On this page
- Departments (1)
-
Text (4)
-
Some of the Revealed Truths of Christianity partially Incomprehensible.
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Some Of The Revealed Truths Of Christianity Partially Incomprehensible.
Some of the Revealed Truths of Christianity partially Incomprehensible .
Sm 9 June 7 , 1826 . IT Is not my intention to enter into any controversy on uhe subject of my last communication , [ pp . 191—193 , ] and I will merely beg * leave to add one or two brief remarks respecting the answer of your correspondent A Nonconformist , inserted in your last number [ p . 284 } . What particular doctrines are actually revealed in Scripture , is a question which will of necessity be differently determined
according to the interpretation affixed to its language by different parties , and hence , the difficulty attending our conception of these doctrines , must vary according to the nature of the
creed adopted . Your correspondent , however , strenously maintains , that a revelation ouglbt ico contain nothing approaching to mystery , nothing too difficult for the mind of man to understand * In this opinion he is not singular . It is well known that a
nmmerous class of German divines , among whom we may name Eichhorn , Semler , iSleiermacher , Paul us , Eckerman , Ammon and Schiller , consider miracles and prophecies as partaking too much of the mysterious to admit of belief , arid they accordingly regard the
miraculous and prophetic parts of the New Testament in the light of fahles and embellishments , or they endeavour to interpret them ini such a manner as to deprive them of their supernatural character . How far A Nonconformist coincides with the sentiments of these
rationalizing Christians , as they call themselves , I will not undertake to decide . But if he had read my observations with a little more attention , he would have perceived that I have describe d the terin mysterious as signifying what is either wholly or parthtlf y beyond our comprehension > and * have no hesitation in affirming that the Utter pan of this definition ' is applicable to all the phenomena of naur e and all the doctrines of
revelationout my present object is merely to notiCe your correspondent's extraordinary assertion , tliat mot one of the
Untitled Article
doctrines to which I alluded in my last paper can be deemed scripturai \ The two first of these , * ' the resurrection of the same body , * ' and that of * conferring- immortality on a material substance , " were barelv men- * tioned , and were not introduced in support of my position * With respect to the first , however , if for the same body 9 be substituted the words same person , and without these the doctrine itself would have no meaning " , I cannot perceive that the difficulty would be at all diminished . There is not a more abstruse point in the whole range of human inquiry than that of
personal identity * But taking the doctrine of the resurrection , stated as p . simple fact , ( and , perhaps , in this form it may be allowed to be scri p * tural 9 ) did not the Athenian philosophers consider it as in the highest degree mysterious ? And is not the resurrection of Christ denied by many of the German school to > which I have referred , because they contend that nothing surpassing the human intellect ought to obtain our belief ? Even Dr . Sernler , who is in some
particulars a judicious critic , calls the detail of that stupendous and leading * miracle of tbe « Christian religion , a poetic mytkus , to be received in an allegorical sense!— Not a word" ( observes A Nonconformist ) "is said about
Conferring immortality on a materialsubstance . " To this affirmation , let the language of St . Paul furnish the reply : € S This corruptible must put oil incoriruption , and this mortal must put on immortality . "—Again , he denies that
Scripture affords us any intimation tthat few icrfl ' be saved ; but lie surely ought to Iiave known that my opinion is no other than that of almost every denomination of Christians , and that there is scarely a chapter in the New Testament which does not authorize
us to believe , that the great majority of the human race will fail in obtaining the rewards of the righteous . The last of my stateanents to which your correspondent has objected as
Untitled Article
¦ ' - THE ¦ ' - ¦ - ¦< - : «—
Untitled Article
No . CCXLVI . ] JUNE , 1826 . [ Vol . XXI .
Untitled Article
v xxi . 2 t
-
-
Citation
-
Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1826, page unpag, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2549/page/1/
-