Idolatry, the most ancient form the worship of heavenly bodies, i. 184.
Next the worship of human spirits, 186. The latter gradually
gained on that of the Supreme Being, ib. Divine honors paid to
the living, 188. To whatever was found to be of great utility, and
to particular qualities and conditions of human beings, 189. Wor-
ship of human spirits, its nature and influence, 189 et seq. Char-
acter of the pagan gods and worship, 190 et seq. Gods and wor-
ship of modern pagaus, 201. Of the Hindoos, 202. Worship ren-
dered to the grand lama, 205—to a boy in the Mahratta country, ib.
Imagination, susceptible of improvement, ii. 428. Mode of cultivating
it recommended, 429.
Immortality of the soul, evidence in favor of it from the light of nature,
i. 157. Our present existence affords a presumption that we shall
exist hereafter, 158. Evidence of a future state derived from the
character of God as made known by the works of nature and from
the inequalities of the present state, 162. The representations of
revelation correspond with the deductions of unaided reason, 165.
There is something now like a retribution; hence a presumption
of a perfect one hereafter, 167. Summary of the argument, 170.
Objections to that part of future retribution which consists in pun-
ishment, considered, 170. a. That if there were to be such a pun-
ishment it would be rendered more certain than it is from the light
of nature, ib. b. That many immoral persons, at present, exhibit
not the least evidence of being objects of the divine displeasure,
171. c. That many immoral persons are not actuated so much by
depravity of heart as by thoughtlessness, 172. d. Such a Being
must be incapable of offence or provocation, 173. e. That there
is in fact no liberty, 175.-How this retribution will be regulated,
174. The doctrine of immortality or a future state not universal
among the ancient or modern heathen, 215 et seq. The notions of
those who believed it, ill-defined and irrational, 219. Opinions of
ancient philosophers on this subject difficult to be ascertained, 223
et seq.
Opinions of Socrates and of the stoics, 225. Of Cicero
doubtful, and of Tacitus, 226. Of Pliny and of Varro, 227.
Immutability of God, i. 142, ii. 34.
Does not render prayer useless, i.
143.
Improvement literary and moral, connexion which ought to subsist be-
tween them, ii. 439. If the moral character is debased not desira-
ble that the intellect should be improved, 440. Effects on society
of literature and science as they are combined or not with religion,
441. Such effects uniformly felt, 443. Religion presents strong
inducements to cultivate the moral and intellectual powers, 444.
Last hours of a profligate man possessing talents and learning, 445.
Independence of character, want of it wrong, dangerous and impolitic,
ii. 365. It does not imply superciliousness, 406. Its nature and
value considered, 409 et seq.
nor of his fellow beings, 411. It consists in a determination to re-
No one independent of God, 410,
gard objects according to their value, 413. The terin abused when
applied to the duellist, ib. Examples of it, 414. Indispensable in
forming religious opinions, 415.
Infanticide, i. 233, 251.
Inspiration of Scripture, defined, i. 371. Probable that some method
would be adopted to preserve in the world the instructions of Christ,
372. Necessity of inspiration in the disciples of Christ, 373. Such
supernatural aid he promised, ib. These promises not limited to
their public preaching, 375. Inspiration of Mark and Luke, 376.
Of the epistles, 379, particularly of St. Paul's, 381. Testimony of
Peter to the inspiration of Paul, 387. The Christian Scriptures
were in the earliest periods believed to have been given by inspi-
ration, 389. Grounds on which the inspiration of the Jewish
Scriptures is asserted, ib. et seq.
Intellectual powers, value of them, ii. 460.
No one should be cultiva-
ted at the expense of the rest, 428. If one is feebler than the rest,
it should receive more attention, ib.
Intemperance, its influence on national welfare, ii. 349. In shortening
life, 351. Difficulty of reform, 352.
vice against every effort to reclaim him, described, 353. An in-
Progress of a youth in this
stance stated, 354. Means of suppressing it, 356 et seq.
Japan, religion of, i. 204.
