Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers: Reprinted From an English Work, Entitled "Half-Hours With The Freethinkers."Bradlaugh, Charles
Religion
Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers: Reprinted From an English Work, Entitled "Half-Hours With The Freethinkers."
Bradlaugh, Charles
Rationalists -- Biography
Tindal was a solid, rather than a brilliant writer: but he perfectly
knew what he was about; and the work from which we quote, was well
conceived and carefully executed. His ground was skilfully chosen, his
arguments were placed on an eminence where his friends could see them,
and where his enemies could not assail them. Dr. Leland, in his view of
Deistical writers, is quite in a rage with him, because he discredits
Book Revelation, to set up Nature's Revelation. His real offence
was, that he did prove that Nature was the only source of truth and
reason--the criterion by which even Divine Revelation must be judged.
He carried men back to the gospel of nature, by the side of which the
gospel of the Jewish fishermen did not show to advantage. Tindal did
put something in the place of that which he was supposed desirous
of removing. How unwilling Christians of that day were to admit of
improvement in religion, is shown by the number of attacks Tindal's work
sustained. The Bishop of London published a "Second Pastoral Letter"
against it; Dr. Thomas Burnet "confuted" it; Mr. Law "fully" answered
it; Dr. Stebbing "obviated the principal objections" in it. "The same
learned and judicious writer," observes Leland, a second time entered
the lists, in "answer to the fourteenth chapter of a book, entitled
'Christianity as Old as the Creation.'" Mr. Balgny issued a "Second
Letter to a Deist," occasioned by Tindal's work. Mr. Anthony O'Key gave
a short view of the whole controversy. Dr. Foreter, Dr. John Conybeare,
"particularly engaged public attention" as Dr. Tindal's antagonists.
Mr. Simon Brown produced a "solid and excellent" answer; and Dr. Leland,
with many blushes, tells us that he himself issued in Dublin, in 1773,
two volumes, taking a wider compass than the other answers.
"Christianity as Old as the Creation" is a work which Freethinkers may
yet consult with advantage, as a repertory of authorities no longer
accessible to the readers of this generation. What these authorities
allege will be found to have intrinsic value, to be indeed lasting
testimonies in favor of Rationalism. In passing in review the noble
truths, Tindal insists that it is impossible not to wonder at the
policy, or rather want of policy displayed by Christians. Tindal is an
author whom they might be proud of, if they were really in love with
reason. Tindal's opponents have shown how instinctively the children of
faith distrust the truths of Nature. After all the "refutations," and
"confutations" and answers made to the great Deist, Tin-dal's work
has maintained its ground, and the truths he so ably and spiritedly
vindicated, have spread wider since and taken deeper root.
J. W.
DAVID HUME
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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