themselves ; that
would of course be begging the question ; but,
waiving the consideration of the truth of what
Jesus taught on this subject, its reception, in
spite of men's reluctance to receive it, is un
deniable : and it is this which constitutes the
argument I allude to. For let any one but
compare the state of men's minds in respect to
this point, before, and after, the promulgation
of the Gospel ; let him estimate the opinions of
the ancients, not by the hasty conjectures of
prejudiced or superficial theorists, but by a
careful examination of the testimony they bear
to themselves; and let him then consider the
H

98 Revelation of a future state. [essay i.
decided belief of a future state which forms a
part of every modification of Christianity — of
every religious system which has been founded
on it, including Mahometanism — let him con
sider, I say, the contrast thus presented ; and
he will see strong reason, even from this cir
cumstance alone, for concluding, that the Per
son, who could bring about this mighty revolution
in the opinions of mankind, must have been a
far different Being from Confucius or Socrates.
The arguments adduced, however, as will have
been seen, I have principally directed to the
believers in Christianity : being anxious to pro
test against the error prevalent among Chris
tians, of unduly exalting Natural-religion at the
expense of Revelation ; — of attributing to reason,
discoveries which were made, and could be made,
only by the Gospel; and of thus under-rating
the value of that Gospel, and dishonouring Him,
who, through it, " brought life and immortality
to light."

NOTES.

Note (A) page 31.

I have been surprised to find that an interpretation
of some of Aristotle's expressions, [Eth. B. 1] which
makes him acknowledge a future state of enjoyment or
suffering, has gained more currency than I could have
conceived possible. And this, though it is universally
admitted that in the third book of the same treatise he
speaks of death as the complete and final extinction of
existence, "beyond which there is neither good nor
evil to be looked for : " and though, in the first book
itself, he observes that it would be absurd to speak of
a man's being happy after his death, since happiness
has been defined as consisting in an active exercise of
the faculties [kvipyeia.] These different passages, I
suppose, are regarded as set off against each other, so
as to neutralize Aristotle's judgment on the question.
I cannot but think it, however, a better plan, when an
eminent author appears to contradict himself within a
few pages, to examine whether one of the passages
may not have been misinterpreted ; or whether he may
not have been speaking in one place of what appears
at first sight, or is thought by the generality ; and in
H 2

100 Notes.
the other, of what, in his own opinion, is the real state
of the case : or, in short, whether, in some way or
other, he may not be fairly reconciled with himself.
Aristotle is represented as saying, in one of the pas
sages in question (human happiness being the subject
of which he is treating), that men are conscious after
death of the transactions going on in the present
world ; — that they are affected by the prosperous or
adverse fortune of their surviving friends and relatives ;
but that they are affected by them in so very faint and
slight a degree, that nothing which happens after death
can make the difference of a man's being happy or
miserable !
Now, if I had met with a passage that plainly con
veyed this meaning in a writer of such acknowledged
powers of mind, I should have been very strongly in
clined to suspect it of being spurious, by whatever
external evidence it might have been supported. For,
not to mention its being at variance with a plain pas
sage in the third book, (a passage, too, in which Aris
totle does not attempt to prove, nor even states, that
death is the termination of existence, as if it were at all
questionable, but alludes to it as a truth universally
admitted), and even to say nothing of his remarking in
the outset of the passage in question, that " it would be
ridiculous to suppose a man to be happy after he is
dead" — to waive all this, and confine myself to the
intrinsic absurdity of the supposed doctrine ; he is
represented as saying that the deceased are sensible of
what is going on in this world, and are affected by it

Notes. 101
in a very slight degree. Could he be so absurd as not
only to pronounce positively that the dead are in a
percipient state, and likewise that they are aware of
what is passing among the survivors, but also that they
are nevertheless affected only in a very small degree by
the good or ill fortune of their friends ? If they know
any thing at all of it, how can he tell how much or how
little they are affected? The more reasonable con
jecture would be the contrary; e.g. one would suppose
that after such a person as Oliver Cromwell had spent
what one might regard as a most prosperous life in
establishing his own sovereignty, and transmitting it to
his son, he would be very miserable at knowing that
shortly after his death his son was deposed, his own
bones disinterred, the royal family restored, and all
the work undone and reversed at which he had been
labouring. The only supposition on which one could imagine
the dead to be, though conscious of the condition of
their surviving friends, yet very slightly affected by it,
would be the supposition that they are too intently
occupied with the affairs of the state they are in ; — ¦
with the happiness or suffering belonging to the con
dition of the departed. Is this then Aristotle's account
of the matter ? On the contrary, he makes not the
slightest allusion to any thing of the kind ! The scenes
and occupations, whatever they may be, peculiarly
belonging to that other life, which is to last either to
all eternity, or at least for an indefinite length of time,
and all the pains and pleasures thence resulting, are

102 Notes.
totally passed by as not worth noticing by a writer who
is treating on human happiness ; and we are left to
conclude, it seems, that though the departed care but
a very little about what befalls their surviving friends,
they care not at all about any thing else : the good or
ill fortune of their friends has a small and insignificant
influence on their enjoyment or discomfort, but yet is
the source of all they have !
No doubt eminent philosophers have been guilty of
great absurdities ; but there is a limit to all conceivable
extravagance : and if any one can believe that Aristotle
could be the author of such a tissue of unsupported
and self-contradictory absurdities, he can hardly regard
him as a philosopher worth studying.
But in fact, there is no such passage in existence :
the whole of this notion has originated in a misinter
pretation of the author's words, — the result of that
oscitancy to which all are more or less subject.
Those who have an opportunity of consulting the
original, I am content to refer to that ; and if an
attentive perusal does not convince them that, whatever
his meaning was, at least it cannot be that which I
have been speaking of as attributed to him, they are
beyond the reach of any argument I can devise.
For the benefit of the mere English reader, or of
such as have not the treatise at hand, I will attempt a
brief explanation of the author's meaning. He is
speaking of the notion of Solon, who would not allow
that a man should be pronounced happy during his
life-time, because there is no saying what reverses of

Notes. 103
fortune he may undergo. " Are we then," says Aris
totle, " to suppose that a man is then happy when he
is dead? No, this would be too absurd; especially
since we have decided that happiness consists in an
energy or exercise of his mental powers." (Why
should a man's being happy after death be inconsistent
with that doctrine, except on the supposition of the
dead having no perception ?) " But this," he continues,
" is not even Solon's meaning ; but that one may then
safely decide as to a man's happiness, (i. e. that he has
been happy) when he is out of the reach of fortune.
But then, is he," continues Aristotle, " completely out
of the reach of fortune ? since it appears that good or
evil may befal the dead, as well as the living who have
no perception qf it ; such as credit or disgrace, and
good or ill success of friends." Now it is from this
sentence chiefly, this very sentence in which Aristotle
draws a parallel between the "dead, and those of the
living who have no perception of the credit or discredit
accruing to them, that it is inferred that the deceased
have a perception of what passes after their death !
For, it is said, if they know nothing of it, how can it
contribute to or impair their happiness ? How it really
can, it would be hard to say ; but Aristotle only says
that it appears so : and nothing can be more notorious
than that many things are regarded as good or evil —
as things to be desired or deprecated, both prospec
tively by men while alive, and afterwards by their
survivors, without any notion that the party can at the
time know, or at least care, any thing about it. Is the

104 Notes.
desire of posthumous fame, which is so common, and
the dread of posthumous infamy, which is nearly uni
versal, to be traced to a supposed perception by the
deceased of what is said of him? Does the dread so
many entertain of being dissected, or torn by dogs,
arise from a supposition that the dead carcases feel, or
that their souls at least will at the time be annoyed at
the indignity ? Did Buonaparte, Oliver Cromwell, and
a multitude of others, who have been anxious to make
their high station hereditary, suppose that they them
selves should, at the time, be viewing and enjoying the
greatness of their posterity ? The desire of posthu
mous fame, and of the greatness and prosperity of
one's descendants, seems always to have been even the
stronger in those who have believed least, or thought
least, of a future life. It is difficult for one who has been
habituated from infancy to this belief, to imagine him
self a person to whom it had never occurred ; but is
there any one who will say that if he disbelieved either
a future state altogether, or the consciousness of the
deceased of what happens on earth, he should be per
fectly indifferent as to what should befal his dearest
friends, his kindred, and his country, subsequently to
his own death, and should exclaim, "When I am dead,
let earth and fire be mingled ? "
And lastly, would not any one, if Solon's happiness
had been spoken of, in having finally succeeded in his
great and glorious work of giving Athens a good con
stitution and laws, — would not any one, I say, have
been apt to reply, " Ah, but a few years after his death,

Notes. 105
Pericles made destructive inroads on the constitution ;
the whole State fell soon under the control of a lawless
democracy ; and, by their mismanagement, the city was
captured, and subjected to the thirty tyrants ? " This
would not impair Solon's happiness, supposing him
insensible; but it would impair the speakers idea of his
happiness.* These delusions of the imagination are productive of
real effects on human thoughts and conduct. Aris
totle seems to think, it would be too shocking to
popular feelings (Xlav a<pi\ov, teat ratg <So£cuc Ivavriov)
to say that it is nothing to a man's happiness what
becomes of his surviving friends : but (proceeding all
along on the supposition that he knows nothing of it)
decides that it cannot have any weight worth noticing.
The circumstance that he has used some expressions
which, to a learner, familiar himself with the notion of
a future state, would seem to convey that idea, as when
he speaks of events which, in some degree concern
the dead, or " have something to do with their happi-
* The imperfect and confused sympathy we have with others, in
respect of their feelings towards us, and indeed universally, can be
likened to nothing so well as to the mixture of transparency and re
flection in plate-glass. We sympathise, as A. Smith observes, with
an idiot or madman ; forming an indistinct idea of being in his situa
tion, and at the same time retaining (which is a contradictory suppo
sition) our present view of his actions. Just as one looks through
the window at a tree, e. g., and sees, by an imperfect reflection, his
own face as if placed in the midst of the tree ; which, if it were, he
could not have that view of the tree. And even so, we cannot ima
gine people talking of us after our death, without the idea presenting
itself of our hearing what they say.

106 Notes.
ness " (meaning with our notion of their happiness) —
this is to me an additional proof of the total and general
disbelief prevailing in his age and country. His care
lessness of expression (his opinion being such as it
clearly was) shows that he never apprehended the
slightest danger of any one's supposing him to be
speaking of a life after death. None of his readers
was likely to suspect him of designing to teach a doc
trine so strange and unphilosophical as, in their eyes,
this would have appeared. Note (B) page 32.
Cicero, in his epistles to his friends, in which, if any
where, he may be supposed to speak his real senti
ments, frankly avows his utter disbelief in a future
state, in one sense of the word, i. e. a future state of
distinct personal existence percipient of pleasure or
pain : " ut mortem, quam etiam beati contemnere de-
beamus, propterea quod nullum sensum esset habitura,"
&c. [Epistvto L. Mescinus Fam. Ep. lib. v. ep. 21.]
And in an epistle to Toranius [lib. vi. ep. 3.] he says,
" nee enim dum ero, angar ulla re, cum omni vacem
culpa ; et si non ero, sensu omnino carebo." This
passage will indeed bear another meaning, viz. that he
is speaking, not of life or death on earth, but of the
state after death 5 in which it may be said, he declares
his conviction, that if he continues to exist, his inno
cence will secure him from suffering, and if he has no
being at all, he will have no sensation. The former of

Notes. 107
these would have been indeed a sufficiently bold
assumption ; while the latter, " that he who does not
exist has no perception," is a truism which I think he
would hardly have announced with so much solemnity.
Be this as it may however, the passage from the other
epistle just quoted, in which the very same expression
is used, makes it sufficiently clear that he is speaking,
in this also, of existence and non-existence. on earth ;
and declaring his conviction, that he who is dead has
no sensation. He repeats the same sentiment in the
same words [lib. vi. ep. 4.] in another epistle; " si jam
vocer ad exitum vitae, non ab ea republica avellar qua
carendum esse doleam, praesertim cum id sine ullo
sensu futurum sit." And again, [lib. vi. ep. 21.] " prae
sertim cum omnium rerum mors sit extremum." And it
is remarkable that he uses the very language of the
Epicureans on the subject ; the antidote proposed by
Lucretius against the fear of death .being the very
same both in substance and in words:
" Scilicet haud nobis quidquam, qui non erimus turn,
Accidere omnino poterit, sensumque movere."
Nor are these sentiments of Cicero's confined to his
. Epistles, though, in the characters of a philosopher and
of an orator, occasions led him sometimes to speak
otherwise. In his oration for Cluentius, he avows,
without disguise, a contempt, which it is evident he
supposed his hearers to partake, for the notion of a
future existence : " quid tandem illi mali mors attulit?
nisi forte ineptiis et fabulis ducimur, ut existimemus

108 Notes.
ilium apud inferos impiorum supplicia perferre, &c. —
qua? si falsa sunt, id quod omnes intelligunt, quid ei
tandem aliud mors eripuit, praeter sensum doloris ?"
The expressions of Seneca on the subject bear a
striking resemblance to those of Cicero: "juvabat de
aeternitate animarum quaerere, imo mehercule credere :
credebam enim facile opinionibus magnorum virorum,
rem gratissimam promittentium magis quam proban-
tium. Dabam me spei tantae. Jam eram fastidio
mihi, jam reliquias aetatis infractaa contemnebam, in
immensum illud tempus et in possessionem omnis aevi
transiturus: cum subito experrectus sum, epistola tua
accepta, et tam bellum somnium perdidi." Epist. 102.
Quotations to the same effect might be multiplied
without end ; but these few specimens may suffice to
show how rashly the ancient philosophers have been
referred to as discoverers of a future state. He who
would fain " go back and walk no more with Jesus,"
will apply to them in vain for such a hope : " Lord, to
whom shall we go ?" the sincere Christian will exclaim ;
" thou hast the words of eternal life."
Note (C) page 38.
It is to be wished, that those who inculcate this
doctrine would be careful not to expose it, as some
have done, to the scoffs of the infidel, by insisting on
the restoration, at the resurrection, of the very same
particles of matter which were united with the soul in
this life. Supposing the doctrine to be true, neither
reason nor revelation afford means for ascertaining its

Notes. 109
truth, or for replying to the cavils brought against
it. The question has been ably and copiously
handled by the celebrated Mr. Locke ; it will suffice
therefore to observe, that, as far as we can ascertain,
all the particles of a man's body are undergoing a
perpetual and rapid change during his life ; that which
constitutes it, still his body, being, not the identity of
its materials, but their union with the same soul, and
performance of similar functions. If (to use a familiar
illustration) a man's house were destroyed, and a kind
benefactor promised to rebuild it for him, and to make
it much better than before, (for such is the promise
made to true Christians when their " earthly tabernacle
shall be dissolved,") he would not surely say that the
promise had been violated if the same precise materials
were not employed ; it would suffice, that he had, as
before, a house ; and one that was suitable for all the
same purposes.
As for the state of the soul in the interval between
death and the general resurrection, the discussion is
unnecessary, and perhaps unprofitable: had know
ledge on this point been expedient for us, it would
doubtless have been clearly revealed ; as it is, we are
lost in conjecture. For aught we know, the soul may
remain combined with a portion of matter less than the
ten thousandth part of the minutest particle that was
ever perceived by our senses; since "great" and
" small" are only relative. All we can be sure of is,
that if the soul be wholly disengaged from matter, and
yet shall enjoy consciousness and activity, it must be in

110 Notes.
some quite different manner from that in which we
now enjoy them; if, on the other hand, the soul
remains inert and unconscious (as it does with respect
to the seeing-faculty, for instance, when the eyes are
closed, or blinded) till its reunion with matter, the
moment of our sinking into this state of unconscious
ness will appear to us to be instantly succeeeded by
that of our awaking from it, even though twenty cen
turies may have intervened : of which any one may
convince himself by a few moments' reflection.
Note (D) page 40.
Tlav to tvvKov lva<fraviZ,tTai Tayiara. t*j tCov oAojv
ovaiq, Kai irav alriov at; rbv rwv o\wv \6jov Ta.yj.GTa ava-
Xafif5av£Tm. Marcus Antoninus, lib. vii. c. 10. 'Evujrlo-rjje
wg fitpog. ENA$ANIS9HSH TQ. TENNHSANTI.
lib. iv. c. 14.
So Seneca, in his consolation to Marcia, daughter of
Cremutius Cord us. " Mors omnium dolorum et so-
lutio est et finis ; ultra quam mala nostra non exeunt :
quae nos in illam tranquillitatem in qua antequam
nasceremur jacuimus, reponit."
Note (E) page 54.
Exodus xv. 26.] If thou wilt diligently hearken to
the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which
is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his command
ments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of
these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon
the Egyptians : for I am the Lord that healeth thee.

Notes. Ill
Chap. xx. ver. 12.] Honour thy father and thy
mother, that thy days may be long, in the land which
the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Chap, xxiii. ver. 20.] Behold, I send an angel before
thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee unto
the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him,
and obey his voice ; provoke Him not ; for He will not
pardon your transgressions: for my name is in Him.
But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that
I speak ; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies,
and an adversary unto thine adversaries. For mine
angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the
Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the
Canaanites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites : and I
will cut them off. Thou shalt not bow down to their
gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but
thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break
down their images. And ye shall serve the Lord your
God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water ;
and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren in
thy land : the number of thy days I will fulfil. I will
send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the
people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all
thine enemies turn their backs unto thee; And I will
send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the
Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before
thee. [Ver. 31.] And I will set thy bounds from the
Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from
the desert unto the river : for I will deliver the inha-

112 Notes.
bitants of the land into your hand ; and thou shalt
drive them out before thee.
Leviticus xxv. 17.] Ye shall not therefore oppress
one another ; but thou shalt fear thy God : for I am
the Lord your God. Wherefore ye shall do my
statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and
ye shall dwell in the land in safety. And the land
shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and
dwell therein in safety. And if ye shall say, What
shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not
sow, nor gather in our increase : then I will command
my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall
bring forth fruit for three years.
Chap. xxvi. ver 3.] If ye walk in my statutes, and
keep my commandments, and do them ; then I will
give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield
her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield
their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the
vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing
time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and
dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in
the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make
you afraid : and I will rid evil beasts out of the land,
neither shall the sword go through your land. And
ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before
you by the sword. And five of you shall chase an
hundred, and an hundred of you shall put fen thou
sand to flight : and your enemies shall fall before you
by the sword. For I will have respect unto you, and
make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my

Notes. 113
covenant with you. And ye shall eat old store, and
bring forth the old because of the new. And I will
set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not
abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be
your God, and ye shall be my people. I am the Lord
your God, which brought you forth out of the land of
Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen ; and
I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you
go upright.
But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not
do all my commandments ; and if ye shall despise
my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments,
so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that
ye break my covenant : I also will do this unto you ;
I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and
the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and
cause sorrow of heart : and ye shall sow your seed
in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set
my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your
enemies : they that hate you shall reign over you :
and ye shall flee when no man pursueth you. And
if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I
will punish you seven times more for your sins. And I
will break the pride of your power ; and I will make
your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass. And
your strength shall be spent in vain : for your land
shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees
of the land yield their fruits. And if ye walk contrary
unto me, and will not hearken unto me, I will bring
seven times more plagues upon you, according to your
i

114 Notes.
sins. I will also send wild beasts among you, which
shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle,
and make you few in number; and your high-ways
shall be desolate. And if ye will not be reformed by
me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me ;
then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish
you yet seven times for your sins. And I will bring a
sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my
covenant : and, when ye are gathered together within
your cities, I will send the pestilence among you ; and
ye shall be delivered into the hands of the enemy. And
when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women
shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deli
ver you your bread again by weight : and ye shall eat,
and not be satisfied. And if ye will not for all this
hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me ; then I will
walk contrary unto you also in fury ; and I, even I, will
chastise you seven times for your sins. And ye shall
eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters
shall ye eat. And I will destroy your high places, and
cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the
carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
And I will make your cities waste, and bring your
sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the sa
vour of your sweet odours. And I will bring the land
into desolation; and your enemies which dwell therein
shall be astonished at it. And I will scatter you
among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after
you ; and your land shall be desolate, and your cities
waste. Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as

Notes. 115
long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies'
land ; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her
sabbaths. As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest ;
because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt
upon it. And upon them that are left alive of you I
will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of
their enemies ; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall
chase them ; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a
sword ; and they shall fall when none pursueth. And
they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a
sword, when none pursueth ; and ye shall have no
power to stand before your enemies. And ye shall
perish among the heathen, and the land of your ene
mies shall eat you up. And they that are left of you
shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands ;
and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they
pine away with them.
If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity
of their fathers, with their trespass which they tres
passed against me, and that also they have walked
contrary unto me ; and that I also have walked con
trary unto them, and have* brought them into the
land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised
hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the
punishment of their iniquity: then will I remember
my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with
Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I re
member; and I will remember the land. The land
also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths,
while she lieth desolate without them; and they
I 2

1 16 Notes.
shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity;
because, even because they despised my judgments,
and because their soul abhorred my statutes. And yet
for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies,
I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to
destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with
them : for I am the Lord their God. But I will for
their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors,
whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the
sight of the heathen, that I might be their God : I am
the Lord. These are the statutes and judgments and
laws which the Lord made between him and the child
ren of Israel in mount Sinai, by the hand of Moses.
Numbers xiv. 20.] And the Lord said, I have par
doned according to thy word : but as truly as I live,
all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.
Because all those men which have seen my glory, and
my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilder
ness, have tempted me now these ten times, and have
not hearkened to my voice ; surely they shall not see
the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall
any of them that provoked me see it : but my servant
Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and
hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land
whereinto he went ; and his seed shall possess it. Say
unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye
have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you : your
carcases shall fall in this wilderness ; and all that were
numbered of you, according to your whole num
ber, from twenty years old and upward, which have

Notes. 117
murmured against me. Doubtless ye shall not come into
the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell
therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua
the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said
should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall
know the land which ye have despised. But as for
you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.
And your children shall wander in the wilderness
forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your car
cases be wasted in the wilderness. After the number
of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty
days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities,
even forty years ; and ye shall know my breach of
promise. I the Lord have said, I will surely do it
unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered to
gether against me : in this wilderness they shall be
consumed, and there they shall die.
Chap, xxxii. 10.] And the Lord's anger was kin
dled the same time, and he sware, saying, Surely none
of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty
years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware
unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob : because
they have not wholly followed me ; save Caleb the
son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son
of Nun : for they have wholly followed the Lord.
And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and
he made them wander in the wilderness forty years,
until all the generation that had done evil in the sight
of the Lord, was consumed. And, behold, ye are
risen up in your father's stead, an increase of sinful

118 Notes.
men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the Lord to-
ward Israel. For if ye turn away from after him, he
will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye
shall destroy all this people.
Chap, xxxiii. ver. 55.] But if ye will not drive out
the inhabitants of the land from before you ; then it
shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of
them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your
sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.
Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto
you, as I thought to do unto them.
Deuteronomy i. 35.] Surely there shall not one of
these men of this evil generation see that good land,
which I sware to give it unto your fathers. Save
Caleb the son of Jephunneh ; he shall see it, and to
him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon,
and to his children, because he hath wholly followed
the Lord. Also the Lord was angry with me for your
sakes, saying, Thou shalt not go in thither. But
Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee,
he shall go in thither : encourage him : for he shall
cause Israel to inherit it.
Chap. iv. ver. 1.] Now therefore hearken, O Israel,
unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I
teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in
and possess the land which the Lord God of your
fathers giveth you. For the Lord thy God is a con
suming fire, even a jealous God. When thou shalt
beget children, and children's children, and ye shall
have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt

Notes. 1 19
yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness
of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the Lord
thy God, to provoke him to anger : I call heaven and
earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon
utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over
Jordan to possess it ; ye shall not prolong your days
upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. And the Lord
shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be
left few in number among the heathen, whither the
Lord shall lead you. And there ye shall serve gods,
the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which
neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. Thou shalt
keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments,
which I command thee this day, that it may go well
with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that
thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which
the Lord thy God giveth thee for ever.
Chap. v. ver. 29.] O that there were such an heart
in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my
commandments always, that it might be well with
them, and with their children for ever! Ye shall
observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath
commanded you : ye shall not turn aside to the right
hand or to the left. Ye shall walk in all the ways
which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that
ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and
that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye
shall possess.
Chap. vi. ver. 2.] That thou mightest fear the
Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his

120 Notes.
commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy
son, and thy son's son all the days of thy life ; and
that thy days may be prolonged. Hear therefore, O
Israel, and observe to do it : that it may be well with
thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord
God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land
that floweth with milk and honey. And it shall be
when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into
the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham,
to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly
cities, which thou buildedst not, and houses full of all
good things which thou filledst not, and wells digged,
which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees,
which thou plantedst not ; when thou shalt have eaten
and be full ; then beware lest thou forget the Lord,
which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt,
from the house of bondage. Thou shalt fear the
Lord thy God, and serve him, and shall sware by his
name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods^
of the people which are round about you ; (for the
Lord thy God is a jealous God among you,) lest the
anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee,
and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. Ye
shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted
him in Massah. Ye shall diligently keep the com
mandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies,
and his statutes which he hath commanded thee. And
thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight
of the Lord : that it may be well with thee, and that
thou mayest go in and possess the good land which

Notes. 121
the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to cast out all thine
enemies from before thee, as the Lord hath spoken.
And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying,
What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the
judgments which "the Lord our God hath commanded
you ? Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were
Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt ; and the Lord brought
us out of Egypt with a mighty hand : and the Lord
shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon
Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household,
before our eyes : and he brought us out from thence,
that he might bring us in, to give us the land which
he sware unto our fathers. And the Lord com
manded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord
our God, for our good always, that he might preserve
us alive, as it is at this day. And it shall be our
righteousness, if we observe to do all these com
mandments before the Lord our God, as he hath com
manded us.
Chap. vii. ver. 12.] Wherefore it shall come to
pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and
do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee
the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy
fathers : and He will love thee, and bless thee, and
multiply thee : He will also bless the fruit of thy
womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy
wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the
flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto
thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above
all people: there shall not be male or female barren

122 Notes.
among you, or among your cattle. And the Lord will
take away from thee all sickness, and will put none
of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest,
upon thee ; but will lay them upon all them that hate
thee. ?
Chap. viii. ver. 1.] All the commandments which I
command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye
may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land
which the Lord sware unto your fathers. And it shall
be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and
walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship
them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely
perish. As the nations which the Lord destroy eth
before your face, so shall ye perish ; because ye
would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord
your God.
Chap. xi. ver. 8.] Therefore shall ye keep all the
commandments which I command you this day, that
ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land
whither ye go to possess it ; and that ye may prolong
your days in the land, which the Lord sware unto
your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a
land that floweth with milk and honey. For the land,
whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land
of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou
sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a
garden of herbs : but the land, whither ye go to
possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh
water of the rain of heaven ; a land which the Lord
thy God careth for : the eyes of the Lord thy God

Notes. 123
are always upon it, from the beginning of the year
even unto the end of the year. And it shall com* to
pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my command
ments which I command you this day, to love the Lord
your God, and to serve him with all your heart, and
with all your soul, that I will give you the rain of
your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter
rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy
wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy
fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not de
ceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and
worship them ; and then the Lord's wrath be kindled
against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be
no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit ; and lest
ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord
giveth you. Therefore shall ye lay up these my words
in your heart, &c. [Ver. 21.] That your days may be
multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land
which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them,
as the days of heaven upon the earth. For if ye shall
diligently keep all these commandments which I com
mand you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to
walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him ; then
will the Lord drive out all these nations from before
you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier
than yourselves. Every place whereon the soles of
your feet shall tread shall be yours : from the wilder
ness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphra
tes, even unto the uttermost sea, shall your coast be.

124 Notes.
There shall no man be able to stand before you : for
the Lord your God shall lay the fear of you and the
dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread
upon, as he hath said unto you. Behold, I set before
you this day a blessing and a curse : a blessing, if ye
obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which
I command you this day ; and a curse, if ye will not
obey the commandments of the" Lord your God, but
turn aside out of the way which I command you
this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not
known. Chap. xv. ver. 4.] For the Lord shall greatly
bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth
thee for an inheritance to possess it: only if thou
carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God,
to observe to do all these commandments which I
command thee this day. For the Lord thy God
blesseth thee, as he promised thee : and thou shalt
lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow;
and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall
not reign over thee. [Ver. 10.] Thou shalt surely
give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when
thou givest unto him ; because that for this thing the
Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and
in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.
Chap. xvi. ver. 20.] That which is altogether just
shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit
the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Chap. xvii. ver. 19.] And it (viz. the book of the
Law, for the king's use) shall be with him, and he

Notes. 125
shall read therein all the days of his life : that he may
learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words
of this law and these statutes, to do them: that his
heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he
turn not aside from the commandment, to the right
hand, or to the left : to the end that he may prolong
his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the
midst of Israel.
Chap, xxviii. ver. 1.] And it shall come to pass, if
thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the
Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his command
ments which I command thee this day, that the Lord
thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the
earth : and all these blessings shall come on thee,
and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the
voice of the Lord thy God. Blessed shalt thou be
in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the
fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the
increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed
shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt
thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall cause
thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten
before thy face ; they shall come out against thee one
way, and flee ' before thee seven ways. The Lord
shall command the blessing upon thee in thy store
houses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto;
and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord
thy God giveth thee. The Lord shall establish thee

126 Notes.
an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto
thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord
thy God, and walk in his ways. And all people of the
earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the
Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the
Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit
of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the
fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware
unto thy fathers to give thee. The Lord shall open
unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the
rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the
work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many
nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the Lord
shall make thee the head, and not the tail, and thou
shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath ; if
that thou hearken unto the commandments of the
Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to
observe and to do them : and thou shalt not go aside
from any of the words which I command thee this day
to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods
to serve them.
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken
unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to
do all his commandments and his statutes which I
command thee this day; that all these curses shall
come upon thee, and overtake thee. Cursed shalt
thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in
the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.
Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of
thy land, the increase of thy kine and the flocks of

Notes. 127
thy sheep. Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest
in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and
rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to
do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish
quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings,
whereby thou hast forsaken me. The Lord shall
make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have
consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to
possess it. The Lord shall smite thee with a con
sumption and with a fever, and with an inflammation,
and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and
with blasting, and with mildew ; and they shall pursue
thee until thou perish. And the heaven that is over
thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under
thee shall be iron. The Lord shall make the rain of
thy land powder and dust : from heaven shall it come
down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. The Lord
shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies:
thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven
ways before them : and shalt be removed into all the
kingdoms of the earth. And thy carcase shall be
meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of
the earth, and no man shall fray them away. The
Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and
with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the
itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. The Lord
shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and
astonishment of heart : and thou shalt grope at noon
day, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt

128 Notes.
not prosper in thy ways : and thou shalt be only
oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save
thee. Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man
shall lie with her : thou shalt build an house, and shalt
not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and
shalt not gather the grapes thereof. Thine ox shall
be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat
thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from
before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee :
thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou
shalt have none to rescue them. Thy sons and thy
daughters shall be given unto another people, and
thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them
all the day long ; and there shall be no might in thine
hand. The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours,
shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up ; and
thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway: so
that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes
which thou shalt see. The Lord shall smite thee in
the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that
cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the
top of thy head. The Lord shall bring thee and thy
king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation
which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and
there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb,
and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord
shall lead thee. Thou shalt carry much seed out into
the field, and shalt gather but little in : for the locust
shall consume it. Thou shalt plant vineyards, and

Notes. 129
dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor
gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts,
but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil ; for thine
olive shall cast his fruit. Thou shalt beget sons and
daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they
shall go into captivity. All thy trees and fruit of thy
land shall the locust consume. The stranger that is
within thee shall get up above thee very high ; and
thou shalt come down very low. He shall lend to
thee, and thou shalt not lend to him : he shall be the
head, and thou shalt be the tail. Moreover all these
curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee,
and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed ; because
thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy
God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which
he commanded thee. And they shall be upon thee for
a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever,
because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joy-
fulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance
of all things ; therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies
which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and
in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things :
and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until
he have destroyed thee. The Lord shall bring a
nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth,
as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue
thou shalt not understand. A nation of fierce counte
nance, which shall not regard the person of the old,
nor shew favour to the young. And he shall eat the
K

130 Notes.
fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou
be destroyed : which also shall not leave thee either
corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks
of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. And he
shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and
fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst,
throughout all thy land : and he shall besiege thee in
all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord
thy God hath given thee. And thou shalt eat the
fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and
of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given
thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith
thine enemies shall distress thee. So that the man that
is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall
be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his
bosom, and toward the remnant of his children, which
he shall leave : so that he will not give to any of them
of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat ; because
he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the strait
ness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all
thy gates. The tender and delicate woman among you,
which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot
upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her
eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom,
and toward her son, and toward her daughter, and to
ward her young one that cometh out from between her
feet, and toward her children which she shall bear:
for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly, in
the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall
distress thee in thy gates. If thou wilt not observe to

Notes. 131
do all the words of this law that are written in this
book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful
name, The Lord thy God ; then the Lord will make
thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed,
even great plagues, and of long continuance and sore
sicknesses, and of long continuance. Moreover he
will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which
thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.
Also every sickness and every plague, which is not
written in the book of this law, them will the Lord
bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. And ye
shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the
stars of heaven for multitude ; because thou wouldest
not obey the voice of the Lord thy God. And it shall
come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do
you good, and to multiply you ; so the Lord will rejoice
over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought;
and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou
goest to possess it. And the Lord shall scatter thee
among all people, from the one end of the earth even
unto the other ; and there thou shalt serve other gods,
which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even
wood and stone. And among these nations shalt thou
find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have
rest : but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling
heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind : and
thy life shall hang in doubt before thee ; and thou
shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance
of thy life : in the morning thou shalt say, Would God
it were even ! and at even thou shalt say, Would God
K2

132 Notes.
it were morning ! for the fear of thine heart where
with thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes
which thou shalt see. And the Lord shall bring thee
into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I
spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again : and
there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen
and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
Chap. xxix. ver. 22.] So that the generation to come
of your children, that shall rise up after you, and the
stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say,
when they see the plagues of that land, and the sick
nesses which the Lord hath laid upon it; and that the
whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning,
that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth
therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah,
Admah and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his
anger and in his wrath : even all nations shall say,Where-
fore hath the Lord done thus unto this land? what
meaneth the heat of this great anger ? Then men shall
say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord
God of their fathers, which he made with them when he
brought them forth out of the land of Egypt : for they
went and served other gods, and worshipped them,
gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given
unto them: and the anger of the Lord was kindled
against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that
are written in this book : and the Lord rooted them
out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great
indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is
this day.

