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The analogy of religion to the constitution and course of nature
The analogy of religion to the constitution and course of nature Author:Joseph Butler Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Mythological and satirical writings greatly resemble prophecy. Now wo apply a parable, or fable, or satire, merely from seeing it capable of MirL application. 83... more » if a long series of prophecies be applicable to the present state of tn world, or to the coming of Christ, it is proof that they were so intended. Besides, the ancient Jews, be/ore Christ, applied the prophecies to him, juit as Christians do now. ', If it could be shown that the prophets did not understand their own predictions, or that their prophecies are capable of being applied to other events than those to which Christians apply them, it would not abate the force of the argument from prophecy, even with regard to those instances. For, 1.) To know the whole meaning of an author we must know the whole meaning of his book, but knowing the meaning of a book is not knowing the whole mind of the author. 2.) If the book is a compilation, the authors may have meanings deeper than the compiler saw. If the prophets spoke by inspiration, they are not the authors, but the writers of prophecy, and may not have known all that the Divine Spirit intended. But the fulfilment of the prophecy shows a foresight more than human. This whole argument is just and real; but it is not expected that those will be satisfied who will not submit to the perplexity and labor of understanding it; or who have not modesty and fairness enough to allow an argument it du weight; or who wilfully discard the whole investigation. We now proceed to The General Argument embracing both direct and circumstantial evidence. A full discussion would require a volume, and cannot be expected here; but something should be said, especially us most questions of (litBculty, in practical affairs, are settled by evidence arising from circumstances whic...« less