Year: 1869

All me


How strange itswilI be.





For the Staunton Spectator,


Revelation a Priori.


Among the many treatises upon the evidences
OF christianity and the authority Of the sacred
scriptures, as derived from the external and in-
ternal evidences Of their truth, We have never
had the good fortune to see one which gave
due prominence to the reasonableDess OF an a
Driort expectation OF a revelation from God be
y0nd and above that youchsafed to Us in nature
By an u pyfor} expectation, will, Of course, be
understood that which may be based upon
reasoning which is wholly independent of any
knowledge OF the existence Of such 3 revea
ton, or OF facts consequent upon il. derived
either from observation or tradition.


But the mare question Of the probable exis-
tence q 2 written revelation does not cover the
whole ground, but leaves us still! free to CON
slider In the Light Of nature, what the general
character would most likely be.


AS to the value q any inference upon this
subject, they will Of course depend npon the
validity Of the arguments upon which they are
based, and whilst il must be confessed that this
kind Of argument by which man with his falli-
bile intelligence presumes before the fact, that
is @ pTloTt, to determine what must be, Or what
ought to be, OF what will likely be, is more liza
BILE to err than that in which We ascend rather
from effects to causes, still, provided cur as
sumptions be not mere chlmerical hypothesis.
and are derived from observed facts, there can
be no Legitimate objection to this mode Of dis
cussi0u In fact, it will often occur that an an
tecedent expectation may be Justly founded up
on premises deducibIe from nature aud obser-
vation Vhich DO not involve the fact itself as
a necessity, bnt rather as a moral probability OF
greater OF less certainty.


Perhaps one Of the grandest Illustrations Of
this truth is found in the discovery Of the
planet Neptune by the distinguished French
mathematician and astronomer lie errior, who,
by reasoning from Bode s law, from analogy,
and from the doctrine Of universal gravitati0n,
predicted beforehand the magnitude, and al
most exact position in the heavens of a hlther
to unknown planet, which was to account for
the pelturbati0ns Of those which were already
embraced within the spher" Of astronomic
science.


Now it should be observed that as the unex-
pained perturbati0ns might IN the range Of
possibility have been conceived to be due to
some different cause still the expectation,
based upon known facts derived from nature
and belonging to the most perfect Of all the
mixed sciences, possessed degree Of proba-
biiity which gave a very strong ground for
faith in The existence Of tie planet Nor
shonld If be assumed that in all cases it re-
ouires the same degree OF intellectual astute-
ness to Or, diet aipTt0rt what may be expected
to be or to occur. Even IN the case we have
presented, so far removed from the ordinary
Intelligence. the same result Was arrived at in
denenlIt.ntlv and almost simultaneously by a
Young Euglish astronomer. But the value Of
establishing a ?7j0ri arguments in favor Of the
existence Of revelation from tsoC! imparting
more light than can be derived from nature
alone. is much enhanced by the fact that the
human mind being convinced ot its probability
On the grounds Of ordinary reason, is placed in
better nostnra fer Il careful and unpreiudiced
examination Of the claims OF any religion pur-
porting to meet the demands OF the reason.-
With all classes Of men, and especially with dis
cursiye minds, a preconcelyed opinion on jQdg-
ment as to facts Or the truth OF a theory, based
nuon what are considered as valid arguments
will ensure at least an impartial investigation
Of the claims of any system which will likely
confirm conclusions which are independently
reached,


L is important also at this point TO observe
ilat tn4 mode Of discussion suggested, II sue
cessfully employed, tends to establish not sim
p}v the evistey,(e Of revelation CLAIMING to
be from God, which necessltates sup> equent ar
gu,nents to establish lis authenticity ana thence
It's authority, but at once the probable exis-
tenca of 2 YGvGiatL0n l3Vii1S NOG GS It's 2utnOr,
and Of such general character that it may be
recognized to be consonant with his manitesta-
ton OF himself i'll the human soul and in ma
ture Of course it Is not to be assumed that
reason can keep exactly parallel, and move paYi
nussn with the teachings OF such q revelation
as pS we suppose, but only that its ultimate con-
ouson would 5a9 in ooa%1'oa shnn no3 Sad ct Their d.
anotb O i OF reason, we should not On the o,hlr
hand decry it, as many do; tor notwlthstand-
inc il is liable TO err, 1t is not only the best
| igbt we have but that which, has guided to
man important truths which have illuminated
| the pathway to divine truth. Some have SO
far far desraded as human reason as to suppose that
BY some legerdeman it may may be forced to as
absurdty and contradiction in terms. 1t is not
in violation, but in conformity with reason,
however, to accept truths which transcend it,
or which do not fatty contradict its IL iondamen,
tai decision, provided we can 'eier them to
more general truths already firmly established
| As for example, in consideration of the pre-