Reason, the Only Oracle of Man; Or, A Compendius System of Natural Religion — John Shaqi
Reason, the Only Oracle of Man; Or, A Compendius System of Natural ReligionAllen, Ethan
Religion
Reason, the Only Oracle of Man; Or, A Compendius System of Natural Religion
Allen, Ethan
Rationalism
Nothing can be more unreasonable than to suppose, because God is
infinitely powerful, that he can therefore inspire or infuse perception,
reflection or revelation into the mind of man in such a way or manner
as is incompatible with the aptitudes and powers of their nature: such
a revelation would be as impossible to be revealed by God, as by a mere
creature. For though it is a maxim of truth, "That with God all things
are possible," yet it should be considered, that contradictions, and
consequently impossibilities are not comprehended in the definition of
things, but are diametrically the reverse of them, as may be seen in
the definition of the word things, to wit: "whatever is." There is no
contradiction in nature or truth, which comprehends or contains all
things, therefore the maxim is just, "That with God all things are
possible," viz: all things in nature are possible with God; but
contradictions are falsehoods which have no positive existence, but are
the negatives to things, or to nature, which comprehends, "Whatever
is;" so that contradictions are opposed to nature and truth, and are
no things, but the chimeras of weak, unintelligent minds who make false
application of things to persons, or ascribe such powers, qualities,
dispositions and aptitudes to things as nature never invested them with;
such are our deluded notions of the immediate operations of the
holy spirit, or of any mere spirit, on our minds independent of the
intervention of some adequate, natural or intermediate cause. To make
a triangle four square, or to make a variety of mountains contiguously
situated, without vallies, or to give existence to a thing and not
to give existence to it at the same time, or to reveal anything to
us incompatible with our capacity of receiving the perception of it,
pertains to those negatives to nature and truth, and are not things
revealed, nor have they any positive existence as has been before
argued; for they are inconsistent with themselves, and the relations
and effects which they are supposed to have upon and with each other. It
derogates nothing from the power and absolute perfection of God that he
cannot make both parts of a contradiction to be true.
But let us reverse the position concerning revelation, and premise that
it is accommodated to our capacity of receiving and understanding it,
and in this case it would be natural, and therefore possible for us to
receive and understand it; for the same truth which is predicated on
the sufficiency of our capacity to receive and understand a revelation,
affirms at the same time the possibility of our receiving and
understanding it. But to suppose that God can make both parts of a
contradiction to be true, to reveal and not reveal, would be the same as
ascribing a falsehood to him and to call it by the name of power.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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