SUBSTANCE OF AN ADDRESS,
f
4-|-
fºr "
1 *
#
G.
ON THE
R. I G HT U S E A N D
APPLICATION OF KNowLEDGE,
LATELY DE LIVE RED TO THE
júttijätt its of jūart tijt gttr,
AT THEIR INSTITUTION IN THAT TOWN.
BY JO's EP H J O II N G U R N E Y.
TRUTH SHALL TRIUMPH.
Re-printed for the Trustees of Obadiah Brown's Fund.
J Provideſpace:
H. H. BROWN....25 MARKET SQUARE.
MDCCCXXXIII.
LB.
4-
.G??
§ 3…e-
tº wº f : . .
| 17-30
2, 1, 2,77
SUBSTANCE OF AN
A D D R E S s.
*
FRIENDS AND FELLow CountryMEN,
IN presenting myself to this large and intelligent assembly,
I feel that I ought, as a stranger, to apologize for such an intrusion
on your time and attention, especially since the subject on which
I propose to treat, is one of so large a compass and of such high
importance. Undoubtedly, it will be generally allowed that on
nothing does the welfare of our species more clearly or certainly
depend, than on the right use and application of knowledge.
The only apology, however, which I have to offer, is that I am
a sincerc friend to the diffusion of useful knowledge of every des-
cription; and shall be glad at all times to promote the general ob-
ject pursued by this and similar institutions. The principles which
I entertain on the subject, forbid my making any distinction be-
tween the different classes of society; for whatsoever may be our
situation in life, it appears to me to be our plain duty to ourselves,
to our neighbor, and above all to our bountiful Creator, to make
as diligent a use as lies in our power, of the nobler part of man—
to improve and cultivate our mental faculties.
True indeed it is, that even in our intellectual pursuits, there
are dangerous temptations; especially to pride and self-conceit–
according to the declaration of the apostle Paul—a wise and
learned man in his day—“knowledge puffeth up.” But I consi-
der that this declaration peculiarly applies to slight and superficial
knowledge, and that we shall find one remedy for our vanity, in the
deepening and extending of our researches after truth. Those
who are most profound in philosophy, and most largely instructed
in useful learning, are generally distinguished by a low view of
their own attainments. In confirmation of this remark, I need
only remind you of Sir Isaac Newton—that prince of astronomers
and mathematicians—that firm friend also to religion and virtue—
whose matchless powers of mind were so remarkably accompanied
4.
*
with humility and modesty; these, indeed, were the crown and
honor of his character.
I do not wish to enter upon any metaphysical definitions of
knowledge. On the present occasion I use the word simply as
denoting that information, which under the government of our
gracious Creator, men are able to obtain from any source, on any
subject. Knowledge, in this familiar sense of the term, admits
of a division into four great branches. First, experimental and
philosophical; secondly, mathematical; thirdly, historical; and
fourthly—above all—moral and religious.
In the present stage of this address I shall lay aside the consid-
eration of the fourth branch—I mean revealed religion—not be-
cause I am insensible to its claims, for I am convinced in my in-
most soul of its supreme importance; but I consider it best, in the
first instance, to confine my views to the preceding branches—
those which are so laudably pursued in this institution.
Experimental knowledge is that information of every kind which
we obtain from our own personal observation. Every one knows
that it is extremely various—that it rests on the evidence of our
senses—and that it is stored in the mind by the united powers of
perception, reflection and memory. Under this class, we must in-
clude the different branches of natural philosophy; for it is now
universally understood that science can be rightly founded only on
the observation of the phenomena of nature. An extensive and
careful examination of effects enables the philosopher to discover
causes; from a multitude of particular examples he forms his gen-
eral conclusions; and thus he erects a well founded system of nat-
ural science. The philosophical knowledge which we thus obtain
is more or less certain, just in proportion to the opportunities which
we enjoy, in any particular science, of an extensive and accurate
examination of facts.
Many of the conclusions of natural philosophy—some even which
are very generally admitted—amount only to probabilities. Oth-
ers, in a practical point of view, may safely be regarded as cer-
tainties. But on what basis do all these conclusions rest? On
various first truths, or elements of knowledge, which the philoso-
pher is obliged to take for granted, and which are utterly incapa-
ble of proof. One of these elements is the actual existence of
those external objects, about which it is the province of science to
inquire. Although it is impossible to demonstrate this truth, our
nature compels us to admit it; and admitted universally it certain-
ly is; for even a Berkley and a Hume, whose sophistry delighted
in reducing all visible things to phantoms of the mind, would have
been just as eager to escape from the falling rock or from the lion's
jaw, as the most credulous of their fellow men.
5
Another first truth, essential to philosophy, is that every phe-
nomenon of nature which we can trace to a beginning, or in
other words every effect, has a cause adequate to its production.
This is a truth which no man can prove, but which every man is
compelled to believe. The belief of it is wrought by the hand of
God into the constitution of our nature. You will observe, there-
fore, my friends—and you cannot deny it—that natural philosophy
itself, in the various branches of which you take so warm an in-
terest, affords you no knowledge whatsoever, but that which is
founded on faith.
