Essays ...

man Master upon earth;" and to make a final appeal to nothing but the records of inspiration and the force of just reasoning.

CONTENTS.

ESSAY I.

REVELATION OF A FUTURE STATE.

§ 1. Importance of the doctrine of Man's Immortality,

p. 13; spoken of in Scripture as peculiar to

Christianity..

§ 2. A future state represented by some as discoverable

and discovered, by Reason, p. 17; inquiry pro-

posed whether the Pagans, and the Jews, had,

properly, the knowledge of it

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specting this subject, p. 21; shadowy and unreal

sort of existence attributed to the departed ... 25

§ 4. Historical proofs that Elysium and Tartarus were

generally regarded as fabulous..

§ 5. Ancient Philosophers not believers in a future state

of distinct consciousness, p. 41; arguments fur-

nished by Reason, for and against it, p. 45; the

immortality of the Soul taught by some of the

ancients, amounts, practically, to annihilation . . 51

§ 6. Metaphysical arguments not to be fully trusted

to, in such a question, p. 54; reasons for a

future state of retribution, not conclusive as to

a future immortality

PAGE

§ 7. Probable cause of the eagerness shown to prove

that the doctrine was revealed to the Jews,

p. 63; manifest inadequacy, for this purpose, of

the scanty intimations in the Mosaic Law

§ 8. Passage in the Law appealed to by our Lord . . . 69

§ 9. Unsuitableness of the revelation of a future state,

to the Old Dispensation, p. 74; mistakes re-
lative to the interpretation of the ancient types
and prophecies on this subject . . .

§ 10. Actual belief of the Jews in later periods.

§ 11. Opinion that Man may earn immortal happiness

by the practice of virtue, p. 91; extravagance

of the expectation on any ground but that of

express promise

§ 12. The doctrine of eternal life being a free gift, ex-

plained and vindicated

...

§ 13. Importance of perceiving and remembering that

Christianity alone furnishes a well-grounded

confidence of a future state.

(D.) Testimony of Marcus Antoninus

ibid.

(E.) Sanctions of the Mosaic Law,
temporal . .

(F.) Testimony of Episcopius and of

Grotius.

ESSAY II.

ON THE DECLARATION OF GOD IN HIS SON.

§ 1. Peculiar mode of inculcating Piety and Morality in

the Christian Scriptures, p. 149; declaration of

God in his Son, not a mere divine commission

§ 2. Caution against expecting to understand the divine

counsels, p. 153; and against expecting to know

all the reasons for each revelation.

§ 3. Advantages in respect of piety, from the mani-

festation of God in Christ. ..

§ 4. Difficulty of attaining affectionate devotion in

natural-religion, p. 161; sympathy combined

with veneration, through the union of the divine

and human natures

§ 5. Jesus a perfect Model, p. 173; advantages of this,
over an imperfect, or an unreal model . . . . . .

§ 6. Summary of the argument, and introduction to the

Note (G.) Passage from Archbp. King, p. 184;

explained and defended

186

ESSAY III.

ON LOVE TOWARDS CHRIST AS A MOTIVE TO OBEDIENCE.

§ 1. Appeal to the affections, a characteristic of the

§ 2. Opposite errors, of Antinomian enthusiasm, and
of cold calculation . .

§ 3. Contrast between the reliance on mere prudential
motives, and the appeal to the heart

194

201

PAGE

§ 4. Reference to persons, in the Scriptural delineation

of future happiness .

.. 205

§ 5. Superior Expediency, as well as Dignity, in the

Scripture-views

210

§ 6. Importance of contemplating the above, as con-

stituting a peculiarity in the Christian religion. . 216

ESSAY IV.

ON THE PRACTICAL CHARACTER OF REVELATION.

§ 1. Statement of the questions, whether a pretended,

and whether a true, revelation, be likely to con-

tain matters of mere curiosity, p. 219; the former

question to be answered in the affirmative. . . . 221

§ 2. Confirmation of this, from experience

§ 3. A true revelation likely to be the reverse, p. 231;

and ours accordingly, not speculative but prac-

§ 4. Modification and explanation of this assertion 235

§ 5. Practical character of Christianity maintained and

illustrated, p. 242; doctrine of the Trinity, the

foundation both of faith and practice . .

247

§ 6. Backwardness of our sacred writers to indulge our

curiosity, p. 247; this, a proof of their inspiration 249

§ 7. Christianity, and that alone, such as we might ex-

pect a true revelation to be, and a false one, not

to be . . .

§ 8. What we are to look for in revelation; how to in-

terpret; and how to apply it.

Note (H.) Difficulty of finding any thing re-

vealed in Scripture that shall even appear

to be merely speculative. .

252

254

264

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