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A SERIES OF LETTERS IN DEFENCE OF DIVINE REVELATION
A SERIES OF LETTERS IN DEFENCE OF DIVINE REVELATION HOSEA BALLOU In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States
entitled "An Act for the Encouragement of Learning by securing the
Copies of Maps Charts and Books to the Authors and Proprietors of
such Copies during the times therein mentioned:" and also to an Act
entitled "An Act supplementary to an Act entitled an Act for the
Encouragement of Learning by securing the Copies of Maps Charts and
Books to the Authors and Proprietors of such Copies during the times
therein mentioned; and extending the benefits thereof to the Arts of
Designing Engraving and Etching Historical and other Prints."
JOHN W. DAVIS _Clerk of the District of Massachusetts_
TO THE READER.
Some few suggestions respecting the following Controversy are thought
necessary in order to inform the reader how it was first introduced
the motives which led to it and those which induced to its being
published to the world.
We learn from the Rev. Mr. KNEELAND that having at different times
been exercised in his mind with serious doubts respecting the
authenticity of the Scriptures and the system of Divine Revelation
recorded in them he was induced to solicit a correspondence with the
Rev. Mr. BALLOU on the subject. That in order to render the
controversy the more interesting by calling into action the energies
of mind and by directing the correspondence to definite purposes he
assumed the character of a real opponent determining to maintain the
opposition in all its forms until reduced by necessity to yield to
successful arguments directed against it. It was with great reluctance
that the advocate for the christian religion in this controversy
consented to undertake a work of this nature; not however because he
esteemed it unnecessary or because he entertained any doubts with
regard to the defensibility of revelation but as he contends on
account of the want of abilities and means to do the subject justice.
His opponent however being a familiar acquaintance and friend as
well as a preacher in the same profession of faith with himself
having led him to believe that a labour of this kind was called for by
the most sacred obligations of brother to brother he was induced to
render what assistance was in his power without infringing too much
on other important duties in which he was almost constantly engaged.
When the controversy closed Mr. KNEELAND felt such an entire
satisfaction in his own mind that the objections which he had stated
were fairly answered and the validity of the Scriptures vindicated
that he was led to believe that to publish the correspondence would be
of service to the cause of Christ. He therefore obtained leave of his
correspondent and carried the manuscripts to the westward where he
offered proposals for the work and obtained a number of subscribers;
but being called to remove to Philadelphia he was under the necessity
of postponing the publication for a season. The publisher having
obtained some knowledge of this correspondence and being informed by
the Rev. Mr. KNEELAND that the arguments which it contains were in
his opinion calculated to strengthen the believer as well as confirm
the doubting he negotiated for the manuscripts and now presents the
work to the public entertaining a hope that it may serve the interest
of christianity and promote a respect and veneration for the sacred
writings.
The letters which passed between Mr. BALLOU and two respectable
clergymen in the town of Portsmouth N. H. were some years since
published in Vermont; but several circumstances rendered it proper
that this work should be reprinted. Besides its being nearly or quite
out of print the first edition was on an inferior paper the work
badly executed and a number of errors were discovered.
To those who believe in the universality of divine goodness the
publisher feels confident the following work will be received and read
with no small satisfaction. And a hope is entertained that it may be
the means of enlightening some who though they possess the spirit of
universal love and benevolence have not the felicity of believing in
the divine goodness to the extent of their own desires.
H. BOWEN.
A SERIES OF LETTERS &c.
EXTRACTS No. 1.
[The first letter of the _objector_ was designed merely as an
Introduction inviting Mr. B. to the investigation of the important
subject of _moral truth_ or more particularly the truth of _divine
revelation_. The following are extracts.]
"The thought has long since occurred to me that the present age is an
age of discovery and improvement. The human mind seems to be
developing its powers in a most wonderful manner; new inventions new
discoveries and new theories are the fruits of new experiments; while
many are improving upon theories and subjects already existing. Thus
human nature seems to be almost prepared to make a regular advance in
_moral_ as well as _scientific truth_.
"However pleasing this must be to every real lover to the arts and
sciences yet there seems to be a disposition (at least as it
respects all moral and religious subjects) to chain down the human
mind to its present attainments and thereby prevent all further
improvement. O how long will it be before common sense shall burst
this bubble of fanaticism and all its mists become evaporated and
removed by the rays of simple and native truth? Then shall man know
for himself that under God all his powers and faculties are as free
as the element he breathes. Free to think free to speak and free to
act as reason and good sense shall dictate. Supposing that you and I
should think of setting an example for others by trying to throw off
the prejudices of a false education so far as we have been thus
entangled and search for the _truth within us_ as the foundation of
all TRUTH which materially concerns us to know. Who except our own
consciences will ever call us to an account for so doing?
