Natural Theology, Biblical Authority, Ancient Authorities,
Infidelity
Asserts that natural religion 'is a mere phantom of the imagination, which
ought never to be named among Christians'. Argues that revelation is coeval
with the creation, and that even the 'heathen philosophers' derived their
knowledge of religion, insofar as it was correct, from tradition, the Bible, or
the Jews. Observes: 'The theory of Natural Religion, first proposed to supply
arguments against Atheists, has contributed to convert thousands into Deists
[....]; many of whom derive weapons from the writings of the professed
advocates of revealed religion, which they use for the purpose of destroying
revelation itself'.
Biblical Authority, Cosmology, Ancient Authorities
Discussing the meaning of Christ's descent into hell observes: 'I shall not
here urge that, in a philosophic sense, descent is as proper a term as
ascent [...] but as all who know anything of the ancient Greeks will
recollect, that they placed their Hades within, or as they would say,
below the earth; so that circumstance may be supposed to have given rise
to a common mode of expression on such subjects' (27).
The Weakness and Wickedness of an Infidel: Or the Awful Story of
William BeadleBeadle, William
(1730–1782)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>.
(From President Dwight's "Travels in New-England and New York", Vol. 1. pp.
195–200.—See our Select List for December, 1823, p. 818)
Relates of Beadle that 'in his writings, which were numerous, he professed
himself a Deist, and declared that man was, in his opinion, a mere machine,
unaccountable for his actions, and incapable of either virtue or vice' (31). He
also rejected the idea of revelation with contempt. Describes his murder of his
wife and children and his own suicide, following a financial loss.
Derham 1713, Derham,
William 1713. Physico-Theology; or, A Demonstration of the Being
and Attributes of God, from His Works of Creation: Being the Substance of XVI
Sermons Preached in St. Mary le Bow-Church, London, at the Honble Mr. Boyle's
Lectures, in the Years 1711 and 1712. With Large Notes, and Many Curious
Observations Never Before Published, London: W. Innys
CloseView the register entry >>Derham 1715, Derham,
William 1715. Astro-Theology; or, A Demonstration of the Being
and Attributes of God, from a Survey of the Heavens, London: W.
Innys
CloseView the register entry >>Hervey 1746, Hervey, James
1746. Meditations among the Tombs: In a Letter to a Lady, London: J. and
J. Rivington; Bath: J. Leake
CloseView the register entry >>Sturm 1788, Sturm, C. C.
1788. Reflections on the Works of God, and of His Providence throughout all
Nature, for Every Day in the Year. Translated First from the German of Mr. C.
C. Sturm, into French; and Now from the French into English. By a Lady, 3
vols, Edinburgh: N. R. Cheyne
CloseView the register entry >>Paley 1802, Paley, William
1802. Natural Theology; or, Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the
Deity: Collected from the Appearances of Nature, [London]: R.
Faulder
CloseView the register entry >>Chalmers 1817Chalmers,
Thomas 1817. A Series of Discourses on the Christian Revelation,
Viewed in Connection with the Modern Astronomy, Glasgow: John Smith and
Son; Edinburgh: William Whyte; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown
[and 4 others]
CloseView the register entry >>
Asserts that '[t]he connexion of the knowledge of nature with religion and
piety, is [...] a matter determined less by reasoning than by
authority'. Regrets that in 'modern times', natural philosophy 'has too
often been disconnected with sentiments of religion, and, not unfrequently,
been arrayed in opposition to it'. Considers that most modern natural
philosophers have shown no sign of piety, and that 'most books of science have
generally avoided, with apparent design and care, every observation or
allusion, which migh texpose the writer to a sneer as a religionist or a
fanatic'. Contrasts the scientific books of the last half century with those of
Francis Bacon (1st Viscount
St Alban)Bacon, Francis, 1st Viscount St Alban
(1561–1626)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
Isaac NewtonNewton, Sir Isaac
(1642–1727)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, and
Robert BoyleBoyle, Hon Robert
(1627–91)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>.
Concludes that 'philosophic knowledge' has no power 'to create right and truly
religous feelings'. (33) Notes, however, that there have been 'many honourable
exceptions' to 'this indifference or hostility of scientific men to religion'.
Knowing the good ends to which 'philosophical knowledge' can be turned,
especially among the young, the reviewer was pleased by the appearance of
Thomas Dick'sDick, Thomas
(1774–1857)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>The
Christian Philosopher. However, he has been both 'gratified and
disappointed' in the book, 'and that in no ordinary degree'. Dick is a
knowledgeable and able exponent of natural philosophy, but he has 'mixed up his
subject with much irrelevant matter, and has assumed some false principles'.
The book is not a long wished-for 'elementary treatise on Natural Science',
combining knowledge of nature with scriptural knowledge of the atonement.
Instead, it is 'a work on that mixed subject, which has been usually called
"Natural Theology"'. Compared to
William Paley'sPaley, William
(1743–1805)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>Natural Theology, the argument is not clearly stated, but is rather 'a
congeries of reflections'. Objects to Dick's 'resentment at the indifference of
the Professors and Teachers of religion to philosophy', though considers the
author 'a believer in Revelation' and 'a devout and religious man'. Disputes
his claim that religious people are ignorant and narrow minded, noting the
popularity among religious people of books 'which treat of the Works of God, in
connexion with religion'. (34) Disputes that the clergy should make their
sermons more 'philosophical', arguing that 'the works of GOD'
are frequently introduced in sermons to provide appropriate illustrations.
