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
My meaning, sir, however, was not very extensive. It was to say, as in
a familiar conversation, I might express myself as follows: Brother,
if we disprove the religion of Jesus Christ, that is, if we give up
our present belief, there is no other religion, that we have heard of,
that can have the least claim to our belief. Judaism, Paganism,
Mahomedanism, could neither of them have any claims; nor in fact could
what people call Deism, or the belief in one God. If you say there is
certainly demonstrated in the very nature of things an eternal
unchangeable principle or law which governs all things; I will answer,
I am surprised to hear a rational being, who cannot remember
forty-five of our short years, and knows not that he shall live in the
world another hour, talk about eternal things, use great swelling
words of vanity about unchangeability, and yet deny that God has made
a revelation to man! I am really of the sentiment expressed by him who
is justly styled the light of the world, who said "No man knoweth the
Father save the Son, and he to whom the Son revealeth him."
5th. You seem to inquire whether Jesus and his apostles might not be
honest men; and yet their testimony, concerning a future state be
erroneous. Answer, this case comes into the same argument as the case
of the prophets, to which attention has been paid. We have no more
reason to believe that Jesus and his apostles were honest men, than we
have to believe that they pretended to divine inspiration, and to the
power of working many very astonishing miracles. It does not appear
reasonable to suppose that these servants of God, thought they could,
and did heal the sick and raise the dead, when in fact they could do
no such thing. Therefore, if they pretended to do such things and did
them not, they were all impostors, and surely deserve no better
appellation. Now if I can bring to your mind my inference, it is this.
God would not endue Jesus Christ and his apostles with power to work
miracles, by which the attention of the people would be drawn to them
and by which they would naturally be led to place confidence in their
testimony, and yet leave them in the dark concerning those things of
which they speak to the people.
What you say on this subject, indicates that you did not understand me
to infer the validity of the apostles' testimony concerning a future
state, from any higher authority than their simple honesty unconnected
with the other part of the argument, which was as plainly set forth in
my former communication as you will now find it in this.
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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