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argued upon accordingly. The first is, that natural religion constitutes the basis of Revelation: the second, that the Jewish dispensation had relation only to temporal objects. It is more to be wondered at that positions, demonstrably false in themselves, should originally receive the sanction of the first literary abilities; than that, on the ground of such sanction, they should continue to pass current in the world. But a very moderate exercise of the intellectual powers will be sufficient to convince us, that no uthority, however respectable, can establish positions which have neither reason nor Revelation to sup+ port them. It has been repeatedly said, with that air of confidence which generally accompanies conviction, that Revelation is a superstructure on the foundation of natural religion; "than which nothing (we are told) is more manifest throughout the Scriptures; most of whose instructions proceed on the supposition of some previous religious knowledge being in the mind."*

* See Monthly Review for July 1791, on "The Charge of Samuel Lord Bishop of St. David's to the Clergy of his Diocese."

Not

1

Not admitting the position itself, it must be concluded that we consider the proof here adduced as inadequate to its establishment. The texts generally brought forward as demonstrative on this occasion, are to be found in the first and second chapters of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans. But if these texts are to be understood in the sense in which they have been too generally taken, they make the Apostle inconsistent with himself: for they describe the condition of the Gentiles, previous to their conversion, very different from what St. Paul has represented it to be in every other part of his writings.

Should the position in question be admitted, it follows that natural religion, considered as the foundation of all spiritual knowledge, must have been laid; before Revelation, as a superstructure, could have been raised upon it. In order of time, therefore, natural religion must necessarily have preceded Revelation. does this appear to have been the case? Did natural religion exist previous to the first delivery of Divine Revelation in Paradise? If it did, the Scriptures have fur

But

nished a very imperfect account of the most important science of religion; for it has not, in this case, taken the least notice of its supposed origin.

"Most of the instructions in Scripture proceed (it has been said) on the supposition of some previous knowledge being in the mind." But this proves nothing to the establishment of the position in question, unless it can be made appear, that this previous knowledge, supposed to exist in the human mind, as a ground for future instruction, was itself derived from a mere natural source.

In fact from the commencement of Revelation in Paradise, one Revelation has succeeded to another, and one degree of spiritual information has been, as it were, built on that which preceded it, as the circumstances of mankind from time to time required, and the accomplishment of the gracious object the Deity had in view in communicating divine knowledge to the world, rendered necessary.

* See Monthly Review for July 1791, on the Charge of the Bishop of St. David's.

That

That famous passage, Rom. i. 19, 20. on which so much more has been built than the passage will support, and which does not apply to the case of the absolutely unenlightened Heathen; gives the reader to understand only what conclusions may be drawn relative to God, and invisible things, from reason rightly exercised in the works of the Creation. It tells him in fact what may be, not what actually has been; namely, that the invisible things of God may be understood by the things that are made. And we readily subscribe to the position. But we know at the same time, that when man has been left to the mere light of nature, the visible creation has never furnished him with this important intelligence. In fact, when the eyes of man have been opened by Revelation, the visible things of the creation, in their relation to the great Creator of them, have then been seen; but not before. To prove this, and thereby to ascertain what is to be understood by natural religion, properly so called, our conclusion on this subject must be drawn from the condition of man in an uncivi

lized state of nature, in which he may be supposed to be governed by the dictates. of unassisted reason.

But we will take man in a civilized state, and give him the advantage of all the light which Heathenism originally borrowed from Revelation. And how will the case stand then? The Egyptians were a nation famed for wisdom, particularly for that species of wisdom to be derived from the investigation of natural causes. But what did this wisdom do for them on the subject of religion? So far from being instrumental in bringing them to the knowledge of the true God, it did not even dispose their minds to the reception of that knowledge, when it was actually brought among them.

The Patriarchs, and their posterity, the chosen people of God, sojourned in the Land of Egypt four hundred years. Had the knowledge of the true God been natural to the human mind, it may be supposed that the Egyptians could not fail to have profited under such religious instructors. But the fact was notoriously otherwise. The Israelites, who carried the

knowledge

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