Probabilities | Page 3

the prophecy of cause could in
the prior case enable him to suspect the consequence. But, in this brief
life, and under its disturbing circumstances, there is little likelihood of
accomplishing in practice all that the swift mind sees it easy to dream
in theory: and if other and wiser pens are at all helped in the good aim
to justify the ways of God with man, and to clear the course of truth, by
some of the notions broadcast in this treatise, its errand will be well
fulfilled.
2. Whether or not the leading idea, so propounded, is new, or is new in
its application as an auxiliary to Christian evidences, the writer is
unaware: to his own mind it has occurred quite spontaneously and on a
sudden; neither has he scrupled to place it before others with whatever
ill advantage of celerity, because it seemed to his own musings to shed
a flood of light upon deep truths, which may not prove unwelcome nor
unuseful to the doubting minds of many. It is true that in this, as in
most other human efforts, the realization of idea in concrete falls far
short of its abstract conception in the mind: there, all was clear, quick,
and easy; here, the necessity of words, and the constraints of an
unwilling perseverance, clog alike the wings of fancy and the feet of
sober argument: insomuch that the difference is felt to be quite
humiliating between the thoughts as they were thought, and the
thoughts as they are written. Minerva, springing from the head of Jove,
is not more unlike the heavily-treading Vulcan.

3. Necessarily, that the argument be (so to speak) complete, and on the
wise principle that no fortresses be left untaken in the rear, it must be
the writer's fate to attempt a demonstration of the anterior probability of
truths, which a child of reason can not only now never doubt as fact,
but never could have thought improbable. Instance the first effort,
showing it to have been expectable that there should, in any conceived
beginning, have existed a Something, a Great Spirit, whom we call God.
To have to argue of the mighty Maker, that HE was an antecedent
probability, would appear a most needless attempt; if it did not occur as
the first link in a chain of arguments less open to objection by the
thoughtless. With our little light to try to prove _à priori_ the dazzling
mystery of a Divine Tri-unity, might (unreasonably viewed) be assailed
as a presumptuous and harmful thing; but it is our wise prerogative, if
and when we can, to "Prove all things." Moreover, we live in a world
wherein Truth's greatest enemy is the man who shrinks from
endeavouring at least to clear away the mists and clouds that veil her
precious aspect; and at a time when it behooves the reverent Christian
to put on his panoply of faith and prayer, and meet in argument,
according to the grace and power given to him--not indeed the
blaspheming infidel, for such a foe is unreasonable and unworthy of an
answer, but--the often candid, anxious, and involuntary doubter; the
mind, which, righteously vexed with the thousand corruptions of truth,
and sorely disappointed at the conduct of its herd of false disciples,
from a generous misconception is embracing error: the mind, never
enough tenderly treated, but commonly taunted as a sceptic which yet
with a natural manliness asserts the just prerogative of thinking for
itself: fairly enough requiring, though rarely finding, evidence either to
prop the weakness of a merely educational faith, or to argue away the
objections to Christianity so rife in the clashing doctrines and unholy
lives of its pseudo-sectaries. One of our poets hath said, "He has no
hope who never had a fear:" it is quite as true (and take this saying for
thy comfort, any harassed misbelieving mind), He has no faith, who
never had a doubt. There is hope of a mind which doubts, because it
thinks; because it troubles itself to think about what the mass of
nominal Christians live threescore years and die of very mammonism,
without having had one earnest thought about one difficulty, or one
misgiving: there is hope of a man, who, not licentious nor scornful,

from simple misconception, misbelieves; there is just and reasonable
hope that (the misconception once removed) his faith will shine forth
all the warmer for a temporary state of winter. To such do I address
myself: not presumptuously imagining that I can satisfy by my poor
thoughts all the doubts, cavils and objections of minds so keen and
curious; not affecting to sail well among the shoals of metaphysics, nor
to plumb unerringly the deeper gulphs of reason; but asking them for
awhile to bear with me and hear