Notes. 133
Chap. xxx. ver. 1.] And it shall come to pass,
when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing
and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou
shalt call them to mind among all the nations whither
the Lord thy God hath driven thee, and shalt return
unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice ac
cording to all that I command thee this day, thou, and
thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy
soul ; that then the Lord thy God will turn thy cap
tivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return
and gather thee from all the nations, whither the
Lord thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine
be driven out unto the uttermost parts of heaven, from
thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from
thence will he fetch thee: and the Lord thy God
will bring thee into the land which thy fathers pos
sessed, and thou shalt possess it ; and he will do thee
good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. And the
Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine
enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted
thee. And thou shalt return and obey the voice of
the Lord, and do all his commandments, which I com
mand thee this day. And the Lord thy God will
make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in
the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle,
and in the fruit of thy land, for good : for the Lord
will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced
over thy fathers ; if thou shalt hearken unto the voice
of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and
his statutes which are written in this book of the law,

134 Notes.
and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine
heart, and with all thy soul.
See, I have set before thee this day life and good,
and death and evil; in that I command thee this
day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways,
and to keep his commandments and his statutes
and his judgments, that thou mayest live and mul
tiply : and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the
land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine
heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt
be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve
them ; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall
surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days
upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to
go to possess it. I call heaven and earth to record
this day against you, that I have set before you life
and death, blessing and cursing : therefore choose
life, that both thou and thy seed may live : That thou
mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest
obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him :
for he is thy life, and the length of thy days : that thou
mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto
thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to
give them.
Chap. xxxi. ver. 16.] And the Lord said unto
Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers;
and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after
the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go
to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my
covenant which I have made with them. Then my

Notes. 135
anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and
I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from
them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and
troubles shall befal them ; so that they will say in that
day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our
God is not among us ? And I will surely hide my
face in that day for all the evils which they shall have
wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt
yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have
commanded you ; and evil will befal you in the latter
days, because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord,
to provoke him to anger through the work of your
hands. Chap, xxxii. ver. 24.] They shall be burnt with
hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with
bitter destruction : I will also send the teeth of beasts
upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust.
The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy
both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also
with the man of gray hairs. [Ver. 46.] And he said
unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I
testify among you this day, which ye shall, command
your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.
For it is not a vain thing for you, because it is your
life : and through this thing ye shall prolong your
days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to
possess it.

136 Notes.
Note (F) page 64.
In tota lege Mosaica nullum vitas aeterna? praemium,
ac ne aeterni quidem praemii indicium vel vestigium
extat. Opinionum, quae inter Judaeos erat, circa vitam
futuri saeculi discrepantia, arguit promissiones Lege
factas tales esse ut ex iis certi quid de vita futuri
saeculi non possit colligi. Quod et Servator noster
non obscure innuit, cum resurrectionem mortuorum
colligit [Matt, xxii.] non ex promisso aliquo Legi
addito, sed ex generali tantum illo promisso Dei, quo
se Deum Abrahami, Isaaci, et Jacobi futurum spo-
sponderat : quae tamen ilia collectio magis nititur cog-
nitione intentionis divinas sub generalibus istis verbis
occultatae, &c. &c. Episcopius, Inst. Theol. lib. iii.
§ 1. c 2.
Grotius distinctly maintains the same tenet ; " Moses
in Religionis Judaicae institutione, si diserta Legis
respicimus, nihil promisit supra hujus vita? bona, ter
rain uberem, penum copiosum, victoriam de hostibus,
longum et valentem senectutem, posteros cum bona
spe superstites. Nam si quid est ultra, in umbris
obtegitur, aut sapienti ac difficili ratiocinatione col*
ligendum, est." &c.

ESSAYII.
ON THE DECLARATION OF GOD IN HIS SON;
§ 1. That the doctrines of marl's immortality,
and of the eternal reward reserved for the pious
and obedient, were truly " brought to light
through the Gospel," I have endeavoured to
establish in the First Essay. There are other
peculiarities in the Christian religion, closely
connected with these, which are still more fre
quently overlooked, (at least, overlooked as pe
culiarities?) relating to the mode in which the
Gospel leads men towards the attainment of
its promises, and brings them into that state of
piety and of obedience, which is requisite as a
preparation for immortal happiness. That piety
and obedience are requisite to make man accept
able in God's sight, is indeed no peculiarity of
the Gospel : natural religion would teach, that
if there be any future state, the most likely means
of making that a happy state, must be a profound
reverence for the Great Being on whose favour

138 Declaration of God in his Son. [essay ii.
all happiness must depend, and a course of life
agreeable to those moral principles which He
seems to have implanted in our minds, for the
regulation of our conduct. And many persons
accordingly content themselves with the consi
deration, that piety and virtue are enforced in
the Christian religion by stronger sanctions, (the
hopes and fears of another world,) than natural
religion could establish ; and they notice also,
perhaps, the peculiar purity of the Gospel-mo
rality ; but without observing the peculiarity
of the mode in which that piety and morality are
inculcated ; or rather in which men are led
to inculcate on themselves these lessons, and
to acquire the requisite dispositions.
The object of the present and of the succeed
ing Essay will be to point out these distinguish
ing features : and first, that of the mode in
which Christians are drawn towards God, and
sentiments both of piety and of emulation of the
divine goodness, implanted and cherished, by a
certain peculiarity in the character of the Gospel
revelation. It is to be observed, that I am proceeding
throughout on the supposition of the truth of

sect. 1.] Declaration of God in his Son. 139
that revelation ; and without therefore adducing
any direct evidence in support of it; though,
indirectly, it may serve as a confirmation to the
believer's faith, and may suggest matter of useful
meditation to the sceptic, to find Christianity
distinguished, in this and in several other re
markable particulars, both from Natural-religion,
and from all pretended revelations ; and distin
guished by such marks as are favourable to its
claim of coming from God.
The writings of the Apostle John, being com
posed, as is generally believed, in a great mea
sure, for the purpose of refuting the prevailing
heresies of his times, and of asserting and ex
plaining, in opposition to them, as much as is
proper or possible for us to know respecting the
true nature and character of Jesus Christ, are
accordingly those which throw the most light on
that peculiarity in the Gospel-revelation which
is now under consideration. In the beginning
of his Gospel he tells us, [_ch. i. 18.] " no man
hath seen God at any time ; the only-begotten
Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He
hath declared Him." The first clause of this
passage, viz. that " no man hath seen God at

140 Declaration of God in his Son. [essay ir.
any time," is an assertion so obvious and indis
putable, that it seems introduced principally as
a reason for the second, " the only-begotten Son,
which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath
declared Him ;" that is, the necessity of such
a declaration arises from the spiritual and stu
pendously exalted nature of the Deity; who is
not the object of any of our senses, and is very
imperfectly comprehensible by our understanding.
Now it is most important to observe, that the
declaration which John here speaks of, cannot
be understood as merely an authoritative an
nouncement of God's will, such as was made
by the prophets ; because the context evidently
shews that he is speaking of something peculiar
to the only-begotten Son; l/telvos e^y^o-aro :
" He hath declared him," or rather, with still
more propriety, " it is He that hath declared
him :" this declaration therefore does not refer
to a mere message sent from God, but to a
manifestation of God himself in Jesus Christ :
which the Apostle has just above described by
saying, "the Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us." He came, not merely as a prophet
sent from God, but as " Emmanuel, God with

sect. 2.] Declaration of God in his Son. 141
us." This view of the declaration or revelation
which He made of God, is strikingly confirmed
by numerous other passages in the sacred writ
ings : He says of Himself, " he that hath seen
mp, hath seen the Father." Paul describes the
incarnation, by saying, " God was manifest in
the flesh ;"a and that Christ was the brightness
of his glory, diravya<r/x,a rrjs Sofjije., and the ex
press image of his person, xaPa,CTvp Tvs vtroara-
aews. Now that the divine nature of Christ is
implied in these passages, though sufficiently
clear, it is not my present object to point out;
but that they represent the incarnation as a
certain kind of revelation, display, or manifes
tation, to men, of the divine nature. In what
manner, and for what purpose, this manifes
tation was effected, is the object of our present
inquiry. § 2. But in order to keep clear of even the
suspicion of that most unchristian and danger-
a The other reading, 'OS instead of 6E02, is equally to
the present purpose ; since it implies Christ's being at least
something more than human : for it would have been nugatory
to speak of a Man being "manifest in the flesh."

142 Declaration of God in his Son: [essay ii.
ous fault, presumption, it will be necessary to
premise two remarks ; first, that we are in
quiring, not why the incarnation took place, but
why it was made known to us. Now there is
a wide difference between two things, which
nevertheless the inattentive are apt to confound
together; I mean, between inquiring into the
reasons of the divine counsels themselves, and
inquiring into the reasons of their being made
known to us : the former is in very many cases
both a fruitless and a presumptuous inquiry,
because it relates frequently to unknown parts
of the creation, and to the attributes and ope
rations of the divine mind, which are beyond
our clear comprehension ; whereas, to inquire
why certain doctrines are revealed to us, can
hardly be a blameable, and will generally be a
profitable, often indeed a necessary, inquiry,
because this relates to our own minds — to the
practical effect intended to be produced on our
selves. For example, why the sacjdfice. of Christ
was necessary for ou£ redemption, is a mystery
beyond the reach of our present faculties ; and
all attempts fully to explain it have served only
to excite a prejudice against the doctrine, and

sect. 2.3 Declaration qf God in his Son. 143
to expose the weakness of arrogant speculation :
but to consider why this sacrifice of Christ was
announced to mankind, is both allowable and
necessary; it was doubtless for the purpose of
exciting our gratitude, confidence, love, and
obedience, towards him ; together with a deep
abhorrence of sin, which needed so mighty an
expiation. So also in the present case, we dare not pre
sume to determine why God thought fit to take
our nature upon him in Jesus Christ. But why
he thought fit to reveal this incarnation — to
announce himself as the eternal " Word made
flesh" — is what it cannot but behove us to
know. And it should be added, that since the Scrip
tures were designed for the instruction of man
kind in general, whatever they do reveal, must
be understood in the sense which would be likely
to strike, not the most learned and most acute
metaphysicians, but the generality of readers of
plain common sense, and of sufficient candour
and diligence. The meaning which one might
expect each expression to convey to those, must
be what was designed to be conveyed to all.

144 Declaration of God in his Son. [essay ii.
The other caution to be observed is, that in
those cases where we can perceive something of
the purposes which God has in view, we are
not thence to conqlude that we know them all:
many great objects may be comprehended in
each of God's dispensations ; though but a very
small part of these objects be as much as is
sufficient, and perhaps possible, for us, in our
present state, to understand. We are sure that
the sun gives light and heat to this world ; and
many ignorant savages perhaps conclude from
thence, that it was created for no other purpose ;
doubtless we are as much called on for gratitude
as if the case were so ; but we are well assured,
that many other planets partake of the same
advantages; and we should be very much to
blame, were we to conclude positively that even
this is the only, or indeed the principal, purpose
for which the sun was created. To have ascer
tained, and to perceive, a reason for any thing
that God has done, is far different from per
ceiving the reason; though the two are often
confounded. So, in the present case, whatever
benefits to mankind we may perceive from the
manifestation of God in the flesh, we have no

sect. 2.] Declaration qf God in his Son. 145
right to infer, that there may not be other, and
even greater, objects effected by it, of which, for
the present at least, we must remain ignorant.
With these cautions carefully kept in mind,
we may proceed, with due reverence, to inquire
for what purposes we are taught by Scripture
to believe in the incarnation of God in Christ
Jesus, and to regard that as a manifestation
of God to his creatures. We shall find good
reason for concluding, that it was designed, in
part at least, for the purpose of leading men
both to piety and to morality, by a method ad
mirably adapted to that purpose, and which is
absolutely peculiar to Christianity ; viz. by first
bringing down more to the level of our capacity
the moral attributes of the Deity, and thus better
engaging our affections on the side of devotion ;
and secondly, by exhibiting a perfect and exalted
Model of human excellence. Both these objects
are effected by the mysterious union of the divine
and human Natures ; the divine " Word was
made flesh," to lead us to affectionate piety ;
and "the manhood was taken into God," to
teach us Godlike virtue.
The few remarks which I propose to offer

146 Declaration qf God in his Son. [essay ii.
on each of these points, though very far from
exhausting the subject, may be sufficient to sug
gest, to such as are disposed to pursue it, a train
of pleasing and profitable meditation.
§ 3. First, then, with respect to piety : (or
whatever other term may be* employed, to denote
collectively the sentiments felt or expressed by
men towards a Supreme Being :) it is, indeed,
undeniable, that the works of creation clearly
indicate a Contriver of stupendous power and
wisdom, whose observation we can never hope to
elude, nor to resist his will : and we cannot but
acknowledge his goodness, in bestowing on his
creatures all the benefits they enjoy, notwith
standing our inability to explain those appearances
of evil which present themselves.
But, though it is easy to say, that we ought to
love and worship, as well as reverence and fear,
the Supreme Being, yet nothing is, in fact, more
difficult, for such a creature as man, surrounded
too, as he is, by gross material objects, and
necessarily occupied in worldly pursuits, than to
lift up his thoughts and affections to God. A
Being, whose nature is so incomprehensible, that

sect. 3.] Declaration of God in his Son. 147
our knowledge of Him is chiefly negative ; of
whom we know, not so much what He is, as
what He is not, it is difficult to make even a
steady object of thought. Now, we believe that
God is a spirit ; but we have a very faint notion
of the nature of a Spirit, except that it is not a
body. God is eternal ; but we are bewildered
with the very idea of Eternity, of which we only
know that it is ivithout beginning, and without
end : we say, that the divine attributes are in
finite ; i. e. not bounded, aralimited. And even
where our knowledge of God extends beyond
mere negatives, we cannot but perceive, on at
tentive reflection, that the attributes assigned to
the Deity must, in reality, be such, in Him, as the
ordinary sense of those same terms, when applied
to men, can but very faintly shadow out.b But
the difficulty is still greater, when we attempt to
set our affections on this awful and inconceivable
Being; — to address, as a tender parent, Him,
who has formed out of nothing, and could anni
hilate in a moment, countless' myriads, perhaps,
of worlds besides our own ; and to whom " the
b See Note (G) at the end of this Essay.
L 2

148 Declaration qf God in his Son. [essay ii.
nations are but as the drop of a bucket, and the
small dust of a balance ;"— to offer our tribute of
praise and obedience, to Him who can neither
be benefited nor hurt by us ;— to implore favour
and deprecate punishment, from Him who has no
passions, or wants, as we have ; — to confess our
sins, before Him who is exempt not only from all
sin, but from all human infirmities and tempta
tions ; — and, in short, to hold spiritual intercourse,
with One with whom we can have no sympathy,
and of whom we can with difficulty form any clear
conception. And this difficulty is not diminished, but rather
increased, in proportion as man advances in re
finement of notions, in cultivation of intellect,
and in habits of profound philosophical reflection ;
and thus becomes less gross in his ideas of the
Supreme Being. To the dull and puerile under
standings of a semi-barbarous nation, such as the
Israelites at the time of Moses, many of the cir
cumstances just mentioned would be less likely
to occur, than to those of a more enlightened
people ; and an habitual and practical piety would
accordingly have been more easy of attainment by
them, while favoured, as they were, with frequent

sect. 4.] Declaration of God in his Son. 149
sensible divine interpositions of various kinds,
and continually addressed by prophets in the
name of the Lord, Jehovah, the tutelary God of
their nation, than for men of more enlarged minds,
and more thoughtful habits, not favoured with
the Gospel-revelation.
These impediments to devotion, it is probable,
the Apostle John had in mind, when he said, " No
man hath seen God at any time ;" and that he
conceived the " declaration" of God, by Jesus
Christ, was calculated not, indeed, wholly to
remove these impediments, but so far to moderate
and lower them, as to leave no insuperable diffi
culty to a willing mind.
§ 4. To the causes which have been enumerated,
it is to be attributed, that the religion of those
who are called philosophers, — whose speculations
respecting the Deity have been accounted the most
refined and exalted, — has always been cold and
heartless in its devotion ; or rather has been nearly
destitute of devotion altogether.
On the other hand, the great mass of mankind,
from the same cause, have, in all ages and coun
tries, shown a disposition to address their prayers,

150 Declaration of God in his Son. [essay ii.
not to the Supreme Creator immediately, but to
some angel, demi-god, subordinate deity, or saint,
(as is the practice of the Romish Church), whom
they suppose to approach more to their own na
ture, to form a sort of connecting link between
God and man, and to perform for them the office
of Intercessor. Thus, while the one class are alto
gether wanting in affectionate devotion, the other
direct it to an improper object ; giving that wor
ship to the creature which" is due only to the
Creator. A preventive for both these faults is provided, in
that manifestation of God in Jesus Christ, which
affords us such a display of the divine attributes,
as, though very faint and imperfect, is yet the best
calculated, considering what human nature is, to
lead our affections to God. When Christ fed a
multitude with five loaves, He made not indeed a
greater, or a more benevolent display of power,
than He does in supporting, from day to day, so
many millions of men and other animals as the
universe contains; but it was an instance far
better calculated to make an impression on men's
minds of his goodness and parental care. I
speak not now of this miracle as an evidence of

sect. 4.] Declaration qf God in his Son. 151
his pretensions ; for that purpose would have
been answered as well by a miracle of destruction ;
but of the peculiar beneficent character of it. 1S0,
also, in healing the sick, raising the dead, and
preaching to the people ; though these are not
greater acts of power and goodness than the crea
tion of the world and all things in it, yet they are
what the minds of most men at least, can more
steadily dwell upon, and which, therefore, are the
most likely to affect the heart.
Many, it is true, of the qualities which our Lord
displayed, such as his patience under provocation,
and fortitude against pain and danger, are such
as can belong to Him in his human nature alone,
and can present us but a very faint shadow of
the attributes of God, considered as such ; but
still these are attributes of one and the same
Person, in whom we believe the Divine and
Human Natures to have been united ; though we
can no more comprehend that union, than we can
that of the human soul and body ; and they are well
fitted to fix our affections on that Person. And
if any one should contend, by drawing nice meta
physical distinctions, that this is not properly to
be called the love of God, it is at least the nearest

152 Declaration of God in his Son. [essay ii.
approach to it of which our nature is capable. Or
should any one inquire (being led by the ordinary
English use of the word, to draw too strong a
distinction between the Divine Persons) whether,
in this way, love towards God the Father is suffi
ciently inculcated, he may find an answer in our
Lord's own words : " If ye had known me, ye
should have known my Father also : and from
henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him.
Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father,
and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I
been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not
known me, Philip ? he that hath seen me hath
seen the Father ; and how sayest thou then, Shew
us the Father ? Believest thou not that I am in
the Father, and the Father in me? the words
that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but
the Father, that dwelleth in me, He doeth the
works." John xiv. 7 — 10.
If we cannot endure steadily to gaze on the
sun, but prefer contemplating its brightness as
reflected from the objects on the earth, much
more may we expect that the splendour of the
Divine Being should be too dazzling for mortal
gaze ; — that it should be necessary for his bright-

sect. 4.] Declaration qf God in his Son. 153
ness to be veiled in flesh, in order to enable us
to contemplate it in the best manner that, for us,
is possible ; and that we should have a better
notion of Him, by viewing this radiation of his
glory, [AnAYrA2MA TH2 A0HH2,] than by
straining our weak faculties in attempting to
comprehend Him as He is. Our views, indeed, on
this awful subject must, after all, be indistinct,
confused, and imperfect ; but if they are better
than we could otherwise have attained, and are
the utmost that we can or need attain, the object
is sufficiently accomplished. And, indeed, if any
one had clear, distinct, and complete views of
the Divine Being, this would alone be a sufficient
proof to me that they were incorrect views.
If, indeed, as is notoriously the fact, our only
notions of the divine attributes, and our terms for
expressing them, are, and always must be, bor
rowed from such human qualities as have the
most analogy to them, it seems to follow inevitably,
that the more excellent man would give us ever
the more adequate notion of the divine excellence ;
and, consequently, that the life of that Man who
was altogether perfect, by union with the God
head, must afford us the very best idea (however

154 Declaration qf God in his Son. [essay ii.
imperfect that best may be) that we can attain, of
the moral attributes of God.
Moreover, our Lord was subject to all the
wants, infirmities, and temptations, incident to his
and our human nature ; and suffered on the cross
for our redemption. And it should be remem
bered, that we are not exalting the character of
Jesus, if we regard Him as naturally destitute
of such feelings as ambition, love of glory, pa
triotism, and other such natural propensities, as
are not in themselves sinful ; nor could it, in that
case, have been said with truth, that He " was in
all points tempted like as we are." No doubt
the offer of temporal dominion, to a descendant
of the royal house of David, together with the
eager reception this would have ensured Him
with his countrymen, who were anxiously looking
for such a Messiah, and the glory and pleasure
of delivering them from a foreign yoke, consti
tuted a real and strong temptation ; especially
when the alternative was rejection by his brethren,
insult, persecution, and ignominious death. ° May
not this offer have been pressingly renewed just
0 It has appeared to several divines (and I fully coincide
with them) more probable, that the plot laid by Judas

sect. 4.] Declaration of God in his Son. 155
at the time of his betrayal ?d and may not this
temptation have been the " cup" which He
prayed might be removed from Him ? for we are
told (Heb. v. 7), that " he offered up prayers
and supplications with strong crying and tears,
unto Him that was able to save Him from
death, and was heard, in that He feared :" now
we know that He was not saved from the death
on the cross ; it must have been something else,
therefore, from which He prayed for deliverance,
and was heard. And the Evangelist tells us,
that " there appeared unto Him an angel from
heaven strengthening Him."
All this calls for our sympathy, as well as
reverence and gratitude ; and the affectionate
attachment thus so naturally generated, will
Iscariot (who could not be ignorant of his Master's super
natural powers) was for driving Him to assume a temporal
dominion, than that it was directed against his life. See
Hinds' "Catechist's Manual," p. 251.
d For we are told that after the temptation in the wilder
ness " Satan departed from Him, for a season; (&XPC Kaipov,
till a fitting opportunity) and this "season" or "occasion"
our Lord himself points out, in saying, " the prince of this
world cometh," " this is your hour, and the power of dark
ness," &c. &c.

156 Declaration of God in his Son. [essay ii.
adhere (if I may so express myself) to the divine
nature of the Saviour also. And when we worship
Him, though we worship Him not as man, but
as God, still it will give an affectionate fervour to
our devotions, to have an habitual remembrance,
that this very God was also man, deigning for
our sakes to be " made flesh, and dwell among
us," "taking upon Him the form of a servant,
and humbling Himself even unto the death of
the cross."
Undoubtedly, such is the kind of impression
which Paul's language, in allusion to the in
carnation, must naturally make on the mind, at
least, of a plain simple reader, unskilled in
drawing nice metaphysical distinctions ; and this
must ever be the description of the great mass of
Christians ; for instance, we read in Heb. iv. 15,
16, " We have not an high priest which cannot
be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but
was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to
the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need."
When I say, however, that we worship Christ
not as man but as God, I mean only, that the

sect. 4.J Declaration of God in his Son. 157
worship which evidently the Apostles and their
immediate disciples paid, and were taught to
pay, to Him, was not directed to a mere man,
however high in the divine favour, but to God
" manifest in the flesh." I am far from supposing
that the generality of Christians, that is, the
unlearned and unphilosophical, were, or can be,
capable of making, in their worship, a complete
mental separation of the two Natures, abstracting
distinctly, and contemplating solely, the divine
character, and laying aside all consideration of
the Human Nature, of Christ. This may be pos
sible for an acute, and learned, and reflective
philosopher, without his adopting the notion into
which the attempt seems to have led some of
those early heretics, who regarded our Lord as
two Persons, — the man, Jesus, and Christ, a dis
tinct emanation of the Deity. The distinction,
I say, it may be possible for a profound and re
flective mind so to draw, as yet to keep clear of
that heresy ; but the bare description of such an
abstractive process of thought, would, I conceive,
have as much perplexed the greater part of the
early disciples, as it manifestly would the gene
rality of unlearned Christians now. The Apostles

158 Declaration of God in his Son. [essay ii.
and their hearers would have told us simply, that
they addressed their prayers to a Being whom
they regarded as both divine and human, —
" the man Christ Jesus," in whom " dwelleth"
(not some emanation or portion of the Deity, but)
" all the fulness of the Godhead, bodily." They
addressed Him in their worship by his human
name ; as, " Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," &c.
Nor could they, indeed, have invoked Him as
their Intercessor and Mediator, hy virtue of his
meritorious sacrifice, keeping out of their minds
the Human Nature which those offices imply.
And if such is the impression naturally pro
duced in the generality of simple unphilosophical
minds, it cannot be a practically incorrect one ;
if, at least, it be true, as has been above re
marked,6 that the Scriptures were designed, by
unerring wisdom, for the instruction of such
minds. For there is this important difference be
tween these books, and any philosophical treatise,
that, in the latter, the most ingenious and best
educated may sometimes be the only persons
who can ascertain the true meaning ; and the
e In the present Essay, § 2. p. 143.

sect. 4.] Declaration of God in his Son. 159
majority of those destitute of these advantages,
though not wanting in candour or in diligence,
may not only be at a loss to understand some
things, but are liable, in the most essential points,
utterly to mmnderstand the author. Whereas
the Scriptures, if really intended for the mass
of mankind, though they may contain passages
not intelligible to the unlearned, cannot be cal
culated to mislead them as to important matters,
by conveying to their minds an obvious sense,
which yet shall not be the true one.
This consideration the Socinians appear to have
always overlooked. Admitting that every pas
sage in Scripture would, considered in itself, bear
their interpretation, still, if the simple and obvious
meaning to plain readers, be the reverse of the
truth, how can the Scriptures convey a revela
tion f If, as they contend, the worship of Christ
be idolatry, must not the Scriptures themselves
be charged with leading ordinary Christians into
idolatry? The Apostles do, indeed, direct our
worship exclusively to God ; but to " God in
Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself:" nor
do they dwell on the necessity of making, in our
devotions, any mental separation of the two

160 Declaration of God in his Son. [essay ii.
Natures of that Person who is the object of our
worship. On the contrary, observe how, in the
Epistle to the Colossians, Paul presents to our
view the divine and the human attributes of the
Saviour almost simultaneously ; " in whom," says
he, " we have redemption through his blood, even
the forgiveness of sins ; who is the Image of the
invisible God, the first-born of every creature,
(nrpoaToroKos Trao-qs Kno-eas, born before all crea
tures,) for by Him were all things created, that
are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible." Col. i. 14, 15, 16. That the notions
conveyed, by such expressions, to a plain reader,
are philosophically correct, I will not under
take to maintain : it is sufficient, that they are
scriptural. It is not necessary, in an argument addressed
to persons who are supposed acquainted with
the Scriptures of the New Testament, to dwell
as fully as might be done on those innumerable
points in the character and conduct of our
Saviour, which may be said with literal pro
priety to display divine excellence ; and that,
in the most impressive and at the same time in

sect. 5.] Declaration of God in his Son. 161
the most amiable form. The contemplation
indeed of that character should be an habitual
study to every Christian. It will have been
sufficient merely to direct the attention of a
believer in the Gospel to the point in ques
tion, — the advantage with respect to piety
which was intended to accrue from this decla
ration of God in Christ ; by its showing us,
not indeed the Divine Being as he is, but " the
express image," or stamp and impression of
Him, (j(apaKTrip ttjs viroo-Taaews) — by exhibiting,
though a very imperfect, yet a more impressive
and endearing picture of the moral attributes
of God than we could in any other way attain ;
and thus drawing our whole heart and affections
towards Him.
§ 5. II. Another advantage which was stated
to have been probably designed in exhibiting
to Man the stupendous work of the Incarnation,
is, the proposing a perfect model for our imita
tion.' It is an old and well-established maxim,
that men learn better from example than from
' For some excellent remarks on this subject, see Hinds'
" History of the Rise and Progress of Christianity," vol. i. p. 89.
M

162 Declaration of God in his Son. [essay ii.
precept ; but the difficulty is to find an example
fit for imitation. Mere human models are all,
more or less, imperfect ; and though it is unde
niable, that very great benefit may be derived
from them, if we are careful to point out, and
warn men against their faults, and by assem
bling together many different characters of
great worth, to provide that the deficiencies of
each may be supplied by others ; yet still there
must always be a certain degree of danger in
copying even the best men. The faults and
the virtues of each individual are in general so
intimately blended, and, as it were, fit together
so readily, that it is not easy to avoid the one,
while aiming at the other. The faults of one
whom we regard as a great and good man,
become endeared and ennobled in our eyes by a
union with so much virtue ; we are apt to take
such a favourable view of them, as leads us to
excuse them in ourselves, if not even to admire
and copy them. " Decipit exemplar vitijs imita-
bile," is accordingly no less trite a maxim than
that which recommends the study of approved
models. It was probably for this reason that the Stoics

sect. 5.] Declaration of God in his Son. 163
held forth as a pattern their ideal Wise-man.
For the Sapiens — the Wise-man, or perfectly
good and happy character, whom these philo
sophers delineated — was not one whom they
themselves pretended to have ever actually
existed. This circumstance, by the way, (though
such is undoubtedly the fact,) has been over
looked by many ; who have thence charged
them with arrogant pretensions to perfect vir
tue, which it does not appear they ever made.
Their object seems to have been, to avoid, on
the one hand, the comparative flatness and tedi-
ousness of abstract descriptions, and, on the other
hand, the errors to be dreaded from the imper
fection of human models. And they certainly
judged rightly in thinking, that however in
evitable it may be that men should have
defects, the pattern which is proposed to them
should have none ; for, far as they will still
fall short of perfection, they will thus approach
much nearer to it than if they had copied a de
fective model.
This method, however, of leading men to
morality, though perhaps the best that in their
situation they could have devised, laboured
m 2

164 Declaration of God in his Son. [essay ii.
under a very important defect: I speak not of
the blemishes in the ideal Wise-man they de
scribed ; though the character which they meant
for a perfect one, was, according to the more
correct principles now established, very far
from perfect ; still it is conceivable that it
might have been so ; let us then suppose it
completely unexceptionable ; still it is ideal ;
it wants the power of inspiring that interest
and sympathy, — that affectionate reverence, —
that emulation, which a really existing person
can alone inspire ; and being represented to us
only by general descriptions, it takes even less
hold of the mind than the fictitious hero of a
drama, who is represented as performing dis
tinct individual actions ; though we know that
both are alike creatures of the imagination;
which have therefore but a very faint effect in
exciting us to imitation. An ideal model, in
short, is but one short step removed from ab
stract moral precept : real human examples, on
the contrary, are unsafe, through their imperfec
tion. Both may do some service, but both leave
much to be desired.
But if, while some of the ancient moralists

sect. 5.] Declaration qf God in his Son. 165
were employed in recounting the actions, and
holding forth the examples, of really existing
illustrious men, to stimulate the emulation of
their hearers,— and while others were pointing
out, in the grave and lofty descriptions of the
philosopher, or the vivid representations of the
poet, an ideal exemplar of perfect excellence ; —
a man exhibited, such as men should be, not
such as they are, — what would these sages,
I say, have thought, had they been assured on
sufficient authority that such a Man had actually
appeared on earth ; not having his virtues tar
nished with defects, like the heroes of their
histories : not, a phantom of imagination, like
the Persons of their theatre, or the Wise-man of
their schools ; but a real, living, sublime, and
faultless model of godlike virtue ? Surely they
would have acknowledged, with one voice, that
such a character, and such a one only, was exactly
suited to their wishes, and to the wants of their
hearers : if they were at all sincere in their pro
fessions, they would have hailed with rapture
the announcement of his existence ; but would
have wondered, at the same time, and doubted,
how human nature could ever have attained