Argues that Dick's views are based on 'erroneous opinions respecting the
efficacy of natural science as a medium of religious impression'. Considers
that a feeling of wonder at nature is not itself a religious impression, and
that 'philosophical' knowledge of nature is not necessary (but is, if anything,
detrimental) to a religious appreciation of creation. Criticizes Dick for
accusing Paley of plagiarism when he 'is himself more eminently and obviously
so'. (35) Considers that, without Dick's complaints, the work 'would be a very
interesting addition to our standard works on Natural Theology', and hopes for
an improved second edition (36). Includes lengthy extracted quotations as
specimens of the work.
Campbell 1822Campbell,
John 1822. Travels in South Africa, Undertaken at the Request of
the London Missionary Society: Being a Narrative of a Second Journey in the
Interior of that Country, 2 vols, London: Francis Westley
CloseView the register entry >>
Relates that Margaret Malley took her 'duty to her children' most seriously:
'Their health, their morals, their proficiency in useful knowledge, but, above
all, their salvation, were the subjects of her inquiry, of her exhortations,
and of her prayers' (63).
One stanza reads: 'I ask'd the golden sun and silver spheres, / Those bright
chronometers of days and years; / They answer'd, "Time is but a meteor's
glare", / And bade me for Eternity prepare'.
Urges the value of travelling to Arabic-speaking countries for the purposes
of learning the language, and gives advice about respecting social customs.
Gives advice about avoiding disease, including the plague, dysentery, and
ophthalmia. Observes: 'The respect paid in the East to European physicians has
been long noticed; and every European is, to a certain extent, expected to act
as a physician. It would therefore be important to one who was professedly
preparing himself to travel, to possess himself of as much knowledge as
possible, both of medicine and surgery' (106). Discusses the knowledge of
Arabic of many 'Mohammedan Negroes'. Gives an extract from an Arabic book,
copied by 'a Negro of the Foulah country', which betrays 'communication with
the Aristotelian philosophy'. Sees this as evidence that 'the interior of
Africa is in a different state from what is generally imagined' and that it is
'destined to have its period of light and knowledge in its turn'. (107) Urges
the value of a knowledge of Arabic for African explorers. Highlights the
apparent historical interconnections of India and Africa, including the
apparent knowledge of Asiatic animal species in Egypt, concluding that
'[o]bservations of this nature, like those on the fossil remains of animals,
will probably end in some remarkable illustration of the early history of
mankind' (108).
Notes
Thomas
Chalmers'sChalmers, Thomas
(1780–1847)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> sudden rise to 'celebrity' and praises his 'generalizing
faculty which seizes the philosophy of a subject' (110). Quotes Chalmers'
apology for including two sermons on 'Christian Economy'. Chalmers observes: 'I
have been led by experience to feel the religious importance of their subject,
and I think that much injury has been sustained by the souls of our people from
the neglect of obvious principles, both in the business of education, and in
the business of public charity'. Applauds Chalmers sermon on 'The constancy of
GOD in his Works, an argument for the faithfulness of
GOD in his Word', giving a précis and extracts.
Chalmers invokes the notion developed in the Scottish common-sense school of
philosophy that 'GOD hath planted a universal instinct, by
which all are led to believe, that Nature will persevere in her wonted
courses'. (111) He refers to the chemist putting nature (which is feminized)
'to the torture', continuing: 'When tried in his hottest furnace, or probed, by
his searching analysis, to her innermost arcana, she by a spark, or an
explosion, or an effervescence, or an evolving substance, makes her distinct
replies to his investigations' (111–12). Chalmers observes that the
replication of such experiments (as also science more generally) relies on the
immutability of God, and argues from this for the constancy of God in being
faithful to 'his word' (112).
Parkinson 1822Parkinson,
James 1822. Introduction to the Study of Fossil Organic Remains,
Especially those Found in the British Strata, Intended to Aid the Student in
his Enquiries Respecting the Nature of Fossils and their Connexion with the
Formation of the Earth, London: printed for the author
CloseView the register entry >>
Subjects:
Palaeontology, Geology
Section: Missionary Notices, Relating Principally to the Foreign Missions
Carried on Under the Direction of the Methodist Conference
William J Shrewsbury's letter describes how opponents of the Methodist
mission prepared thin glass bottles filled with 'a mixture of oil and
asafoetida' which they then threw among the congregation during a Sunday
service (129).
Subsection: Extracts from the Publications of Other Missionary
Societies
Relates that '[t]he disorder that terminated her life was a cancer in the
breast, which had long been festering before she mentioned it to any Medical
Gentleman. When she at length stated her case to an eminent Surgeon, he
expressed a fear it was too far gone to be checked; and so it proved'
(140).
Begins: 'By the light of yon planet, whose pale orb was gliding / Through
oceans of ether, I pensively stray'd / I saw o'er the universe
WISDOM presiding, / And ask'd why the spirit of man she had
made'. The answer given by Urania (descending from her seat on the wings of a
cherub, with the firmament at her feet) is that man was made for probation
followed by ultimate immortality in the presence of 'the
JUDGE'.