But does the same remark apply to the second branch of know-
ledge? Does it apply to those pure and perfect sciences—astro-
nomy for example—in which our conclusions rest, not merely on
our own fallible powers of observation, but on that which precludes
the possibility of mistake, mathematical demonstration ? Assur-
edly it does; because the soundness even of mathematical calcu-
lation and reasoning depends on the truth of certain axioms,
which are always supposed and taken for granted, but can never
be proved. º
One of these axioms is familiar to us all—that the whole is great-
er than the part. I defy the most ingenious student among you
to demonstrate this axiom, either by a chain of reasoning, or by
any other means. You will tell me, perhaps, that we have per-
petual ocular proof of it—that it is demonstrated by the sight,
and by the touch. But do a man’s senses never deceive him?
Can he always trust the vision of his eye, or the sensation of his
finger? I have already observed that the very existence of the
things which we see and touch, is one of the articles of natural
belief. The plain fact is, that we are sure the axiom in question
is true, because an intuitive conviction of its truth forms part of
the nature which God has given us.
It is far from my intention by these remarks to attempt to in-
volve any of your minds in perplexing and useless doubts—in that
hopeless and heartless pyrrhonism” which is productive of nothing
but misery and folly. I am desirous only that we may be led to
take a right view of the very constitution and condition of our
being. The voice of nature is, in this case, the voice of God.
Well may we be humbled under a reverential feeling of
'the wisdom and power of our Creator, who has ordained that the
first elements of all our knowledge should be received by faith in
that voice—on His own supreme and irresistible authority.
*Pyrrho, an ancient Greek philosopher, who followed Alexander the Great into
India, is supposed to have borrowed part of his system from the Brahmins. He is
celebrated as the greatest of doubters. He considered himself sure of nothing—not
even of his own existchce.
6
Here I will mention the name of another celebrated person, to
whom every mechanics’ institution in the kingdom is deeply in-
debted; I mean Lord Bacon, the father of inductive philosophy-
the man who raised science with a master-hand, and placed her
on her feet! The poet describes him as the “greatest, wisest,
meanest of mankind,” and his history affords many lamentable
proofs that great learning and unbending virtue are far from being
inseparable companions. Unhappily he truckled to power at the
cost of principle; and sure I am that were he now living, he
would, notwithstanding all his science, be little popular among
the reformers of Manchester. Yet he was a person of profound
reasoning powers and of singular wisdom; firm to uphold both
reason and faith, yet skilful to distinguish their respective uses.
And what says Lord Bacon respecting the knowledge of philoso-
phy? He says, “It is an assured truth and a conclusion of experi-
ence, that a little or superficial knowledge of philosophy may incline
the mind of man to atheism, but a farther proceeding therein doth
bring the mind back again to religion.”
Historical knowledge may be considered as comprehending all
the information which we receive respecting past events or still
existing circumstances, on the testimony of others. It compre-
hends what we learn from the traveller as well as from the histo-
rian, and indeed almost all that we know, of every description,
about absent persons and things. If faith may be said to lie at
the foundation of natural philosophy and mathematics, this is still
more obviously true of history in its several branches. It is re-
ceived by testimony alone; and if testimony is of a sound des-
cription; if it is that of an honest man; or if it is confirmed by
collateral evidence; or more especially, if it comes from many
independent, yet agreeing witnesses, no one hesitates to believe
it, and to accept such information as knowledge.
Take the reform bill for an example. You are all of you assur-
ed beyond a doubt that it has passed both Houses of Parliament.
You are certain that this is true. You know it for a fact. But on
what is your knowledge founded? On the declarations of your
neighbors, or on the authority of your newspapers. Among the
mighty multitudes of men and women who were poured forth the
other day, in your streets, to celebrate the passing of the bill, we
may presume that there was not one who did not know the fact.
Probably, also, there was not one whose knowledge of it had any
other foundation than that of simple faith in testimony.
Having thus cmdeavored to classify the knowledge you are here
pursuing, and having briefly glanced at the ſoundation on which it
* Advancement of Learning, p. 10.
7
all rests, I shall now turn to the main subject of my address—its
right use and application. It is a common saying that “know-
ledge is power.” He who gives up his mind to a state of dark-
mess and ignorance, and brings scarcely any powers into use but
those of his body, is no better than the brute on which he rides.
Indeed he is in a far worse condition than the brute, because more
responsible. These reflections must be obvious to all.
In looking, however, somewhat more particularly to this sub-
ject, I presume you will all agree with me in the sentiment, that
as the subject of knowledge is truth, so the true purpose of it is
happiness; and that knowledge is rightly applied, only when it
promotes the comfort and substantial welfare of mankind.
Speculations which have no practical bearing, are by no means
in fashion in the present day. Never was there a time when men
were more ready to apply all things to some useful purpose; and this
is especially true, as it relates to science. We are accustomed to
trace the right use and application of chemistry in the workshop
of the dyer, in the stores of the apothecary, in the prescriptions of
the physician; of anatomy in the skill of the surgeon; of hydraul-
ics, in the powers of the water wheel; of optics, in every kind of
aid to our limited or fading vision. Above all, who that has wit-
messed the astonishing proofs of human ingenuity, by which this
place and its vicinity are distinguished—who that has contemplat-
ed the gentle yet resistless movements of the steam engine, and
the immense variety of machinery which it keeps in action—who
that calls to mind the almost infinite quantity of useful material
which is thus daily produced for the benefit of the world—can for
a moment doubt the use of the science of mechanics?