166 Declaration of God in his Son. [essay ii.
this pitch of excellence. We might have an
swered them, Human nature by itself is indeed
far too weak for the task; but in Christ the
Divine nature was united to it ; in Him " dwelt
all the fulness of the Godhead bodily :" the
Deity was ever present in an especial manner
to direct and support his human soul ; and thus
presented to his creatures a perfect pattern,
which, through the promised aid of the Spirit
of Christ, they may copy : that by imitating
the. divine excellence, as far as it is possible
for a creature to do so, we may become, as
Christ himself expresses it, " like unto our
Father which is in heaven," and be thus fitted
for enjoying a more near approach to his pre
sence in a better state : that we also may be
more completely than in this life, " sons of God,
brethren, and joint-heirs of Christ," and par
takers of his glory. " Beloved," says the Apostle
John, " now are we the sons of God ; and
it doth not yet appear what we shall be ; but
we know that when He shall appear, we shall
be like unto Him ; for we shall see Him as He
is." Behold here, then, (we might exclaim) a
truly godlike man, far surpassing your histo-

sect. 5.] Declaration of God in his Son. 167
rical or fabulous heroes ! Behold here your
imaginary Wise-man exemplified in real life !
What you have described, that, and much more,
He has performed ; for He has corrected in actual
practice, the errors of your description, and has
realized a nobler and more lovely picture of vir
tue than even your conceptions ever reached.
It would be unnecessary, I trust, were it pos
sible within reasonable limits, to enter into a
detailed examination of the virtues of Christ's
character. Every Christian who deserves the
name, makes it his attentive study ; and those
who have learned the most of it, are ever the
most desirous and the most capable of learning
yet more. Many valuable writers have treated
of the subject ; but the Gospels themselves (as
those very writers would be the first to admit)
will teach more of the imitation of Jesus than
all other books together. Each man may do
more for himself in this study than the ablest
theologian can do for him. He will find in
every page such active yet unpretending be
nevolence — such exalted generosity and self-
devotedness — such forbearing kindness and
lowliness, combined with dignity — such earnest

168 Declaration of God in his Son. [essay ii.
and steady, yet calm and considerate, zeal —
such quiet and unostentatious fortitude — such
inflexible yet gentle resolution — that he must
acknowledge with the Jewish officers, " never
man spake like this man;" never did man, he
will add, act like this man ; " truly," as the Cen
turion exclaimed, " this was a righteous man ;
truly this was the Son of God :" it was " Em
manuel, God with us."
And if the student's own heart be not in
fault, his character will not fail to receive some
tincture from the virtue he is contemplating.
Whatever may be our station in life, or pecu
liar circumstances, we shall still find, that Jesus
Christ has " left us an ensample that we should
follow his steps ;" because the principle of de
voted obedience to God, love towards man, and
abjuration of all selfish objects, is one which
is called for, and must be put in practice, in
every situation. Besides which, it is very ob
servable, that while all the illustrious characters
which are usually held up to our imitation,
are persons who occupied such exalted stations,
that their lives afford but little instruction to
those in humbler and more private situations,

sect. 6.3 Declaration of God in his Son. 169
(that is, in fact, to the great mass of mankind),
our Saviour's life, on the contrary, though He
had so high an office to execute, yet, from the
humble station in which He appeared, contains
lessons for every description of mankind.
§ 6. It appears, then, that Jesus Christ has
" declared " God to Man, not as a prophet
merely, but as (what Paul calls him in the
Epistle to the Colossians) "the Image of the
invisible God ;" — not merely by announcing the
divine will, but by manifesting, as far as our
feeble capacities will permit, the divine glory,
and shadowing forth the attributes of the invi
sible and unsearchable God. And this for two
purposes most important to mankind ; first, by
a softened and endearing, as well as impres
sive, manifestation of the Deity, to aid and
exalt our piety, engaging our affections in the
cause of religion ; and, secondly, by a bright
example of superhuman virtue, seconded by the
promise of spiritual aid, to instruct and encou
rage us in our duty — to illuminate and direct
our Christian course — to purify and to elevate
our nature. The one purpose, in short, may be

170 Declaration of God in his Son. [essay ii.
said to have been, to bring down God to Man;
the other, to lift up Man towards God.
Now, if this view of the subject be correct, it
must be admitted, that the method adopted in
the Gospel for leading men to piety and to
morality, is something altogether peculiar to
Christianity ; and it is one of those peculiarities
which, as was formerly remarked, men are too
apt to overlook or to undervalue. I speak not
now of those who distinctly deny the divinity
of our Lord; but it is, I apprehend, not un
common for those who assent to the truth of
that doctrine, to pass by unheeded the impor
tant purposes for which it was revealed; and
thence to lose sight of that striking peculiarity
in the Christian religion which results from that
revelation, and which it has been the object of
this Essay to point out.
The Incarnation, as an abstract speculative
point, they are aware is taught in the Gospel,
and only in the Gospel ; but the Incarnation, as
the basis of the Christian's worship, and of the
Christian's obedience, they are too apt entirely
to disregard. They content themselves with
perceiving, generally, that all religions whatever

sect. 6.] Declaration of God in his Son. 171
inculcate piety to God, and virtuous conduct;
and fail to observe, that, in the very points which
are, thus far, common to all, Christianity is
strikingly distinguished from the rest : the mode
in which it leads us to that piety and virtue, is
altogether peculiar to it.
Another circumstance of peculiarity, however,
in that mode, remains to be noticed. It is evi
dent, that in order to form a virtuous character,
it is requisite not only that a perfect standard be
set before us, (such as the model which the
Gospel holds out for our imitation), but also
that adequate motives be supplied. And though
the emulation which the contemplation of an
admirable model is calculated to inspire, is, to
a certain degree, a motive, it is not alone suffi
cient. The rewards and punishments of the
next world, as declared in the Gospel, have been
already mentioned as furnishing one most power
ful motive ; but there is another besides this —
an appeal to the feelings, not merely to the judg
ment — a motive of affection, not of mere interest
— the introduction of which forms a strikingly
distinguishing feature of Christianity ; and this
peculiarity will form the subject of the next Essay.

NOTE.

Note (G) p. 147.
"We ought to remember, that the descriptions
which we frame to ourselves of God, or of the divine
attributes, are not taken from any direct or immediate
perceptions that we have of Him or them ; but from
some observations we have made of his works, and
from the consideration of those qualifications, that we
conceive would enable us to perform the like. Thus,
observing great order, conveniency, and harmony in
all the several parts of the world, and perceiving that
every thing is adapted, and tends to the preservation
and advantage of the whole ; we are apt to consider,
that we could not contrive and settle things in so
excellent and proper a manner without great wisdom ;
and thence conclude that God, who has thus con
certed and settled matters, must have wisdom : and
having then ascribed to Him wisdom, because we see
the effects and result of it in his works, we proceed,
and conclude that He has likewise foresight and under
standing, because we cannot conceive wisdom without
these, and because if we were to do what we see He has
done, we could not expect to perform it without the
exercise of these faculties.

Note. 173
" And it doth truly follow from hence, that God
must either have these, or other faculties and powers
equivalent to them, and adequate to these mighty
effects which proceed from them. And because we do
not know what his faculties are in themselves, we give
them the names of those powers, that we find would be
necessary to us, in order to produce such effects, and
call them wisdom, understanding, and foreknowledge :
but at the same time we cannot but be sensible that
they are of a nature altogether different from ours,
and that we have no direct or proper notion or con
ception of them. Only we are sure that they have
effects like unto those that do proceed from wisdom,
understanding, and foreknowledge in us : and when
our works fail to resemble them in any particular, as
to perfection, it is by reason of some want or defect in
these qualifications.
" Thus our reason teaches us to ascribe these attri
butes to God, by way of resemblance and analogy to
such qualities or powers as we find most valuable and
perfect in ourselves.
" If we look into the holy Scriptures, and consider
the representations given us there of God or his attri
butes, we shall find them generally of the same nature,
and plainly borrowed from some resemblance to things
with which we are acquainted by our senses. Thus
when the holy Scriptures speak of God, they ascribe
hands, and eyes, and feet to Him : not that it is de
signed that we should believe that He has any of these
members according to the literal signification : but the

174 Note.
meaning is, that He has a power to execute all those
acts, to the effecting of which these parts in us are
instrumental : that is, He can converse with men as well
as if He had a tongue and mouth ; He can discern all
that we do or say as perfectly as if He had eyes and
ears ; He can reach us as well as if He had hands and
feet ; He has as true and substantial a being as if He
had a body ; and He is as truly present every where as
if that body were infinitely extended. And in truth,
if all these things, which are thus ascribed to Him, did
really and literally belong to Him, He could not do what
He does near so effectually, as we conceive and are
sure He doth them by the faculties and properties
which He really possesses, though what they are in
themselves be unknown to us." King's Sermon, § iv.
p. 6—10.
That I do not admit Dr. King's application of his
principles, to the explanation of the difficulty of recon
ciling the divine Prescience with human Freedom, is
necessary to be mentioned, for the sake of such of my
readers only as have not seen the notes accompanying
my edition of his Sermon, and may be led to suppose
the contrary, from a statement in a note to one of Mr.
Davison's Lectures on Prophecy, in which he attri
butes to me the adoption of the Archbishop's views on
that point. That statement originated entirely in a
mistake ; as the author (whom I well knew to be in
capable of wilful misrepresentation) candidly acknow
ledged to me. The fact is, he had omitted to read my
publication, and had attributed those opinions to me

Note. 175
merely from conjecture, because they were those of
Dr. King. That after an interval of five years, Mr.
Davison's work should be still on sale with the error
uncorrected, is more than I profess to explain. I can
only assure my readers that he promised me the
mistake should be rectified ; though without specifying
how, or when.
My reasons for differing from Archbishop King on
the point above-mentioned, are fully stated in the
notes to his Sermon. But of the soundness and the
importance of his general principles, I am the more
convinced, because their not having been refuted,
certainly does not proceed from their not being
thought worth notice. They have been assailed both
formerly, and of late, by numerous and zealous oppo
nents ; all of whom have mistaken entirely either the
question itself, or Dr. King's view of it. For instance,
advantage has been taken of his expressions, that " the
divine attributes are quite unlike ours," and " altogether
different ;" which have been taken to mean (either
through very culpable carelessness, or something worse)
that they have no resemblance at all, — nothing in com
mon; and " that, on his principles, the infliction of
gratuitous misery may be perfectly consistent with the
Divine Mercy :" and it might have been added, with
equal fairness, that, on his principles, a contrivance so
framed as to defeat its proposed object, would be
equally consistent with the Divine Wisdom : all which,
as may be seen even from the above quotation, is the
very reverse of what Dr. K. does say. He all along

176 Note.
dwells on the agreement in the effects resulting from
the divine attributes, and from human ones bearing the
same names, as the very ground on which those names
are so applied ; but the causes of those effects, he
maintains, we have no right to consider as necessarily
otherwise similar, inasmuch as the Beings who are the
subjects of those attributes are so immensely different.
This is a mistake (to use the mildest interpretation)
of Dr. King's meaning : the question itself has been,
if possible, still more mistaken. It has been contended,
for instance, that all exhortations to imitate the Deity
must be nugatory, if we know not precisely what his
attributes are, or regard them as of a different cha
racter from the human : as if Solomon's exhortation,
" Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways, and
be wise," could not be put in practice unless we were
convinced that the proceedings of the insect are
directed, not by any incomprehensible instinct, but by
mental habits, in all respects agreeing with human
prudence, and industry.
And as for the words " same" and " similar," so
often employed in discussions of this point, so great is
the confusion of thought resulting from their am
biguity, and from the general laxity with which they
are applied, that it may be allowable to extract from
the "Elements of Logic" a passage in which I have
attempted to dispel this confusion. Chap. v. § 1.
p. 274 — 276. Dr. King, I have there said, " remarked
(without expressing himself perhaps with so much
guarded precision as the vehemence of his opponents

Note. 177
rendered needful) that " the attributes of the Deity (viz.
Wisdom, Justice, fyc.) are not to be regarded as the
same with those human qualities which bear the same
names, but are called so by resemblance and analogy
only." For this he was decried by Bishop Berkeley
and a host of other objectors, down to the present
time, as an Atheist, or little better. If the divine
attributes, they urged, are not precisely the same in
kind (though superior in degree) with the human qua
lities which bear the same name, we cannot imitate the
Deity as the Scriptures require ; — we cannot know on
what principles we shall be judged ; — we cannot be sure
that God exists at all ; with a great deal more to the
same purpose ; all of which would have been perceived
to be entirely needless, had the authors but recol
lected to ascertain the meaning of the principal word
employed. 1st, When any two persons (or other objects) are
said to have the " same" quality, accident, $c, what we
predicate of them is evidently a certain resemblance,
and nothing else. One man, e. g., does not feel ano
ther's sickness ; but they are said to have the " same"
disease, if they are precisely similar in respect of their
ailments :' and so also they are said to have the same
complexion, if the hue and texture of their skins be
alike. 2dly, Such qualities as are entirely relative, —
which consist in the relation borne by the subject to
certain other things, — in these, it is manifest, the only
resemblance that can exist, is, resemblance of relations,
i. e. ANALOGY. Courage, e. g., consists in the
relation in which one stands (dv t$ i\tiv irioe. Trpbs,
N

178 Note.
Arist.) towards dangers ; Temperance or Intem
perance, towards bodily pleasures, §c.
When it is said, therefore, of two courageous men,
that they have both the same quality, the only
meaning this expression can have, is, that they are,
so far, completely analogous in their characters; —
having similar ratios to certain similar objects. In
short, as, in all qualities, sameness can mean only strict
resemblance, so, in those which are of a relative nature,
resemblance can mean only analogy.
Thus it appears, that what Dr. King has been so
vehemently censured for asserting respecting the Deity,
is literally true even with respect to men themselves ;
viz. that it is only by Analogy that two persons can
be said to possess the same virtue, or other such quality.
3dly, But what he means is plainly, that this analogy
is far less exact and complete in the case of a com
parison between the Deity and his creatures, than
between one man and another ; which surely no one
would venture to deny. But the doctrine against which
the attacks have been directed, is self-evident, the mo
ment we consider the meaning of the term employed.
This explanation, and the argument founded on it,
did appear to me at the time perfectly decisive : if
however there had been any flaw in the reasoning, I
cannot but think (considering the number and the zeal
of Dr. King's assailants) that it would before now have
been pointed out. Those who remain unconvinced by
it, I ddfepair of satisfying by any argument that I am
able to devise.

ESSAY III.

ON LOVE TOWARDS CHRIST AS A MOTIVE TO
OBEDIENCE.

§ 1. If the Gospel had merely given us the
assurance of a future retribution, teaching us at
the same time to look for immortal happiness
through faith in the meritorious sacrifice of our
Redeemer, (not as the well-earned reward of our
own virtue), yet requiring us to practise virtue
nevertheless, as an indispensable condition; and,
in addition to moral precepts, holding out a
model of superhuman excellence to excite our
emulation — it would have been distinguished
indeed by many important peculiarities, and
it would have contained every incentive to holi
ness of life that some Christian readers attribute
to it.a But in fact it does much more. The
1 As I have treated in the eighth Essay of the Second
Series, of a subject nearly allied to the one now before us,
to that of the preceding Essay, and to that of the fifth of the
N 2

180 Love towards Christ [essay hi.
rewards and punishments of the next world do
indeed furnish a strong incitement to the prac
tice of duty ; the moral precepts of the Scrip
tures, and still more the example of Christ, help
us to ascertain what our duty is ; and the emula
tion which such a model naturally . inspires,
affords an additional incentive : but this is not
all. It is possible for men to emulate the vir
tues of one who is personally an utter stranger
to them ; and to profit by his example, though
he have no connexion with them, — no care or
knowledge whether they imitate him or not.
But they are much more strongly incited to do

present volume, it may be worth while briefly to notice in
this place the distinction between these and the other.
I am speaking, in the present Essay, of a peculiarity in
the motives employed by the sacred writers for producing
moral conduct ; and again, in this, in the preceding, and in
the fifth, of a peculiarity as to the examples they propose for
our imitation and self-instruction.
In the eighth of the other series, I am considering their
mode of conveying to us the precepts of morality.
In all, it is the moral-instruction of Scripture that I have
been treating of; but, distinctly, of the different parts of
/ which it (and indeed all complete moral-instruction) consists ;
' viz.: 1st, the Motives inculated ; 2dly, the Examples pro
's posed ; Sdly, the Precepts delivered.

sect. 1.] introduced as a motive. 181
this, if they know that the person in question does
take an interest in their welfare — is their greatest
benefactor — and on that ground calls on them to
conform to his precepts, and to tread in his steps.
And this we shall find is the case, in a most
remarkable degree, in the religion of Jesus
Christ. One of its most striking peculiarities
is, its continual appeal to the affections ; its
introducing as a principal motive to obedience,
love towards our heavenly Master. He appeared
as " God with us," and as partaking of our na
ture, with a view both to display to us an exalted
and perfect model of goodness, and also to
awaken in us more effectually those feelings of
pious and affectionate attachment, which it would
be less easy to entertain towards God, considered
as the invisible Author and Governor of the uni
verse. In beautiful conformity with this plan,
these feelings are required to manifest themselves
in a duteous regard to his will ; and on these
we are taught that the moral regulation of our
lives is to be founded. " If ye love me, keep
my commandments," is our Lord's injunction,
as reported by John in his Gospel ;* " and this
• b Chap. xiv. 15.

182 Love towards Christ [essay hi.
is love," says the same Evangelist in his general
Epistle, " that we walk after his command
ments." Here we have set before us at once
the best principle, and the best application of
it; the purest motive, and the most perfect
practice : here, in short, we are told both what
our conduct ought to be, and from what source
that conduct ought to spring.
It is undeniable that the very best actions
are of no value, unless they proceed from a
right principle ; and again, that a right prin
ciple is utterly barren and unprofitable, unless
it lead us to right practice. The Gospel sup
plies us both with the motive, and the rule ;
" If ye love me, keep my commandments." This
precept therefore is to be considered in two
points of view : first, that the love of Christ is
the proper ground of our obedience — the reason
why we ought to keep his commandments:
secondly, that the proper effect, and sure test
of our . love for Christ, is, the keeping of his
commandments. § 2. On each of these points many have
fallen into dangerous mistakes; and some in-

sect. 2.] introduced as a motive. 183
deed have entirely lost sight of both. Persons
may be found, who profess a most fervent and
zealous love for their Redeemer, yet are so far
from giving proof of their love by keeping his
commandments, that they seem to consider the
very warmth of their feelings — their religious
fervour — as an excuse for the carelessness of
their practice, and as affording them a kind of
licence for indulging their sinful inclinations;
forgetful of the plain warning given by Christ
himself, " Not every one that saith unto me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Fa
ther which is in heaven." " Ye are my friends
if ye do all things that I have commanded you."
And this perversion of Christianity by some
persons has had the effect of inspiring others
with an aversion or contempt for all sentiments
of affectionate piety ; — of bringing into disrepute
altogether the Gospel - motive of love towards
the Redeemer, as savouring of dangerous fana
ticism, and leading to the substitution of en
thusiastic feelings, for a virtuous life.
But the perversity of man is no ground either
for censuring, or for rejecting, or for seeking

184 Love towards Christ [essay hi. t
to alter and new - model, the word of God ;
which sufficiently guards those who will but
study it fairly, against such abuse of the doc
trine before us. Indeed, one of the most strik
ing peculiarities of our religion, consists in the
strong contrast which the preaching of our Lord
and his followers presents, in this respect, to
most of the systems of religion, which have been
devised by men. Rich offerings could not, with
Him, as among the Pagans, make amends for
a sinful life : neither painful austerities, nor
splendid festivals, were by Him allowed to com
pensate for the want of purity of heart, and
subdued passions ; no zeal in his service, or
readiness even to shed their blood in his cause,
would excuse his followers, as it would those
of Mahomet, from the performance of their mo
ral duties. " Why," says He, " call ye me Lord,
Lord, and do not the things which I say?"
and He declares, that even those who had
wrought miracles in his name would be dis-~
avowed by Him, if " workers of iniquity."
There are others, on the contrary, driven,
probably, (as has just been observed,) by their
dread of the extreme above mentioned, into the

sect. 2.] introduced as a motive. 185
opposite, who, in the sentiments they utter, or
in the conduct of their lives, seem not to con
sider the love of Christ as a motive (or, at
least, not as the best and principal motive) for
obedience to his commands ; but content them
selves with dwelling on the rewards and punish
ments of the next world, and on the folly and
danger of sin.
Such persons are undoubtedly right as far
as they go ; but they do not go far enough :
the motives which they urge are not the only,
nor the best motives, (though certainly very right
and very powerful ones) for the practice of
Christian duty. It is true, indeed, that one of
the great purposes for which Christ came into
the world, was to reveal to men the certainty
of a future state of reward and punishment ;
and we find Him urging, briefly indeed, but for
cibly, the immense importance of our eternal
salvation above all worldly goods — the incon
ceivable happiness of good men hereafter, and
the hopeless misery which awaits the disobe
dient : "What shall it profit a man, if he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ?
Or what shall a man give in exchange for his

186 Love towards Christ [essav hi.
soul?" He encourages us to despise worldly
sufferings for righteousness' sake, by saying,
"great is your reward in heaven;" and warns
us to beware of displeasing that Being, "who
hath power to destroy both soul and body in
hell." And his followers hold the same lan
guage : they exhert their hearers to strive for
" an incorruptible crown ;" they tell them, that
" the sufferings of this present time are not wor
thy to be compared with the glory that shall
be revealed in us :" and, on the other hand, they
profess, that, " knowing the terrors of the Lord,
they teach men." Yet still it is to be observed,
that this language of promise and threatening —
this appeal to the reason and to the interests
of men — is not the prevailing character — not
the general tone, as it were — of the discourses
of Christ and his Apostles : at least, not when
they are addressing believers in Christ.
To those indeed who had any doubts of the
nature of Christ's mission, or of the reality of
the resurrection, they insisted much (as was
manifestly necessary) on the certainty, and on
the immense importance, of that future life,
which our Lord had revealed : but when they

sect. 2.] introduced as a motive. 187
were addressing their own disciples, who were
familiar with those first rudiments of Chris
tianity, to them, they chiefly insisted on love
towards Christ, not certainly as a substitute for
obedience, but as the great principle on which
his followers ought to act — the main-spring of
all their conduct. The misery of the bad, and
the happiness of the good, hereafter, they all
along presuppose and take for granted ; but they
seem to have regarded these doctrines as the
foundation, not the completion — the beginning,
not the end — of their system. To the further-
advanced and better-instructed Christian, they
held out a nobler and purer motive. " If ye
love me," says our Lord, " keep my command
ments." " The love of Christ constraineth us,"
says Paul ; and he adds, as a reason, " that He
died for all, that they which live, should not
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him
who died for them, and rose again." c And
the Apostle John, both in his Epistle and his
Gospel, the latter of which, at least, may be
supposed, from the lateness of its date, to have
c 2 Cor. v. 14.

188 Love towards Christ [essay hi.
been more particularly addressed to those who
were settled in the Christian faith, exhibits the
same characteristics in a still more striking
manner. In short, almost all the exhortations of the
sacred writers are grounded on the infinite mer
cies of our great Instructor and Redeemer
towards us, and on the gratitude, love, and re
verence, which we ought to feel towards Him
in return. To our hopes and fears, indeed,
they appeal, incidentally and occasionally ; "but
the sentiment which they are continually striv
ing to excite and keep alive in us, and which is
the main-spring of their whole moral system,
is, a strong sense of the greatness and the good
ness of our Saviour, and a fervent zeal in ador
ing and serving Him, who did and suffered so
much for us.
To prove and illustrate what has now been
affirmed, as fully as might be done, would be
to transcribe the greater part of the apostolic
epistles ; the more any one examines them,
the more he will perceive that their general
tone and character is such as has been de
scribed.

sect. 3.] introduced as a motive. 189
§ 3. Now let any one compare such language
as this with the ideas which some Christian wri
ters seem to entertain, and the language they
use, and he will perceive, that, though unde
niably just and right, they are very imperfect,
and very far from resembling the model of Scrip
ture. Such men are contented with the consi
derations that life is short, and death certain ; —
that all men must hereafter be judged before
an all-seeing God, who will not fail to reward
the good, and punish the bad ; — that the greatest
worldly goods and evils are mere trifles in com
parison of our eternal happiness or misery; and
that therefore it is the height of folly to be
negligent in the performance of our duty, or
in avoiding temptations to sin; since these are
the points which most deserve our attention,
if we have any rational regard for our own wel
fare. Nothing can be more true than all this ;
and Christians are intended, no doubt, most
seriously to take it to heart, and act constantly
in conformity with such principles. But still
these, as has been said, are not the only nor
the highest principles on which a Christian
should act : these arguments are what every

190 Love towards Christ [essay hi.
Christian teacher ought to employ, but to which
he should not confine himself; at least, if he
would imitate the tone of the Gospel. These
topics indeed being almost entirely drawn from
what is commonly called " natural religion," (as
far at least as that is supposed to hold out any
probability of a future state,) it follows of course,
that to dwell exclusively on these, is to omit
great part of what is peculiar to Christianity;
and thus to lose sight of one very striking and
characteristic feature of it ; a feature constituting
one of those peculiarities, the neglect or depre
ciation of which is so common, and so carefully
to be guarded against.
Human ethics and natural religion may be
sufficient to satisfy the understanding as to the
nature and the claims of virtue ; but to engage
the feelings on the same side, belongs in an
especial manner to the Gospel. It is necessary
indeed to convince men's reason, and to point
out to them their true interest ; but Christ and
his followers were not satisfied with this; they
knew that it is in vain the reason is convinced,
if the heart be not warmed ; and that man will
not follow his own interests, if all his affections

sect. 3.] introduced as a motive. 191
lie the other way. That this should be the
case with rational Beings, is the great paradox
which we in vain endeavour to explain, though
daily experience compels us to acknowledge it.
And to find a remedy for this weakness— to in
duce men to pursue the line of conduct which
their own sober judgment admits to be the
best — has been attempted by all moralists ;
though not very successfully, and not always
judiciously. Our Lord and his followers, who
" knew what was in man," were well aware that
such a Being could not be practically influenced
by an appeal to his understanding alone. They
did not therefore make religion a matter of mere
prudent calculation, but of affectionate zeal.
When Christ was committing to Simon Peter
the care of the beloved flock which He had him
self redeemed, He meant him indeed to under
stand, no doubt, that he would be punished if
he neglected this charge, and that great would
be the reward of diligent obedience ; but these
were not the topics He chose to insist upon :
" Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me ?" Peter
replied, " Lord, thou knowest that I love thee ;"
Jesus said unto him, " Feed my sheep." Thrice

192 Love towards Christ [essay hi.
was this injunction given, and thrice was the
appeal made, not to the hopes and fears, but
to the affections, of the Apostle.
• In like manner, the Apostle Paul, in exhort
ing the Churches, alludes occasionally only to
the rewards and punishments of a future state,
and the folly of not preparing for it; but he
insists continually on the mercies which God
has already shown us, and the gratitude we
ought to feel for them; and strives to fill us
with an earnest desire of pleasing Him, and an
abhorrence of sin, as odious in his sight. For
example, when he tells the Colossians "to for
give one another, if any man have a quarrel
against any," it is on this ground, " even as Christ
forgave you :" and again, " Children, obey your
parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing
unto the Lord." And again, "Be ye followers
of God, as dear children; and walk in love,
as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given
himself for us."
From these and innumerable similar passages,
it is sufficiently evident, that the Christian, if
he would listen to and imitate the teaching of
Christ and his Apostles, must not be contented

sect. 4.] introduced as a motive. 193
to dwell merely on the rewards and punishments
of the next world, and the importance of striving
for the one, and guarding against the other,
(though these should be ever present to his
mind ;) but he must also endeavour to " set his
affection on things above ;" — to fill his heart
with the love of Christ — with admiration for
the blended majesty and loveliness displayed in
his sojourning on earth — with gratitude, not only
for that greatest and most prominent work, the
Redemption by Him, but also for his condescend
ing goodness in visiting his people in the flesh,
to declare to them the invisible God ; — and
with an active zeal to serve Him as perfectly
as possible, in proof of his reverence and affec
tion'. These are the prevailing and principal
motives in the mind of a sincere Christian : these
are what our Lord and his followers were the
most anxious to instil into the hearts of their
disciples. § 4. The views (again) which the sacred wri
ters give of the rewards prepared for the faith
ful in the next life, (dim and imperfect as they
are,) correspond in the most natural and strik-

194 Love towards Christ [essay hi.
ing manner with their mode of inculcating Chris
tian duty. And those persons whose topics of
exhortation on this latter point are exclusively
addressed to the head, and not to the heart,
labour under a corresponding defect in their
manner of speaking of future happiness ; their
views of which, accordingly, are, as well as their
moral precepts, neednessly dry, unattractive, and
uninteresting to the feelings. They keep out
of sight, throughout, the personal character of
our religion, and of every thing connected with
it : i. e. its continual reference to persons, and
especially to that Great Person who is the Au
thor of it, rather than to mere abstract things.
While they dwell, in delineating and enforcing
duty, exclusively on the excellence and advan
tage of a virtuous life — of obeying the dictates
of a well-regulated conscience — of walking in
the path of moral rectitude, and the like— they
speak also in a corresponding tone of the in
finite value of an eternity of happiness ; of being
freed from the evils and imperfections of our
present state ; of escaping the horrors of endless
remorse ; and of being exalted into a new and
superior condition ; with much of the same

sect. 4.] introduced as a motive. 195
kind, that is perfectly true indeed, and deserv
ing of being kept in mind, but which is far
less interesting (when such topics are dwelt on
exclusively) than the continual reference to perr
sons, which we find in the sacred writers.
As Paul's favourite exhortations (if I may so
speak) to personal holiness, whether he is di
recting our views to future reward, or to the
other incentive just mentioned, consist in a re
ference, of some sort or other, to Jesus Christ ;
so, his allusions to that reward itself are of a
corresponding character. On the one hand,
in the inculcation of virtue, he dwells, as has
been just remarked, on the example Jesus left
us, that " we should walk in his steps ;" he
speaks of " walking in love, as Christ also hath
loved us ;" — of " putting on Christ ;" — of being
" buried with Him in baptism ;" — of being "risen
with Christ;" — of doing "what is well pleasing
to the Lord Jesus Christ ;" — of our being " fol
lowers of him (Paul) even as he is of Christ ;"
and the like: not speaking so often of Chris
tian virtue in the abstract, as he does of it
embodied, as it were, exemplified, represented,
personified, in Jesus Christ ; " looking unto
o 2

196 Love towards Christ [essay hi.
Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith,"
at every step. And on the other hand, his
language in speaking of the Christian's hopes,
corresponds with that concerning Christian du
ties: he does not speak so much of eternal
happiness in the abstract, as of the happiness
of an intimate union with our great Master ; to
die is, with him, to "depart and to be with
Christ;" after "having suffered with Him, to
reign also with Him ;" of " the crown of glory,
which He, the righteous Lord, has prepared for
all that love his appearing:" and his encou
ragement to the Colossians is, " so shall we ever
be with the Lord." And this tone is the more
remarkable in the expressions of Paul, from
the circumstance that he was not, like the other
Apostles, personally acquainted with Jesus while
on earth.
Thus also the Evangelist John (as well befitted
the beloved disciple) places both all Christian
perfection in conformity to the pattern, and all
happiness and glory in admission to the pre
sence, of our great Master ; " we know not what
we shall be ; but we know, that, when He
shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall

sect. 4.] introduced as a motive. 197
see Him as He is." And our Lord's own lan
guage is of the same tone : as the motive He
seeks to implant in the disciples' breast is, as
has been said, love, gratitude, and reverence
for Himself, so the encouragement He sets be
fore them, is the hope, not merely of happiness
in the abstract, but of intimate union and close
intercourse with Himself : " If ye love me, keep
my commandments." " If a man love me he
will keep my saying, and my Father will love
him, and we will come unto him, and make our
abode with him." " I will not leave you com
fortless ; I will come unto you." " That where
I am, there ye may be also," &c.
All this is admirably suited both to what man
is, and to what he ought to be. As emulation
is a natural principle, and a good example ac
cordingly is more instructive and more impres
sive than the best general maxims, so, the
thought, whom we are to live with — for what
sort of society we are to fit ourselves, affects
the mind much more strongly than any gene
ral description of what that life itself shall be.
That the chief part of the happiness therefore
which is prepared for the faithful in a better

