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Literĉ Sacrĉ; Or, the Doctrines of Moral Philosophy and Scriptural Christianity Compared, in Letters [by A. Norman.].
Liter Sacr Or the Doctrines of Moral Philosophy and Scriptural Christianity Compared in Letters - by A. Norman. Author:A. Norman General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1825 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: LETTER II. THE EXISTENCE OF THE DEITY HAS NEVER BEEN DEMONSTRATED BY ABSTRACT REASONING. '25 LETTER II. Dear Sir, 1824. The first argument insisted upon by those who abandon the Scripture, and would prove the existence of a deity by the power of reason alone, is an analogical argument drawn from experience, that man, as apiece of mechanism, must have had a maker. We know that in the production of artificial objects a cause is necessary. We also know that the reproduction of man is from natural causes. But it is further argued, that because a particular sort of machines must have had an inventor and a beginning to be made, so, as a machine, man must have had an inventor and a beginning. It is answered that the terms of agreement, necessary to form an analogy, are wanting in this case. There is not a sameness -of nature, which the schoolmen hold to be essential to this kind of reasoning. We cannot reason from objects of art and labour) to objects which are naturally produced. The ' former are the mere temporary instruments of some known moving power; the latter are self- moved : t; he former never can possess the power of reproduction j the latter does possess that power within itself. We may therefore argue more speciously, that (he power of reproduction has always been exercised in the formation of man; for from the immutability of the laws of nature, unless we have some assurance of there having been a first cause, we may look upon the laws of nature themselves as uncaused. If, therefore, we abandon the revelation of God, which says that " in Him we live, and move, and have our being," it is ...« less