CFT -9160 60 9100 SA 0 use eest ti qublum to ansom hull ot 1998 of flite 916 owned aldi VIA SEARCH AFTER HAPPINESSIO Ji of 10-65 3 21 (From Bp. Butler LET us suppose, a man entirely Jog forde nem lo saaten Sm ai vis disengaged from business and pleas sure, sitting down alone, and at leis sure to reflect upon himself and his own condition of being he would immediately feel that he was by no means complete of himself, but to tally insufficient for his own happi ness. One may venture to affirm that every one has felt this, whether he has again reflected on it or not t is feeling this deficiency that they are unsatisfied with themselves which makes men look out for as sistance from abroad; and which has given rise to various kinds of amusements, altogether needless any otherwise than as they serve to fill up the blank spaces, of time, and so hinder their feeling this deficien bus hapreivage eved 219dto dweil ezemsh edem lliw ed and being uneasy with themthem- glimpse of the subject before us, selves. which is the end, not the means, Now if these external thin! 26 external things we the thing itself, not somewhat in or take up with, were really an ade- der to it. But if you can lay aside quate supply to this deficiency of the general confused indeterminate human nature if by their means notion of happiness, as consisting in our capacities and desires were all such possessions, and fix ind your satisfied and filled up, then it might thoughts that it really can consist be truly said, that we had found out in nothing but in our faculties having the proper happiness of man, and a proper object, you will clearly see so we might sit down satisfied and that in the closest way of consider be at rest in the enjoyment of it. ation, without either the heat of But it appears that the amusements fanciful enthusiasm, or the warmth which men usually pass their time of real devotion, nothing is more in, far from coming up to certain than that an infinite Being their desires of happiness or good, may himself be, if he please, the that they are really no more than supply to all the capacities of our what they are commonly called, nature. All the common enjoyments somewhat to pass away the time, ie, of life are from the faculties he has somewhat which serves to turn us endued us with, and the object he aside from, and prevent our attend has made suitable to them. He may ing to this our internal poverty and himself be to us infinitely more Want if they tend only or chiefly than all these; he may be to us all to suspend instead of satisfying our we want. As our understanding can conceptions and desires of happi- contemplate itself, and our affec ness if the want remains and we tions be exercised upon themselves have found out little more than bare- by reflection, so may each be em ly the means of making it less sen- ployed in the same manner upon sible then we are still to seek for any other mind: and since the Su somewhat to be an adequate supply preme Mind, the author and cause to it. It is plain that there is a ca- of all things, is the highest possible pacity in the nature of man which object to himself, he may be an neither riches nor honour, nor sen- adequate supply to all the faculties sual gratifications, nor any thing in of our souls; a subject to our une this world can perfectly fill up or derstanding, and an object to our af satisfy; there is a deeper and more fections. Butler's Sermons, vol. 2. essential want than any of these p. 90-93 od toho nedW things can be the supply of. Yet di enw of wond I surely there is a possibility of somewhat which may fill up all our deas for the Bible, no one regards Aguonit ogINFIDELITY!itib 8979 de-open on sires of happiness, somewhat which "As may be that satisfactory good we are enquiring after. But it cannot be any thing which is valuable only as it tends to some further end. Those therefore who have got this world so much in their hearts, as not to be able to consider happiness as consisting in any thing but property and possessions, which are only valuable as the means to somewhat else, cannot have the least from God. With political opinions I shall not intermeddle; on that subject I leave every man to form his own judgment. Our first duty is to examine the claims of that book. It is at our peril to neglect to do so, and I have no doubt what the result of an impartial inquiry into its claims will be." Thus ended a long conversation with an avowed Infidel. The place indeed was not very suitable for discussion a stage coach-but it seemed a duty not to sit within the hearing of the most barefaced and sweeping attacks upon the Bible without replying. An incendiary, scattering abroad fire-brands and death should find impunity no where. It is well to be on our guard against the devices of the enemy. To one or two of these, by which the unwary are peculiarly liable to be ensnared and ruined, allow me to direct the attention of the reader : 1st. The contents of the Bible are assumed to be so evidently absurd, that no man, not influenced by bigotry or swayed by interest, pays the least regard to it in this enlightened age. How flattering to the pride of human intellect, to be thus able, without exertion, to take a stand above the heads of thousands around, and to consider our selves as ranking among those who are freed from the shackles which bind the grovelling multitude beneath! 2dly. When required to produce an instance of the absurdity of the Bible, the plan is to dash at once into the deepest mysteries of religion, and then to conclude that what is confessedly incomprehensible must be absurd. The doctrine seized on by the infidel, in the conversation adverted to above, was that on which we would ever enter with trembling and hallowed stepsthe doctrine of the Trinity. "Sir, three apples are one apple, you say what is ridiculous and unworthy of a moment's attention." The writer had recently been pe rusing that master-piece of solid reasoning, Howe's "Enquiry con cerning the possibility of a Trinity in the Godhead," and felt thankful that he was prepared to grapple with his antagonist. This he at tempted to do, 1st, By engaging to demonstrate that a thing is not, necessarily absurd because incom prehensible. The omnipotence of God was adduced as a truth highly rational, yet altogether incompre hensible-The union of matter and of mind in man was a also adverted to as another instance of what must be believed, though it cannot be understood, 2dly, The illustration of the