But there is no view of human life, or of the condition of
mankind, from which, without the greatest violence, we can infer
the moral attributes, or learn that infinite benevolence,
conjoined with infinite power and infinite wisdom, which we must
discover by the eyes of faith alone. It is your turn now to tug
the labouring oar, and to support your philosophical subtleties
against the dictates of plain reason and experience.
* * * *
PART 11
I scruple not to allow, said C/LEANTHES\, that I have been
apt to suspect the frequent repetition of the word infinite,
which we meet with in all theological writers, to savour more of
panegyric than of philosophy; and that any purposes of reasoning,
and even of religion, would be better served, were we to rest
contented with more accurate and more moderate expressions. The
terms, admirable, excellent, superlatively great, wise, and holy;
these sufficiently fill the imaginations of men; and any thing
beyond, besides that it leads into absurdities, has no influence
on the affections or sentiments. Thus, in the present subject, if
we abandon all human analogy, as seems your intention, D/EMEA\, I
am afraid we abandon all religion, and retain no conception of
the great object of our adoration. If we preserve human analogy,
we must for ever find it impossible to reconcile any mixture of
evil in the universe with infinite attributes; much less can we
ever prove the latter from the former.
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