Here, by the way, I may venture to express my conviction, that,
practised as you are in the effective application of a well arranged
machinery, and aware of the multitude of persons which it is the
means of employing, you can be little disposed to join in the idle
cry which is sometimes heard against the use of it. Machinery is
one means of immensely increasing the powers of man for useful
purposes; and that it is our duty in the sight of God and our fellow
creatures, to make the most of our capacities for such purposes, no
sound moralist can deny. The fact is, that this, like every other
application of our natural faculties, requires the regulation of mor-
al and religious principle—of that fear of the Lord which restrains
from evil, and of that love which “worketh no ill to his neighbor.”
Without this regulation, it may often be fraught with mischief;
with it, it cannot fail to be both safe and desirable.
But let no one suppose that information and science can have
no right application, except when they are directed to the supply
of our external wants. It is not every species of knowledge, which
8
is capable of being thus immediately applied to our comfort and con-
venience. But knowledge—in a yet wider range—has uses of its
own, of a more refined description indeed, but nevertheless of sub-
stantial importance to the welfare and happiness of mankind.
These uses may be severally contrasted with certain º,
ing temptations which infest the path of learning; and in order to
partake of the benefit, we must, in each case, exercise watchful-
mess and diligence to escape from the peril which lies on the oppo-
site side.
1. Opposed to the danger of pride and self-conceit—the fre-
quent consequence of superficial knowledge—is a benefit already
alluded to as arising from a thorough cultivation of mind—the
humiliation of man in the view of his own ignorance. The uncul-
tivated mind is left without any conception of the vast extent and
variety of things which are the objects even of human enquiry.
But let a man fairly give himself to the study of some one branch
of knowledge; let him go into the depth and breadth of the pur-
suit; and he will soon be convinced, that in this single depart-
ment, he has abundant occupation for his utmost powers. He
will be humbled under a feeling of the utter impossibility of his at-
taining to more than a small portion of the knowledge which is
within the reach of man. Butlet him go farther; let him extend
his enquiries on every side, with the zeal and ability of a Boyle or
a Bacon, and he will soon perceive that all human knowledge is
confined within narrow boundaries—that beyond these boundaries,
there lies a hidden infinite into which it is vain for him to attempt
to search—for it is known only to the Omniscient. He learns al-
So what is the inevitable condition of human knowledge—that it
must ever be founded on belief. Now these are lessons which have
a strong tendency to deprive a man of his self-conceit, and to break
down the haughtiness of his spirit; and just in proportion as they
produce this effect, do they promote his real welfare. Pride is
the curse of our species—the root of ambition, covetousness, wrath,
malice, and cruelty. But humility works well for the happiness
of individuals, and for the peace of society. Not all the pages of
all the uninspired moralists who ever lived, can furnish a sentiment
of so much weight and efficacy as that which was uttered by our
Holy Redeemer: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heavem.”
2. But a view of our own ignorance, and the humility into which
it leads, by no means entail a low and unworthy estimate of the
native powers of man. Permit me, therefore, to express my firm
conviction, in the second place, that knowledge has few uses more
desirable—that it can be applied to few purposes more important—
than that of imbuing us wº just conceptions of the nature of the
human mind.
9
Let a student dive into the depths of chemistry, or climb the
heights of astronomy; let him exercise himself in mathematical
demonstrations; let him range the fields of natural history; or store
his memory with the records of the past; and he cannot remain
insensible to the inherent capacities of his own mind. The pow-
ers of perception, reflection, reason, and memory, will be unfolded
and strengthened as he proceeds; and ample will be the evidence
with which his own experience will furnish him, that the intelli-
gent spirit within him is a something quite distinct from his bodily
frame—endued with wondrous faculties which are all its own.
And if such a conviction be the result of his own experience, that
conviction will not fail to be strengthened by the view which his
studies will unfold to him, of the prodigious efforts which have
been made in the various departments of science and literature,
by minds of a still larger capacity. A crowning evidence of this
important truth, will be afforded him by the genius of a Galileo, a
Milton, a Locke, or a Newton.
It is an astonishing proof of the mental perversion to which we
are all liable—and, I may add, of the danger of that little knowl-
edge which puffs up the learner—that some persons, who pre-
tend to pursue the path of science, entertain the absurd notion
that mind is matter. Just in proportion to their professed zeal in
cultivating the rational faculty, is their senseless endeavor to de-
grade its character, and finally to reduce it to nothing.
I trust that the intelligent mechanics whom I am now addres-
sing, and who are ſurmished with abundant proofs, in their own
experience, of the native power of mind, will ever be preserved
from so foolish and dangerous a motion. True indeed it is, that
matter and mind are closely connected in that wondrous creature,
man; and that, by some mysterious law of nature, they are capa-
ble of acting with great force one upon the other.” But the
radical and essential difference between them, is evident from the
fact that they admit of no similarity of definition. Mind is that
which thinks, wills, reasons and worships. Matter is that which
is solid, tangible, and extended. To talk of their being the same,
is to propose a contradiction in terms. Assuredly there can be
no more identity between them, than between the azure of the
heavens, and the green fields, or the dusty streets, on which we
tread below!
