Letters to a friend, on the evidences, doctrines, and duties of the Christian religion

Front matter

Glass BT i/O L Book. ■Qr'g

LETTERS TO A FRIEND

EVIDENCES, DOCTRINES, AND DUTIES

Preface

LETTER

PAGE

I. On the folly and absurdity of Deism * l3

II. On the necessity of a revelation of the will of God . . 27

III. On the opinions of the heathens, their legislators, poets

and philosophers, relative to God, to moral duty, and a future state ...

IV. On the probability that there should be mysteries in a re-

vealed religion .

V. On the genuineness and authenticity of the Scriptures . . 74

VI. On the evidence deducible from the prophecies . . ll8

VII. On the evidence deduced from miracles ; and on the credi-

bility of human testimony ... 14n

VIII. On the resurrection of Jesus Christ . ,,,

lov

IX. Evidence drawn from the rapid diffusion of Christianity, and

its triumph over persecution; also from the purity and excellency of the scripture morality and theology . . , 37

X. On the inspiration of Scripture ... o™ XI On some of the most plausible objections urged against the

truth and Divine authority of the Scriptures . ' oon

LETTER PAGE

XII. On tne leading doctrines of the christian religion . . 245

XIII. On the fall of man and the depravity of human nature . 260

XIV. On the atonement for sin, by the death of Jesus Christ . 275

XV. On the Divinity of Jesus Christ . . . . .302

XVI. On the nature of conversion, and its necessity . . 334

XVII. On the influence of the Spirit 360

XVIII. On Justification by Faith . . . . - . 382

XIX. On Provfdence 397

XX. On the resurrection of the Body ' . . . . . 418

XXI. On eternal existence after death . . • . .431

XXII. On christian duties ........ 455

PREFACE.

The history of the work now presented *to the public may be given in very few words. It originated in a series of conversations with a friend much younger than myself, who had a considerable acquaintance with almost all except religious subjects. He expressed much surprise that a person of my habits and pursuits in other respects should adopt the religious notions I had long entertained, or indeed be solicitous about any religious opinions whatever ; and I endeavored to assign the reasons which led me to embrace them, and to consider such topics as of the first importance.

After a short time we were so far separated as to have much fewer opportunities of personal intercourse: and 1 in consequence became induced to carry on the momentous inquiry we had previously commenced, by letter. Pursuant to this intention, the first eleven letters were actually written ; they were read in manuscript by my friend; and, as I have reason to believe, were not unproductive of benefit. Having proceeded thus far, a growing particularity of inquiry was produced on the one side, and a gradual extension of plan on the other ; and thus, after many interruptions, and in the midst of numerous avocations of a very different kind,«the work has bocome what it now is.

I had not, however, proceeded half way in the execution of my plan before it occurred to me, that what I first intended for private use might be beneficial to others in circumstances analogous to those of my frien 1 ; and I re collected that whatever I might publish on the subject of religion would at least have the advantage of appearing disinterested, as it proceeded from the pen of a layman. It is, I am aware, extremely ridiculous for those who adopt the prescriptions of their physicians, and act upon the advice of their lawyers, although they are professional, to object to defences of Christianity from the pens of clergymen because they are professional; yet, absurd and uncandid as the objection is, it is often advanced: it is therefore proper to meet it; and at times to show that there are those who cannot on such occasions be actuated by any love of worldly applause, or any thirst after emolument, but who feel sufficiently interested about religion, and are sufficiently convinced of its powerful tendency to improve the conduct of individuals and to augment the general stock of happiness, to step for a little while out of their more appropriate province to plead its cause. Such defenders of revealed religion there have been in all ages ; yet they have not been so numerous as to render it improper or indecorous to increase their number : especially as the old prejudice still continues to operate with unabated energy; and there are many persons from whom the claims of Christianity receive a more respectful attention when they are urged by one who is neither " a clergyman" nor, a " methodist."

