1818 Jan y 18

Not Paul

Ch. Style

4

§. Nonsense its forms

How comes it―it may perhaps here be asked that Saint Paul Interlinear note in pencil: ‘or any man’. having a

determinate object always / on every occasion / in view ―and that an object of such

importance can have been entertained / entertaining / any such hopes as that of

rendering nonsense subservient to the attainment of it?

Answer―As with other men on other occasions―so on this occasion was it with Saint

Paul. For the conveyance of instruction instruction applying itself to the reasoning

/ judicial / faculty nothing less than an entire proposition will / can / ever serve.

But Paul’s business was―not with the reason, but with the appetites and the passions

and the appetites: principally / especially / with the passions of fear and hope. Now

for setting to work the passions much may be done by single words by single words

made up into propositions or even by single words considered independently of any

propositions in the composition of which they are found. By the single word hell for example what an agony of fire? by the single word heaven what an ecstasy of hope or any rate[?] of desire? By the

single word eternity what a mixture of conflicting yet ever

connected passions fear and hope. Salvation―damnation―Lord Jesus―author of the one or

hope for preserve[?] against the other.

To words such as these To the purpose of exciting the most lively emotions it is not

necessary that any groundwork should be laid for them in solid sense: drowned /

drenched / in a deluge of nonsense they would still be raising their heads above the

deluge.

The requisite associations once formed, with no other stock than a moderate

assortment of words such as these with the phrases capable of being made up out of

them, without much difficulty may even the reputation even of eloquence be earned /

attained / , and the effects of it produced.

JB footnote at this point: ‘ proceed to shew that clear ideas are fatal to

eloquence.’