Contrasts the untrustworthiness of material things with the trustworthiness
of God. One stanza observes that if the 'confiding bark [...] trust the stars
above, / They can be treacherous too'. A second stanza observes that a ship can
draw 'lightning down upon the head / It promised to defend'.
Reviewing the history of Methodism, in which all temporary hindrances have
ultimately been overcome, observes: 'For a moment the operations of the great
machine might be disordered by the obstructions thrown in its way; but
immediately on their removal, it moved with superior harmony and effect'
(162).
Christianity, Theology of Nature, Natural Law, Human Species,
Philosophical Psychology, Infidelity, Piety, Reasoning, Feeling, Reading,
Biblical Authority
Criticizes Chalmers' sermon on predestination, quoting his use of an analogy
between the laws of material nature and of human action: 'Every step of every
individual character receives as determinate a character from the hand of
GOD, as every mile of a planet's orbit, or every gust of wind,
or every wave of the sea, or every particle of flying dust, or every rivulet of
flowing water' (178). Argues that Chalmers makes all human actions, including
sinful ones, the direct result of divine action. Suggests that in combating the
errors of one set of infidel philosophers, 'who exclude the divine agency
entirely', he has fallen into the error of another set, making
'GOD the efficient in every thing, good and evil'.
Reviews the 'practical use of piety and zeal' to which Chalmers'
principles can be turned, and reflects that, while 'the tide of good feeling'
in Chalmers' sermon would not lead readers astray, his reasonings might provide
readers with an 'excuse' for going astray. (179) Discusses Chalmers' view of
the human will, arguing that he is wrong to claim that it is 'a merely
passive instrument in the hand of GOD' (184). Argues,
however, that it is also bad philosophy to consider the human will an entirely
independent principle, and suggests that it is influenced by the affections and
understanding, which are susceptible to divine action. Observes: 'For the
philosophy which walks with Revelation into all her beauteous paths of
holiness, justice, and mercy, and gives glory to GOD, and
sheds benevolence on man, we thank every man whose intellect has created, or
whose fancy has adorned it;—and to few are our obligations more due than
to our Author;—but science is most unfortunately employed, if, in driving
out roads in new courses, it heaps up the soil of the beaten track, obliterates
the direction of the very King's highway, and converts it into a quagmire'
(185).
Wyld 1823Wyld, James 1823.
Geographia Sacra; or, Scripture Atlas: Comprising a Complete Set of Maps,
Adapted to Elucidated the Events of Sacred History, and Which Point Out the
Situation of Every Place Mentioned in the Old and New Testament, London: G.
and W. B. Whittaker
CloseView the register entry >>
Reviews the increasing importance of machinery in manufactures, and its
relation to manual labour. Appraises the recent increase in 'scientific
acquirements' in the country, particularly celebrating the patronage of Charles
Babbage's calculating machine. Considers such developments an encouragement to
the Liverpool Royal Institution to maintain its endeavours, observing:
'Invention might have passed the bounds which uneducated talent and
uncultivated genius could hope to reach. [...] Study might be hereafter
necessary to open the way to distinction in every useful art; and the lecture
and model rooms become absolutely necessary to the development even of the
greatest natural mechanical genius'.
Section: Missionary Notices, Relating Principally to the Foreign Missions
Carried on Under the Direction of the Methodist Conference
The writer describes his or her own educational practice in teaching
children on Sundays. Observes that '[i]n order to enliven the conception of the
important events recorded in the sacred annals, as well as to impress them on
the memory, it will be found useful to refer to Plates illustrative of these
interesting facts, and also to Maps for the purpose of designating the
geographical situation of the places in which they occurred' (243). Warns that,
while children should be instructed 'in every branch of christian science', the
'pride of understanding, and an overweening confidence in its own powers, have
perhaps done more than the direct machinations of infidelity, to lead the mind
of man astray from the direct path of evangelical truth, and finally to involve
it in the mazes of sceptical delusion and perplexity' (245).
Discusses the considerable value of church history and Christian biography
to readers, observing that 'the curiosity which exists, in every intelligent
mind, to trace effects to their causes, by obtaining an acquaintance with that
chain of providential dispensations which has led, from apparently
inconsiderable commencements, to results the most momentous, is a principle
that deserves encouragement', partly 'because it stengthens the habit of close
and investigating observation of the works and ways of God' (247). Asserts that
from the 'anarchy and tumult' of the Civil War and the irreligion and
immorality of the Restoration 'arose that principle, which, like the light
diffused in the beginning over the chaotic mass, reduced opposing enemies to
order, and displayed the power and glory of him who is not only the Great
Architect of Nature, but also the Almighty Builder of his Church' (248).
Relates (in a lengthy extract) the experience of
Samuel WesleyWesley, Samuel, the elder
(1662–1735)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> of
what he deemed to be a supernatural phenomenon in his house. Quotes
Adam Clarke'sClarke, Adam
(1762?–1832)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
response to
Joseph
Priestley'sPriestley, Joseph
(1733–1804)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> observations on the subject, in which Clarke criticizes
Priestley for rejecting sensory and testimentary evidence for the sake of his
materialist creed. Reviews
Susanna
Wesley'sWesley, Susanna
(1669–1743)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> educational practices, reflecting that 'the regulation of
the moral powers' is the most important branch of education (256). Contrasts
such education with the relative ease of giving 'instruction on the
multifarious parts of science' (257).
