The Analogy of Religion Natural and Revealed (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1771 Excerpt: ...are for placing the Stress of their Religion any where, rather than upon Virtue; lest both the Reason of the thing, and the general Spirit of Christianity, appearing in the Intimation now mentioned, should be ineffectual against this prevalent Folly: Our Lord himself, from whose Command alone the Obligation of positive Institutions arises, has taken Occasion to make the Comparison between Them and moral Precepts; when the Pharisees censured him, for eating with Publicans and Sinners; and also when they censured his Disciples, for plucking the ears of com on the Sabbathday. Upon this Comparison, he has determined expressly, and in Form, which shall have the Preference when they interfere. And by delivering his authoritative Determination in a proverbial Manner of Expression, he has made it general: / will have Mercy, and not Sacrifice. The Propriety of the Word, proverbial, is not the thing insisted upon: though I think the Manner of speaking is to be called so. But that the Manner of speaking very remarkably renders the Determination general, is surely indisputable. For, had it, in the latter Case, been said only, that h Matth. ix. 13, and xii. 7.. God God preferred Mercy to the rigid Observance Chap. of the Sabbath; even then, by Parity of I. Reason, most justly might we have argued, '--that he preferred Mercy likewise, to the Observance of other ritual Institutions; and in general, moral Duties, to positive ones. And thus the Determination would have been general; though its being so, were inferred and not expressed. But as the Passage really stands in the Gospel, it is much stronger. For the Sense and the very literal Words of our Lord's Answer, are as applicable to any other Instance of a Comparison, between positive and moral Duties, as to This upon whi..