A Series of Letters, in Defence of Divine Revelation: In Reply to Rev. Abner Kneeland's Serious Inquiry into the Authenticity of the Same. To Which is Added, a Religious Correspondence, Between the Rev. Hosea Ballou, and the Rev. Dr. Joseph Buckminster and Rev. Joseph Walton, Pastors of Congregational Churches in Portsmouth, N. H.Ballou, Hosea
Religion
A Series of Letters, in Defence of Divine Revelation: In Reply to Rev. Abner Kneeland's Serious Inquiry into the Authenticity of the Same. To Which is Added, a Religious Correspondence, Between the Rev. Hosea Ballou, and the Rev. Dr. Joseph Buckminster and Rev. Joseph Walton, Pastors of Congregational Churches in Portsmouth, N. H.
Ballou, Hosea
Revelation; Universalism -- Doctrines
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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