A Series of Letters In Defence of Divine Revelation

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You have misunderstood me also, in supposing that by "the guess work
of men," I had any allusion to the known miracles related by the
apostles. What I called "mere guess work of men," was the _opinions_
of the apostles on supposition they were not divinely directed, in the
testimony they laid down respecting a future state. On this particular
subject, all you have said in reply to my reasoning, has no just
relation to my argument.

It was expected, that in relation to the foregoing subject, you would
have seen the necessity of either denying the reality of those
miracles, which, if true, prove the divine mission of Christ and his
apostles, or of granting the authority of their testimony. But in room
of finding what was so confidently expected, I find the mistakes above
pointed out, which occupy considerable space, without deciding any
thing, or furnishing ground on which I feel disposed to place any
argument.

The next particular which demands notice is stated as follows: "Your
final conclusion, after all, comes so near what I conceive to be the
truth, that were you as correct in every thing as you appear to be in
this, I should hardly think it expedient to pursue this controversy
any further." You then quote me. "The Christian is enabled to hope for
existence with God in an eternal state, and this is as much as our
present welfare requires." You rejoin; "Most excellent! to this
proposition I cheerfully assent. Yea, I would consent even to pruning
it a little which no doubt would spoil it in your view. Instead of,
'this is as much as,' read, 'even this is more than,' and your
proposition would stand exactly right." You assure me that you are in
search of truth.--Truth is the only design of your heart. It would be
uncharitable in me to doubt your sincerity. You sincerely and
cheerfully assent to the above proposition viz. that the christian is
enabled to hope for existence with God in an eternal state, and this
is as much as our present welfare requires. This you say is _most_
excellent. But notwithstanding you cheerfully assent to this
proposition, and can pronounce it _most_ excellent! Yet you think, if
the proposition was so altered as to allow us no hope of a future
existence with God, it would stand _exactly_ right! This variation is
so small, this difference is so little that you think if I were as
correct in every thing as I am in this, there would be no need of
pursuing this controversy any further! Let me ask dear sir, if such
reasoning as this can promise a profitable reward for our labours, and
a recompence for the precious time we are spending? The eye of reason,
I say is candid: it sees and knows, that if a hope of existence with
God hereafter is _more than_ our present welfare requires, such an
expectation is awfully dreadful beyond the power of language to
describe. Reason knows that there is an infinite difference between no
existence hereafter, and an eternal existence. And it knows, that if
the former is exactly what our present welfare requires, the latter is
completely repugnant to it.

With what you here contend for, I will connect a passage from your
sixth number. "He knows that a belief in revelation is not absolutely
necessary to a happy life." By bringing these passages together, I am
led to understand what you mean by the latter viz. that a belief in a
happy future state, is not necessary to our present felicity. This is
what you know! What then are you in pursuant of? You pretend to be
earnestly solicitous to have your doubts respecting divine revelation
removed if possible; you call on me to assist in this work as if you
viewed it with deep concern.--If your doubts should be removed, if you
should be altogether convinced that God has actually revealed the
truth of a a happy immortality, you know it would add nothing to your
happiness. Furthermore you argue, following the passage quoted from
your sixth number, that this belief in the revelation of a happy
futurity is not necessary to produce a virtuous life. Allowing all you
argue on this subject, you feel sure that a real conviction of the
truth of the christian doctrine, and hope of future blessedness, would
be of no advantage to your virtue or happiness! I ask again, what are
you in pursuit of? You compliment me too highly in your encomium on
the sermon in which I laid down that man is so constituted that he is
always willing to exchange that which gives him trouble, for that
which gives him comfort. And you advert to this particular sentiment
of mine, in your observations on St. Paul's conversion, and very
justly refuse to allow him to be an exception of the general rule. But
are you not an exception of this rule? Do you not appear to be
solicitous to have your doubts removed without expecting the least
advantage by it? Are you not employing your time in writing
voluminously on a subject which you _know_ can yield you no
recompence? In search after the evidences of the christian hope, you
cannot say: where is that faithful, that friendly witness by which I
can believe, and believing, enjoy as a precious reality that hope
which is as an anchor to the soul, both sure and stedfast; which
entereth into that within the veil, where our forerunner hath for us
entered; which hope would enable me to sing that triumphant song; "O
death where is thy sting, O grave where is thy victory? Thanks be to
God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." No, this
hope would add nothing to your happiness, and what you want it for is
not for me to imagine.