* The brain appears to be the organ through which the mind ºf man communicates
with the material world. Hence it often happens that when the brain is injured,
the connection between the mind and external objects, is suspended or perverted.
The contrary, however, often takes place. I cannot suppose that any of my readers
seriously entertain the notion that the brain and the mind are the same. That they
are not so, is certain; for a man may lose half his brain, Without ºny apparent loss
or diminution of his intellectual faculty. Several facts of this description are, stated
by Dr. Abercrombie, of Edinburgh, in his adminº work on “The Intellectual
Powers.” See p. 154.
10
No sooner shall you succeed in imparting to some exquisite
specimen of machinery a single ray of intelligence, than I will
surrender my doctrine, and allow that mind is matter. Till then,
I shall depend on the conclusions of my reason, or rather on my
native conviction, that they are essentially and unalterably
distinct.
The atoms of which our bodies are composed are in a state of
perpetual flux, and not one particle of the matter which once be-
longed to us can now be called our own. Yet we never lose our
personal identity—we are the same rational and responsible indi-
viduals as ever. How can we account for this fact, except by
allowing that the mind exists independently of matter? Yet al-
though our material atoms are perpetually flying from us, and are
separated from each other by death, not one of them ever per-
ishes—they are atoms of matter still. How idle them is the
notion that our purer and nobler part, endued as it is with char-
acters so infinitely superior to those of matter, falls a prey to
death, and ceases even to exist!
On the one hand, therefore, we cannot descend too low in a
humble view of our dependent condition, and of the blindness
which is here our necessary portion; and, on the other hand, we
cannot rise too high in a just contemplation of the spiritual nature
of the human mind—a spark of the divine intelligence, breathed
into man by his Creator, and formed after the image of his own
eternity. Between the known capacities of the soul of man, and
its revealed everlasting existence, there is a perfect fitness.
Let no man start, in unbelief, at the motion of the etermity to
which he is destined; for, independently of revealed religion,
which is its proper evidence, our known inherent powers proclaim
it to be probable. Nor can we deny that this probability is con-
firmed by the analogy of science; for, whether we reflect on the
inconceivable greatness of nature, or attempt to dive into her
unsearchable minuteness, we are compelled to confess that infin-
ity does, in a remarkable manner, characterize the counsels, and
distinguish the work, of our Almighty Creator.
. That a just view of the spiritual nature of the soul, is of great
importance to our welfare and happiness, is extremely obvious.
The materialist, who reduces himself to the rank of a mere ma-
Chine, must presently give up every motion of his own responsi-
bility—not only in reference to an eternal future, but even as it
regards the present life. It is the natural tendency of his senti-
ments to make him the prey of his carnal propensities; and thus
he becomes a source of misery both to himself, and to society at
large. But who does not know that our individual happiness, as
Well as the order and peace of society, are promoted in a won-
11
derful degree, by the subjection of our ºily powers to the guid-
ance and government of the rational faculty:
3. Still more important, however, is it for the happiness of
mankind, that our whole nature, both bodily and rational, should
be subjected to the moral principle—or, in other words, should be-
come obedient to the commands of the Deity. Certainly then,
the highest use, the first and best application of all literary and
scientific pursuit, is to confirm our belief in the Creator and Su-
preme Ruler of the universe—to establish and enlarge our ac-
quaintance with God.
It is a lamentable fact, that this noblest end of knowledge is
far from being always followed. Many persons who are engaged
in scientific enquiries, live in the daily forgetfulness of their
Heavenly Father, and are sometimes found to doubt and even to
deny his existence. This strange perversion of man's intellect,
can be ultimately traced only to the corruption of his heart; but it
appears to be occasioned partly by the absorbing nature of philo-
sophical pursuits, which may easily so fill the unguarded mind, as
to leave no place for the Author of all knowledge and wisdom;
and partly by the habit which too much prevails among philoso-
phers, of resting in second causes. They trace the phenomena of
nature to the laws through which nature is governed, and they
accustom themselves to speak and write, and, finally, to think, of
these laws, as if they were sentient and intelligent beings.
The absurdity of this mode of thought, as it relates to the cre-
ation of God, must be evident to every considerate mind. I walk
into one of your factories, and enquire of the owner, or rather of
the intelligent head-man, what it is which regulates the moving
scene, and keeps the machinery working at a uniform pace.—
“Oh! Sir,” says he, “it is that governor in yon corner of the room.
You see those two balls which are always in rotation. When
the rapidity of the steam engine is too great, they expand by the
centrifugal force, and by partly closing a valve in the pipe of the
boiler, diminish the quantity of the steam which acts on the en-
ine. On the contrary, when the motion is too slow, the centrif-
ugal force of the balls abates, the circle round which they IQOWe
is lessened, the valve opens, and the power is again increased.
Thus, Sir, the whole machinery is kept moving at an even ratº”.
But who governs the governor? Who provided it with its balls.
