[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.