Section: Missionary Notices, Relating Principally to the Foreign Missions
Carried on Under the Direction of the Methodist Conference
Exploration, Disease, Medical Practitioners, Medical Treatment,
Pharmaceuticals
Relates Beavan's death of a fever, while attempting to reach a mission
station in South Africa. Observes: 'His constitution was not able to bear the
privations and hardships inseparable from the mode of travelling in that part
of South Africa through which their journey lay' (293). An extracted letter,
dated from Beaufort Village, north-east of Cape Town, relates that 'Mr. Hemming
wrote by post to the Physician, at Graaf-Reinet, a village one hundred and
thirty miles from this, giving the best description he could for the disease,
and requesting him to send medicine and advice by return of post. Some
medicines were sent accordingly and administered, but without the least
effect'. (294)
The extract relates of Renaissance Spain that 'the clergy rejoiced in the
extirpation of such works, Greek, Latin, or Castillian, as implied the
existence of any real science besides school-divinity' (313).
Clarke 1705, Clarke, Samuel
1705. A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God: More Particularly
in Answer to Mr. Hobbs, Spinoza, and their Followers. Wherein the Notion of
Liberty is Stated [...] in Opposition to Necessity and Fate. Being the
Substance of Eight Sermons Preach'd at the Cathedral-Church of St. Paul, in the
Year 1704, London: James Knapton
CloseView the register entry >>Paley 1802, Paley, William
1802. Natural Theology; or, Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the
Deity: Collected from the Appearances of Nature, [London]: R.
Faulder
CloseView the register entry >>Howe 1675Howe, John 1675.
The Living Temple; or, A Designed Improvement of that Notion that a Good Man
is the Temple of God, London: John Starkey
CloseView the register entry >>
The reviewer welcomes this second part of the publication, noting that
Richard WatsonWatson, Richard
(1737–1816)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>
detects the 'sources of error' on every subject discussed, 'even though shaded
by the branches and foliage of false philosophy and metaphysics'. Having
established in the first part the authority of the Bible, Watson proceeds in
the second part to derive from it such foundational doctrines as 'the Existence
of GOD, and the Perfections of his Nature'. The reviewer
observes that 'once the fact of GOD's Existence is
communicated by his own revelation, it is found to be capable of ample
confirmation; and hence, on no subject has argument been more triumphant than
on this'. (318) Details Watson's account of the à priori
argument. Observes of
Samuel ClarkeClarke, Samuel
(1675-1729)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>
that, 'having discovered, as he thought, by the force of his own wit, what
GOD was and must be, in all respects, he
rejected the christian doctrine of the Trinity' and quibbled with the Bible.
Relates that Watson 'discards the argument à priori, as being
both defective and useless, and rests the weight of his cause upon the argument
à posteriori'. Describes
William PaleyPaley, William
(1743–1805)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> as
'one of the most perspicuous and powerful reasoners this country has ever
produced'. Praises Watson's disquisitions on 'the sceptical philosophy of
HUMEHume, David
(1711–76)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>,
in regard to the connexion between cause and effect' and on 'the immateriality
of the human soul, and the spirituality of the divine essence, in opposition to
the doctrine of materialism, as espoused by
LAWRENCELawrence, Sir William, 1st Baronet
(1783–1867)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, and by the
Philosophists of France, from whom LAWRENCE has borrowed his
arguments and illustrations'. (319) Gives a lengthy extract on the wisdom of
God in creation, which particularly emphasizes the variety of created things. A
footnote to the extract quotes
[Prichard] 1813[Prichard, James
Cowles] 1813. Researches into the Physical History of Man,
London: J. and A. Arch
CloseView the register entry >> in
attributing the 'rash hypothesis, that the negro is the connecting link between
the white man and the ape' to the 'arbitrary classification of
LINNæUSLinnaeus (or von Linné), Carl
(1707–78)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, which associates
man and the ape in the same order' (320n). Concludes by praising the first
volume of this work, observing: 'There are few modern publications, the value
of which we estimate so highly' (321).
Identifies a 'fallacy' into which 'men of mere detail inevitably fall' on
the subject of missions: 'They judge by weight, and measure, and
number, so to speak, concerning things which are no more capable of
being so estimated, than the light of morning, or the diffusive warmth of a
vernal atmosphere' (324).
Section: Missionary Notices, Relating Principally to the Foreign Missions
Carried on Under the Direction of the Methodist Conference
Future Rewards and Punishments: The Substance of a Discourse Delivered
Before the New-England Conference of Methodist Ministers, at Providence, June
17, 1823: By the Rev. Wilbur Fisk, A.M. (From the American Methodist
Magazine)
[3/3]
Notes that some have asserted that 'all punishment is disciplinary', that
there cannot consequently be eternal punishment, and that salvation will
ultimately be universal. Argues that this is 'contrary to the modern, and
almost universally received principles of philosophising'. Observes that
Francis Bacon (1st Viscount
St Alban)Bacon, Francis, 1st Viscount St Alban
(1561–1626)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and
Isaac NewtonNewton, Sir Isaac
(1642–1727)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>
established the practice of tracing facts 'up to first principles', and that
this 'system of philosophy' has been applied to moral subjects by
Thomas ReidReid, Thomas
(1710–96)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and
Dugald
Stewart, Dugald
(1753–1828)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>StewartStewart, Dugald
(1753–1828)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>. 'From these great men we are taught,
both by precept and example, to lay aside our own wisdom, the result of
speculative reasoning, and calmly to sit at the feet of our great Teacher, the
GOD of Nature, and the GOD of Grace; there to
learn, from the principles made known in his works and word, the righteous laws
by which he governs the physical and moral world'. (367) Argues that we would
have been 'entirely ignorant' of divine punishment without revelation, but that
revelation cannot be gainsayed by any amount of reasoning concerning the
character of God (368). Suggests that any argument from the character of God
against eternal punishment would apply to the existence of suffering generally,
and that belief in either is dependent on God having 'declared it necessary by
his word or works', rather than on reasoning (370).