There hav# long existed several valuable essays on the Evidences of Christianity ; and we now possess, in the English language especially, the treatise of Dr. Paiey, which all christians consider as an honor to our age and nation. Had a luminous statement of the Historical Evidences been all that was aimed at or required, I should at once kave referred my friend to Dr. Paley's as a standard, and, I believe, unanswerable work ; and never have troubled either him or the public with any remarks'of mine on the subject of religion. But it is very possible, and indeed very common, for men to be christians in name and theory, and infidels in practice; to profess abelief in Christ, and in heart to deny him ; to acknowledge him as Messiah, and to refuse to obey him as king ; to avow the warmest admiration of the New Testament, and to despise and ridicule every thing in it which is characteristic and peculiar, and which constitutes it a summary of that " truth " which alone " can make us free " from the dominion of sin and from the punishment due to it. This I consider as the most striking and lamentable error of the present times ; and it is, therefore, the more remarkable that such an error should not have been frequently and pointedly exposed. To adopt the language of an admirable living writer — "While the outworks of the sanctuary have been defended with the utmost ability, its interior has been too much neglected, and the fire upon the altar suffered to languish and decay. The truths and mysteries which distinguish the christian from all other religions have been little attended to by some, totally denied by others ; and while infinite efforts have been made, by the utmost subtlety of argumentation, to establish the truth and authenticity of revelation, few have been exerted in comparison to show what it really contains."

Now the deficiency here adverted to is that which I have endeavored to supply. I have attempted to exhibit in small compass a view not merely of the Evidences, but of the distinguishing doctrines and principal binding duties of the christian religion. I have endeavored to show that Christianity is not so contemptible and bungling a fraud as some infidels have represented it to be ; and to point out at the same time many palpable and enormous absurdities into which infidelity precipitates its votaries. But this I reckon the least important part of my undertaking, though I humbly hope it may have its uses. The facts of Christianity are only, so far momentous as the doctrines are momentous which are suspended upon them. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ would be no more to us (I mention it with reverence) than the death of Socrates, were it not that.he suffered as a sacrifice for sin ; and his resurrection of no more importance to us than the emancipation of a butterfly from its chrysalis, were it not for the assurance that even as he has risen so shall all his faithful followers. I have, therefore, entered pretty much at large into the establishment and defence of the leading doctrines which distinguish Christianity from all other religious systems. In the choice of these I have kept almost entirely out of sight many of the questions which have long divided and still continue to agitate the christian world. The truth is, that I cannot bring myself to attach much importance to any question which is not obviously favorable or unfavorable in its moral tendencies, or which does not appear to me fundamental ; that is, which does not in some way affect the grand doctrine of man's redemption through the crucifixion of " the Son of God." With all christians who in this respect "hold the head," and live conformably to thn doctrine they profess, however they may be separated upon minor topics, I am anxious to maintain, and long to see universally prevail, " the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace."

Iii accomplishing the objects proposed I have not aimed at elaborate composition, or the elegancies of style ; believing that if my professional employments did not tend greatly to render success in such an attempt improbable, my real inability to dazzle by splendid imagery and profuse embellishment would. I have endeavored to reason clearly and fairly ; have availed myself of every argument I have met with in other authors that was applicable to my purpose ; have endeavored to compress them into small space ; and have further had occasional recourse to some arguments which it is probable would not readily present themselves to any one who was not moderately conversant with scientific topics : these, it may be added, were frequently suggested by the consideration that the gentleman for whose use the letters were originally written had successfully engaged in scientific pursuits.

I know not whether it may be necessary to apologize for the frequency and extent of my quotations from Scripture, especially in the last eleven letters. Let it be recollected that the main object of those letters is to teach the doctrines of Scripture ; that is, to show what they are, to exhibit them faithfully : and to effect this without being allowed to cite the language of Scripture, would be, as Mr. Boyle long ago remarked, " to challenge a man to a duel, and oblige him not to make use of his best weapons ; or to compel him to prove the torrid zone habitable, and not to make use of the testimony of navigators." Besides, the maxim of Chillingworth, though old, has not yet been proved absurd; namely, "that we cannot speak of the things of God better than in the words of God."

I would fain hope that my numerous references to 1* other authors, or quotations from them, will not be ascribed to a desire to make a parade of extensive reading. My acquaintance with the works of other writers, and especially on the subject of religion, is, in truth, far less than it ought to be ; and my object in such frequent references and extracts has been either to direct the attention of young men of reading to standard works on topics which my plan would not allow me to treat so fully as I wished, or to confirm and fortify my own sentiments by the authority of many whom the world in general consider as learned, wise, and, therefore, highly worthy of regard.

