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DEISTS.

This word comes from the Latin word Deus, God. It is used by Deists, to signify their belief in one God. So that in this sense, Christians are Deists also.

Dr. Samuel Clarke divides the anti-christian Deists into four classes, but they are comprehended in two. The first professors believe, that the works of creation sufficiently prove a First Cause; that this Cause is not inherent in nature, but above and out of nature, and the creator of nature. They believe, that this First Cause does not work by providence, in the affairs of the world, except, that by his Almighty power, he upholds and supports creation. Like the Epicurean sect, they believe, that he is too great to notice the particular concerns of man, consequently, that he is alike unmoved either by good or evil.

The second not only believe in the existence of a God, and that he superintends the government of the world by his providence; but as they do not believe, that the scriptures are of divine authority, they conclude, that all information respecting these things must be drawn from the book of nature; consequently, they reject all revelation, do not believe in the mission of Christ, and maintain, that the sacred scripture is not the word of God.*

According to Dr. Samuel Clarke, the first deistical writer that appeared in this country was Herbert, baron of Cherbury. By his writings, he formed Deism into a

octavo.

See Dr. Valpy's Address to his Parishioners, 3d edition

system, and endeavoured to prove, that natural religion was sufficient to save the soul. The articles of their belief are these; that there is one God: that he is to be worshipped: that piety and virtue constitute that worship: that if we repent, God will pardon: that there are rewards and punishments in the future state.

SCRIPTURE, AND DIVINE REVELATION.

When we say, that the sacred scripture is the word of God, we do not mean, that it was all spoken by him, or that it was written by him, or that all that is contained therein is the word of God: but distinction is to be made between those precepts which inculcate justice, mercy and holiness of life, and the historical parts, which show the consequence of a life in opposition to those principles. The first are properly sacred, because they not only lead man to happiness even in this life, but give him an evidence of things not seen, in the life to come; and thus are called the word of God, as these perfections can only have their origin from the Fountain of all goodness. With respect to the last, though many passages, as being the words of wicked men, may be considered as the speeches of Satan; or, in other words, the personification of an evil spirit, which, on this account, cannot be called the word, or words of God; yet even these parts have a similar tendency, as they show the malice, pride and blasphemy of the spirit of wickedness; and on the other hand, the beauty of that spirit of divine philanthropy, which, throughout the whole Bible, breathes nothing but peace on earth, and good will towards men.

Deists think it inconsistent with the dignity of the Divine Being, that he should commission certain men to write his laws in a book; but it will appear, when duly considered, that there was an absolute necessity for such a proceeding. Suppose that neither the precepts of morality, which were first given by God to man, and handed to us by the Hebrew lawgiver; nor the blessings of religion, which are the bands of civil society; had ever reached the shores of our happy land; what knowledge could we have boasted of more than

"The untaught Indian whose untutor'd mind

Sees God in clouds, and hears him in the wind."

Although the Bible of nature had been before our eyes, not a single precept of morality should we have been able to have gathered from the pages of this book. What was the state of the ancient Grecians 1600 years before Christ? rude, barbarous and uncivilized; until Lycurgus and Solon introduced their code of laws, the greatest part of which was taken from the books of Moses; they then became a refined and scientific nation. From the Greeks, the Romans copied their precepts of morality, and from the Romans, the ancient people of Europe received the greatest part of their moral laws. From which, it appears evident, that every precept of morality was taken from the Bible.

There is one argument to prove the authority of the word of God, which cannot be overturned by all the Deists in the world. If the Bible be not the word of God, it must have been written, or invented, either by good men, or wicked men; but if it can be proved that it was neither written, nor invented, either by good men, or

wicked men, it must be the word of God. That it was not written, or compiled by wicked men, will appear from its own evidence, for if it is to be judged, we must suffer that evidence to appear in its defence. Can any Deist be so weak as to suppose, that wicked men, who were in the love and practice of evil, would frame laws to punish their own vices in this world, and condemn themselves to everlasting punishment, by declaring, "the wicked shall be turned into hell, with all the nations that forget God?" And again, "Thou shalt not covet" this reaches the thoughts and desires of the heart. These restrictions and declarations are opposite to those things, which are contained in the religious books of the Mahometan and Pagan nations, which are the production of men, in which permission is given to indulge in sensuality. This, so far, is a certain proof of the divine origin of the Bible.

It is no less evident, that good men could not be the authors of the Bible. For had it been compiled by good men, the same good men neither could nor would have given a lie to their profession by calling it the word of God, as it would only have been the word of men: consequently, the Bible must be the word of God, inspired by him and thus given to man.

It must be allowed, that God created the first man; this being admitted, as it cannot be denied, we cannot doubt, that he would give him a law, or rule of life. Now, whether the Divine Author of our being, condescended to speak it with an audible voice,—to write it on the heart, as is said in scripture, or whether he commissioned man by that spoken law, or from that writing on the heart, to write it in a book for the instruction of posterity, it amounts to the same; for the law, or word of God, first spoken, or written on the heart, and from

thence written in a book, still remains to be the word of God, first given by him.

The possibility of such inspiration must necessarily be allowed, for certainly it was no more wonderful for God to inspire man to write his will in a book, than it was to inspire him, or cnable him to receive by continual influx, a regular train of ideas.

The question has long been asked by Deists, how shall we know that the Bible is the word of God? first, by being convinced from the Bible, that the precepts therein contained are worthy of God; that the pure spirit which runs through the whole, inculcates nothing but love to God and charity to all mankind, viz. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart." Deut. vi. 5. "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Levit. xix. 18. Matt. vii. 12. Luke x. 27. These are the two great commandments which pervade every page of the Bible, and which, on this account, is truly called sacred: these are sacred duties. For the recorded wickedness of the Jews, or of any other nation mentioned in the Bible, makes no part of the word of God, any farther than as it shows, that a departure from those precepts of true religion recorded therein necessarily draws after it that train of fatal consequences, which is the result of that disobedience to the divine command, when the whole sum and substance of true religion contained in those two great propositions, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyself," are not manifested in the life of man.

Secondly, from the accomplishment of those things foretold by the prophets, beginning with Moses, and which, to the astonishment of every impartial man, have been fulfilling from their times to the present day. Now as it must be evident, that none but God could open to

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