Who placed it in its right position? Possibly the ingenious individ-
ual with whom I am conversing. e tº
Were I seriously to impute to this most useful yet inanimate
machine, the actual government of the works, and even the set-
tlement of the sales and purchases, you would not fail so call me
a madman or a fool. Yet precisely of the same degree of mad:
12
ness and folly is that philosopher guilty, who goes no further than
his second cause, forgets his Creator, and ascribes the orderly
arrangement of the universe, and all its glorious phenomena, to
the LAws of ATTRACTION AND MOTION.
Here I must recur to that first principle in science to which
we have already alluded—a principle worked up in the constitu-
tion of our nature, and which we know to be true, though we
cannot prove it—that every effect must have an adequate cause.
When I contemplate the heavens and all their starry host; when
I take into view, as a complete system, the planets, the moons
which attend their course, and the sun around which they move;
when I behold, in myriads of fixed stars, the centres of as many
more systems of the same description; when I extend my con-
ceptions to a countless number of these systems, moving round
some common centre of unspeakable magnitude—I am compelled
to acknowledge that here is a stupendous effect, for which only
one cause can by any possibility account—I mean the FIAT of an
intelligent and omnipotent Being.
Constrained as we are by the very structure of our minds, to
rely on the uniformity of the operations of mature, and taught by
long and multiplied experience, that every organized form of
matter has a beginning, we cannot, as it appears to me, avoid the
conclusion, that the vast machinery of the heavens once began to
exist; and, being convinced of this truth, we are absolutely cer-
tain that nothing could cause its existence but the power of an
eternal God. Thus do reason and philosophy persuade and con-
strain our consent to a record of the highest moment, contained
only in Scripture—“IN THE BEGINNING GoD CREATED THE
HEAVEN AND THE EARTH.”
Butlet us take some particular part of the created universe—
some single plant—some individual animal. For example, let us
occupy a few minutes in considering the structure of my friend
and brother there, who is sitting in front of me, and whose exis-
tence, as we all know, can be traced to a beginning. Let us
examine him, body and mind. First, as to his body—it is full of
contrivances—full of the evident results of the most profound
science, and of the nicest art. How perfectly, for example, is the
structure of his eye fitted for the reception of those rays of light,
which are falling upon it in all directions from visible objects:
How nicely are the rays refracted by its several lenses!"How
easily do they glide through the pupilſ. How comprehensive, yet
how perfect, is the picture formed on its retina—a picture revers-
ed to inspection from without, but all in upright order to the per-
Şipient within! Here, indeed, is the science of optics displayed in
its perfection. Then turn to his ear. How finely does it illustrate
13
the principles of agoustics! How micely are its cavities fitted for
the reception and increase of sound! How accurately does the
drum in the centre, respond to the undulation from without!
Look at that most convenient of levers—my brother’s arm; e.
with what ease does he apply its forces! How micely are its elbow
and its shoulder adjusted for their respective purposes; and how
admirably is the whole completed by the addition of a hand! Think
of the union of strength and pliancy which distinguishes his spine
—an effect produced by machinery of the most elaborate descrip-
tion! Contemplate his joints—the hinge where a hinge is wanted
—the ball and socket where his comfort demands that peculiar
structure; all lubricated by ever-flowing oil; all working with a
faultless accuracy! Think of his muscles, endued with that curious
faculty of contraction, by which he is enabled to move his mem-
bers! Think of the studied mechanical adjustment by which, with-
out ever interrupting each other’s functions, these muscles pull
against each other, and keep his body even! Then turn your at-
tention to his blood; a fluid in perpetual motion—supplied with
pure air in one stage of its journey, and, in another, with the es-
sence of his food; and conveying the elements of life, every few
moments, to every part of his body; driven from the heart by one
set of vessels, and restored to it by another; those vessels most ar-
tificially supplied with valves to prevent the backward motion of the
fluid; while the pump in the centre is forever at work, and makes a
hundred thousand strokes in a day, without even growing weary! I
will not now dwell particularly on the still more complicated struc-
ture of his nerves, on the chemistry of his stomach, on the packing
of the whole machinery, on the cellular substance which fills up
its cavities, on the skin which covers it, on the sightliness and
manly beauty which adorns the fabric. I will rather turn to the
mind, which does, indeed, complete the man—its subtle powers
of thought, memory, association, imagination—its passions and
affections—its natural and moral capacities. Surely we must all
acknowledge that our brother is a wonderful creature indeed—an
effect for which it is utterly impossible to imagine any adequate
cause, but the contriving intelligence and irresistible power of an
all-wise Creator.
You tell me that our friend has a father—a grandfather—that
he looks back on an indefinite series of progenitors. This fact
only strengthens my case. Certain it is that his own structure,
both of mind and body, contains numerous and unquestionable
proofs of design. Where there is design, there must, of necessity,
be a designer. The parent, as we are all perfectly aware, is not
that designer. Our understanding can find no rest in the mere
medium of production. We are compelled to have recourse to an
14
unseen and superior power, and to confess that the designer is
God. But if the workmanship displayed in the formation of the
individual proclaims the wisdom and power of God, still more con-
spicuously are they manifested in a succession of generations—in
the wondrous capacity bestowed on every kind of living creature,
to produce its own likeness.
