tempt, or ridicule, or any thing that borders upon light ness. 7. If this does not satisfy them, if they will yet indulge the vain dream that the rejection of Christianity makes them philosophers, and brings them into the society of great minds, we have one farther request to make of them. It is, that they will compare themselves and the leaders of modern scepticism, with such men as Pascal, Grotius, Blackstone, Seldon, Melmoth, Lardner, Priestley, Brown, Boerhave, Addison, Johnson, Whiston, Euler, Ferguson, Bacon, Locke, Boyle, John Kepler, Sir Humphrey Davy, Sir Isaac Newton, and a host of others of the same class. These are men than whom no greater ever lived, men whose names will be honored as long as learning, science, and philosophy shall have being; yet these were all modest and humble believers in the religion of Jesus of Nazareth. We desire the young men of whom we speak, to pause a moment here, and contrast themselves with these giant minds, and then, if they will, talk about philosophy, and the credulity and weakness of Christians. 8. A few words farther, and we have done. As has been already observed, there is reason to believe that a large proportion of the Infidels of the present day, are so, not because they know, but because they do not know, because they are ignorant of the merits of the great question at issue. And we do verily believe that any man of a candid mind, who will come calmly to the examination of the evidences for Christianity, and will go through the examination uninfluenced by hostility or prejudice-we do believe, that that man will fearlessly into the whirlpool of Infidelity, while lesser minds tremble even to approach the brink. They flatter themselves that they are looked up to by the multitude as men of courage and sense. 6. But we would assure these young men, in friendly language, that they mistake. Scepticism is not philosophy, nor is unbelief any evidence of knowledge or of superior strength of mind. There is a wide difference between the two, and it is a difference well deserving their attention. The gaping crowd may wonder to hear them treat with levity, things that other men have been wont to regard as sacred-those of like spirit with themselves may call it Philosophy-but they may be satisfied that men of calm and sober judgment will look upon their conduct with feelings very wide from these. The pretensions of Christianity, whether true or false, are of too serious a nature to be trifled with. The existence of a supreme and all-ruling Intelligence-his character and government-whether we are his offspring or friendless orphans in the broad waste of the worldwhether we live for to-day only, and then go down forever in darkness and nothingness, or whether there is beyond this an existence of endless advancement, and glory, and happiness-these are questions concerning which poor human nature can never cheat itself into indifference, and they are questions, which no man of reflection, which no philosopher, will approach but with sober thought. And those young men do sadly mistake the nature of true philosophy, and the character of a great mind, who think to give evidence of possessing either, by treating these momentous subjects with con tempt, or ridicule, or any thing that borders upon light ness. 7. If this does not satisfy them, if they will yet indulge the vain dream that the rejection of Christianity makes them philosophers, and brings them into the society of great minds, we have one farther request to make of them. It is, that they will compare themselves and the leaders of modern scepticism, with such men as Pascal, Grotius, Blackstone, Seldon, Melmoth, Lardner, Priestley, Brown, Boerhave, Addison, Johnson, Whiston, Euler, Ferguson, Bacon, Locke, Boyle, John Kepler, Sir Humphrey Davy, Sir Isaac Newton, and a host of others of the same class. These are men than whom no greater ever lived, men whose names will be honored as long as learning, science, and philosophy shall have being; yet these were all modest and humble believers in the religion of Jesus of Nazareth. We desire the young men of whom we speak, to pause a moment here, and contrast themselves with these giant minds, and then, if they will, talk about philosophy, and the credulity and weakness of Christians. 8. A few words farther, and we have done. As has been already observed, there is reason to believe that a large proportion of the Infidels of the present day, are so, not because they know, but because they do not know, because they are ignorant of the merits of the great question at issue. And we do verily believe that any man of a candid mind, who will come calmly to the examination of the evidences for Christianity, and will go through the examination uninfluenced by hostility or prejudice we do believe, that that man will rise from the finished task a Christian. If there are those who choose to scoff, rather than make this investigation, we would say to them, in the words of another, "It becomes you to consider, with great seriousness and attention, whether it can be for your interest to esteem a few witty sarcasms, or metaphysical subtleties, or ignorant misrepresentations, or unwarranted assertions, as unanswerable arguments against revelation; and a very slight reflection will convince you, that it will certainly be for your reputation, to employ the flippancy of your rhetoric, and the poignancy of your ridicule, upon any subject, rather than upon the subject of religion." 9. In closing, we urge every unbeliever to make the investigation for himself: we are far from wishing any one to trust the word of Christians for the truth of their religion. We wish all to examine it, to sift it to the bottom, and not to hold it unless they find it good. If the present volume shall lead any to enter into such an examination, its object will have been gained. CHAPTER I. THE EXISTENCE OF GOD.-OBJECTIONS. SECTION I. AN EXAMINATION OF THE ARGUMENT AGAINST THE EXISTENCE OF A SUPREME INTELLIGENCE, FOUNDED UPON THE LAWS OF NATURE. 1. As the existence of a Supreme Intelligence lies at the very base of Christianity, and as all attempts to establish the truth of the latter, without having first established the truth of the former, would be regarded by the unbeliever as premature and vain; we shall therefore make this the starting point in our observations. It may seem, perhaps, to some a work of supererogation, to enter upon the discussion of a question which is regarded, by not a few, as having only one side; but our answer is found partly in what has just been stated, that the truth of this is the foundation on which the Christian system must rest, and partly in the fact, that, however strange it may appear for reasonable beings to deny the existence of God, surrounded as they are with the innumerable witnesses of this truth, it must nevertheless be |