The Wesleyan Methodist. (No. XVI.) Tables, Exhibiting the State and
Progress of Methodism in Great Britain, Considered in Relation to the Whole
Population; with Observations, Explanatory, and Practical. By the Rev. A. G.
Jewitt
Urges 'Scepticism', or more precisely 'a suspension of belief in
cases where Benevolence would wish such a suspension'. Observes: 'What leads me
to request [...] the cultivation of a taste for evidence, is, that I
find many, who are neither ill-tempered nor malicious, but who appear to credit
any story [...] with as full satisfaction as a young student does a problem in
EUCLIDEuclid
(fl. 295 BC)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, which
he has traced to its demonstration'.
[Conder]
1825–29[Conder,
Josiah] 1825–29. The Modern Traveller: A Popular
Description, Geographical, Historical, and Topographical, of the Various
Countries of the Globe, 30 vols, London: James Duncan; Edinburgh: Oliver
and Boyd; Glasgow: M. Ogle; Dublin: R. M. Tims
CloseView the register entry >>
Clarke relates his early experience of meteorological prognostication as a
child brought up on a farm. He observes: 'I believe Meteorology is a
natural science, and one of the first that is studied; and that
every child in the country makes, untaught, some progress in it' (456).
Introduces a table, based on one which was 'variously published' about twenty
years before, 'purporting to be the work of the late
DR.
HERSCHELHerschel, Sir William
(1738–1822)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>', containing lunar prognosticators of the
weather. Reflects: 'I have often been led to glorify GOD for
the principle on which the Table is constructed'. (457) Introduces an
expanded version of a poem by
Erasmus DarwinDarwin, Erasmus
(1731–1802)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>
which includes 'most of the signs of approaching ill-weather'.
Section: Religious Intelligence
Subsection: Religious Anniversaries Lately Held in London
Quotes the speech of
Thomas F
BuxtonBuxton, Sir Thomas Fowell, 1st Baronet
(1786–1845)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> at the society's anniversary meeting, relating an anecdote of
a 'gentleman, who always told him that there were three things detrimental to
the poor, and that those three things were—reading, writing, and
arithmetic'. The man's bailiff kept accounts using peas, beans, and corn
arranged in a chest of drawers: 'all went on right enough, and his fame as a
calculator flourished; but alas! on one unlucky day, a rat got into the books,
and made desperate havoc with the cash accounts, memorandums, and balance
sheets of our accountant, and the fine fabric of horse-bean mathematics became
deposited in the belly of the rat' (479).
The butterfly leads the poet to pious thoughts. Observes: 'For unto him
whose spirit reads / Creation with a Christian's eye, / Each happy living
creature pleads / The cause of Him who reigns on high'. Contrasts the feeling
of divine care derived from contemplation of nature with the sense imparted by
'rhetoric's frigid powers'. (503) Draws an analogy between the caterpillar's
metamorphosis into a butterfly and the metamorphosis of mortal humans into
immortal spirits.
Kennett 1708Kennett, White
1708. A Sermon Preach'd at the Funeral of [...] William Duke of Devonshire
[...] Septemb. 5th. 1707. With Some Memoirs of the Family of Cavendish,
London: John Churchill
CloseView the register entry >>
Asserts the difficulty of gaining an adequate sense of the majesty of God.
Suggests that the reader reflect on the increasing sense of solemnity in
addressing larger and larger audiences, even 'the inhabitants of every globe,
or the whole universe of intelligent existence'. Observes that God is in such a
position.
Observes: 'I remember
DR.
FRANKLINFranklin, Benjamin
(1706–90)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> observes, he could never recollect what he
had for dinner, an hour after; which indifference he ascribes to a laudable
custom, in his parents, of never either praising or finding fault with the
dishes at their table'.
Amasses evidence to support the conclusion that 'the researches of Geology
confirm the fact of a Universal Deluge, and thus afford a sensible proof
of the credibility of the Sacred Historian, and, consequently, of the truth of
the doctrines of Divine Revelation' (540).
Capel 1683Capel, Arthur,
Baron 1683. Excellent Contemplations, Divine and Moral. Written
by [...] Arthur Lord Capel [...]; Together with Some Account of His Life, and
His Letters [...] whilst He Was Prisoner in the Tower [...] and His [...] Last
Speech at His Suffering, March 9. 1648. With His Pious Advice to His Sone the
Late Earl of Essex, London: Nath. Crouch
CloseView the register entry >>
Subjects:
Scientific Practitioners, Education, Endeavour
'Few there are but do love knowledge: but the reason why there are so few
that are knowing is, because the entrance of all arts and sciences is
difficult; and though most are delighted with the amiable parts of learning and
wisdom in other men, and desire to be like qualified, yet they imitate not
their indefatigable industry, by which they ascended to that eminent
height'.