"It gives me pain when I see what time and money what labour and toil
have been expended and are still expending in plodding over as it
were an old dead letter; to learn languages which exist _no where_
only on paper barely for the sake of reading the opinions of other
men in other times; men who lived in other ages of the world and
under very different circumstances from ourselves; whose opinions all
of which are worth preserving might be given in our own language so
as to answer every purpose which can be answered by them at less than
a hundredth part of the expense it necessarily requires to obtain a
competent knowledge of those languages in which almost every thing
supposed to be valuable has been originally written. And after all
the truth or falsity of every proposition must depend on the truth
or falsity of the principles embraced in it; and not on the language
in which it was originally written.
"If the Greek and Hebrew languages be any security against things
being uttered or written falsely in those languages I should not only
think it important to learn them but to adopt them if possible as
our vernacular tongue.--But as I believe none will contend for this I
should like to be informed of what possible service it can be to an
American to learn either of those languages? Is it not a fact that
every natural as well as moral truth may be fully unfolded to the
understanding without them? This will lead the way to one of the
principal subjects which I mean to discuss. It maybe said that the
_holy scriptures_ were originally written in Greek and Hebrew: viz.
the bible which contains a revelation of the will of God concerning
the duty interest and final destination of mankind. This if
admitted gives the Greek and Hebrew languages an importance that
nothing else could. Hence the importance of preserving the Greek and
Hebrew languages without which religion could not be preserved in
its purity. And as all have not an opportunity of attaining to a
knowledge of those languages it is the more necessary that some
should lest the knowledge of languages on which so much is supposed
to depend should be lost to the world.
"If I understand the above proposition it seems to be this: The only
revelation of God to man which was ever recorded on either vellum or
paper was written partly in Greek and partly in Hebrew; hence the
revealed will of God cannot be known only through the medium of those
languages. If the truth of all this can be made to appear I should
find no difficulty in admitting all the consequences which must result
from such premises. It appears a little extraordinary however to my
understanding and not a very little neither that God should make a
revelation of his will in one age and not in another; to one nation;
and not to another; or that he should make a revelation in one
_language_ and not in another! If a special revelation was ever
necessary at all it is difficult for me to see why it was not equally
necessary in all ages of the world to all the nations of the earth
and in all languages ever spoken by man.
"How sweet is truth to the understanding! And when spoken in a
language every word of which is familiar how harmonious it sounds to
the ear by which the sentiments find their way to the heart!
"When God speaks to the _inward man_ there is no need of going to
Lexicons Dictionaries and Commentaries to know what he means. I
would not complain however even of this method to ascertain truth
if I could be so happy as always to come away satisfied. But to
consider a subject on which much is supposed to depend and desiring
if possible to obtain the truth plod through the dark mists
occasioned by the ambiguity and contradiction of authors and after
all be obliged to dismiss the subject as much in the dark as it was
found is too insupportable to be confided in as the only road to
moral truth.
"Let it not be supposed however that I mean to insinuate that the
bible contains no moral truth; so far from this I conceive it to be
replete with moral instruction; that is to say there are excellent
moral maxims in the bible; but respecting these there is neither
ambiguity nor obscurity; and probably for this plain reason because
there seems to be no dispute about them. These however are none the
more true for being written and would have been equally true if found
in any other book and at the same time not found in the bible. Truth
is truth wherever found and all moral truth as well as natural must
be eternal in its nature.
"Much of the bible however is merely historical; and whether most of
the things there related are either true or not I do not see any
connexion they either have or can have with either my present or
future happiness. As for instance I do not see how my happiness is at
all connected with the story of Daniel's being cast into the den of
lions--or of Jonah's being swallowed by a fish! any more than it is
with the story of Remus and Romulus' being nursed by a she wolf! And
if not these things are matters of total indifference; yea as much
so as the extraordinary and were it not for comparing things
supposed to be sacred with profane I would say ridiculous stories in
the heathen mythology. If it should be contended that the facts
recorded in sacred history are necessary to prove the power and
providence of God towards his children it may be answered that those
in profane history if true are equally conclusive. If it should be
said that we cannot place the same confidence in profane history as in
sacred it brings me to the very subject of my inquiry--viz.
"If the things stated in the bible are no more reasonable than those
in profane history what reason have we to believe _these_ any more
than _those_? Must not our own reason finally determine for ourselves
whether or not either be true? And if we are in no sense interested in
the truth or falsity of those accounts why need we trouble ourselves
about them?