You can employ the powers of luminous reason in contemplating eternal
nothing with sweet complacency. This is "exactly" as it should be!
Varying from this the proposition would need to be "pruned!" Dear
brother, does reason countenance all this absurdity? If it be a
pleasure to contemplate non-existence does it not involve the
absurdity of enjoying the expectation of the discontinuance of
enjoyment?

You have expressed, with interjections, the value of truth. You seem
almost disposed to arrogate to yourself a peculiar regard for this
divine treasure. I can fancy I hear your secret addresses to this
lovely divinity; in rapturous language, with aspect of eager affection
saying; O truth, the loveliest of all attractions, thou art balsam for
every wound, antidote for every poison; thou sweetenest every bitter
cup; the gloomy prospect of living, in thy bright sunshine is by thee
changed into the joyous expectation of soon losing sight of thee
forever in the elysium of non-existence!

I will not burden you with further deductions, so repugnant to the
dictates of reason; but I will cherish a hope, that you will see
sufficient reason for rescinding the arguments which lead to them.[1]

[Footnote 1: Perhaps the reader may be a little astonished here, that
the objector should ever have consented to publish arguments which
makes him appear so much to a disadvantage. But an honest objector,
who has been so blind to his own heart as not to perceive the real
cause of a perfect reconciliation to the general providence of God,
instead of feeling _chagrined_, will feel _grateful_, when his errors
are _honestly exposed_. Believing, therefore, that others may be in
the same predicament, these arguments are published to the world.]

On supposition divine revelation be true, you agree with me on the
subject wherein I differ from the general opinion, that a knowledge of
the gospel in this world is indispensable to the soul's felicity in
the next, but you are confident that this my sentiment will be viewed
by the Christian world in general, with greater abhorrence than even
your own arguments, &c. And you hope I am prepared for the
consequences. Reply--I have little or no concern about what opinion
reputed orthodoxy may entertain of the truths which reason and
revelation harmonize in supporting, nor am very careful about any
preparation to meet the consequences which may result from the
inseparable companions, _superstition_ and _ignorance_.

In my view, the commonly received opinion, on the subject under
consideration, is no more reasonable, than the supposition that the
happiness and wellbeing of our children, in this world, depend on
their having had a correct knowledge of their parents, of their wisdom
and parental providence for them, before they were born. The wisdom
and goodness of God, according to scripture and reason, are universal.
The ignorance of mortals concerning them, on the one hand, makes them
no less, and their knowledge, on the other makes them no greater. We
must duly regard, however, the evident fact, that the enjoyment of
reasonable beings, is extended by the extension of knowledge, which
renders acquirements in science and divinity an object of the first
magnitude.

The sentiment which you express on the above subject is what I am well
persuaded can never be refuted, and it appears to me that by placing
the system of divine revelation on the ground above noticed, it is
rendered free from these absurdities which have rendered it
exceptionable to the eye of reason and philosophy.

The gospel of everlasting life, like all real science, has always
existed, but like the sciences, has been developed by degrees, and
brought to the understanding of mankind as a mean of refinement,
improvement, and of conformity to mortal principles, as expressed by
that eminent divine St. Paul, 2 Cor. 5, 18, 19, 20. "And all things
are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and
hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was
in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their
trespasses unto them: and hath committed unto us the word of
reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God
did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled
to God." Now to suppose that men, who on account of their ignorance of
the gospel are unreconciled to God, who has undertaken the gracious
work of reconciling them to himself, not imputing their trespasses
unto them, are on account of their unreconciliation excluded from
being the objects of divine favour is a grand absurdity to say the
least.

The fact is, the gospel is a dispensation of general favour, and it
actually communicates many invaluable blessings to those who know
nothing of its divine principles. There are millions of people in the
world who are blessed in a great variety of respects by means of civil
government, who know nothing of the principles of the governments by
which they are protected. How many blessings are constantly falling,
as it were like a shower, on our infants and youth in America, from
the favourable government of our happy country, and yet these children
know not the difference between an absolute monarchy and a republic.

