The Analogy of ReligionCosimo, Inc., 2005 M11 1 - 400 pages I express myself with caution, lest I should be mistaken to vilify reason; which is indeed the only faculty we have wherewith to judge concerning anything.-from The Analogy of ReligionElegantly written and forceful in its arguments, this rebuttal to pre-Darwinistic Deism, first published in England in 1736, is a compelling defense of Christianity bursting with humanity and compassion, from the perspective of the era's limited understanding of biology, geology, cosmology, and other advanced sciences we take for granted today. This annotated edition, prepared in 1875 by an American theologian, is a must-read for anyone hoping to understand the foundations of the war contemporary fundamentalist Christians have taken to the modern scientific community. It serves as a reminder that, as Butler notes: "Language is, in its very nature, inadequate, ambiguous, liable to infinite abuse, even from negligence; and so liable to it from design, that every man can deceive and betray by it."British theologian JOSEPH BUTLER (1692-1752) was educated at Oxford University and appointed bishop of Dunham in 1750, a position he held until his death.American educator and theologian Joseph Cummings (b. 1817) was educated at Wesleyan University, where he later served as the institution's president, from 1857 to 1875; in 1881 he was appointed president of Northwestern University. |
Contents
| 33 | |
PART I | 45 |
OF THE Government of God by Rewards and Pun | 69 |
OF THE Moral GOVERNMENT of God | 84 |
Of a State of ProbatION AS IMPLYING TRIAL DIF | 113 |
Of a State of Probation AS INTENDED FOR MORAL | 124 |
OF THE OPINION OF NECESSITY CONSIDERED AS | 152 |
OF THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD CONSIDERED AS | 171 |
OF OUR INCAPACITY OF JUDGING WHAT WEKE TO | 222 |
OF CHRISTIANITY Considered as a Scheme or Con | 240 |
APPOINTMENT of a Mediator and the Redemp | 249 |
OF THE WANT OF UNIVERSALITY IN REVELATION | 271 |
Of the Particular Evidence for CHRISTIANITY | 292 |
OF THE OBJECTIONS WHICH MAY BE MADE AGAINST | 333 |
DISSERTATIONS | 357 |
| 377 | |
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actions admitted afford analogy of nature answer appear argument arise Author of nature behavior Butler capacities cerning chap character Christ Christianity common concerning consequences consideration considered constitution of nature contrary course of nature course of things creatures credible death degree deist dence difficulties dispensation distributive justice divine doubt eral exer exercise experience external fact faculty folly future God's habits happiness implies instances judge justice kind laws ligion living agent mankind manner matter means ment Messiah mind miracles misery moral government natural government natural religion necessity notion objections observations ourselves particular passion peculiar perception personal identity persons plainly practice present presumption principle proof prophecy proved reason regard relation render respect revelation rewarded and punished rience scheme Scripture seems sense sidered sort spect sumption supposed supposition temporal tendency theism thought tical tion truth ture vice vicious virtue virtuous Wantage whole
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Page 38 - Origen* has with singular sagacity observed, that "he who believes the Scripture to have proceeded from him who is the Author of nature, may well expect to find the same sort of difficulties in it as are found in the constitution of nature.
Page 18 - There are two ways in which the subject of morals may be treated. One begins from inquiring into the abstract relations of things: the other from a matter of fact, namely, what the particular nature of man is, its several parts, their economy or constitution ; from whence it proceeds to determine what course of life it is, which is correspondent to this whole nature.