Section: Missionary Notices, Relating Principally to the Foreign Missions
Carried on Under the Direction of the Methodist Conference
Exploration, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Acclimatization,
Ethnography, Religion, War, Disease, Race
The introduction relates of the mission station: 'A large piece of ground
has been fenced in, and a garden brought under cultivation; fruit-trees and
vegetables from New South Wales have been planted; and cattle, poultry,
&c., have been introduced' (555–56). The extract from Walter Lawry's
journal records: 'A cough prevails pretty generally among the natives, which
they attribute to our coming among them; and it has recently been proposed, as
a remedy for the complaint, to murder us and share out our property' (557).
Relates that they have 'sown seventy-five muds of corn, barley, &c., and
made many alterations as to the extent of the gardens', so that they can feed
the people of Khamies-Berg all year round where they can be instructed.
The first stanza enquires: 'Will GOD indeed to earth
descend, / In temples made with hands to dwell? / Lo! round, above, the heavens
extend; / Can science their dimensions tell? / Their viewless bounds we seek in
vain; / Yet, can the heavens our GOD contain?'. Subsequent
stanzas contrast the infinitude of God with the doctrine of incarnation.
The Truth, by Which God Shows His Willingness that all Men Should be
Saved: A Discourse in Behalf of the Wesleyan Missions, Preached at Great
Queen-Street, Lincoln's Inn-Fields, London, May 2, 1824. By the Rev. Adam
Clarke, L.L.D., F.A.S.
Creation, Human Species, Race, Ethnology, Natural Theology, Biblical
Authority
Bases the claim that God 'wills that all men should be saved' on the
principle that he created 'of one flesh and blood all the nations of men, to
dwell on the face of the whole earth'. Asserts: 'None were created but
ADAM and EVE: all the rest came by natural
generation from those two'. (588) Declares that the Bible 'contains
the only system of pure Theology;—the only rational account of the Being
and Perfections of GOD' (589).
Notes the tendency of questions relating to things 'absolutely beyond the
limits of human knowledge' to 'produce first a curious and then a
sceptical spirit' causing many to 'speculate themselves into
infidelity'. Asserts: 'Mysteries could never have been known if not revealed,
and can be understood no further than revealed'.
Section: Obituary (Extracted from the Minutes of the Late Conference)
Relates that he 'relinquished an extensive and lucrative practice of
medicine, for which he had been regularly educated' to become a Methodist
minister. Observes that he was 'unwearied in his efforts to do good, both to
the bodies and souls of men'.
Watson 1824Watson,
Richard 1824. The Religious Instruction of the Slaves in the West
India Colonies, Advocated and Defended: A Sermon Preached Before the Wesleyan
Methodist Missionary Society in the New Chapel, City Road, London, April 28,
1824, London: Butterworth and Son
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Pondering the biblical injunction to 'Honour all men' (1 Pet. 2. 17),
Richard WatsonWatson, Richard
(1737–1816)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>
observes: 'But here brutal ignorance and affected philosophy agree to ask the
question, "Who are MEN?" intimating, that, if the benevolent
principles just laid down are not to be disputed, the application of them must
be narrowed; and that, as to various tribes which bear the human form [...] it
is doubted whether they have this claim to brotherhood, because it is
doubted whether they have any title to humanity' (687). Watson refers to
the theory of a 'petty philosophy' that 'the gradations of animated nature are
gentle, and almost imperceptible; and, not content that the ape and baboon
should fill up the chasm which exists between the quadruped and man, an
intermediate link must be invented; and thus the coloured skin and the peculiar
visage of the Negro and the Hottentot are placed against their title to
humanity'. He avers that the theory has been refuted by the 'facts' of
religious conversion gathered by missionary societies—this demonstrating
the humanity of all races—and concludes: 'Thus have Missionary operations
not only enlarged the sphere of benevolence, but extended the vision of a
hoodwinked philosophy'. (688) Watson observes that some consider 'the Negro' to
be 'so degenerate a variety of the human species as to defy all cultivation of
mind and all correction of morals'. Among these are 'our minute
philosophers, who take the gauge of intellectual capacity from the
disposition of the bones of the head, and link morality with the contour of the
countenance'. (689) Watson traces the history of 'the Negro tribes' to ancient
Egypt, situating Africa's 'heraldry of science' there, and urging that there is
a 'close resemblance to Negro feature' in ancient Egyptian statuary
(689–90). He points also to the possible 'cultivation' of the race as
seen 'in the persons of African Negroes, generals, physicians, philosophers,
linguists, poets, mathematicians, and merchants, all eminent in their
attainments' (690).
Anon 1823bAnon. 1823b. Choice Pleasures for Youth: Recommended in
a Series of Letters from a Father to his Son, London: W. Baynes and
Son
CloseView the register entry >>
Subjects:
Education, Amusement
One of the six letters in the reviewed book is on 'The Pleasures which arise
from the Study of Nature'.
