ELEGANT EXTRACTS:

BEING A

COPIOUS SELECTION

OF

INSTRUCTIVE, MORAL, AND ENTERTAINING

PASSAGES,

FROM THE MOST EMINENT

PROSE WRITERS.

VOLUME I.

BOOK I. II.

RELIGIOUS.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR SHARPE AND HAILES,

PICCADILLY.

1812.

WHITTINGHAM AND ROWLAND, PRINTERS, GOSWELL-STREET, LONDON.

CONTENTS.

BOOK I.

RELIGIOUS. PART I.

THE Bible account of the creation

Page

Moses. 1

....

.....

Bp. Watson.

Anonymous.

David.

9

The heavens declare a Deity

A Deity proved from the creation and preservation of the
world, and the general consent of mankind.. Gilpin. ib.

Objections to the being of a God refuted.. Bp. Watson. 15

Persian fable in illustration of the being of a God.

Bp. Watson. 19

Historical proof of the being of a God Bp. Watson.

Creation, a proof of the divine goodness

The divine goodness apparent in the adaptation of the

earth to man

....

Blair.

21

25

Goldsmith. 28

...... Spectator. 32

Further proof of the divine goodness in the scale of

beings

Bounty of God in the economy of vegetable propaga-

tiona...

Barrow's Voyage. 36,

Omniscience and omnipresence of the Deity

Frovidence proved from animal instinct

Spectator. 37

Spectator. 43

God's government of the world as certain as his creating

it

Conduct of Providence, however mysterious,

just

On the immortality of the soul...

Argument for a future state from analogy

Argument for a future state from tradition

Our imperfect knowledge of a future state

condition of man..

Of revelation...

. Balguy. 48

is wise and

..... Blair. 51

Spectator. 55

Dr. Tottie. 59

Dr. Tottie. 61

suited to the

Blair. 63

Dryden. 68

The book of revelation to be studied in the same manner

Page

Whiston. 72

Degree of evidence that ought to be expected in matters

of revealed religion........

Reason for believing the volume of revelation to be true.

Whiston. 78

Instructive epitome of the Old Testament.... Phillips. 80

Antiquity and value of the book of Genesis. Bp. Watson. 82

Proofs of the divine legation of Moses Lord Forbes. 84

That the legation of Moses could not have been forged.

Lord Forbes. 91

....

The Mosaic account of the origin of mankind, and of the

deluge, confirmed by reason and history. Sir IV. Jones. 95-

Difficulties in the history of the Old Testament, no argu-

ment against its authenticity..

Connection of the Old Testament with the

prophecy of the Messiah..

Anecdote of a learned Rabbi, confirming the

the Messiah

Bp. Watson. 100

New, in the

Gilpin. 102

prophecy of

Bp. Watson. 104

Historical evidence that Jesus Christ lived and was the

author of a new religion

Force of the argument from prophecy

....

Gilpin. ib.

Bp. Watson. 105.

Very little required to prove the truth of the Christian re-

ligion..
Bp. Taylor. 107

The divine mission of Jesus verified by three most singu-

lar and incontestible facts..

The apparent unsuitableness of the means to the end, in

the establishment of Christianity, a proof of its divinity.

Paley, 109

Bp. Taylor. 114

The speedy propagation of the gospel, supernatural and

miraculous

The same subject

Truth of the resurrection of Jesus...

Proof, in the manner of an alibi, of the

sus

Atterbury. 116

Fenelon. 117

Gilpin. 118

resurrection of Je-

Paul a proper witness of the resurrection

Of faith in testimony

...

Bp. Watson. 122

Bp. Watson. 123

Beattie. 124

The power of working miracles, the proper accompani-

ment of a divine revelation

Credibility of miracles, as supporting

Sherlock. 126

revelation.

Dr. Beattie. 129

Credibility of miracles from human testimony.

Bp. Watson. 131

The state of idolatry, and the conduct of Socrates and

other wise men respecting it, a proof of the necessity

of revelation
Sherlock. 133

Modern argument for the truth of Christianity, in the

want of success of our Christian missionaries.. Puley. 138.