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The New Zealand Evangelist

On The Causes Of Infidelity

page 265

On The Causes Of Infidelity.

In nothing is the inconsistency of mankind more astonishing, than in the general coldness or indifference with which they regard revealed religion, and their unwillingness to receive, as substantially true, the only book which tells us what we were, what we are, and what we shall be.

One would imagine that any book, which would give us some certain knowledge of such things—things which are obviously more important to be known than all others on earth would be sought after with avidity—would be read, be studied, be digested, and ultimately followed. If, indeed, there were many such books, each differing from the other, there would be some excuse for uncertainty–a man might be puzzled which to believe, or which to reject. He might say, (if not an Atheist) “Here are various accounts—yet, as the Supreme Being must be Truth itself, some one of these must be true, and the others false.” But there is no room for such doubts, at least in a Christian country, where Paganism, under all its monstrous forms, has long disappeared. No. The impiety of man has never dared to set up a revelation opposed to the one—the only one, which our Creator has given to the world. A page 266 man, therefore, must either believe this book, or he must believe none. He has no choice, for there is no other. Those therefere, who reject the Scriptures, virtually say, that God has placed us in this world, without telling us how we should act, either towards Him, towards ourselves, or towards others. This would be just like a master, forgetting to tell his servant what he was to do to insure his favour, or to give satisfaction.

But there is another inconsistency in this, still more monstrous than the last. The personal experience of every man must be confined only to what he himself sees. All other things come to his knowledge either by books, or by verbal assurance. Thousands of facts, which he himself has never witnessed, and which he does not even understand, he yet believes; either because he finds them recorded in history, or hears of them from credible persons.— A man, for instance, in reading the History of England, finds it stated that the early inhabitants were Pagans, that they offered human sacrifices to their idols, and went about almost naked. He thinks all this very strange, yet he nevertheless believes it, because these facts are stated by all writers on the subject. No one, again, would doubt for a moment that such men as Julius Cæsar, Alexander the Great, Solon, Socrates, and a hundred such heroes and sages of antiquity have really existed; for although their writings or histories are more than a thousand years old, this remote period of time does not affect their credibility: and if we find their accounts verified by others, written at the same time by other hands, our belief almost assumes the certainty of judicial proof. If we turn to the records of the animal world, we find creatures inhabiting remote regions, whose instincts and properties realize some of the wildest dreams of the imagination—of insects building nests so high as to serve for signal stations; of serpents so monstrous as to take a man, or even a horse, at a mouthful; of gigantic birds which have flown away with children, and others so minute page 267 as to be no larger than a bee. Yet every naturalist not only believes in these wonders, but many, like myself, have actually seen them. And they are so well attested, that he would be reckoned little better than a fool who denied their existence.

And yet there is a book, treating of remote history and of strange events—a book whose most striking passages and predictions have been verified by different writers—which gives us the history of the world from its creation—the only book, in short, which tells us what we were, what we are, and what we shall be—which millions of the human race look upon with doubt, or distrust, or absolute disbelief. This book is the Scriptures—the only record of the Creator's dealings with his creatures, which he has permitted to be published; and therefore (logically speaking) the only one which, as emanating from such a source, can be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Now with all the testimony to its authenticity, which the reason of man requires in other cases, and with much more than can be brought forward to support the Grecian or Roman histories,—how is it that this volume, and this alone, does not attain an equally wide and explicit belief with those Pagan histories, which are so much read, believed in, and admired? Is its style less pure, or sublime, or impressive? Is its meaning more obscure, its sentiments less noble, or its precepts less beneficent? In all such points, those who know it best admire it most, and it possesses this rare, I may almost say, unique peculiarity, that it has been the admiration, in all ages, of every class of mankind, from him that sits upon the throne, to the captive that languishes in the dungeon.

No, none of these are the more general causes of a partial or an entire disbelief of the Scriptures.—The secret lies beneath such shallow objections, (which in reality have no existence) and cannot be better or more emphatically expressed than in the words of the Divine Author.—“Men love darkness rather than light”—the darkness of human reason page 268 rather than the light of revelation—“because their deeds are evil.” No other book, seen by human eye, presumes to tell man, with an authority which is felt, but cannot be defined, that whatever he once was, he is now a fallen creature—that he has violated the laws of his Creator—and that without pardon, he will be punished for breaking those laws, much more surely and much more severely, than if he had violated the laws of his country. This, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, is the cause of ungodly men turning from the book of God. They do this, not because they have perused it, and found it incredible—not because “it is too hard to understand,”—but because it everywhere detects and humbles our pride, destroys our self-satisfaction,tells us, in short, what we are, and what we shall be, both here and in eternity, if we persist in living unreconciled to Him whom we feel we have offended.

There is one cause of unbelief which I have recently heard stated, so singular in its nature, that I shall here give it a passing notice, more especially as it comes from an individnal whose moral conduct is not only good, but estimable, and from whom I have received kindness and hospitality. He deemed the Scriptures, if I understood him aright, incredible, because it laid down a code of laws which was alto-gether so unsuited to the present state of the world, that it was impossible to act up to them. As I dislike all controversy, more especially upon the very elements of Religion, I refrained from putting further questions, or eliciting further explanations, but taking the objection in its apparent meaning, it sinks into nothing, nay, is one of the strongest arguments on the other side. If the world stood in no need of being reformed, where was the necessity of a Reformer? Can any man rationally endowed, deliberately say, that Christianity has not improved and reformed mankind? and that its increasing influence over the world is not apparent, even under our own eyes?—Does it not act as a check upon fraud, dishonesty and falsehood, no less than on the greater or more page 269 flagrant vices which disturb the peace of society.—This was the object of its Divine Founder, and this object it has been accomplishing, more than any human laws can possibly do, ever since its first promulgation.

But then, it is argued, were its precepts fully acted upon, in their literal sense, the world and its concerns could not possibly go on. If for instance, we resisted not evil—if we gave him our coat, who took our cloak—and turned to the smiter one cheek after he had struck us on the other, who could be saved from pillage, robbery and insult? how could he provide for his own household? how could he “use hospitality without grudging?”—or how be “diligent in business? “These latter injunctions, I think, clearly show that the first are, in a measure, figurative—or in other words, perhaps, are intended to inculcate the highest degree of forbearance, liberality, and humility that can be exercised, consistent with the performance of the other set of duties. And that this is the true sense in which the former must be viewed, is proved by this simple and remarkable fact, that when the Lord Himself was smitten, it is not recorded that he turned to be smitten again!— In these, and numerous other instances, it is very clear to me, that He laid down such a high standard of the christian virtues, not that sinful human nature could attain to their perfection, but that we should all feel how difficient we were, and that this conviction might take from us all idea we had reached that holiness which belongs to sinless beings only.

The Scriptures admit of no partial Faith. They must be—in every essential point regarding the nature and attributes of their Inspirer, and the facts they relate,—either true or false. No middle course of belief can be held. If they be true, they must be wholly so, since it is utterly impossible to conceive that any thing false could emanate from Him who is the Foundation of Truth.

W. S.

Hawkshead, May 12, 1849.