198 Love towards Christ [essay iif.
world, is to consist in a more perfect knowledge
of our Redeemer, and closer intercourse with
Him, serves on the one hand to interest, and
encourage, and delight the right-minded Chris
tian, and to admonish, and warn, and improve,
one who is not such. This world being, as we
are taught, not merely a state of trial, but also
of preparation, no precepts can be so advan
tageous to us with this view, as to be told what
sort of society it is for which we are required
to prepare ourselves. No general rules, how
ever copious and precise, can equal the combined
effect of the example of a particular person set
before us, together with a notice that for his
society we are required to endeavour to qualify
ourselves. And accordingly John adds, imme
diately after the passage just cited, " Every
one that hath this hope in Him, purifieth him
self even «* He is pure."
§ 5. This mode of moral training, adopted
by Christ and his Apostles, is among those pe
culiarities of the Gospel system which most
demand our admiration. The motives which
they inculcated, were both the most effectual,

sect. 5.] introduced as a motive. 199
and also the most pure and elevated ; their plan
of endeavouring to win over the affections —
to gain the hearts — of their converts, was not
only the most likely to make men perform their
duty, but also made that duty itself more
acceptable. If it be possible for any one to become what
is commonly called " a good moral man," wholly
and solely from perceiving that it is his interest
to be so, because he will be rewarded if he
does right, and punished if he does wrong, still
his service will not only be very cold and heart
less, but also very deficient ; he will be wanting
in alacrity of duty — in abhorrence of sin — in
love for his best friend — in gratitude towards
his highest benefactor. No one would much
prize a friend (or rather he would be reckoned
unworthy of the name) who felt no regard for
him, but did him service merely because he
perceived it was for his own interest, and that
he should be a sufferer if he neglected him.
Nor will Christ accept this kind of service from
his followers. He requires them to give up their
hearts to Him, and to obey Him, not merely
as "servants," but as "friends," and as affec-

200 Love towards Christ [essay hi.
tionate children. None of their duties, though
ever so well performed, are pleasing in his sight,
unless they proceed from a love, reverence, and
gratitude towards Him, similar to that which
we feel for a most excellent parent. "Ye are
my friends," says He, " if ye do whatsoever I
command you ; henceforth I call you not ser
vants, — but I have called you friends." And
again, " Whosoever shall do the will of God,
the same is my brother, and my sister, and
mother." c
In reality, however, it is hardly possible, that a
man can be virtuous in other respects who is des
titute of these feelings. Many objects there are
in this world which will always engage our affec
tions very strongly : if then none of our feelings
are engaged on the side of our religious duties —
no part of our affections fixed on our Redeemer —
can it be expected, that calm reasoning and cool
calculation will alone be sufficient to keep us
steady and active in our duty, in opposition to so
c May not this expression of our Lord's, and also another,
(Luke xi. 28.) have been intended partly as a warning against
the Romish error, of deifying (as it may fairly be called) the
Virgin Mary ?

sect. 5.] introduced as a motive. 201
many lively emotions, — in preference to so many
tempting objects ? No prudent man will trust
to such a plan in the education of youth : men
are not satisfied with pointing out to a young
person the necessity of being diligent in his busi
ness, inasmuch as on that depends his subsistence,
and all his hopes of wealth and distinction ; but
they strive also to inspire him with a love for his
employment — a taste for his profession, whatever
it may be. They know that sentiments of this
kind will be his best safeguard against the many
temptations to indolence and dissipation. Surely
the path of Christian duty is not beset with fewer
temptations ; nor is it less necessary, in this far
greater concern, to engage the feelings on the
right side.
Christ and his Apostles knew human nature
too well not to perceive this ; when, therefore,
they had convinced the reason of men, their next
endeavour was to mend their hearts. Those
warm affections which God has implanted in our
breasts, and which were never meant to be rooted
out, they strove to fix on the most suitable and
the noblest objects ; well aware, that when this is
accomplished, men will not merely know their

202 Love towards Christ [essay hi.
duty, but practise it with zeal, and spirit, and
pleasure. They well knew, that a cold address
to the understanding — a mere chain of argu
ments — serves rather to make men acknowledge
what they ought to do, than to excite them ac
tually to do it. It may lead them to think rightly
about religion, but not to feel and act rightly. It
is like the moon-light, clear indeed and beautiful,
but powerless and cold ; their preaching, on the
contrary, was like the light of the sun, which
warms while it illuminates, and not only adorns
but fertilizes the earth.
For it must never be forgotten, (as, indeed, has
been already observed,) that it is in vain the
affections are excited, if the practice is not im
proved ; it is in vain that the artificer heats and
melts his metal, if he neglects to mould it into
the proper form. Indeed, those who do not live
a Christian life may,' indeed,] from that very cir
cumstance, be assured, that they have not true,
genuine, and steady Christian feelings. Sudden
and short bursts of devout fervour will not pro
duce a uniform, careful, and active course of
virtue; but a rational and deep-fixed love of
God undoubtedly will. A man may deceive both

sect. 5.] introduced as a motive. 203
others and himself by extravagant language and
enthusiastic emotions, which may pass for proofs
of more than ordinary holiness ; but he cannot
so deceive Christ ; who has sufficiently taught us,
that He will expect good conduct as the fruit of
good sentiments — the keeping of his command
ments, as the proof of our loving Him sincerely.
No man, indeed, would ever be deceived in any
other similar case. He would well know how
to estimate the pretended affection1 of one, who
should profess the warmest regard for him, yet
pay no attention to his wishes, and use no exer
tions in his service ; but act rather like an enemy
than a friend. And as such a person would be
regarded by men, so will those be in the sight of
God, who profess to love Him, and yet neglect to
obey Him.
To the above considerations it should be added,
that the Christian's " reasonable service," grounded
on such motives, is not only more perfect, and
also more acceptable, than any others could pro
duce, but likewise (when the habit is in some
degree formed) incomparably less burdensome,
and more pleasing. Indeed, even in the affairs
of this world, the affectionate parent, child,

204 Love towards Christ [essay in.
husband, wife, and friend, know, by experience,
how greatly Love lightens every task : and those
who will " come unto Christ," with such feelings as
He merits and demands, will find experimentally,
that " his yoke is easy, and his burden light :"
they will " find rest unto their souls," if, in answer
to that question, which He asks alike of all his
followers, " Lovest thou me?" they can answer,
with sincerity and truth, " Lord, thou knowest
that I love thee."
§ 6. If the view which has been here taken of
this subject be correct, it follows that Christianity
stands distinguished from all systems of religion,
or of philosophy, which unaided reason can devise,
no less by the motives to which it appeals — the
frame of mind from which it requires moral con
duct to spring — than by those other peculiarities
formerly mentioned. For a rational and firm
assurance of a future resurrection to immortality,
we must resort to the Gospel ; — for the hopes of
eternal happiness, we must look to Him, who has
not only announced but purchased it ; — for such
a manifestation of the Godhead as may excite us
to affectionate Piety; and for such a model of

sect. 6.] introduced as a motive. 205
human Virtue as may be securely imitated — we
shall vainly seek, except in the Gospel ; and it is
there also, and there alone, that we find morality
inculcated, not only on the ground of those pro
mises and threatenings which it sets before us, but
also of those affections which it is so remarkably
and peculiarly calculated to excite.
If mere external acts of duty were all that is
required, this kind of precept would still be far
superior to a mere appeal to men's reason, and
would produce a larger amount of good conduct :
much greater, then, will its superiority appear,
when we consider how much nobler and more in
trinsically valuable is that good conduct which
springs from a pious, and grateful, and affectionate
heart. Let no one, then, lose sight of, or undervalue,
these admirable, these divine peculiarities of our
religion, which furnish the only effectual means
of counteracting the weakness of man's nature.
Let no one, under pretence of laying a firm
foundation of Natural-Religion, render the super
structure of Christianity insignificant, by attri
buting to natural-religion what revelation alone
can furnish : and, above all, let us not — carelessly

206 Love towards Christ, Sfc. [essay hi,
blind to those splendid characteristics which
distinguish it — confound this religion with the
various systems of philosophical speculation, or
of popular superstition, which have successively
occupied mankind ; but keep our eye steadfastly
fixed, as it were, on the Star which stands over the
holy Infant at Bethlehem, and which has no
fellow in the firmament.
But though enough is revealed to us in Scrip
ture to instruct us in our duty, and to incite us
to the practice of it, there is much also that is not
revealed, which many, at least, would be eagerly
desirous to know. It suppresses much of what
some vainly seek to find in it, or complain of not
finding ; — which all pretended revelations pro
fess, and might be expected to profess, to make
known ; — and which a true revelation, and none
but a true one, might be expected to omit. The
peculiarity in our religion, which is here alluded
to, will form the subject of the next Essay.

ESSAY IV.
ON THE PRACTICAL CHARACTER OF REVELATION.
§ 1. That the revelation which our Scriptures
afford is, in many points, imperfect and limited,
and that they themselves represent it as such, —
that we " now know in part," and " see through a
glass, darkly," — must be evident even to a careless
reader. And scarcely less plain is the connexion
continually forced on our notice, in Scripture,
between knowledge and practice ; as, in the
reiterated injunctions to the Israelites to make a
right use of the revelation which had been granted
them, by " doing all the words of this law ;" — in
our Lord's comparison of one who " hears his
words and does them not " (which plainly implies
his teaching to relate to something to be done), to
a man building his house on the sand ; — in his de
claration that he had made known to his disciples
(John xv. 15) his Father's will, to exalt them from
the rank of servants to that oi friends, provided

208 Practical character qf Revelation, [essay iv.
they should do what He commanded ; and, in short,
in almost every part of our Lord's discourses, and
those of his Apostles. But the combination of
these two circumstances, and the important and
strikingly characteristic feature of our religion,
which, when thus in conjunction, they exhibit, is
often, in a great degree, overlooked. The pecu
liar feature which I allude to, consists in this ; that
not only, of the designs and attributes of the Al
mighty, there are some which He has vouchsafed
to make known to Man by revelation, and others
which He has thought fit to keep secret, but
also, those which are revealed, have some relation
to Man, — some reference to human conduct, —
and are, in some way or other, of a practical cha
racter. Now, since it is undeniable that there have
been, and are, many systems of false religion in
the world, all of which profess to reveal something
as to the nature of God and his dealings with
his creatures, this circumstance is frequently dwelt
upon by those who studiously endeavour to con
found all religions together, with a view to hold
up all to equal contempt, as so many various
systems of imposture and delusion. And others

sect. 1.] Practical character of Revelation. 209
again, though they do not absolutely reject our
religion, are yet so far misled by this fallacy, as
to regard it with indifference. It will be worth
while therefore to examine attentively the point
above mentioned ; I mean, the exclusively prac
tical character which I have attributed to our
revelation ; and to inquire more fully whether it
is likely to constitute an important and distin
guishing feature in any professed revelation which
may possess it : in other words, whether the ab
staining from points qf mere curiosity, be a pro
bable mark qf a true revelation.
This inquiry falls naturally under two heads ;
first, whether or not a pretended revelation is
likely to contain any matters which are interesting
to curiosity alone, and have no reference to prac
tice ; and secondly, whether this is likely to be
the case with a true revelation.
The former of these questions we need not
hesitate, I think, to answer in the affirma
tive. That the desire of knowledge, for its own
sake, is a part of our nature, is a truth so ob
vious, as hardly to need being insisted on. For
though it is common to hear men imply the

210 Practical character of Revelation, [essay iv.
contrary, by asking contemptuously, in the case
of some pursuit for which they happen to have
no relish, " What is the use of learning this or
that? What advantage is to be derived from
such and such a branch of knowledge ? " yet the
very same persons, if some discovery be the next
moment announced to them, of a different kind,
which may happen to fall in with their own
taste, will probably be found to manifest the
liveliest interest, and the most eager curiosity,
even where they would be at a loss to point
out what practical benefit they are likely to de
rive from it. So far indeed is utility from being
the sole standard of value in men's minds, that
even such knowledge as is useful, is in gene
ral sought more for its own sake, than with a
view to utility ; nor are men ever more eager
in the pursuit of it, than when they have no
further object to occupy them. " Accordingly,"
as is justly observed by an ancient writer, who
well understood human nature, " when we are
at leisure from the cares of necessary business,
then are we eager to see, to hear, to learn, some
thing ; regarding the knowledge of what is
hidden, or of what is admirable, as an essential

sect. 1.] Practical character of Revelation. 211
ingredient of happiness." ? He is quite right in
the circumstances fixed on as most exciting our
interest ; things hidden, and things admirable,
being what men especially covet to know. Now
nothing can be more hidden, nothing more ad
mirable, than the nature, and. the works, of God.
The origin and constitution of the world we
inhabit — of the rest of that vast system of which
it forms a part — and of Man himself — the na
ture of various orders of Beings which may
exist, superior to Man, and of the Supreme Being
Himself — each of these subjects suggests innu
merable matters of inquiry, whose grandeur fills
the most exalted, and whose difficulty baffles
the most intelligent, mind. Is it not then na
tural, that men should eagerly seek for some
superhuman means of information on subjects
so interesting to their curiosity, and so much
beyond their unaided powers ? And is it not
consequently to be expected, that both the de
vices of an impostor, and the visions of an enthu
siast, should abound in food for this curiosity ? —
that the one should seek for proselytes by
" Cicero de Officiis, b. 1.
v2

212 Practical character of Revelation, [essay lv.
professing to communicate what men are so desir
ous of knowing ; and that the other should be al
together occupied with those questions to which
the imagination of men is so naturally turned,
till a diseased fancy mistakes its day-dreams
for a revelation ?
§ 2. Such, I say, is what we might be prepared,
from the nature of Man, to expect : and if we
consult history, we shall find our conjecture fully
borne out by facts. In all those other religions,
and in all those modifications of our own, which
we attribute to the imagination or to the ar
tifice of Man, the pretended revelations not only
abound with matters of speculative curiosity un-
conected with practice, but are sometimes even
principally made up of them, so as to appear
to have for their chief object the communication
of knowledge concerning heavenly things, for
its own sake.
To illustrate this by a full examination of all
the various systems of false revelation, would
be manifestly both tedious and unnecessary: te
dious, inasmuch as even a brief sketch of them
would occupy a considerable volume ; and unne-

sect. 2.] Practical character qf Revelation. 213
cessary, for most readers, since a few moments'
recollection will enable them to recall from their
previous knowledge enough to confirm, to a great
degree at least, the remark which has just been
made. And the conclusion will be more strength
ened, the further the inquiry is pursued.
Let any one consider, for instance, the Greek
and Roman mythology : what is the character
of that infinite number of fables, delivered by
pretenders either to immediate inspiration, or
to traditional knowledge of revelation, respect
ing the genealogies of their deities, — their trans
formations, — their contests, — their adventures
on earth ? Our present business is not with the
absurdity of these fables, or with their immo
ral tendency, or their want of evidence, or the
degree of credit they obtained : let .our atten
tion be confined to the single circumstance of
their general want of reference to human con
duct — their being principally calculated to attract
and amuse an inquisitive mind. It is true, in
deed, that direct practical precepts and examples,
(whether correct or not, is a question foreign to
the present subject) do form some part of the
Pagan religions ; but by no means the greatest

214 Practical character qf Revelation, [essay iv.
or most prominent part ; and it is speaking far
within compass to say, that most of what the
ancients were taught respecting their gods, could
not even be imagined to be of any practical im
portance, but related merely to the gratification
of curiosity.
If we examine the pretended revelations of
the Hindoos and of other modern Pagans, we
find the very same principle exhibited in other
forms. The names and the achievements of
their gods are different, but the general charac
ter is the same ; the leading object, or, at least,
one leading object, in both, is to gratify men's
curiosity about the nature and the operations of
superior agents — about the state of things in
another world.
If we turn from these apocryphal and undi
gested heaps of fabulous tradition, to the more
systematic imposture of Mahomet, a man doubt
less of no mean ability, —who had the advantage
of borrowing from Judaism and from Christi
anity whatever might suit his purpose, and who
certainly understood, as experience has proved,
the art of alluring converts, — we shall find
our expectations as to the point in question still

sect. 2.] Practical character qf Revelation. 215
confirmed. Not that the Koran is wanting in
moral precept and exhortation ; for it abounds
in them to the most tedious minuteness of de
tail ; but it also abounds with the most elaborate
descriptions of heaven and of its inhabitants, and
of other (pretended) works of God ; with full
and circumstantial narratives of the creation of
the world, and of various other transactions,
ascribed to the Deity, all calculated to gratify
the prying — one might even say, the imperti
nent — curiosity of man respecting divine mys
teries ; but so utterly unconnected with human
duties, that the mere increase of knowledge, for
its own sake, as an ultimate end, is made to
appear one principal object of this pretended
revelation. It would be wearisome and disgusting to in
troduce such specimens as would fully illustrate
what has been asserted ; though it is scarcely
possible adequately to describe in words how
forcibly it will be impressed on the mind, on
actual perusal, that the prevailing character of
the book in question is such as has been de
scribed. But those who will be at the pains to
examine this and other pretended revelations,

216 Practical character of Revelation, [essay iv.
with an express view to the subject of our pre
sent inquiry, will meet with abundant instances
to confirm what has been here advanced ; more
than they perhaps are aware of, if they have a
mere general acquaintance with those systems,
but have never considered them with reference
to the particular point now before us. Such an
inquiry, it may be safely affirmed, would be
profitable and satisfactory, if fully pursued ; and
would communicate a lively interest to the pe
rusal even of the most absurd reveries of heathen
mythology, and of the Koran. But it will be
sufficient in this place to have suggested some
of the principal points towards which the inquiry
should be directed.
In addition to those pretended revelations
which have been the basis of distinct religions,
we should also turn our attention to those which
have been connected with modifications of our
own. Not to dwell on the fables of the Jewish
Talmud, which may fairly be placed under this
head, and which will be found to correspond
with the principle originally laid down, — thus
proving, among other things, that the Jewish
nation had, of themselves, in an eminent degree>

sect. 2.] Practical character qf Revelation. 217
the same taste in respect of these matters as
the Gentiles, — what a multitude of idle legends
do we meet with in the Romish Church, that
have no more reference to practice than the hea
then mythology ! I speak not now of the ex
travagance and impiety of many of them ; nor
of the too great reference to conduct of some
others, whose tendency is to recommend a life
of useless seclusion, or of superstitious self-tor
ture, in preference to active virtue : but a large
portion of them have no conceivable reference
to conduct whatever, and are fitted merely to
amuse the roving imagination, and gratify the
presumptuous curiosity of the credulous.*
Lastly, to advert to a more recent instance,
look to the visions of the pretended prophet
Swedenborg ; , himself the dupe, as is generally
supposed, of his own distempered fancy. It is
well known, that he professed to have been
favoured with most copious and distinct reve
lations — to have visited the celestial abodes,
and to have conversed with various orders of
Beings ; of all which he gives minute descrip-
b See Blanco White's remarks on the Legends of the
Romish saints, in his " Evidence against Catholicism."

218 Practical character of Revelation, [essay iv.
tions. Yet though his followers insist much on
the importance of believing in this pretended
revelation, it would, I believe, be difficult for
them to state even any one point, in which a
man is called upon to alter either his conduct,
his motives, or his moral sentiments, in conse
quence of such belief. The system furnishes
abundant matter of faith, and food for curiosity;
but has little or no intelligible reference to
practice. «
§ 3. Such then being the character of false reli
gions, what may we expect from a true one ?
Since both reason and experience show, that it
is the obvious policy of an impostor, and the
most natural delusion of a visionary, to treat
much of curious and hidden matters, relative
to the divine operations, beyond what is con
ducive to practical instruction, it should next
be considered whether the case is likely to be
the same with a real revelation; whether that
also is likely to be much occupied in minister
ing to speculative curiosity. Now this ques
tion we may on good grounds answer in the
negative : for the general rule of Providence

sect. 3.] Practical character of Revelation. 219
evidently is, that man should be left to supply
his own wants, and seek knowledge, both prac
tical and speculative, by the aid of those facul
ties which have been originally bestowed on
him ; a revelation is an extraordinary and mira
culous exception to this general rule ; and it
seems therefore reasonable to conclude, that it
should be bestowed for some very important pur
pose. Now the knowledge of our duty, be
yond w*hat is discoverable by unaided reason —
instruction how we are to serve God, and ob
tain his favour — does seem a sufficiently impor
tant purpose ; but not so, the mere gratification
of curiosity. The desire of knowledge is indeed
implanted in us by our Creator ; and the pur
suit of it is an innocent, and honourable, and
highly pleasurable employment of our faculties :
but there is a sufficiently wide field of investi
gation within the reach of our natural faculties ;
there seems no reason why the Almighty should
work a miracle for the increase of our mere
speculative knowledge : not to mention that
our gratification consists more in the pursuit
and acquirement, by our own efforts, of such
knowledge, than in the possession of it.

220 Practical character of Revelation, [essay iv.
Whatever therefore it concerns us practically
to know, with a view to the regulation of the
heart and conduct — whatever God requires us
to be, and to do, in order to become accept
able in his sight — this, it seems consonant to
his justice and goodness to declare to us by
revelation, when of ourselves we are incom
petent to discover it ; but that He should mi
raculously reveal any thing besides this, for the
gratification of an inquisitive mind, there seems
no good reason to expect.
It may be said indeed, that the trial of our
faith, humility, and candour, in assenting, on
sufficient authority, to mysterious doctrines, is
a worthy and fit purpose, for which such doc
trines may be revealed. This is undoubtedly
true ; and the purpose may even be fairly
reckoned a practical one, since so good a moral
effect results from such belief. If therefore
none of the doctrines necessary to be revealed
for other practical purposes were of such a
mysterious character as to serve for trials of
faith also, we might perhaps expect that some
things should be proposed to our belief, solely
and singly for this latter purpose. But if both

sect. 3.3 Practical character of Revelation. 221
objects can be fully accomplished by the same
revelation — if our faith be sufficiently tried by
the admission of such mysterious doctrines as
are important for other practical ends also —
then, the revelation of any further mysteries,
which lead to no such practical end, is the less
necessary, and consequently the less to be ex
pected.* What then is in this respect the character of
our religion ? It may safely be asserted that it
c " All religious inquiry, strictly speaking, is directed to
the nature of God as connected with man, or again to the
nature and condition of man as connected with God. Meta
physical discussions on the Divine nature, similar to those in
which an attempt is made to analyze or arrange the prin
ciples of the human mind, are sometimes indeed confounded
with religious views, but are really compatible with the
most complete denial of all religion. Religious obligation
arises not from the absolute nature of God, but from its
relation to us. Accordingly Epicurus and his followers
were content to admit the existence of a divine Being, as a
philosophical truth, provided it was granted that he had no
connexion with the world. Now much of the speculation
of the philosophers was directed to this object, that is, to
the absolute nature of God. It was indeed the chief, be
cause it seemed the more scientific inquiry, and the other was
only incidental." — Hinds's History of the Rise and Progress
of Christianity, Introd. pp. 31, 32.

222 Practical character of Revelation, [essay iv.
is precisely such as, we have seen, a true reve
lation might be expected to be : that it teaches
us what is needful for us to know, but little or
nothing besides ; that the information it im
parts is such as concerns the regulation of our
character and practice, but leaves our curiosity
unsatisfied. Those who are sufficiently conversant with
the Scriptures, will at once recognise this as a
characteristic feature of them.
To prove the point in question as fully as
might be done, would require a detailed exami
nation of the whole Bible : and such an exami
nation diligently conducted with a view to the
particular point before us, is one which may
be recommended not merely to professed theo
logical students, but (since it calls for no great
ingenuity or learning) to Christian readers in
general ; as neither an unprofitable nor un-
pleasing inquiry, to him who delights in con
trasting the wisdom and the dignified simplicity
of God's word, with the idle and arrogant pre
tensions of human fraud and folly.
The generally practical tendency of the Scrip
ture-revelations, and their omission of every

sect. 4.] Practical character of Revelation. 223
thing that would serve merely to pamper vain
curiosity, will not fail to strike any candid reader
in the course of such an examination. It will
be sufficient in this place to suggest a few hints
respecting the principles on which this inquiry
should be conducted.
§ 4. I. In the first place we should bear in
mind what parts of the Bible are to be regarded
as strictly and properly bearing the character
of Revelation. A great part of it is historical ;
and though we believe the sacred historians to
have been under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit to lead them into all necessary religious
truth — to guard them against any material er
ror — and, in some few cases, to inform them of
what could not be known by human means —
yet the very nature of History is such, that it
would be unreasonable to expect to find each
single event that is narrated to be a matter of
high importance. The age and name, for ex
ample, of any one Jewish king, as it is not, so
far as we can see, a point of itself necessary to
be known as essential to our religion, so, neither
is it properly a point of miraculous revelation ;

224 Practical character qf Revelation, [essay iv.
it is a part of the history ; and if that history,
taken collectively, be, as it is, highly instruc
tive, and illustrative of those divine dispensa
tions in which we are concerned, it must be
allowed to possess sufficiently that practical
character which we are authorised to expect.
As for those parts which necessarily imply a
supernatural communication made to the writer,
such as, for example, the account of the Creation
of the World, nothing is more striking than their
uncircumstantial brevity, which leaves the cu
riosity of the reader altogether unsatisfied. This
circumstance has indeed been sometimes com
plained of, and even, with a strange perversity,
urged as an objection against Scripture, on
the ground that an inspired writer must have
had it in his power to satisfy them as to the
detail of these interesting events ; and that con
sequently it was to be expected of him. Now
had Moses been an impostor, undoubtedly he
would, with such a knowledge of human na
ture as he plainly manifests, have obviated this
objection (as Mahomet has done) by inventing
abundance of circumstances ; but for a true re
velation to forestall the discoveries of Astronomy

sect. 4.] Practical character of Revelation. 225
and Geology, was neither necessary nor proper.
Being no part of Religion, they are altogether
foreign from the purposes of revelation. It is
indeed of the highest importance in a religious
point of view, to be assured that the earth,
with its various races of inhabitants, together
with the rest of the universe, are neither eter
nal, nor the work of chance, or of any non-
intelligent agent, nor of various creative powers ;
but that One God is the Author of all : thus
much accordingly is clearly revealed : but innu
merable circumstances, which it does not con
cern us to know, though they strongly interest
our curiosity, are suppressed. Now this, we
contend, is a mark of a true revelation ; since
in that, and in that alone, it is to be expected.
The complaint has indeed been urged, that
not only the true account of physical pheno
mena has been suppressed, but also that wrong
notions respecting them have been conveyed.
But he who can seriously object to the want
of philosophical correctness in such passages,
for example, as those which speak of the rising
and setting of the sun, should recollect, that
when occasion called for an allusion to such
Q

226 Practical character qf Revelation, [essay iv.
matters, unless language conformable to the
popular ideas had been employed, one of two
alternatives must have been adopted ; either
men must have been fully instructed by reve
lation in the Newtonian system, or they must
have been addressed in a style which, though
in itself correct, would have been to them
utterly unintelligible. Whether either of these
modes of procedure would have been better
suited to the object of a revelation than the
one adopted, we may leave the objector to
determine. But if we compare, as to this point,
the Bible with the pretended revelation of Ma
homet, we shall be struck with the contrast:
for he goes out of his way, as it were, to as
sert gratuitously, and with distinct particula
rity, many points of the astronomical theory
which prevailed in his time ; and thus ex
pressly commits himself as to the truth of an
erroneous system."1
II. Another circumstance to be kept in view
in the proposed examination is, that when we may
a As, for instance, where he speaks of the East and West
as determinate points in the globe, in the same manner as the
North and South Poles are.

sect. 4.] Practical character of Revelation. 227
be at a loss to understand the ultimate purpose
of any part of our revelation, still, if we perceive
an immediate purpose that is practical, we must
be careful not to confound this case with that of
a supposed revelation which has no perceptible
purpose at all : if, in short, it be plaih, that some
thing is to be done in consequence of what is re
vealed, even though we may not understand why
that particular duty should be enjoined, still the
revelation is evidently practical ; and is, therefore,
conformable to the principle above laid down.
For example, nothing can be more evidently prac
tical than the whole of what was revealed to
Moses respecting the Jewish ritual : for though
we may not understand for what reasons the Jews
were commanded to perform such and such cere
monies, yet that there was something to be per
formed, is undeniable.
III. Lastly, we should consider, that some parts
of revelation may have a practical importance
relative to some particular times, persons, and
circumstances, but not to all. For example, many
of the prophetic visions and declarations pertain
ing to the kingdom of the Messiah, must have been
very obscure as to their true purport, till they
Q2

228 Practical character of Revelation, [essay iv.
were cleared up by his advent; but then, they
furnished both a proof and an explanation of his
religion. In like manner also, many similar pro-
pheciesj both in the Old and New Testament, may
be designed to answer the same purpose hereafter,
when the appointed period shall arrive, which
is to bring with it, at once their fulfilment, their
explanation, and their practical use.e Others, on
e " From Adam until Christ, the religious knowledge of
the world was like the gradual dawning of light which pre
cedes the sunrise, and from which we infer the existence
and anticipate the approach of the sun itself. Christ came ;
but his coming was as when the sun has risen in mist and
cloud, and can scarcely be discerned. And then came the
Holy Spirit, like the breath of heaven which blows aside
the cloud, and enables us to look upon the source of all the
day-light with which we have been gradually blessed. So,
also, our present condition as a Church may have some
latent connexion with futurity, which we shall then only be
qualified to perceive, when God shall again manifest himself,
and we ' see him even as he is.'" — Hinds's History of the
Rise and Progress of Christianity, vol. i. part ii. ch. i.
p. 148.
" The Apostles themselves, perhaps, saw not the full ope
ration and progressive results of their own plans ; and we,
at this moment, may be cherishing among the rites and
ordinances of Christianity some, the full effect of which it
may be reserved to future times, to a period beyond this

sect. 4.] Practical character of Revelation. 229
the contrary, which are now among the most
obscure, may have been both intelligible and
edifying to many of the contemporaries of the
prophets themselves, for whose use they may have
been (as in many instances we plainly see they
were) principally designed.
But it is very observable, that in most of those
cases where we are least able to perceive the
practical advantage of the revelation given, the
very obscurity and indistinctness which are com
plained of serve as a confirmation of the point
maintained : for these obscure passages excite cu
riosity indeed, but do not gratify it : the very
objection which some bring against them is, not
that too much is revealed, with a view to specu
lative knowledge, but that too little is revealed.
Now with a false revelation, the case is exactly
reversed ; for that will always abound with copious
and distinct, though unprofitable, descriptions of
whatever is marvellous, and calculated to strike
the imagination, and to amuse an inquisitive
mind.world, to develop. It is impossible to say, how far we are
living by faith and not by sight." — Hinds's History qf the
Rise and Progress of Christianity, vol. ii. partiii. ch. ii. p. 120.

