The Sun.
London, England, 1818-12-22 00:00:00

THE BIBLE.

MR. EDITOR,--I bet; to trouble yon once more
on the subject of STACKHOUSE% Sixth Letter, as
it appeared in your Paper of Tuesday last. It is
by no means my intention to 9.uarrel with him
about his defence of Mr..BELLAtdY, if he thinks
.that Gentleman in the right. But I wish to ask
14im,,why, when be undertakes that defence, the
only weapon he uses is indiscriminate abuse of all
who oppose him, instead of the more manly, and
sorely more philosophical mode of answering the
objections advanced by his opponents ? In my last
Letter I charged Mr. BELLAMY with misinterpre-
ting the " Typical Sacrifice of Ahraham."—Mr.
, I observed, denies that the Sacrifice of Isaac
vas commanded. If he is right in his interpret a`
lion, St. Paul, who affirms it was commanded,
(I.leb. 11. 17.) is wrong. St. dances is also wrong
(James 2. 21.) and the subsequent verses, in the
Chapter of Genesis, which treats of this sacrifice,
must also contain an error, as they clearly pro7e
that strh was-the command, in order to try Abra-
ham's faith ; else the Almighty would not have
said,

" Because thou bast not withheld thine only
Son,'•' &c. STACK 1-10 USE, though lie anodes to
try Letter, dms not attempt to rlefeml .Mr. Btu-

LAMY :Ik:sitl%t this, or rtny other charge, hut con-
tents him, elf with general and undistinguishing
praise of his Work, and equally midis' inguishing
censute of those who have in any point o+cted
to it. Are the arguments such as STAcKHouse
cannot answer ? If so, what is the rest of his
defence worth ? If he con answer them, why
does he not, and prove Mr. BELLANnr right
As STACKHOUSR is a " Philosopher," he ought, at
least, to argue philosbphically. A mail who frets
himself on safe ground in an argAnent, will not
pass unnoticed the arguments of his opponent—if
he do pass them in silence, it is fairt6 presume
that he is at a loss how ,o meet them.
But ST%cititousE is wroth with' me for attack-
ittg Philosophers, and therefore politely terms me
" a half-witted Folower of a Methodist Preacher."

pass over the gentlemanly tone be assumes as

not ►leserving of notice, and come :0 the question
itself. And here I again assert, that Philosophy
has nothing to do with Religion, beyond the
moral obligations which it inculcates. On Divine
Troths and Mysteries it can throw no light ;
perplexing itself in the mazes of an infinite
titlhject, on which it endeavours to reason With

finite powers, often rejects, through vanity, what
it cannot comprehend, as unworthy of belief ;
and (as has bappened).seeks a refuge in Athiesm
rather than confess its own ignorance. And
these are the Philosophers, the baneful effects of
whose reasonings I deprecate. For, to argue phi-
losophically on Matters of Faith, is more than
absurd. If philosophy reject one Divine truth,
because it is incomprehensible, it must equally reject
if it cannot understand the simplest opera-
tion of Divine Power, can it comprehend the I
•CARNATION of our BLESSED SAVIOUR z If it deny
this, because it cannot understand it, where is
the Christian ? Philosophy, I repeat, has made
men Athiests, hut it cannot make them Christians.
And it is this "nauseous" remark, as STACK...
stousa terms it, with which he is so much offend-
ed. If, as he asserts, Christianity is " insulted"
by this observation, what shall we say of those
Philosophers, who, because they cannot compre-
hend how the Almighty created the Universe,
are therefore ready to deny that it is his wsnk ?
Here philosophy makes a man an Athiest. Shall
it therefore he ciid, the Almighty is " insulted"
by us, because we insist that the abuse of man's
reasoning powers have led him into disbelief?
Yet such is the necessary consequence of STACK..
ROUSE'S 2;i.(:“IinellIS. Far be it from me to in-

sinnate that STACKHOUSR is in this sad predica-
ment. I merely advance this in opposition to
his dangerous doctri!!e, drawn from the reason-
ings Of Philosophy. If that he Faith, which be-
lieves nothing but what it comprehends, there
will be no difference between the Christian and
the Heathen. If STAcKnousr. he but moderate-
ly conversant with the best of the ancient
sophers, he will know that they were fully sen-
sible of the necessity of a Divine Revelation, ere
man could know what was his perfect duty. It
is onr blessing to have been favoured with this ;
shall we abuse it, by withholding onr belief front
all we cannot nnderstand of its Divine truths ?
God forbid

But STACKHOUSE says, " Christ was a Deist,
as Socrates was before him !" The one, a Divine
Teacher, God in Man—compared with a mere
frail human being, and that man, great as he was,
yet a Pagan! If STACKHOUSa believe in the Di•
vivity of Christ, I am not a little astonished at
the boldness of his comparison. If he view hii;
Stiviour only as a moral teacher, I shall know in
what class of Christians to rank him—What

