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Experimental investigation of the spirit manifestations, [electronic ...

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RKLKHOUS ERIIORS Ol' MR. MAHAN. 397102S. There arc several truths, whicli I deciii to be axiomatic, whicharc irreeoiH'ilable witli <strong>the</strong> truth <strong>of</strong> llcvchition, (18 to 20.)iMcrcly to state<strong>the</strong>m is to refute iMr. iMahan's allegation above cited. With readers whowill not admit <strong>the</strong> axioms to which allusion is made, I must agree to differ.(Sec page 34.)1029. In <strong>the</strong> first place, I have represented it as»a contradiction to allegethat an omnipotent, omniscient, andto probation. (1380.)prescient God can subject any thing1930. In <strong>the</strong> next place, I hold that an omnipotent God cannot wishmen to have any religion, without that object being effected.Will not any event arriveFor which both will and power strive?Must not any result obtainWhich power unites with will to gain?1931. I answer <strong>the</strong>se queries in <strong>the</strong> affirmative, and <strong>of</strong> course consider<strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>ology <strong>of</strong> Revelation as involved in a contradiction, so far as itrepresents an omni])otcnt and prescient God as wishiiig any creed to headopted icJiich has not hden adopted.1932. As a corollary to <strong>the</strong>se axioms, it results that God never has performedany miracle for <strong>the</strong> purpose <strong>of</strong> conveying a knowledge <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> truereligion ; simply because all that have been alleged to have come fromGod have only produced religious discord. Of course God, foreseeing<strong>the</strong> failure <strong>of</strong> those miracles, would not have resorted to <strong>the</strong>m.Did God a special creed require,Each soul would he not with that creed inspire ?1933. This I answer aflfirmatively. The truth <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> affirmative is asclear to my mind as any <strong>of</strong>Euclid's axioms.1931. Ano<strong>the</strong>r conclusion I consider as inevitable : that no documentcan be substantiated by <strong>the</strong> facts <strong>of</strong> which it furnishes <strong>the</strong> sole evidence.1935. In this predicament I place <strong>the</strong> Bible, <strong>the</strong> Koran, <strong>the</strong> Shaster,or Veda, and <strong>the</strong> Zendavesta, or any religious record <strong>of</strong> antiquity.1936. Manifestly, a record made by man can have no higher authoritythan that <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> men whose testimony it records, and those by whom itwas recorded.0/ <strong>the</strong> origin <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Books <strong>of</strong> Moses no higher evidence exists, accord'ing to <strong>the</strong> testimoni/ <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Bible itself than that <strong>of</strong> an obscure priestand a fanatical king.1937. If we are to judge <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Jewish priesthood by <strong>the</strong> exampleafforded by Samuel, we have no more reason to trust a Hebrew pontiffthan a Romish pope, (1091.) Bishop Hopkins has sufficiently shownhow far priests arc to be trusted, (129G.) What would be said <strong>of</strong> anybook, alleged to be due to Divine inspiration, if it had, agreeably to itsown authority, an origin no more reliable than <strong>the</strong> allegation <strong>of</strong> a priest

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