DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9552#0013
human reason and divine revelation. At the same time,
to those who are not biased by prejudice, and who arer
by the grace of God, open to conviction, a simple
enumeration and statement of the respective tenets of
different sects may be a sufficient guide to direct their
inquiries in ascertaining which of them is most consistent
with the sacred traditons, and most acceptable to common
-sense. For these reasons, I decline entering into any
discussion on those points, and confine my attention at
present to the task of laying before my fellow-creatures
the words of Christ, with a translation from the English
into Sungscrit, and the language of Bengal. I feel
persuaded that by separating from the other matters con-
tained in the New Testament, the moral precepts
found in that book, these will be more likely to produce
.the desirable effect of improving the hearts and minds of
men of different persuasions and degrees of understand-
ing. For, historical and some other passages are liable
to the doubts and disputes of free-thinkers and anti-
«christians, especially miraculous relations, which are
much less wonderful than the fabricated tales handed
down to the native of Asia,* and consequently would be
apt, at best, to carry little weight with them. On the
■contrary, moral doctrines, pending evidently to the
maintenance of the peace and harmony of mankind at
.large, are beyond the reach of metaphysical perversion,
.and intelligible alike^the learned and to the unlearned.
This simple code of religion and morality is so admirably
* Ugusti is famed for having swallowed the ocean, when it had
sgivien him offence, and having restored it by urinary evacuation : at his
command, also, the Vindhyu range of mountains prostrated itself, and
so remains. ( Wilsons Dictionary. ) »
to those who are not biased by prejudice, and who arer
by the grace of God, open to conviction, a simple
enumeration and statement of the respective tenets of
different sects may be a sufficient guide to direct their
inquiries in ascertaining which of them is most consistent
with the sacred traditons, and most acceptable to common
-sense. For these reasons, I decline entering into any
discussion on those points, and confine my attention at
present to the task of laying before my fellow-creatures
the words of Christ, with a translation from the English
into Sungscrit, and the language of Bengal. I feel
persuaded that by separating from the other matters con-
tained in the New Testament, the moral precepts
found in that book, these will be more likely to produce
.the desirable effect of improving the hearts and minds of
men of different persuasions and degrees of understand-
ing. For, historical and some other passages are liable
to the doubts and disputes of free-thinkers and anti-
«christians, especially miraculous relations, which are
much less wonderful than the fabricated tales handed
down to the native of Asia,* and consequently would be
apt, at best, to carry little weight with them. On the
■contrary, moral doctrines, pending evidently to the
maintenance of the peace and harmony of mankind at
.large, are beyond the reach of metaphysical perversion,
.and intelligible alike^the learned and to the unlearned.
This simple code of religion and morality is so admirably
* Ugusti is famed for having swallowed the ocean, when it had
sgivien him offence, and having restored it by urinary evacuation : at his
command, also, the Vindhyu range of mountains prostrated itself, and
so remains. ( Wilsons Dictionary. ) »