Were it possible that a series of successive finite beings should
exist from etermity, (a notion which, in my opinion, disproves it-
self) and, supposing it to be possible, were it probable, or even
certain, that mankind have so existed—our argument from a de-
sign to a designer, would still remain untouched. ... It would con-
tinue to apply with resistless force to every individual of the
species.
7 But it so happens that we are able to trace not only every indi-
vidual man, but our whole race, to an undoubted beginning.
That beginning, which took place about six thousand years ago,
is plainly recorded in Scripture, and the record is supported by
the conclusions of science. You are doubtless aware how exten-
sively of late years scientific enquiry has been directed, to the
examination and classification of the surface or crust of our globe.
Geology is a favorite study in the present day, and few persons
of any education are now unacquainted with the classification in
question. We have the primitive rocks; the transition, the sec-
ondary, the tertiary, and the alluvial; each bearing the marks of
a watery formation; and each maintaining its own order in the
series, notwithstanding the frequent interruption from below, of
vast protruding masses, supposed to be of fiery origin. The sec-
ondary rocks in particular, composed of alternate layers of sand-
stone and lime-stone, are replete with fossil remains of plants and
animals—the intelligible remnants of a once abundant, but now
obsolete life.*
* A little consideration will serve to shew that these facts are in no degree at vari-
ance with the record of creation, contained in the book of Genesis. In the first
verse of that book, we read, that “In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth ;” and in the next verse, we find it declared, that “the earth was without form
and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep.” The question is, Was the earth
in this condition when she was first created 4 Most probably, not. From the account
which follows of the six days’ work, (beginning with the revelation of light,) we
find that all creatures came forth from the hands of their Creator in a state of per-
fection. The tree, the beast, and man himself were not formed, as in reproduction,
by a gradual and imperceptible growth, but were endued at once with all the fulness
of their vigor and beauty. From the analogy of creation, therefore, we may fairly
infer—and the inference was drawn by Biblical critics long before Geology was so
much studied—that the earth herself also was in the first instance created perfect.
Before she became “without form and void,” and was enveloped in her shroud of
“darkness,” she had probably undergone some vast revolution, or perhaps a series
of revolutions. Here then there is ample scope for an order of living creatures, or
even for a succession of orders, prior to that of which Moscs describes the formation,
and with which we are ourselves familiar.
15
Now among all these remains, not a trace is to be found of
man. Man, therefore, beyond all reasonable question, is com-
paratively a modern creature. And not only is this true of the
human race, but of the other species of animals and plants, which
now enliven and adorn the world. ... If I am correct in my appre-
hension of the subject, they are all, or nearly all, New ; belong-
ing to an order of nature distinctly different from that which these
ancient rocks display. For ever therefore must we lay aside the
idle motion of an infinite series of finite creatures, producing their
own likeness. Geology affords a palpable evidence, that the
present order of animal and vegetable life, had a commencement
within some period of moderate limits.
But we have not yet stated our whole case. While the sec-
ondary rocks display to the geologist an order of created beings
prior to the present, the primitive rocks—those vast masses of
granite and gneiss, which form the lowest and oldest tier of the
crust of the earth—are wholly destitute of these curious remains
of animal and vegetable life. From this fact, we may fairly infer
that time was, and at no immeasurable distance, when there ex-
isted on the surface of our globe, no plants or animals whatsoever.
Not only therefore is man comparatively modern; not only may
all the different species with which we are now acquainted, be
traced to a first origin—but all preceding orders of living and
growing creatures, must have had their commencement also, with-
in the limits of time. Undoubtedly, therefore, the existence of
the human race, together with the whole present and past system
of animal and vegetable life, is an effect which nature and phi-
losophy compel us to ascribe to some adequate cause. Every
one knows that this adequate cause can be only one—THE FIAT
OF OMNIPOTENT WISD OM.
From these remarks, you will easily perceive how false is the
motion entertained by some persons, that geology is fraught with
a sting against religion. So far from it, this delightful science
has done much to confirm the scripture record, and to complete
that natural proof of a supreme intelligent Being, on which all
religion hinges. Let it ever be remembered, that of all persons
in the world, the Christian has the least reason to fear the influ-
ence of truth. Truth is the very element which he breathes. It
is his hope, his strength, and his life. From whatsoever quarter
it bursts in upon him, he hails its approach, and greets it as his
firmest friend. His motto is unchanged and unchangeable—
Magna est veritas et praevalebit—“TRUTH SHALL TRIUMPH.”
To “look through nature up to mature’s God,” is indeed a pro-
fitable and delightful employment. While I would warmly en-
courage you to cultivate so desirable a habit, I wish again to
16
remind you that the wisdom and power of God—displayed as
they are in the outward creation—are inseparably connected
with his moral government. Just in the degree in which we are
obedient to that government—just in the degree in which our
faculties, both bodily and mental, are subjected to God’s holy
law—will all the knowledge which we acquire be blessed to our
own happiness, and to that of our fellow men. Hence we may
form some idea of the vast importance of that fourth branch of
knowledge to which allusion was made in the early part of this
address, and on which I shall now make a few remarks—I mean
moral and religious knowledge.