Lastly, I beg to remark that I hope and trust the free dom of my occasional animadversions upon theologians from whom I differ on the several topics discussed in these letters, has in no instance arisen from contempt of them or their opinions, from uncandid interpretations of their language, or from unworthy personal feeling. My business has been to attempt to refute sentiments whicl E deem erroneous and dangerous, as well as to estab lish those which to me appear true and beneficial. I. is possible, I am persuaded, to feel the strongest conviction of the errors certain men may hold, without cherishing a particle of ill-will against those who hold them. And surely it is perfectly fair and perfectly candid, when theologians of a certain class endeavor to divest Christianity of almost every thing which (as I conceive) is peculiar to it, pride themselves upon the skill and dexterity with which they effect this, and triumph over what they denominate the irrational and contracted tenets of others : to turn the tables upon them, and to show that their system is clogged with its full load of absurdities and contradictions, — that their mode of translation, if adopted

PREFACE. J

universally, would rob the New Testament of its whole spirit, energy, and perspicuity, — and that by stripping the christian system of its peculiarities, they deprive it of neariv all which renders it of consequence whether a man be a believer or an unbeliever. Under the influence of these sentiments, I shall conclude by adopting the language of Dr. Jortin on another occasion : the following disquisitions H are designed, slight and imperfect as they are, for the service of Truth, by one who would be glad to attend and grace her triumphs : as her soldier, if he has had the honor to serve successfully under her banner : or, as her captive, tied to her chariot wheels, if he has, though undesignedly, committed any offence against her."

Olinthus Gregory.

October 11, 1811.

P. S. That a new edition of this work should again be required, is a circumstance which calls for my most grateful acknowledgments, at the same time that it has stimulated me to give the whole a very careful revisal, that it may be rendered more worthy of public favor. I cannot but be highly gratified that my labors on the most interesting of all subjects should have been so favorably received ; and still more to learn that in various instances they have been the means of convincing persons, especially young men devoted to two of the learned professions, (medicine and law,) that " with the talents of an angel a man may be a fool," in the worst sense of the word, unless he be " wise unto salvation." Some have already been reclaimed from the regions of infidelity, and still more from

Socinianism, by the blessing of God upon an attentive perusal of these " Letters." I had no other object in theii publication ; and can most sincerely declare that I wish them no longer to meet with encouragement, than while they shall be useful in instilling into the minds and hearts of others the essential, immutable principles which have always been found to work most efficaciously towards the renovation and salvation of mankind.

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, May, 1822.

LETTERS

ON

THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.

LETTER I. On the folly and absurdity of Deism

My dear Friend,

I was much gratified, on the arrival of your letter, to find that you had not forgotten me ; and more gratified still to learn that the important topic on which we so often conversed when we were together has frequently occupied your thoughts s^nce our separation. In this respect your conduct evinces your usual solicitude to inquire after truth of every kind, and I trust it will be followed by your accustomed success. While human existence is as much characterized by the uncertainty as by the shortness of its duration, and there is interposed between us and heaven, cr hell, or annihilation, nothing but life, the most brittle and precarious thing imaginable ; while there is no cause for vanity in being involved in impenetrable darkness, and none for consolation when we are in despair of ever finding a comforter ; so long will it be the first and principal concern of a wise man to inquire into his nature, his duties and his expectations, to ascertain where he ought to doubt, where to be confident, and where to submit : and these inquiries necessarily comprise the subject of religion. " Who is wise, and he shall understand these things; prudent, and he shall know them? For the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them; but the transgressors shall fall therein." Hosea, 14 : 9.

The derision with which some of your deistical companions affect tdfcreat you is matter of regret but not of surprise. If their deism be the result of supposed conviction, they are objects of pity; if, which is more likely to be the case, it be a consequence of indifference, and this deplorable indifference furnish them with a ground for boasting, they, instead of yourself, would be fit subjects for ridicule, were it proper to indulge such a propensity on so serious an occasion.

To a person of your extensive observation and contemplative turn of mind it must appear extremely obvious, that as the vicious lives of many men make it their interest that religion in general should be a "bugbear," and the christian religion especially " an artful system of delusion;" so they will too commonly be found not only ready, but eager to believe them really such. Nor can it be expected that fbey should sfop here ; for when once a certain method of treating a subject is nicely adapted to people's humors and situations, it would be strange indeed if they did not indulge in it; particularly when they find, as they soon will, that the majority of almost every company will cordially concur with them. If you wish to be proof against sneers and laughter when directed against so momentous a subject, consider that the mirth and pleasure of the unthinking part of mankind (by far the greater part) is almost as blind and mechanical as the actions of an automaton. Let them be but struck, and they will move as mere inert matter moves, until the effect of the impulse ceases. They are stirred and often delighted; though with what, or for what cause, or to what purpose, they know not : except perhaps when the string of religion is roughly touched by the hand of an enemy; for then many ignorant, and all irreligious hearts, like chords in unison, dance to the motion and yield the same sound; just as the clank of a madman' chain, while it thrills to the soul of a man in his senses, shall collect around him all the lunatics in the same ward of his prison, and cause them to dance with maniac delight, when every spectator shudders with horror.

