1821 Feb. 27

Jug Util & True

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Plan of the Work

Part.I. /Natural—/ Verity apart.

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Plan of a Work to be intituled

The Usefulness of Religion in the present life examined

Of the arrangement pursued a principal object is to elude the bar opposed by adverse possessions to the reception of the useful truths.

In this view the work is divided into eight parts: the eight is as yet only in contemplation; and is not very likely to be undertaken by the author of the others.

1. In Part the first. Natural Religion is considered, independently of supposed Revealed: and its Utility is considered without reference to its verity; or, as it may be said, its verity is, for the purpose of the argument tacitly admitted and assumed, in so far as verity can be attributed to it consistently with uselessness and mischievousness. The topic[?] from whence its inefficiency to useful purposes is inforced is the utter absence of any directive rule, in connection with those expectations of reward and punishment of which any sanctionative force that can be attributed to it must be composed. The topics[?] from whence its efficiency to pernicious purpose are inferred are the magnitude which must be attributed the expected punishments to make up for that deficiency in the article of propinquity, and that deficiency in the article of certainty or rather probability, which are the necessary result of the utter absence of all direct experience: of all evidence, presented to any man who thinks of them, by explanation: by any experience of his own, or by the reported experience of any other man of whose trustworthiness he is capable of obtaining satisfactory assurance by interrogation or otherwise.

Of alledged Revealed Religion no mention is as yet made. To its votaries is thus spared the shock of feeling the object of their attachment struck at in the first instance by arguments by which if prevalent, their belief in it must be destroyed without recourse: the hope is even left to them that thereby their supposed Revealed Religion, so far from being shaken, will be /stand/ confirmed: confirmed by the proof given of the utter inefficiency of Natural Religion, as well for the want of evidence of the existence of a future state of rewards and punishments as for the want of all directive rule: deficience for both of which it has been the business of Revealed Religion to provide a supply.

The attack thus made on Natural Religion, is no other than that which in this way has been made by several of the Advocates of Revealed Religion, it being in their eyes subservient at least if not indispensably necessary to their cause.