447 Conclusion. PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. IN the preceding DICTIONARY, the Reader has been presented with a painful representation of the discordant opinions of mankind, which a certain Writer properly enough stiles, "wanderings of the human intellect." We here view the mind of man in the ruins of the Fall; and while the infinite variety of sentiment shews the fertility of his invention, the degraded character of many of these sentiments proves also, that the "imagination of man's heart" is now only evil, and that continually. This history of error, however, contrasted with revealed truth, may afford a variety of reflections, calculated to give to this subject a practical improvement, without which our inquiries would end in mere amusement, and gratify only an idle curiosity; whereas our object is, by the display of error, to lead to useful and important truth.-Let us, then, remark, 1. We here see the ne plus ultra of human reason, without the aid of divine revelation, in the early ages of mankind. It is indeed plain enough, that even now reason, unperverted, will lead the creature to his Creator; that is, it shews the necessity of a first cause, and the existence of a Supreme Being; but when questioned as to his character and perfections, Reason hesitates; and to that most important inquiry, How can "a just God" be also "a Saviour?" she is silent. How much farther she might have gone before the Fall, it is now useless to inquire. We can go no farther back than our historic records lead us. "Let us," however, as Job says, "inquire of the former ages." If we go to Pythagoras, he speaks of God as "a universal soul," animating the frame of nature; from which every human soul is a spark, that, after it expires from the mortal frame, inhabits successively a variety of animals, till at length it returns to God, and is absorbed in the divine nature. This is, perhaps, the most sublime, as it is certainly the most universal, system in the Pagan world. And what was the sum of his morality?—To eat no animal food! Cicero, the great Roman philosopher and prince of orators, who was famous throughout the learned world for his inquiries after truth, and investigations into the nature of man, his moral faculties, and future expectations, gives us the sum of all the knowledge that could be acquired without revelation. In his Tuscular Questions, [lib. i.] he confesses, when speaking of the soul, that whether it were mortal or immortal, God only knew. He devoutly wished that the immortality of the soul could be proved to him. So that with all his knowledge, and after all his researches, he was not able to determine a fact, on which the whole happiness of the rational creature for time and eternity must depend. To come down to modern times, What was the result of all the studies of the French Academy?—of the genius of Voltaire, and the learning of D'Alembert? That there is no God, and no future state: and that death is nothing but an everlasting sleep! Thus philosophy of the highest order, leaves man" without God" in this world, and "without hope" in the next. 2. The mind of man, ever active, though often vainly employed, when it loses truth, is ever inventive of error. When it forgets the knowledge of the true God, it invents a thousand, yea, a thousand thousands of idols. Varro tells us that the Romans had 30,000 gods; and Mr. Ward assures us that the Hindoos have 330 millions. [Ward's Hindoo, vol. i. pp. 1, 2.] Yet the one Supreme God is not in all their thoughts; not a single temple is reared to his honour through all Hindostan; but every object that nature exhibits, or imagination can conceive, becomes the idol of their superstition. Having lost the doctrine of a future state of rewards and punishments, the early philosophers fled to the Metempsychosis, and held out the flattering hope, that the soul of the good man may, after death, pass into the body of an ox, or a horse, instead of some more despised and unworthy animal. 3. This, however, is not the fault of human reason, considered as the gift of God. Idolatry and superstition are not rational; nor, indeed, is any error in religion founded upon sound principles of reasoning. That our reason is depraved, as well as the other powers of the mind, is daily evidenced by the conduct of mankind, and the grounds of that conduct. The general preference of the body to the soul, and of time to eternity, sufficiently demonstrates this. It is also of high importance to ascertain the proper province of human reason. In secular affairs this is undisputed. In higher concerns, it is the office of Reason to lead us from effects to causes, and through all these to the great First Cause. As it respects Revelation, it is the office of Reason to examine its evidences, the credentials of prophecy or of miracles; but these ascertained, it is not the office of Reason to question truths thus sanctioned or supported. Those doctrines may be such as Reason never could have discovered; or, when revealed, never can fully comprehend: a fact this, so far from incredible, that it is difficult, if not impossible, to name any subject that man can fully comprehend. Those are not the true friends of either Reason or Revelation, who attempt to set them at variance with each other. 4. It is, however, to be feared-or rather to be hoped, in some cases that many of the "wanderings of human intellect" are to be attributed to the weakness or disorder of that intellect; it would be otherwise difficult to account for various extravagances of the antient and modern system-makers. The minds of some persons are, we know, so weak, that it is difficult, if not impossible, for them to acquire the very elements of knowledge, so as to make the easiest calculations, or to comprehend the simplest arguments. Such persons may be, notwithstanding, the subjects of a work of grace; and, while appearing to the world little more than idiots in its concerns, such have sometimes acquired an extensive knowledge of the Scripturesa deep acquaintance with their own depravity—and a sound experience in religion. On the other hand, when persons of this character have been tempted into the field of religious speculation, they have imbibed the crudest notions, and the wildest theories that can be conceived. In other persons there is an eccentricity which cannot be considered as the effect of weakness, for it is often connected with no common degree of acuteness; but it arises from a love of singularity, or of novelty, which leads them to view every subject in a peculiar light; as the jaundiced eye gives its own colour to every object which it beholds. There are cases, indeed, in which there can be no doubt but that absolute and excusable derangement of the human intellect, has connected itself with theories of religion, and systems of superstition. If a gentleman, as is reported of Baron Swedenborg, in walking through Cheapside, thinks that he sees Moses and Elias, and stops to bow to them, it is surely no breach of Christian charity to consider him as under temporary derangement, however learned and intelligent he may appear on other subjects, and at other times. . 