230 Practical character qf Revelation, [essay iv.
§ 5. Keeping in mind the considerations which
have been here offered, we shall find on examina
tion of the Scriptures, that it is a characteristic of
the revelation they contain, to withhold such
knowledge as is merely speculative: — to leave ab
stract curiosity unsatisfied — and to inform us of
little or nothing except what it concerns us for
some practical purpose to know.
Nothing could have been more interesting to
man's curiosity, than a full account of a future
state ; and accordingly the Koran abounds with
the most copious and high-wrought descriptions
of paradise and hell, and of the details of the day
of judgment. The writers of our Scriptures, on
the contrary, while they are perpetually enforcing
with all earnestness the reality of this future state,
so important in practice, strictly confine themselves
to the most general and brief description of it.
Again, the principles on which different classes
of mankind will be judged, and the future fate
of those who never heard of revelation, are a
highly interesting subject of inquiry, but one from
which Scripture carefully abstains, except so far
as is needful for us to know : " Strive to enter in
at the strait gate," is our Lord's answer to those

sect. 5.] Practical character qf Revelation. 231
who inquired as to the number of the saved ;
and He scarcely adverts at all to the case of the
unenlightened, except to inculcate the heavier
responsibility of those who sin against revealed
knowledge, above those who offended merely
against the light of natural reason : " The servant
who knew his Lord's will, and did it not, shall be
beaten with many stripes." All this, as might be
expected, is exactly reversed in the Koran, which
describes at large the final condemnation of all
mankind except Mahometans ; and of these, such
as are punished for their sins, so far from being
judged more guilty, as having sinned against
better knowledge, are described as finally to be
restored, by their belief in the prophet, and re
ceived into paradise. Such certainly is the reve
lation, and such the doctrine, which a false teacher
would naturally deliver.
There are, however, some things, I am well
aware, revealed in the Gospel, which but too
many, even of those who assent to them, are in
clined to consider as mere speculative articles of
faith ; as, for example, the revelation of God to
us, not merely as our Creator and Governor, but
also as our incarnate Redeemer, and as the Holy

232 Practical character of Revelation, [essay iv.
Ghost our Sanctifier. But we may safely affirm,
that whoever does not perceive in these doctrines
any practical tendency, (including in that ex
pression, as we certainly ought, whatever has a
reference to the affections and motives, as well as
to mere external conduct,) has not yet gained a
just and adequate notion of what the Christian
religion is.
Fully to refute such an error would be to give
a complete explanation of the whole system of
the Gospel : let it suffice, therefore, to make an
appeal to Scripture, and to refer thither both the
infidel and the believer, who deny the practical
tendency of any of its doctrines, that they may
understand what the Gospel really is : the one,
before he too hastily rejects it, and the other,
before he too hastily builds his hopes on it. A
careful and candid perusal of the Bible will suf
ficiently evince, that, at least, the sacred writers
themselves were very far from conceiving that the
doctrines they delivered were mere speculative
matters of faith, unconnected with any change in
the heart and conduct. If they inform us, that
" the grace of God, which bringeth salvation,
hath appeared unto men," it is " to teach us,

sect. 5.] Practical character qf Revelation. 233
that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously and godly in this
present world ;" when they describe to us " God
manifest in the flesh," they instruct us to look to
Him with devout trust, and to shape our lives
after the model of his perfection ; " Let this mind
be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus :" when
they " preach Christ crucified," it is that we, while
we " crucify the old man with the affections and
lusts," may yet with grateful humility renounce
all arrogant confidence in our own merits, and
look for salvation to his sacrifice, — his interces
sion, — his spiritual aid : and that while we trust
in the Divine mercy for the pardon of sin, we may
not attribute this pardon, purchased by such a
sacrifice, to his lightly regarding sin, but may be
sensible of its deadly nature, and its odiousness
in God's sight : when they announce his resurrec
tion, it is that we may be exhorted to rise also
from the death of sin to a life of holiness, that,
" being risen with Christ, we may set our affection
on things above ;" and may be encouraged to look
forward to a final victory over the grave : and
when the love of God towards us is set forth, it is
given as a reason why " we ought also to love one

234 Practical character of Revelation, [essay iv.
another," and to testify our sense of his goodness
by keeping his commandments. f
In short, as the doctrine of the Trinity may be
considered as containing a summary and compen
dium of the Christian Faith, so, its application
may be regarded as a summary of Christian prac
tice ; which may be said to be comprised in this :
that as we believe God to stand in three relations
to us, we also must practically keep in view the
three corresponding relations in which, as is
plainly implied by that doctrine, we stand to
wards Him ; as, first, the creatures and " children
of God ;" secondly, as the " redeemed and pur
chased people " of Jesus Christ ; and, thirdly, as
" the temple of the Holy Ghost g " our Sanctifier.
f See note (H) at the end of this Essay.
s It is remarkable that Christians are never spoken of
individually as the " temples," but collectively as " the
temple," of the Holy Ghost. The Apostles^ in a great
number of passages, seem to take pains to preserve this
distinction ; speaking of individual Christians as " living
stones builded up (or edified) into an holy temple." One
single text (1 Cor. vi. 19) has been appealed to as conveying
the other sense ; and that one, even considered by itself,
would much more naturally bear the same interpretation as
the rest. See 1 Cor. iii. 16 ; 2 Cor. vi. 16, &c. See also
Hinds's " Three Temples of the One God."

sect. 6.] Practical character of Revelation. 235
§ 6. On such topics, and with such views, the
sacred writers dwell with the utmost copiousness,
distinctness, and earnestness ; but as to the mere
increase of speculative knowledge, they are scanty,
indistinct, and apparently indifferent. Take, as
one instance out of many, the allusion which Paul
makes in the twelfth chapter of his second Epistle
to the Corinthians, to the celestial vision with
which he had been favoured ; nothing is said of
it in any other part of his writings ; nor does it
appear whether he had even ever mentioned it till
then, though it had occurred fourteen years be
fore : he mentions it then for a practical purpose,
viz. to impress the Corinthians (who knew that
his own report of a fact was to be credited) with
a due sense of his apostolic dignity and authority,
which they had been disposed to depreciate : and
he speaks with the utmost possible brevity of his
being " caught up into paradise," and " hearing
unspeakable words," without relating any parti
culars of the vision. It is truly edifying to com
pare this with Mahomet's long and circumstantial
description of his pretended visit to heaven, filled
with a multitude of needless particulars, calculated
to gratify an appetite for the marvellous. That

236 Practical character of Revelation, [essay iv.
man must be a bad judge of the characters of
truth and falsehood, who can peruse the two
accounts without coming to the conclusion, that
the one bears the marks of reality, as plainly as
the other does of fiction ; and that the narrative
of Paul, as well as his general tone, is as suitable
to a true apostle, as that of Mahomet is to an
impostor. There is another example, which deserves se
lection, as a very striking one, of the uncircum-
stantial and practical character of the Christian
revelations : the Apostle Peter, in his second
Epistle, adverts to the deluge, and also to the
final destruction of the earth : we may be sure
his readers would have been much interested
by a circumstantial description of both those
events ; and we may be nearly as sure, that had
he been a false pretender to inspiration, he
would have gratified their curiosity : as it is,
however, he despatches the subject in five or
six verses, and in such terms as convey little
/ or nothing more than the certainty of the
event; and then proceeds at once to a prac
tical conclusion : " Seeing then that all these
things shall be dissolved, what manner of per-

sect. 6.] Practical character qf Revelation. 237
sons ought ye to be in all holy conversation
and godliness ? "
Paul also, in speaking of the same subject,
having told the Corinthians, that at the last day
" we shall all be changed," and that the blest
shall be " clothed upon " with a body " like unto
the glorious body of Christ," proceeds, instead
of detailing any of the circumstances of so in
teresting a change, or fully describing the glo
rified bodies of " saints made perfect," to exhort
them to " be steadfast and abounding in the work
of the Lord, since they know that their labour
is not in vain."
Such passages in the works of these apostles
may furnish the most unlearned Christian with
" a reason for the hope that is in him," conso
latory to his own mind, and unanswerable by
infidels. He may ask them, how it came to
pass, that no one of our sacred writers has given
a full, minute, and engaging account of all that
is (according to him) to take place at the end
of the world ; of all the interesting particulars
of the day of Judgment ; — of the new bodies
with which men will arise ; and of " the glories
that shall be revealed " in heaven ; or has given

238 Practical character qf Revelation, [essay iv.
any account at all, (or at least, any from which a
decisive conclusion can be drawn) of the con
dition in which men are to remain during the
interval between death and the resurrection. It
is plain, that nothing could have been more gra
tifying to the curiosity of all who had an in
terest in the subject; nothing more likely even
to allure fresh converts, than a glowing de
scription of the joys of heaven ; it would have
been easily believed too, by those who gave
credit to the writer, as it is plain Paul sup
posed the Corinthians did ; — it would have been
very easy again for an impostor to give a-
loose to his fancy, in inventing such a de
scription; and to an enthusiast it would have
been unavoidable ; he who was passing off his
day-dreams for revelations, on himself, as well
a? on others, would have been sure to dream
largely on such a subject. Why then did not
Paul do any thing of the kind ? I answer, be
cause he was not an impostor, nor an enthu
siast, but taught only what had been actually
revealed to him, and what he was commissioned
to reveal to others. Let infidels give any other
answer to the question if they can. They have

sect. 7.] Practical character qf Revelation. 239
had near two thousand years to try ; and never
yet have they been able to explain the dry, brief,
uncircumstantial, unadorned, unpretending ac
counts which our sacred writers give, of things
the most interesting to human curiosity, on any
other supposition than that of their being honest
and sober-minded men, who spoke only what
they knew to be the truth.
§ 7. If there be any weight in that train of
argument which has been now sketched out with
a view of recommending it to general consi
deration, rather than fully developed, it follows,
that those who confound together all religions
with indiscriminate contempt, by speaking of
them as all alike making pretensions to some
divine revelation, are guilty of suppressing a
most remarkable and essential distinction as to
the character of those professed revelations.
For if there be good ground for maintaining,
first, that a, false religion may be expected to
contain in its pretended revelations superfluous
matters, which concern only speculative curiosity ;
secondly, that all religions, except our oivn, do
actually abound in such matters ; thirdly, that

240 Practical character of Revelation, [essay i v.
a true revelation may be expected to abstain
from every thing of the kind, and to contain
only such things as are practically important,
or, at least, nothing to gratify men's curiosity ;
and, lastly, that our Scriptures actually do con
form to this rule ; it will be difficult to avoid
the conclusion, that they, and they only, do
really come from God.
Let this then not be omitted in the list of
those many distinct proofs which combine to
establish our faith ; each one of which, besides
its intrinsic force, augments (since they all
tend to one common point) the strength of all
the rest. No one, who judges correctly, and
feels rightly, on the subject, will ever regard with
indifference any valid argument, on the ground
that he is already sufficiently convinced : for be
sides that he cannot tell what occasion he may
hereafter find, on account of others, if not on
his own, for any and every various kind of ar
gument that can be adduced, (since different
minds are influenced by different modes of proof,)
it is, moreover, to a well-constituted mind, both
profitable and delightful, to dwell on the con
templation of that vast mass of evidence which

sect. 8.] Practical character of Revelation. 241
the Almighty has in this case provided ; and so
provided, that it shall not at once strike with
its full force the most careless observer, but
develop itself more and more, the further and
the more diligently we pursue our inquiries in
various directions.
In addition to the evidence for our religion
which the view we have here taken may afford,
there are some other not less important results
to which it leads, as to the right use and right
interpretation of Scripture ; which it will be
worth while briefly to hint at.
§ 8. Let it be considered, then, first, what
we ought to expect to learn from revelation ;
secondly, how we should understand what is
revealed ; and, lastly, what application we should
make of it.
1. With respect to the first point, it is evi
dent, from what has been said, that we must not
expect to learn any thing from revelation, except
what is in a religious point of view practically
important for us to know.
Of other inquiries, there are some, (such as
those respecting the Laws of Nature,) which it
R

242 Practical character of Revelation, [essay iv.
is safe and laudable to pursue by those other
means which are within our reach ; by the light
of reason, aided by observation and experiment.
Only let no one seek for a system of Astronomy,
or of Geology, or of any other branch of Physical
Science, in the Scriptures ; which were designed
to teach men, not Natural Philosophy, but Reli
gion : nor let them be forced into the service
of any particular theory on those subjects ; nor,
again, complained of, for not furnishing sufficient
information on such points. Nor let any jealous
fears be cherished, lest the pursuits of science
should interfere with revelation.11 We may be
confident, that a judicious and honest search
after truth, conducted without any unfair pre
judice, or insidious design, can never ultimately
lead to any conclusion that is really irrecon-
cileable with a true revelation : but so totally
distinct are the objects respectively proposed,
that innumerable varieties of opinion as to scien
tific subjects may, and in fact do, exist, among
men who are all sincerely agreed in acknow
ledging the authority of Scripture.
" See Essay I. 2d Series, § 5.

sect. 8.] Practical character qf Revelation. 243
There are other points again which are not
within the reach of our natural faculties, but
which, not being needful for us to know, and
consequently not declared in revelation, are to
be regarded as those "secret things which be
long unto the Lord our God." As to such
points, therefore, we should not only seek for
no explanation in Scripture, but should care
fully abstain from the presumption of all inquiry
whatever. Many indeed of these inscrutable
mysteries may perhaps no longer be such, in a
future and higher state of existence ; even
though the same rule should still be observed,
of not miraculously revealing any thing for the
mere gratification of curiosity. For, not only is
it probable, that our faculties may be so far en
larged, as to enable us to understand and discover
for ourselves, without direct revelation, things
which at present surpass our powers ; but also, it
may be, that, in a different state of existence,
many things may become of practical importance
to us, which are not so now ; and may thus be
come fit subjects of revelation. But in this pre
sent life we should carf^ully guard against the too
prevailing error of presumptuous inquiries, and
r2

244 Practical character of Revelation, [essay iv.
attempts to explain unrevealed mysteries ; an
error which generally leaves men the more bewil
dered and mistaken, the greater their ingenuity
and diligence.
Little as there is revealed to us of the condition
of our first parents in Paradise, thus much (and
let Christians never forget it) is plainly taught us,
that they fell from their happy state through the
desire oi forbidden knowledge. It was by seek
ing from men to become " as gods, knowing good
and evil," that they incurred that loss, to retrieve
which God was made Man, in Christ Jesus ; who
" took upon him the form of a servant, and hum
bled himself unto death, even the death of the
cross," to redeem us, the children of Adam, whom
want of humility had ruined, and to open to us
the gates of eternal life, which presumptuous
transgression had shut. How then can we hope
to enter in, if we repeat the very transgression of
Adam, in seeking to be wise above that which is
written ? By inquisitive pride was immortal hap
piness forfeited ; and the path by which we must
travel back to its recovery is that of patient and
resigned humility.
2. With respect to the right understanding of

sect. 8.3 Practical character qf Revelation. 245
what is revealed, it is evident if the view we have
taken be correct, that the most practical inter
pretation of each doctrine that can fairly be
adopted is ever likely to be the truest. Let it
be laid down, therefore, as an important general
rule, (of which numerous applications may be
found by any one who will seek for them,) that
if the other reasons be equal, or nearly equal, in
favour of two different intepretations of any part
of Scripture, one of which represents it as con
veying a mere speculative point of faith, and the
other, as having some tendency to influence the
heart or the conduct, this latter is to be adopted,
as the more conformable to the general plan of
revelation.1 3. Moreover, if our religion be indeed of this
practical character — if every thing revealed in it
be intended to have an influence [on our motives
and actions — it behoves the Christian to be
careful never to "put asunder what God has
' It is on this ground, among others, that I have argued
against the reception, as a part of revealed religion, of the
Calvinistic doctrine of Election and Reprobation ; which, as
explained by the most approved divines of that school, is a
purely speculative tenet. Essay III. Second Series, § 5.

246 Practical character of Revelation, [essay iv.
joined together ;" but to make and exhort others
to make, a practical application of its doctrines
to character and conduct. I mean not merely
that a virtuous life, as well as a right faith, is
necessary ; for though this is very true, it would
have been no less true, if faith and practice had
been two totally distinct things, both required
of us ; — if doctrines purely speculative had been
proposed for our belief, and precepts unconnected
with them, subjoined. But as the case actually
stands, it is not enough to say that the faith
must be right, and the conduct right also ; the
conduct must spring from the faith ; and not
from some part of it only, but from all : the doc
trines of our religion, not some of them, but all,
must exert their influence on the moral character.
That which was justly remarked by the Jewish
historian, Josephus, of his own nation, may be
applied with still more propriety to Christians,
who are placed under the later and more complete
form of the same general system : " While all
other people," says he, " reckon religion apart qf
virtue, the Jews alone account virtue a part qf
religion" I speak not now of the errors of those who

sect. 8.] Practical character of Revelation. 247
reject either religious faith or moral duty ; but
of those who regard them too much as dis
tinct. There have, indeed, been many in all
ages, from the ancient Peripatetic, down to the
modern Deist, who have aimed at virtue without
religion ; and there have been many more, from
the Pagan with his hecatombs and purifications,
down to the Antinomian of the present day, who
have aimed at religion without virtue. But there
are also some, it is to be feared, who, though they
acknowledge the necessity of both, are not suffi
ciently careful to keep in mind, and to exhibit,
their close and intimate connexion; but (to use
the illustration of the Apostle James) separate
from each other, as it were, the soul and the
body, and yet think to preserve both. Else, we
should not find so strong a distinction frequently
drawn, between doctrinal and practical dis
courses ; as if the two subjects were, neither of
them indeed to be neglected, but kept apart and
independent. Whereas, in truth, every doctrinal
discourse should lead the Christian hearer to its
proper moral results — every practical precept be
referred in his mind to its true foundation in the
Gospel doctrines. It is not enough that the

248 Practical character qf Revelation, [essay iv.
inward works of a clock are well constructed, and
also the dial-plate and hands ; the one must act
on the other ; the works must regulate the move
ments of the hands.
Such being, then, the practical character of
Christianity, let it be observed, in the last place,
that all to whom the doctrines of Revelation have
been taught, and those more especially whose
attention has been more peculiarly directed to
them by a course of theological studies, if they
are not the better for their religious knowledge,
will assuredly be the worse for it. It is not
merely that, having failed to derive due advantage
from the light of the Gospel, they will be heavily
accountable for the neglect of so great a blessing ;
but, moreover, by long familiarity with the doc
trines of religion, while they neglect its duties,
they will acquire a habit of insensibility to all
moral impressions from that quarter : and by
thus becoming hardened against the influence of
the strongest of all motives, they will have shut
the door against all hopes of reformation. For
as those who have been long accustomed, for
example, to encounter dangers, or to witness suf
ferings, without giving way to the corresponding

sect. 8.] Practical character qf Revelation. 249
emotions of fear or pity, are far more callous
to such emotions, than those who have not been
conversant with scenes of that kind ; so, those
who have been long familiarised to the thoughts
of religion, without applying it to their lives,
are far more incurably hardened, than if they
had never heard or thought any thing on the
subject.k Let the Christian, then, never lose sight of that
every-way awful responsibility under which the
Gospel-revelation places him ; abstaining from all
unprofitable and presumptuous inquiries as to
religious subjects, let him earnestly seek such
knowledge as " is able to make us wise unto
salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus ;"
and while in his studies he keeps in mind that
we " now know but in part," and see " through a
k " Going over the theory of virtue, in one's thoughts —
talking well — and drawing fine pictures of it — this is so far
from necessarily or certainly conducing to form a habit of it
in him who thus employs himself, that it may harden the
mind in a contrary course, and form a habit of insensibility
to all moral obligation. For from our very faculty of habits,
passive impressions, by being repeated, grow weaker, and
thoughts, by often passing through the mind are felt less
sensibly." Bishop Butler's Sermons.

250 Practical character of Revelation, [essay iv.
glass, darkly," let his life illustrate his convic
tion, that " the things which are revealed belong
unto us, that we may do all the words of this
Law." -
The character of the revelation bestowed on
us, in respect of the point which has just been
considered, has a reference and a close corre
spondence, to another peculiarity of our religion
— the proposal of the example of children by our
sacred writers, with a view both to the explana
tion, and to the practical application, of what
they teach. This peculiarity, by no means the
least admirable in the Gospel-scheme, yet one
which is in general very slightly noticed, will
form the subject of the next Essay.

NOTE.

Note (H) p. 234.
I have known a very intelligent man, and well-read in
Scripture, object to (after having at first admitted it)
this view of the exclusively relative and practical cha
racter of Revelation, from not liking some consequences
to which it leads. He accordingly set himself to find
in Scripture some purely speculative revelation re
specting the Deity ; and the passage he fixed on was
in Psalm cxlvii. 5., where it is said that the Lord's
" understanding is infinite." Now we have no ground,
as he ingeniously remarked, for concluding that infinite
wisdom (only, very great wisdom) is necessary for the
government of the world ; or, consequently, that the
revelation of this infinity is needful for a practical
purpose : and here therefore is an instance of some
thing revealed concerning God, which is not of a
relative and practical character.
Now let it be remembered, in the first place, that it
evidently is practically needful to impress strongly on
men's minds a full conviction that God's wisdom is
amply sufficient for all that concerns us ; that in all his
dispensations to man, whether natural or supernatural,
nothing can have escaped his notice, — no means can
have been ill adapted to their ends : and in the second
place, that if the divine wisdom be, in fact infinite, it
would not have been allowable to say that it is not so.

252 Note.
Ought then the sacred writer, after having expatiated
fully on the greatness and on the complete sufficiency
as far as regards Man, of the divine wisdom, to have
added that whether this wisdom is absolutely infinite
or not, he is not commissioned to reveal ? Surely it
would have savoured of cumbrous and frivolous
minuteness, thus to have gone out qf his way, to
conceal what there was no reason for concealing. The
object, and a most important practical object, was to
assure men of the sufficiency of the divine wisdom ;
and much the shortest, simplest, and most effectual
way of doing this, in the passage in question, was, by
declaring its infinity.
And yet it is very remarkable, that numerous as are
the occasions on which the sacred writers set forth the
greatness and admirable perfection of God's wisdom,
in reference to us, no other passage I believe can be
found in which its infinity is distinctly asserted, .except
this one; which occurs in a Hymn of praise, whose
distinct object is to magnify the Supreme Being in our
eyes, and to raise in us the highest veneration possible
(" for we can never go far enough") of every thing
that is glorious in Him. So that in respect of this
purpose, the declaration, after all, has a practical
object. I have mentioned this instance, to show how difficult
(not to say impossible) it is, for the utmost ingenuity
and diligence combined, to find any one passage of
Scripture even seemingly at variance with the principle
I have been maintaining.

ESSAY V.
ON THE EXAMPLE OF CHILDREN AS PROPOSED
TO CHRISTIANS.
§ 1. The allusion to the state of childhood,
as illustrative of the condition and of the duties
of Christians, occurs repeatedly in the sacred
writings, and is dwelt on with an earnestness
which may be regarded as one of the charac
teristic marks of the Gospel system of instruc
tion. Accordingly, many of our divines have occa
sionally alluded to the subject, and suggested
it from time to time to the attention of their
readers ; but the idea is not perhaps in general
sufficiently expanded and dwelt on in detail,
to engage Christians to make it an habitual
study, and resort continually for instruction to
the example which is thus held out to them.
And yet unless this be done — unless we dwell
very fully and frequently on the case of chil
dren with a view to the better understanding

254 Example qf children. [essay v.
of our own condition, and our own duties — we
lose what is in fact one principal advantage of
the example proposed to us, viz. its common
ness. Instead of selecting examples of rare and
extraordinary virtue, or seeking to contemplate
human nature under any peculiar and uncom
mon circumstances, we have only to look back
to what we were ourselves when children, and
to look around us to observe what children are.
Neither learning nor genius are required for
the study ; and though the ablest man may
derive from it such instruction as nothing else
can supply, the plainest Christian may do the
same, if he be but a sincere and candid and
attentive inquirer.
The analogy now under consideration may
be regarded as twofold : first, as children are
in regard to their parents, so, in some respects,
are we in relation to God : and, secondly, as
children are in comparison of what they will
be hereafter, so, in some respects, is the Chris
tian in this present life, compared with what he
hopes to be in the world to come. I say, in
some respects, because it is not to be expected
that whatever analogy may be presented to

sect. 1.] Example of children. 255
us, should hold good throughout ; and it is
an important rule, never to press a compari
son too far, nor to suppose that things which
correspond in some points, must therefore cor
respond in all. Thus, in the present instance,
there is this important point of distinction be
tween the two cases, that while children may
expect to become hereafter what their parents
are now, we, on the contrary, though in a
certain sense the children of God, must always,
even in the most exalted and glorified state to
which we can attain in the next world, remain
at an immeasurable distance from our Creator.
Yet notwithstanding this, our case is suffi
ciently analogous to that of children, to furnish
us with most valuable instruction, if we will
but duly attend to the correspondence that
does exist.
On many mysterious subjects, though man
be unable to attain complete knowledge, he
will thus, at least be brought to understand the
true nature and full extent of his own igno
rance; and many of his duties will be most
clearly pointed out and forcibly inculcated, by
the example of children.

256 Example of children. [essay v.
§ 2. The subject is thus naturally divided into
two branches ; first, our analogy to children in
respect of the knowledge we possess ; and,
secondly, in respect of duties — of the rules of
conduct we may derive from contemplating the
condition of childhood. On each of these points
it is proposed not so much to offer instruction
to the reader, as to lead him to instruct him
self; not so much to enter into copious details,
explaining what should be the Christian's judg
ment and what his conduct, in each case, as to
suggest matter for his own private meditation
and habitual observation. For the very object
contemplated in holding out the example of
children, is, that men, by being referred to that
example, may frame for themselves precepts
more abundant and minute, and more exactly
adapted to each particular case, than any that
could be delivered to them by another.
I. In treating of the analogy of our situation
to that of children in respect of knowledge, the
circumstances to be noticed as most worthy of
attention in the notions which they form, are
these three; first, that their knowledge is, in
kind, relative; i.e. that they know little more

sect. 2.] Example qf children. 257
of any thing than the relation in which it stands
to themselves : secondly, that in degree, it is a
scanty and imperfect knowledge ; and, thirdly,
that it is nevertheless practically sufficient for
them, if they are but careful to make a good use
of it.
1. First then, with respect to the kind of
knowledge which children possess : a few mo
ments' consideration may convince us, that it
is, as has been said, almost exclusively relative;
i.e. that they know the nature of scarcely any
thing, as it is in itself, hut as it is relatively
to them. A child soon becomes acquainted in
some degree with its parents and other kin-
dren — its nurses, teachers, and other friends ;
but as to the nature of this knowledge, is it
not manifest that it is merely relative ? He
knows little or nothing of what these persons
really are, except so far as he himself is con
cerned with them ; he perceives in some mea
sure what they are to Mm ; but beyond this,
he is nearly in the dark: the very words "pa
rent," "kinsman," "friend," &c. are, all of them,
relative terms ; and the notions belonging to
these, and such as these, are the very earliest

258 Example of children. [essay v.
a child can form — these are the very first terms
he is able in any degree to understand and
apply. Suppose the child's father to be some mighty
sovereign, or an eminent statesman, poet, phi
losopher, or warrior — one whose life perhaps is
of importance to millions, or whose fame spreads
over half the globe ; of all this the child him
self has but a very faint, if any, conception ; this
Being, so great in station, or so remarkable in
character, he regards merely as his father ; this
is but a relation; and is but one out of the many
relations in which the same person stands to those
around him. It is, however, the circumstance
which is of the most consequence to the child
himself; and it is, therefore, for a considerable
time at least, the only one that he ever thinks
about, or is at all capable of comprehending.
As he grows older, fresh and fresh light is conr
tinually breaking in upon him, and he is con
tinually gaining increased knowledge respecting
the persons and the things that are around him ;
but still the main part of that knowledge, and
all the earlier part of it, is relative, and relative
to himself.

sect. 2.] Example of children. 259
Now we account it a mark of silly, presump
tion in a child to pretend to understand fully,
and pronounce upon positively, the nature of
any thing as it is in itself ; or to suppose that
every thing is of greater or less importance in
proportion as it affects himself. A child is in
deed extremely apt to fall into this error ; but we
never fail to check it, and to endeavour to repress
such a disposition, by explaining to him, as well
as we can, how partial his knowledge is, even
respecting those things of which he is not utterly
ignorant, and how many there are which he can
not at present understand at all. We teach him,
and strive to impress on his mind, that his friends
have many other concerns to attend to besides
what relates to him, — that he is not to measure
the magnitude, or judge of the nature, of every
thing, merely with reference to himself, — and
that even of those things which do principally
concern him, and which are done for his sake,
his knowledge and powers are so limited, that
he must not reckon himself a competent judge
of the fitness or unfitness of the measures that
are taken. And we expect that a docile and
well-disposed child will carefully listen to these
s2

260 Example of children. [essay v.
admonitions, and will be so far sensible of his own
weakness, as to perceive the propriety of com
plying with them.
Now Christians are surely called on to apply
all this to themselves : especially when it is con
sidered, that children approach incomparably
nearer to an equality with their parents, than
the creature can to the Creator ; and that their
knowledge of the character and transactions of
grown persons is infinitely fuller and more per
fect than we can have of the nature and dealings
of God. Our knowledge of Him, like that of
children, is almost entirely relative : the sacred
writings, which hold out to us the condition of
childhood as an illustration and as a pattern,
these very Scriptures, with admirable consis
tency, reveal God to us, not as He is in Himself,
but, chiefly, as He is in relation to ourselves.
They tell us, that He is our Creator, Preserver,
and Governor ; that " in Him we live, and move,
and have our being ;" that " He is a rewarder
of them that diligently seek Him," and a Judge
that will punish those that disobey Him ; that
He took our nature upon Him in Christ Jesus to
effect our salvation ; and that He dwells in, and

sect. 2.] Example of children. 261
sanctifies, the hearts of his faithful servants.
Now all this, and much more such knowledge,
which the Scriptures supply to us respecting
God, is evidently relative to ourselves. The
very words, " Creator," " Governor," " Judge,"
" Redeemer," " Sanctifier," are altogether rela
tive terms. And understanding imperfectly and
indistinctly as we do this which is revealed, we
may well expect to be utterly lost and bewil
dered when we attempt (going beyond revelation)
to comprehend, by our own unaided powers, what
God really is.
How, indeed, can our finite minds embrace
infinity ? The very words Omnipresence, and
Eternity, overpower our faculties, the more, in
proportion as they are dwelt upon ; and yet we
cannot conceive that God should not be present
in every part of the universe which He created
and maintains in its established order ; wherever
we go, we find traces of his agency; yet we
cannot either suppose Him to exist in any such
relation to Space, that we and every thing
around us has; nor, again, conceive what that
Being can be, who thus pervades all Space, and
occupies none. "In truth, omnipresent is a

262 Example of children. [essay v.
relative term. God is said to be omnipresent,
because all things are present to Him, not because
He is present to all things. The original error
consists in assigning Him any place at all, — in
attributing locality to a Being who cannot be
affected, as we are, by the distinctions qf space.
The same may be observed of eternity, as applied
to the Divine nature. We can only judge of
time by a succession of impressions on the mind;
and it is usually by supposing an infinite suc
cession that we arrive at our notion of eternity.
But why should we presume to say, that any such
succession is requisite for the Divine mind ? A
savage would instruct a traveller in his route, by
a successive enumeration of point after point, and
line after line in his course ; a civilized man
would do the same at once, by placing a map
before him. If then human nature exerts itself
so differently, as it is cultivated or neglected,
how cautious should we be in framing analogies
between the energies and capacities of the most
perfect mind, and of God who formed it." a
We cannot, indeed, understand what it is to
a Hinds's History of the Rise and Progress of Christianity,
vol. i. ch. v. note to p. 296.

sect. 2.] Example of children. 263
exist without any relation to Time ; yet we can
not but conclude, both from reason and reve
lation, that with Him, the Great I AM, there
can be no distinction of Past, Present, and Fu
ture, but that all things must be eternally pre
sent ; since all our notions of time may be clearly
traced up to the succession of ideas or impres
sions on our own minds ; which succession
cannot be supposed to take place with an om
niscient Being. So that the couplet of the poet
Cowley, which has been, by some, laughed to
scorn as absurd, will be found, if we duly con
sider it, to be the most appropriate expression
possible of such imperfect and indistinct notions
as alone we can entertain on such a subject :
" Nothing there is to come, and nothing past,
But an eternal now does ever last."
Unfortunately, however, when men have affixed
names to these indistinct and imperfect notions
of theirs, and when, by long and frequent use,
they have grown familiar with these names, they
are thence apt to forget, how little they know
of the things themselves. It is indeed a conve
nience to employ such names, provided we do
not suffer ourselves to fancy that the familiar

264 Example qf children. [essay v.
use of them makes the things spoken of become
intelligible. It is an advantage in algebraical
calculations to employ a letter of the alphabet
as a symbol to denote some unknown quantity ;
only let it not be supposed, that by this means
it becomes at once a known quantity.
Moreover, besides the imperfect and indis
tinct knowledge which we have of those divine
attributes whose existence we believe in, there
may be others also, for aught we know, of which
we have never had any suspicion, and which we
should be as incapable of understanding with
our present faculties, as a blind man is of form
ing any idea of colours. Is it not then some
thing even worse than childish, to reason upon
and discuss boldly, and pronounce upon dog
matically, the attributes and the acts of God ?
as if we had means of ascertaining the real na
ture of that stupendous Being, instead of know
ing merely, in some degree, what He is with
respect to ourselves.
It is true, that every one is ready to admit, in
general terms, that the nature of God is not com
prehensible by the human faculties ; but how few
are there that duly follow up this maxim in

sect. 2.] Example of children. 265
practice ! how few writers, that, after having dis
tinctly made the admission, do not, even within a
few pages, slide imperceptibly into such a pre
sumptuous style of assertion and of reasoning, as
shews them to have completely forgotten that our
knowledge of the Almighty is relative !
How great must be the errors arising from
men's overlooking, or not carefully attending to,
this circumstance, it is hardly necessary to point
out. The rustic, who persists in maintaining
that the sun itself actually moves, because he
sees it rise and set, i. e. sees that it is in different
positions relatively to himself; and the child,
who, while he is sailing in a ship, fancies that
the land flies from him, or advances towards him;
are not more completely mistaken in their no
tions, than those theologians who reason upon
the accounts which the Scriptures give us of the
Deity, as if these were intended to explain to
us what He is, absolutely, in Himself, and not,
merely what He is in relation to ourselves.
And the liability to error is greatly increased
by this circumstance ; that even the relations in
which God stands to his creatures are so im
perfectly comprehensible by our understandings,

266 Example of children. [essay v.
that it is necessary to explain them by analogical
language, and by the use of such types and com
parisons, as may furnish to our minds a kind
of picture or image of heavenly things, whose
correspondence with the original cannot of
course be in all points complete ; any more than
a picture can,b in all respects, resemble the solid
body which it is designed to imitate. If there
fore we extend this analogy further than was
intended, and conclude, that the things which
are represented as corresponding in some points
must needs correspond throughout, — or if, again,
we conclude, that the things must be alike, be
cause they are analogous, and bear similar re
lations to something else/ — we shall fall into
the grossest absurdities ; such as we often see in
children, when they interpret literally the analo
gical explanations which are given them.
If any one will be at the pains to collect in
stances for himself (both from recollection of his
own infancy, and from what he has observed
b See Archbishop King's Sermon on Predestination, already
referred to. See also note (I) at the end of this Essay.
c See Bishop Copleston's remarks on analogy, in the notes
to his Discourses on Predestination, p. 122.

sect. 2.J Example of children. 267
in other children) of the mistakes which are in
this way continually committed by every child,
and will carefully reflect on these, not as a mere
source of amusement, but with a view to his own
instruction, they will serve as a mirror to shew
what sort of mistakes he himself also has to guard
against, in the notions he forms respecting the
Almighty. To take one out of innumerable instances ;
how many there are who speak and reason con
cerning the glory of God, (that being a phrase
which occurs in Scripture,) as if they supposed,
that the desire of glory did literally influence
the divine mind, and as if God could really covet
the admiration of his creatures : not considering,
that the only intention of this expression is to
signify merely, that God's works are contrived in
the same admirable manner as if He had had
this object in view ; and that we are bound to
pay Him the same reverent homage, and zealous
obedience, as if He were really and literally ca
pable of being glorified by us. And yet it is
chiefly from a literal interpretation of this phrase
of "the glory of God," that some Calvinistic
divines have undertaken to explain the whole

268 Example of children. [essay v.
system of divine Providence, and to establish
some very revolting and somewhat dangerous
conclusions.

