Reason and Faith; Their Claims and Conflicts eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 107 pages of information about Reason and Faith; Their Claims and Conflicts.

Reason and Faith; Their Claims and Conflicts eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 107 pages of information about Reason and Faith; Their Claims and Conflicts.
Peculiarities of the Christian Religion’) to the perusal of our readers, and at the same time venture to express our conviction (having been led by the circumstances above mentioned to a fuller acquaintance with his Grace’s theological writings than we had previously possessed) that, though this lucid and eloquent writer may, for obvious reasons, be most widely known by his ’Logic and ‘Rhetoric,’ the time will come when his Theological works will be, if not more widely read, still more highly prized.  To great powers of argument and illustration, and delightful transparency of diction and style, he adds a higher quality still—­and a very rare quality it is—­an evident and intense honesty of purpose, an absorbing desire to arrive at the exact truth, and to state it with perfect fairness and with the just limitations.  Without pretending to agree with all that Archbishop Whately has written on the subject of theology (though be carries his readers with him as frequently as any writer with whom we are acquainted) we may remark that in relation to that whole class of subjects, to which the present essay has reference, we know of no writer of the present day whose contributions are more numerous or more valuable.  The highly ingenious ironical brochure, entitled ’Historic Doubts relative to Napoleon Buonaparte;’ the Essays above mentioned, ’On some of the Peculiarities of the Christian Religion;’ those ’On some of the Dangers to Christian Faith,’ and on the ‘Errors of Romanism;’ the work on the ‘Kingdom of Christ,’ not to mention others, are well worthy of universal perusal.  They abound in views both original and just, stated with all the author’s aptness of illustration and transparency of language.  We may remark, too, that in many of his occasional sermons, he has incidentally added many most beautiful fragments to that ever accumulating mass of internal evidence which the Scriptures themselves supply in their very structure, and which is evolved by diligent investigation of the relation and coherence of one part of them with another.  We are also rejoiced to see that a small and unpretending, but very powerful, little tract, by the same writer, entitled ’Introductory Lessons on Christian Evidences.’ has passed through many editions, has been translated into most of the European languages, and, amongst the rest, very recently into German, with an appropriate preface, by professor Abeltzhauser, of the University of Dublin.  It shows to demonstration that as much of the evidence of Christianity as is necessary for conviction may be made perfectly clear to the meanest capacity’ and that, in spite of the assertions of Rome and of Oxford to the contrary, the apostolic injunction to every Christian to be ready to render a reason ’for the hope that is in him,’—­somewhat better than that no reason of the Hindoo or the Hottentot, that he believes what he is told, without any reason except that he is told it,—­is an injunction possible to obey. ____

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Reason and Faith; Their Claims and Conflicts from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.