Relates the process of island formation by 'coral insects', observing that
these are amongst the 'wonders' of God, by which he forwards 'His ends of
benevolence'. Asserts that 'man' inclines to despise 'myriads of beings equally
insignificant in appearance, because he has not yet discovered the great
offices which they hold, the duties which they fulfil, in the great order of
Nature'. Describes the formation of islands by earthquakes and volcanoes,
contrasting the 'silent and unmarked labours of working myriads [of
corallines], operating by an universal and long-ordained law' with 'the sudden,
the momentary, effort of a power, which, from the rarity of its exertion, seems
to be especially among the miraculous interpositions of the
CREATOR'. Describes the importance of equatorial mountains in
providing climatic zones, and as 'the great hydraulic engine by which the
clouds are collected to fertilize the earth'. (701) Observes that human
chemistry cannot explain the operation of corallines in the production of the
'calcareous earth' which has ultimately formed 'the chalk and limestone of our
own England'. (702)
Introduces Raffles' account of a fire destroying the ship on which he had
embarked from Sumatra, and of the loss of all his papers and collections.
Raffles reports: 'there was scarce an unknown animal, bird, beast, or fish, or
an interesting plant, which we had not on board. [...] We were, in short, in
this respect, a perfect NOAH'S Ark'.
Section: Missionary Notices, Relating Principally to the Foreign Missions
Carried on Under the Direction of the Methodist Conference
Reports a disputation with a Brahmin at the 'great temple of
CONJEVERAM', in which he was asked, among other questions: 'Is
GOD a Spirit? How then did he create matter? Is the soul
GOD or not? Is the soul immortal? Then it is eternal, for what
has no end can have no beginning'. Observes: 'Most of them prefer to speculate
and converse on such subjects, to having their own state laid open, and
GOD's will concerning them pointed out'. (703)
Describes some of the religious beliefs of the indigenous population of the
Friendly Islands (Tonga). Relates that the first white man in the islands was
an escaped convict from Botany Bay, who, when the first missionaries arrived
around the turn of the century, told the chiefs 'that they were sent here by
the King of England to destroy all the natives in the land, and take possession
of the islands for themselves'. He reported that they were doing this by
witchcraft, an account 'rendered the more probable by an epidemic disease which
then prevailed among them'. (706) Relates the description given by one of the
chiefs of a voyage from Tonga to New Zealand and Australia, observing: his
account of Sydney, 'above all, the unbounded liberality and kindness of our
friends—produced an electrifying effect upon the Chiefs' (707).
Hodgson and Broadbent's extracted letter relates: 'We are happy in stating,
that this people appear different from many of the natives of South Africa,
with respect to a disposition to improve in civilization. Our example in
digging wells was soon followed by several of the people, with equal success.
We found them also desirous to possess Indian corn, kidney-beans, pumpkins,
&c., which they saw us use in our gardens; and we have the satisfaction of
seeing several acres of ground cultivated, and planted with the native corn,
water-melons, &c.' (712–13). Hodgson's diary records the anxiety of
'SCHNDEEPSchndeep (Coranna chief, Bechuanaland)
(fl. 1824)
WM3/3/10ciii/7 CloseView the register entry >>,
the Coranna Chief' for one of the missionaries to reside with him, 'promising
to remain stationary at a place where we could cultivate gardens, sow corn,
&c.' (713).
The sermon answers another sermon 'lately published in this town, by one of
those who have assumed to themselves the titles of Unitarian and Rational
Christians', which attributed the growth of infidelity to the absurdities and
persecuting spirit of religious orthodoxy (731). Argues that it is 'perfectly
idle to think of converting Infidels by giving up every truth of revelation,
which may be deemed contradictory to a pretended natural religion, or to the
imaginary perfection of human reason' (732). Determines instead to present
Christianity on its own proper foundation in the Bible, arguing that the Bible
must 'stand or fall' on the basis of the distinctive doctrines of Christianity,
and that the reason for infidelity is not rational, but is rather the 'depraved
state of the Heart' (733).
The paper describes the restoration of sight to the author's eye—which
was afflicted with 'Gutta Serena'—following the repeated application of
large blisters to the spine. The introductory letter relates that the author
was persuaded to detail his cure publicly by the requests of 'the brethren
assembled in our late Conference held in Leeds' (738).
Metaphysics, Philosophical Psychology, Biblical Authority, Reasoning,
Theology of Nature
Seeks to argue that God has an '"unsuccessive" existence' (745).
Cites
John Locke'sLocke, John
(1632–1704)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> argument
that 'it is from the succession of our own thoughts that we obtain the complex
idea of duration, or time' (746). The editorial afterword announces that the
letter has been inserted as 'an innocent and not uninteresting
speculation', warning that on such subjects speculation is the limit of
human knowledge (748). The editor replies to a number of the arguments made in
the letter.
Section: Missionary Notices, Relating Principally to the Foreign Missions
Carried on Under the Direction of the Methodist Conference
Exploration, Christianity, Disease, Providence, Mapping, Physical
Geography, Race, Language
Observes: 'It pleased the LORD, about the end of the old
year, to visit us at this station with ophthalmia'. Relates that the 'map of
Africa' is 'almost blank in these parts'. (776) Details the tribes in the
region.