5. Christianity is the only scheme of religion that gives consistent and honourable views of God; or affords to man adequate and substantial comfort in the present life. Let us compare it with other religions, so called. With Judaism it is unnecessary to make the comparison, because we consider them essentially the same religion, differing chiefly on the question of the Messiah being expected, or already come. But compare Christianity with Paganism, in any of its forms: whether we advert to "the elegant mythology of Greece and Rome," or to the more complicated systems of Fo and Brahma; as exhibited to the vulgar, they are gross idolatry; as submitted to the initiated, they are full of Atheism-as has already been repeatedly observed in the course of the Dictionary, particularly under the articles Exoteric and Fo. Dr. Franklin,-who, though a sceptic at times, was never insensible to the value of true religion,-Dr. F. observes, that "the first part of piety is to form right notions of God, as the Greatest, Wisest, and Best of Beings. All men, who are capable of reflection, must be sensible that this is a matter of infinite importance: for if our opinions concerning him are erroneous, our sentiments of the duty which we owe him must be so too, and our whole moral nature must be perverted."* It is neither necessary nor possible here to enter at any length into the scripture character of God: it may be sufficient to remark, that the Sacred Writers uniformly represent the great JEHOVAH as spiritual in his nature, infinite in his being, absolute in his authority; possessing and displaying in all his works infinite power and wisdom, and in all his conduct perfect justice and benevolence. Attributes these, which form a glory round the character of the true God, of which the advocates of false and fictitious Deities never could conceive. Nor is Christianity more honourable to God, than it is consolatory to man; who, though he may tremble at the majesty of his Creator and Judge, cannot but rejoice, with all his trembling, in the harmonious display of the Divine attributes in the scheme of man's redemption, where "Mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other."+ That the Judge of all the earth can do no wrong that he takes no pleasure in the misery of his creatures, but delights in shewing mercy-these are views highly calculated to encourage under despondency, to support under affliction, in all the varied forms of it to which humanity is subject: but the doctrine of a future state of gratuitous rewards and everlasting happiness, is the grand distinguishing principle, which raises Christianity above all comparison with the schemes of philosophers or priests, whether of antient or of modern times. They indeed attempted to teach men how to live, but this teaches us how to die. They held out the probability (and Cicero could go no farther) of another state of existence; but this "hath brought life and immortality to light"-or, as the original imports-" exhibited them in all their splendourt." And this state of immortality, as revealed in the New Testament, is as much superior to the future state, of which Paganism holds out the vague expectancy, as is the scripture character of JEHOVAH superior to the Jupiter of Homer. It is indeed in the article of death that the superiority of Christianity is most conspicuous; and here we need not appeal to those instances, in which it is most eminently triumphant. A variety of circumstances, arising either from natural temper, from the nature of the disorder, or surrounding circumstances, may prevent such extacies of enjoyment; but where there is "a good hope through grace," it is enough, and often more satisfactory to judicious friends. How striking the contrast between the deaths of good men and of infidels, has been often shewn, and cannot be disputed.§ But it is not only from the cases of individual happiness that we may infer the superiority of the Christian religion; we may observe it also in its effects upon society, and upon the world at large, as must * Franklin's Priv. Corr. vol. i. p. 116. + Psalm lxxxv. 10. § See Murray's Power of Religion. be most evident in the Sketches of "Missionary Geography," which precede these Reflections. It is true, that every country in Christendom furnishes matter of mournful reflection, arising from demoralization; but this demoralization is occasioned by Christianity not having obtained its full and proper effect, as may be seen from comparing countries, where pure Christianity is more and less prevalentas England and Spain, or even Scotland and Ireland. But the state of the worst of these must be admitted to be far preferable to the state of society in New Zealand, or in North-West Africa, where the slave-trade prevails. But, perhaps, we can nowhere find clearer evidence of the genuine effects of Christianity, than in countries submitting to the instruction of Protestant Missionaries. If we look to the Georgian Islands, Otaheite, &c., but a very few years since, they were idolaters and murderers and cannibals; and to such a degree had vice and the war-spirit prevailed, that they were in danger of being annihilated: Look at them now; and though we do not flatter ourselves that they are all converted, yet we see an alteration both in respect to morals and to happiness, which, if any missionary had ventured to foretell, he would have been branded as insane. This change has spread, and is spreading, rapidly through the islands of the Southern Ocean; and we despair not of its taking place even in New Zealand. Look again at India, and notwithstanding all the ravings of the Abbé Dubois*, do we see no change? Notwithstanding the alleged impossibility of converting a Hindoo, we find there are Brahmins of the highest rank, as well as natives of other castes, to the number of fifty, engaged in preaching the doctrine of the Cross; and more than 600 converts have been baptized by the Serampore Missionaries only. But even if this were not the case, the effects of missionary influence on the Europeans in British India, would afford a rich reward for their exertions: for there a great moral change has taken place among all classes, from the highest to the lowest.† Here then we have an argument in favour of Christianity, which bids defiance to the subtleties of sophistry, and puts to scorn the ridicule of wit. We say nothing now of miracles or prophecy-we argue not about the authenticity of Jewish or Christian records; but we simply ask, Can that be a false religion, which conveys so just and honourable ideas of the Divine Being? Can that be a bad religion, which always, in exact proportion to its prevalence, makes its converts good and happy? Surely if this religion be a falsehood, we may say, with Burns, "What truth on earth so precious as the lie?" "My idle reasonings," says the poet, "sometimes make me a little sceptical; but the necessities of my heart always give the cold philosophizings the lie."+ * The Abbé Dubois, weary of his office as a Catholic missionary, and finding it impracticable to convert the Hindoos to Popery, argues hence, the utter impossibility of their being converted to the Protestant religion. Letters on the State of Christianity in India. 1823. + See Ward's Farewell Letters, Let. XIV. Burns' Letters, No. LIV. |