A Refutation of Every Argument Brought Against the Truth of Christianity, and Revealed Religion, by Thomas Paine, in the First Part of His Work, Called "The Age of Reason." - Tapa blanda

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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1825. Excerpt: ... sensible objects, not common to all mankind, there would be an extreme difficulty in conveying the meaning of m»ny of its terms f om one people to another, and an almost insuperable impediment to the universal diffusion of it. But, instead of this, it deals entirely, or almost entirely, in abstractions, with which all men are, or easily may, be made acquainted, and that without liability to mistake. Mercy, truth, love, justice, gratitude, obedience, faith &c. may, in their leading acceptations, and those are the most important acceptations, be made known. to a savage islander of the South sea or the Indian ocean, as well as to the refined inhabitant of Europe; whilst an attempt to describe to him an elephant, or a rhinoceros, would entirely fail without graphical illustration. It is perhaps unfortunate, that what may be so easily apprehended, may also by the subtlety of logick, the refinements of metaphysicks, and the distinctions of philosophy, be rendered more obscure, than the most palpable truths in nature. If, when Mr. Paine said, "besides the art of printing was wholly unknown at the time Christ lived," he meant, that that circumstance was unfavorable to the diffusion of his doctrine, he ought to have remembered, that it was a great security against the corruption of iti See page 130 &c. An error that creeps into a printed book, belongstO' the whole edition of it;.and if accident should uestroy all other editions, there is no possibility of correcting it. In manuscript copies, each copy is like an edition; and when they are greatly multiplied, and independent of each other, it is impossible, morally speaking, for them to suffer any material corruption. "It is always necessary, th&t the means that are to accomplish any end, be equal to the accom...