I have heard of some modern free-thinkers whose comprehension of mind has placed them on such an eminence, that they look down with contempt not only upon christians, but upon the shrivelled minds of other unbelievers who have not yet taken such an adventurous flight : some who not merely deride those whom half the world calls fanatics and visionaries, but who are seated in a " scorner's chair " of such peculiar qualities as enchants them till they sneer at the narrow prejudices of Hume, and Gibbon, and Voltaire, and Paine, whom they fancy they have discovered to be "as superstitious as washerwomen." Others have been impelled to still greater heights in this intellectual delirium. They contemplate with delight the prospect of a world without a Creator or a Governor; and l*)ast of their demonstrations, by which they can convert any sensible man into an atheist in a quarter of an hour; a transformation which of course would not be very difficult after they had explained to that sensible man, upon their own hypothesis, from whom he derived his sense. But the gentlemen into whose company you are now so frequently thrown do not, I presume, belong to either of these classes. It is more probable that some of them have embraced a kind of semi-atheism (I cannot think of a more appropriate" term ;) a fine-spun theory, in conformity with which they persuade themselves that the Supreme Being does not go vern the universe he created;, but, after having covered it with living, and many of them rational beings, leaves them to console themselves with the cheering reflection that they are inhabitants of a forsaken and fatherless world; while HE, according to this comfortable as well as philosophical notion, like a kind of Sardanapalus> sits at ease and surveys the goodly scene.

If men who endeavor to disseminate such opinions ever cease to ridicule the maintainers of opposite sentiments, and condescend to argumentation, you might ask them to explain how it is possible that a derived being can be independent % You might inquire of them whe ther that which is derived from another can exist neces* sarily in the first moment of its being ] Whether that which does not exist necessarily in the first moment of its existence, can exist necessarily in the second or in any succeeding instant 1 Or whether it must not owe its continued existence to the Being by whom it was at first produced % If they be men of any acumen, they will at once perceive that, by supposing the existence of the being to continue when that on which it depended ceases, they would suppose it to be without the cause of its existence ; and thus they would, by a kind of mental felo-de-se, sup port their hypothesis by destroying the superstructure on which it rests : so that if they, to this* acuteness which I aave supposed them to possess, unite only common candor and openness to conviction, you would by a very short process make them ashamed of their fashionable semi-atheism, and compel them to acknowledge that all the creatures of God do incessantly depend upon him for the continuance of their existence. Thus will your opponents be forced to take the ground of pure deism ; and on that ground it is that you must meet them if you have any wish to enter upon this momentous contest.

The opinions of deists, from the time of Lord Herbert (the first and purest of the British freethinkers) to the present period, have assumed such multifarious shapes that it is difficult to state them in such a way as to be free from objection.* Nominal deism is separated into

* Inis extreme diversity of sentiments among - the pretended philosophers who reject Christianity, has not escaped the pointed notice of some ct their own class. The following language of Rousseau, descriptive of their conduct and contradictions, is highly worthy of attention :

" I have consulted our philosophers, I have perused their books, I have examined their several opinions, I have found them all proud, positive and dogmatizing, even in their pretended scepticism, knowing every thing, proving nothing, and ridiculing one another; and this is the only point in which they concur, and in which they are right. Daring when they attack, they defend themselves without vigor. If you consider their arguments, they have none but for destruction ; if you count their number, each one is reduced to himself; they never unite but to dispute ; to listen to them was not the way to relieve myself from my doubts. I conceive that the insufficiency of the human understanding was the first cause of this prodigious diversity of sentiment, and that pride was the second. If our philosophers were able to discover truth, which of them w^uld interest himself about it ? Each of them knows that his system is not better estab lished than the others ; but he supports it because it is his own : there is not one among them who, coming to distinguish truth from falsehood, would not prefer his own error to the truth that is discovered by another. Where is the philosopher who, for his own glory, would not willingly deceive the whole human race ? Where is he who, in the secret of his heart, proposes any other object than his own distinction ? provided he can buV raise himself above the commonalty, provided he can eclipse his competitors, he has reached the summit of his ambition. The great thing for him is to think differently from other people.