How many millions of the human race are daily fed from the products of
agriculture, who know nothing of the principles which produce those
rich supplies. So there are multitudes who enjoy many blessings
procured by the gospel of Christ, who have no knowledge of the sublime
principles of this religion. But here again I will repeat the remark,
that our rational felicity is greatly increased by an extension of our
knowledge in the principles of the doctrine of Jesus, which
consideration is a proper incentive to grow in grace and in the
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Knowledge is food for the mind and nourishes and strengthens it as
aliment does the body. Our youth learn to read the books which they
are favoured with in consequence of the discovery of the art of
printing, and they obtain great advantages by means of those books,
while they remain entirely ignorant, many of them, of the art by which
such a favour is put into their hands. But still it is healthy to the
youthful mind, to receive the knowledge of this and other arts, and
even to know that an art so extensively useful was not known in the
world four hundred years ago. A person on being informed of the first
discovery of this art, and of its being practiced, in the first place,
with separate wooden types, might be disposed to doubt the ignorance
of men in those times. He might think it incredible that any thing so
easy, that even children can perform was unknown to the learned world
in those times when learning flourished in ancient Greece and Rome.
And I am of opinion that many now, who are disposed to doubt the
circumstances which attended the first promulgation of the gospel, and
even call themselves unbelievers, do in reality, owe even their
existence and of course every blessing they enjoy to those facts of
which they now doubt. Yes, sir, the light of reason, and the knowledge
of moral principles, on which you feel disposed to place so much
consequence, I am inclined to believe are reflections of that light
which was the delightful theme of the evangelical Isaiah, chapters 6,
7, 8. "I the Lord hath called thee in righteousness, and will hold
thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the
people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring
out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out
of the prison house. I am the Lord; that is my name: and my glory will
I not give to another, nor my praise to graven images." Am I deceived,
sir, or is it evident, that the glorious LIGHT which illuminates our
moral hemisphere, and distinguishes our country from barbarism and
savage ignorance, is the gospel? The name of Jesus, his doctrine, the
reformation, seceding from the Church of England and persecution for
conscience sake, rank as causes of the settlement of New England by
our forefathers, and of the existence of the men who are carrying on
this correspondence. This is mentioned with a view to direct your mind
to the consideration of that course of causes and effects by which we
are enabled to reason on what wo call moral and physical principles.
And a hope is entertained that due regard will be paid to this
self-evident fact, that nothing ever took place without an adequate
cause to produce it.

With this reflection, I come to notice your remarks on the subject of
St. Paul's conversion; for it appears to me that you have allowed
certain facts without assigning any adequate causes by which those
facts came to exist. You make no attempt to deny that there was such a
man as St. Paul, nor do you deny his having been educated, and
religiously instructed as the scripture history concerning this man
sets forth. But you assign no reason why he became a believer in Jesus
Christ, you assign no reason for his becoming a preacher of the
doctrine of Jesus, you assign no reason why he should so patiently
suffer for the religion, the truth of which you are now calling in
question. You allow that before his conversion he persecuted unto
death the "weak and defenceless disciples of the meek and lowly
Jesus." But you assign no reasons why weak and defenceless men should
become the disciples of Jesus. You would fain insinuate that what he
relates of the particular circumstance which happened to him on his
way to Damascus was a mere reverie. But you make no attempt to show
how such a reverie could produce in this learned pharisee a belief
that Jesus, who was crucified had actually arose from the dead, when
there were not even the shadow of evidence existing to prove such an
improbable fact. You are inclined to this notion of a reverie on
account of some experience of your own, which your good sense and
after reflection have discovered to be nothing on which dependence
ought to be placed. Sir, where is the similarity of your case with
that of the learned pharisee? Do you really believe you ever
experienced a reverie, that would go in the least to cause you to
believe in the resurrection of a man who was hanged in your sight, and
who you knew was buried, and of whose resurrection you had no
evidence, only a vague reverie? Do you believe you ever experienced a
mere imagination which was strong enough to produce the above belief,
and which could continue to influence you all your life long, lead you
to forsake a most honourable connexion, and to espouse a religion
which all the prejudices of your education opposed, and to labour
continually for its support and to suffer every thing for its defence?
No, you pretend to no such thing, therefore your case is very
different from St. Paul's.

I agree with you, that the case of this apostle comes under the rule
which you recollect I suggested in my sermon. He undoubtedly viewed
the religion which he received in room of the one he parted with the
most valuable. And to this agrees his own testimony. Phil. iii. 7, &c.
"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the
loss of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Christ,
and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of
the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the
righteousness which is of God by faith."