§ 3. The considerations which have just been
adduced, lead naturally to a second point that
is worthy of notice in the condition of children :
not only is their knowledge almost entirely re
lative, but even of things relating to themselves
they have a very limited knowledge ; and what
they do know, they know but imperfectly, par
tially, and indistinctly. It has been remarked
above, that of their parents and kindred, and .
other friends, they know little or nothing except
the relation in which these stand to themselves ;
but it is observable also, that this very relation
they are far from adequately comprehending, so
as to understand wherein it consists : and in this
and every other part of their knowledge, those
will usually appear to them the most essential
circumstances, which, in fact, are accidental, or
subordinate; so that even where they are not
mistaken, their knowledge is still very scanty and
imperfect. For example, they will often learn
accurately to distinguish from one another per-

sect. 3.] Example of children. 269
sons of different professions, by the colour of
their clothes, or by some such external mark ;
which they are apt to regard as the real and
essential characteristic of each, respectively. But
as their faculties and knowledge improve, they
come to perceive gradually, that what they had
before considered as the most important cir
cumstances, are subordinate, and comparatively
trifling ; and that their former notions, though
not altogether erroneous, were extremely defec
tive, from their not being aware of, or perhaps
even able to comprehend, those points which
are in reality the most essential.
It must strike every one who will please to
review the ideas and imaginations of his youth,
what was then his notion of many things which he
now looks at, and has long looked at, as so many
vain and foolish baubles — how eager he was in the
pursuit of them, how impatient of being disap
pointed. He is at a loss now to conceive where,
or in what, the value or pleasure of them could
consist, so much to engage his affections, to
agitate his passions, to give him such anxiety in
the pursuit, and pain in the loss. Now some
thing very like this will probably take place in

270 Example of children. [essay v.
the judgment we shall hereafter form of many
of the articles which at present compose the
objects of our care and solicitude. When we
come, in the new state of our existence, to look
upon riches, and honours, and fortune, and pre
eminence, and prosperity — how like the play
and pursuits of children, their little strifes, and
contests, and disturbances, will these things ap
pear ? When the curtain is drawn aside, and
the great scene of our future existence let in
upon our view, how shall we regard the most
serious of our present engagements and suc
cesses, as the toys and trifles of our childhood,
the sport and pastime of this infancy of our
existence! "d
Now let Christians but remember, that in this
respect we are still children, in comparison of
what Christ's faithful servants may hope to be
come in a future state ; and that this process
of not only rectifying errors, but clearing, and
extending, and perfecting knowledge, is by no
means yet completed, nor ever will be, in our
present state. " When I was a child," says the
d Paley's Sermons.

sect. 3.] Example of children. 271
Apostle Paul, " I spake as a child, I thought
as a child, I understood as a child ; but when
I became a man, I put away childish things."
" We now," he adds, " see through a glass
darkly ; but then face to face : now I know in
part ; but then shall I know, even as also I am
known." When then, on the one hand, pre
sumptuous objections are brought against the
received accounts, of the fall of man, for in
stance — of the redemption by Christ — of a future
judgment — and every part of the divine dispen
sations ; and when, on the other hand, no less
presumptuous explanations are offered of the
same ; let him, who would derive wisdom from
the source which God has pointed out, instead
of listening either to such objections, or to such
answers, occupy himself in reflecting on the
absurd mistakes which children commit, when
they imagine themselves to have a full and cor
rect notion of any thing that has been partially
explained to them, and suffer themselves to fancy
(as soon as any glimmering of knowledge has been
afforded them) that they understand completely
the transactions and situations of grown persons.
And if any one would attain the best idea

272 Example of children. [[essay v.
he is capable of forming on that most im
portant point of wisdom, the nature and extent
of his own ignorance, let him seek it by analogy,
and have recourse to a child for his instructor.
Let him endeavour to convey to a very young
child as full and correct a notion as possible, of
civil-government, and legal institutions — of com
mercial transactions, and various arts and sci
ences — of the past history and present condition
of various nations ; and let him carefully observe
how utterly unintelligible many points will re
main to the infant mind, after all the expla
nations that can be given ; — how uninteresting
many subjects will prove, which hereafter will be
regarded as the most important ; — how imper
fect and inadequate will be the notions that are
formed on others, and what strange mistakes
will be continually arising ; especially if the child,
through conceit and presumption, is not aware
of his own incompetency to judge, and does not
perceive that he is out of his depth. And then
let the instructor apply the lesson to himself:
let him learn from the example of the child, what
is likely to be the imperfection of his own know
ledge and of his own faculties ; and let him no

sect. 3.] Example qf children. 273
longer presume that he understands, or can
expect to discover, the whole, or even the greater
and more essential part, of any one of the divine
dispensations, merely on the ground that some
part of God's designs has been declared to him ;
nor flatter himself, that because he is assured
of the truth of something, therefore there is
nothing that is concealed from him. " We can
seldom review what passed in our minds when
we were children, without being surprised with
the odd and extravagant notions which we took
up and entertained — how wildly we accounted
for some things, and what strange forms we as
signed to many other things — what improbable
resemblances we supposed, what unlikely effects
we expected, what consequences we feared. I
can easily believe, that many of the opinions and
notions we now erroneously entertain, especially
concerning the place, condition, nature, occu
pation, and happiness of departed saints, may
hereafter appear to us as wild, as odd, as unlikely
and ill-founded, as our childish fancies appear to
us now. Like the child, we take our ideas from
what we see, and transfer them to what we do
not see ; like him, we look upon and judge of

274 Example of children. * [essay v.
things above our understanding, by comparing
them with things which we do understand ; and
they bear afterwards as little resemblance, as
little foundation for comparison, as the most
chimerical and fantastic visions of a childish ima
gination. And this I judge to be what Paul
had particularly in his thoughts when he wrote
the words of the text : ' Now we know in part ;
but when that which is perfect is come, then,
that which is in part shall be done away ;' even as
' when I was a child, I understood as a child, I
thought as a child ; but when I became a man,
I put away childish things.' Our apprehension
of futurity may, it is true, be in many respects
childish, but still they may be innocent, so long
as we are not over anxious, nor over positive,
to insist upon others receiving them, and too
much inclined to make difficulties, or start at
those which we meet with, from an opinion that
we are able to guess and find out the whole of
such subjects." e
A child perceives that the sun gives light
and heat to the spot which he inhabits ; so far
e Paley's Sermons, last vol. pp. 223, 224.

sect. 3.] Example of children. 275
he judges rightly; but he is not unlikely to
conclude, that the sun was created for that pur
pose ; he is ignorant of its conferring the same
advantages on distant parts of the world ; and
he supposes its real magnitude to be nearly
the same as it appears to be : by degrees his
knowledge is enlarged, and he comes to under
stand, that the same sun shines upon the whole
earth ; he now perhaps looks back with con
tempt on his former ignorance, and imagines
that he understands fully the whole use and
importance of the sun; whereas he still knows
but a very small part of it : in time, if he is in
the way of scientific instruction, and is diligent
in profiting by it, he will come to learn, that the
earth is only one out of many planets — several
much larger than our own — that are warmed
and enlightened by the same sun, which is a far
larger body than all of them together ; and we
should be very presumptuous were we to con
clude, that even this purpose is the only, or even
the principal one, for which the sun was created.
Most arrogant then must he be, who dares con
clude, that when he knows something of God's
attributes and dispensations, he fully understands
T 2

276 Example of children. [essay v.
either the whole, or even the most essential part,
of them. We know certain relations in which
the Almighty stands towards us ; but there may
be other relations besides these, of which we
know nothing. We are instructed in some degree
how far we are interested in the fall of Adam,
in the redemption through Christ, and in other
of God's dispensations ; but we know not that
this is all ; nor have we any reason for supposing,
that even the greater part has been revealed to
us. The fall of our first Parents may, for aught
we know, have been of consequence to different
orders of Beings, whose very existence we are
ignorant of; the death of Christ may, in some
unknown way, be the means of salvation to mil
lions who never heard of Him ; his coming to
judge the world may affect other planets be
sides our own.
Is this vast extent of ignorance revolting to
any one? let him then recollect the time when
he was a child, and refresh his memory by the
observation of other children. Let him remem
ber, how strange many things seemed to him,
which are now perfectly cleared up ; — how utterly
ignorant he was of matters, which are now familiar

sect. 4.] Example of children. 277
to him ; — how far he was from being able to com
prehend the nature, and even from suspecting the
existence, of many things, which now principally
occupy his thoughts ; — and, above all, how sure
he was to be mistaken, whenever he presumed to
fancy that his own notions were adequate, and his
knowledge perfect. This habitual study of the
infantine mind will prepare us to go any lengths
in the confession of our ignorance, and the due
distrust of our faculties : we shall thus become
learned in human nature, as to that most impor
tant part of it, its imperfections ; and where full
and accurate knowledge is not to be attained, we
shall at least keep clear of presumptuous error.
Where the darkness cannot be removed, it is
a great point to be aware that it is darkness,
instead of being deceived and misled by false
lights and delusive appearances.
& 4. It was mentioned as a third point in
which the knowledge possessed by children is
worthy of consideration, that, scanty and imper
fect as it is, it is yet fully sufficient for all prac
tical purposes ; a child knows, indeed, but little
of the friends that surround him ; but he knows

278 Example of children. [essay v.
enough to understand that they are friends, and
that he may profit by their instructions, and rely
on their protection. Children soon learn to
distinguish, in a great degree, what things are
agreeable, and what, painful; what profitable,
and what, mischievous ; and if they are patient
and docile, they rapidly improve in this kind of
knowledge. They learn also very early, what
sort of conduct will gain them the approbation
and goodwill of their parents and their play
fellows; and what, will subject them to displeasure,
ridicule, or punishment. Almost all the know
ledge, indeed, that is early and easily acquired by
children, is of a practical nature. For example,
a child, as has been above remarked, understands
very little of the real nature of the sun ; but he
very soon comes to understand its efficacy in en
lightening — in warming — in drying — in altering
the colours of several substances — in expanding
flowers — in ripening fruits. This sort of know
ledge it is, universally, that is the most essential
to be early acquired ; and it is of such knowledge
consequently, that, by the appointment of Pro
vidence, children are the most capable. That
which they can best learn, as children, is precisely

sect. 5.] Example qf children. 279
such as is best calculated to lead them' on to a
more advanced state, and to qualify them for
their future conduct in the world as men.
Such, likewise, is our state in this present life ;
we can attain abundant knowledge for practical
purposes; in the midst of all our ignorance and
weakness, that which we can best understand is
our duty : and if we are diligent and patient in
acquiring such knowledge as is suitable for us,
and in practically applying it, instead of boldly
prying into mysteries beyond our reach, we shall
be undergoing the best preparation for that supe
rior state of existence, in which God's faithful
servants will, through his mercy, obtain an en
largement of their faculties, an increase of their
knowledge, and a nearer view of his adorable per
fections. On the other hand, the evils which are
brought upon the man by presumptuous disobe
dience, by carelessness, and by indocility, — in the
child, may warn us what those have to expect,
who, in what concerns religion, copy the example
of such perverseness.
§5. II. This reference of knowledge to prac
tice, leads naturally to the consideration of that

280 Example qf children. [essay v.
which was laid down as the second branch of the
present inquiry, viz. the advantages to be derived
from a comparison between the condition of
Christians and that of children, in respect of con
duct ; their example being often held out for
imitation by Jesus and his followers ; whose man
ner of teaching is, in this respect, hardly less
peculiar, than in the others formerly mentioned.
In treating of the former branch of the subject
before us, the object proposed may be described
as being to show how far men necessarily are
like children : how far they ought to be so — what
instruction they may derive in respect of duty,
from following the example of children — is our
present matter of consideration.
The disciples, we are told in the Gospel, came
unto Jesus, saying, " Who is the greatest in the
kingdom of heaven ? and Jesus called a little child
unto Him, and set him in the midst of them, and
said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be con
verted, and become as little children, ye shall not
enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever
therefore shall humble himself- as this little child,
the same is the greatest in the kingdom of hea
ven." Our Lord's most immediate object seems

sect. 5.] Example of children. 281
to have been, to check the pride of his disciples ;
we may presume therefore that the point in which
He was more especially holding out children to
our imitation, is their lowliness of mind, modesty,
and self-distrust.
To this must be added, in the second place,
their docility; i.e. a disposition to listen with
candour, and singleness of heart, and patience,
to the instruction that is imparted to them. It
is thus that the Apostle James reasons from the
filial relation in which we stand to God : " of his
own will," says he, (ch. i. 18 — 21.) " begat He us
with the word of truth, that we should be a kind
of first fruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my
beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear,
slow to speak, slow to wrath ; (for the wrath
of man worketh not the righteousness of God.)
Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity
of naughtiness, and receive with meelmess the en
grafted word, which is able to save your souls."
Lastly, another point in which the example of
children is most profitable for the imitation of
Christians, is that which may be called their re
signation ; i. e. an undoubting and affectionate
confidence in parental care and kindness ; accom-

282 Example of children. [essay v.
panied with a cheerful submission and ready obe
dience, even, where they cannot understand the
reasons of the commands given, and of the restric
tions imposed.
§ 6. I. First then, with respect to the humi
lity of children : though we do indeed frequently
find in them the seeds of arrogance, as well as
of every other evil propensity to which our
frail and corrupt nature is liable ; it will hardly
be denied, that, as a general rule, childhood is
characterised by modesty, self-distrust, conscious
ness of weakness, and readiness to acknowledge
faults : they are qualities also peculiarly suitable
to that age ; and we are accordingly especially
careful to warn children against presumption
and self-confidence, and to impress them with
a due sense of their own ignorance, and inex
perience, and feebleness. Now if it be true,
as has been above pointed out, that the Chris
tian's condition in this present life is closely
analogous to that of children— that we are still
in the infancy of our being, compared with
what we hope to become hereafter — and that
we are, and ever must be, children, and much

sect. 6.] Example of children. 283
less than children, in respect of our Creator —
it is evidently the part of one, who would pro
fit by this most important branch of knowledge,
to exemplify in himself that conduct which he
most commends in them, and to apply to him
self the precepts he inculcates. If humility is
especially becoming in a child, it must be so
also in a Christian, who is made in a peculiar
manner " a child of God ;" thus placed in the
relation of sonship towards a Being infinitely
more above him than an earthly parent. If a
child is exposed to the greatest mischiefs both in
his present state, and in his future life, by arro
gant presumption, and conceited confidence in
his own feeble judgment, let man, weak and
short-sighted as he is, remember, that the same
faults in him will endanger his eternal salvation.
Having already dwelt at greater length, per
haps, than some may think requisite, on the
imperfection of the human faculties, and the
scantiness of man's knowledge in his present
state, it is unnecessary to insist strongly in
this place on the importance of that humble
self-distrust, consciousness of ignorance, and low
liness of temper, which are called for in conse
quence. But there is one point most important

284 Example of children. [essay v.
to be kept in view, which many men are apt
to overlook ; those, viz. who imagine themselves
to be not at all deficient in humility, provided
they abstain from over-rating their own talents
as compared with those qf other men : whereas
it is evidently possible for a man to possess this
personal humility, as it may be called — to think
very modestly of himself in comparison of those
around him, and yet greatly to over-rate the
human faculties in general ; and without giving
himself credit for acuteness and profundity be
yond the rest of his Species, to be guilty of rashly
prying into the mysteries of the Most High,
and of speculating boldly on subjects which are
out of the reach, perhaps, even of the faculties
of angels. No cautions against personal arro
gance will guard a man against this (if I may
so speak) generic arrogance — this over-estimate
of the human faculties/ No man must be satis
fied with thinking modestly of himself, indivi
dually, as compared with others, unless he also
form as sufficiently humble estimate of human
f On the opposite error to this, — the confidence which
some feel of having attained personal humility, from their
thinking meanly of the whole human race, I have offered
some remarks in the note appended to the next Essay.

sect. 7-3 Example of children. 285
nature itself; recollecting that the whole race
of mankind are in a state of ignorance and weak
ness analogous to that of childhood.
§ 7. II. The second point which was men
tioned, as deserving the imitation of Christians,
is the Docility of children ; the docility which
we always find, at least in those of them who
are the best disposed ; and which we always
commend them for possessing, and studiously
inculcate. It is not enough for a child to
acknowledge his imperfections, if he has no
wish to improve ; or to be conscious of his
ignorance, unless he is willing to learn. In
fact, as there is no greater obstacle to improve
ment — no worse impediment to learning — than
arrogant self-conceit, so there is no better proof
of modesty, than an eagerness to receive in
struction. If we inculcate humility, it is as a
step— the first and most important step — to
wards the attainment of excellence : those chil
dren who conceitedly over-rate themselves, and
show no deference for the precepts bestowed on
them, are often the least ambitious, and always
the least likely, to make great advancements.

286 Example of children. [essay v.
Now if the Christian acknowledge himself
to be at all in the condition of children, he
should learn in this point also most carefully
to take pattern from them, and to practise what
he recommends to them ; for. while they have
to learn what will qualify them for the state of
manhood — for that short and precarious life
which they will have to spend on earth — the
Christian has to learn, according to the views
which the Gospel presents, what may fit him
for eternity. On the use he makes of the
short time of probation allowed him here, in
acquiring a knowledge of the will of God, and
in applying that knowledge in his practice — on
this it is, that his condition, his final and unal
terable, condition, in the next world, is repre
sented in the Scriptures as depending.
He then who is taught such a lesson by a
Master to whose authority he bows, must admit
that the example of children, and the advice
men are perpetually inculcating on them, will
rise up against him in the day of judgment
and condemn him, if his conduct in this his
state of infancy, be such as he would, in his
own children, censure as most culpable folly.

sect. 7.] Example qf children. 287
How strongly, for example, and how justly,
does every one blame a child who refuses to
learn or believe any thing that does not suit
his own inclinations ; who will not take any
thing upon trust, even when he is incompetent
at present to understand the reasons of it ; nor
believe implicitly what he cannot fully com
prehend, even though assured of it on the
safest authority : and who arrogantly denies
and rejects every thing that carries with it an
appearance of difficulty, unless that difficulty
be instantly and satisfactorily solved.
This example is well calculated to warn the
Christian to beware, lest he lie open to the
same blame in a far more important concern ;
remembering, that as Jesus Christ, himself
teaches him, " if he receive not the kingdom
of heaven as a little child, he shall in no wise
enter therein."
There are, indeed, many Christians, who, (not,
certainly, for want of having an instructive
model recommended to their imitation in Scrip
ture, but for want of studying that model,)
instead of this childlike simplicity, and single
ness of heart, and candour, are perpetually

288 Example qf children. [essay v.
striving to fashion the word of God according
to their own imaginations : perverting and ex
plaining away every passage which does not
suit their preconceived notions, and pressing,
to the utmost extreme, every one that seems
to support these ; rejecting this doctrine be
cause it appears to them unreasonable — and
that, because it is, on their views, unworthy of
the Deity — and another, because it is attended
with some inexplicable difficulty ; or insisting
with uncharitable vehemence on the importance
of some particular explanation, founded on the
deductions of their own reason, and forming
an essential part of their own theory ; making
no allowance even for one who substantially
agrees with them, if it happen that he does
not employ precisely the same form of expres
sion ; or if he contentedly believes, without being
able to comprehend, what they profess to have
explained. " What then," it may be said, " is all em
ployment of reason to be abandoned, and are
we to teach, with the Romanists, the virtue of
implicit and unenquiring faith ? Are we to learn
from children boundless credulity, and contented

sect. 7.] Example of children. 289
ignorance ?" A child himself can answer the
objection, and remove whatever difficulty it in
volves. Ask an intelligent child whether his
parents exhort him to remain contented in ig
norance — to believe implicitly every thing that
every one tells him, whether on good authority
or not ; to abstain from all inquiry — to re
press all curiosity — and to use no endeavours
for improving in knowledge, and attaining truth.
He will tell you, that, so far from this, they com
mend him for nothing more than for being pro
perly inquisitive, and eager after information ;
that they exhort him to take nothing upon trust
that he is capable of sifting thoroughly, and
examining and proving satisfactorily to himself ;
and that they assiduously warn him against
being over-credulous, and hasty in admitting on
slender proofs what he hears from persons unde
serving of credit. He will tell you, however,
that they nevertheless caution him against an
indiscriminate, and presumptuous, and prying
curiosity ; that they assure him there are some
points of knowledge unsuitable to his age ; and
many which are beyond the reach of his present
faculties: which it would be unprofitable, and

290 Example of children. [essay v.
even mischievous, for him to pry into unsea
sonably; that he must wait with patience till
his reason is matured ; since there is enough
of what is necessary and useful for him to learn,
to occupy all his attention in the mean time ;
and that even of what he has to learn at pre
sent, there are many parts which he cannot, as
yet, fully comprehend; and which therefore he
must be content to believe implicitly, on the
authority of his instructors, in whose veracity
and judgment he has the best reason to con
fide. Is not this the system of instruction which is
adopted by the most judicious teachers ? and is
there any thing inconsistent in this ? Is it not
possible at once to encourage profitable, and
to repress impertinent curiosity ; to check in
discriminate credulity, yet to require implicit
faith, (on sufficient authority,) in subjects be
yond the reach of the learner's faculties — and
to encourage inquiry about such as are not
beyond his reach ? Now if this be the wisest
and best way of instructing children, can we
doubt, or can we wonder, or can we complain,
that our great Master, "our Father which is in

sect. 7.] Example qf children. 291
heaven," has adopted this same method in the
instruction of us, in our present state of child
hood here on earth ?
The Christian is taught in the Scriptures he
receives, and most wisely taught, to make it his
careful and constant study to distinguish what
subjects are, and what are not, within the reach
of his faculties ; that while he avoids presump
tuous inquiries, he may at the same time be
diligently pursuing such knowledge as is attain
able and profitable.
There have been indeed sceptical philosophers,
who have perversely inferred, from the limited
and imperfect nature of the human faculties,
that all inquiries after truth are vain ; and have
thought, or pretended to think, that since we
understand so little of any subjects on which we
may speculate, we ought to sit down contented
in universal doubt, and universal indifference,
respecting all. But it is surely something even
beyond a childish absurdity to conclude, that be
cause we cannot do all we wish, we therefore
should do nothing at all ; that because we are
aware of the limits of our faculties, therefore
we should not employ them as far as they extend.
u2

292 Example of children. [essay v.
A man who is compelled to travel in the twi
light, may wish indeed that the sun would rise ;
but in the mean time makes the best use he can
of the light that is afforded him ; he still employs
his eyes, and still is able to see with them, to a
profitable purpose ; though he cannot see so far
as in broad day-light. Only, if he is prudent,
he will take heed not to forget how faint a glim
mering it is that he now enjoys, lest he incur
danger by heedlessly running too far from the
path ; nor will he allow himself to form too hasty
a judgment concerning the prospect around him,
while viewed by this imperfect light.
The Christian then, though warned not to
attempt to be "wise above what is written," is
yet excited by the very same example, diligently
to study and strive to improve in the knowledge
of that which God has thought fit to reveal
in this life ; hoping to attain a more perfect
knowledge in a better state. And if he would
resemble, in all that is worthy of imitation, such
a child as he would wish his own children to be,
he will come to the study with a disposition
meekly and candidly to receive the word of God,
whatever he shall find it to be: not searching

sect. 7.] Example of children. 293
the Scriptures for arguments to confirm his
preconceived opinions ; but honestly forming his
opinions from what he reads ; and cheerfully
acquiescing in whatever he may find to be re
vealed, however repugnant to the prejudices, and
galling to the pride, of human nature. That
faith, without which the Scriptures tell us " it
is impossible to please God" — which they uni
formly represent as of the nature of a moral
virtue, and as the first step in the Christian's
progress — does not consist (as the unthinking
scoffer pretends) in assenting to a proposition
without sufficient evidence, but in a disposition
candidly and fairly to weigh the evidence — in
a due distrust of the human faculties — and in a
readiness to admit whatever shall appear to be
clearly taught by our divine Instructor, even
though it be such as we should never have ex
pected, nor can clearly comprehend. Such is
the docility which men require of children, and
which they approve and commend in them ; and
such also is the docility which they must require
of themselves, if they would attain the appro
bation of their heavenly Father.

294 Example of children. [essay v.
§ 8. III. The last and not least important point
in which the example of children is to be imi
tated, is that which has been called their resig
nation : I mean, the entire, devoted, contented,
and affectionate submission of a well-disposed
child to his parent's will ; his ready and cheer
ful obedience, even to commands of which he
cannot understand the reason ; his full and con
tented confidence in parental care and kindness,
even in cases where his father's conduct is un
intelligible to him.
Every one knows how many things it is ne
cessary for children to do, and to submit to,
of Which they cannot, at the time, understand
the necessity : and we should not much com
mend the dutiful obedience of that child, who
should then only submit to his parent's will, when
he comprehended the reasons of his commands:
nor should we think well of a child's disposition,
whose affections were alienated from a tender
parent, and who distrusted that parent's kindness,
merely on the ground of his being obliged to
practise some irksome duties, and submit to some
troublesome restraints, whose importance could
not as yet be explained to him. Let any one

sect. 8.] Example of children. 295
but consider, which of the two would be re
garded as the more amiable, and the more sen
sible child — such an one as this last, or the one
before described, as full of confidence, love, and
submission. And if the Christian feels no hesita
tion in deciding this question, let him next consi
der, which of the two it behoves him to resemble.
Placed as Man is at an immeasurable dis
tance from the stupendous Author -of our being,
and in a state of infancy, compared with the
future life he looks forward to, it may well be
expected that he should be incapable of under
standing the reasons of all God's commands,
and the whole system of his dealings with his
creatures. But enough may surely be under
stood, to convince those who are well disposed,
that they may safely trust to his fatherly care
and goodness — that He deserves our sincere
affection and devoted obedience — and that "all
things work together for good to them that love
Him." It is therefore man's duty, as well as
interest, cheerfully to comply with his will, even
when he neither knows the reason of his com
mands, nor understands why that knowledge is
withheld from him.

296 Example of children. [essay v.
Thus much however all may clearly under
stand ; that if this life be a state of probation,
as every thing around us declares that it is, we
might even antecedently expect, that, among
other moral qualities, a trial should be made
of our humility also, — of our patience, — of our
devotion to God, — and firm trust in Him ; a
trial which could not take place, if men could
in every instance fully understand the wisdom
of the Almighty Ruler's designs, and perceive
the fitness of his injunctions. The Christian
then is evidently called upon in this point also,
to pursue the same conduct himself which he
recommends in children ; resigning himself with
affectionate devotion into the hands of God ;
not presuming to find fault with any thing he
does not understand, nor giving way to distrust,
wherever he perceives a difficulty/
e " A child meets with perpetual difficulties, which appear
to its then comprehension unconquerable, which yet, when it
becomes a man, clear up and vanish of themselves. It
cannot be made to understand the reason or the meaning of
half the things which its parents and its masters make it do
or suffer 
" How is this to be reconciled, a child will naturally ask,
with that kindness, and love, and goodness, which it is told

sect. 8.] Example of children. 297
Some, however, find means practically to evade
the force of that lesson, which the example
of children is intended to convey. That a
child is right in showing filial affection, and in
to expect from its parents. Now as the child advances in
reason and observation, all these difficulties solve themselves.
He remembers with gratitude what he suffered with com
plaint 
" Look to the whole of our existence, and the wisest and
oldest of us are yet but in our infancy  We know in
part : a certain portion of our nature, existence, and destiny
we do see ; but it is a portion bounded by narrow limits ; — a
term out of eternity. Now all such partial knowledge must
be encumbered with many difficulties ; it is like viewing the
map of a district, or small tract of territory, by itself, and
separated from the adjacent country : we see rivers marked
out, without any source to flow from, and running where
there is nothing to receive them. In like manner we observe
events in the world, of which we trace not either cause or
origin, and tending to no design or purpose that we can dis
cover. If the child have patience to wait, many of these
difficulties will in due time be explained. And this is our
case. It was not necessary to the child's happiness and well-
being, that it should have, from the first, the understanding
of a man ; nor is it to ours, that we should possess the faculties
of angels, or those which are in reversion for us in a higher
and more advanced state of existence." Paley's Sermons.
He is indebted, however, to Tucker's " Light of Nature,"
for the admirable illustration cited in this passage.

298 Example of children. [essay v.
submitting to parental authority, they see and
acknowledge, on the ground that they themselves
perceive that this is for his benefit; whereas
they do not perceive how God's designs tend
to their benefit : not considering, that neither
can the child himself fully understand this, at
the time; but implicitly takes it for granted.
Now if we are in a condition analogous to child
hood, we must put ourselves in the place of the
child himself, not of a bye-stander, whose know
ledge of the circumstances is more complete :
we must consider, not merely whether the con
duct of the child does, in fact, tend eventually
to his own benefit, and is such as a person would
direct, who knew better than the child himself
can know, wherein the benefit consists ; but we
must also consider, whether the child himself,
even with the imperfect knowledge which he
now possesses, does not act wisely in submitting
and trusting to his parent ; and if it be decided
that he has good reason for so doing, it is in
cumbent on those who are in a correspond
ing condition, and have the same imperfect
knowledge, to follow his example. For if man
in his present state could fully perceive and

sect. 8.] Example of children. 299
understand that what is commanded him is for
his good, his case would not, then, be analogous
to that of children ; since they cannot, while chil
dren, understand the designs of their parents. .
The question is, therefore, is it a mark of folly
in children to be dutiful, affectionate, and sub
missive ? Shall we say that such children are
right indeed, but right only by accident, in thus
trusting to their parents ; and that they have, at
the time when they do so, no just ground for
reposing such confidence in them ? No one
.would surely maintain such an opinion. If then
we acknowledge the conduct of dutiful children
to be wise — ^wise, that is, in them, under the
circumstances in which they are placed — it is
for us to make it the pattern of our own. An
amiable, and well disposed, and intelligent child
never reasons in this manner : " My father's de
signs are inscrutable to me, and therefore I cannot
tell whether the steps he may next take will be
for my benefit, or the contrary : he may have very
good reasons for all he does ; but since I cannot
understand his reasons for occasionally subjecting
me to pain and privation, I cannot tell but that
he may hereafter see sufficient reasons, equally

300 Example of children. [essay v.
unintelligible to me, for devoting me undeservedly
to misery and destruction ; and therefore I have
no ground for trusting to his kindness :" such, I
say, are not the reasonings which pass through
the mind of a well-disposed child ; who, notwith
standing his incapacity to explain to himself the
reasons of his being sometimes exposed to pain
and inconvenience, feels, nevertheless, an un-
doubting confidence (and surely it is not an
unreasonable and ill-grounded confidence) that
his father loves him, and seeks his real benefit,
and understands how to promote it far better
than he does himself.
The disciple of Christ, then, is taught to profit
by such an example ; and, without being dismayed
by his inability to explain the evils which appear
in the creation g, to trust fully (as he has good
reason) in the, loving-kindness of God towards
those who diligently serve Him, who conform
cheerfully to his commandments, and who rely
firmly on his promises.
§ 9. And let it not be forgotten, that that fea
ture in the Gospel-system of instruction which
11 See note (K) at the end of this Essay.

sect. 9. ] Example of children. 301
has been here noticed, the proposal of such
an example for man's imitation in his present
state, is one of the circumstances peculiar to
Christianity — strikingly characteristic of it — and
strongly confirming its divine origin, its impor
tance, and its excellence.
As it is obviously a great advantage to teach
not merely by precept, but by example, so, that
advantage is much enhanced, if the example em
ployed be one which is always at hand: nor
could a more suitable pattern, than the one in
question, have been presented to the imitation of
creatures, standing in such a relation as we do to
the Creator ; and whose present life is designed
as a preparation for a more perfect and exalted
state hereafter. Yet, the best heathen moralists,
even those who taught, and professed to believe,
a future state, had not recourse to, or at least
did not usually employ, this mode of instruction.
They spoke much of the beauty of virtue — of
the dignity of human nature — of the heroism of
striving to rise above the vulgar mass of mortals :
but they did not enough consider that the first
step to elevation is Humility ; that though the ,
palace of Wisdom be indeed a lofty structure, its

302 Example of children. [essay v.
entrance is low, and it forbids admission without
bending. They knew not, or at least taught
not, that our Nature must be exalted by first
understanding and acknowledging the full amount
of its weakness and imperfection. " Jesus called
unto Him a little child, and set him in the midst :"
what other teacher ever did the like ? What other
teacher, indeed, ever completely " knew what was
in man," and understood thoroughly how to re
medy the defects of his Nature, and to fit him
for a better state ?
While this admirable peculiarity of our great
Master's system of instruction is gratefully ac
knowledged by the Christian, let him be careful
also to take advantage of it, and not to lose
the benefit of the example which Christ has
proposed for our imitation. It is not enough
to acknowledge in general terms that man's
condition on earth is analogous to that of chil
dren, in the scantiness of his knowledge, and
the imperfection of his faculties ; and that we
ought to take pattern from their humble doci
lity, and cheerful confidence, and implicit obe
dience: he who would actually profit by this
pattern, must make their character and conduct

sect. 9.] Example of children. 303
his habitual study — a study which no one can
ever want opportunities of pursuing. We must
" call a little child, and set him in the midst
of us :" we must carefully and frequently exa
mine into all the details of the condition, the
character, and duties, of children : and if we are
fully and habitually impressed with the simi
larity of our situation to theirs, in a multitude
of particulars, then, and then only, we shall be
enabled to profit adequately by the example
they afford us.
By such a moral training will the Christian
be fitted, through God's help, for that more
perfect, that happy and exalted, state, in which
his doubts will be dispelled, — his knowledge
cleared up and extended,— his faith swallowed
up in certainty, — and his nature purified and
elevated so as to approach more nearly to that
of his divine Master. "Brethren," says the
Apostle John, " we know not what we shall be ;
but we know, that, when He shall appear, we
shall be like Him ; for we shall see Him as
He is."