Argues that the true cause of infidelity lies in the heart, not in 'the want
of evidence for the truth of Divine Revelation, or in the difficulties and
apparent inconsistencies of its doctrines' (799). Applies this observation to
pagan philosophers and to 'those in the present age who prefer the name of
Philosopher to that of Christian' (800). Quotes one modern infidel whose creed
is: 'There is no GOD but matter; no intelligence equal to that
of men; and no man to be compared with myself, for penetration and wisdom'
(801). Enquires when infidels will 'cease to impose upon themselves' and
'refute the arguments which are adduced in support of Christianity, in any one
of the respectable defences of it which have been published to the world,
instead of ransacking the bowels of the earth, with our modern Geologists, to
find in the disposition of its strata contradictions to the Mosaic account of
its formation, or soaring with our Astronomers into the region of the stars, to
discover proofs, in a plurality of worlds and the immensity of
GOD's works, against the Scripture doctrine of redemption by
the incarnation and death of the SON of GOD'
(804).
Political Economy, Christianity, Commerce, Piety,
Manufactories
Begins: 'The advantages derived to society from the division of labour, have
been long known; though no one has, perhaps, illustrated this principle with
such a fulness [sic] of evidence, or expanded it in such amplitude of detail,
as our celebrated northern Economist,
DR.
ADAM SMITHSmith, Adam
(1723–90)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>' (808). Argues that the
system leads to ill consequences when applied to religion by those of other
professions who consider it the duty solely of ministers and missionaries to
apply themselves to the propagation of Christianity. Highlights the
opportunities merchants have for propagating Christianity. Observes that
manufacturers also have the power to do much good, as witnessed by the example
of
David DaleDale, David
(1739–1806)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and
Richard
ReynoldsReynolds, Richard
(1735–1816)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>. Exhorts pious businessmen to exert themselves in such
ways.
Conybeare 1824Conybeare, John
Josias 1824. The Bampton Lectures for the Year MDCCCXXIV: Being
an Attempt to Trace the History and to Ascertain the Limits of the Secondary
and Spiritual Interpretation of Scripture, Oxford: printed for the
author
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Subjects:
Biblical Authority, Natural Philosophy, Piety
Endorses
John J
Conybeare'sConybeare, John Josias
(1779–1824)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> argument that some 'spiritual' interpretation of the
Bible is endorsed by the Bible itself. Follows his survey of allegorical
interpretation through the history of the Christian Church, in which he
demonstrates that the application of this principle has often been erroneous.
Concludes with an extract relating to the 'Hutchinsonian School', in
which Conybeare argues that
John
HutchinsonHutchinson, John
(1674–1737)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and his followers were 'pious and ingenious' but 'highly
fanciful' in their interpretations. He reports that, unlike many who sought to
'strain and pervert the sacred text' to match their philosophy, the
Hutchinsonians sought to correct 'philosophical theories of mere human
invention' in accordance with what they believed to be the 'real and original'
sense of the Biblical texts. The extract also commends the Hutchinsonians for
the excellence of their scholarly endeavours, and for their piety. (820)
Stanley 1824, Stanley,
Jacob 1824. An Original Essay on Memory, London: J.
Kershaw
CloseView the register entry >>Foster 1824, Foster, Henry
1824. The Bible Preacher; or, Closet Companion, for Every Day in the Year:
Consisting of Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Outlines of Sermons, in a Regular
Series, from Genesis to Revelations. Together with Six Complete Sermons
[...] Collected and Arranged, with a Memoir of the Author, by the Rev. S.
Piggott, London: William Baynes & Son
CloseView the register entry >>[Conder]
1825–29[Conder,
Josiah] 1825–29. The Modern Traveller: A Popular
Description, Geographical, Historical, and Topographical, of the Various
Countries of the Globe, 30 vols, London: James Duncan; Edinburgh: Oliver
and Boyd; Glasgow: M. Ogle; Dublin: R. M. Tims
CloseView the register entry >>
The reviewer of
Henry Foster'sFoster, Henry
(1745–1814)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>The Bible Preacher dislikes preachers using such sermon outlines,
observing that, 'like the steerage of the wings and tails of birds',
arrangement and method 'must grow out of the living body, and will answer no
purpose if merely stuck upon it'. Observes of such skeleton sermons: 'We are no
adepts in theological anatomy. The differences between skeleton and skeleton,
bone and bone, must however be chiefly in the size; and all we can say
therefore is, that these skeletons are generally shorter and more
slender than those which have of late been wired together, and set up in
their respective cases'. Welcomes the first eight parts of
Josiah Conder'sConder, Josiah
(1789–1855)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>The Modern Traveller, observing that books of travels in recent years
have tended only to be published in expensive editions, and noting that the
editor of the work in hand 'proposes to cut down these ponderous tomes
[...] and to exhibit in a cheap and elegant miniature edition, in monthly
parts, all that is valuable in them'. (823)
The extracted papal encyclical criticizes '[a] certain sect, which
undoubtedly is not unknown to you, improperly arrogating to itself the title of
PHILOSOPHY', which has argued for religious toleration and
'Indifferentism' (836). In a note, the editor takes this to refer to
'Protestants in their different denominations', and considers that the use of
the word philosophy is an attempt to put 'all the religious non-Catholic Bodies
on the level of the pretendedly philosophical Infidels, and revolutionists of
Europe' (837n). The encyclical asserts that the 'Indifferentism' has
gone so far as to include even those societies which 'after having rejected
Divine Revelation, make an open profession of pure Deism, nay, of mere
Naturalism'. Enquires: 'But will it ever be possible for any man, who
makes a right use of his reason, to approve of a Toleration which extends
itself to Deism, and even to Naturalism'? (837)