Proofs and Illustrations of the Attributes of God, Vol. 2 of 3: From the Facts and Laws of the Physical Universe; Being the Foundation of Natural and Revealed Religion (Classic Reprint) - Softcover

Macculloch, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1330714431 ISBN 13: 9781330714430

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2019

Synopsis

Excerpt from Proofs and Illustrations of the Attributes of God, Vol. 2 of 3: From the Facts and Laws of the Physical Universe; Being the Foundation of Natural and Revealed Religion

But the greater difficulty respecting the omnipotence, or boundless power of the Deity, relates to the moral world: and it has been argued under different views. This difficulty consists in the existence of evil, under absolute goodness and absolute power. How far those disputes have led, I need not say: especially as this question will also occur hereafter. But it has been suggested in explanation, that there are moral impossi bilities, as well as physical ones, while they are of a nature which we cannot discern; so that although we were to conceive that power limited, in the moral world, or short of Omnipotence, in the perfect sense of that term, it would be no more than to say, in the physical world, that the Deity could not produce contradictions; and for the same reason, that this is a nullity. Attempts also have been made to surmount this difficulty, under the doctrine of the Free-will of man: or, it has been inferred, that in this case, and for obvious purposes, God has divested Himself of a portion of His power; which, to resume, though in that power of course, would be contradictory conduct, and therefore not to be found in Him.

That no length of discussion has ever made this sub jcet plainer, is most certain; while it is equally true, that the metaphysical theologians have, reversely, oh scured and encumbered it. To avoid it therefore, is not less right than convenient, from the moment that it passes beyond the reach of our faculties. To do this, is that plain confession of ignorance which we are always unwilling to make sometimes, from a laudable principle, but more frequently, it is to be feared, from vanity.

On the moral nature, or quality, of the power of the Deity, much has also been said by theologians. But these discussions involve the consideration of others of His attributes, namely, His justice, wisdom, and good ness. I do not perceive that any of those statements are required for the objects of this work, or that they are even relevant to its restricted and peculiar views. The purpose, here, as elsewhere, is to give proofs or illustrations of those attributes with which the physical creation is concerned, or which can be displayed through that department of the universe. And it is, therefore, Power which is to be evinced or rendered tangible, not Omnipotence which is to be argued. It is the business of metaphysics to infer the ultimate, or infinite, as they best can and I have perhaps su ciently indicated what they have attempted, and almost also, What they have done. For those who desire to read more largely on the moral nature of God's power, it is best to refer; and most convenient, perhaps to refer to Clarke As far as this concerns the limitations of His omnipotence, it will be there found, that the difficulty is set aside by the broad consideration, that all His attributes are insepara ble that all is One, Himself. Or otherwise, that as far as any attribute is to be supposed limited, the limitation is a necessary part of His nature yet in this sense alone necessary, that to assume the contrary would become a contradiction in terms, or a nullity. This is the result the details can be read in that writer, and in many more: if they do not very visibly explain this con elusion.

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Excerpt from Proofs and Illustrations of the Attributes of God, Vol. 2 of 3: From the Facts and Laws of the Physical Universe; Being the Foundation of Natural and Revealed Religion If the meaning of Omnipotence is obvious, yet is this among the difficult questions respecting the attributes of the Deity, which have been much discussed by metaphysicians; and frequently, under a purposeless length: since it is not easy to see what is gained by accumulating words, and varying phrases, on subjects beyond the bounds of our intellect. I neither intend to repeat all that they have written, or to examine it. As to this class of investigations, my purpose, throughout, has been limited: and for those who desire to read more, the writers are as abundant as they are accessible. The Power of the Deity is a proposition so necessarily consequent on the acknowledgment of Him as the Creator of the Universe, that it may rank in the class of self-evident truths: it would be a waste of words to deduce it, as has often been done, through a more circuitous phraseology. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

About this edition

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1330714431
• ISBN 13: 9781330714430
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 524