have been applied in every age by some persons for the
benefit of others: and the progress iii sacred criticism
which distinguishes the present limes is nothing else
than the continued application, in elucidating the Script- ure, of reason enlightened by every kind of subsidiary knowledge, and very much improved in this kind of
exercise by the employment which the ancicnl . las-ics
have given it since the revival of Letters.
After the two uses of reason that have been illus- trated, a third comes to he uicnlioncil. which may be
considered as compounded of both, Reason is of emi-
REASON
945
KEBAPTISM
nent use in repelling the attacks of the adversaries of Christianity. When men of erudition, of philosophical acuteness, and of accomplished taste, direct their talents against our religion, the cause is very much hurt by an unskilful defender. He cannot unravel their sophistry ; he does not see the amount and the effect of the con- cessions which he makes to them; he is bewildered by their quotations; and he is' often led, by their artifice, upon dangerous ground. In all ages of the Church there have been weak defenders of Christianity; and the only triumphs of the enemies of our religion have arisen from their being able to expose the defects of those methods of defending the truth which some of its advocates had unwarily chosen. A mind trained to accurate and philosophical views of the nature and the amount of evidence, enriched with historical knowledge, accustomed to throw out of a subject all that is minute and irrelative, to collect what is of importance within a short compass, and to form the comprehension of a whole, is the mind qualified to contend with the learn- ing, the wit, and the sophistry of infidelity. Many such minds have appeared in this honorable controversy dur- ing the course of this and the last century ; and the suc- cess has corresponded to the completeness of the furni- ture with which they engaged in the combat. The Christian doctrine has been vindicated by their mas- terly exposition from various misrepresentations; the arguments for its divine original have been placed in their true light; and the attempts to confound the mir- acles and prophecies upon which Christianity rests its claim with the delusions of imposture have been effect- ually repelled. Christianity has in this way received the most important advantages from the attacks of its enemies; and it is not improbable that its doctrines would never have been so thoroughly cleared from all the corruptions and subtleties which had attached to them in the progress of ages, nor the evidences of its truths have been so accurately understood, nor its pe- culiar character been so perfectly discriminated, had not the zeal and abilities which have been employed against it called forth in its defence some of the most distin- guished masters of reason. They brought into the ser- vice of Christianity the same weapons which had been drawn for her destruction, and, wielding them with con- fidence and skill in a good cause, became the successful champions of the truth. See Rationalism.
The fourth use of reason consists in judging of the truths of religion. Everything which is revealed by God comes to his creatures from so high an authority that it may be rested in with perfect assurance as true. Nothing can be received by us as true which is contrary to the dictates of reason, because it is impossible for us to receive at the same time the truth and the falsehood of a proposition. But many things are true which we do not fully comprehend ; and many propositions, which appear incredible when they are first enunciated, are found, upon examination, such as our understandings can readily admit. These principles embrace the whole of the subject, and the}' mark out the steps by which reason is to proceed in judging of the truths of religion. We first examine the evidences of revelation. If these satisfy our understandings, we are certain that there can be no contradiction between the doctrines of this true religion and the dictates of right reason. If any such contradiction appear, there must be some mistake. By not making a proper use of our reason in the interpreta- tion of the Gospel, we suppose that it contains doctrines which it does not teach ; or we give the name of right reason to some narrow prejudices which deeper reflec- tion and more enlarged knowledge will dissipate: or we consider a proposition as implying a contradiction, when, in truth, it is only imperfectly understood. Here, as in every other case, mistakes are to be corrected by measuring back our steps. We must examine closely and impartially the meaning of those passages which appear to contain the doctrine; we must compare them with one another; we must endeavor to derive light VIII.— O o o
from the general phraseology of Scripture and the anal- ogy of faith ; and we shall generally be aide, in this way, to separate the doctrine from all those adventitious cir- cumstances which give it the appearance of absurdity. If a doctrine which, upon the closest examination, ap- pears unquestionably to be taught in Scripture, still does not approve itself to our understanding, we must consider carefully what it is that prevents us from re- ceiving it. There may be preconceived notions hastily taken up which that doctrine opposes; there may be pride of understanding that does not readily submit to the views which it communicates; or reason may need to be reminded that we must expect to find in religion many things which we are not able to comprehend. One of the most important ofiices of reason is to recog- nise her own limits. She never can be moved, by any authority, to receive as true what she perceives to be absurd. But if she has formed a just estimate of hu- man knowledge, she will not shelter her presumption in rejecting the truths of revelation under the pretence of contradictions that do not really exist; she will readily admit that there may be in a subject some points which she knows, and others of which she is ignorant; she will not allow her ignorance of the latter to shake the evidence of the former, but will yield a firm assent to that which she does understand without presuming to deny what is beyond her comprehension. Thus, avail- ing herself of all the light which she now has, she will wait in humble hope for the time when a larger meas- ure shall be imparted. — Watson, Theol. Diet. s. v.