STAtKIVIC.S.M means by a " Christian Mist"
cannot conceive, unless he mean a Socinian. Christ
was indeed " a perfect master of morality, and,
taught it in purity alid beauty t" but did Christ
teach only morality ? With all that STAcKHotisg
says on practical morality, I fully and heartily
coincide. lam tar, very far, from being one of
those who would separate faith and works. Build-
ing on the former, and counting the latter as no-
thing, they destroy the fair beauty of the fabric
which our Saviour has taught us to rear. • But I
cannot 'agree with STACKHOUSB, that all
as he seems to infer, centres in morality ; else,
as I h4ore observed, the Heathen and the Chris-
tian are so far on a par. To love virtue for fib--
toe's sake is good morality ; to love it. for Christ's
sake also is the Christian's command.

But the main point to be asked, is, what are
NI r. BELLAMY'S improvements I If only to cause
the removal of passages, which, as I formerly ad-
mitted, had better be removed (however neces-
sary they may have been under the Jewish Dis-
pensation, to mark God's anger against sinners)
his object so far is not to he censured ; though
a new Translation is not therefore necessary, nor
have his specimens at all cirri .ced me of his abi-
lities as an improver. Still, so far be may do
good. But, it be venture to touch on Divine
Mysteries, it he enter the door of the sanctuary,
and, because he cannot penetrate the veil which
shrouds Almighty Power and Wisdom front human
Eyes, should therefore endeavour to throw dis-
credit on those mysteries (as he has done in the
case of. Abraham's sacrifice), let us beware bow
we sanction such a work.

What may he the purport of STACKKOUSR'S
' closing paragraph in his Vlth Letter, I know not.
According to the natural meaning or the words,
it is a defence of Mr. BP.LLAMY, for which that
Gentleman has little reason to thank him. Mr. B.
he says, " is bringing forth such a Translation
as can he read with pleasure and reliance, imper-
fect as it may he in the original Hebrew, of which
none can judge." Does he mean that. Mr. B. is
supplying there imperfections on his nwn authority,
and taking it on hi►nself to determine where the
" original Hebrew" is imperfect ? thus giVing us
an Old Testament of his
_own, which is not the
" liehrew ?" I can har►lly think such
to be his meaning ; yet such is the inference. to
which his words must lead. If it be his meaning,
we•may naturally ask, Who gave Mr. BELLAMY
this authority ? And who has instructed hint,
that he dare to decide between what the Hebrew
I3ible is, and what it ought, according. to his no-
tions, to be? Mr. BELLAMY C 4111101) lam con-
vinced, pretend to this authority.

I conclude by referring STACKHOLIA6 to your
Correspondent BIBLIOPHILUS of Monday last.—
Let hicu prove that Mr. BELLAMY, or let Mr. B.
himself prove, that he knows more than all the
great Divines and Scholars who have preceded
him, and thought a small portion of the sacred
Volume a sufficient subject for their individual
labours. Let him prove, that he alone is stronger
than " a Host," or we must in justice dismiss
him with the words, •rov yoiwo.x:o, ?:ccr
Eti , 7-41,Z; ET E.
I am, Sir, your obedient Servant,
December 17, 1818. • SCRUTATOR.

P. S. As Mr. BELLAMY boasts of The high
patronage his work has met with, and mentions
one Right Reverend Divine, as most liberal in his
commendations, and who is " a host in himself,"
may we be allowed to ask Mr. B. to specify him ?
1 presume no Bishop would venture' to praise Mr.
B's work, it he feared the publication of his name,
or could not openly avow his high opinion of its
merits.

*** We sincerely hope that this able and truly
respectable Writer will not withdraw from the
discussion of a subject so important to mankind
as the genuine text of the Holy Setiptures,
particularly as the Papists are anxiously labour-
ing to circulate a Bible of their own, and as
they are unceasing in their endeavours to possess
Political Power, in the hope that in due time they
may undermine the Protestant Faith. We can
assure him, that thoughlSTAcKnoose writes with
the vigour of an honest inind, he holds in sacred
reverence the Christian Dispensation, and is one
of its most staunch supporters.

THEATII-7CAL REGISTER.
Performed Last Night.
brtEATRt Rnrnt., NuRY-LANE'.—(tatif time), littitus't .tt-
ciiis Junius, Nil-. Kean; Tarquiflia, Mrs. W. Wot. After
which, Barniechle.

THEATRE RmvAL,CevENT-GARDEN.--Jatie Stiore Lord Hast-
ings, Mr. Young; Jane Shure, Miss O'Neill. After which,
The Miller and his Men.

*** For LONDON JOURNALS and Lk'rERARY REVIEW, see the
First Page.

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