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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), January 1819, Edition 1 of 1, Page 9

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    • THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN LOCKE AND LIMBORCH, TRANSLATED, WITH HISTORICAL NOTES.
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      Untitled Article

      Clapton , Sir , January 10 , 1819-SEND you a continuation of the I translation of Locke and Limfoorch's letters . Some of those which will probably appear in your present Volume , contain profound discussions

      of metaphysical questions ; on which a translator is in no small danger of sometimes misunderstanding his original . Should any of your Correspondents detect such mistakes , I shall be obliged by their sending you their corrections .

      J , T . RUTT . The Cowe&pondence between Locke mid Limhorch , 1685—1704 . ( Continued from p . 675 , Vol . XIII . ) ( 3 Sb . 34 . « Amsterdam , Oct . 8 , 1697 . Philip a Limborch to John Locke . My worthy Friend ,

      WROTE " you , in March last , a I very long letter During the summer I have conversed with some of our principal literati , on various topics . Among these the coroverhation turned on the Treatise , * of

      which you have already received my opinion . They all highly commended it . One , indeed , was dissatisfied with the title , as not commensurate to the dignity of the subject . He said , that the Author had pursued a different course to tliat of most writers , who

      gave magnificent names to works of little importance . He , on the contrary , had prefixed a very unassuming title to a book of weighty argument . Yet , surely , the title should rather correspond to the importance of the work , that it may invite a perusal .

      Another person ( the same who formerly introduced to you , our Slade , this I hint only to yourself ) said th « 'tt he . had read that Treatise twice . He praised it highly , and declared that the Author had satisfactorily proved , -wliat was the principal argument of Ws book—the design of the Christian Revelation . Ileonfy wished , that in-—1 > ' ^ •' } •¦ . ¦ ¦¦—¦ ¦* " ¦ "' "'* ' "" ¦ ' ¦ ¦ " ' " s * Reasonableness of Christianity . See Vol . XIII . pp . 610 , 612 . c

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      stead of controverting , in the introduction , the vulgar notion of Original Sin , he bad left that opinion untouched , or at least not made it so prominent , in his Treatise . For now many who are strongly attached to that doctrine , stumble at the

      threshhold , before they reach the main argument of the book . They , indeed , entertain such prejudices against the Author that they cannot read , with the calm consideration required , his further arguments , and thus become hostile . Their good-will should rather

      have been conciliated , that they might have come with an unbiassed judgment to consider an opinion , which , however true , yet little accords with the sentiments of most theologians . These generally desire to add something of their own to the Christian faith , which

      they regard as the exclusive property of their party . To disabuse them of this error , it is necessary to allure them , instead of alienating their minds by at once proposing some dogma , which they regard as highly disputable . I freely tell you what passed on this subject .

      Our discourse , as frequently happens , turned on other topics ; among the rest , by what arguments the unity of Ood could be most satisfactorily established . That eminent person , whom I last mentioned , declared that

      he wished to see some irrefragable arguments , by which it might be proved that an eternal , self-existent and all-perfect Being , can be only one .. He wished to see something in the manner of Hugo Grotius , in his first book * on the Truth of the Christian

      Religion ; adding , that he had heard of a French translation f of your Essa ? / on the Human Understanding , which he wished very much to see , as he had a great Opinion of your judgment . He inquired of me , whether in that Essay you had established

      * Sect . iii . Deum esse unum . -f This was afterwards executed , nuclei the Author ' s inspection , hy Coste ^ and trill be farther noticed in this correspondence .

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      .:. < 9 )

      The Correspondence Between Locke And Limborch, Translated, With Historical Notes.

      THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN LOCKE AND LIMBORCH , TRANSLATED , WITH HISTORICAL NOTES .

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      VOL . XIV .

  • Citation
    • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Jan. 2, 1819, page 9, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1768/page/9/