Among believers he is an atheist, among atheists a believer. Shun, shun then those who, under pretence of explaining nature, sow in the hearts of men the most dispiriting doctrines, whose scepticism is far more affirmative and dogmatical than the decided tone of their adversaries. Under pretence of being themselves the only people enlightened, they imperiously subject us to their magisterial decisions, and would fain palm upon us for the true causes of things the unintelligible systems they have erected in their own heads ; whilst they overturn, destroy and trample under foot all that mankind reveres, snatch from the afflicted the only comfort left them in their misery, from the rich and great the only curb that can restrain their passions ; lear from the heart all remorse of vice, all hopes of virtue, and still beast themselves the benefactors of mankind. ' Truth,' they say, ' is never hurtful to man,' — I believe nearly as many climates and districts as nominal Christianity; so that if Calvinism be placed in the torrid zone, and Socinianism in the polar regions of Christianity, you may with equal propriety imagine the sentiments of Herbert to occupy the equatorial regions, and those of Hume, Holcroft and Godwin the frigid zone of infidelity. Moderate deists, however, and to such a candid reasoner would direct his arguments, profess to believe in one God, possessing natural and moral attributes, the formei of which may be comprehended under power and knowledge, the latter under justice and benevolence : they believe, I presume, that virtue is that which is consistent with the will of God in act and motive, and yet that God has never made any revelation of his will to men ; but that the collection of books which we receive as such, and consequently by way of distinction denominate Thb Scriptures, are in fact no such thing, but are the oldest, the most artful and most successful collection of forgeries that ever was palmed upon the world.

And are they the apostles and disseminators of this heart-chilling system who wish to laugh you out of your religion 1 or rather, who are ridiculing you for the scrupulous attention with which you are investigating the evidences of Christianity, and for the solicitude you express that you may "be established in faith and holiness]" Let them enjoy the comforts of their supposed intellectual superiority, while you pursue your inquiry ; and then you will in due time enjoy " the fruits of the Spirit," while they may haply retain all that fine flow of soul which so naturally results from the consciousness of being lost in a labyrinth of uncertainty. Do not suppose that the exultation so commonly manifested by

that as well as they ; and the same, in my opinion, is a proof that what they teach is not the truth.' 1 '' — Rousseau, as quoted by M Gandolphy in his Defence of the Ancient Faith these men, and which seems so much to have impressed your mind, is always natural. Confident as they often profess themselves to be, that unless you are a mere child in intellect you will soon think as they do; be assured, that in general their sarcasms and affected contempt originate in the apprehension that your sentiments will soon be diametrically opposite to theirs, and in their consequent eagerness to deter you from inquiry. Do not imagine that when these your lively, and laughing, and witty companions leave you, their mirth and hilarity support them equally in solitude. Could you follow them into their retirements without being witnessed, or could you conceive the language of their souls to be formed into audible words, you might, without any breach uf candor, fancy them soliloquizing in the following language of Pascal :

" I hardly know who has sent me into the world. Nor know I what the world is, or what I am myself. I am shockingly ignorant of all things. I know not what my body is, what my senses are, or what my soul is. This very part of me which thinks what I speak, which reflects upon itself and upon every thing round me, is yet as ignorant of itself as it is of every thing else. I behold these frightful spaces of the universe with which I am encompassed, and feel myself confined to one little portion of the vast extent, without understanding why I am placed in this part of it rather than in any other ; or why the short period, of time that was allotted me to live was assigned to me at this particular point, rather than at any other of the whole eternity which was before me, or of tiiat which is to come after me. I see nothing but infinites on all sides, which swallow me up like an atom, or transform me to a shadow which endures but a single instant, and is never to return. All that I know, is, that 1 must shortly die; but this very death, from which T cannot escape, is the thing of which I am the most ignorant.

" As I know not whence I came, so I know not whither I am going : only this I know, that, at my departure out of the world, I must either be for ever annihilated, or fall into the hands of an incensed God, without being able to decide which of these two conditions will be my everlasting portion.

" Such is my state, so full of weakness, darkness and wretchedness. And from all this I conclude that I ought to pass all the days of my life without ever considering what is hereafter to befall me; and that I have nothing to do but to follow my inclinations without reflection or disquiet, doing all that which, if what is said of a misera* ble eternity be true, will infallibly plunge me into it. It is possible I might find some light to dispel my doubts ; but I will not take the trouble to stir one foot in search of it; rather, despising all those who do take pains in this inquiry, I am resolved to go on, without fear or foresight, and brave the grand event : I will pass as easily as I can out of life, and die utterly uncertain about the eternal state of my future existence."