Jews, fulfilment of the prophecies concerning them a proof of Chris-
tianity, i. 335 et seq. On what grounds they expected justification,
Judgment, advantages from cultivating it, ii. 467.
Justification, meaning of the term, ii, 20. Difference between
pardon, ib. Christian same as pardon, 21. Opinion that it has a
more extended meaning than pardon, considered, 22. How the
Jews expected it, 23. Inefficacy of their ceremonial observances
to procure it, 24. Doctrine of gratuitous-, how it appeared to a
Jew, 25. Conditions of, 26. Faith not the meritorious cause of
it, ib. Discrepance between Paul and James on the subject noti-
ced, 27.
Knowledge-foreknowledge of God inferred from his providence, ii.
33. Extends to characters/and destinies of men, 34. Connected
with predetermination, ib. Importance of it as a source of nation-
al welfare, ii. 287.
Lama Grand, worship paid to him, i. 205.
Language, the study of it gives a command of the attention, ii. 465.
Changes necessarily occur in all languages, 481. Changes which
have occurred in the English both in England and Atnerica, 483.
New words found in English writers, ib. Circumstances which
expose the language among ourselves to change and corruption,
484. Figurative language gradually becomes literal, 485. Condi-
tions under which new words are to be introduced, considered, ib.
Law, value of the profession of, and of the liberally educated mem-
bers of it, ii. 472.
Liberally educated men, their influence in society, ii. 471. In the pro-
fession of law, 472. Of medicine, 473. Of divinity, ib.
Libertines, their opinions, ii. 175.
Lord Minto's advice to a class leaving Fort William College, ii. 466.
Means used by the impenitent render their conversion more probable,
i. 531.
Memory, dependent much on cultivation, ii. 426.
Mexicans, their religion, i. 206, 208.
Morality consists of purity of heart, ii. 403.
Morals, state of among the heathen, i. 231.
custom of exposing infants, 233. b.
c. From the Roman triumphs, 238.
shows, 239.
As inferred, a. From the
From customs in war, 234.
d. From their gladiatorial
e. From their treatment of insolvent debtors, 241.
g. From the crime of un-
f. From their treatment of slaves, 242.
chastity, 245. Morals of the Romans, 249. Of the Chinese, 250.
Of the Hindoos, 252. Of other modern pagans, 255 et seq.
National prosperity secured by a union of wisdom, knowledge, and
the fear of God, ii. 286. Value of knowledge to a nation, 287.
The union of wisdom and knowledge implies an understanding of
the nature and design of civil society, 288. Moderate expectations
as to the uniform result of any political system of government, ib.
Caution in the choice of rulers, 289. The union of wisdom, know-
ledge and religion ensure a well administered government, 290.
Increase the power of a nation, 291. Prevent revolutions, 292.
Illustrated by the fathers of New England, 293. Religion in a peo-
ple insures the divine protection, 294-essential to national happi-
ness, 295 et seq. Education essential to national prosperity, 297 et
seq. Public religious instruction, 302.
New England, character of the fathers of, ii. 293, 300.
Nicodemus, the import of our Saviour's conference with him on re-
generation, examined, i. 488 et seq.
Obligation moral, its immutable, independent nature, ii. 447 et seq.
The rectitude of actions does not depend on the will of any being,
but results from the nature of things, 448. Were there no intelli-
gent Author of the universe, a distinction between right and wrong
would still exist, ib. The immutability of moral distinctions infer-
red from the fact, that we cannot conceive their annihilation, ib.
God makes it the basis of his own administration, 450. Doctrine
of utility considered, ib. Worth and universality of the great prin-
ciples of rectitude, 452.
Opinions, the great variety of respecting the meaning of Scripture,
no argument against the divine origin of the christian religion, i.
363. respecting the doctrines of religion not a matter of indif-
ference, ii. 170. In forming religious, independence of mind
requisite, 415.
Optimism, doctrine of examined, i. 138 et seq.
Paganism, cruelty of, i. 194, 209 et seq.
Pardon and christian justification the same, ii. 21, etc.