apples was objected to as most unfair. The Bible e no where says of that great Being, whose name ought not to be mentioned but with reverence and awe, that three Gods are one God, We do not believe that the sacred three are both three and one in the same respect, which we allow would be absurd; but we assert, that although they are but one in respect of God, head, yet they are three some other respect; and, notwithstanding all the bold assertions made by infidels, and all the obloquy they have cast on those who believe this, as if they must necessarily be either knaves or fools, we do confidently maintain that in this statement of what the Holy Scriptures teach of God, there is no contradiction, 'no absurdity, nothing which any man! can shew to be impossible; and until the enemies of revelation de monstrate the absurdity of this belief, though their empty declama tions may impose on the unthinking, they will only excite pity and contempt in the reflecting mind T. K RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETIES. REV. SIR, AMONG the various Institutions that exist in the present day, and do honour to the country, to me there appears none more worthy of patronage, or better calculated for usefulness than the Religious Tract Society. The plan generally acted upon by Auxiliaries, I believe, is that of casually distributing; it was so with us; but we have changed this for a better plan, viz. that of regular distribution, or of dividing the vicinity into districts, and visiting from house to house every Sabbath morning, when we not only give away, or in some cases lend tracts, but expostulate with shopkeepers who are in the habit of doing business on the Sabbath day, upon the impropriety and sinfulness of such a practice; with parents who refrain from sending their children to Sunday Schools, or who themselves abstain from attending a place of divine worship; and likewise make inquiries whether they are in want of Bibles. By pursuing such a course, you will perceive we are not only keeping in view one immediate object, but endeavouring to further the interests of many of our best institutions; and though short has been the period of our exertion, and scanty the field of our operations, I am not without hope, that as the hints we have given appear to have been well received, some good will be' found to result therefrom. Personal and frequent visits to the habitations of the poor may in some instances be coldly received; but in the general they are kindly taken, and eminently calculated for usefulness. We have by so doing already succeeded in taking several children from the streets, and introducing them to Sunday Schools, obtained the promise of subscriptions for Bibles; and I hope, at the close of 1 a year's operations, our report will contain what will stimulate us and others to persevere in well doing, knowing that in due time we shall reap, if we faint not. The practice in Auxiliary Tract Societies of allowing subscribers a great proportion of their contributions in Tracts, though good in its intention, is, I think, calculated to cramp instead of promoting the interest of the cause. It was allowed with us, but we have abandoned it; our reasons for so doing were, 1st, That it left less Tracts at the disposal of the Committee; and, 2dly, That mauy of the Tracts thus disposed of remained the occupants of one habitation instead of being circulated in different directions, agreeably to the intentions of the Society. The task of distributing tracts is undertaken with diffidence by some, and going from house to dent; but there are those to be found, who would gladly devote the early part of the Sabbath in thus distributing tracts, and who by such a method would be better able to account for their disposal. house would make them more diffi While infidelity at present so much prevails, there is great need, of strenuous exertions on the part of those who wish to arrest its progress. To effect this, no means are more suitable than the circulation of religious tracts; and, hoping that the tend to rekindle the zeal of those at present engaged in this work to enlist others who have never been thus employed. I remain, Sir, yours, J.N. P.S. I would beg leave to remark in addition, that among the poor visited, we found several children, not only destitute of decent apparel, but without sufficient to cover their nakedness; this was assigned as a reason for not sending them to a Sunday School. I think if the opulent would make a present to Sunday Schools of their children's be SINGULAR PREDICTION ON left-off clothes, this objection would may by this his gift of Navigation, AMONG the early advocates for mis- ye are the sonnes of the living God; that there may be one Pastor and one sheepfold, one salvation, Re deemer and Advocate, to Jew and Gentile, is most evidently imposed of at the Gentils CHRIST the light of B glory of his tempting by means thereof the con- people Israel: whom my Discourse version of the world. He then having now obtained to embrace, adverts with strong expressions of shall here confine itselfe with sa regret to the mischiefs which the Nunc Dimittis, and end with Amen, errors of Popery had occasioned to to that Amen, in whom all th prothe cause of Christianity in remote mises of God are yea and Amen. countries; and concludes, in the Even so, Amen, LORD JESUSion allegorical style which prevailed among writers of his age, with a prophetic wish that the time might come when "true Catholicisme, revering her venerable and primary Antiquitie, may, without distracted faction, in free and unanimous con sent, extend her Demesnes of Universalitie as far as the earth hath Men, and the light of her truth may shine together with the Sunbeames, around about the habitable world: that as Solomon by Hyram's Mariners fetched Materials, Gold, Gemmes, Almuggin Trees, to the Temple's SIR, To the Editor M mon THE present momento isoihappily distinguished by the exertions of true Christian zeal for the diffusion of that knowledge, without which no man becomes a partaker of the divine nature, or is entitled to hope for the divine favour. We should rejoice also that our long-neglected neighbours on the Continent are beginning to feel, other Htructure, which by the and I hope also to appreciate, the other Hiram's Art were brought and wrought into due form; so the heavenly Solomon, the LORD JESUs, value of the laudable endeavours made by British Christians to rescue their immortal spirits from the |
