Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-07-14

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an article of faith, because we eanno
satisfy ourselves that it Is in &C
eordance with reason. The domain
of faith and reason are separate and dis
tinct. We do not betiepe what we kitOio
But fault must rest on something.
admit that the two domains are sepa
rate and distinct but If fault rest
merely on authority, and we can be forbid
den to inquire, that Of the Moslem hal
precisely the same foundation and thi
same merit, too, AZ yours. There arr
other modes Of arriving at the truth be
sides the reason. There are the conscious
ness and the imagination. Reason, also
has wide scope when It nses the re
8 Jurees of analogy. That is a good ex
preston, "The wise analogies Of Faith
/ Everything, In my opinion, that any
one can legitimately be required TO be
lieve may be commended to the approva
of his understanding. ] can believe
many things that can in no wise com
/ prehend. But / can not say, with An
| gustine, CredO gttid impossible est
can not believe thing because 1t Is i'm.
| possible. / may well be able to dc so
though it may seem impossible. shal
not agree with an archbishop Of Canter'
bury, that prostrdtion of the understand
ing and will is indispensable In christian
/ instruction. While there is such In.
mense disputatien among ssets as L
/ points of doctrine, all appealing to this
! same writings in support Of their oppo
/ site views, one must certainly be entitled
/ TO exercise his Judgment and understand.
/ ing on the different questions. | can moi
admit the right Of any church t0 require
me to be satisfied with her sic qolO, sid
Il II -. N.
| bhurch (of England) said a doctor OF di-
vinity in 1888, in letter on the Atha-
| nasian creed, mot attempting to erpidin,
states plainly what has been revealed to
her,-not as an explanation Of an fneE-
Pttcdble mystery, but simply to stou
what she means.' Surely no intelligent
mind can be satisfied with such gaboie
as that
P.-Religious disputations display more
completely than any Others, the a0erra-
tons and diseases of the human intel
lect, and prove how common Is total
want Of the logical faculty.
Gone creed is sustained just as
zealously and in as perfect good faith as
another. No wonder Theology has been
bitterly defined as ~ ART dc 6ompoeer
des chiBleres en- cOBlbfndnt ensemble dss
qualities impossible q concilier.' The
Monster of Public Instruction ought, as
NJ. TIAION said, to know how to speak
French and the expounder of Creed
ought to know how to explain it.
P,-WILKINs, quoted by HORNE TOOKE,
says, very sensibly Many wild errors
shelter themselves under the disguise of
affected phrases, which being philo-
sOphically unfOlded, and rendered ac-
cording to the genuine and natural i'm
portance OF the words, will appear to be
inconsistencies and contradictions, and
several of those pretended mysterious
profound notions, expressed In great
swelling words, whereby some men set
up for reputation, being this way exam
ined, will appear to be either nonsense,
or very fiat and jejune.' And he well
says, that common mischief is done,
and many impostures and cheats are put
upon men, under the disguise Of affected
Insignificant phrases 4 great deal Of
religious disputation comes OF this.
C.-ReligiOus Sects have an ArqOt of
their own,-a De7ffE6iiRr set Of technical
words, which. Il!SSsa-s %Isa most part mean
nothing, all and mitch of what they
say, when tested by WILKINS rule,
does prove to be insignificant. contra
dictOFy and inconsistent, or fiat and
jejlg7e. If / had to conduct disputa-
tion on the questions upon which seots
divide, should insist on following the
advice Of BACON, who says: eIt is
almost necessary in all controversies and
disputations to initiate the wisdom of
the mathematicians, in setting down in
the very beginning the definitions of our
words and terms, that others may know
how we accept and understand them.
and whether they concur with US or nc.
For it cometh TO pass, for want of this,
that we are sure to end there where we
ought TO have begun, which is in ques-
tiOns and differences about words. 1t is
quite certain that | cannot believe, uu-
less there is something to be believed.
l cannot believe a mere formula of
words that mean nothing at all. There
are such propositions. both in religion
and metaphysics. Nor can I believe
what is plainly and positively contra
dicted by something else that / feel and
know to be true. ] am sure that CHRIST
spoke the truth, when He said, Suffer
little children, to come unto me; for
Of such fs re- hhadoHl of HeGUen
unless We become like one OF
these little children. ys cannot enter into
the kingdom Of Heaven And also
am sure he did not mean to mislead or
deceive, when he told the young man
anxiously enquiring what he should do
to be saved, Love GOD with all thy
heart, ank thy neighbor as thyself Do
this, and thou shalt be saved There is
q whole gospel to me in these two things.
II any thing that PAUL wrote has to
have meaning that makes either of
these null, shall not believe that PAUL,
in that, spoke by authority. PAUL
wrote, as PETER said according to the
wisdom given unto him, some things
hard to be understood, capable of being
perverted and misapplied by the un-
learned and unstable.
Tne Gospel of Christ is a Gospel Of
Love. II it were not, out one OF fear,
terror and persecution, Christianity
would be little better than the creed of
MAHoNIET and ZORoAsTER. No religion
could make me disbelieve the great
truths taught by the first Revelation,
Nature, lin which / include my own
INSTINCTS and imagina-
ion, and those of all others of human
zind,) in regard to the Deity. That we
have at first hand. All other revelation |
must needs depend Oh human testimony.
believe in the Gospel, not because men
'ay or have said that it is inspired, but |
because it confirms and completes the I
Revelation written by the finger Of GOD l
IN the pages of the Great Book Of Nature; /
md where it goes beyond that Revela- /
ion, is not contrary to it.
C.-All men who, in any age, have for /
he first time uttered great truths, have /
Ieen inspired 70 40 So. 4 general belief /
" conviction or instinct, OF Humanity, |
5 also al inspiration, and is, in the ma
ure of things, the very highest proof /
II the trIth and actuslitySof that which /
s believed in, or of which men are con-
'iEced, or which they feel by instinct.
C.-UndOubtedly II the Deity exists,
md being, as He is, not eogDiZable by the
enses, and it being impossible for man
o form any defHite idea of that which I
las no detiniteness, because no iimita-
ion, how could He make Himself
,nOwn, except to the mind, in the way
f instinct or conviction? The conclu-
ions of the instincts are infallible. They
lever deceive even the animal; for ex-
mple. that which teaches the fowl or
ird to set upon her eggs. cannot con-
eive OF any other way in which hu-
nan being, really inspired, could kIlOU
hat he was so, except by an impression
0 that effect, upon his consciousness.
P.-If all Teachers of the Truth have
cen inspired, how is ii that so much
rror was always mingled with the
truths they have taught?
C.-Can we not conceive that even
7hen the Deity has revealed the Truth
D a human being it has been left to him
D express it to Others in the best way he
an ? do not see Why we are compelled
, believe that He has also dictated the
'OTds in which it Is to be expressed. On
ne contrary, believe that every Truth
a Teuedled Truth and that the Ian
uage in which revealed Truths have
cen expressed neVer was dictated. 1t
'ould be useless to dictate the oriqlndl
unless that Of each translation
Iere dictated also. I believe that the
reat Truths of Christianity were re-
called; but do not believe that every
ming PAUL said, in the way of explain
lg and enforcing them, was dictated by
lefty, or spoken by Him through
AUS lips. On the contrary, I think
AUL was sometimes ia error, and often
sasoned feebly, particularly in respect
} what Calvinism calls Election and
Predestination.' II the Deity had really
ictated the very words, cannot con-
eive how they could have been capable
being differently understood by differ
ut minds; or how one portion should
ave bSen in contradiction with the
ther.
All truths are revealed slowly and sue
They am, fold fhap,SaTxyaa on, |