"Yours &c A. KNEELAND."
* * * * *
LETTER I.
_Much esteemed friend_--The desire you express of attempting those
researches which seem necessary to promote the further attainment of
moral truth is appreciated as truly laudable; and did I feel myself
adequate to your wishes I should enjoy a peculiar felicity in
complying with your request. But so far from this I am very sensible
that the magnitude of the general subject which you have introduced
requires to be investigated by abilities far superior to those
possessed by me and demands a tribute from resources not within my
possession. However as you have imposed an obligation on me by the
communication which is here acknowledged I will make a feeble attempt
to suggest a few reflections relative to the main subjects of your
epistle which if they do nothing more will return merited
acknowledgements and plead the necessity of calling to your assistance
abilities more promising.
While I view the advances which are making in the knowledge of the
arts and sciences with the pleasure of which you speak I am
apprehensive that the propensity "to chain down the human mind to its
present attainments and thereby prevent all further improvements"
relative to moral truth may have its rise in a principle which so
far from being inimical to man is in its general tendency
incalculably beneficial. No desire is entertained to justify all the
zeal and all the means which are employed to prevent the free exercise
of the human mind in its researches after divine knowledge and to
retard the influx of that light which would prove unfavourable to
doctrines which have little more than prescription for their support;
but it seems reasonable to make a proper distinction between what may
be called a salutary principle in the human mind and a wrong
application or an erroneous indulgence of it. The principle referred
to inclines us not only to hold in the highest veneration any
improvements which we have made but also to retain such acquisitions
in their purity. Now it is believed that what you complain of has its
rise from the foregoing causes and is nothing more than a wrong or an
erroneous indulgence of a natural desire which in its general tendency
is advantageous. Nothing is more incident to man than to misapply his
desires and to overate his reasonable duty. But it is at the same
time believed that a remedy of such defects which should consist in
the destruction of those principles which are improperly acted on
would be worse than the disorder. And now the thought strikes me that
the way by which we account for the improprieties which have just been
traced up to their causes will as charitably account for what seems
to incite you to aim a fatal stroke at a fabric which has its
foundation in the immovable principles of our moral nature and which
though through the wanderings of the human mind may have not a little
hay wood and stubble yet possess too much gold silver and precious
stones to be forsaken as a pile of rubbish.
It gives you "pain to see what time and money what labour and toil
have been expended and are still expending in plodding over as it were
an old dead letter; to learn languages which exist _no where_ only on
paper barely for the sake of reading the opinions of other men who
lived in other times" &c. But you allow that all this would be
necessary if "the only revelation of God to man which was ever
recorded on vellum or paper was written partly in Greek and partly in
Hebrew" and that "the will of God cannot be known only through the
medium of those languages." In this last particular you express what
appears very reasonable and I presume you would be willing to consent
to all this expense and toil even if the proposition were to lose
part of its importance and it were only contended that God had
actually made a revelation to man which was written originally partly
in Greek and partly in the Hebrew without saying that he has never
caused a revelation to be written originally in any other language.
A revelation from God if it were written only in the Hebrew or Greek
would be considered of sufficient value to recompence the labour of
learning the language. But you contend that this revelation if real
can be translated into English but you must allow that to translate
it the original must be learned first. Will you say that after the
translation is once made the original is of no more use? How then are
future ages to determine whether they have not been imposed on?
Suppose no person of the present age understood the languages in which
the scriptures were first written surely in this case those
languages would be lost beyond recovery. Suppose then it should be
doubted whether our bible was not a fabrication written originally
not in Hebrew nor in Greek but in some more modern language how
could the suggestion be refuted?
You appear to be perplexed with the disagreement of authors as
commentators and I presume critics on the original text; you speak
on this subject as if it were too much for patience to endure. Now
dear brother I confess I feel very differently on this subject. I
feel a devout a religious gratitude to him whose wisdom is
foolishness in the sight of too many of my fellow creatures. I view
the very thing of which you complain as that fire and crucible which
have preserved the written testimony from any considerable
corruptions. This is a subject on which volumes might be written to
the instruction and edification of the disciples of Jesus.
The queries which you state concerning a revelation's being made in
one age and not in another in one nation and not in another in one
language and not in another if a special revelation were necessary
&c. are not considered as very weighty objections to the doctrine of
the scriptures. I believe you will allow that our species of being
commenced on this earth in a different way than that by which it has
been continued. But why should the Creator create a man and a woman
at one time and not at all times when he sees fit to multiply his
rational creatures? It is not only evident that God saw that the laws
of procreation were sufficient to perpetuate man and to multiply his
rational offspring but it is likewise apparent that the connexions
relations and harmonies of society are principally built on this law.
