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others m the history of Christianity , none is more remarkable than the general taste which prevails for the shortlived and passing compositions of the day in preference to the Holy Scriptures . This is one especial reason why the genuine doctrines of the Bible are so frequeutly lost sight of , and the reveries of mistaken men substituted in their place . It is the fashion of the present times to drink from the stream which has been
corrupted and polluted by superstition and enthusiasm , rather than to go at once to the fountain-head , and drink of the "living water ; ' * it is the custom to read paraphrases and illustrations , rather than the sacred text itself ; and to abandon the feelings to the direction of deluded men , rather than give the heart and the affections to God ! The Bible is either laid aside , or only consulted as a book of occasional reference : the
sublime instructions of the prophets and apostles are considered as dry and tedious exhortations , fit only for the aged or the sick ; and the zealous professor of the pure and holy religion of Jesus flies to rhapsodies and fables , rather than to that precious volume which is justly and emphatically denominated The Book op Books . And what is the cause of this ?
It cannot surely arise from the mistaken and utterly groundless idea that every thing which is essential to salvation Is not openly expressed , explicitly declared , and fully elucidated in the Scriptures of truth : neither can it originate in a belief that man is more capable of enforcing and illustrating " pure and undented religion" than the Deity himself through
his messengers and prophets . It cannot arise from an opinion that the language of Holy Writ is not sufficiently sublime and dignified ; nor can it be the result of a conviction that its metaphors are too obscure , or its figures too lofty for ordinary comprehension . No : it cannot be attributed to causes so imaginary , or fancies so entirely groundless as these .
The real fact appears to be , that the attention of the majority of mankind is not to be attracted to religion unless there be a due mixture of novelty and variety ; that they would rather peruse the annotations and imbibe the opinions of others , than be at the trouble of thinking for themselves ; that a great
portion of the religious world are more careful to see their Bibles quietly reposing on their shelves than to make them daily sources of profitable Instruction ; that extravagant narratives , partially founded on the facts recorded in Holy Writ , are sources of much greater interest than the pages of the Bible in
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their naked and unadulterated state ; and , in short , that the directions of men are dressed up in more palatable Ian * guage than the instructions of God and of Christ Jesus . Hence undoubtedly arises much of the mistaken reverence which is paid to religious works of fiction , enthusiastic representations of purity and holiness , aud all the
highlywrought compositions of a similar kind which issue from the press in this inventive age . A misconception of the true nature of religion ; a love of the marvellous ; an undue regard for doctrines that are mysterious * and incomprehensible ; the principle of fear in religion , rather than the noble aud exalted feeling of love ; a desire of arriving at heaven by a nearer and less difficult route than that
pointed out in the Scriptures ; an erroneous conviction that faith is all-sufficient without works ; a love , it is to be apprehended , of the " praise of men more than the praise of God ; " an outward observance of the forms of
religion , rather than an inward conviction of its truth : these may be pointed out as the primary causes of that extraordinary degree of religious fervour and enthusiasm which is the decided feature of the present age , and of that disinclination which is manifested by professing
Christians to repose their sole trust and confidence in the Bible ; a disinclination which not even the general anxiety to diffuse its sacred pages through every region of the earth can effectually conceal . It is a fact which daily observation confirms , that the sacred volume is but too
commonly most neglected by those who profess the greatest reverence for Its doctrines . What , but the reasons here assigned , can account for the avidity with which the public devote themselves to the perusal of such works as those of the celebrated Bunyan ? What is there in such compositions that can be substituted for the invaluable truths of the
gospel ? And how can it be accounted for that these books are so frequently found in the cottages of the poor , of those who with difficulty provide for the support of their families , and who have not even a Bible , or who , if they have one , preserve it rather as an ornament than a book of daily reference ?—What
cam account for this , but the conviction that there is a tincture of religious fervour in these volumes which suits the common taste , and adapts itself to the foncy of the uninstructed aud superstitious , but which is not to be found in the pages of Holy Writ?—Such works of imagination may be looked into , or , to make use of a fashionable phrase ,
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Occasional Correspondence . J 15
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Oct. 2, 1828, page 715, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2565/page/59/
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