Paul, discrepance between, and James on the subject of justification,
noticed, ii. 27.
Peace, universal and perpetual predicted, and shown to be probable,
ii. 280 et seq.
Perseverance of saints, the result of divine agency, i. 507.
Philosophy intellectual, value of it to persons in public life, ii. 455. To
those who have the care of youth. 456.
gious instructor, 457. To statesmen, 458.
grounds, 459. Facilities for pursuing it
Danger of such knowledge without moral principle, 460.
To the moral and reli-
Value of it on general
within reach of all, ib.
Ancient, no adequate guide in religion, inferred, a. From the
confession of philosophers themselves, i. 261. b. From their erro-
neous and discordant views of the Supreme Being, ib. c. From
their concealing from the common people those truths which they
themselves had discovered, 266. d. From their enjoining on their
disciples even in religion a rigid conformity to the laws of the
country, 268.
Praise love of, its character considered, ii. 418. In itself it has no
moral character, 419. Its power, ib. It must be appealed to, 420.
An inadequate ground of moral duty, 421. The foundation of true
Prayer family, importance of it in its influence on children, ii. 315,
Profaneness, its indecorum and impiety, ii. 367.
Profession, importance of devoting oneself mainly to one object of
pursuit, ii. 433 et seq.
Prophecy, evidence arising from it in favor of Christianity. The N,
T. claims to be supported by it, i. 325. Reasonable that it should
attend a revelation, 326. The professed object of it of sufficient
importance, 328. If there are many prophecies professedly rela-
ting to one great event, which were delivered in different and far
distant ages, the amount of evidence greater, than if they related to
events having no connexion, 329. Scripture prophecies have great
unity of design, 330. Objection to, arising from want of an obvi-
ous and striking coincidence between the prophecy and the event,
ib. In one respect has the advantage over miracles, 332. We
are not to discard all
because some predictions have been mis-
applied, or fancifully interpreted, 333. Particular prophecies no-
ticed, a. The prediction of Moses concerning the Jews and the co-
incidence of the event with the in several particulars shown,
335 et seq.
b. The prophecies relating to Christ, 347. Impossi-
bility of such predictions proceeding from a false prophet, shown,
348. Isa. 53: noticed, 350. Impression made on the minds of
men by these prophecies, 356. Other passages in his life predict-
ed, 357.
Providence Divine, i. 145. The doctrine of such a
that of a supreme intelligent Being, 146 et seq. A particular ——
believed by the Stoics, 147. Views of Epictetus, 148. Of Mar-
cus Antoninus, ib. No events of too small consequence to be the
object of a particular
- 149. Illustrations of this point, ib. et
seq. Inquiry, whether changes in the material world result from
properties originally communicated to matter, or by a direct im-
pulse of God, 151. extends to the moral world, 154.
is implied in it, ii. 31 et seq.
Punishment future, a popular argument against the eternity of, shown
to be fallacious, i. 346. The whole subject considered, ii. 65. In-
sufficiency of the light of nature to determine the question, ib. No
sufficient reason for rejecting the doctrine of eternal punishment,
that the idea suggested by it is dreadful, 66. Few deny it from
want of Scripture evidence, 67. On supposition that there is pre-
viously a strong presumption against the doctrine, two things would
demand consideration; a. The clearness and force of passages
which teach it, 67. b. Our knowledge of the subject and capacity
to judge, 68. The mode of disproving this doctrine by appeals to
parental feelings considered, ib. Argument founded on the divine
benevolence examined, 69. Inquiry whether endless punishment
be consistent with justice, 70. Duration of the evils comprehend-
ed under the "Curse of the law," investigated, 71. The opinion
that the language of Scripture on this subject means nothing more
than a limited duration, examined, ib. Conclusion; the punish-
ment threatened by the law is eternal, and therefore eternal pun-
ishment is just, 72. The justice of endless punishment maintain-
ed on the ground, that so long as a person sins, he deserves pun-
ishment, 73. Objection, that God will not sustain in being one
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