So I humbly conceive that the continuance and propagation of a divine
revelation are even as well secured by the means which have been
employed for that purpose as if the Almighty had in every age and in
every country made such a revelation and moreover it is likewise
apparent that the mental labours necessary in obtaining a knowledge
of these divine things greatly contribute to their enjoyment and
render the christian fellowship faith and hope peculiarly interesting
and edifying. Here again I can only suggest a subject on which
voluminous writings might be profitable.
You seem to entertain an idea that the historical part of the bible
can be of no importance to you as it has no connexion with your
present or future happiness. You instance the particulars of Daniel's
being cast into the den of lions and Jonah's being swallowed by the
fish &c. As these are circumstances in the history of that nation
which continues a comment on and an evidence of prophesy they are
too interesting to be dispensed with. If you could produce the decree
of a powerful monarch sent into all parts of his dominions which was
occasioned by "Remus and Romulus' being nursed by a she wolf" the
case would bear some marks of a parallel. Profane authors advert to
such events as sufficient support of any fact which they endeavor to
maintain.
I come now to your main object. Speaking in regard to the credibility
of what is written by profane authors and of that which is recorded
in the scriptures you ask--"Must not our own reason finally determine
for ourselves whether or not either be true?" To this I reply in the
affirmative; but then reason must have its means and its evidences.
For instance I read of the death and resurrection of the man Christ
Jesus I consider this vastly important event as it stands in
connexion with the evidences which support it and reason is the _eye_
with which I examine these evidences and when reason is constrained
to say all these circumstances could never have existed unless the
fact were true it is then I am a believer in Jesus. But if I must
consider the resurrection disconnected from the evidence reason has
nothing to do with it. Please to accept these hasty remarks not as an
answer but as suggestions which may lead to one and as a testimony
of my respect and esteem.
Yours &c. H. BALLOU.
* * * * *
EXTRACTS No. II.
"A revelation from God let it be made in any language whatever I am
very ready to admit must be considered of sufficient importance not
only to justify all reasonable pains to preserve it but also to hand
it down in its original purity to posterity. We owe it not only in
gratitude to the _giver_ but we owe it in justice to _future
generations_ who would have just occasion to reproach us if they
could know that so valuable a treasure was put into our hands which
might have been handed down to them and that we suffered it to perish
through what must be termed by them a _criminal neglect_.
"You will perceive therefore that I had no particular allusion to a
revelation from God when I spoke of translating the most valuable of
ancient writings into English. No one will pretend that such
translations could not be made sufficiently accurate to answer all the
purposes either of history or of the useful arts. It is admitted that
the case is quite different if there be a mystery in these writings
the truth of which depends on literary criticism or grammatical
exactness; but if these writings are nothing more than the bare
opinions and discoveries of _men_ and of men too as liable to error
as ourselves and if no one was to view them in a different light I
apprehend there would be all the confidence placed in a translation
that could with propriety be placed in the original itself. For after
all we should try the facts by other corroborating testimony; and as
to the opinions we should judge of them only by the reasonableness
and fitness of things. Although I have heard it objected to the
translation of _Seneca's Morals_ that much of the beauty of the style
is lost in the translation yet I never heard it pretended but that
the ideas are sufficiently clear; but the case would have been quite
different if mankind had ever been taught to believe that their final
and eternal salvation depended in the least degree on an exact
observance of those moral principles. And I very much question whether
there ever has been a translation of the bible or even of any other
work in which the most important facts were not sufficiently
apparent. If the fact can be supposed otherwise it must be admitted
that comparatively speaking but very few people at the present day
are benefited by a revelation from God. For the great mass of mankind
have to receive the bible altogether on the credit of others. And who
are their guides in this case? Answer Translators and Commentators!
And as these men made no pretentions to inspiration unless the
translation is _substantially_ correct as to matters of fact how are
the common people benefited by a revelation from God!"
[Having adverted to the previous studies in the dead languages which
are required before an admittance can be obtained in our common
colleges the objector proceeds.]
"But I am off from my main subject. I will now endeavour to call up
all my mental faculties seriously to attend to a revelation from God.
The idea suggested in these words is beyond all expression awfully
sublime. Yea not even the bursting of _Vesuvius_ not the
_aurora-borealis_ not the forked _lightning_ not the tremendous
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