The Improvement of Human Reason: Exhibited in the Life of Hai Ebn YokdhanIbn Tufayl, Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Malik
Islamic
The Improvement of Human Reason: Exhibited in the Life of Hai Ebn Yokdhan
Ibn Tufayl, Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Malik
Islamic philosophy -- Early works to 1800
Instruments to compleat that great Work, will then be best known when it
is come to pass. There is no Question but that he will use sufficient
means. All that I contend for is, that those which he has already
afforded, are abundantly sufficient for those who have the Happiness to
be baptized, and brought up in the Profession of the Christian Faith;
and consequently, that it is unreasonable to expect any other
Assistances, or to seek any other means of serving God, than what are
deliver'd in his Holy Word, and made use of in his Church.
Sec. 18. To return to our Argument. If these things, contended for by
Enthusiasts, were not granted either under the Jewish or Christian
Dispensation, as I hope has been sufficiently prov'd; it follows, _a
majori,_ that those who are depriv'd of those Advantages, which both
Jews and Christians enjoy'd cannot have them: And therefore in vain do
we search for Persons so endow'd amongst _Mahometans_ or _Heathens._ For
without any Breach of Charity, in respect to those Persons, who never
were so happy as to have the Gospel preach'd to them; we may assure our
selves, that they do not enjoy equal Privileges with us, who by our
Baptism have a foederal Right to all those Assistances of the Holy
Spirit promis'd to the Church in the Holy Scriptures. And yet there
would not be much difference, if by their diligently adhering to any
Principle or Light, which God has bestow'd upon Mankind in general, they
might attain to true saving Knowledge. And for this Reason, our Author,
who was himself a _Mahometan,_ seems as little to have consulted the
Honour of his Prophet _Mahomet_, and the necessity of believing his
Doctrine, in feigning a Person brought up by himself, to have by his
Application and Industry attain'd to the Knowledge of all things
reveal'd to that suppos'd Prophet, as our Enthusiasts do value the Means
which God has always us'd to convey his Will to Mankind[45]. Whilst out
of a groundless Charity, they do in a manner put all Men upon the Level,
as to the Means of Salvation. Which Opinion of theirs, however plausible
at first sight, upon the account of that specious Shew of Universal
Charity to Mankind, does most certainly tend to the undervaluing and
lessening those inestimable Benefits which our Blessed Saviour has
purchas'd for, and promis'd to his Church; and ought no more to be
receiv'd, than that charitable Opinion of _Origen_'s who believ'd that
after a certain time of Punishment, not only the wickedest of Men, but
also the Devils themselves should be laved.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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