Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Remarks
are uncontrovertible . Thus justice on the one hand and benevolence on the other , are the springs of the revenge of the soldier and the servility of the sectarian . Now to discover what moral axioms are common to mankind , and are capable of being established by calm and unbiased reason , is the object of that great and important science which , from the earliest dawn
of civilization through Greece in the time of her sages— -Rome , when she established Christianity over the world—England and Germany during their reformations , as well as partially at all other times and places , has occupied up to the present hour the most serious attention of the highest order of human intelligences—moral philosophy . The first object of the divarication is to show that the principles of this science are as positive as those of geometry—that they afford , therefore , independently of revelation , a criterion of the truth of scripture doctrine , and that the scripture doctrines accord with those principles in the closest . manner .
I he second object of the divarication is to show that all historical evidence being in its very essence doubtful , we are at liberty to doubt the historical portion of the Scriptures , inasmuch as we have no internal criterion of its accuracy . This proposition not however implying that the history is untrue , or that it should not be believed as matter of faith ; but that reason , which establishes the scripture doctrine , leaves the scripture history unsupported . To unfold fully the moral system of Mr . Wirgman it would be
necessary to trace its growth many years back and through much elaborate philosophy . But our limits not permitting that , we restrict ourselves to a short sketch of the metaphysical creed on which it is founded . Premising that our readers must not be startled at the term metaphysics , for we use it to represent no obscure or debateable psycological opinions , but the plain and simple method of analysing the mind adopted by the followers of the illustrious German KANT and
, which is as follows : — The Kantesian philosopher commences by observing the mental actions which occur in himself . The power by which he is enabled to make such observation rests on his own consciousness of what is passing within him . In the evidence furnished by this faculty of consciousness he , in common with all mankind , places the most implicit confidence .
We say in common with all mankind , because he who would reject the evidence of his own consciousness , must reject all belief and all thought , and must disbelieve his own existence . No one , however , can attempt such an absurdity . After a moment ' s reflection , every one will allow that he is quite sure that he thinks , remembers , loves , & c , although no external evidence of such processes be in existence . He may be puzzled to describe accuratelthe processesand he will be extremel lexed
y , y perp and bewildered by an attempt to discover their causes ; but that they do occur is a fact which his own feeling of what is going on in himself does not permit him to disbelieve or even to doubt . Now , following this clear and easy path of thought , one of the most obvious facts that occurs to any mind engaged in this investigation
is , that the impressions we receive or have received from the senses are the foundation of the majority of the thoughts we possess ; of so great a majority , indeed , that we feel little hesitation in jumping at once to the conclusion , that all which we have in our minds has been derived from impressions made through our senses of feeling , hearing , seeing ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Remarks
are uncontrovertible . Thus justice on the one hand and benevolence on the other , are the springs of the revenge of the soldier and the servility of the sectarian . Now to discover what moral axioms are common to mankind , and are capable of being established by calm and unbiased reason , is the object of that great and important science which , from the earliest dawn
of civilization through Greece in the time of her sages— -Rome , when she established Christianity over the world—England and Germany during their reformations , as well as partially at all other times and places , has occupied up to the present hour the most serious attention of the highest order of human intelligences—moral philosophy . The first object of the divarication is to show that the principles of this science are as positive as those of geometry—that they afford , therefore , independently of revelation , a criterion of the truth of scripture doctrine , and that the scripture doctrines accord with those principles in the closest . manner .
I he second object of the divarication is to show that all historical evidence being in its very essence doubtful , we are at liberty to doubt the historical portion of the Scriptures , inasmuch as we have no internal criterion of its accuracy . This proposition not however implying that the history is untrue , or that it should not be believed as matter of faith ; but that reason , which establishes the scripture doctrine , leaves the scripture history unsupported . To unfold fully the moral system of Mr . Wirgman it would be
necessary to trace its growth many years back and through much elaborate philosophy . But our limits not permitting that , we restrict ourselves to a short sketch of the metaphysical creed on which it is founded . Premising that our readers must not be startled at the term metaphysics , for we use it to represent no obscure or debateable psycological opinions , but the plain and simple method of analysing the mind adopted by the followers of the illustrious German KANT and
, which is as follows : — The Kantesian philosopher commences by observing the mental actions which occur in himself . The power by which he is enabled to make such observation rests on his own consciousness of what is passing within him . In the evidence furnished by this faculty of consciousness he , in common with all mankind , places the most implicit confidence .
We say in common with all mankind , because he who would reject the evidence of his own consciousness , must reject all belief and all thought , and must disbelieve his own existence . No one , however , can attempt such an absurdity . After a moment ' s reflection , every one will allow that he is quite sure that he thinks , remembers , loves , & c , although no external evidence of such processes be in existence . He may be puzzled to describe accuratelthe processesand he will be extremel lexed
y , y perp and bewildered by an attempt to discover their causes ; but that they do occur is a fact which his own feeling of what is going on in himself does not permit him to disbelieve or even to doubt . Now , following this clear and easy path of thought , one of the most obvious facts that occurs to any mind engaged in this investigation
is , that the impressions we receive or have received from the senses are the foundation of the majority of the thoughts we possess ; of so great a majority , indeed , that we feel little hesitation in jumping at once to the conclusion , that all which we have in our minds has been derived from impressions made through our senses of feeling , hearing , seeing ,