' He here makes excellent use of the fruitful principle of
Butler's great work, by showing that, however desirable, a priori, an
infallible guide would seem to fallible man, God in fact has every where
denied it; and that, in denying it in relation to religion, he has acted
only as he always acts.
____
In the mean time, that arduous responsibility which attaches to man, and
which is obviated neither by an implicit faith in a human infallibility,
nor an exclusive reference of that faith to cases in which reason is
synonymous with demonstration, that is, to cases which leave no room
for it, is at once relieved, and effectually relieved, by the maxim--the
key-stone of all ethical truth--that only voluntary error condemns
us;--that all we are really responsible for, is a faithful, honest,
patient, investigation and weighing of evidence, as far as our abilities
and opportunities admit, and a conscientious pursuit of what we
honestly deem truth, wherever it may lead us. We concede that a really
dispassionate and patient conduct in this respect is what man is too
ready to assume he has practised,--and this fallacy cannot be too
sedulously guarded against. But that guilty liability to selfdeception,
does not militate against the truth of the representation now made.
Pages:
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43