JB/006/164/001

Click Here To Edit

2 Decr. 1813
Church

II Doctrine
Ch. Persuasion
§ Merit & demerit of Belief

2

1
To belief and disbelief, —
to right belief and wrong
do. the ideas of merit
and demerit generally
attached. p.1

2
The will of the Almighty
as to these subjects
is not to be considered
here. p.1

3
The proper conduct of
man to man, & in in
particular the ruler
to the ruled is to be
considered. p.1.

4
To find a ground for political
or moral punishment
or reward
is the only practical
object of the discussion
of this topic. p.2

5
The design here to show
that no man should
be an object of ill will
or good will on account
of this kind of persuasion
except as far as is unavoidable
from the
opinion of mental
strength or imbecility.
p.2

6
The onus probandi as
to the fitness of such exercise
lies on the exerciser
of any power not in
any other man. p.3

---page break---

7
The proposition taken as
axiom. p.3

8
And when the reasons
for such exercise do not
occur, search should
be immediately made?
p.3

12
2. Suppose a persuasion
ever so erroneous viz.
in the eyes of others for
that is all that can
be ascertained, or even
really so — this is no
ground for punishment
or ill offices — Error
pure from immorality
a ground only for
commiseration. Immorality
if it could exist
in belief might be a
ground for disesteem
— but this can only
exist in insincerity
which only can have
place in declaration
of belief. p.5

9
1. Where a man ascribes
merit or demerit to disbelief,
he knows not
what he says, disbelief
of one thing is belief
of the contradictory
one. p.4

---page break---

10
Ex. gr. As to authenticity
of the bible, the unbeliever
believes it to be
spurious, the believer
authentic. p.4

11
What room for blame
in either case? Answer
none if the belief be
sincere — But no belief
is insincere, nor
can be — declaration of
do alone can possess this
property p 4

☞ 12

13
Ex. gr. the case where
punishments if at all
proper would appear
most meet — viz. disbelief
in the existence
of a God. Revelation
apart, inference from
sensible things is the
only ground of belief
even in this case. p.6

14
Objector — No man does
so disbelieve — and all
declaration of such disbelief
is false. p.6

15
If it be impossible,
why such pains to demonstrate
the points — in
Boyle's lectures, books —
and sermons — all
scientific evidence of
the existence of sincere
atheists. p.6

Identifier: | JB/006/164/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 6.
Date_1	1813-12-02	Marginal Summary Numbering	1-14
Box	006	Main Headings	church of englandism
Folio number	164	Info in main headings field	church
Image	001	Titles
Category	marginal summary sheet	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	e2
Penner	walter coulson	Watermarks	<…> co
Marginals		Paper Producer	a. levy
Corrections	jeremy bentham	Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number	2897
Box Contents