And where is this to be obtained? Certainly we may furnish
our minds with some considerable portions of it by reading the
book of nature and providence; but there is another book which
must be regarded as its depository—a book in which all things
moral and spiritual, belonging to the welfare of man, are fully un-
folded. True indeed it is that natural science proclaims the
power and wisdom of God; that the perceptible tendency of his
government, makes manifest his holiness; and lastly, that the
surplus of happiness bestowed on all living creatures, demonstrates
his goodness. I believe it is also true that the law of God is writ-
ten, in characters more or less legible, on the hearts of all men.
But for a full account of his glorious attributes—for the know-
ledge of religion in all its beauty, and strength, and completeness—-
we must have recourse to the Bible—we must meditate on the
written word. There the whole moral law is delineated with a
pencil of heavenly light. There man is described in his true
character. Above all, “LIFE AND IMMORTALITY” are brought to
light by the Gospel.” “This is LIFE ETERNAL to know thee the
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent!”
Do not imagine, my friends, that I am about to preach you a
sermon; that is not my present business; but I consider it to be
strictly within the order of my subject, to invite and encourage
you to seek diligently after that knowledge, on subordination to
which, depends the ultimate utility and advantage of all other
mental cultivation. I beg of you therefore, not to neglect the
daily perusal of the Holy Scriptures. When you return home in
the evening from your day’s business, and before you retire to
rest, devote a little time, I beseech you, to the collecting of your
families together. Read a chapter in the Bible to them, in a se-
rious and deliberate manner; and then pour forth your prayers to
that God, in whom you live and move and have your being—to
that God who can alone bless your labor and your study, and
preserve you in peace, virtue, and safety.
The religion of the Holy Scriptures will sweeten your sorrows,
17
and sanctify your pleasures. It will keep not only your family
circle, but your own minds, in right order; and while it will dis-
countenance all vain notions and false speculations, it will enlarge
and improve your faculties, for every wise and worthy purpose.
But you ask me on what moral and religious knowledge is
founded? I answer, on that which is the basis of every other
branch of knowledge—BELIEF.
I have endeavored to make it clear to you that even philoso-
phical and mathematical knowledge inevitably rest on certain
principles, which are received only by an intuitive conviction, or
natural faith; and that historical knowledge depends solely on
that peculiar kind of belief, which is produced by testimony. I
might have gone further—I might have reminded you, that your
circumstances preclude the greater part of you from making phi-
losophical experiments for yourselves, and from engaging in those
mathematical calculations, on which depend the certainty of
astronomical science. You are compelled to take for granted the
results of other men's inquiries and labors; and you do not hesi-
tate to believe those results to be true. And why? because you
rely on the testimony of books—on the testimony of your lectur-
ers. A few moments’ thought, will convince you, that almost
all the knowledge you possess, of nature and philosophy, as well
as of geography and history, rests on no other basis whatsoever,
than faith in testimony.
What then can be more irrational than to refuse to receive
religious knowledge—because it rests, in part, on the same foun-
dation? The doctrines of Christianity are founded on facts; and
those facts are the subject of testimony. And we are sure that
the facts are true, and therefore that the doctrines resting on them
are divine, because the testimony in question, is at once abundant
in quantity, and sound in character. I cannot now enter on a
detailed account of the historical evidence, by which are proved
the genuineness of the Holy Scriptures, and the reality of the
events which are there recorded. But since you are accustomed
to receive the testimony of your lecturers with implicit confidence,
I beg of you on the present occasion to accept my own. I believe
I am an honest man, and I have long been accustomed to inves-
tigate the subject. I am ready, them, to declare in your pres:
ence—in the presence of all Manchester—of all England—of all
Europe—may of the whole world—that there are no facts what-
soever within the whole range of ancient history, of the truth of
which we have more abundant and conclusive evidence, than of
the DEATH AND RESURRECTION of Jesus CHRIST. Indeed I
know of no ancient events on record, of which the evidence is
nearly so much accumulated, or nearly so strong.
18
The resurrection of Jesus Christ, together with the miracles of
Christ himself and his apostles, are our sure vouchers that the
Author of nature, who can alone suspend or reverse its order, was
the Author of Christianity. These miracles bore no resemblance
to the false pretences of the fanatical and superstitious. They
were for the most part, immediate in their operation; wrought in
public; utterly incapable of being accounted for by second causes;
and of so broad and conspicuous a character, that no deliberate
eye-witness could be deceived respecting them. Nor were they,
in point of fact, improbable events. Who will deny that the dark
and degraded condition of mankind required an outward revela-
tion of the divine will? Who will not allow that miracles are a
suitable test—the most suitable one which we can imagine—by
which the truth of such a revelation might be established? Who
does not perceive, that under such circumstances, it was credible
—nay highly probable—that God would permit or ordain them f
True indeed it is, that they were directly opposed to the course
of nature. Otherwise they would not have been miracles—they
would not have answered their purpose! But is it not equally op-
posed to the known order of things, that an honest man, in bear-
ing witness to these facts, should tell a deliberate lie P Is it not
yet more at variance with that order, that he should persevere in
that lie, through life, and sacrifice every worldly advantage, and
even life itself to the support of it? Is it not a far greater breach
of every established probability, that twelve men, of the same vir-
tuous character, should all tell this lie—should all persevere in it
without deviation—should all sacrifice their property, their peace,
and their reputation—should all be willing to lay down their lives
in its maintenance P Is it not, lastly, an actual moral impossibility,
that this lie, accompanied by no temporal force and no worldly
advantage, but by every species of loss and affliction, should tri-
umph over the prejudices of the Jew, and the favorite habits of
the Gentile—should be accepted and believed by myriads—and
should finally enthrone itself over the whole Roman empire?”
