Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: STATED, ETC., ETC. CHAPTER I. REASON AND FAITH. , T is a proof of The Creator's considerate love to sinners, that not only the duties, but even the most mysterious doctrines of religion are, to a great extent, so made known, as to enlist man's natural reason in their support. No doubt it might have been anticipated with much probability, that such would be the case; because, reason being, next to faith, God's highest gift to man, and that which, in fact, is the distinctive characteristic of his family, it could hardly be supposed that The Almighty would demand from him the discharge of any duties, or belief in any doctrines, which did not, in some very sensible degree, commend themselves to the approbation of his mind. Hence we find that, in God's word, continual ap- WarA of God peals are made to our understandings. Those who appeals to our f ' understandings accept His laws as the foundation of national policy, and the rule of their social life, are assured they will be distinguished from other nations as " a wise and understanding people :"1 " the fear of The Lord" is denominated wisdom,2 and "to depart from evil" is understanding: the despisers of The Lord are characteristically denounced as " fools," and especially they who receive not God's doctrines as revealed; itis thefool who "says in his heart, There is no God :"2 the law of The Lord is described as " making wise the simple : "4 God takes His people gently aside, and entreats permission to reason with them, " Come now, and let us reason together, Dent. iv. 6. Job xxviii. 28. 2 Ps. xiv. 1. 4 Ts. xix. 7. B saith The Lord:"1 we are exhorted to "sing praises with understanding:"2 and, passing into the pages of the New Testament, are encouraged " in understanding to be men:"2 and to "prese...