The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1866-03-08
Bishop Butler and John Wesley.

Probably no book since the beginning
of Christianity has ever been so useful to
the Church as Buffers Analogy, in solv-
ing the doubts of believers or causing
them to ignore exceptions, as well as
in silencing unbelievers. The Office of an
apologize is to defend the Church, not
to build it up. Argument is not the life
of the Church. 1t is, therefore, proof
of the philosophical power and truth of
Butler work that it has ministered SO
extensively to the latter purpose, by &C
tually reinforcing and promoting the faith
of protesting Christians. 1t has acted
not only as an argument to the deists,
but as lesson of instruction to the
Church.
Few efforts of free thought seemed
more unpromising in yielding any useful
results than deism; yet by its agitation
of deep questions, which are not the mere
phantoms of morbid mind, but real and
solid difficulties and mysteries in revela-
ton, it was themeans of creating Buffers
noble work, and is a fresh illustration of
the bene6cent arrangement of the Almigh-
ty, that makes knowledge progress by an
tagonism, and overrules evil for good.
But there is another weapon for repell-
ing unbelief besides the Intellectual; Just
as there are two causes for creating it, the
one intellectual, the other emotional
Thus, in the period that we are now con-
sidering, though we may believe that
many hearts were cheered and many
doubts hushed by the Christian apologies,
yet the revival of religion which marked
the eighteenth century, and which by
spreading vital piety prepared an efec-
tual check against unbelief, when the
lower orders were afterwards invaded by
it, was due to the spiritual warnings Gre
ated by the ministrations of men, often
rude and unlettered, who told the Won
drous story of Christ crucifed, heart
speaking to heart, with intuitions kindled
from on high. The sinful began to feel
that God was not afar off, reposing in the
solitude of his own bleSsedness, and aban-
doning mankind to the government of con-
science and to the operation of general
laws, but nigh at hand, with a heart of
fatherly love to pity and an ear Of mercy
to listen. The narrative of Christ the
Son of God, coming down to seek and to
save that which was lost, awoke an echo
in the heart which neutralized the doubts
infused by the deist. And it is a com
fort to every Christian laborer to know
that if he cannot wrangle out contro-
yersy with the dOubter, he can speak to
the doubter's heart.
Few would compare the irregular mis-
siOnaries of spiritual religion in theSlast
century with the great writer's of evidence,
The names of the latter are honored |
those of the former are unknown or too
often despised 1t might seem strange,
for example, to institute comparison be-
tween the two contemporaries, Bishop |
Butler and John Wesley. Yet there are
points of contrast which are instructive. |
Each was one of the most marked instru-
ments of movement and influence in the
respective fields of the argumentative and |
the spiritual; the one philosopher writ
ing for the educated, the other mission
airy preaching to the poor. Butler, edu
Gated nonconformist, turned to the
Church, and in an age of unbelief con-
secrated his great mental gifts to roll
back the food of infdelity; and died
early, when his unblemished example was
so much needed in the noble sphere of
usefulness which Providence had given
him, leaving a name to be honored in the
Church for generations. Wesley, nursed
in the most exclusive Church principles,
kindled the flames of his piety by the de-
yOut reading of mystic books; when our
University was marked by the half-heart-
edness of the time; and afterwards, when
instructed by the PietistG of Germany,