As you promise to say more on this subject, I shall _continue_ to
expect an attempt to deny the conversion of such a man as St. Paul is
set forth to have been, to the Christian religion, under all the
circumstances which the scripture account mentions; or an attempt to
show that such a conversion could _probably_ take place without
supposing the facts on which the religion of Christ was founded were
realities; or lastly, an acknowledgment that this conversion may
reasonably be allowed as evidence to us of the truth of the Christian
religion.

Should you be disposed to disallow the account which the scripture
gives of St. Paul, I will ask the favour of you to point out and show
to my understanding where in Paley's Horae Paulinae fails of proving
the truth of the scripture history of St. Paul.

* * * * *

What follows is designed to notice your sixth number; out of which the
following subjects are selected, on which some remarks are made.

1st. You observe that "when we hear things, which to our understanding
are improbable, the improbability of the facts raises a doubt in our
minds; and certainly there can be no harm in suspending our judgment,
nor yet in withholding our belief until we are fully satisfied." This
first subject regards the degrees of evidences which are required in
different cases, and the moral propriety of withholding the assent of
the mind in the case of a want of evidence.

2d. You are not disposed to doubt that many of the prophets were good
men; nor will you contend that they were not all such, and taught the
people according to the best of their abilities--And yet you hesitate
to allow the divinity of their testimony.

3d. I notice that you acknowledge that there are evidences in favour
of divine revelation, which would support it, if there were nothing to
counterbalance their testimony.

4th. You hardly know how to understand me where I suggest, that in
disproving the religion of Jesus Christ, you disprove all religion,
&c.

5th. An inquiry whether Jesus and the apostles might not be honest
men, and yet their testimony in certain cases not to be relied on!

6th. You suppose that arguments equally energetic and equally
conclusive might be drawn from our feelings against, as in favour of
the necessity of divine revelation.

7th. In enumerating the virtues and enjoyments of one who does not
even desire a future state, you mention unfeigned thankfulness for all
the happiness of which he is made susceptible.

8th. You assert, that if a revelation ever was necessary, it was
necessary only to reconcile man to his present state efexistence. And,

9th. You seem to fault me for supposing that in case you did not mean
as I took you, on the subject of the apostles' testimony, you must
mean the reverse, &c.

These nine particulars, it is true, do not comprehend every item
contained in your sixth number, but I believe that a candid reply to
each of them will satisfy you that a competent degree of attention has
been paid to this communication.

1st. Concerning the degrees of evidence required in certain cases to
carry conviction of facts to the mind; it has always been allowed by
those who have vindicated the religion of Jesus, that a belief in
miracles requires more evidence than a belief in ordinary events
recorded in history. Having granted this they proceed to associate the
evidences, which God in his divine economy has given and preserved,
and conclude with grateful assurance that the evidence of the miracles
of Jesus, his unspeakably glorious resurrection from the dead,
together with the miracles with which the first promulgation of the
gospel was effected, are abundantly sufficient to carry conviction to
vastly the greatest part of candid minds.

In the mode the last sentence is concluded, I must, in justice to
others, take the sentiment there expressed to myself; for I am sorry
to say that christians, who have contended against infidelity have,
generally, been less charitable than the genius of the religion they
have, in many respects, most ably defended. I cannot find authority
for denying candor to one who is unable to believe on the ground of
such evidence as may satisfy my mind of a fact. I will therefore
suppose that some who are candid, may, from some cause which we cannot
analyze, be unable to believe the great truths of the gospel, on such
evidence as is abundantly sufficient to convince others who are as
scrupulous as necessary investigation requires.

It is, sir, the opinion of some very learned authors, who stand in the
very first rank, for candor and erudition, that the proofs of which
the gospel is susceptible are, in all respects, equal to what they
could have been in any other way concerted, within the reach of human
conception. This is going to a great length I confess; and yet I am
strongly inclined to their opinion. I will candidly state why I am
so.--1st. Taking the subject in the gross, I am convinced of the truth
of the gospel of Christ. Now as I believe this gospel is not of man,
but of God, I likewise believe that God in consummate wisdom has
planned the evidences by which it is and will be supported in the
world, until it fills the whole earth. 2d. As I believe that divine
wisdom has planned, ordered and directed all the means which will
finally operate as evidences in defence of the gospel, I cannot
believe that the wisdom or sagacity of man could have suggested a
chain of evidences which could so well have secured the cause to be
supported. And 3d. I have spent much time in reflecting and studying
on this momentous subject, some time in reading authors on both sides
of the question, a great deal of time in reading the scriptures, and
have come to this conclusion that no set of men ever lived in this
world that could either have planned such a scheme as the gospel, or
ever have invented such a chain of evidences for its support.

