JB_161_185.xml

Title: [1817 Oct. 25 Not Paul Ch Paul]

Description: 1817 Oct. 25

Not Paul

Ch Paul’s Doctrine

§ Faith & Works

Mischief of faith

But if there be merit in faith, and in such sort that the quantity of merit is / encreases / as the quantity of faith―as the intensity of the persuasion produced by the exercise of the will it is not Trinitarianism, it is not Catholicism that is the true religion / the true religion is―not Trinitarianism not Catholicism /: it is the religion of Bramah.

For though, neither in the religion of Bramah, nor in any still more absurd religion if there were one which a persuasion offered for absurdity could produce, can any thing more palpably absurd be found than a self contradictory proposition nor consequently than a / the / Trinitarian proposition, yet the Trinitarian proposition is but one: to this proposition add that by which transubstantiation is asserted, still there are but two of them. But the religion of Bramah is a whole ocean of absurdity, and that ocean a / an altogether / boundless one: to which ocean trinitar[ian]ism[?] and transubstantiation put together are but drops. In the whole field of Catholicism suppose a few hundred such drops capable of being gleaned: in comparison of an ocean what are a few hundred drops.

Bentham footnote at bottom of page: ‘Note (a)

‘(a) See a sketch of it a correct and even more than sufficient sketch of it in Mill’s British India.’

JB_161_464.xml

Title: [[161-464] 1817 Nov r 29 Not]

Description: [161-464]

1817 Nov r 29

Not Paul

III. Doctrine

Ch. In Jesus

§.3. Practice

Irr

Prophets

Effrontery supplies the deficiency of /all deficiencies in/ evidence every where by effrontery all deficiencies in evidence are supplied.

Who knows but?—a medium of proof with some—witness Bishop Butler.

§. 14. In the discourses of the Prophets no condemnation of this propensity is contained.

In all nations and all ages and all nations among the devices of priestcraft and the propensities of uninstructed minds has been the laying hold of natural wants and converting them into supernatural dispensations: prosperous ones into mercies; calamities into judgments: and, for this purpose fear being more impressive than hope, the calamitous /terrific/ sort have been most in use. Prodigious /Vast/ is the force of this engine, especially in the hands of those who possess talents adapted to the use of it. Of the existence of the connection between the human act and the supposed superhuman dispensation terror disposes the ignorant herd to receive as evidence the assertion of any one who is bold enough to make /utter/ it, and the efficiency the probative force with which it operates is /rises/ naturally with the apparent intensity of the persuasion thus manifested. But the grand advantage is—that by the essential nature of the case all counter-evidence is excluded. To be able to deny the connection upon any specific ground it would be necessary a man should be in the secret of the councils of the Almighty. True it is that he by whom the existence of the connection is affirmed, does by the very affirmation declare—not explicitly it is true but not the less necessarily and substantially declare that he himself is in possession of that supernatural /very extraordinary/ privilege. But in this case the general [...?] of popular favour is naturally on the side /in favour/ of the affirmative and therefore /thence on the side/ of him who maintains it: piety and faith /and piety/ present themselves as manifested by the affirmative; impiety and incredulity are suspected or at any rate taxed /of being/ with lurking under the negative.

JB_005_205_001.xml

Title: [13 Feb y 1813 Church II. 3]

Description: 13 Feb y 1813

Church II.

3

p.1.. Part 2. Persuasion

6 Persuasion - its

intensity; force, strength

liveliness, vivacity

Positive or negative, a

property of which whereof persuasion, whatsoever be the subject

of it, is, in every man's continual experience susceptible, is - intensity: in lieu of which term the terms force or strength, or liveliness or vivacity

- and perhaps some others - have occasionally been employed.

7 Intensity of persuasion, its degrees: language

employed in expressing them that of the doctrine

of chances. This Intensity, as every one perceives, is susceptible of degrees: For giving expression to these degrees,

where precision or any approach to it is aimed at, no other

sort of language discourse has ever been - or in the nature of

the case can be - employed than that by which the branch of

mathematical science termed by mathematicians the

doctrine of chances is has been

expressed.

8 Corresponding degrees of probability and improbability

ascribes to the matter of fact: -

language degree of # When the

subject of the discourse is a supposed matter of

fact — for instance an event of a certain

description which at such or such a time portion and in such or

such a place is supposed to have had existence — probability or improbability on two [antagonizing

and] opposite qualities the one or the other of which is

ascribed to the such matter of fact.

To this quality of probability degrees are in like manner ascribed: which degrees

correspond exactly to the degrees of intensity of persuasion say for

shortness degrees of persuasion, of which, when

examined, they will be found seen to be no other than the

expression, clothed in other terms. +

+ Evidence. Introd. Ch. §.

9 Highest degree of probability, certainty: - of

improbability, impossibility (a) Where, the persuasion being positive, the intensity

of it is meant to be represented as being at the

highest possible degree, certainty

instead of probability is the name

of the quality quality thus ascribed to the

matter of fact: where the persuasion is

negative, impossibility is the term which instead

of improbability is employed ascribed to in

speaking of the matter of fact: (a)

(a) Note in another page.