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Maria. But in what respects do you consider the doctrines of Christianity as useful to those whose education has been so far deficient, or whose employments are such, as to put a thorough knowledge of the subject out of their power?

Mr. B. Try all that you can effect by abstract reasoning with a poor man, prevented by illness from labouring for his family, and pining away day after day: all that is said in such a case may be very good; but it touches not the heart; it has no hold upon him, and is forgotten as soon as you have left him. But address that man in the language used in the twelfth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews: remind him, that all things are in subjection to God; that by the Gospel he is taught to address God as his Father; that in it he is assured of his mercy, and that present afflictions are designed to prepare him so as to serve God better here, that he may be admitted into heaven.hereafter; and you speak a language which he can understand, which he can feel, and apply to his own

use.

Edward. But all this depends upon the certainty that this doctrine is true.

Mr. B. And therefore it is happy for the poor, that their confidence is not weakened by doubts, which their situation in life would not in many cases enable them to clear up without assistance. The poor but pious Christian finds his Bible prove true so far as he consults it, and to him this is sufficient.

Maria. This illustration, however, only involves a doctrine which might perhaps be inferred from natural religion.

Mr. B. It could not, however, be so proved from thence as to convey to a man situated as we supposed that confidence which arises from simple faith in the word of God. If time, however, permitted, I am convinced it would not be difficult to show the importance of all the leading doc

14 What question is asked by Maria as to the utility of Christianity to persons in a certain station of life?-15 How does Mr. B. reply to her? -16 In what manner does he make application of the twelfth chapter of the Hebrews?-17 What does he say is happy for the poor?-18 If time permitted what would he do?

trines of Christianity, in their influence upon the minds of persons of every class; and thence a strong argument would arise in favour of the religion which thus produced beneficial results.

Edward. It is easy to see that the precepts and motives of the Gospel extend to all classes; and their simplicity is well adapted to further their general usefulness.

Mr. B. Without the guide furnished for action in the first, the stimulus afforded by the latter would be useless: without the excitation of motives, the precepts might be admired, but would never be practised. If, then, you consider what profound knowledge of the heart and the mind must be necessary to form a right conception of what precepts will be universally applicable, what motives will be universally operative, you may determine for yourselves the probability that such a book as the New Testament, so full of matter, giving general rules on all subjects connected with religion, could be produced without a divine revelation, under the circumstances in which we know it made its first appearance.

Edward. These last arguments have had great weight with me; but I should wish to know how far they are affected by the objections brought against Christianity.

Mr. B. I have pursued the arguments in our late conversations, without stopping to consider these objections, for these reasons-that they have in no instance amounted to any thing like proof-many of them disappear when the whole system of Christianity is viewed-and all of them have been considered in detail by persons whose works are easily procured. With regard to some, however, I will make a few remarks. By far the most formidable objections to Christianity are those derived from the progress of science; for it appears next to impossible to prove it false by historical evidence, and it can hardly be expected that, after seventeen hundred years' investigation of its claims, it should be discovered to be contradic

19 What does Edward say it is easy to see?-20 How does Mr. B. reply to him?-21 How does he say we might determine for ourselves on the real character of such a book as the New Testament?-22 What does Edward say of these last arguments?-23 Why has not Mr. B. stopped to consider objections?-24 From what are derived the most formidable objections?

tory or absurd in itself. But in regard to physical truth,' there does seem, at first sight, some ground of apprehension. This, however, is greatly diminished, by the recollection that we must not assign to the sacred writers a character to which they made no pretensions. They did not write as philosophers. Had they done so, their works would have been unintelligible at the time they appeared, and for ages afterwards, till the slow progress of science elucidated their expressions.

Maria. We must, then, regard them only as using the popular language.

Edward. Still, some facts they assert in so solemn a manner that more must be implied.

Mr. B. Of these by far the most important is the deluge, which Voltaire very i geniously asserted to be physically impossible, much to the credit of his patient and accurate investigations on the subject. Unfortunately for his reputation, the fact is now established beyond controversy. In the Reliquia Diluviana of Mr. Buckland, you will find one of the most interesting books which modern research has produced; and from it I shall now give you a few passages:-" Thus far I have produced a various, and, in my judgment, incontrovertible body of facts, to show that the whole earth has been subjected to a recent and universal inundation."-Rel. Dil. p. 224.