If the single miracle of the resurrection be considered, as the fact
on which all other facts relating to the gospel seem to rest, it is
confidently believed that no human invention could have concerted a
system so well calculated to secure the fact to all future
generations, as that which has been adopted by the divine economy. Had
the whole of the Jewish nation with their Gentile neighbours, together
with the Roman authorities, all confessed Christianity, being fully
convinced of the resurrection of Jesus, and had they inscribed all the
miracles recorded in the new testament on monuments which should defy
the hand of time to bring them to decay, it requires but a moment's
reflection to see that all this would have vastly increased the
difficulty now to prove that it was not all contrived by man's
invention.

But let us consider the unbelief of the Jews, the violent opposition
of that ancient priesthood, its coalition with the Roman government
against the gospel, the great jealousy which the acknowledged miracles
of Jesus had excited, the vigilance by which he was watched by his
religious enemies, the careful scrutiny employed to discover fraud in
his miracles if it were possible; and then add to these considerations
that the miracles of Jesus were publically performed, and of such a
nature as to admit of the easiest possible detection if they had not
been real: and finally to disarm unbelief at once, consider that the
ministry of the gospel was set up by the apostles, on the bold
declaration that God had raised the crucified Jesus from the dead! A
declaration, which if it had not been true, mark well, sir, could have
been as easily refuted and rendered the derision of all people as any
declaration that could have been made. But I shall lose myself, and
forget that you have not yet called my attention so directly to this
subject, as to justify my entering largely into it.

What you have said on the subject of believing in the testimony of
David, that the "Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over
all his works," also the same sentiment communicated by Jesus Christ,
that God loves his enemies and that he requires of us the same
exercise towards our enemies, though perfectly reasonable, as I view
the subject, seems to call up the question, how it happens that
thousands of professed Christians, who believe in the miracles of
Jesus, his resurrection and the miracles of the apostles, are
notwithstanding hostile to this divine and glorious sentiment of the
blessed Jesus! Being compelled, by the visible evidences of divine
goodness, seen in the rain and sunshine, they advance so far as to
acknowledge that _temporal_ favours are generally distributed, but
that God does really love the wicked, they utterly deny. Now while you
can believe this great moral truth without a miracle, Christian people
in general cannot believe it with one. You are not to suppose that I
am willing to allow that you believe this sentiment without a miracle,
though you would insinuate, that this is the case. My opinion is, that
had it not been for the miracles recorded in the new testament, the
truth of which you are disposed to call in question, you and I, if we
had existed, would have had no more light on this subject than the
rudest savage, or what is worse, the most superstitious and contracted
Christian. If you have any ground on which you can fairly refute my
opinion on this subject, I hope you will faithfully perform it; if
not, it will be expected that you will express your acquiescence. Such
is the power of natural prejudice which we know exists in the human
mind, that without a divine revelation from God, supported by the most
evident miracles, man will not extend his views of divine benevolence
scarcely beyond the rivers and mountains which environ the
circumscribed vicinity of his birth. Trace the power and operation of
this prejudice and you find it maintaining hostility against the light
of revelation itself, and it is only by slow degrees that it is
brought into submission. We reason very injudiciously when we bring
ourselves to believe, that by the light of reason we could know and
understand all the moral truths which we have been taught by
revelation; we forget that revelation has illuminated our reason and
taught it how to see and understand.--Just as well might the sprightly
youth refuse to acknowledge that its mother learned it to walk, and
ever gave it nourishment and strength to perform the exercise, and
allege that it can walk as well as she can. As well might the learned
graduate refuse the grateful honours due to his instructors, and say:
my reason, my understanding comprehend these sciences, of what use
then are these learned professors and this college institution? But
would not reason point him to the condition of those, to whom the
blessings of instruction, which, through much difficulty had given him
the light of science, had not extended? Would it not force the
comparison on his understanding, and humble him into gratitude?

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