But the truth of Christianity does not depend solely on those
miraculous facts to which we have now adverted. Prophecy duly
*Within a short period of our Saviour's death and resurrection, many thousands of
persons were converted to Christianity at Jerusalem. Soon afterwards, Christian
churches were settled in numerous parts of Syria, Lesser Asia, Macedonia, and
Greece. The historian Tacitus declares that in the reign of Nero (A. D. 65,)
“great multitudes” of Christians were living at Rome. Pliny, when writing from
his government in Bythinia, to the Emperor Trajan (A. D. 107,) describes our holy
religion as “a contagion,” which had seized the lesser towns as well as the cities,
had spread among persons of all classes and descriptions, and had produced the utter
neglect of the ancient idolatrous worship. During the reign of Constantine (A. D.
$25,) Christianity became the generally adopted and established religion of the
whole Roman empire.
19
fulfilled is itself a miracle, equally applicable to the proof of re-
ligion; and the Scriptures abound in predictions, of which history
has already recorded the fulfilment. The events by which many
of them have been fulfilled—for example, the spread of Christ-
ianity, and the dispersion of the Jews—are familiar to us all.
I wish I could persuade you to examine the prophecies scat-
tered over the Old Testament, and meeting us at every point, in
a most unartificial manner, respecting the Messiah who was to
come. I wish I could induce you to compare them with the his-
tory of his birth, life, character, ministry, death, resurrection, and
ascension, contained in the four gospels. You would find the
prophecy and the history tally with a marvellous precision; and
since the Old Testament can be proved to have been written long
before the coming of Christ, you would find yourselves in posses-
sion of an evidence of which no cavils could deprive you, that
Christianity is God’s religion. When a lock and a key are well
fitted, a fair presumption arises, even though they be of a simple
character, that they were made for each other. If they are com-
plex in their form, that presumption is considerably strengthened.
But if the lock is composed of such strange and curious parts as
to baffle the skill even of a Manchester mechanic—if it is abso-
lutely novel and peculiar, differing from every thing which was
ever before seen in the world—if no key in the universe will enter
it, except one; and by that one it is so easily and exactly fitted,
that a child may open it—then indeed are we absolutely certain
that the lock and the key were made by the same master-hand,
and truly belong to each other. No less curiously diversified—
no less hidden from the wisdom of man—no less novel and pecu-
liar—are the prophecies contained in the Old Testament, respect-
ing Jesus Christ. No less easy—no less exact—is the manner
in which they are fitted by the gospel history! Who then can
doubt that God was the Author of these predictions—of the
events by which they were fulfilled—and of the religion with
which they are both inseparably connected?
But independently of all outward testimony, and of the evi-
dence of miracles and prophecy, Christianity proclaims its own
divine origin, by its character and its effects. This is a subject
on which we appeal to your native good sense, to your practical
feelings, to your personal experience. Christianity is the relig-
ion of truth, because it is the religion of holiness. In vain will
the student search the pages of Plato and Aristotle—in vain will
he examine the conversations of Socrates—in vain will he dive
into the disputations of Cicero—for a moral system so complete,
so simple, and so efficacious, as that of the Bible. Where within
the whole range of uninspired ethics, shall we find any thing
20
worthy even of a moment's comparison with that divine saying,
in which the whole law of God is comprehended and concentrat-
ed? “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and
thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
Accustomed as many of you are, in your factories, to the print-
ing of a thousand beautiful patterns on your cottons and your
muslims, you will be at no loss to understand and appreciate a
memorable saying of Lord Bacon’s—that truth differs from good-
mess, only as the seal or dye differs from its print—for that TRUTH
PRINTs GooDNESS.
In the goodness of Christianity—in the purity of its law—in its
display of the holy attributes of God—in its revelation of an aw-
ful and glorious eternity—in its actual efficiency for the moral
restoration of our species—in the perfect fitness of that Saviour
whom it unfolds, to our spiritual need as sinners in the sight of
God—we have abundant experimental proof of its truth and di-
vine origin. Time forbids a farther discussion of the subject.
Allow me then in conclusion, to bear my deliberate and solemn tes-
timony in the words of an apostle—and may that testimony by
whomsoever borne, satisfy all understandings, and imbue all
hearts 1 May it be upheld and exalted on every side! May it
surmount all opposition—may it pervade the whole land—may it
spread from pole to pole—may it be as unrestrained and diffusive
as the winds of heaven!—“OTHER Found ATION CAN No MAN LAY
THAN THAT IS LAID, which is JESUS CHRIST.”
My address is now concluded. I thank you for your kind and
serious attention. I heartily bid you farewell; and may the bles-
sing of the Lord Almighty, rest abundantly on the mechanics of
Manchester!
||||||