NOTES.

Note (I) p. 266.
The following account of a person born blind, and
couched by Mr. Chesselden, (extracted from the
Philosophical Transactions) affords an interesting
illustration of some of my remarks.
" Observations made by Mr. W. Chesselden, on a young
gentleman who was born blind, or lost his sight so
early that he had no recollection of ever having seen,
and was couched between thirteen and fourteen years
of age.
" When he first saw, he was so far from making any
judgment about distances, that he thought all objects
whatever touched his eyes, (as he expressed it) as what
he felt did his skin ; and thought no objects so agree
able as those which were smooth and regular, though
he could form no judgment of their shape, or guess
what it was in any object that was pleasing to him ; he
knew not the sha.pe of any thing, nor any one thing
from another ; but upon being told what things were,
whose form he knew before from feeling, he would

Notes. 305
carefully observe that he might know them again ; but
having too many objects to learn at once, he forgot
many of them, and, as he said, at first, learned to know,
and forgot again a thousand things in a day. One
particular I will relate : having often forgotten which
was the cat and which the dog, he was ashamed to
ask ; but catching the cat (which he knew by feeling)
he was observed to look at her steadfastly, and then
setting her down, said, ' So, Puss ! I shall know you
another time.'
" He was very much surprised that those things
which he had liked best did not appear most agreeable
in his eyes ; expecting those persons would appear
most beautiful whom he loved most, and such things
to be most agreeable to his sight that were so to his
taste. We thought he soon knew what pictures repre
sented ; but we found afterwards, we were mistaken ;
for about two months after he was couched, he dis
covered all at once that they represented solid bodies ;
whereas to that time he considered them only as party-
coloured planes, or surfaces diversified with variety
of paint ; but even then he was no less surprised,
expecting the pictures would feel like the things they
represented ; and was amazed when he found those
parts, which by their light and shadow appeared round
and uneven, felt flat like the rest ; and he asked what
was the lying sense, feeling or seeing ?
" Being shewn his father's picture in a locket at his
mother's watch, and told what it was, he acknowledged
it a likeness, but was vastly surprised, asking how it
x

306 Notes.
could be that a large face could be expressed in so
little room ; saying it should have seemed as impossible
to him, as to put a bushel of any thing into a pint. At
first he could bear but very little sight, and the things
he saw he thought extremely large ; but on seeing
things larger, those first seen he conceived less, never
being able to imagine any lines beyond the bounds he
saw ; the room he was in, he said, he knew to be but
part of the house, yet he could not conceive that the
whole house could look bigger. Before he was couched
he expected little advantage from seeing, worth under
going an operation for, except reading and writing ; for
he said he thought he could have no more pleasure in
walking abroad than he had in the garden, which he
could do very safely and readily. And even blind
ness, he observed, had this advantage, that he could
go any where in the dark, much better than those who
can see ; and after he had seen he did not soon lose
this quality, nor desire a light to go about the house
in the night. He said every new object was a new
delight, and the pleasure was so great, that he wanted
ways to express it; but his gratitude to his operator
he could not conceal; never seeing him for some
time without tears of joy in his eyes, and other
marks of affection ; and if he did not happen to come,
at any time when he was expected, he would be so
grieved that he could not forbear crying at his disap
pointment. " A year after first seeing, being carried upon
Epsom Downs, and observing a large prospect, he

Notes. 307
was exceedingly delighted with it, and called it a new
kind of seeing.
" And now being lately couched of his other eye, he
says that objects at first appeared large to this eye,
but not so large as they did at first to the other ; and
looking upon the same object with both eyes, he
thought it looked about twice as large as with the
first couched eye only, but not double, that we can
discover." Note (K) p. 300.
The sentiments here expressed, are more fully deve
loped and explained in the Appendix (No. 2.) to Dr.
King's Discourse on Predestination ; from which I
take the liberty of citing one passage, as necessary to
illustrate what has been said : " Our notions of the
moral attributes of the Deity are not derived (as Dr.
Paley contends they are) from a bare contemplation
of the created universe, without any notions of what is
antecedently probable, to direct and aid our observa
tions. Nor is it true (few indeed would now, I appre
hend, assent to that part of his doctrine) that man has
no moral faculty — no natural principle of preference
for virtue rather than vice — benevolence rather than
malice ; but that being compelled by the view of the
universe to admit that God is benevolent, he is thence
led, from prudential motives alone,* to cultivate bene
volence in himself, with a view to secure a future
reward. * See Paley's Moral Philosophy, book ii. ch. 3.
x 2

308 Notes.
The truth I conceive is exactly the reverse of this ;
viz. that man having in himself a moral faculty, or
taste, as some prefer to call it, by which he is in
stinctively led to approve virtue and disapprove vice,
is thence disposed and inclined antecedently, to attri
bute to the Creator of the Universe, the most perfect
and infinitely highest of Beings, all those moral (as well
as intellectual) qualities which to himself seem the most
worthy of admiration, and intrinsically beautiful and
excellent : for to do evil rather than good, appears to
all men (except to those who have been very long har
dened and depraved by the extreme of wickedness) to
imply something of weakness, imperfection, corruption,
and degradation. I say, " disposed and inclined," be
cause our admiration for benevolence, wisdom, &c.
would not alone be sufficient to make us attribute these
to the Deity, if we saw no marks of them in the crea
tion ; but our finding in the creation many marks of
contrivance, and of beneficent contrivance, together
with the antecedent bias in our own minds, which in
clines us to attribute goodness to the supreme Being —
both these conjointly, lead us to the conclusion that
God is infinitely benevolent, notwithstanding the ad
mixture of evil in his works, which we cannot account
for. But these appearances of evil would stand in the
way of such a conclusion, if man really were, what
Dr. Paley represents * him, a Being destitute of all
moral sentiment, all innate and original admiration for
goodness : he would in that case be more likely to
come to the conclusion (as many of the heathen seem

Notes. 309
actually to have done) that the Deity was a Being of a
mixed, or of a capricious nature ; an idea which,
shocking as it is to every well-constituted mind, would
not be so in the least, to such a mind as Dr. Paley
attributes to the whole Human Species.
To illustrate this argument a little further, let us
suppose a tasteful architect, and a rude savage, to be
both contemplating a magnificent building, unfinished,
or partially fallen to ruin; the one, not being at all
able to comprehend the complete design, nor having
any taste for its beauties if perfectly exhibited, would
not attribute any such design to the author of it ; but
would suppose the prostrate columns and rough stones
to be as much designed as those that were erect and
perfect : the other, would sketch out in his own mind
something like the perfect structure of which he be
held only a part ; and though he might not be able to
explain how it came to be unfinished or decayed, would
conclude that some such design was in the mind of the
builder : though this same man, if he were contem
plating a mere rude heap of stones which bore no
marks of design at all, would not in that case draw
such a conclusion.
Or again, suppose two persons, one having an ear
for music, and the other totally destitute of it, were
both listening to a piece of music imperfectly heard at
a distance, or half drowned by other noises, so that
only some notes of it were distinctly caught, and others
were totally lost, or heard imperfectly : the one might
suppose that the sounds he heard were all that were

310 Notes.
actually produced, and think the whole that met his
ear to be exactly such as was designed ; but the other
would form some notion of a piece of real music, and
would conclude that the interruptions and imperfect
tions of it were not parts of the design, but were to be
attributed to his imperfect hearing: though if he
heard, on another occasion, a mere confusion of sounds
without any melody at all, he would not conclude that
any thing like music was designed.
" The application is obvious: the wisdom and good
ness discernible in the structure of the Universe, but
imperfectly discerned, and blended with evil, leads a
man who has an innate approbation of those attributes,
to assign them to the Author of the Universe, though
he be unable to explain that admixture of evil ; but if
man were destitute of moral sentiments, the view of the
Universe, such as it appears to us, would hardly lead
him to that conclusion."
It has been maintained that the doctrine here attri
buted to Paley is not really what he designed to con
vey. I should be happy to see this satisfactorily
proved, respecting an author whom I value highly, and
never differ from without regret : especially as this
would deprive, what I consider as a hurtful error, of
the sanction of a deservedly popular name. But still
the sense conveyed by his language, to ordinary
readers at least, being such as it is, the reason remains
the same for controverting the doctrine so conveyed.
Against Dr. Paley, either personally or as an author,
the objections are not directed; but against the

Notes. 311
notions involved in the most natural and obvious con
struction of his expressions.
It has also been said that to judge of the divine
benevolence, or other attributes, in any degree, from
what we find in ourselves, is inconsistent with Dr.
King's statement of the dissimilarity between the
attributes of God and of Man.
But this objection is founded on a mistake or a mis
representation, of Dr. King's meaning ; who (as I have
endeavoured to shew in the note appended to Essay II.
of this volume) represents the divine attributes as
being the " same" with ours, in the only sense (though
in a less degree) in which any one man's qualities can
be the " same" as another's.

ESSAY VI.
ON THE OMISSION OF A SYSTEM OF ARTICLES OF
FAITH, LITURGIES, AND ECCLESIASTICAL CANONS.
§ 1. I have dwelt, in the two preceding
Essays, on the practically-instructive character
of the revelation which the Gospel furnishes.
But there is an omission in the New Testament
Scriptures, which from that very circumstance
is the more striking, inasmuch as it seems to
leave unsupplied a most important practical
want. No such thing is to be found in
our Scriptures as a Catechism or regular
Elementary Introduction to the Christian re
ligion ; nor do they furnish us with any thing
of the nature of a systematic Creed, — set of
Articles, — Confession of Faith, or by whatever
other name one may designate a regular, com
plete Compendium of Christian doctrines. Nor
again do they supply us with a Liturgy for
ordinary public worship, or with Forms of ad
ministering the Sacraments, or of conferring

sect. 1.] Omission of Articles of Faith, fyc. 313
Holy Orders : nor do they even give any pre
cise directions as to these and other ecclesiastical
matters ; — any thing that at all corresponds to
a Rubric or set of Canons.
And this omission is, as I have said, of a widely
different character from the one before - men
tioned ; since all these are things of manifest
practical utility, and by no means calculated to
gratify mere idle curiosity.
We are from childhood so familiar with that
collection of books which we call the Bible, (I
mean, with the drift and general character of
each of them) that few Christians probably have
ever thought of considering whether these books
are (in respect, that is, not of their matter, but
of the general purpose of each) precisely such
as we should have antecedently expected ; and
whether they are all that we should have ex
pected to find transmitted to us, supposing we
now heard for the first time of the Christian
revelation, and of a collection of writings in
which it is recorded. But for this familiarity,
every one would, I think, be struck with the
circumstance, as something very remarkable, that
these writings contain neither Catechism, Creed,

314 Omission of Articles qf Faith, fyc. [essay vi.
nor Rubric, nor any thing answering the pur
pose of any of these. And the more we reflect
on the subject, viewing not merely the abstract
probabilities of the case, but also what has ac
tually occurred in respect of other religions, the
more strongly I think we shall feel, that the
first founders of a religion might naturally have
been expected to have transmitted to posterity
some, more or less systematic, compositions, such
as I have been speaking of.
For if we look, for instance, to the Koran,
we find Mahomet, in the midst of much extra
neous matter fitted only to gratify the appetite
for the marvellous, inserting however, besides
a precise description of the Mahometan faith,
minute directions concerning fasts, prayers, ab
lutions, the amount of alms, and all other points
of the Mussulman's service of God. The same
is represented to be the character of the Hindoo
Shaster, and other Pagan books professing to
contain a divine revelation of any system of
religion. And that there is nothing in the Christian
religion considered in itself, that stands in the
way of such a procedure, is plain from the

sect. 1.] in the New Testament. 315
number of works of this description which have
appeared from the earliest times, (after the age
of inspiration) down to the present; — from the
writings entitled the "Apostles' Creed," and
the " Apostolical Constitutions," &c. (composi
tions of uncertain authors, and amidst the variety
of opinions respecting them, never regarded as
Scripture) down to the modern Formularies and
Confessions of Faith.
Nor again can it be said that there was any
thing in the Founders of the religion, any more
than in the religion itself, which, humanly speak
ing, should seem likely to preclude them from
transmitting to us such compositions. On the
contrary, the Apostles, and the rest of the earlier
preachers of Christianity, were brought up Jews ;
accustomed, in their earliest notions of religion,
to refer to the Books of the Law, as containing
precise statements of their Belief, and most mi
nute directions as to religious worship and cere
monies. So that to give complete and regular
instructions as to the character and the requi
sitions of the new religion, as it would have
been natural, for any one, was more especially
to be expected^ of these men.

316 Omission qf Articles qf Faith, fyc. [essay vi.
§ 2. Dr. Hawkins, in his excellent little work
on " Tradition,"" (which deserves to be much
better known than it is,) has clearly pointed
out the fact, that the New Testament does not
contain an elementary introduction to the Chris
tian religion, or a compendium of Christian doc
trines : " Why," says he, " are many of the
Christian doctrines so indirectly taught in the
Scriptures ? — is a question sometimes put not
merely by those who doubt or disbelieve the
doctrines, but by very sincere believers, by those
even who have ascertained their truth with
abundant learning and ability. Why, they ask,
are many of the most important articles of faith
rather implied than taught ? why have we to
learn them in great measure from incidental
notices of books written upon particular occa
sions, controversies, or heresies, many of them
a It is entitled " On unauthoritative Tradition," i. e. such
Tradition as does not claim that " authority " which is due
to the words of inspired and infallible men. Some degree
of " authority," viz. such as to produce a prima facie pre
sumption on its side, Tradition does possess.
On the ambiguity of the word " authority," I have offered
some remarks in a Treatise on the Errors of Romanism :
Ch. iv. § 5. p. 193.

sect. 2.] in the New Testament. 317
long since passed away, whilst some men have
erred through ignorance of these particulars,
and some have been at times perplexed al
though they have embraced the truth, and some
have missed altogether that faith in which all
are most concerned to live ? why this difficulty,
they ask, when more direct and systematic state
ments of the main points of faith might have
been with equal ease delivered by the same au
thority, and would of course, from believers,
have met with implicit veneration ?"
Some persons, he goes on to observe, may have
failed to notice this indirect and unsystematic cha
racter of the instruction which the New Testa
ment affords, from their having themselves received
from other sources, a more regular instruction
in Scripture doctrines : " Thoroughly convinced
by the authority of Scripture, they may not
have attended strictly to the process by which
their own conviction of the truth of the Chris
tian doctrines has been established; although
resting them entirely upon Scriptural authority,
they may not have first collected them solely
and immediately from the Scriptures. Hence
they may not have observed, that the various

318 Omission of Articles qf Faith, Sfc. [essay vi.
proofs of a given doctrine have been accumu
lated perhaps from the parts of the sacred
Volume, the most unconnected apparently with
each other ; that one text, occasionally, of the
greatest importance towards their conviction,
had no force at all in that respect until com
pared with another, and that perhaps with a
third, each separately incapable of bearing upon
the point in question, but all together composing
an indissoluble argument, of so much the more
force indeed, as it precludes the possibility of
forgery and interpolation.b In this manner im
portant doctrines often receive strong confirma
tion from collations of texts in the New Testa
ment with corresponding passages in the Jewish
Scriptures : for example, the glory of Christ
spoken of by St. John, (xii. 41.) and the dignity
of the Holy Ghost according to the words of
St. Paul, (Acts xxviii. 25.) are signally illus
trated by referring to the passage in the pro
phecies of Isaiah, (Is. vi. 1 — 10.) to which both
the apostles allude. Again, in proof of a single
b This circumstance is very important, and constitutes
one of the many advantages (to be noticed hereafter) of
the omission I am treating of.

sect. 2.] in the New Testament. 319
doctrine we are accustomed to combine the de
claration of John the Baptist concerning Christ,
"he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost," as
recorded by the three first Evangelists, (Matt.
iii. 11. Mark i. 8. Luke iii. 6.) with our Lord's
assertion in St. John's Gospel, " Except a man
be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God," (John iii. 5.)
and with the expression of Paul to Titus, God
has " saved us by the washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Ghost," (Tit. iii. 5.)
Another instance of complex proof of doctrines
might be the comparison of the following texts :
"All Scripture," says St. Paul to Timothy, "is
given by inspiration of God," (2 Tim. iii. 15,
16.) and is " able to make thee wise unto sal
vation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" —
" of which salvation," says St. Peter, (1 Pet. i.
10.) " the prophets have inquired and searched
diligently— searching what or what manner of
time the Spirit of Christ which was in them
did signify — unto whom it was revealed, that
unto us they did minister the things which are
now reported unto you by them that have
preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy

320 Omission of Articles of Faith, Sfc. [essay vi.
Ghost sent down from heaven :" and in this
the Apostle confirms the promises in St. John's
Gospel, (John xiv. 26. xvi. 13. xv. 26.) whilst
in another Epistle he declares the inspiration
of the old prophets also to have proceeded from
the Holy Ghost; "For the prophecy came not
in old time by the will of man : but holy men
of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost." (2 Pet. i. 21.) It is only in combina
tion with each other that these passages throw
light upon the inspiration of both the Old and
New Testaments by the same supreme Being,
and attest at the same time the unity of the
three Persons in the Divine nature.
It is obvious that those who are more accus
tomed to the language of the uninspired advo
cates for the Christian doctrines, than to the
study of the Scriptures themselves, may not
have observed the complex structure of the very
proofs by which their faith was chiefly esta
blished. From the same cause they may often
suppose particular doctrines to be directly as
serted in texts, which in fact only imply and
assume them ; because the commentators, with
perfect propriety, so far as the truth and sound-

sect. 2.] in the New Testament. 321
ness of their argument is concerned, but incor
rectly with respect to the form of the original
words, quote as direct declarations of a doc
trine the passages which indirectly indicate the
sacred writer's belief of it.c In this manner the
fifth chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans
is frequently appealed to with respect to the
doctrine of original sin ; and yet throughout
the chapter the consequences of Adam's trans
gression are not taught, but rather assumed by
the Apostle as already known to his readers, in
order to argue from them to the corresponding
extent of the gracious consequences of Christ's
atonement." Dr. Hawkins has not only clearly set forth
the fact of this omission of systematic instruc
tion in our Scriptures, but has accounted for
it most easily and satisfactorily, as far as re
gards the existing books ; that is, he has pointed
out that the Gospels, the Book of Acts, and
the Apostolic Epistles being all of them written
to Christians, — all, designed for such as had

c See for example Whitby's quotation of 1 Cor. xv.
in his note upon Rom. v. 12. Y

322 Omission of Articles of Faith, Sfc. [essay vi.
already received instruction in the rudiments of
the Christian faith, and had then embraced it,
and after due examination, had been admitted
members of the Church> it could not be ex
pected that books addressed to such readers
should contain any regular elementary instruc
tion, or compendious Confession of Faith.
But all this does not at all explain (nor did
it come within Dr. H.'s design to explain) why,
besides these, there should not have been other
books also transmitted to us, which should have
supplied the deficiency. It was indeed not at
all to be expected that the Gospels, the Acts,
and those Epistles which have come down to
us, should have been, considering the circum
stances in which they were written, any thing
different from what they are: but the question
still recurs, why should not the Apostles or
their followers have also committed to paper,
what we are sure must have been perpe
tually in their mouths, regular instruction to
Catechumens, Articles of Faith, Prayers, and
directions as to Public Worship, and admini
stration of the Sacraments ?

sect. 3.] in the New Testament. 323
§ 3. Supposing that the other avocations of
the Apostles would not allow any of them lei
sure for such compositions, — though we know
that some of them did find time for writing,
two of them, not a little, — even this supposi
tion does not at all explain the difficulty; for
the Acts, and two of the Gospels were written
by men who were only attendants on the Apo
stles. Nor would such writings as I am speak
ing of have required an inspired penman ; only,
one who had access to persons thus gifted.
We know with what care the Apostolic Epistles
were preserved, first by the churches to which
they were respectively sent, and afterwards, by
the others also, as soon as they received copies.
How comes it then that no one of the Elders
(Presbyters) of any of these Churches should
have written down, and afterwards submitted
to the revision of an Apostle, that outline of
catechetical instruction — that elementary intro
duction to the Christian faith — which they must
have received at first from that Apostle's mouth*
and have afterwards employed in the instruc
tion of their own converts? Why did none of
them record any of the Prayers, of which they
y 2

324 Omission of Articles qf Faith, fyc. [essay vi.
must have heard so many from an Apostle's
mouth, both in the ordinary devotional assem
blies, in the administration of the Sacraments,
and in the " laying on of hands," by which they
themselves had been ordained ?
Paul, after haying given the most general
exhortations to the Corinthians for the preser
vation of decent regularity in their religious
meetings, adds, " the rest will I set in order
when I come." And so doubtless he did ; and
so he must, have done, by verbal directions, in
all the other churches also ; is it not strange
then that these verbal directions should nowhere
have been committed to writing ? This would
have seemed a most obvious and effectual mode
of precluding all future disorders and disputes :
as also the drawing up of a compendious state
ment of Christian doctrines, would have seemed
a safeguard against the still more important
evil of heretical error. Yet if any such state
ments and formularies had been drawn up, with
the sanction, and under the revision of an
Apostle, we may be sure they would have been
preserved and transmitted to posterity, with
the most scrupulous and reverential care. The

sect. 3.] in the New Testament. 325
conclusion therefore seems inevitable, that either
no one of the numerous Elders and Catechists
ever thought of doing this, or else, that they
were forbidden by the Apostles to execute any
such design ; and each of these alternatives
seems to me alike inexplicable by natural causes.
For it should be remembered that, when other
points are equal, it is much more difficult to
explain a negative than a positive circumstance
in our Scriptures. There is something, sup
pose, in the New Testament, which the first
promulgators of Christianity, — considered as
mere unassisted men, — were not likely to write ;
and there is something else, which they were,
we will suppose, equally unlikely to omit writ
ing : now these two difficulties are by no
means equal. For, with respect to the former,
if we can make out that any one of these men
might have been, by nature or by circumstances,
qualified and induced to write it, the phenomenon
is solved. To point out even a single individual
able and likely to write it, would account for
its being written. But it is not so with re
spect to the other case, that of omission. ^Here,
we have to prove a negative ;— to show, not

326 Omission of Articles of Faith, Sfc. [essay vi.
merely that this or that man was likely not to
write what we find omitted, but, that no one
was likely to write it. Suppose we could make
out the possibility or probability, of Paul's hav
ing left no Creed, Catechism, or Canons, why
have we none from the pen of Luke, or of
Mark ? Suppose this also explained, why did
not John or Peter supply the deficiency? And
why again did none of the numerous Bishops
and Presbyters whom they ordained, undertake
the work under their direction ? The difficulty
therefore in this case exceeds the other, caeteris
paribus, more than a hundred-fold.
§ 4. It is not, I think, unlikely that some
hasty and superficial reasoners may have found
an objection to Christianity in the omission of
which I have been speaking. It is certain that
there are not a few who are accustomed to pn>
nounce this or that supposition, improbable, as
soon as they perceive that it involves great
difficulties ; without staying to examine whether
there are more or fewer on the other side of
the alternative : as if a traveller when he had
the choice of two roads, should, immediately

sect. 4.] in the New Testament. 327
on perceiving that there were impediments in
the one, decide on taking the other, before he
had ascertained whether it were even passable.
I can conceive some such reasoners exclaiming,
in the present case, " Surely, if the Apostles had
really been inspired by an all-wise God, they
would never have omitted so essential a pro
vision as that of a clear systematic statement
of the doctrines to be believed, and the worship
to be offered, so as to cut off, as far as can
be done, all occasions of heresy and schism. If
the Deity had really bestowed a revelation on
his creatures, He would have provided rules of
faith and of practice so precise and so obvious,
as not to be overlooked or mistaken ; instead
of leaving men, whether pretending to infal
libility, as the Romanists, or interpreting Scrip
ture by the light of reason, as the Protestants,
to elicit by a laborious search, and comparison
of passages, what doctrines and duties are, in
their judgment, agreeable to the Divine Will."
You think it was to be expected (one might
reply) that God would have proceeded in this
manner ; and is it not at least as much to be
expected that Man would 9 It is very unlikely,

328 Omission of Articles of Faith, 8fc. [essay vi.
you say, that the Apostles would have omitted
these systematic instructions, if they had really
been inspired : but if they were not, they must
have been impostors or enthusiasts ; does then
that hypothesis remove the difficulty ? Is it
not at least as unlikely, on that supposition,
that no one of them, or of their numerous fol
lowers, should have taken a step so natural and
obvious? All reasonable conjecture, and all ex
perience show, that any men, but especially
Jews, when engaged in the propagation and
establishment of a religion, and acting, whether
sincerely or insincerely, on their own judgment
as to what was most expedient, would have
done what no Christian writer during the age
of (supposed) inspiration, has done. One would
even have expected indeed, that, as we have
four distinct Gospels, so, several different writers
would have left us copies of the Catechisms, &c.
which they were in the habit of using orally.
This or that individual might have been pre
vented from doing so by accidental circum
stances ; but that every one of some hundreds
should have been so prevented, amounts to a
complete moral impossibility.

sect. 4.] in the New Testament. 329
We have here, then, it may be said, a choice
of difficulties : if the Christian religion came
from God, it is (we will suppose) very strange,
and contrary to all we should have expected
from the Deity, that He should have permitted
in the Scriptures the omission I am speaking
of : if, again, it is the contrivance of men, it
is strange, and contrary to all we could have
expected from men, that they should have made
the omission. And now, which do we know
the more of, God, or Man ? Of whose cha
racter and designs are we the more competent
judges, and the better able to decide what may
reasonably be expected of each, the Creator, or
our fellow-creatures ? And as there can be no
doubt about the answer to this question, so,
the conclusion which follows from that answer
is obvious. If the alternative were presented
to me, that either something has been done by
persons with whose characters I am intimately
acquainted, utterly at variance with their na
ture, and unaccountable, or else that some man to
whom I am personally a stranger, (though after
all, the nature of every, human Being must be
better known to us, than, by the light of reason,

330 Omission of Articles qf Faith, fyc. [essay vi.
that of the Deity can be,) had done something
which to me is entirely inexplicable, I should
be thought void of sense if I did not embrace,
as the less improbable, this latter side of the
alternative. And such is the state of the present case, to
one who finds this peculiarity in the Christian
Scriptures quite unaccountable on either sup
position. The argument is complete, whether
we are able, or not, to perceive any wise rea
sons for the procedure adopted. Since no one
of the first promulgators of Christianity did that
which they must, some of them at least, have
been naturally led to do, it follows that they
must have been supernaturally withheld from
it ; how little soever we may be able even to
conjecture the object of the prohibition. For
in respect of this, and several other (humanly
speaking, unaccountable) circumstances in our
religion, especially that treated of in the Fourth
of these Essays, it is important to observe, that
the argument does not turn on the supposed
wisdom of this or that appointment, which we
conceive to be worthy of the Deity, and thence
infer that the religion must have proceeded

sect. 5.] in the New Testament. 331
from Him ; but, on the utter improbability of
its having proceeded from Man ; which leaves
its divine Origin the only alternative. The
Christian Scriptures considered in this point of
view, present to us a standing Miracle ; at least,
a Monument of a Miracle ; since they are 4 in
several points such as we may be sure, accord
ing to all natural causes, they would not have
been. Even though the character which these
writings do in fact exhibit, be such as we can
not clearly account for on any hypothesis, still, if
they are such as we can clearly perceive no false
pretenders would have composed, the evidence
is complete, though the difficulty may remain
unexplained. § 5. Although however we cannot pretend,
in every case, to perceive the reasons for what
God has appointed, it is not in the present
case difficult to discern the superhuman wisdom
of the course adopted. If the Hymns d and
A Pliny's account of the early Christians, derived in part
from those who had belonged to the Society, mentions that
they recited a " hymn to Christ, as to a God." This ancient
hymn has not been transmitted to us, so as to be recognised. It

332 Omission of Articles of Faith, 8fc. [essay vi.
forms of Prayer, — the Catechisms, — the Con
fessions of faith, — and the Ecclesiastical regula
tions, which the Apostles employed, had been
recorded, these would have all been regarded
as parts of Scripture: and even had they been
accompanied by the most express declarations
of the lawfulness of altering or laying aside
any of them, we cannot doubt that they would
have been in practice most scrupulously re
tained, even when changes of manners, tastes,
and local and temporary circumstances of every
kind, rendered them no longer the most suit
able. The Jewish ritual, designed for one Na
tion and Country, and intended to be of
temporary duration, was fixed and accurately
prescribed : the same Divine Wisdom from which
both dispensations proceeded, having designed
Christianity for all Nations and Ages, left
Christians at large in respect of those points

It is not unlikely, however, that it, or some part of it, formed
the basis of that which we call the " Te Deum." Our
translation has obscured, in some degree, its character as " a
hymn to Christ," by incorrectly rendering " Deum " as a
vocative. It is, " We praise Thee (meaning Christ) as God ;
we acknowledge Thee (Christ) to be the Lord."

sect. 5.] in the New Testament. 333
in which variation might be desirable. But I
think no human wisdom would have foreseen
and provided for this. That a number of
Jews, accustomed from their infancy to so
strict a ritual, should, in introducing Chris
tianity as the second part of the same dispen
sation, have abstained not only from accurately
prescribing for the use of all Christian Churches
for ever, the mode of divine worship, but even
from recording what was actually in use under
their own directions, does seem to me utterly
incredible, unless we suppose them to have been
restrained from doing this by a special admo
nition of the Divine Spirit.
And we may be sure, as I have said, that if
they had recorded the particulars of their own
worship, the very words they wrote would have
been invested, in our minds, with so much sanc
tity, that it would have been thought pre
sumptuous to vary or to omit them, however
inappropriate they might have become. The
Lord's Prayer, the only one of general applica
tion that is recorded in the Scriptures, though
so framed as to be suitable in all Ages and
Countries, has yet been subjected to much

334 Omission of Articles of Faith, Sfc. [essay vi.
superstitious abuse. The Romanist mutters his
" paternosters, " as a kind of sacred charm, on all
occasions, however inappropriate. And our re
formers, probably in concession to a prevailing
feeling that no devotions could be acceptable
without it, have introduced it into every one of
the services they drew up. And though this
admirable prayer is of so general a form that
no one more universally appropriate could be
devised, I cannot think that, in some of the Occa
sional Services, such, for instance, as those for
Baptism, and for the Churching of Women, it
would have been introduced, had it not occurred
in Scripture.
The Apostles' Creed, again, /rom its acknow
ledged antiquity, together with the title it bears,
and the tradition (probably, in part, true e) of its
being the composition of the Apostles, is held by
many Protestants (to say nothing of the super
stitions of the Romanists on this head) in a kind
e If, as there seems good reason for thinking, part of this
creed was actually in use with the Apostles, this circumstance
renders it the more remarkable that it should not have been
recorded by them in their writings. See Sir Peter King's
History of the Apostles' Creed.

sect. 6.J in the New Testament. 335
of veneration which may justly be characterised
as superstitious. There are Protestants of the
lower orders, and some above the very lowest,
who are accustomed to recite it in their private
devotions as a, prayer.
I am well aware that there must ever be
danger of all prayer degenerating into a super
stitious formalism ; but this danger must evidently
be increased in proportion as the words uttered
are the less appropriate to the occasion, and to
the circumstances of the petitioner : and this
must inevitably have been more likely to take
place with a Liturgy transmitted to us from the
times of the Apostles, as a part of Scripture.
§ 6. How little that scrupulous veneration, with
which such a Liturgy, had it existed, would have
been regarded, is necessarily connected with even
an anxious wish to ascertain its meaning, and to
make the mind accompany the voice, is evident
from the cases above alluded to. It is evident
that one who uses a creed as a form of prayer,
cannot understand even its general drift. But,
besides these persons, how many there are who
do not (perhaps I might say, how few that do)

336 Omission qf Articles of Faith, Sec. [essay vi.
understand even the nature and design of that kind
of composition which is usually called a creed ; viz.
that it is a symbol, or confession of faith, intended
to ascertain the professed orthodoxy of those who
adopt it ; and consequently is not to be regarded
as, necessarily, containing a summary of the most
intrinsically important points of Christian doc
trine, f but such as shall stand opposed to the
particular heresies, most to be guarded against, in
each age and country, respectively.8
With respect to catechisms again, — elementary
introductions to the Christian faith, — nearly the
same reasons will hold good. For though the
Christian religion is fundamentally "the same
yesterday, and to-day, and for ever," it is impos
sible that any one mode of introducing its truths
to the mind of the catechumen, can be the best
adapted for children and adults, — the civilized
f " It is not, as men have supposed, that the principal heads
of our faith were summed up together ; but from the whole
of Scripture those parts were selected which were most
needful for the occasion." (KAIPIQTATA.) Cyril. Catech.
cited by Bp. Pearson in his Exposition of the Creed, Art. 1.
s See Sir Peter King's History of the Apostles' Creed, a
work characterised by much good sense, extraordinary learn
ing, and a most rare degree of candour.