"All these facts, whether considered collectively or separately, present such a conformity of proofs, tending to establish the universality of a recent inundation of the earth, as no difficulties or objections that have hitherto arisen are in any way sufficient to over-rule.

"In the full confidence that these difficulties will at length be removed, by the further extension of physical observations, we may for the present rest satisfied with the argument that numberless phenomena have been already ascertained, which, without the admission of an universal deluge, it seems not easy, nay, utterly impossible, to explain. -Rel. Dil. p. 228.

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25 What is said in regard to physical truth?-26 What is said of Voltaire's attack upon the scriptures?-27 And what is said of the work of Mr. Buckland on the same subject?-28 What are the quotations made from it?

In like manner, attempts to overthrow the authority of the Pentateuch, by obtaining an excessive antiquity to some nations, through the medium of astronomy, and by assigning the different variations of the human race to distinct stocks, independent of each other, have wholly failed.

Edward. But instances of failure such as these become afterwards corroborative evidence in favour of the truth of the Scriptures.

Mr. B. The minor objections in this branch are scarcely deserving of consideration, as they may be fully explained from the nature of the language made use of by the sacred writers.

The historical objections are now reduced within a very narrow compass. The most formidable, perhaps, is an ambiguous expression made use of in the second verse of the second chapter of St. Luke's Gospel; for the various methods of explaining or accounting for the words, you may refer to Campbell on the Gospels.

Maria. Does not the variation of the genealogies fall within this part of the subject?

Mr. B. It is generally admitted that St. Matthew gave the descent of Joseph, and St. Luke that of Mary, which may be accounted for by the consideration of the persons for whom each wrote, and the objects each had in view.

Edward. Is not the silence of Josephus with regard to our Lord a serious objection?

Mr. B. It can be satisfactorily accounted for by the circumstances of the case. There is indeed a passage, which by some is regarded as genuine, but by most persons as spurious, which speaks very decidedly of our Lord; but we need not this aid.

Edward. The slaughter of the infants in Bethlehem, I think, has been brought forward as unknown to history;

29 How has an attempt been made to overthrow the Pentateuch?-30 What does Edward say of the instances of failure in attacking the scriptures?-31 Of the minor objections, what does Mr. B. say?-32 What does he say is the most formidable historical objection now made? 33 What does he say of the supposed discrepancies in the genealogies?-34 Is the silence of Jesephus respecting our Lord any serious objection?-35 What does Edward say of the slaughter of the infants?

and this, it is thought, hardly could have been omitted, had it occurred..

Mr. B. Michaelis has shown that the slaughter could only extend to so small a number, that the omission of it is not at all surprising, when we find other events which are known to have occurred omitted.

Edward. Is it not also objected to the Scripture accounts of our Lord's miracles, that a greater number must have been converted had they been real?

Mr. B. This has been replied to by Mr. Weston, in his work on the Rejection of Miracles by the Heathen. You will also find some good observations on this and other objections to Christianity in the second volume of Paley's Evidences. The second volume of Jenkins's Reasonableness and Certainty of the Christian Religion is entirely devoted to the consideration of objections., Hardly any objection has been brought forward without a considerable number of answers appearing to it; among which it is not always easy to select the best; but you will find an account of several in Leland's Deistical Writers, besides very excellent observations by himself on the same subjects.

Though it may appear strange, considering who arethe objectors, some have brought forward various passages of Scripture, particularly of the Pentateuch and historical books of the Old Testament, as contrary to sound morality. The former I have already in some measure considered, and with regard to all it may be observed, that there appears on the part of the objectors a fixed determination to misrepresent the subject.

Edward, In some cases, perhaps, objections have arisen from bad translations.

Mr. B. But what are we to think of men who, in a matter of such great importance, will decide against a religion from a faulty translation?

36 How has Michaelis replied to this?-37 What question is asked by Edward respecting the conversions which attended our Lord's miracles?— 38 Who has replied to this?-39 What is said of the works of Jenkins and Leland?-40 What does Mr B, say of attempts to prove that the scriptures contain passages contrary to sound morality?41 And of objections founded on a faulty translation?

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