sect. 6.] in the New Testament. 337
and the barbarian, — and for all the other varieties
of station, sex, country, intellectual culture, and
natural capacity.
Each church, therefore, was left, through the
wise foresight of Him who alone "knew what
is in Man," to provide for its own wants as they
should arise; — to steer its own course 'by the
Chart and Compass which his holy Word supplies,
regulating for itself the Sails and Rudder, accord
ing to the winds and currents it may meet with.
" The Apostles had begun and established
precedents, which, of course, would be naturally
adopted by their uninspired successors. But still,
as these were only the formal means of grace,
and not the blessing itself, it was equally to be
expected that the church should assume a dis
cretionary power, whenever the means established
became impracticable or clearly unsuitable, and
either substitute others, or even altogether abolish
such as existed. ... It might seem at first
that the apostolical precedents were literally
binding on all ages ; but this cannot have been
intended ; and for this reason, that the greater
portion of the apostolical practices have been
transmitted to us, not on apostolical authority,

338 Omission of Articles qf Faith, fyc. [essay vi.
but on the authority of the uninspired church :
which has handed them down with an uncertain
mixture of its own appointments. How are we
to know the enactments of the inspired rulers
from those of the uninspired ? and if there be
no certain clue, we must either bring down the
authority of apostolical usage to that of the un
inspired church, or raise that of the uninspired
church to that of the apostolical. Now the for
mer is, doubtless, what was, to a certain extent,
intended by the Apostles themselves, as will ap
pear from a line of distinction by which they have
carefully partitioned off such of their appoint
ments as are designed to be perpetual, from such
as are left to share the possibility of change, with
the institutions of uninspired wisdom.
" If then we look to the account of the Chris
tian usages contained in Scripture, nothing can be
more unquestionable, than that while some are
specified, others are passed over in silence. It is
not even left so as to make us imagine that those
mentioned may be all : but, while some are noted
specifically, the establishment of others is implied,
without the particular mode of observance being
given. Thus, we are equally sure from Scripture,

sect. 6.] in the New Testament. 339
that Christian ministers were ordained by a cer
tain form, and that Christians assembled in prayer;
but while the precise process of laying on of
hands is mentioned in the former institution, no
account is given of the precise method of church
service, or even of any regular forms of prayer,
beyond the Lord's Prayer. Even the record of
the Ordination Service itself admits of the same
distinction. It is quite as certain that, in it, some
prayer was used, as that some outward form ac
companied the prayer ; but the form is specified,
the prayer left unrecorded.
" What now is the obvious interpretation of
the holy Dispenser's meaning in this mode of re
cord ? Clearly, it is, that the Apostles regulated,
under His guidance, the forms and practices of
the church, so as was best calculated to convey
grace to the church at that time. Nevertheless,
part of its institutions were of a nature, which,
although formal, would never require a change ;
and these therefore were left recorded in the
Scriptures, to mark this distinction of character.
The others were not, indeed, to be capriciously
abandoned, nor except when there should be
manifest cause for so doing ; but, as such a case
z 2

340 Omission of Articles of Faith, 8fc. [essay vi.
was supposable, these were left to mingle with
the uninspired precedents ; the claims of which,
as precedents, would be increased by this un
certain admixture, and the authority of the whole
rendered so far binding, and so far subject to the
discretion of the church. They might not be
altered, unless sufficient grounds should appear ;
but the settling of this point was left to the dis
cretion of the church." h
§ 7. The Apostles themselves, however, and their
numerous fellow-labourers, would not, I think,
have been, if left to themselves, so far-sighted
as to perceive (all, and each of them, without a
single exception) the expediency of this proce
dure. Most likely, many of them, but according
to all human probability, some of them, would
have left us, as parts of Scripture, compositions
such as I have been speaking of; and these, there
can be no doubt, would have been scrupulously
retained for ever. They would have left us
Catechisms, which would have been like pre
cise directions for the cultivation of some plant,
'' Hinds's History, vol. ii. p. 113 — 115.

sect. 7.] in the New Testament. 341
admirably adapted to a particular soil and climate,
but inapplicable in those of a contrary descrip
tion : their Symbols would have stood like ancient
sea-walls, built to repel the encroachments of the
waves, and still scrupulously kept in repair, when
perhaps the sea had retired from them many
miles, and was encroaching on some different part
of the coast.
There are multitudes, even as it is, who do
not, even now, perceive the expediency of the
omission ; there are not a few who even complain
of it as a defect, or even make it a ground of
objection. That in that day, the reasons for the
procedure actually adopted, should have occurred,
and occurred to all the first Christians, sup
posing them mere unassisted men, and men too
brought up in Judaism, is utterly incredible.
But besides the reason I have now been speak
ing of, there is another, perhaps not less impor
tant, against the providing in Scripture of a
regular systematic statement of Christian doc
trines. Supposing such a summary of Gospel-
truths had been drawn up, and could have been
contrived with such exquisite skill as to be sufficient
and well-adapted for all, of every age and country,

342 Omission of Articles of Faith, Sfc. [essay vi.
what would have been the probable result ? It
would have commanded the unhesitating assent
of all Christians, who would, with deep venera
tion, have stored up the very words of it in their
memory, without any need of laboriously search
ing the rest of the Scriptures, to ascertain its
agreement with them ; Which is what we do (at
least are evidently called on to do) with a human
exposition of the faith ; and the absence of this
labour, together with the tranquil security as to
the correctness of their belief which would have
been thus generated, would have ended in a care
less and contented apathy. There would have
been no room for doubt, — no call for vigilant
attention in the investigation of truth, — none of
that effort of mind which is now requisite, in
comparing one passage with another, and col
lecting instruction from the scattered, oblique,
and incidental references to various doctrines in
the existing Scriptures ; and, in consequence, none
of that excitement of the best feelings, and that
improvement of the heart, which are the natural,
and doubtless the designed result of an hum
ble, diligent, and sincere study of the Christian
Scriptures.

sect. 7.] in the New Testament. 343
In fact, all study, properly so called, of the
rest of Scripture, — all lively interest in its
perusal, — would have been nearly superseded
by such an inspired compendium of doctrine ; to
which alone, as far the most convenient for that
purpose, habitual reference would have been
made, in any questions that might arise. Both
would have been regarded, indeed, as of divine
authority ; but the Compendium, as the fused and
purified metal ; the other, as the mine containing
the crude ore. And the Compendium itself,
being not, like the existing Scriptures, that from
which the faith is to be learned, but the very
thing to be learned, would have come to be
regarded by most with an indolent, unthinking
veneration, which would have exercised little or
no influence on the character. Their orthodoxy
would have been, as it were, petrified, like the
bodies of those animals we read of incrusted in
the ice of the polar regions ; firm-fixed, indeed,
and preserved unchangeable, but cold, motion
less, lifeless. It is only when our energies are
roused, and our faculties exercised, and our at
tention kept awake, by an ardent pursuit of
truth, and anxious watchfulness against error,—

344 Omission of Articles of Faith, fyc. [essay vi.
when, in short, we feel ourselves to be doing
something towards acquiring, or retaining, or
improving our knowledge, — it is then only, that
that knowledge makes the requisite practical im
pression on the heart and on the conduct.'
§ 8. To the Church then has her all -wise
Founder left the office of teaching, to the
Scriptures, that of proving, the Christian doc
trines ;k to the Scriptures He has left the deli
neation of Christian principles ; to each Church,
the application of those principles, in their Symbols
or Articles of religion, — in their Forms of Wor
ship, — and in their Ecclesiastical regulations,1
Against such compositions (for some of which
there must always be need) drawn up by unin
spired writers, the objections which would have
' See the present Essay, § 2. p. 318. note.
k Hawkins on Tradition, p. 52.
1 " Why may it not have been the general design of
Heaven that by early oral, or traditional, instruction, the way
should be prepared for the reception of the mysteries of
faith ; that the church should carry down the system, but
the Scriptures should furnish all the proofs of the Christian
doctrines ; that Tradition should supply the Christian with
the arrangement, but the Bible with all the substance of divine
truth?"— Hawkins on Tradition, p. 18.

sect. 8.] in the New Testament. 345
existed against their forming a part of Scripture,
do not lie : First, because we need not scruple
to alter them from time to time, as occasions
may require ; and, secondly, because the very
circumstance of their being not inspired, calls
on us diligently to search the Scriptures, and
affords a wholesome exercise to our minds in
comparing the compositions of fallible men with
the records of inspiration. How admirable do
the provisions of Divine Wisdom appear, even
from the slight and indistinct views we obtain
of it ! It has supplied us by revelation with
the knowledge of what we could not have dis
covered for ourselves ; and it has left us to our
selves precisely in those points in which it is
best for us that we should be so left, m
m " In tbe present instance the want of system in the delivery
of the Christian doctrines in Scripture— besides its extreme
use, (before insisted upon,) in placing the proofs of those
doctrines above the suspicion of corruption — may no doubt
be useful as a mode of trying our humility and our faith ;
and evidently also answers a great purpose in promoting re
search, and raising the curiosity of learned men especially,
who might have slighted a study less intricate and arduous;
whilst the very disputes and errors consequent upon ob
scurity have kept alive the spirit of Christianity upon the
whole; and, however hurtful frequently to the individuals

346 Omission qf Articles qf Faith, fyc. [essay vi.
We may however perversely refuse to take
advantage of these wise provisions, by exalting,
like the Romanists, the Creeds, Formularies,
&c. which are sanctioned by Tradition, and by
the enactments of a Church, to a level with the
Scriptures. Then indeed we incur the evils
already spoken of, with the additional one of
" teaching for doctrines the commandments of
men." The system of the Church of Rome
accordingly, tends to foster that neglect of the
study of Scripture, — that averseness to labour
in the investigation of truth — that indolent, un-
inquiring acquiescence in what is ready pre
pared for acceptance, in the lump, — to which
man is by nature so much disposed," and which
the structure of the Christian Scriptures seems
to have been expressly designed to guard
against. And all this evil is incurred by re
liance on an infallibility which after all is only
imaginary.
conversant with them, (through their own fault,) have been
eminently instrumental in spreading wider, or rooting more
deeply, the great truths of Revelation in other minds." —
Hawkins on Tradition, pp. 15, 16.
" araXaiwoipog role iroXXole i) tfrnaig rrjc aXtfdeias, ml tirl
ra iroipa paXXov Tpinovrai. — Thucyd.

sect. 8.J in the New Testament. 347
If we would be Protestants, in spirit, and not
merely in name, we must be careful to keep
each class of compositions to its own proper
use : let Catechisms, Homilies, in short, works
of Christian instruction, be employed for in
struction ; — Liturgies, and other devotional
works, for devotional purposes ; — Symbols or
Articles of Faith, for their proper purpose, to
furnish, in conjunction with the others, (for all
the authorised Formularies of a Church par
take, in some degree, of the character of these)
a test of any one's fitness to be received as a
member, or a minister, of each Church, respec
tively : and let the Scriptures, and the Scrip
tures only, be appealed to for a decision on
questions of doctrine. It is their peculiar pro
vince to furnish proofs. We may call in indeed
the aid of learned and judicious, but uninspired
authors in cases where doubts have been raised
as to the true sense of Scripture ; but we must
always appeal to these, along with, in connexion
with, and in subservience to, the sacred writings.
" And whenever we refer, in proof or disproof
of any doctrine, to the Articles or Liturgy, for
instance, we not only should not appeal to them

348 Omission of Articles of Faith, Sfc. [essay vi.
alone, but we should also carefully point out
that we refer to them not as the authorised for
mularies of a Church, but simply as the writings
of able and pious men, which would be deserving
of attention, supposing them to be merely pri
vate sermons, &c. To refer to them as backed
by the Church's sanction, adds to them no legi
timate force in respect of the abstract truth of
any position.
" Such an appeal may indeed, in practice, be
decisive, (and justly so,) as far as regards members
of our Church ; but it is, in truth, only an ' argu-
mentum ad hominem.' If any charge is to be
brought personally against an individual, as unfit
to be a member or a minister of the Church, the
appeal is naturally, and rightly, made to her
formularies composed for this very purpose : but
when the question is not about a person, but a
doctrine — when the abstract truth of any tenet is
in question, ' to the Law and to the Testimony !'
It savours of the spirit of Romanism to refer
for the proof or disproof of doctrines, solely, or
chiefly, to any, the most justly venerated, human •
authority — to any thing but the inspired Word
of God. For if any one proves any thing from

sect. 8.J in the New Testament. 349
our Articles or Liturgy, for instance, either he
could have proved it from Scripture, or he could
not : if he could not, he is impeaching either
the Scriptural character of the Church's doc
trines, or his own knowledge of the Scriptural
basis on which they rest : if he could have
proved it from Scripture, that is the course he
should have taken : not only because he would
thus have proved his point both to those who
receive our Articles, and also to those who dis
sent from them ; but also, because it is thus,
and thus only, we can preserve to Scripture its
due dignity and proper office, and avoid the
dangerous and encroaching precedent of sub
stituting human authority for divine."0
For it should never be forgotten, that in all
probability the habit of making a final appeal
to the Decrees, &c. of the Church of Rome, did
not in the first instance arise from the admitted
claim to infallibility, but, on the contrary, was
the cause which led to that claim ; a claim, in
deed, which seems to have been practically ad
mitted long before it was distinctly stated.
• Errors of Romanism, ch. iv. § 7.

350 Omission qf Articles of Faith, fyc. [essay vi.
When men had long been in the habit of
making this definite appeal, on each occasion,
to human decisions, their natural reluctance to
think that they had been all the while follow
ing a fallible guide, would very strongly tempt
them to hope, to be convinced, and to proclaim,
that their guide was infallible. For the gene
rality are not so much accustomed to pursue
this or that course in consequence of their pre
vious conviction that it is right, as to believe
it right because they have been accustomed to
pursue it.
In proportion therefore as we accustom our
selves to refer to human compositions of whose
orthodoxy and excellence we are satisfied, and
to stop there, without thinking it necessary to
follow up each question to the fountain-head
of Scripture, we are so far on the road to one
of the most pernicious errors of Rome ; — on the
very road by which, in all likelihood, she her
self travelled towards that error.
§ 9. " But are we then," (all Romanists, and
some Protestants would ask) " to be perpetually
wavering and hesitating in our faith ? — never

sect. 9.] in the New Testament. 351
satisfied of our own orthodoxy ?— always sup
posing or suspecting that there is something
unscriptural in our Creed or in our Worship?
We could but be in this condition, if Christ
had not promised to be with his Church, ' al
ways, even to the end of the world ;' — had not
declared by his Apostle, that his '¦ Spirit helpeth
our infirmities ;' had not taught us to expect
that where we are ' gathered together in his
Name, there is He in the midst of us.' Are
we to explain away all that Scripture says of
spiritual help and guidance ? Or are we to
look for a certain partial and limited help ; —
that the Holy Spirit will secure us from some
errors, but lead us> or leave us, to fall into
others ?"
Such is the statement, the most plausible I
can give in a small compass, of the Romish (but
not exclusively Romish) argument, which goes
to leave no medium between a claim to Infal
libility on the one hand, and universal hesita
tion, — absolute Scepticism, on the other. An
appeal to the common sense which every one,
Romanist or Protestant, exercises on all but
religious subjects, might be sufficient to prove,

352 Omission of Articles of Faith, fyc. [essay vi.
from the practice of those very men who use
such reasoning, not only its absurdity, but their
own conviction of its absurdity. In all matters
which do not admit of absolute demonstration,
all men, except a few of extravagant self-con
ceit, are accustomed to regard themselves or
those under whose guidance they act, as fal
lible ; and yet act, on many occasions,— after
they have taken due pains to understand the
subject, to ascertain their own competency, and
to investigate the particular case before them, —
without any distressing hesitation. There are
questions in Medicine, in Agriculture, in Navi
gation, &c. which sensible men, well versed in
their respective arts, would decide with suffi
cient confidence for all practical purposes ; yet
without holding themselves to be infallible, but
on the contrary always keeping themselves open
to conviction, — always on the watch against
error, — attentive to the lessons which observa
tion furnishes,— ready to stand corrected if any
argument shall be adduced (however little they
may anticipate this) which will convict them
of mistake.
" Yes," (it may be replied) " all this holds good

sect. 9.] in the New Testament. 353
in worldly matters ; but in the far more impor
tant case of religious concerns, God has graciously
promised us spiritual assistance, to " lead us into
all truth." It is most true that He has. Christ
has declared, " If any man p keep my saying, my
Father will love him, and we will come unto him,
and make our abode with him :" — " without Me
ye can do nothing :" for " if any man p have not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his ;" and " as
many as p are led by the Spirit of God, they are
the sons of God."
But some distinction there must be, between
the spiritual guidance granted to the Apostles,
which was accompanied by sensible miracles, and
all that has ever been bestowed, since the cessation
of miracles. I do not mean a difference as to
the evidence for the existence of each ; for both
are equally to be believed, if we have faith in
p These expressions of universality are a plain proof, to
such as are capable of receiving proof, that these pro
mises were not restricted to the existing generation of
disciples. I do not doubt, however, that these, and every other
passage of Scripture, on whatever subject, may be explained
away, in some mode or other, by one who is resolutely bent
on doing so. See Essay IX. Second Series, § 1.
A A

354 Omission qf Articles of Faith, fyc. [essay vi.
the divine promises : but there must be a dif
ference in the character of the divine assistance
in the two cases, arising out of the presence, in
the one, and the absence, in the other, of sensibly-
miraculous attestation. And this difference evi
dently is, that in the one case, the divine agency
is, in each individual instance, known; in the
Other, unknown. If an Apostle adopted any
measure, or formed a decision on any doctrine,
in consequence of a perceptible admonition from
Heaven, he knew that he was, in this point, in
fallibly right. A sincere Christian, in the present
day, may be no less truly guided by the same
Spirit to adopt a right measure, or form a correct
decision ; but he never can know this with cer
tainty, before the day of judgment. It is not that,
spiritual aid is now withdrawn, but that it is im
perceptible ; as indeed its ordinary sanctifying
influence always was. q It is to be known only
by its fruits ; of which we must judge by a dili
gent and candid examination of Scripture, and a
careful, humble, self-distrusting exercise of our
own fallible judgment.
It is conceivable, therefore, that an individual,
q See Essay IX. Second Series, § 7.

sect. 9.] in the New Testament. 355
or a church, may be, in fact, free from error ;
but none can ever be (either at the present
moment, or in future) secure from error. We are
not bound to believe, or to suspect, that any of
the doctrines we hold, are erroneous ; but we
are bound never to feel such a confidence in their
correctness, as to shut the door against objection,
and to dispense with a perpetual and vigilant
examination. Even the fullest conviction that a
complete perfection in soundness of doctrine is
attainable, has in it nothing of arrogance, — no
thing of a presumptuous claim to infallibility, as
long as we steadily keep in view, that even one
who should have attained this, never can, in this
life, be certain of it.r We are taught, I think, in
Scripture, to expect that the pious and diligent
student will be assisted by the divine guidance ;
and that in proportion as he is humble, patient,
sincere, and watchfully on his guard against that
unseen current of passions and prejudices which
is ever tending to drive him out of the right
course, — in the same degree will he succeed in
attaining all necessary religious truths. But how
far he has exercised these virtues, or how far he
r See Note (L) at the end.
aa2

356 Omission of Articles of Faith, fyc. [essay vi.
may have been deceiving himself, he never can
be certain, till the great day of account. In the
mean time, he must act on his convictions, as if
he were certain of their being correct ; he must
examine and re-examine the grounds of them, as
if he suspected them of being erroneous.
In this it is that great part of our trial in the
present life consists : and it is precisely analogous
to what takes place in the greater part of tem
poral concerns. The skilful and cautious navi
gator "keeps his reckoning with care, but yet
never so far trusts to that as not to "keep a
look-out," as it is termed, and to take " an ob
servation," when opportunity offers. There is no
risk incurred, from his strongly hoping that his
computations will prove correct ; provided he
never resigns himself to such an indolent reliance
on them as to neglect any opportunity of veri
fying them. The belief, again, whether true or
false, that it is possible for a time-keeper to go
with perfect exactness, can never mislead any one
who is careful to make allowance for the possi
bility of error in his own, and to compare it,
whenever he has opportunity, with the Dial which
receives the light from heaven.

sect. 10.] in the New Testament. 357
§ 10. Such, then, is the view we must take of
the Creeds and Formularies of our Church, and
of all human, and consequently fallible, compo
sitions, of that class which the Inspired Writers,
guided by super-human wisdom, have omitted to
supply. To believe any doctrines to be erroneous,
which we sincerely hold, is impossible, and a
contradiction in terms ; to suspect them of error,
is by no means necessary ; but it is necessary to
acknowledge and allow for the possibility of
error, — in short, the absence of infallibility, — in
every church and in every man. Nor must we
be content to acknowledge a liability to error, in
the sense which some seem to attach to the
phrase ; viz. as applying to the future only, and
not to the present : in the same sense in which
we speak of a glass vessel as liable to be broken ;
i.e. fragile; though, perhaps, we are confident
there is now no flaw in it. Those who admit that
their church may possibly hereafter fall into
error, but seem to regard it as an impossibility
that she should be in any error now, are, to all
practical purposes, setting up the Romish claim
of infallibility; for, as the Future will be the
Present, so, their successors are as likely to be

358 Omission of Articles of Faith, Syc. [essay vi.
confident of the impossibility of present error,
as themselves.
But the self-distrust, and perpetual care, and
diligent watchfulness, and openness to conviction,
here recommended, are so far from necessarily
implying a state of painful and unceasing doubt,
that, as they furnish the best safeguard against
error, so they afford the best grounds for a
cheering hope of having attained truth. The
more cautious we are, both as individuals and as
a church, to " work out our salvation with fear
and trembling," the better-founded trust may we
entertain that " God worketh in us, both to will
and to do, of his good pleasure." As long as
all such human compositions as I have been
speaking of are left open to inquiry, and are in
cessantly tried by Scripture and by Reason, — as
long as we hold ourselves ready to renounce any
that shall be proved unscriptural, and to alter in
form any that shall be proved inexpedient, — and
as long as we keep these compositions to their
own proper uses, and make the Scriptures our
only standard of appeal for the proof of any
doctrine, — so long, we shall have been making
that use both of the Bible and of the Church, —

sect. 10.] in the New Testament. 359
of Reason and of Revelation, — of all the advan
tages, natural and supernatural, that we enjoy, —
which divine wisdom evidently designed : so long,
we shall have been doing our utmost to conform
to the will of God ; and so long, consequently,
we shall have the better reason for cherishing an
humble hope that He, " the Spirit of Truth," is
and will be, with us, to enlighten our under
standing, to guide our conduct, and to lead us
onwards to that state in which Faith shall be
succeeded by Sight, and hope, by enjoyment.

NOTE.

Note (L) p. 355.
The same reasoning will apply to the case of Moral
conduct ; and indeed, to men's judgments and con
duct on all other subjects likewise. It is not, in any
case, the belief that exemption from error is, either
partially or completely, attainable, that leads to arro
gance or presumptuous carelessness ; but, the belief
of the individual that he has attained it, or, that one
who shall have, attained it, may know with certainty
that he has done so.
If a man believes, for instance, that there may be
some human actions so performed, under the promised
guidance of the Holy Spirit, as to be completely vir
tuous, — free from all admixture of sin, — in short, per
fect, — this belief, whether agreeable or not to the fact,
can have no tendency to make him conceited or care
less, provided he always maintains that no action,
even though it should really be of this description,
can be (by Man) known with infallible certainty to be
such.

Note. 361
On the other hand, one who entertains the opposite
opinion, may yet, conceivably, be deficient in humility
and in watchfulness. For he may hold, that every,
the best, human action, is, and ever must be, alloyed
with some mixture of human infirmities ; and yet he
may without inconsistency, believe that some part,
or even the whole, of his own conduct, is, with all
its imperfections, as near an approach to perfection
as can possibly be expected of such a Being as man.
And whatever he may profess, even with the most
sincere intention, he will not really be either mortified
or alarmed at the thought of his not having attained
a degree of perfection which he holds to be morally
impossible. Many persons persuade both others and themselves,
that they are sufficiently cultivating Christian humility,3
by dwelling much on the weakness and depravity of
human nature, — on the numerous temptations which
beset us, and on the errors and sins which every man
must be expected to fall into. And if they are reminded
that, according to the Scriptures, provision is made
by divine grace for purifying and strengthening our
nature, and guarding us against temptation, they will
» A well-known little book, entitled " Hymns for Infant Minds,"
(I believe by some of the Taylor family,) contains (Nos. 11 & 12) a
better practical description of Christian Humility, and its opposite,
than I ever met with in so small a compass. Though very intelligible
and touching, to a mere child, a man of the most mature understand
ing, if not quite destitute of the virtue in question, may be the wiser
and the better for it.

362 Note.
often reply, yes, but after all, every one does fall into
many sins. Now however true this may be, and to
whatever extent, still the consideration of it does
not necessarily produce vigilance and humility. The
kind of self-abasement thus generated is the same
we feel when acknowledging Man's inability to "add
a cubit tp his stature," or to " remove mountains," or
to foretell future events. No one is much ashamed,
or put on his guard, by a consciousness of being no
better than what, he is persuaded, the wisest and best
of his species must be.
However far, in point of fact, sinless perfection may
be from being attainable, it is not our deficiency in
any thing that we regard as wwattainable, but, in
what we regard as attainable, that tends to make us
humble and diligent. The provisions of divine as
sistance which have been made, do, as we see but
too plainly, in many instances fail, more or less, of
their object, through Man's negligence or perverse-
ness : it may be true that they never do, or will,
completely succeed in attaining that object : but still,
it is not so far forth as we feel assured they will fail,
but so far forth as we believe that they may succeed
in that object, that our zeal and watchfulness are
excited. The danger of arrogance then is incurred, not by
any one's opinion, generally, on this point, (whether
true or false) but, by his confidence respecting him-.
self :— his belief that he either knows, or may hereafter
in this present life, know, that he is perfect. " If we

Note. 363
say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves," would
be not the less true and important, even on the sup
position that any one of us actually had completely
subdued, by divine help, all sin : for he would not be
enabled to know it, nor authorised to say it. " I know
nothing (says Paul) by myself;" (i. e. against myself:
ovBlv IpavTtp avvoida) " yet am I not hereby justified,
but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge
nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who
both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness,
and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts ; and
then shall every man have [his] praise of God." If
one man is confident that the moon is inhabited, and
the other, that it is not, though one of these assertions
must be in itself true, both of these men would alike
" deceive themselves," by pronouncing with certainty,
where they could have no certain knowledge.

APPENDIX.

absence of a priesthood.
One of the most remarkable and least noticed of the
peculiarities of the Christian Religion has been omitted
in the preceding Essays, as having been treated of in a
Discourse delivered at Oxford on the 5th of Novem
ber, 1821, which, with four others, I subjoined to the
second edition of the Bampton Lectures. A brief
notice, however, of the subject and outline of the argu
ment, connected as it is with the object of this volume,
may be not unsuitably subjoined to it.
The peculiarity alluded to is, that the Christian
Religion alone is without a Priest. The ambiguity
of language, and also the erroneous practice of some
Christian Churches, render it necessary to offer proofs
of an assertion, which when distinctly understood, and
applied to the religion as taught in Scripture, is at once
evident. It is well known, that certain ministers of religion
were ordained by Christ and his Apostles, and have
continued in an unbroken succession down to the pre
sent day : and it is not to be wondered at, that the
name " Priest" should be applied in common to these
and to the ministers of every other religion, true or
false: but the point to he observed is, that their office
is essentially and fundamentally different. When the
title is applied, for instance, to a Jewish priest, and to

Absence of a Priesthood. 365
a Christian, it is applied equivocally ; not to denote
two different kinds of priests, but in two different
senses ; the essential circumstances which constitute
the priestly office in the one, being wanting in the
other. Accordingly, there are in Greek, as is well
known, two words, totally unconnected in etymology,
which are used to denote the two offices respectively ;
the Jewish priest, and also that of the Pagan re
ligions, being invariably called Hiereus; the Christian
priest, Episcopos, or oftener Presbyteros, from
which last our English word "Priest" is manifestly
form* 1 It is remarkable, however, that it is never
reu~y ¦ t«ua«*~Priest" in our version of the Bible, but
always according to its etymology, " Elder ;" and that
W/i^rp <^the word Priest occurs, it is always used to
correspond to Hiereus. This last title is applied
frequently to Jesus Christ Himself, but never to any
other character under the Gospel-dispensation.
This circumstance alone would render it highly
probable, that Christ and his Apostles did not intend
to institute in the Christian Church any office corre
sponding to that of Priest in the Jewish : otherwise,
they would doubtless have designated it by a name so
familiarly known. And if we look to the doctrines
of their religion, we shall plainly see that they could
have had no such intention. For it was manifestly the
essence of the Priest's office (both in the true religion
of Moses, and in the Pagan imitations of the truth)
to offer Sacrifice and Atonement for the People — to
address the Deity on their behalf, as a Mediator and

366 Absence qf a Priesthood.
Intercessor — and to make a Propitiation for them. All
these are described as belonging to Christ, and to Him
alone, under the Gospel-dispensation ; which conse
quently (alone of all religions we are acquainted with)
has, on earth, no Priest at all.a
The office of the Christian Ministers, the Elders or
Presbyters, whom the Apostles by their divine commis
sion ordained, is the administration of such rites (the
Christian sacraments) as are essentially different from
sacrifice ; and, the instruction of the people ; an office
not especially allotted to the Jewish priests, but rather
to the whole of the Levites ; and so little appropriated
even to them, that persons of any other tribe b were
allowed to teach publicly in the synagogues.
It deserves then to be kept in mind,
I. That Priest, in the two senses just noticed, does
not merely denote two different things, but is, strictly
speaking, equivocal. The word " house," for instance,
is not equivocal when applied to the houses of the an
cients and to our own, though the two are considerably
different ; because both are the same in that which the
word " house" denotes, viz. in being " a building for
man's habitation :" on the other hand, the word " pub
lican" in its ordinary sense, and in that in which it

a Nearly the same reasonings are applicable to the absence, under
the Christian dispensation, of a literal temple, as well as of a Priest.
For an able development of these views, See Hinds's " Three
Temples of the One God."
i> As, for instance, Jesus himself, who was of the tribe of Judah,
and Paul, of the tribe of Benjamin.

Absence qf a Priesthood. 367
occurs in our version of the New Testament, is equivo
cal, though in each case it denotes a man in a certain
profession in life ; because the professions indicated in
each case respectively, by that term, are essentially dif
ferent. And the same is the case with the word Priest,
in the two senses now under consideration.
II. That though there is in the Romish Church a
pretended Sacrifice, offered by a pretended Priest, (in
the other sense,) this creates no just objection to what
has been said ; since their practice in this point is a
manifest corruption of Christianity, totally unsupported
by any warrant of Scripture, and manifestly at variance
with the whole spirit of the Gospel ; and what we are
speaking of is the religion as originally instituted, not,
as subsequently depraved.
III. That the peculiarity in question, as well as every
other of any consequence, affords a strong presumption
of the truth of the religion ; and this, independent of
any question as to the excellence of the peculiarity.
For either an impostor or an enthusiast would have
been almost sure, on such a point, to fall in with the
prevailing notions and expectations of men ; as expe
rience shows, in the case of such a multitude of different
systems of religion which confessedly have emanated
from the sources alluded to. If our religion had been
devised by Man, it would, in all probability, have
been, in this point, (as well as in many others) differ
ent from what it is. And what could not have come
from Man, must have come from God. It cannot be
deemed therefore an insignificant circumstance that the

368 Absence qf a Priesthood.
Christian religion should differ from all others, in a
point in which, amidst their infinite varieties, they all
agree. IV. That the charge of Priestcraft, so often brought
indiscriminately against all religions, by those whose
hostility is in fact directed against Christianity, falls
entirely to the ground, when applied, not to the cor
ruptions of the Romish Church, (which certainly does
lie open to the imputation,) but to the religion of the
Gospel, as founded on the writings of its promulgators.
It is a religion which has no Priest on earth, — no mortal
Intercessor to stand between God and his worshippers ;
but which teaches its votaries to apply, for themselves,
to their great and divine High Priest, and to " come
boldly to the throne of grace, that they may find help
in time of need." Nor are the Christian Ministers ap
pointed, as the infidel would insinuate, for the purpose
of keeping the people in darkness, but expressly for
the purpose of instructing them in their religion.
V. Lastly, that Christians should be warned, if they
would conform to the design of the Author of their
Faith, not to think of substituting the religion of the
Minister for their own ; his office being, according to
Christ's institution, not to serve God instead of them,
but to teach and lead them to serve Him themselves.
THE END.

It. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD-STREET HILL.

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